The heavens are ceaselessly changing, and at any given time their imprint upon mundane events in the physical world can be charted and chronicled. Early May of 2003 provided a rare triple whammy of unusual celestial events, and I am indebted to a number of readers whose emails both reminded me of their importance and pointed out some interesting manifestations of their energies.
From May 1 through May 10 transit Saturn was exactly opposed the degree of the Galactic Center at 26 Sagittarius. This point is currently posited by astrophysicists to be a supermassive Black Hole, the suction action of which generates the characteristic shape and movement of spiral galaxies such as ours, as it inexorably draws into its core the very galaxy itself. This was the third and final pass of Saturn over this degree, and thus brings some level of completion or finality to the proceedings.
This period was also punctuated by a rare transit of Mercury to the Sun on May 7. In astronomical terms, a 'transit' is similar to an occultation, except that the occulting body is smaller than the one it is crossing, and thus does not obscure it from our vision. Most of the conjunctions of the Sun and Mercury, which occur roughly six times per year, do so with Mercury slightly above or below the Sun's position from our perspective; the actual transit of Mercury apparently crossing the Sun's surface is much more rare, occurring perhaps a dozen times a century. This one in particular occurred at 16 Taurus, exactly conjunct Black Hole Eurydice.
Finally, on May 15, less than a week after Saturn moved off its exact opposition to the Galactic Center and little more than a week after the Sun/Mercury transit, there was a total eclipse of the Moon at 24 Scorpio, which showed the lunar body in exact opposition to Black Hole Orpheus at 24 Taurus, conjunct the Sun. Total eclipses, too, are comparatively rare.
What to expect from this period? Black Holes promote sudden, sweeping change, and are sources of energy drain and energy attraction. They act as liminal guardians or portals of access to parallel dimensions, alternate realities, and nonphysical universes, and their activation by the celestials of our system can cause elements of these diverse realities to penetrate and become manifest in our own.
Activations of the supermassive Black Hole at the Galactic Center tend to promote manifestations of a global nature, or universal importance. Specifically with Saturn, one would expect to the see the emergence of structures, plans, or legislation having far-reaching impact or ramifications.
In fact, this period was parenthesized by a number of such events. At the end of April, with Saturn just one degree shy of exact opposition but well within orb, two specific plans were promulgated—on April 29 the "Anti-War Four" proposed and inaugurated the European Security and Defense Union, and on the 30th George W. Bush unveiled his "Road Map For Peace" in the Middle East. And on the far end of the opposition, on May 9, the US, UK and Spain submitted a draft resolution on Iraqi Reconstruction to the UN, detailing the future control of the world's second largest oil supply.
On April 29 France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg, AKA the "Anti-(Iraq) War Four," announced their plans to create a joint military planning system and a multinational headquarters for European military operations, including the formation of a rapid reaction force. Coming on the heels of the European Union's newly adopted common currency, this is yet another indication of Europe emerging as a Continental Power, in part as a challenge to US hegemony of the planet. Other nations are encouraged to join the self-styled European Security and Defense Union, which if successful has far-reaching implications for the future of NATO and the US/UK alliance. It is easily foreseeable that Britain may shortly be forced to decide between its allegiances to America, and to its partners in the EU. The fact that it has retained its native currency while most of the continent has switched to the Euro may be a leading indicator of what that choice ultimately will be.
On the following day, Bush's "Road Map" for a workable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian imbroglio was released, another document with potentially global ramifications. The plan proposes a series of preliminary steps, including a complete cease-fire and an end to suicide bombings and the withdrawal and dismantling of Israeli settlements in the West Bank established since 2001, as a precursor to the creation of an autonomous Palestinian state. Although subsequent violence in the region has put the future of this overture in serious jeopardy, its release at this time is encouraging.
On May 1, the date the exact opposition of Saturn to the Galactic Center began, Bush declared the conflict phase of the Iraq War to be completed, surely another moment of global interest, if somewhat of an anti-climax. He did so in an effective publicity stunt from the deck of the aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln," off the California coast, which he arrived at by fighter jet, taking the controls briefly himself during the flight. Dressed in a flight suit and amid throngs of apparently adoring servicemen and women, Bush cut a dashing figure as he preached to the choir about the virtues of American military might.
Sometimes even what might be described as "extremely mundane" events have a way of providing insights into the nature of the times. During this same period of opposition of Saturn to the Galactic Center, the surprise winner of the Kentucky Derby on May 3 was "Funny-Cide," but the real interest was in the names of the runners-up—"Empire Maker" placed, and "Peace Rules" showed, an unexpected reflection of the state of global affairs following the Iraq War. "Empire Maker" had been the favorite.
On May 9, as the exact opposition was winding down, the US, UK and Spain submitted a draft resolution to the UN regarding Iraq's future. The document includes the repeal of UN sanctions which have been bottling up the vast majority of Iraqi oil since the First Gulf War in 1991, but leaves the actual control of the Iraqi state in US and UK hands, with a UN board having only oversight authority during the proposed six month reconstruction period. Money from Iraq's oil, which at an estimated 12 billion barrels is a supply second only to Saudi Arabia's, will be held in a fund for its "rightful owners," the Iraqi people, minus costs of the reconstruction effort to the occupying powers, of course.
Mercury's rare transit of the Sun fell on May 7, during the period of Saturn's Galactic Center opposition, and conjunct Black Hole Eurydice at 16 Taurus it elicited some typically Black Hole-magnified manifestations. Long associated with weather extremes, Mercury's transit neatly bisected the worst stretch of devastating tornado activity in the nation's history, when from May 5-9, 165 killer storms ravaged a 12-state region. By the16th, the day after the total Lunar Eclipse, the total number of tornadoes had reached 465, far exceeding any prior month's record, with half of May still to go (tornado averages for May are 179). The death toll had risen to more than 40.
On the day of the transit itself, the news was littered with Mercurial events, all with a distinctive Black Hole twist. Breakthrough research into brain (Mercury) tumors with mice showed promising results in using cold virus injections to cure them. General Motors car (Mercury) company paid a half million to settle a lawsuit regarding its CK pickup truck. A New York judge awarded a $104 million judgment (Mercury) to survivors of the 9/11 tragedy, payable by Bin Laden, Hussein, and the Taliban. And VP Dick Cheney announced (Mercury) he would be the running mate on the 2004 Republican presidential ticket.
Perhaps most startling that day, and a classic Black Hole moment, was the release of a revised and conflicting version of the dramatic rescue of Pvt. Jessica Lynch from a hospital in Nasariyah, Iraq in early April.
According to Iraqi medical personnel on site at the time, the building had been abandoned by Iraqi forces at 10 AM the day before the raid, and the aggressive tactics used by the rescue team were in fact unnecessary. Doors were broken in without cause, and allegations emerged that the raid was staged, with the team firing blanks, more for show for the attendant cameras than for any other cause. Lynch's wounds were revealed to be a broken leg inflicted in the overturning of her truck, not gunshot wounds, as originally reported; additionally, far from being maltreated, a nurse had bought her a track suit and some underwear, and two days before the rescue Iraqi doctors had attempted to deliver her to US troops in the area, but their ambulance was fired on by Coalition forces and they were forced to retreat. Lynch's army physicians reported that she is currently suffering amnesia and does not remember her ordeal.
The May 15 total Lunar Eclipse at 24 Scorpio saw the opposed Sun exactly conjunct Black Hole Orpheus at 24 Taurus. Health, a Moon-related function, was in the news with the release of the asthma drug Zolair, recently approved by the FDA. The Black Hole's introduction of new elements into manifestation is apparent in this event, in that unlike previous medications which treated allergy symptoms, this one blocks the body's initial reaction, thus effectively eliminating the allergy. True to Black Hole form, the medication is a financial drain, costing up to $10,000 per year per patient. Another Black Hole of health energies, AIDS, was given a palliative with the passing in the Senate of a $15 million funding bill for assistance to African nations struggling with the killer disease's devastating effects.
It was the Senate's day for big numbers, as they passed, by a 50-50 vote with VP Cheney weighing in on the Republican side, a $350 billion tax cut. Their version is less than half of that originally proposed by Bush; the House passed a similar Bill which must now be rectified with the Senate version before becoming law. Also in the news, also involving big numbers and the energy sucking arena of addiction, was the breaking of a $100 million heroin ring in South East Asia.
Finally for this date, George W. Bush chose to announce his candidacy for the 2004 Presidential election. Let's hope the eclipse, opposing his Tenth House of Career, may eclipse his chances.
Alex Miller-Mignone is a professional writer and astrologer, author of The Black Hole Book and The Urban Wicca, former editor of "The Galactic Calendar," and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society.