Terrorism threat and world transits

Saturn Inconjunct Pluto:
Elevated Terrorism Threat in New York City, New Jersey and Washington

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced an elevation of terrorism threat levels to code Orange for specific financial buildings in New York City, Newark and Washington. This new alert evidently was based on emails containing highly detailed surveillance found on a confiscated computer taken in a shootout with an al-Qaeda terror cell in Pakistan. As some of the surveyed sites for an attack were cased prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many have questioned if the timing of the release of this new information was political, coming as it did right on the heels of the Democratic National Convention's coronation of John Kerry. As all of this was occurring, Saturn and Pluto perfected the first of three waning inconjuncts, which are forming on 31 July 2004, 19 January 2005, and 23 May 2005.

This is the first major aspect between these two planets since the three oppositions of 2001-02, the debut of which perfected on 5 August 2001. The very next day, the President’s Daily Brief of August 6th was entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.” As Richard Clarke has testified before the 9/11 Commission, this now infamous PDB did not get the attention it should have by the Bush administration. More anxious to begin his month long vacation at the ranch in Crawford, Texas than in protecting U.S. national security, the president was asleep at the wheel. The redaction performed on this document to 'declassify' it has been hotly debated, with some insiders accusing the Bush administration of reducing an incriminating multi-page document down to a more innocent page and a half.

Why is this Saturn-Pluto cycle so relevant to Islamic terrorism? Saturn symbolizes societal law and order, whereas Pluto rules terrorism, thus the cycle of these planets governs counter-terrorism. At the conjunction of the two bodies in November 1982, chart in the 28th degree of Libra, the UN General Assembly passed United Nations Resolution 37/37 which stated that all Soviet military forces should withdraw from Afghanistan (having been there since the December 1979 invasion). The CIA, at the time, was investing more than $2 billion over a 10-year period to fund an anti-Soviet resistance, arming the Islamic Mujahadeen freedom fighters who later evolved into the Taliban and al-Qaeda. If the astrologer contemplates the following symbol for the 28th degree of Libra from Sepharial's translation of La Volasfera, he gets insight into the deeper nature of this cycle, revealing as it does the narrow perspective of U.S. intelligence agencies in the 1980's, who, in their Cold War efforts to destabilize the Soviets, were simultaneously creating a new enemy:

An ass tethered to the shaft of a grinding mill.

"It indicates a nature that is inured to arduous and homely work; one who will pursue the beaten track of an unambitious life with but slight regard to his own limitations and still less to the wider projects and life of others. It is a degree of SERVITUDE."

At the waxing square of Saturn and Pluto in March 1993, chart a month after the once-in-172-year Uranus-Neptune conjunction, Saturn was in the 26th degree of Aquarius, and the United States was reacting to the first bombing of the World Trade Center the month earlier. Saturn was to transit over the USA Moon at 27 Aquarius three times, the American public getting its first taste of Islamic terrorism on their soil. Again, from La Volasfera, we contemplate the degree symbol for Aquarius 26, illustrating as it does the blindness with which the U.S. regarded the Islamic terrorists:

A man walking blindfold towards the opening of a deep pit.

"This indicates one whose thoughts and projects are liable to become chaotic and confused, so that he may be said to be walking in the dark, and to that extent may be led into grave dangers. It may be from ignorance or from want of alertness and responsiveness to his surroundings that he will come by hurt to himself, but save by the helping and directing hand of some wise friend, or the overarching love of Heaven, he cannot escape downfall and ruin. The higher the position he may occupy, the greater the danger of falling. Let him therefore study to walk warily and in humility in the simple ways of life and not aspire to tread paths which are unfamiliar and full of pitfalls for the unwary. It is a degree of BLINDING."

For those esoteric astrologers who would consider the metaphysical speculation that dark forces of evil are behind this violent Islamic terrorism, Charubel's degree symbol for Aquarius 26 substantiates this point of view:

There is no symbol to this degree.

"A degree of mystery. It is allied to the fourth dimensional space. Denotes one who has SOMETHING not in common with the rest of his race."

At the waxing inconjunct between Saturn and Pluto in May 1999, chart Saturn was in the 10th degree of Taurus, and the United States was fully absorbed at home in dot-com mania and over-hyped, overpriced IPO's. Even ordinary Americans became infatuated by the bull market, chasing risky stock profits, and they were absolutely unconcerned about any increasing threat of Islamic terrorism domestically. That very month, the Pentagon planned to use the port of Aden, in Yemen, to bunker 600,000 barrels of marine diesel and aviation fuel to service its naval operations in the Gulf against Saddam Hussein; the first U.S. warship under this secret deal docked in May 1999. This ship, the USS Cole, was then attacked by terrorists in October 2000. The La Volasfera degree symbol for Taurus 10 is prescient in its lampooning portrayal of the drunken financial orgy which had besieged the U.S., and of what was to come:

An ox, lying upon the ground asleep, in the sunshine. Upon its back two birds are perched.

"It denotes one of an idle and self-indulgent nature, whose pleasure is in his physical appetites and their satisfaction. One who will bring trouble upon himself and over whom the sirens will quarrel while they feed upon him. It is a degree of GROSSNESS."

At the Saturn-Pluto opposition of August 2001, which fell exactly on the USA Sibly chart horizon, and which occurred the day before that fatally ignored PDB, Saturn was in the 13th degree of Gemini. chart Islamic terrorists were now in the country, and were preparing to execute, in the coming month, the most murderous attack ever on American soil. The degree symbol for Gemini 13 from La Volasfera is brutally chilling in its caricature of these Islamic terrorists:

Two wolves are devouring a carcass in the moonlight.

"It indicates one of a crafty, subtle nature, avaricious, given to treaties and associations of a dangerous character; secretive, revengeful, and of a quick temper. The native will lead a roaming and unsettled life. This degree is fatal to one born while the Sun is above the earth. It is a degree of VORACITY AND SELF-SEEKING."

Now, we have come to the waning inconjunct in this counter-terrorism cycle of Saturn and Pluto, which perfected on July 31st with Saturn in the 20th degree of Cancer. chart Sepharial's translation in La Volasfera of the degree symbol for Cancer 20 is, in the mind of this writer, an oblique reference to presidential candidate John Kerry:

A man dressed as a groom, riding upon a spirited horse.

"It indicates a person of general aptitude, quick perception, steady mind and able body, who, in some secondary place, will serve the cause of truth: may be as a teacher, or as a priest, or one connected with the Church. Success in life is shown, but not pre-eminence. The life, while useful, will be obscure. It is a degree of SERVICE."

Senator Kerry, a Sagittarian, is perhaps this man of quick perception on the spirited horse who will serve the cause of truth. Accused as he is by the Bush campaign for having no 'signature achievements' in his 20-year Senate career, one sees this reference to obscurity in the symbolism. Regarding being dressed as a groom, my readers may recall that, during the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, many Democrats said, 'dated Dean, married Kerry.' It will be highly instructive for the political prophets, who wish to predict the 2004 Election, to know that the rising degree in Washington D.C. of the first Saturn-Pluto inconjunct is 05 Libra 43, precisely conjunct Mr Kerry's MC.

As is seen in the nature of the inconjunct aspect, conflict is present, equal to that of an opposition, but it cannot be confronted openly, and must be dealt with by making an internal adjustment. With the 9/11 Commission Report now before the public's eye, and its recommendations being debated by lawmakers in Washington, by the time of the third waning Saturn-Pluto inconjunct on 23 May 2005 its proposed adjustments to the intelligence community will have been implemented. It is no small coincidence that, on that day, Venus, ruling planet of Islam, is in 16 Gemini, and precisely conjunct the Descendant of Mr Kerry, and that Pluto, in 23 Sagittarius, is exactly opposite his Saturn. chart

Many readers of this newsletter have written to me asking for my thoughts on the future of America as regards the ongoing threat of catastrophic Islamic terrorism in our country. It will be of value for astrologers to scrutinize the chart for the first waning square of Saturn and Pluto in November 2009, when Saturn will be in the 2nd degree of Libra, and exactly conjunct the USA Sibly Midheaven. chart Sepharial's translation in La Volasfera for Libra 2 is most revealing:

A man in the garb of a doctor of the monastic order (misericordia).

"It denotes a person of kindly and humane disposition. but very melancholic and predisposed to religious mania. The native will possess a high order of intellect, capable of investigating the laws of the most recondite sciences; inclined to spiritual pursuits and to the monastic life. It is a degree of SEARCHING."

One sees that the Sun is exactly square to Neptune at this Saturn-Pluto square in 2009, and it would be reasonable to forecast that a dreaded chemical or biological attack could be perpetrated against the USA at that time. It does one no good now, some five years before the fact, to conjure up scenarios of what may transpire in the future, but the simple fact remains that this is a violent planetary cycle, lasting until January 2020, when the next conjunction occurs. This cycle began in 1982, at the Saturn-Pluto conjunction, with Mars conjunct the South Node, and this dreaded aspect to the Dragon's Tail was again in place on 11 September 2001. The one ray of hope which I can offer my readers is that in 2020, at the next Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn 23, Jupiter will be conjunct the South Node. chart One may travel into that future cycle on the wings of symbolism from Sepharial for this 23rd degree of Capricorn:

A wineglass overturned.

"This is the index of one who will be unable to contain his feelings and passions, and will in consequence run to excesses, extravagance and waste of substance. He will be endowed with a fine intelligence, a genial and pleasant nature, and a generous and convivial disposition. But his inability to control his passions will lead to his reversal and undoing, so that he will - unless he be under the guidance of a strong and steady hand - eventually be left to his fate, denuded of all that makes him a desirable companion or useful agent in life. It is a degree of INCONTINENCE."

Iran's Progressed New Moon:
2005 Uranus Transits & Nuclear Weapons Ambition

On Thursday, July 29th, during a meeting in Paris with delegations from France, the UK and Germany, Iranian officials said the country will not back down on its right to proceed with uranium enrichment. In June, Iran had received a rebuke from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), over cooperation with its inspectors. The United States has accused Iran for years of secretly moving forward in their ambition to develop nuclear weapons. Just one week earlier, on 21 July 2004, the Islamic Republic of Iran had a progressed New Moon Solar Eclipse in the 8th degree of Pisces, falling in their secretive 12th house. chart Pluto is stationing in exact conjunction with the Iranian Neptune at 19 Sagittarius, and all of its nuclear deceptions are now surfacing from their dark holes.

This country, in its current form, came into existence on 1 February 1979 when exiled religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from France to direct a revolution resulting in a new, theocratic republic guided by Islamic principles. Coming back to Iran after 15 years in exile in Turkey, Iraq, and France, he then became Iran's national religious leader. Iran has a violent Sun-Mercury-Mars triple conjunction in Aquarius which is exactly on the USA South Node, and is one of three countries, along with Syria and Sudan, who are leading state sponsors of Islamic terrorism. Their progressed Mars now synastrically conjoins the USA progressed Sun, both bodies in the fated anaretic degree of 30 Aquarius. The USA progressed Mars will station retrograde in July 2006, for the first time in American history, in the 19th degree of Libra, exactly conjunct the Iranian progressed Pluto.

U.S. intelligence agencies have estimated that Iran could develop a nuclear weapon within three to five years, but Iran could actually be much closer than that to its goal. Next year, transit Uranus will form three conjunctions to the Iranian progressed Sun, perfecting on 22 March 2005, 5 September 2005, and 30 January 2006. Neither the West, nor the IAEA, should expect any cooperation from this country regarding nuclear inspections. It is more likely that Iran will now become increasingly defiant and belligerent, refusing to cooperate with diplomatic attempts by the EU to get it to rein in its nuclear program. With the Uranus transits, either an internal rebellion by the Iranian people against the conservative mullahs who run the country, or defiant threats by Iran against the West, are possible.

The progressed Mercury of Iran, ruling its 7th house of open enemies, has just left its 12th house, crossing the Ascendant yesterday, August 5th. The world, through the mouthpiece of the UN Security Council, will shortly read Iran the riot act, and become much more aggressive in confronting this member nation of the Axis of Evil. Pluto is moving ever closer to the Iranian MC, with the first exact conjunction occurring on 9 January 2006. This country is completely unpredictable; its progressed Uranus is currently stationary, having turned retrograde on 10 May 2002.

Since the hostage taking crisis at the U.S. Embassy in Teheran in 1979, the United States has had no diplomatic relations with Iran. All contacts go through the Swiss; and, here in the USA, any contact goes through the Pakistani Embassy. What is most troubling about 1979 is that, besides being the year that Pluto penetrated the orbit of Neptune and Islamic regimes began to more aggressively confront the Christian West, it was also when the USA progressed Mars first conjoined Saturn. With the U.S. progressed Mars about to turn retrograde for 80 years starting in 2006, the two malefics will conjoin again in May 2031, precisely a Saturn cycle after 9/11. One can reasonably argue that the War on Islamic Terror will realistically continue until that time.

Many in America now think that the Bush administration has been like the gang who couldn't shoot straight, going after Saddam Hussein in Iraq to avenge the assassination plot to kill the elder George Bush in Kuwait after the first Gulf War, while meanwhile Iran is sponsoring violent terrorism all over the Middle East, and is more likely than Iraq to be the second Islamic nation, after Pakistan, to develop nuclear weapons. With Israel and Europe within ballistic missile range from Iran, and Iranian complicity with many regional terrorist groups, and now we have the strained relations with the IAEA, World War III is looking more probable all the time. Israel, which destroyed the Osirak nuclear facility in Iraq on 7 June 1981 in a pre-emptive aerial bombing, is no doubt closely watching Iran's nuclear progress. If there were to be a world showdown with Iran, it is reasonable to presume that it would occur when the Iranian progressed Sun opposes their Saturn in September 2009. Coming as this does just two months before the first violent square of Saturn to Pluto, one can connect the dots and see the likely global chaos just a few years from now.

The progressed New Moon Solar Eclipse for Iran occurred on July 21st, right as the 9/11 Commission Report was detailing how several of the Saudi hijackers were allowed to transit Iran without passport stamps, on their way to and from the terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. This progressed solar eclipse highlights the 8th degree of Pisces, into which it fell. Being that it is in the Iranian 12th house, the hidden secrets of that theocratic regime go much deeper than we can presently imagine, and it will be instructive to contemplate the degree symbolism for Pisces 8. From Sepharial's translation of La Volasfera, we find that Iran is now about to attempt swimming in waters way over its head:

A man with upraised arms submerged in the water, over which a heavy rain is falling.

This is the index of one who is liable to suffer many affronts of fortune, due chiefly to his own incompetence and the attempting of things and enterprises that are beyond his powers. Let him study humility and service of others, and cultivate a proper understanding of his own aptitudes and powers. Thus he may escape a sudden and unlooked for ruin which otherwise must attend him in the boldest venture of his life. He may go into liquidation and become submerged, and crying for rescue from his helpless state, there may be found none to weep for him save Heaven, which yet is kind in that it permits this warning. Independence is not for those who have no knowledge of their own weakness. The strong swimmer alone can attempt the deep waters. It is a degree of INCOMPETENCE.

The Kerry-Edwards Democratic Ticket:
Connections to the USA Sibly Chart

At the recent Democratic Convention in Boston, John Kerry and John Edwards were officially nominated as candidates for president and vice-president, respectively. The synastry between these two men makes for a compelling astrological case study, both when comparing their two nativities, or when examining the progressed synastry between them. The two men, born almost precisely nine and one half years apart, thus have a synastric nodal opposition, with Kerry's North Node in Leo conjunct Edwards' South Node, and vice-versa. They also have a Sun-Moon conjunction in Gemini, a Sun-Sun opposition from Sagittarius to Gemini, a Mercury-Mercury opposition from Capricorn to Cancer, and a Venus-Venus opposition from Scorpio to Taurus. Even their progressed Mercuries are in opposition. chart

John Edwards, who exudes optimism and hope, has the 12th degree of Cancer rising, with his ruler, the Moon, conjunct Jupiter. His five planets in the 12th house, including Jupiter, the ruler of his Pisces Midheaven, are a clear indication of his career as a trial lawyer, sticking up for the little guy by suing HMO's and big corporations who were guilty of medical malpractice, or product-related injuries and deaths. His rising degree is in both the Scorpio decan and dwad, and his underlying intensity can be perceived through that, plus a Sun in sextile to Pluto. On Election Day, his progressed Part of Fortune will be exactly conjunct his natal Venus at 4 degrees of Taurus, which in turn squares his nodal axis. chart

What has brought these two men together to contest for the leadership of the free world is a remarkable progressed synastry conjunction - Senator Edwards' secondary progressed Sun is presently at 7 degrees Leo, exactly conjunct Senator Kerry's natal North Node. What is even more fascinating is that this is the degree of George Bush's Ascendant. On Election Day, the progressed Sun of Edwards has moved to 8 degrees Leo, exactly conjunct Kerry's natal Pluto. The Ascendant of Edwards is also the Equinox Point (Contra-Antiscion) of Kerry's Sun. And, unbelievably, the natal Sun of George W. Bush is the Equinox Point of Senator Kerry's Ascendant. As you can see, the astrologer will have a veritable field day sifting through all of the connections between these three men's charts. From La Volasfera, Leo 8:

An aureole of clouds, in the midst of which appears a triangle of flame,
and an eye within the triangle.

"It denotes a person of exalted nature, gifted with spiritual faculties, by means of which he will attain to some degree of eminence in things devoted to the fiery art, and likewise will be distinguished in matters of a spiritual nature. The mind is just, aspiring and noble; hopeful, full of the divine fire of a worthy ambition; intuitive, but not logical, yet ever intense and sincere. It is a degree of ARDOUR."

I have already predicted the election victory of Kerry and Edwards on November 2nd, primarily because of the Venus-Jupiter conjunction on Mr Kerry's MC on November 2nd, but also because of the new American era which begins the day before the election. Our USA progressed Sun ingresses into Pisces on November 1st, ending an era which began in the Spring of 1975 when the U.S. progressed Sun entered Aquarius, at the time of the Fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. It is no surprise that, 29 years later the ghosts of that war have come back to be healed, and we had the first Democratic National Convention in over 40 years to emphasize the military background and national security credentials of its presidential candidate. chart

There is even an additional connection between these two men and the chart for the United Sates. If one calculates the Davison Time-Space chart for Kerry and Edwards, chart the Descendant, symbolizing a political partnership, is exactly conjunct the USA Sibly MC. If one accepts the presumption that they will be victorious come Election Day, and looks ahead to forecast what will be the defining issue of their administration, one sees that the Davison Sun is in 17 Virgo, exactly conjunct the North Node of Iran. The Davison Jupiter is in 20 Sagittarius, the degree of George W. Bush's South Node, and the exact degree of Iran's progressed Neptune. The astrologer, without too much of a stretch, can tie this whole planetary package together and see that President Bush's ultimate undoing would have come by being deceived by the Iranian regime, but that Providential forces intervened, and changed the U.S. Presidency to be safer. For my readers who are ever hopeful for a change in administrations, the Kerry-Edwards Davison Sun is in the same degree as Teresa Heinz Kerry's natal Mars, and her Sun is in the same degree as their Davison Neptune. chart Astute astrologers will also have observed that the nodal axis during the Democratic Convention was in 6 degrees Taurus-Scorpio, the precise degrees of the Kerry-Edwards Davison nodal axis. From Sepharial's translation of La Volasfera, Virgo 18:

An old white-headed man surrounded by happy children.

"It denotes to the native a long and happy life; an old age invested with the comforts of homely affection. It endows the native with a kind, benevolent and fatherly interest in his fellows, especially those of tender years. He will be much beloved, and will end his days in prosperity and peace. It is a degree of GUARDIANSHIP."

6) George W. Bush's Stationary Saturn Return:
His November Presidential Election Defeat

From August 29th until September 20th, Saturn will square George W. Bush's natal Midheaven, chart and increasing criticism of his leadership as president will become relentless. Pluto turns direct on August 30th at 19 Sagittarius 32, in a stationary opposition to his progressed MC, and the collective forces that wish to see him defeated will grow stronger. During the month of October, a tour is planned through crucial swing states by prominent musicians such as Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne, and the message to their fans will be to vote Mr Bush out of office. By November 2nd, Pluto returns to 20 Sagittarius 35, in a partile conjunction with his South Node, and he will lose his re-election bid.

During this time period, and starting just three days after the Saturn square to his MC leaves the one degree separating orb, President Bush will undergo a stationary second Saturn return, within a one degree orb from September 23rd until December 24th. This three month window of time will be the hardest for Mr Bush psychologically and spiritually, as the pressure within his own soul and conscience will build to a sharp point of personal reckoning. Between October 18th and 27th, while Jupiter conjoins his Neptune, he will have to dig deep into his religious faith to accept his coming fate.

Many intellectual Americans came to the conclusion some time ago about George W. Bush that he goes too far with his zealous beliefs, and his personal world view, of moral rightness and wrongness. This conclusion about him can be clearly seen in his natal Sun-Jupiter square. It will be instructive to listen to what the eminent British astrologer, C.E.O. Carter, wrote about the squares and oppositions of Sun to Jupiter, and how these affect one's prudence and character:

"These are far more restless than the trine or sextile. The mental powers are often good, but they are frequently used on behalf of unpopular or unconventional causes, or in such a way as to do the native but little good in a worldly sense. There is a fatal tendency to imprudence, carelessness, love of hazard, and blind optimism: they may result in serious loss and financial or social entanglements. There is often a youthful and boyish freshness that is quite as pleasant to behold as the steadier effects of the trine and sextile; but this juvenility may lead to catastrophes when it means that there is a young head on old shoulders and the responsibilities of age are carried in the spirit of the schoolboy."

-The Astrological Aspects; L.N. Fowler & Co., Ltd.; London; 1930.

The president's progressed Mercury has been in 27-28 Leo since late February, the degree of Senator Kerry's Jupiter. The challenger has been quite civil in his references to Mr Bush, focusing more on their policy differences and styles of leadership. On September 1st, however, this progressed Mercury of Mr Bush's advances to 28-29 Leo, the degree of the Kerry-Edwards Davison Saturn, ruler of that chart's MC. One would presume that the Democratic Ticket will become harsher in their criticism of the incumbent once his progressed Mercury aligns with their Davison Saturn, especially if the Republican campaign ads cross a certain line, one where the spin transmutes into bald-faced lies. If astrologers will recall that the political map of the USA divides the country, and its electoral votes, into red states for Republicans, and into blue states for Democrats, those praying for a Kerry-Edwards victory will delight in the degree symbol for Leo 29:

Two golden circles joined by a blue ribbon tied in a double bow.

"Denotes one of a kind, benevolent nature, who will be fortunate in marriage, and may marry twice. The native is a lover of peace and concord; an idealist; embodying two lives in one; a researcher in celestial things. He will make many and sincere friends. His life will be useful, lovable and sincere. He will attain his ambitions, and will end his days in peace. It is a degree of UNION."

Many readers of this newsletter have written me since June, after the transit of Saturn over the USA Sun, and over Mr Bush's Sun. I had forecasted that Tecumseh's Curse was still in effect, and that we might lose the president to a stroke or a heart attack. What happened instead was the State funeral for Ronald Reagan. As I wrote in my paper newsletter:

"On June 11th, as Saturn was conjoining the USA Sun for the first time since 1974-5, the State funeral of former president Ronald Reagan was taking place in Washington, D.C. Right on cue, as the Irish tenor with the golden voice, Ronan Tynan, was singing so beautifully the Franz Schubert hymn, Ave Maria, the Moon at 13 Aries was precisely conjunct the progressed Venus in the USA Sibly chart, ruling the Libra MC. Mr Reagan, the only U.S. president to survive Tecumseh’s Curse since 1841, perhaps in his death was serving as a guardian angel to fend off a final manifestation of the death of a U.S. president elected during a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in the Earth element. It is no small coincidence that the degree of Jupiter in the 11 May 1839 Curse chart was 9 Libra, which was also the degree of the Grand Conjunction in late 1980 when Mr Reagan was elected president."

Do I still think that we will lose Mr Bush before November 2nd to Tecumseh's Curse? Astrologers studying death charts repeatedly find that Jupiter, or both progressed benefics, are configured at the time of death. The IC, or progressed IC, symbolizing the end of the matter in Horary, is also regularly prominent. At the time of Elvis Presley's death on 16 August 1977, for example, he had a progressed trine between the benefics within 12 minutes of arc. Today, August 6th, Mr Bush has a partile conjunction of his progressed benefics in 25 Libra 35, with progressed Venus and Jupiter within one degree of his natal IC. Pluto is also stationing on his progressed IC this month, and Jupiter will conjoin his progressed Ascendant on August 15th. Since June, I have gotten out of the death prediction business, and I will leave it to my mundane colleagues to make this divination. For those of my readers who are praying for a Bush-Cheney victory in November, there is also hope for you. From Sepharial's translation of La Volasfera, Libra 26:

A strong man mailed and plumed, with couched lance, ready for attack; a knight of the field.

"It denotes one who will be steadfast in defense of his rights and those of his country, ever ready for the fray of daily life, and possessed of a courage and determination which, together with his alertness and caution, will give him the victory over all his enemies. It is a degree of VICTORY."

Source notes:
The Economist (various recent issues).
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/05/opinion/05bruce.html.
Charubel, The Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolised, London: L.N. Fowler & Co., 1898.
Charles E.O. Carter, The Principles of Astrology, London: L.N. Fowler & Co., 1925.
Charles E.O. Carter, The Astrological Aspects, London: L.N. Fowler & Co., 1930.
Marc Edmund Jones, Lecture~Lessons, Stanwood WA: Sabian Assembly, 1931.
Bernard Grun, The Timetables of History, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1975.
Nick Campion, The Book of World Horoscopes, Bristol, UK: Cinnabar Books, 1996.