I’ll Tell You What Happened; She Murdered Her Husband

This posting introduces a new series concerning a lady from New Hampshire, U.S.A. who came to hate her husband some seven months after they were married.  Right at the start of this story, I’ll tell you that she had her husband murdered.  But, before we get to that part we need to understand Pamela Smart and what led her to cause her husbands death.  We will have to start with her natal chart.  In this series of some six years of chart explorations and comments on those charts I have stuck with basic chart comments without elaboration and deep analysis.  This was done so that I could stay focused on the charting methods being used in the postings.  In this series I am going to bring into our explorations other interpretive methods to show hoe Return and Cyclic charts can be expanded and deepened in terms of their interpretations.  Some astrologers like details.  These Return and Cyclic charts are useful to those who want quick reviews of likely events and situations.  Yet, it is perfectly fine to apply additional tools to get the depth of understanding that some might want.

We will start with Pamela Smarts natal chart, relocated from Coral Gables in Florida to Hampton, New Hampshire where the main events of this story take place.

Pamela Smart,had moved at a young age to the seacoast area of New Hampshire.  She returned to Florida to attend college and graduated from a in three years with a 3.85 grade point average, then returned to New Hampshire.  She married in 1989, and took a position as Media Coordinator at a local high school.  Marriage did not meet her expectations.  Pamela had always been a ‘hands-on’ type of person.  She concocted a plan to bypass the time-consuming and costly divorce process.  She seduced a student, then coerced the love-smitten 15 year old into killing her husband.  That 1990 story made the front pages of regional newspapers and captured the TV news for months.

Before we get to that part of the story we need to better understand Pamela as a person, as defined by her chart.

Sun is squared by Neptune; problems formulating dreams, dealing with imagination, visualization. This is an annoying feature for a Leo Sun which would like to be a big part in a big picture, and to have life’s benefits that go with a second house Leo Sun.  Moon has a ‘square-and-a-half’ (135°) aspect to the Sun; life presents a struggle to gain skills and the benefits of ones adventures (the 6th is the 2nd of the 5th house).

Mars squares Mercury and has that pesky 135° aspect to Chiron; Pamela is ‘quick of tongue’ and easily hurt by the words of others.  Mercury and Venus are separated by a semi-sextile and in different signs; Mercury full of confidence, Venus full of criticism and appreciation of details — a common pattern but a bit uncomfortable.  We start to see a picture of a woman who struggles a bit to have life reflect her wishes.  When we note Jupiter squaring Mars from the 2nd house, we add to our picture, suspecting one who wants opportunities but may not be adept at seizing them.  With Saturn and Chiron bracketing the MC angle we might say that her life’s work is a struggle to achieve stability and avoid being hurt by circumstances.

This is typically all that is needed as a natal-chart basis for working with Moon-to-Sun Returns.  There are many astrologers, however, who include asteroids, Arabian Parts and/or Uranian planets in their chart work.  They find the added detail helpful to their understanding of the chart and of the person.

In this posting I am going to explore the additional use of Asteroids, Uranian hypotheticals and Arabian Parts.  We all know from experience that adding eight or ten more items to a chart greatly increases the complexity of identifying aspects and relationships, and of interpreting those elecments.  Throw in some Asteroids that happen to conjoin some of the planets in the natal chart, plus a few Parts that may apply and we do have a problem.  There is a way to simplify the charting of any of these other elements if we choose to not work with conventional charts.  Before we get to that, lets look at some of these charts to see what I mean.

To the right is Pamela’s natal chart with some 37 asteroids, a set attributed to my long-time friend Martha Lang-Wescott.  Martha is a world-recognized authority of asteroids. Her books on asteroids and midpoints and website, http://www.treehousemountain.com/, are valued resources for astrologers.

I personally find it intimidating to study a chart such as this.

The chart at the right depicts Pamela’s Uranian planets which are hypothetical bodies conceived and developed by the German school in the early 1900s.  Alfred Witte and Herman Lefeldt’s ‘Rules for Planetary Pictures’ is a primary resources for those using Cupido, Hades, Zeus, Kronos, Appollon, Admetus, Vulcanus and Poseidon.                                                                         The use of these bodies, which seem strange and doubtful-of-value to those who first encounter them, are best used with a “90 degree wheel.”  This device was developed decades before computers were available.  The 90 degree wheel folds the circle upon itself four times.  Any two planets conjunct, or square or in opposition to each other appear as a conjunction.  Any two planets which are at 45 degrees or 135 degrees from each other appear as oppositions on the 90 degree wheel.  Along with this wheel was introduced the midpoint structure wherein A = B/C.  Any planet that lies an equal arc distance from each of two other planets is at the “midpoint” of those two.  Reading a three part planetary picture provides a very detailed interpretation.

At this point I will not bother adding a chart depicting a hundred or more Arabian Parts.  I think I’ve made my point. it takes time and a lot of dilligence to use all of this material.  Yet, if one goes about it correctly, this is all very doable.

So, now how does one who is used to working with simpler charting techniques go about using the complexity shown in the above charts?  I will cover that in the next posting.   Dave.

Amanda Knox; Innocence Decided by Italian Supreme Court

Amanda Knox, an Amercian student studying in Perugia, Italy, lived with a roommate who was probably murdered on the evening of November 1st, 2007, was arrested and charged with that murder.  It took four years for hearings and trials and imprisonment to pass before she was found innocent in late 2011.  Amanda returned home, happy to be free of the Italian legal system.  Later, the Italian Supreme Court decided to re-open her case, believing that the evidence that had been submitted was not complete and had not be considered in determining her guilt or innocence.  Today, March 27, 2015, that Italian court found her innocent.  Her Advanced chart for night when her roommate was likely murdered, the body was found on the morning of Nov 2, 2007, is shown below.

The Advanced chart for the day/night her roommate was murdered is shown at the right.  An MC of 15 Leo and an Ascendant of 7 Scorpio frames this daily chart.  Note t/Sun at the Asc. conjoining n/Pluto. The t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return had occurred in the 9th house of foreign places and higher education, fitting the Perugia, Italy for an American student. t/Neptune at the IC angle, represents the confusion and chaos of the many politically-charged hearings and trial events.  Not all of the evidence was presented, nothing in the evidence tied Amanda to the murder, yet she was found guilt and ended up serving a total of four years in confinement before being found innocent.  Note t/Neptune at the IC angle.

On March 27, 2015, after several months of a legal reconsideration of her trial and the evidence that was and was not presented, the Supreme Court of Italy found her innocent.  Amanda’s Advanced charts for both Seattle and Perugia, Italy are shown below.

Amanda’s t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return in the 9th house occurred on March 27, 2015, the same date she was found innocent of all charges.  The chart at the right is set for Seattle, Washington where she lives.

Note n/MC at the IC; her life’s status and public image takes on a new meaning and start.  t/PoF conjoins the n/MC and IC angle; the situation changes dramatically. t/Mars at the Desc. angle represents the accusations by others and her push-back against the legal system and court. nPoF  opposite t/Venus indicates the favorable change in the court’s findings. 

Amanda’s Advanced chart for the court’s findings is shown to the right side.  Note that the actual date for this chart is March 28th due to the shift in location from Seattle Washington to Perugia, Italy.  I’ve dated it as the 27th.

We can see that the relocated natal MC is still at the IC angle of the chart, since her chart is relocated.  However, the t/Sun and t/Moon are in different houses.  Note that the n/Asc. is near the Desc. angle and n/Moon-n/Uranus are at the MC angle.  Great emotional relief was suddenly evident over this good news.  Here, the t/Moon-to-n/Sun position is in the 5th house of gambling, luck and sports.  This may seem inappropriate, but we need to consider that the date of a t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return represents a ‘rebalancing point’ for the subject.  This, plus the sudden change in status (t/PoF conjunct n/MC) point to Amanda’s happiness.  t/Mars conjoining n/Jupiter, and some close to squaring (out of sign) n/Mars reflects her fight against the charges.  Note that the MC of 15 Leo on the date of the murder is closely repeated on this date in the Supreme Court’s ‘not guilty’ chart for Seattle, Washington.  It often happens that a long time span between the start of something (the murder) and end of something (found to be innocent) will have closely similar angles.  Here it is the MC angle, representing her status and public image in life.  

The next blog series will address the seduction by a school teacher of a young student, and his being coerced to kill the teacher’s husband.  Dave.

Part Seven; The End of the Shah’s Story

The rule of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, proved to be highly frustrating for him and a lingering disaster for the country.  With the intervention, pressures and self-serving interests of many who assisted the country from within and without, very little of the Shah’s programs and the country’s hopes were ever realized.  In the end, the chaos that was left by the Shah’s leaving the country bred its own distorted programs and progress.  The days of the theocracy began, and they still linger on 35 years later.  The country is still in a dire situation.

After leaving the country, the Shah visited the U.S. for medical treatment and ended is last days in Egypt.  He must have despaired over the changes in his country as the Ayatollah Khomeini returned from France and became the leader of the new Iran.  We will now look at the Shah’s last t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return in the 9th house that occurred on July 20, 1980, just seven days before his passing.

The theme for a 9th house Moon-Sun is:  “Contacting or visiting distant places as a teacher, student, representative, vacationer, or for business that involves shipping or supply in some form. An exchange of ideas or people for an extended period of time. Conducting the affairs of another on an interim basis. Seeking information from unfamiliar or hard-to-reach sources.”  We have to nuance this for the situation that the Shah is in; a man in poor health, exiled from his country, and depending upon friends in another land for support and sustenance. We might say the Shah is in a foreign land where his position is untenable (the opposition to the t/PoF).

t/Sun is on the Desc. angle, the ancient’s place of death.  The t/Part of Fortune lies opposite the t/Moon-n/Sun return position due to the t/Sun at the Desc.   t/Uranus and n/Mercury are near the MC; this can suggest sudden changes to one’s plans for maintaining one’s status or position in life.  t/Chiron at the IC points to changes affecting one’s well being.  His health is reflected in the t/Mars opposite n/Chiron.

Egypt was a kind host, as was the U.S., in the Shah’s last days.  His advanced chart for July 27, 1980, is shown below.  This chart is very instructive.

t/Moon has moved to the Asc., opposing t/Sun.  This results in t/PoF conjoining the t/Sun. The Shah’s vitality is highlighted and subject to fluctuation.  t/MC has now advanced to the n/Asc.; The Shah has to be accountable for his position in life. His personality is a public conversation and is noted on this date.

With the natal Nodal axis aligned to the vertical axis and t/Uranus, we have to turn our attention to the transiting nodal axis aligned with n/Uranus.  This ‘doubled up’ pattern shows a sudden realignment of associations; the Shah has left his family in this world and joined his family in another world.  Note n/PoF conjoining t/Neptune and squaring t/Saturn-n/Venus. This suggests that changes affect his spirit-life and conflict with his worldly duties and desires.  Or, the reader may choose to apply another interpretation to fit their view of this situation.

The Shah’s story ends with his death.  Another story for Iran begins with the theocracy that became the guiding power in Iran.  That is for another series of posts and another time.  It has been interesting to explore these t/Moon-to-n/Sun Returns and Advanced charts using the Shah and Iran as a background story.  We get to indulge in a bit of history, memories and astrology all at the same time.  For any misrepresentations of facts or events in this series, I apologize.  I am not a historian and am certainly not highly informed on the mid-east and Iran in particular.  Thank you for your readership.  Dave.

 

Part Six: When The End Is Here It Is Time To Leave

The time is the late 1970s.  The place is Iran.  In prior posts we have noted that Iran was bombarded by international pressure following the two European ‘World Wars’ with the greatest influence coming from, first, Great Britain, and then from the United States.  The Soviets certainly caused some problems through there political party in Iran, but the U.S. was the leading benefactor and external influence. The Shah was dedicated to improving the country by following the examples of the west.  His problems were extensive, and proved to be too much for him.

The Shah’s desire to control everything led to the continuing creation of closely managed power-circles, which in turn led to both increasing unrest as well as diminishing efficiency.  The benefits of the few were beyond the reach of the many.  Yes, the modernization programs did work to a degree, revenues increased, business boomed compared to earlier times. land was given to those who previously had no land, and the cities were modernized.  But unrest was brewing, increasing rapidly as the demographics of the country changed. Less farming, far more city life.  People and their environment were changing and dissatisfaction was in the air.  The Shah was facing fractured but widespread dissatisfaction.  His military were tasked with keeping order.  We will now look at September of 1978.

Sept. 7, 1978 saw crowds of people in the capital, Tehran, all angry over one issue or another.  While there was no central protest issue or organization, there were lots of protesting citizens.

This chart show a t/Moon-to-n/Sun in the 5th house, an indication that the Shah was determined to play out his role as leader of the country.  Politics had to be dealt with.  There was no core protest group, just a huge number of people who didn’t like anything.

t/Saturn conjoined n/MC in the 3rd; the ability to control the public message and image of power was constrained. The Shah inclination to do something, anything was signified by n/Mars at the IC angle along with t/Sun.  t/PoF was in contact with n/Jupiter; the Shah saw an opportunity to make a point about who was in control.

The next day, Sept. 8, 1978, the Shah’s troops fired upon the populace. Instead of cowering, the people became more angry, the crowds changed in size and in organization.  In this one day’s actions, little had changed in the charts, but what did change mirrored the events of the day.

t/PoF conjoined the Shah’s natal MC; changes in his public image occurred. t/Moon was conjoining n/Mercury; he was becoming emotional, not logical, in his reaction to events.  t/Sun was keeping pace with the advancing IC; for the Shah, the status of entering a changing environment was dragging on.  Note that this t/Sun was approaching a square to n/Pluto.  With all of the unrest that had started weeks ago and was now sharply building, the production of oil and other goods was grinding to a halt.  There was much to worry about.

As the days passed the protests grew. A t/Moon-opposite-n/Sun Return, 2nd to 8th house, occurred for the Shah on Sept. 19th, 1978.  This new Return chart had t/Mercury on the Desc. angle, proclamations were the order of the day, perhaps even of the hour as the Shah manipulated all of his staff and resources to calm the populace down.

t/Mars conjoined the Shah’s n/Sun; he was relying more on his military support than on any political levers of power.  The MC was conjoining n/PoF; he was hoping for his fortunes to change, for the angry mood of the population to subside.  It increased.  As production ground to a halt, the people became more dissatisfied with the country’s situation and they had time (due to not working) to make their feelings heard.

On Oct. 2, 1978, the Shah made a very desperate move to quiet the country. He granted amnesty to virtually every body.  One of those was an exiled cleric living in France who had been agitating against the Shah from afar. That was about to change.

In the time interval since the Return date, much had changed/developed. t/PoF was on the Asc. angle, a personal initiation of change would be seen. t/Sun was at the Desc. angle; the Shah was reaching out, trying to change others by his decision.  Note that t/Mercury, his message, is still close to the Desc. angle.  The IC angle was approaching n/Pluto, fundamental change was coming soon.  Finally, we should take note of t/Saturn-n/Saturn conjoining in the 6th house. The Shah’s Saturn Return found him being a highly unwilling preparer  for a new cycle in his life. He became an adult with a plan 28 years earlier, now he had a plan that had failed to complete his life’s work.  History might say that his view from his station in life was that he tried and had good intentions. The big problem for him was that the isolation of the throne amidst all of the self-serving people and countries around him were too much to deal with.  Nobody ever feels sorry for the king.  Long live the King, and damn his ineffective policies and the effect it had on the lives of the many.  There is no excuse for failure even if others had a big share in that failure.

There is more to the Shah’s story, and Iran’s story.  We will finish soon with the Shah, but may leave Iran for another day.   Dave

Part Five: The Shah and His Policies Toward Iraq

Iran is a Persian country, Iraq is Arab.  There are religous, cultural and historical differences at play.  In recent times there have been several wars between Iraq and Iran as well as Iraq and Syria.  Iran is the bigger country.  However, Iraq controlled the Shatt al-Arab river that ran along the border between the two countries.  Tolls were paid by Iran to Iraq for shipping along the river.  

Towards the end of the 1960’s and into the 1970’s, Iran economic plans were paying dividends, moving Gross National Product growth towards the 10% level.  Iran was becoming a regional power-house.  It had taken the step of recognizing Bahrain’s independence, as prompted by Britain, and had — after the Arab-Israeli War of 1967 — become close to Egypt,  Egypt was also pro-western and seen as a moderating force in the area.  In April of 1969, Iran decided that it would not pay tolls along the Shatt al-Arab river.  The river, like other major rivers in the world which formed a boundary between countries, would be free to navigation to all.   We will look at the Moon-to-Sun Returns of the Shah for this event.  Now, this is an “event”, it is not a personal action, it is not a situation which directly involved the Shah.  It happened under his instructions at a point when the first ship to refuse paying a toll happened to reach that place and point in time.  I see this as being a little different than a leader personally directing an action.  As such, we will have to see what the charts show.

This chart, a week earlier than the date of the refusal to stop and pay a river-passage toll, has no closely angular planets if we look carefully at the degrees of the planets relative to the angles. This is a Moon/11th opposite Sun/5th house chart with a theme of “Committing oneself to projects benefiting others. Representing the best ideals of a group. . . . Acting contrary to what is expected.  Being contrary or causing disappointment.”  

We find n/PoF at the Desc.; suggesting sudden changes affecting others.  Also, t/PoF is in the first, experiencing a change in one’s situation.  The Shah’s n/MC is at the IC, a reversal of his public stance or position, or his image is to take place.

The actions he was to put into motion would abrogate a 1937 treaty with Iraq, one which might cause significant tensions between the two countries.  Yet, the Shah was in a strong economic and political position with strong allies supporting him. The decision was made.  At some point a ship would refuse to pay a toll and would pass on.  If this was contested, that would be dealt with.  If not, Iran and its shipping had won a point.

On April 24, 1969, Iraq declined to protest or to stop the ship passing its tolling place, and the river became free to all to use.  This was not a happy time for Iraq.  The Shah was supporting and arming the Kurds in the north of the country and was thwarting the Iraq and Russian attempts to bring influence on to the gulf states as well as Afganistan and Pakistan to the east of the country.  In the chart for this date we see natal Mars at the IC angle.  t/Part of Fortune is squaring n/PoF which is always indicative of strife or change that is hard to deal with.

Note also that n/Pluto and t/Pluto are in angular houses — not close to the angles.  This event was a “ho-hummer”, a yawn on the pages of history.  Iraq did not react, there was no crises.  Note the opposition of natal and transiting Sun, indicating a difference of minds or opinion, a decision with two sides to consider.  t/Uranus is involved in this Sun opposition.

For me, this chart and event looks a bit wishy-washy, not overly exciting.  Pluto plays a role in terms of “control” and “change in who is in charge.”  t/Nepune, associated with waterways , is conjoining n/Asc-n/N.Node-n/Moon, the interpretation of which is able to be parsed in several ways, none of which impress me:  a dissolving (Neptune) of an established (Ascendant) relationship (N.Node) of some long-standing (Moon).

The history of modern Iran is complex, convoluted and difficult to cover in a few postings.  Next, we will look at the Shahs last period in power and the transfer of the country to theocratic control.  Dave.

Part Four Addendum: Looking At The Shah’s Mars Return

The Shah of Iran’s charts in Posting Four showed a Mars-Mars pattern, close or at a Mars Return.  Having mentioned this in my last posting, I decided to produce a Mars Return and an Advanced Mars Return chart just to see what it showed.

Planet Return charts are most accurate when the transiting planet happens to have a decent amount of daily motion.  On the day of the Shah’s Mars Return in November of 1964, Mars was traveling only 0 degrees, 28 minutes daily and would soon slow and take up Retrograde motion until returning to n/Mars position on the date of the second assassination attempt.  The Mars Return chart is shown below.

Here we find t/Mars-n/Mars in the 2nd house of Personal Pride, Self-Esteem, monetary resources, and personal possessions.  At this point in his life within the international pressures and political strife, the Shah was attempting to use foreign aid monies and oil revenues to his personal advantage. Who can blame him, a secure dictator can offer a more secure environment for the people he governs (one would hope).

Transiting Sun represents his current interests, natal Sun his life-long interests which are currently a secure homeland (n/Sun at IC) and happy people (t/Venus at IC).  His intent of the moment is to both secure the homeland (4th house) and prepare to creatively gamble (5th house) with the resources he is putting forward.  t/Moon conjoins Mars/Mars so he is hoping that his aggressive plans (Mars) will find favor with the populace (Moon).  We have to take note of t/PoF at the MC angle — will his goals be materialized?  n/Neptune is at the Asc.; he may be having pipe-dreams, self indulgence hopes.  Skipping over to t/Neptune we find it conjoining n/Mercury and approaching n/Asc.; this mix of doubled up Neptune’s doesn’t seem comfortable.  Dreams and oil sometimes don’t mix any better than oil and water.  t/Saturn is at the position of n/Uranus; t/Saturn represent current strategies, n/Uranus represents established eccentricities as well as external surprises — it is hard to believe that his plans will succeed across the board, so we have to expect a mix of good and less-good results.  So, lets look at an advanced Mars-Mars Return for the date of the assassination attempt on April 10, 1965.

In this chart we find Mars retrograding back to its natal position at the MC of the chart; the Shah’s life status and goals will be attacked.  It will be sudden and unexpected within the context of all of the government spending and appointments to get his programs in motion (t/Uranus at MC).

t/Saturn is at the IC angle; plans are being finalized and launched to make things happen.  The t/PoF near both natal and transiting Chiron indicate an effort to change the ailing social conditions of the country.  t/N.Node is opposing n/PoF; the Shah is working with others to change conditions.  t/Sun and t/Venus conjoin in the 5th house, his efforts are appreciated and well received.  t/Moon conjoins n/Neptune; the dream of the Shah is currently well-regarded and accepted by the people of the country.

So, here we have the charts.  They seem to reflect the reality of the Shah at that time.

Like any planet Return or any t/Moon-to-planet Return chart, each combination of charts has its own intrinsic meaning.  n/Mars is one’s sense of control, poise, presence before others, ability or inclination to act.  Transiting Mars represents both our current use of Mars energies as well as external attack, pressures and difficulties that seem to come from others.

Those who have comments, disagreements or differing interpretations as applied to the Shah at this time in history, or who wish to just discuss Mars Returns should enter a comment.  If you don’t care to have your remarks in a public forum, contact me by e-mail at dadsnook@charter.net     Dave.

 

 

 

 

 

Part Four; Consolidation, Lack of Social Progress, Unrest Persists

Following the war years a new program was put in place, the “White Revolution.”  It was typical of many such improvement programs initiated by dictators to improve their country’s stature, economic strength and welfare of the population.  Long on promises, short on grass-roots controls and management of available funds.  We will get to this program in a bit.

The Shah’s main goal was to consolidate power through personal attention to every promotion, every hand-out, every aspect of political life — but, not the economic life of the country.  The Shah was ‘personalized’ through statues, pictures, media promotion and favors.  Outside of his court, outside of the capital city, Iran remained a feudal society where tribal leaders and landlords controlled the life of the people. As the calendar moved into the 1960’s, 20% of the population received 52% of the wealth.  The bottom 40% of the citizens shared 14% of the economy.  The population was better off in the capital city than out in the country.  In these situations, corruption flourished and government programs were highly ineffective.  Low level civil servants and functionaries would not make decisions, business slowed to a crawl.  Bribes were required to get anything done.   Before the 1960’s arrived a U.S. Congressional Report cited the lack of progress within Iran and its ability to manage monies of it own or that which was lent to it.

The new Kennedy administration appointed a task force that would become directly involved in the use of money loaned to Iran.  The pressure was significant.  Land-reform was begun.  As some programs became effective and visible certain administrators became popular.  The Shah wanted only himself to be popular.  He visited the U.S., solicited more funds, accused the Soviets of creating difficulties in Iran.  In spite of a good start, programs soon ran into problems caused by those who wanted their fingers in the pot of cash.  The Shah took over key financial programs and launched reforms.  By 1962 he had consolidated power while those who had held power lost their positions and popularity.  Personal appointments increased his control over all of the new reforms.  The ‘White Revolution’ had begun.  ‘Westernization’ was the key catch phrase.  In addition to land reform, profit sharing was a popular program.  Election laws were improved and women were brought into the mainstream .

Yet, unhappiness was present in the midst of these changes.  In April of 1965 a second attempt was made to assassinate the Shah. We will examine the Return chart shown below.

This chart is a t/Moon-opposite-n/Sun in the 2nd house Return.    The generic theme is, “Management of resources such as money, real estate or a joint project.  Accounting for past practices.  Changes in (family) plans, emotional issues.  A personal transition and/or crises at hand.  The disbursement of resources.  A need for reconciliation.”  Relative to the Shah’s attempts at reform, to correct past practices, to deal with a crises, to disburse resources — this is an accurate statement of the general situation.

The chart has t/Pluto-Asc. opposite t/Saturn and square t/N.Node-MC.  Pluto can point to the Shah’s control and consolidation of power, to the transformation that he is attempting, to the politics of the situation.  Saturn can be resistance by others to his efforts, the unhappiness of others, the perception of insufficient resources available. The N.Node at the MC can signify the goal to reach many others with his programs.  t/PoF squares n/Pluto and will oppose t/Venus on this day due to its movement of some 12-14 degrees per day.  This tells us that this Return chart will find “power” subject to unexpected directions and expression, and that the attempt to gain favor from others (t/Venus in the 8th) through the distribution of resources will be a topic to consider.  That is all that this chart offers us as a pattern for the following two weeks.  Lets look at the date and chart for the assassination attempt.

We find in our visual examination of the chart that n/PoF is at the IC, conjoining the nodal axis.  This PoF in the natal chart squares Venus; the Shah will always find it problematic to deal with love/affection/money as anything he does along those lines will often be seen wrongly.

So where is the assassination symbolism?  Note t/Mars conjoining n/Mars in the 12th. There are no classical aspects to this group other than n/Saturn-n/MC-t/Uranus-t/Pluto.  So, this attempt on his life was brutal, sudden and violent — and unsuccessful.  With t/Sun conjoining t/Venus and n/Venus at the Asc. angle it seems that protection from the fates was his for this crucial day.

Now, the attempt to take the Shah’s life is a small event in the course of history, overshadowed by the larger issues of the nation and the powers outside of Iran that seek to control it. The chart itself, by itself, may not be a strong “death” chart.  It is only within the context of what the country was going through (the Shah is the country) that we can see what drove this attempt on his life. I would suggest that the nodal axis along the chart’s vertical axis tells us that many in the country were troubled-upset (n/PoF and the nodes).  I’m not sure if a court astrologer would look at this chart and proclaim an assassination attempt would occur.   It is almost as if this attempt was a sideline issue for the Shah in the midst of all of his other problems of that day.   Dave

PS:  It might be more instructive to run a Mars Return chart to see what it showed.  Perhaps the next posting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Shah of Iran; a Part-Time Job In The Midst of Turmoil

Following the assassination attempt covered in my last posting, the Prime Minister, Mossaddegh, remained a popular figure in the overall government structure.  The war years had bred many conflicting situations based on influence and monies that flowed to easily into the pockets of anyone clever enough to position themselves visibly before the allied forces.  The Soviets and their supported Tudeh-communist party were increasingly worried about being marginalized.  Of course, this was the intent of the U.S. and Britain.

A later photo of the Shah and his Queen, and of modern Tehran, are shown at the left.  All through modern history and up until today we have to keep in mind that Iran is a big country with a long history and rich culture.  Wars did as much damage, even though of a different kind, as was done to Europe.  Buildings are easy to rebuild.  A national culture and memory is more difficult to rebuild.

The communists staged an uprising against Mossaddegh on August 16th, 1953.  The right wing of the Army joined in with the uprising, ordered to do so by the Shah.  The uprising failed, Mossaddegh remained in his position as Prime Minister, and the Shah fled Iran in embarrassment.

We can look at charts for this period.

The August 16, 1953 t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return in the 4th house has a general theme of “Promoting or changing ones personality for a new situation, efforts to work through a transition . . . expanding one’s place, the integration or adoption to past and future conditions. . . Facing extreme danger.  Attempting something new.  (With PoF) Entering into a new life style or condition.”

As we can see in the chart the Moon’s nodal axis lies across the horizontal axis, N.Node at the Desc. angle.  One seeks an association with another person or group.  The Moon-Sun position is squaring the nodes; there will be problems with this and other associations.  This is verified by t/Neptune at the IC angle and further verified by t/Sun squaring n/Asc-n/N.Node-n/Moon.  All of the primary chart factors are in conflict.  Who could the Shah trust, who could he work with, what would happen.  A time of turmoil for all involved.

Further, we can see that t/PoF will be crossing the chart’s IC angle and then approaching the t/Moon-to-n/Sun position.  Change, confusion and upsets are due over the next few days.  There is no need to look further at this chart or other charts to see this.

The role of all the many key players changed rapidly over the following days.  The chart for August 19th will be used to reflect the events.  By the end of the prior day, the Prime Minister had subdued those rioting against the government.  A contender to the Prime Minister appealed to the military powers asserting that the Prime Minister had ignored the Shahs orders and blamed the P.M for the coup attempt.  The U.S.’s CIA was pumping funds into the country, stirring up groups to drive out any anti-Shah people.  The U.S. also offered bribes to assure that the displaced P.M., Mossaddegh, not be harmed.  Let us examine the chart for August 19th.

The Moon’s nodal axis and t/Neptune are still at the chart angles.  t/PoF has moved from the square to n/Mercury and is approaching t/Mercury, signifying the changing views, agreements and attempts to negotiate within the chaos.  For the Shah, Mercury meant his flight from Tehran to a place where he could be safe.  t/Moon was squaring n/MC-n/Saturn-n/Mars while in a trine aspect to t/Mars and n/Neptune.  Talk about a pile of Spaghetti.  How can one unravel this situation and know what end of a solution was connected to another end of the solution?

By now many in Iran were becoming increasing wary of the interference from outside powers.  The internal mistrust of the western nations may have had its start at this point in terms of Iran’s national consensus.  If Iran could not achieve political stability, then the efforts of others would be both fruitless and detrimental.

Summary of chart factors:

**  The Moon’s nodes across the Asc.-Desc. axis clearly defines associations between the Shah and others as being of a critical nature.  Ebertin, in his book, “The Combination of Stellar Influences” lays out his midpoint theory of chart interpretation based on decades of astrological research.  One of his findings is that the Nodes represent our associations with others and how we seek to manage them.

**  The n/Sun position, square to the t/Nodes, indicates that the Shah’s intentions and style of governing (the natal Sun are at odds with how he needs to relate to those around him.

**  The t/Sun-t/Pluto combination square n/PoF suggests that the Shah sees the uprising as being a threatening change.  This prompts him to enter into the confusion.

**  t/Neptune at the IC clearly lives up to its ‘book’ interpretations; confusion in the home, distractions confuse initiatives that are attempted.

**  When we look at the square between t/Uranus and t/Neptune and then consider present-day turmoil related to the squares between t/Saturn-t/Neptune and between t/Uranus-t/Pluto, it is easy to see how the affairs of state within an unstable government, and influenced by a well-meaning but uniformed and clumsy partner, could result in the turmoil that besieged Iran and the Shah.

We will continue to use the last Shah of Iran’s charts, and a bit of Iran’s history, to explore the use of t/Moon-to-n/Sun Returns.  If my view of history is overly brief, or not as accurate as some would prefer, I offer my apologies.  My purpose is to offer charts that are not covered in current books and magazine articles that can be used as education tools for these amazing charting methods that seem to mirror life so well.  Again, I is required that we have a life-context understanding to make these charts work for us.  If anyone has insights into any of the people, events and use of astrology presented here, they are highly welcome to post a comment or even to guest-host a blog.  Dave