Daykeeper Journal: Maya del Mar's Moon Report

by Maya del Mar

NEW MOON IN CAPRICORN and FIRST QUARTER IN TAURUS. Reread January 13 and January 21. Capricorn and Taurus are earth signs. They refer to tangible things, like earth, bodies, money, and the things money can buy. Capricorn represents the establishment, the hierarchy, government and business—in general the given social order.

GW Bush is at the top of the social order, and he began this New Moon by taking a fall. It was New Moon day that he choked on a pretzel and went unconscious while watching a football game, perhaps a metaphor for the Great Game.

The "fall" continued. GW, his Administration, Congress, and the government of Texas continued to plunge into the abyss as the Enron energy scandal continued to widen. (Readers may remember my article "Blackout Blackmail" in the February 2001 issue of Daykeeper, in which I described this situation.) The government has allowed document shredding to go on at a furious pace, the first witness to be called by Congress refused to testify, one Enron executive was found shot to death in his car, and Ken Lay, Enron chairman, has resigned. The action around Enron’s situation during these two weeks has been fast and furious as shock waves reverberate throughout the establishment.

Enron, remember, was the main advisor to Dick Cheney in creating the U.S. Energy Policy, which focused on using more fossil fuels.

Pres. Mushaffaf of Pakistan declared his aims at New Moon. He said that the Islamic schools in Pakistan must add science and a foreign language to their curriculums, and drop military instruction. "It’s time for a jihad against ignorance and poverty." This is an excellent sign of the possibility of a new direction in central Asia.

The U.S. brings Taliban prisoners to Guantanamo Base in Cuba. The photos of them kneeling in outdoor chain-link cages, bound, shackled, and with eyes and ears covered brought indignation from around the world. They are fed by putting their meals in a blender, and letting them suck from a straw through the fence.

The Israelis have been stepping up their war against the Palestinians enormously during these two weeks, and Palestinian suicide bombers retaliate. The cycle of increasing violence is a tinderbox. Israeli tanks have surrounded Yassir Arafat’s headquarters since December 3, and they have destroyed the PLO broadcasting complex. Ariel Sharon of Israel has stated that he wants to get rid of Yassir Arafat. At the same time, a criminal indictment in Belgium against Sharon for the Shabila massacre in 1982 is proceeding apace.

On January 17, as Juno (victimization) squared Vesta (homes), Mt. Nyiwagonga in the Congo erupted and spewed a huge lava river. At least 500,000 persons were displaced.

I’ve just been working, although it has seemed very slow going during this Mercury retrograde time.

Eclipse Full Moon of December 30 and Last Quarter Moon in Libra of January 5. Read entries for December 30 and January 5. We are in the last half of the moon cycle now: the disseminating phase, when we spread the word, share, let others know what we have learned. The Sagittarian moon cycle has to do with the wider world, enlarging horizons, adventuring. And yet the December 30 Lunar Eclipse was in the sign of Cancer, which is connected with home and hearth, with family, and with security. In addition, it was a North Nodal eclipse, which means allowing past South Nodal issues to emerge in the light of shared knowledge, in order to allow change.

The Last Quarter Moon on January 5 was in Libra, asking Capricorn to get off its perch of control, and to move ahead through teamwork.

In my life this has been a period of seeing old friends, and beginning to clean up old work. I’ve stayed close to home, and it’s been very satisfying.

On December 31 Resident Bush appointed a paid advisor to Unocal as U.S. "special envoy" to Afghanistan. The envoy also once lobbied for the Taliban, and as late as July 2001 urged the U.S. to go easy on the Taliban. This is just the surface of a very big rats’ nest which is emerging, involving cooperation between Unocal, the U.S. government, and the Taliban.

Marines are beginning to transport Taliban prisoners to Guantamano Naval Base in Cuba. At the same time the governor of Kandahar is letting captured top Taliban leaders go home.

In Washington, Bush also eliminated the Women’s Bureau of the Dept. of Labor, part of a systematic elimination of departments devoted to women.

On January 3 Argentina defaulted on their IMF debt. The immediate problem began 10 years ago, when Argentina pegged their peso to the dollar and put their economy in charge of foreign financing. This led to a massive increase in debt. Argentina, a once middle-class country, is now bankrupt and poverty-stricken, and near-revolution is commencing.

At the Last Quarter Moon, the peso was devalued—for the first time in 10 years. Prices of goods in Argentina are expected to double.

Around the same time, Israel seized a munitions ship apparently bound for Palestine, and this has been in the news ever since. It sems only Israel has the right to buy arms. There have been new killing incidents on both sides, and Israel has razed the once-proud Gaza Airport, which was the Palestinian airport.

India set up land mines all along its 1800-mile border with Pakistan. Among major countries, only the U.S., India and Pakistan have not signed the Land Mine Treaty, which forbids the use of land mines.

In California, Gov. Davis has assumed more wiretap authority. He announced new seize and snoop regulations similar to those of the Feds. Also in California, deadly phophothera spores were found attacking redwoods.

In San Francisco, Steve Jobs unveiled the handsome new I-Mac, which uses a rotatable flat screen set on a small circular base. This is truly a revolution in computer design.

Enron declared bankruptcy, and is now being charged with crimes.

These events are preparation for moving into the Capricorn New Moon on January 14, where we begin to solidify and ground our lives and our society.

ECLIPSE NEW MOON IN SAG and FIRST QUARTER MOON IN ARIES. See December 14 and December 22 in Daily Success Guide.

In the world, a new government was installed in Kabul and British peacekeepers entered the city. The U.S. takes Taliban prisoners and sets up Guantamo, in Cuba, as a prison camp. The U.S. continues bombing Afghanistan and killing civilians, although they announced that the last al Queda stronghold had fallen.

War threatens between two nuclear powers, India and Pakistan, over Kashimir. Indian Parliament is bombed by an alleged Pakistani terrorist.

Israel upped its attack level on Palestine. The Israeli Labor party appointed a new right-wing leader. A killing on the Jordan-Israel border occurred.

China and Taiwan formally enter the WTO. The U.S. gives China favored nation trading status.

Revolution is occurring in Argentina. There are huge protests in the street against the deep financial depression which the government is allowing due to their insistence on following IMF (read, U.S.) policies. Two presidents have resigned.

In Australia the skies are black with wildfire smoke. In Lima, Peru a huge explosion killed hundreds, and destroyed a large part of the city center.

We can see here structures that are changing, or must change. Saturn-Pluto is hard at work.

In my life, a long-time connection with an associate is disrupted. Another dear friend moved away. Family and work continue to be my center, and I worked hard.