France eclipsed: a look at one unfortunate Cosmic year

On this Memorial Day, it may seem odd to focus on France's recent tragic brushes with terrorism. But astrologically, war and terrorism are two sides of the same phenomenon. On this Memorial Day, I wonder: Can't we do better than this?

Since January 7, 2015—the date of the so-called “Charlie Hebdo” attack in Paris—the French people have been reeling from a series of unfortunate events. In fact, this nation, which prides itself on producing “lovers, not fighters,” has been the target of three rather evenly spaced belligerent events: “Charlie Hebdo” in January, followed in November 2015 by the “Black Friday” attacks in Paris; and most recently on May 19, 2016, the suspicious, disappeared and crashed EgyptAir Flight 804, enroute to Cairo from Paris’ De Gaulle Airport.

Even though Donald Trump jumped to characteristic conclusions and declared the flight was “shot out of the sky,” this possibility is unconfirmed. Needless to say, Trump's statement was transparently incendiary. Yes, terrorist events--both real and imagined--do create wars, and to rush there without definitive information always suggests manipulations and vested interests. One way or another, there were no survivors among the flight’s 66 passengers and crew, so Flight 804 was a tragedy either way.

So, why France?

Many must wonder why France has become such a target. Analysts have cited growing unrest among French Muslim nationals due to high unemployment rates, a lack of integration into the full benefits of French citizenship, and a chilly lack of acceptance in France’s secularist democracy. Muslims are estimated at being 7-9% of the French population, approximately 5 million people in a nation of roughly 60.7 million (2005 figure).

Significantly, France—as the NY Times put it—“takes a back seat to Germany in E.U. migrant crisis,” due to stubborn high unemployment rates and a rising far-right political party. Such political challenges are a problem across Europe in the wake of the migrant crisis, but France was tightening up its immigration policies way back in 2006, before the crisis even took shape. Add to that a controversial law passed in 2004 banning the wearing of overtly religious garb—including the hijab (head scarf worn by Muslim women)—and it seems France has set itself up for a deep culture clash with its Muslim nationals.

With a sky high deficit and pressure from all sides, French president Françoise Hollande is described by the NY Times as “embattled…weakened” by protests and failed legislation, which, as we’ll see ahead, mirrors an earlier period of radical change in the nation.  

Happily, mundane astrology can offer some astrological insights into why France—more precisely, the French 5^th Republic”—is experiencing such rocky times.

With a little research I realized that the story can be told through a series of powerful eclipses impacting both events on the ground and the French national charts. It’s a fairly complicated story, but I believe that if you’re curious about the power of eclipses, it’s worth a look.

Key historical background

Interestingly, France’s 5^th Republic—the current political regime (which changes in France with each new constitution)—was founded in October 1958 on the heels of the so-called “Algiers Crisis,” a coup which brought General Charles De Gaulle out of post-World War II retirement and into the French presidency. This event naturally ended the post-WWII 4^th Republic, established on October 14, 1946. Reportedly, most of France’s 5 million Muslim immigrants have come from North Africa, from the so-called Maghrebi nations of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Bottom line, France has a long history with Muslim peoples and it hasn’t all been peaceful.

The 4th Republic is actually remembered as a time of great social reform and economic growth—captured nicely by its 12 year duration, the length of one Jupiter cycle. Less positively, that regime also lacked stable leadership and a strong executive, so as France’s colonial relationship with Algeria fell into turmoil in the late 1950s, so did the 4^th Republic. The turmoil resulted in that regime dissolving, and the newly formed 5^th Republic taking over under the stronger leadership of General Charles De Gaulle. A few years later in 1962, Algeria gained its independence.

Before we examine how eclipses played into this saga, let’s consider first how the chart for the Algiers Coup on May 13, 1958 impacted the 4^th Republic chart; then we’ll see how the energies of a powerful total solar eclipse on October 12^th, 1958 carried the newly declared 5^th Republic forward.

Biwheel 1: (inner wheel) Natal, France 4^th Republic, October 14, 1946, 12:00 p.m. ST (no time specified), Paris, France; (outer wheel) French Algiers Crisis/Coup, May 13, 1958, 12:00 p.m. ST, Algiers, Algeria.

Interchart Grand Trine: Republic Sun/Chiron (midpoint in Libra) conjoins Crisis Jupiter (Rx Libra), trines Crisis Chiron (Aquarius) and trines Republic Uranus (Gemini). This suggests that France experienced some growing pains during this crisis of liberation, largely due to its unfolding decolonization process. Punctuated dramatically by the Algiers incident (nearly a civil war), this process jumpstarted the transition from the prevailing French Union (a confederation of France with its colonies) to the French Community, a looser affiliation of mostly independent states with France. Please see the above link for much more detail.

It’s worth pointing out that the 4^th Republic chart’s Sun-Uranus trine also captured the spirit of France’s liberation from German rule during WWII. Even though there was a two year lapse, the 4^th Republic was very much a product of D-Day at Normandy on June 6, 1944, when Uranus conjoined the 4^th Republic Moon in Gemini.

Crisis Jupiter & Republic Sun/Chiron sextile Crisis Saturn (Sagittarius); Crisis Saturn opposes Republic Uranus (Gemini). These aspects speak very nicely to the 4^th Republic’s accomplishments in social reform and economic development. The mutable sextile reflects how De Gaulle seized upon the Algiers crisis as France’s opportunity to decolonize with a minimum of violence.

Crisis Uranus (Leo) conjoins Republic Saturn (Leo) and sextiles Republic Moon-Node (Gemini). The 4^th Republic had its pluses, but it also had its negatives, including the lack of stable leadership and a strong executive (Leo), reflected here. The Algiers crisis demanded leadership change in France (a complicated story, involving a Gaullist faction in Algeria, etc.).  

Not surprisingly, General De Gaulle’s natal chart was tightly connected with both the 4^th and 5^th Republic charts. More on this ahead.

Interchart T-Square: Crisis Mars (Pisces) squares Republic Nodal Axis (Gemini-Sagittarius); Crisis Mars also trines Republic Mars (Scorpio). The threat of violence to French concerns was real in Algeria during the Coup and is reflected very well here. The mutable t-square also denotes a very unstable, volatile situation that was resolved fairly quickly for the short-term. This instigated a period of changes to French colonialism, reinforced by the interchart Mars-trine-Mars).

Crisis Pluto (Leo) squares Republic Venus (Scorpio); Crisis Pluto sextiles Republic Chiron. This is an especially potent transit because the 4^th Republic’s Libra Sun, Chiron and Neptune are all ruled by Venus. Without exact times there’s no way to know if the Republic chart angles were also in Crisis Pluto’s crosshairs, but there’s good possibility they were. Not surprisingly, Gen. De Gaulle’s chart (not shown) is closely tied in with this aspect—his Sun (29°+Scorpio) exactly conjoined Republic Venus and was also squared by Crisis Pluto.

A fateful eclipse and the 4^th & 5^th Republics

The new constitution marking France’s 5^th Republic was signed into effect on October 4, 1958—just six days prior to a powerful total solar eclipse that lasted 5 minutes+. In fact, the rest of 1958 and a good part of 1959 was spent transitioning to the new regime, so the eclipse was still quite relevant. How could it not be, with the Libra eclipse point closely conjoined the 5^th Republic Sun? (see Biwheel 2 below). The eclipse represented, if you will, a “cosmic handoff” of sorts between the two regimes. Let’s briefly consider the triwheel:

Triwheel 1: (inner wheel) Natal, France 4^th Republic (see details in Biwheel 1 above); (middle wheel) Natal, France 5^th Republic, October 4, 1958, 6:30 p.m. ST, Paris, France. (Source: time published in Eclipses by Celeste Teal, p. 218, but date contradicts the Wikipedia source, so I’m assuming a date typo on the part of Eclipses); (outer wheel) Solar Eclipse October 12, 1958, 9:51:55 p.m. ST, Paris, France.

Eclipse Point-Eclipse Node-Eclipse Mercury (Libra) conjoin 4^th Republic Sun-Chiron (Libra) and 5^th Republic Node (Libra). This certainly looks like a cosmically-blessed power shift—not entirely painless, but probably instrumental in healing (Chiron) some past wounds inflicted on France’s national consciousness (Sun) by WWII and the Vichy government. The mere signing of a document (Mercury) that offered France’s colonies a range of choices going forward (including complete independence) had to be cathartic. The proximity of the Eclipse Node to the Sun-Moon reinforces the impact of this 5 minute+ eclipse.

Eclipse Venus (Libra) conjoins France 5^th Republic Sun-Mercury (Libra) and 4^th Republic Neptune (Libra). France’s lofty founding ideals (Neptune) of “liberté, egalité, fraternité” were powerfully supported by this Venus-blessed transition away from colonialism. As eclipse ruler, Venus is doubly important here; not surprisingly, the Eclipse point and the 5^th Republic’s Libra points fall trine De Gaulle’s Gemini positions (Neptune-Pluto-Node). See this link for De Gaulle’s details.

Eclipse Venus trines 4^th Republic Moon-Node (Gemini). This optimistic trine suggests that the French people welcomed the “cosmic hand-off” between regimes—it simply seems to have been a new reality whose time had come. As noted in the previous paragraph, the Libra-Gemini trine embraced De Gaulle’s return to French leadership, as well.

Eclipse Point trines 4^th Republic Uranus (Gemini) and 5^th Republic Moon (Gemini). Obviously, this implies a 5^th Republic Moon-4^th Republic Uranus conjunction as well, suggesting that the transition to the new regime was not entirely smooth and was not entirely expected. It would have felt quite liberating (Uranus) to French colonial subjects.

Eclipse Saturn (Sagittarius) sextiles 4^th Republic Sun and 5^th Republic Node, and also opposes 4^th Republic Uranus (Gemini). Remembering that Jupiter rules Sagittarius here, we can see that  an opportunity (sextile) arose (seized upon by De Gaulle) to reinvent France’s sociopolitical framework (new constitution-Saturn-Jupiter-Uranus) and to establish a new set of national aspirations (5^th Republic Node).

Fast forward to the 1990s and beyond: building tension, the Charlie Hebdo attack & two significant eclipses

First, a bit of background: The 1990s saw a shift in Algerian politics towards Islamic nationalism, and France—especially French “intellectuals”--became a target. “Co-leader of the FIS Ali Benhadj declared his intention in 1990, "to ban France from Algeria intellectually and ideologically, and be done, once and for all, with those whom France has nursed with her poisoned milk."^[35][36] 

This animosity was vividly expressed in the Paris Metro bombing of December 1996, with Libra Chiron trine France’s Gemini Moon and Aquarius Uranus square France’s Scorpio Neptune-Jupiter conjunction. Uranus sextiles Aries Saturn in the bombing chart and both connect with France’s Gemini Mars, so it was an explosive situation indeed. We can certainly see from this history that terrorist events are nothing new in France, and in fact they have only escalated over time.

In fact, France’s relationship with its Muslim nationals has been increasingly uneasy through the 2000s. Some analysts point to France’s entrenched secularism as being a problem, since those who practice their religions seriously may feel disrespected. As these things often do, that feeling of being disrespected came to a boil with the January 7, 2015 attack by two Muslim French nationals on the staff of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical, anti-religious weekly publishing out of Paris. Here’s one explanation of the background for this attack:

Charlie Hebdo has a history of attracting controversy. In 2006, Islamic organisations under French hate speech laws unsuccessfully sued over the newspaper's re-publication of the Jyllands-Posten cartoons of Muhammad.^[7][8][9]The cover of a 2011 issue retitled Charia Hebdo (fr) (French for Sharia Weekly), featured a cartoon of Muhammad, whose depiction is forbidden in some interpretations of Islam.^[10] The newspaper's office was fire-bombed and its website hacked.^[11][12] In 2012, the newspaper published a series of satirical cartoons of Muhammad, including nude caricatures;^[13][14] this came days after a series of violent attacks on U.S. embassies in the Middle East, purportedly in response to the anti-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims, prompting the French government to close embassies, consulates, cultural centres, and international schools in about 20 Muslim countries.^[15] Riot police surrounded the newspaper's offices to protect it against possible attacks.^[14][16]

So clearly, trouble had been brewing with Charlie Hebdo and French Muslims for years before the attack—and not coincidentally, 2006 (the year of that fated lawsuit mentioned in the excerpt) was also the year French lawmakers began tightening up the nation’s immigration policies. Terrorism took the national spotlight as France—the only European nation to do so—began trials of six former Guantanamo Bay detainees that year. Five men were convicted, but their convictions were later overturned on appeal in 2009.

Given the reactions we’ve seen in the U.S. about releasing Guantanamo detainees—even to maximum security prisons—it’s quite feasible the detainee trials in France stirred fears and xenophobia. Indeed, this would fit the belligerent, “Us v. Them” tone of a powerful total solar eclipse at 8°+Aries that year on March 29. Let’s consider that biwheel with France’s chart:

Biwheel 2: (inner wheel) Natal, France 5^th Republic (see info in middle wheel, Triwheel 1 above); (outer wheel) Solar Eclipse, March 29, 2006, 12:15:21 p.m. DST, Paris, France.

Interchart T-square: Eclipse Point (Aries) conjoins Eclipse Node (Aries) and all oppose 5^th Republic Sun-Mercury-Venus (Libra). Mars’ rulership of this eclipse speaks to the increasingly belligerent mood referenced above. The Eclipse Point’s opposition to Republic Venus (ruling the Libra planets and the chart’s 2^nd and 7^th houses) suggests that—as often happens—economic stress may have triggered the rise in nationalism that usually accompanies anti-immigration sentiments.

Eclipse Pluto (Sagittarius) conjoins 5^th Republic Saturn (Sagittarius) and opposes 5^th Republic Moon and Eclipse Mars (Gemini). Pluto would have been transiting the Republic’s Saturn for a fairly long period before the eclipse, but this unstable (mutable) opposition captures almost a panicked sense of threat to French society and culture (Saturn-Moon). This was perhaps a valid reaction to tension swirling in the former French colony, Algeria, where the struggle for independence from one-party rule was still shaking out (the Algerian Civil War encompassed 1991-2002, but violence and political instability continued long after) and anti-French sentiments were still quite raw.

Eclipse Saturn (Leo) sextiles 5^th Republic Mars (Gemini), 5^th Republic Venus and semi-sextiles 5^th Republic Pluto (Virgo); Eclipse Jupiter (Rx Scorpio) t-squares 5^th Republic Uranus  (Leo) opposite Republic Chiron (Aquarius). This complex of aspects may speak to a perceived “crackdown” by French authorities on Muslim citizens, triggered perhaps by class issues and a deepening economic divide (a global phenomenon, influencing the French economy as well). Interestingly, this eclipse (and these particular aspects) may have also influenced the French government’s 2007 shift towards helping the U.S. negotiate a peace settlement between the various factions in Iraq. “…as left-leaning Le Monde put it: ‘It’s time to stop lecturing the Americans about their errors and start contributing to a solution.’”

Reportedly, the French people were cautiously optimistic about this involvement, but many opposed the idea as well, fearing it would lead to more terrorist events on their soil. The Saturn-Mars sextile and the Jupiter-Uranus-Chiron interaction suggest that they had cause for concern. Several more years of unrest ensued in Iraq (with deep issues still unresolved) and terrorist events only escalated in France. Bottom line, economic and class dynamics (Venus-Saturn-Jupiter-Pluto), not to mention lingering resentments among Algerian Muslims, have contributed greatly to the escalating problems. The attack on Charlie Hebdo in January 2015 was the next major event.

“Je suis Charlie” & a Lunar Eclipse on 10-8-2014

The French public reacted to the horrendous mass shooting at the Charlie Hebdo offices—20 dead, 22 wounded—with characteristic defiance. Mass demonstrations of solidarity with the victims unfolded immediately across France and elsewhere, with “Je Suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”) the signature motto of the event. Not surprisingly, that defiant attitude—and the violent aggression that triggered it—was supported by a potent lunar eclipse the preceding October 8^th. Let’s explore the triwheel with France’s chart and the attack event chart:

Triwheel 2: (inner wheel) France 5^th Republic (see info in middle wheel, Triwheel 1 above); (middle wheel) Lunar Eclipse, October 8, 2014, 12:51 p.m. DST, Paris France; (outer wheel) Charlie Hebdo Attack, January 7, 2015, 11:30 a.m. ST, Paris, France.

Interchart T-square: Eclipse Sun-Venus (Libra) conjoins 5^th Republic Sun-Mercury (Libra) and opposes Eclipse Moon-Uranus-South Node (Aries); all fall square Eclipse Pluto (Capricorn).  Attack Sun-Pluto (Capricorn) widely conjoin 5^th Republic MC. There’s a very interesting convergence here of Eclipse chart placements and the North Nodes of all three charts in a narrow band of mid-Aries-Libra, square the Attack Capricorn Sun-Pluto conjunction at France’s MC! A shocking, fated, deadly event (Uranus, Node, Pluto) of great importance in terms of power dynamics (mid-Cardinal sign degrees) was clearly a possibility.

Eclipse Mars (Sagittarius) conjoins 5^th Republic Saturn (Sagittarius) and trines Eclipse/Attack Uranus-South Node (Aries) and Eclipse Moon (Aries); Attack Mars (Aquarius) trines 5^th Republic Moon (Gemini). The prevalence of mutable and cardinal fire here suggests the French people were seriously shaken by the ferocity of this attack, but since over 5 million Muslim nationals count among the French people, we can see where the disruptions were felt by all. As with the interchart t-square above, the power dynamics between the native and immigrant Muslim communities are a factor here, as instability never fails to allow a backlash. As happened in the U.S. during post-9/11, the attack legitimized a tightening of civil liberties and the formation of a stronger security state.

Attack Jupiter (Rx Leo) conjoins Eclipse Jupiter (Leo) and both square Eclipse Saturn; Attack Saturn (Sagittarius) squares 5^th Republic Pluto (Virgo). It’s difficult to imagine how the attackers would measure their success or lack of success, but we can only assume that they considered sacrificing themselves to avenge the honor of their Prophet (Jupiter in Leo?) worth the price (Saturn-Pluto). Such blood feuds lead nowhere positive on their own steam, and, as we’ll see ahead, things were soon to get a lot worse.

Black Friday in Paris – “Nous sommes Paris”

Please see my November 15, 2015 posting here for an analysis of the horrific, multi-pronged terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015 that focused on the outer planetary cycles at work.

Needless to say, there’s so much more than eclipses going on with this attack, but eclipses do create cosmic opportunities for dramatic events, and the powerful total solar eclipse on March 20, 2015 certainly did here. Falling so near the Spring Equinox, this eclipse set the tone not just for this November event, but for the entire volatile cosmic year ahead. 

Eclipses do this by opening a cosmic window for the expression of other planetary dynamics (such as the Saturn-Neptune cycle, as I argue in that earlier posting). Let’s first examine the eclipse/event biwheel; then, we’ll consider the event’s relationship to the 5^th Republic chart.

Biwheel 3: (inner wheel) Black Friday in Paris, November 13, 2015, 9:20 p.m. ST (time reported of first attack), St. Denis, France (location of the first attack); (outer wheel) Solar Eclipse, March 20, 2015, 10:35 a.m. ST, St. Denis, France.

Eclipse Point (Pisces) conjoins Black Friday (BF) MC (Aries), South Node (Pisces) and opposes BF North Node-Mars-Venus (Libra). The MC (public expression)-South Node conjunction was super-charged by the fact that 0° Aries (the MC) is a so-called “world point,” and as such a cosmic power point. The level of aggression displayed was certainly represented by Mars’ exact alignment on this axis (at the IC of the attack chart). The Eclipse Point (29°+Pisces) within a mere degree made this a very powerful eclipse indeed.

The attacks—which also involved a hostage crisis—took place in the evening, in sociable venues (the Stade de France sports arena, the Bataclan concert hall, cafés, restaurants, etc.), reflecting the 3^rd house Libra Mars-Venus opposition to the Eclipse Point. The North Node’s conjunction to those points suggest a fated quality to the venues and to the people who were targeted. As news reports were quick to point out, attacking the entertainment and dining venues in Paris was the same as attacking the French lifestyle itself. 

Eclipse Mars (Aries) conjoins BF Uranus (Aries), squares the ASC-DSC axis, and inconjoins BF Mercury-Sun (Scorpio). The ferocity of the attacks—not to mention the shocking way they unfolded in multiple venues—is certainly reflected here. Reportedly, ISIL claimed responsibility for the attacks, citing retaliation for France’s drone strikes against their positions in Syria. Hard, angular aspects are typical with terrorist events (Pluto and Saturn stretched across the Sibly horizon on 9/11, etc.), which could make us wonder whether those who plan these attacks hire astrological help.

Eclipse ruler Neptune (Pisces) squares BF Saturn (Sagittarius). I’ve written at length about the role this duo seems to play in terrorist events in the November 15^th posting cited earlier; suffice to say here that their characteristic destabilizing effects were magnified by the rulership and dispositor relations in play that November 13th. Leo Jupiter disposes Saturn in Sagittarius, is inconjunct Pluto (Capricorn) and trine Uranus (Aries). Adding even more stress to this explosive mix is Uranus’s ongoing square with Pluto—exact in the event chart! Violence beget violence—only two days after this attack, France responded defiantly to ISIL:  “On 15 November, France launched the biggest airstrike of Opération Chammal, its contribution to the anti-ISIL bombing campaign, striking ISIL targets in Al-Raqqah.^[27]”

Interchart T-square: Eclipse Chiron (Pisces) opposes BF Jupiter (Virgo); both square BF Moon (Sagittarius). I’ve also written at length about this configuration, in a post dated November 20, 2015. In a nutshell, that posting argues that Jupiter and Chiron have played a key role in terrorist events over the decades—especially in events where suicide bombing was employed as a weapon. I believe this pairing goes to the heart of the extremist impulse, especially in these signs. 

Interestingly, it also speaks here to current warfare tactics: France deploys conventional military weapons (drones)—a Virgo-ruled, supposedly precise tactical choice; ISIL deploys suicide bombers and deception—both indiscriminate, sacrificial Pisces strategies. T-square the BF Moon (disposed by Jupiter) in this instance, the French people (Moon) are drawn into the fray. From a twisted Pisces perspective, the mass murder of so-called “innocents” is justified—in Neptune’s realm, all are guilty for the actions of one, and one is guilty for the actions of all. 

There’s more to tease out of this biwheel, of course, but the key themes are abundantly clear; what’s missing at this point is the impact these attacks promise to have on the French nation itself going forward. Let’s examine that biwheel:

Biwheel 4: (inner wheel) France 5^th Republic (see info in middle wheel, Triwheel 1 above); (outer wheel) Black Friday in Paris, November 13, 2015, 9:20 p.m. ST, St. Denis, France.

Interchart T-square: BF Sun-Mercury (Scorpio) square 5^th Republic Uranus (Leo) opposition to Chiron (Aquarius). Shocking harm came to many on Black Friday, represented well here—especially with the BF Sun falling over France’s 8^th house. Deep questions regarding France’s national mentality could be posed here, since the BF Sun-Mercury also taps into France’s natal Grand Air Trine, tying Libra Sun-Mercury-Node into Aquarius Chiron and Gemini Moon. This trine probably speaks to the “French intellectualism” extremists have targeted in the past and find so abhorrent (and as we saw with the irreverent satire of Charlie Hebdo).  

Interchart T-square: BF Uranus (Aries)-5^th Republic ASC opposes 5^th Republic Sun-Mercury-DSC-Node (Libra); all square BF Pluto-5^th Republic MC (Capricorn). An enemy attack is clearly seen in this intense configuration (if France were a ship, this would look like a “shot across the bow” that sank their MC “mast”). Media (Mercury) and public sentiment ran high in sympathy, and the event registered as an existential threat (angular Pluto) to the French people.

BF Jupiter (Virgo) sextiles BF Sun-Mercury (Scorpio), inconjoins BF Uranus-5^th Republic ASC and trines BF Pluto; BF Jupiter/Node (midpoint) squares 5^th Republic Moon. It’s never surprising to see Uranus and/or Pluto falling on the chart angles of a target chart, but this duo usually requires another planetary trigger to set off its worse potential—here that role is played by Jupiter in militaristic Virgo. These aspects reflect not only the magnitude of the event, but the French police’s efficient military-style response to it, as well. It seems all but one of the people involved were apprehended within days. Unfortunately, the BF Jupiter sextile to Sun-Mercury opened the door of opportunity for the attackers and facilitated the logistics of the attack. The BF Jupiter/Node midpoint square to France’s Gemini Moon reflects the dramatic emotional nature of the attack and its aftermath, as the French people rallied in response.   

Interchart Grand Trine: BF Moon (Sagittarius) conjoins 5^th Republic Saturn (Sagittarius), trines BF Uranus (Leo) and 5^th Republic Uranus-BF Part of Fortune (Leo). This configuration reflects the radical ideological underpinnings of the attack; we can only assume that the suicide bombers were expressing ideologically-laced (Sagittarius) passion (Leo) and fiery rage (Aries)—here, those emotions were unleashed and supported.

So, what happened to EgyptAir Flight 804?

The investigation is ongoing, so I will not join the army of speculators here and suggest that astrologers know more than the forensics teams do. We’ll examine the charts once more solid information is uncovered. Unfortunately, there may be a conflict of interests between the Egyptian government and those who just want to know the facts, so speculation laced with some objective evidence may be all we’ll ever have to go on. 

From a very preliminary look at the charts we can certainly see the violent nature of the event. The event Sun-Venus (Taurus) sextiled that powerful March 2015 eclipse, the event Uranus-Pluto square was again placed at France’s chart angles and event Chiron was applying to a conjunction with the same eclipse, falling square France’s Saturn and trine France’s Moon. These indicators of a tragedy aside, Mars and Saturn (both Sagittarius) were retrograde on the day of the event, which seems unusual for a terrorist attack. In fact, no terrorist organization has yet taken responsibility for the event, which may be key.

However the Flight 804 investigation is resolved, I hope this astrological investigation has thoroughly reinforced these two key points: 1) the importance of historical context for understanding the roots of violent events; 2) the importance of eclipses as triggers for such events. Thankfully, mundane astrology gives us insight into both.

Welcome home, Veterans!

Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former university English instructor. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years. Raye can be contacted by comment here, or at: robertsonraye@gmail.com. 

© Raye Robertson 2016. All rights reserved.