Printer-Friendly Article

Grand Cross in the USA Chart
A Pluto, Mars, and Neptune Wrap-Up

by Steffan Vanel 8/01/03

Copyright 2003. All Rights Reserved


To those who have been following my previous columns I would like to state my intention to make this column the last time, for a while anyway, that I will speak about the transiting Pluto approaching square and opposition to the Mars/Neptune square in the U.S. Chart. I would like to go onto another subject, like the transits hitting George W. Bush’s chart now and in the coming months.

It is just that I keep observing this Pluto tension on the US experience of itself appearing in all kinds of ways. You might want to go to the archives and look at my previous comments on this configuration. However, if we look at the house and sign and planet possibilities of effect from this transit there are:

Mars the planet - The Martial especially the Military aspect of ourselves.

Mars in the Seventh House - Martial aggression or conflict in relationships with others.

Mars in Gemini - Aggressive energies in relation to communications.

Neptune squaring this Mars: tests involving illusion, confusion, deception, victimhood in relation to all of the above.

Before the recent war, knowing that this transit was happening but not peaking until the end of this year and throughout the next two years, and, knowing that the last time that these two planets were involved in hard aspect with Pluto was during the Vietnam war, I was saying that I felt that this war could be similar. The similarity would be that we would again go into a situation thinking we can just use Mars, ie. military force, to fix our problems or relations with others. It would, however, then become Neptune, ie. a confusing, quagmire of vulnerability which we had no idea we were getting into. This seems to be the obvious experience of the Martial/Military component of our country. They were all geared up for a gung ho blast of Martial/Military might to take care of Saddam, thinking it would be over in weeks or a couple of months and they could go home. And now they are stuck in the vulnerable place of not knowing when or how they can get out of there and where the next bomb, or rocket grenade will come from.

I listened today on the radio about how our military forces are overstretched, morale is down and our heavy reliance on reservists is resulting in many reservists deciding to end their commission after they have completed their current commitments.

Now, if we look at the Gemini/Communications aspects of these tensions we open a whole new can of worms. In the early 70’s Saturn was conjuncting this Mars and squaring the Neptune. This was the time of ‘Watergate’. In my book I go into this in some detail. The point I want to make here is that I seem to notice similar themes at play as Pluto is putting pressure on these two planets.

Obviously Watergate involved a lot of confusion as to who was the real victim and the real victimizer. Now we have the example of the thus far never found weapons of mass-destruction. We also have the now denigrated claim that Iraq was trying to obtain uranium from Africa for a nuclear device. Mr. Tennant has taken the fall for this, for the most part, but weeks before this story came out I heard an interview with a former CIA and State Department intelligence analyst. Apparently a group of intelligence officials have come forward to protest the Bush administration’s ‘cooking the books’ to force the intelligence data available to serve their own agenda. The New York times reported that they had referred to this in a letter to President Bush as ‘a policy and intelligence fiasco of monumental proportions.’ This group calls themselves the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity.

The intelligence officer interviewed, Larry Johnson, went into great detail in explaining these allegations. At the end he admitted that he himself voted Republican, but that he considered those who were working in the Office of Special Plans at the Defense Department as representing what he called a ‘clear and present danger’ to the United States.

I witnessed another Pluto opposing the Mars in Gemini communications event, not as related to the Militaristic themes examined thus far, but, nonetheless relevant. Pluto can represent obsessive control and power. Well, the recent FCC decision to allow corporations to have even greater control over media outlets seems to fit the bill here.

One insight into the US media came to me upon my return from Brazil. I was in Brazil during the entire duration of the war. Personally, it was a relief to happen to be out of the country at that time. I did watch some Brazilian television to try to keep tabs on what was happening. After witnessing what I saw on Brazilian television, however, I came back and asked people back here a question. The question I asked everybody was: When you were watching the war on television, did you actually ever see civilian casualties? Of course every person I spoke to said no, you never actually saw them. I tell you, in Brazil, and I am sure in virtually every country outside of the US, you saw them. Every night.

This media coverage is in contrast with the effect that Pluto was creating on the relationship between the media and the military during the Vietnam conflict. That was the first time that the nitty gritty facts of war were broadcast directly into the homes of Americans. It was also the emergence of a much greater scrutiny of the official statements put forth by the military.

Of course recently we have had a little more of blatant Neptunian suffering and martyrdom and not just Neptunian illusion and delusion. This has appeared in the television portrayal of the bloodied bodies of the two sons of Saddam Hussein. I am not sure if this is the appropriate rectification of the previous denial and deception around the facts of war.

On a more positive note, there also seems to be some media phenomena of a powerful Plutonian, ie. digging things up from the hidden underworld, with a much more positive intent. I am thinking of the publishing success of books like ‘The Best Democracy Money Can Buy’ by Greg Palast, and ‘Stupid White Men’ by Roger Moore. Greg Palast is particularly good at portraying the covert collusion within American media. He works for the BBC, which I listen to after midnight and always hear stories I never hear within American media.

Additionally, Howard Dean’s success at using the media of the internet to amass more money than the other Democratic candidates, but where the average donation is less than $200 truly represents a revolution in the usage of the power of Gemini communications media. Big Money’s control of politics must take notice.

As I mentioned in my last column, Mars is making it’s greatest perihelion to the Earth in 60 to 72,000 years. That is why it is so bright in the sky right now. It will be making a ‘Grand Cross’ with Pluto and the US Mars/Neptune square at the end of November, early December. I would expect some ‘peak’ effect in relation to this configuration and the themes I have mentioned, in some form, somehow. Let’s try to use it for positive transformation, trusting that, whatever it is, it is part of our journey of growth and learning.

Blessings to you all, Steffan Vanel

Free Astrology For The Soul and Free Horoscopes:
AstrologyForTheSoul.com