Of Whistle-blowing & Volatile Times: Saturn & the 3rd Q Sibly Progressed Lunar Cycle

 In May, 2016, I wrote about a major progressed cycle event for the U.S. Sibly chart that was—at that time—still “down the road a piece,” but this week, on March 2, that event is squarely upon us. 

So, I thought this would be a good time to update and deepen our considerations, based on what’s transpired since last May. 

And a lot has transpired since May.

You may be tempted to feel, as I do, that since the election, we’re “not in Kansas, anymore.” Even so, as freakishly different as American life may seem on the surface today, there are reassuring, visible threads of continuity. Protests and waves of grass-roots resistance (at town halls, etc.) are proving that we’re never quite as helpless as we may feel in the face of challenge, that heroes do have a way of emerging when we need them, and besides, the solar system keeps humming along, no matter how we screw things up in our little corner of it. 

One reassuring bit of continuity is our nation’s progressed lunar cycle—the cycle that tracks the movements of the Sibly progressed Sun and progressed Moon, and the angles they form to each other over time. If we’re wondering why so many things in our collective American lives are falling apart around us right now, this cycle provides some insights. If we’re wondering when our politics and public life will stabilize and begin rebuilding, this cycle is a good place to start. Let’s check in to see where we are currently.

On March 2, 2017, the U.S. Sibly chart will begin the 3^rd Quarter of its 8^th progressed lunar cycle, which ends on March 25, 2024, when a new cycle begins. Transits, outer planetary cycle milestones and eclipses that occur during this time period will unfold within the context of this progressed 3^rd Quarter, which will impact the nation’s health and wellbeing accordingly.  

   

As I said in the May post, this 3^rd progressed quarter context will provide an underlying theme for the coming 7 years—finishing unfinished business; clearing out outworn realities and emotional baggage so the way is open for something new. So what will that mean in day-to-day American life?

Let’s first very briefly review the 3^rd Q inception chart next to the Sibly chart. 

Biwheel 1: (inner wheel) natal, USA (Sibly), July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m., LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) USA (Sibly), day-for-year progression for March 2, 2017 at 12:00 a.m. GMT, Washington, D.C.  

Interchart T-square: Progressed Moon conjoins Sibly ASC (Sagittarius) and opposes Sibly Uranus/Mars (midpoint) & DSC (Gemini); Progressed Sun (Pisces) squares this opposition from the Sibly 4^th. Since the Sibly Sun represents the Executive and the nation as a sovereign entity, we can see here that the Executive and the People (the 4^th in a mundane chart is the “People’s” house) need to be on the same wave-length during these next 7 years. Matters of trust and deception will resonate deeply.

Importantly, can we feel “at home” (4^th) with this president? Does America itself feel like “home” anymore? Calls from the fringe-Right for a more ethno-cultural perspective on America (i.e., the white nationalist viewpoint that this nation “belongs” to white people because it was white Europeans who first stepped off the boats onto our shores) may begin to sound logical and nostalgically-appealing to many more; if the spike in hate crimes we’re seeing these days is any indication, this dangerous perspective has made inroads.

Those who reject this sadly-limited vision of America as a culturally “white homeland” will need to recommit to our pluralistic American soul. As one politician this week put it, this vision of a homeland was put to rest at Appomattox: do we really want to relitigate the Civil War and the bad old days of Jim Crow?

Unfortunately, this progressed Sun placement allows the Executive to heavily influence the nation’s 4^th house demographic mix—the crazy wonderful diversity of our body politic. Bottom line, Trump will likely continue to adjust our demographics more to his liking whenever he’s given the leeway to do so. More white Christians, check. Fewer Muslims and Latinos, check. We don’t really know what he thinks about Asians…yet.

Of course, with this progressed Sun in Pisces, the lines of authority related to all this may be quite blurred: despite Stephen Miller’s chilling pronouncement that the “power of the president…will not be denied,” it’s hard to say whose agenda Trump is really acting upon at any given time. Getting a straight, truthful story out of the Oval Office will also continue being a struggle.

As far as I’ve been able to tell, the only consistent narrative running throughout Trump’s agenda is fear and dread, which certainly speaks to this Pisces placement. In its negative moments, Pisces can engender terror (no need for actual terrorists!)—the dread of dissolution, of violation by “invasion” and overwhelm. Every immigrant can look like a flood of threatening outsiders out to get us.

It’s no coincidence that our experiences with terrorism really ramped up after our progressed Sun entered Pisces in 2004, unleashing these fears and legitimizing George W. Bush’s strategy of “pre-emptive strike.”

Our “innocence” was violated horrifically on 9/11/2001 (progressed Sibly Sun conjunct our radix Sibly Moon in Aquarius) and ever since, the mere suspicion of a threat was enough to justify attack under Bush, even though nothing substantial provoked the attack. If national security continues to dominate Trump’s agenda, we’ll continue chasing Pisces bogeymen. All the more reason that executive orders proclaiming national security-oriented policies should be fact-checked and reality-based.

If we can relax this fearful focus and act on the creative, compassionate potential of Pisces—perhaps even reaching across borders in constructive ways, maybe there will be progress. Our participation in the Paris Climate Accord is one example that comes to mind, but many such opportunities will arise.

As our progressed Sun gets deeper into the “weeds” of Pisces over the next years, we will be challenged to make peace with our insecurities and resist the undertow of nationalist isolationism. The 4^th house is where we can refresh our collective spirits, if we can avoid succumbing to that undertow.

With that said, this progressed Sun-Moon event does speak loudly to the nation’s defenses: the progressed Moon—representing the People and our demographic make-up—falls smack on top of the Sibly ASC, opposite the sensitive 7^th house of enemies and Others and the Sibly Uranus/Mars (midpoint, Gemini). 

In our “Reality TV”-style politics, we run the risk of pursuing military aggression simply for the sake of the “rush” and the “ratings.” A Sagittarius progressed Moon might be inclined to rally around that flag, unless someone leads us in a more constructive direction.

On the other hand, perhaps the People (progressed Moon) will—in ways large and small—steer our leaders in that more constructive direction. Sagittarius is capable of cutting through the “fog” of Pisces with rational, strategic thinking. The groundswell of activism at town halls and the like is very hopeful in this regard.

Entering the nation’s 1^st house of identity, this progressed Moon is like a newborn, feeling out its new sensory environment and responding to it from a purely gut level. Does this aspect of American identity make me feel safe, or vulnerable? Are my physical needs satisfied? Do I feel respected and loved? In Sagittarius, we might add, Do I find that the world is my oyster and the sky’s the limit? Can I follow my insatiable curiosity wherever it takes me?

Americans have always been an adventurous (Sagittarius) people; we are poised to explore whatever frontiers beckon today. If we listen to today’s scientists and technology pioneers, there are still many groundbreaking developments on the horizon. Not a moment too soon; we really need to expand into our greater potential again.

It used to be a core assumption that America was “Number One”—the most powerful, the richest, the strongest, the most heroic, and so on. That assumption has run aground since this progressed cycle began in 1994, and in this final progressed quarter we seem to be entering a period in which we have to prove once again what we’re worth as a nation, how dedicated we are to our democratic institutions and each other. 

Will we prove ourselves to be “exceptional” in any valuable, virtuous sense anymore, or simply the 500-lb. “elephant” in every geopolitical situation?

Nations develop “itchy trigger fingers” with intense configurations like this Mutable t-square, especially involving the nation’s chart horizon. Judging from his rhetoric, Trump could be inclined to shoot first and think later at the least provocation, simply to assert his dominance and authority. It’s interesting in this regard that the Russian spy ship has been hovering off our East coast—the Russians apparently have to do a lot to provoke a reaction.

Today’s news reports that Trump plans to promote a $54 billion increase in defense spending, at the expense of programs “across the federal government.” Surprise, surprise.

There’s also justified concern about growing internal unrest (progressed Sun in 4^th square Sibly Uranus), but “People Power” (progressed Moon) may be the only way to shore up our democratic institutions for now. Even so, this progressed 3^rd quarter is our opportunity to confront and work on internal divisions. We really need to decide if we are one nation or two.

Progressed Mars (Rx Libra) conjoins Sibly Saturn (Libra) and trines Sibly Mars/Uranus (Gemini). Mars conjunct Saturn in Cardinal signs denotes aggressive impulses, although with Mars Rx by progression since 2006, the actions we’ve taken as a nation have tended to fall short of the desired results. Saturn rules Congress, so pressure will be brought to bear on them to act—the progressed Mars trine to Sibly Mars/Uranus suggests an attempt to assert dominance that may or may not unfold as planned.

Denying a hike to defense budgets is never easy, but it could be important for two reasons: 1) to rein in Trump’s aggressive impulses and willingness to say anything to get his way; 2) because using a defense budget hike as a wedge that forces dramatic cuts to other necessary agencies will only stoke further internal divisions.

It should be noted here that this configuration ties very tightly into Trump’s natal chart: progressed Sibly Mars-Sibly Saturn conjoins Trump’s natal Chiron-Jupiter (Libra), and that Trump’s natal Uranus (Gemini) conjoins the Sibly Mars/Uranus (all in Gemini), while his Sun conjoins Sibly Mars itself (see Triwheel below). 

His abiding need to prove his greatness (Chiron-Jupiter) and his volatile nature (Uranus-Node-Sun) are given free rein with these aggressive Sibly dynamics. Pressure on Congress (Sibly Saturn) to fund a military campaign could also be indicated (see below for Venus’s involvement).

Interchart T-square: Progressed Venus (Aries) squares both Sibly Mercury (Cancer) and Sibly Pluto (Capricorn) and sextiles Sibly Moon (Aquarius). Adding to the intensity, Mars disposes Progressed Venus in Aries, and she in turn squares Sibly Mercury, ruling the 7^th house of open enemies and the 10th house—a Virgo house that speaks to the U.S. military’s involvement in the world. P Venus also squares 2^nd house Sibly Pluto, ruling the Sibly 12^th, suggesting a more behind-the-scenes dimension to government activities in regards to negotiations, resources and finances.

It should be said here that P Venus (over the Sibly 5^th) also squares Trump’s natal Saturn-Venus (Cancer) and the Sibly progressed NNode (Cancer), reflecting Trump’s conflicts of interest—there’s no doubt that resources and political power are closely linked here. The chances that Attorney General Jeff Sessions and/or Congress will hold Trump to the standard all past presidents have been held to appears doubtful, or at least very strained here.

There’s a very troubling inertia at work in this t-square (and its connections to Trump’s chart, see below); with Sibly Pluto involved, the possibilities of “Dark Money” and political debts to pay are quite real.

Despite all that, the P Venus sextile to Sibly Moon (Aquarius) suggests that economic opportunities for everyday people should be available during this coming progressed quarter, even if Wall Street (Sibly Pluto) is ill at ease with some initiatives (t-square). The sextile may also reflect that the ACA (Venus rules the health-oriented Sibly 6^th) lives on without too much economic damage to those covered.

Progressed Mercury (Aquarius) conjoins Sibly Moon (Aquarius), trines Sibly Mars and inconjoins Sibly Neptune (Virgo). Mercury rules the Virgo ASC of this progressed 3^rd quarter chart, making Mercury’s position in Aquarius more potent than we might expect. Mercury rules public media communications, and with these aspects we can expect a frustrating lack of transparency (P Mercury-Sibly Neptune) when it comes to military or health (Virgo) matters (watch out for surprise over-night developments regarding the ACA!) and to the actions being taken in our name on the world stage (Sibly 10^th). 

We are likely to see a major recruitment effort (Mercury trine Sibly Mars) for any such projects, including the project of protesting changes to the ACA. This could also reflect the effort to recruit thousands into Trump’s plans for military-style border control and deportations—is this the “infrastructure jobs” program we expected from him?

Triwheel #1: (inner wheel) U.S. Sibly, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (middle wheel) U.S. Sibly, Day-for-Year-Progressions for March 2, 2017, 12:00 a.m. GMT, Washington, D.C.; (outer wheel) Donald J. Trump, June 14, 1946, 10:54 a.m. DST, Jamaica, NY. All charts feature Tropical Equal Houses and True Node.

A word about “leaks”

Since Trump has decided to declare war on the media—“the enemy of the People,” according to him—perhaps this is a good time to talk about what might be triggering all the “leaks” he finds so upsetting. In fact, we should probably thank the leakers for keeping his administration at least somewhat accountable for its actions and words. Journalists have begun calling Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s recent demand that his staff turn over their phones for inspection a case of “swirling paranoia”—never a good sign for an administration.

Even former President George W. Bush has today supported the importance of the independent media, saying it’s needed “to hold people like me to account. Power can be very addictive and corrosive and it’s up to the media to call to account people who abuse their power, here and elsewhere.”

Following the leader is at times all-important; when leaders are clearly acting or planning to act against our higher principles as a nation, however, it’s time for citizens to step in for the good of all. These “leakers” are called whistleblowers, and they fulfill an important role in democracies. I started this article by saying that we can take comfort in the fact that “heroes” tend to emerge when they’re most needed—here’s a great case in point!

There’s no denying that whistle-blowing can be controversial, but astrologically, it makes sense that this secretive administration has sprung multiple leaks. Saturn is now transiting the Galactic Center (GC) at 26°-27° Sagittarius, trine Mars-Uranus in Aries. Such leaks from within the administration have helped uncover many important stories that Trump wants to squash—because they may put his campaign and future plans in an unfavorable, even illegal (Saturn) light. I give former president Bush credit for speaking up here—things are likely to get even more heated in this struggle over our free press before long.

The trine to Mars-Uranus reflects the shocking, aggressive nature of some of the leaked information, as well as Trump’s response to it all. Transiting Saturn also falls quincunx Sibly Mercury (Cancer), the nation’s media, so they are certainly experiencing frustrating blowback from their journalistic efforts. Last I heard, they’re committed to continue reporting whatever credible information comes their way.

So, can we expect things to stabilize a bit any time soon? Some outer planetary transits, like Saturn entering Capricorn later this year and Uranus entering Taurus in May, 2018 may help calm things down going forward, but the nation’s progressed Sun doesn’t enter Aries until 2035, and Aries isn’t exactly a “calm” sign. It will feel like a refreshing new birth, however, after a very long “swim” in the waters of mutable Pisces. 

Let’s not get pulled down by the undertow.

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.