The
Russian Federation was decreed on December 25, 1991, just before the Soviet
Union officially dissolved into separate sovereign states the following day. Can we
even begin to imagine the pain produced for Russian citizens and their leaders
by that “demotion” on the world stage? It would be like waking up one day and
hearing that the contentious federation we call the United States is no more! (some of us can imagine this,
but that’s a story for another day).
Predating
our nation by several centuries, Russia wasn’t giving up the ghost that easily:
it brushed itself off, rebuilt its economy (a rocky process, by all accounts) and
came to grips with its new reality. Retaining the Soviet Union’s seat on the
U.N. Security Council assured the reorganized state at least some measure of
global influence. The familiar Communist “hammer & sickle” symbols were
banished from the new nation’s coat of arms, replaced with a modified version
of its pre-Communist emblem—a doubled-headed, triple-crowned Imperial Eagle,
grasping an orb and scepter in its claws (the country’s remaining Communists
balked at these symbols of monarchy). Overlaying the eagle is a secularized
version of the original St. George figure (of dragon-killing fame).
According
to Wikipedia, the key elements of these arms predate the times of
Peter the Great; interestingly for today's issue, this updated version was
formally signed into law in December 2000 by the nation’s then-newly elected
president, Vladimir Putin. Maybe Russian war planes bombing Syria these days
shouldn’t be surprising—restoring Russian power and grandeur and killing a few
“dragons” as needed to secure its interests were probably on Putin’s to-do list
from day one.
A few
more points
So,
let’s fill in a few blanks left in my prior post, “Would Putin be welcome…” As
that post argued, Putin’s dream of a “new Yalta” has likely been empowered by
the Supermoon lunar eclipse of September 27, but to understand what brought him
to this significant moment, it helps to consider his astrological ties with the
Russian Federation chart.
But
first, a disputed birth time…
Please
note that Vladimir Putin’s birth time is a matter of dispute: to further the
confusion, his natal chart has been twice rectified by professional
astrologers, resulting in first, a Sagittarius
and then a Capricorn Ascendant. I
have no access to the genesis of these conflicting versions, but the ambiguity alone
fits this intensely private, mystery man, no matter which version of his chart we use. Considering the man we see in
the news these days, though, the Capricorn rising chart (below) seems more
accurate to me, for the following reasons:
1.
Putin’s persona
radiates seriousness and ambition, and he was born into very tough circumstances
in Soviet Russia (both issues related to the Ascendant). Once he graduated law
school, however, his rise from over a decade in the KGB, to local and then
national government was expeditious. If this chart is accurate (and it’s
beginning to look that way), his transition from the KGB into politics in 1991
happened just as Uranus and Neptune were transiting over this Ascendant—a
pretty apt time for major personal changes, especially from a “hidden”
institutional KGB career (12th house) to a more open, visible one.
2.
In fact, Putin’s
rise to power coincided with the new Uranus-Neptune cycle launching in Capricorn
(exact at 19+ degrees in February 1993—in the first house of this chart), square his natal Sun-Saturn-Neptune and
Mercury (all Libra) and opposed to his
Uranus in Cancer. Uranus-opposite-Uranus is a midlife transit that can drive a
lot of change in a person’s life; with Neptune involved, even more so.
3.
Putin’s 7th
house-cusp Uranus here would seem to reflect what we know of his worldview and
priorities, especially his intense focus on national security and his
willingness to use pre-emptive strikes against perceived enemies (in the news
today). With his Libra points in tense square aspect to this sensitive Uranus,
security appears to be a deeply personal issue for him.
4.
Finally, this
Capricorn rising chart puts Putin’s Sun and Saturn astride his 10th
house cusp (Equal houses), which again, befits the “tough man” (or as Gov.
Chris Christie put it, the “articulate thug”) image he projects. The 12th
house position given to his fiery Sagittarius Mars also makes sense; trine
Pluto in the 8th, this would render him an effective “behind the
scenes” actor/negotiator (at times, manipulator) and strategist, adept at
dealing with the world’s power-players (even Russian “oligarchs”). Putin seems
to relish the element of surprise (our military received one-hour’s notice
before his first airstrikes in Syria), and he’s not likely to back down once he’s
acted on an opportunity to strike (12th house Mars disposed by fixed
Jupiter in Taurus, sextile Uranus).
Putin
and post-Soviet Russia
With
reasonable confidence that we’re looking at the most accurate chart available for
Putin to date, we can now consider Putin’s relationship with the Russian
Federation, using the nation’s initial formation date of December 25, 1991
(noon chart, time unknown):
- Russian Federation (RF)
Sun-MC-Node-Uranus-Neptune stellium in Capricorn overlay Putin’s 12th;
all but RF Sun also square Putin’s Sun-Saturn-Neptune-Mercury in Libra. RF Sun
conjoins Putin Chiron. Deep
psychological ties and identification with Russia’s long collective memory and
a future Russian destiny of greatness are reflected both in the 12th
house connection and in the squares. The Sun-Chiron connection assures that Putin
also feels Russian/Soviet historical
wounds very deeply (WWII, for starters—reportedly, his mother was among
millions who almost starved to death then). Being a pragmatic problem-solver
and “out-of-the-box” thinker (his Neptune-Uranus square influences his more
cerebral placements), Putin’s response to these wounds is to do something about
them, inspiring multi-pronged action (cardinal stellia in square aspects
produce concerted effort) on behalf of the new nation. With the involvement of
Mercury, Uranus, Neptune in these squares, it’s not hard to see how Putin
considers control over the Russian media and “messaging” (including
bare-chested horse-riding videos) just another task of governing.
- Putin’s Libra stellium is disposed by a
determined Scorpio Venus (tying into his Mars and Pluto ultimately). Putin’s
Mars conjoins the RF Part of Fortune. The
Venus-Mars-Pluto role here allows Putin to focus intensely on the purposes of
these interchart cardinal squares. Putin’s connection with the RF Part of
Fortune may explain why he’s the Federation’s longest-lasting leader to date (as
both the second and fourth president,
a stint as prime minister, etc.).
- Interchart Earth Grand Trine: RF
Uranus-Neptune in Capricorn trines RF Jupiter in Virgo trines Putin’s Jupiter
in Taurus. Putin’s Mars trines his Jupiter and his Venus in Scorpio opposes his
Jupiter. His “strong man” reputation can
be seen here, and the interchart grand trine further reflects his endurance and
popularity as Russian leader. The involvement of his Venus in Scorpio and Mars-Jupiter
trine suggests that in Russia, he’s considered something of a “hunk;” more than
likely, he cultivates this image.
- RF Saturn in Aquarius trines Putin Moon in
Gemini. Putin Moon opposes MC in Sagittarius. The first aspect may account
for the often steely quality of Putin’s public persona; he carries the
seriousness of his public mission in his emotional being and it projects
clearly. His ability to say one thing and do another (the ends justifies the
means) is probably rooted here, especially as his Moon and MC tie into his
Mercury (tightly conjoined Neptune) and Jupiter-Venus aspects by
dispositorship. The “truth” is malleable—it’s whatever fits the goal of the
moment.
- RF Venus-Pluto in Scorpio oppose Putin
Jupiter in Taurus and square Putin’s Pluto in Leo. Even though their respective Scorpio Venus’s are not
conjunct, Putin projects an intriguing charm (Venus disposes both his Libra
stellium and his Taurus Jupiter) that some may identify as the tortured “soul” of
Mother Russia herself. Such cultural roots (RF Venus-Pluto tying into Putin’s
Jupiter and Pluto) run deep indeed, a source of great strength and ambition for
Putin. Charm and ruthlessness coexist comfortably with configurations like this—clearly,
each quality has its uses.
So,
the Two-Headed Eagle soars again (an apt image for war planes over Syria), and we
can only wonder where U.S.-Russian relations will be a year from now. This
story has wings…stay in touch!
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, the astrology of generations, and in issues of public importance 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 2015. All rights reserved.
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