NewsScope for November 16, 1998
by WolfStar
The Saturn-Pluto Cycle of Power
For the second time this year, the Pentagon has spent $1.5
billion in sending troops and high-tech firepower to the
Gulf, hoping to end Saddam Hussein’s defiance of U.N.
inspections. Once again, Saddam backed down at the last
minute.
Astrologically, this crisis does not appear to be over. Saturn
is now 90 degrees (square) to the U.S. Pluto, a
developmental phase always significant in geopolitics. The
cycle begins with the conjunction of Saturn to the U.S.
Pluto, and about every seven years forms a dynamic angle
to this starting point. Saturn was exactly conjunct the U.S.
Pluto on January 17, 1991 when U.S. troops began
Operation Desert Storm.
Saturn is within effective range of squaring Pluto from now
through late January, an extended phase which describes a
celestial climate filled with ultimatums, power plays, and
hardball politics.
This Saturn-Pluto cycle has been in effect since the U.S.
emerged as a global superpower in World War II, and
marks some of the boldest exercises of American military
and political willpower against perceived enemies. The
previous hard Saturn aspect to the U.S. Pluto witnessed the
birth of Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars program in 1982.
The earlier Saturn-Pluto conjunction (the strongest link)
before the Persian Gulf War occurred during the bungled
1961 Bay of Pigs invasion under JFK. This Saturn-Pluto
cycle reflects a learning curve on how the U.S. expresses
its military and political clout in the global village.
Saturn and Public Health
Saturn’s square to the U.S. Pluto has an immense impact
on domestic politics. These two planets in tense aspect
represent the struggle for dominance in every sector of
American life, but is especially significant in 6th house*
affairs, where Saturn is currently transiting.
In addition to the armed forces, the sixth house governs
public health issues. Saturn has spent the last 16 months in
this house, during which time the tobacco industry has
grappled with a conclusive settlement of the many current
and potential lawsuits on the table. Now that Saturn is
forming its square to the U.S. Pluto, the four top tobacco
companies have finally reached an agreement, which they
are expected to announce this week.
The U.S. sixth house is tenanted by Chiron, known to
govern so-called alternative health remedies. Since Saturn
entered the sixth house, alternative medicine has come
under intense scrutiny by the protectors of American
health. Congress sent an initial $20 million grant to the
National Institutes of Health to study alternatives, and the
results were favorable enough to justify a $50 million grant
under the most recent budget deal.
Over the past week JAMA, the most prestigious American
medical journal, has been publishing results on the
effectiveness of common herbal therapies, such as
Echinacea and St. John’s Wort. To the medical
establishment’s surprise, some of these herbs work very
well, but some don’t at all. In complete accord with the
reality testing function of Saturn, JAMA’s editor stated that
“There is no alternative medicine. Treatments either work
or they don’t.”
Saddam’s Reign
While the current military crisis in Iraq seems momentarily
defused, the CIA has recently been given $100 million to
covertly organize and arm Saddam Hussein’s many
enemies. A coalition of Kurds, Shi-ites, and other
opposition parties is now preparing for a post-Saddam
regime.
Saddam Hussein (b. April 28, 1937; 8:55 am BAT; Tikrit,
Iraq) is the perfect tyrant. His Sun-Uranus conjunction in
Taurus straddles the U.S. Descendant (the cusp of the
seventh house of Open Enemies), making him the ideal
personification of evil. Then, his Jupiter-Pluto opposition is
in the same zodiacal location as the U.S. Mercury-Pluto so
that when American power (Pluto) is poised for action,
Saddam is most likely seizing opportunities (Jupiter) for his
own advancement.
The cat-and-mouse game played between Saddam and the
Pentagon has a distinct astrological ebb and flow. When
Saddam invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, transiting
Jupiter was exactly conjunct his natal Pluto. When Saturn
hit this same axis in January 1991, the cat attacked, and the
Gulf War ended. Advance and retreat, Jupiter and Saturn.
The latest opportunity for creating an international
spectacle occurred when transiting Jupiter was right on
Saddam’s Midheaven. He achieved his objective of
publicizing the harsh economic sanctions against his
people. Now that Saturn is heading into Saddam’s critical
Jupiter-Pluto axis, his punishment is not yet completed.
Saturn still has another two months of strict enforcement,
and while the U.S. armada is on hold, the covert ops are
stepping forward.
* The sixth house, according to a Scorpio Ascendant for the
U.S. horoscope. For a detailed look at the USA Scorpio
Rising chart, visit the Scorpio Rising home page. Reader
feedback is welcome. Email: wolfstar3@aol.com.
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