Most people are aware that the current 'Arab Spring' started in Tunisia. What is much less well known is what set off the demonstrations in Tunisia in early 2011.

I was passed details of an article that originally appeared in The Times Newspaper in the United Kingdom and was repeated in a publication called 'WEEK' which concentrates on the highlights of world news in the one week and is dated 19th February.

The headline was - The "poverty stricken nobody whose death changed the world??.

The man in question was Mohamed Bouazizi a 26 year old from Sidi Bou Zid or Sidi Bouzid 35N02 9E30 a town in central Tunisia.
His father had died when he was 3 so he was the main bread winner, earning less than ?100 a month for his mother, sick uncle and 5 younger siblings. Later reports would claim that Bouaziz was a university graduate with a degree in computer science but in truth he left school at 14.

On the 17th December he set up his stall as a street trader selling fruit but within minutes Faida Hamdi, a municipal inspector and 2 other officers tried to confiscate his merchandise because he did not have a trading permit. According to other fruit and veg pedlars, vendors have a choice when faced with a municipal inspector: they can flee, and leave behind both barrow and merchandise; pay a fine equivalent to several day's earnings: or fork out a bribe.

Bouazizi, it seems, was not prepared to do any of these things. When Hamdi began seizing his apples, he tried to grab them back, and she slapped him in the face. This was the turning point. Had Hamdi been a man, the story would probably have ended there, just another incident of low-level, routine degradation visited by the powerful on the weak. But to be slapped by a woman, in public, is the height of humiliation for an Arab man. He tried to complain through all the official means available but was told flatly "There's nothing you can do about it."

At 11.30am, less than an hour after the initial altercation with Hamdi, Bouazizi was back in front of the governor's building. He sat down in front of the gates, poured 2 bottles of paint-thinnner over himself, and demanded, once more, to see an official. Then he lit his cigarette lighter. The rest is current history

For 11.30 I get an ascendant of 3 Pisces 53.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh3TqJ7ILIQ

Bouazizi was born in Sidi Bou Zid on March 29 1984 and eventually died of his burns on January 4 2011 at 5.30pm in Tunis.
One noteable feature of the chart is the number of planets that are dignified with Mars, and Saturn and the Moon all in their exaltations while Jupiter is in its domicile rulership in Pisces

Both the ASC and MC are Jupiter ruled and the Sun its also disposited by a dignified Jupiter. Jupiter is applying by square to the Sun and in an applying conjunction to Uranus. Venus (lord so linked to death is opposing the Moon ( natural significator of the people). Venus is in the 8th house ( Regio/Placidus/Equal) or the 9th house ( Whole sign, Alcabitius, Porphyry). The latter association picks up the long distance significance of the series of protests this self immolation would initiate.

The fixed star Fomalhaut is rising on the ascendant of the chart. According to Ptolemy, it is of the nature of Venus and Mercury. Falling in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus, Fomalhaut is the alpha star of the constellation traditionally linked to the sign of Aquarius. In the imagery of the constellation the mouth of the southern fish is open and swallowing the water poured out by Aquarius the water carrier. The star has been linked to social reform and progressive ideas. On the Ascendant tradition has it that this star will make for 'fame' and a name 'remembered forever'. Clearly this is a very tragic event. The applying Mars-Saturn square and separating Mars Pluto conjunction reflects this.

Here is an untimed noon chart for Mohamed Bouazizi
Its a very Mars ruled chart with Bouazizi's Sun and Mercury in Aries disposited by an exalted no nonsense Mars in Scorpio. Bouazizi also had Saturn in Scorpio. This all helps to explain the impetuous and extreme step taken by him when the initial complaints made by him against the female municipal official were rejected.

You might find this article very interesting if you're curious about the astrology of the arab spring.

http://politicalastrologyblog.com/2011/ ... ab-spring/

The recent eclipse of the Sun is in Sagittarius, and "Arabia Felix" - happy Arabia, the slightly wetter southern shores of the Arabian peninsula, is a Sagittarius place. Mars is square to the eclipse conjunction. The president of Yemen stepped down and agreed to give up power a couple days ago.