Predictions Anyone?

1
On another thread, Andrew Beven wrote this:
Anything coming up worth watching? I would love to be a part of the observation team.
Although he was writing on the earthquake thread, I got to thinking: like all lists we tend to do a lot of ex post facto astrology. Why not try our collective hands at predicting something? There is something well worth watching but not earthquakes at this time.

The London Telegraph reported that the US is planning a military strike on Iran should diplomacy fail to get Iran to stop their nuclear program.

That the Pentagon would plan such a strike is not earth shattering news. Carrying it out will be. So, will there be an American (or Allied) attack on Iran, if so when? And should anyone feel so inclined, what will be the outcome?

Bush bashing, Blair bashing, Israeli bashing, capitalist bashing, even Iran bashing, is not the point of the exercise. Will it or won't it happen? Anyone interested?

Tom

2
Hi Duncan,

Thanks for your response. I haven't spent any time on this, yet, but I wanted to make a few observations about your post:

Using the Astrodienst time of 1 April 1979 (April fools day) we get an Aries Sun with a Leo asc of around 17.16.
Nick Campion in The Book of World Horoscopes gives three charts for Iran, two of which are probably relevant, but I'll cite the data for all three should anyone want to use them:

Oct 7, 1906
12:00 pm LMT -3:25:44
Tehran, Iran
35 N 40 51 E 26

This is the founding of the parliamentary regime that, according to Campion, still survives. Whether this is relevant to the question posed is another matter, but the chart is probably worth looking at

Feb 1, 1979
9:33 IRT -3:30
Tehran, Iran

This is the chart for the return from exile of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeneini's return was a couple of weeks after the Shah left his country for good and the overthrow of his monarchy was nearly complete.

April 1, 1979
3:00 pm IRD - 4:30
Tehran, Iran

Khomeneini proclaims Iran to be an Islamic Republic.

With the Sun & Pluto in cadent houses I believe their position is not as strong as they would like it to be.
The Sun is exalted in Aries and the Sun rules the ASC. Exaltation is sometimes referred to as an honored guest indicating that the person is perhaps above his station or is being treated as though he were. It is something that is not quite real. For example, developing a nuclear weapon with short range delievery capability does not put one in the same nuclear league with the USA, Russia, or other members of the nuclear "club." But it it does raise the stakes considerably and that former non-nuclear nation now has power that cannot be ignored.

Having such a Sun rule the ASC could indicate that the "native" has an inflated view of himself. Or in the case of a nation, believes it is stronger than it is. Being ruled by Mars in Pisces in the 8th is ominous.

Using classical rulership Jupiter receives an accidental dignity by being in his own 12H.
Using classical rulers the 12th is the joy of Saturn and the natural house of Venus. Jupiter's natural houses are the 2nd (wealth) and the 9th (religion, philosophy etc). Planet = sign = house is a modern idea. I wonder if it isn't more significant that Lord 8 is exalted in 12.
Being right about a time and date of a possible Iran strike may not go down too well with the chiefs of staff at the war office and could have 'grassy knowell' consequences, ouch!
I'm not sure what grassy knoll consequences are, but I am quite certain that the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, NSA, et al have far more important fish to fry than a handful of astrologers playing with charts. I fear them not. However if you are doing this exercise while receiving phone calls from known terrorists, you better be careful.

I agree that a decent delineation of the national charts is the first order of business. I'm going to look at the last grand conjunction as well as the chart for the 2nd inauguration of GW Bush and maybe the first as well. I hope to steal some time for this soon as it looks like fun.

Thanks again for posting Duncan.

Tom

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Hi Tom
I am also taking a look at this and will get back to it later in the week. However I am, like Duncan. a little apprehensive about making public predictions about a subject like this - doing natural disasters, economic forecasts and even outcomes of ongoing wars is ok, but predicting initial action in a potential conflict in an already shaky situation is more contentious. My computer agreed - the software crashed numerous times as I was looking at the charts and the printer jammed!

However I did get one revelation, about astrological prediction in general. People always moan that astrologers rarely predict major events but the reason became clear to me yesterday. I spent 5 hours looking at the charts, transits and progressions for Iran, USA and Israel ( the absolute minimum required to answer the question; probably it is necessary to look at UN charts too) and still had not reached a point where a good prediction could be made.......

...In order for an astrologer to predict world events occurring anywhere they would have to be able to create time not just work with it!

In general then, predictions will be the result of luck ( astrologer decides to do some research on a particular area which turns out to be significant), or money (where the astrologer is being paid to look at an area). Lack of a prediction merely indicates that more funding should be given!!! It is no wonder most mundane astrological work is retrospective.

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Hi Amelia,
However I am, like Duncan. a little apprehensive about making public predictions about a subject like this - doing natural disasters, economic forecasts and even outcomes of ongoing wars is ok, but predicting initial action in a potential conflict in an already shaky situation is more contentious.
Of course if anyone is uncomfortable with this sort of thing, they shouldn't do it, but the conflict is already going on and has been since the taking of the embassy hostages in 1980 (I think it was 1980). Wars are no longer as clear-cut as they used to be. I recall a political philosopher named James Burnham who used to write a column called "The Third World War." His point ws that WW III was in fact the Cold War between the West and the USSR and that the battlefield was in places round the globe like Latin America, and Southeast Asia. His readers never quite caught on as they thought he was predicting the war. He changed the name of his column to "The Proracted Conflict." If Burnham were still alive he would probably call the current situation in the Middle East WW IV.

This isn't anything new either. The 100 Years War was not a war that included daily battles for a century. A state of war existed between England and France that lasted for 100 years.

The current conflict seems to be pitting the West against at least some factions in the Middle East. It is not as clear cut as England vs Germany in WWII or the US vs Japan. In those cases war was declared and the battle joined. That nation states are behind terrorism is undeniable, but they choose not to fight the same way as did the Axis powers did when they fought the Allies. So I don't think we are breaking new ground or predicting a new war, but rather whether or not the next battle in this conflict is in Iran or against the Iranian nuclear capability.

Your observation that many charts are needed is quite accurate. I think the idea is to try to simplify as being overwhelmed is a professional hazard.

My computer agreed - the software crashed numerous times as I was looking at the charts and the printer jammed!
On the other hand, the cosmos may be trying to tell you something.
In order for an astrologer to predict world events occurring anywhere they would have to be able to create time not just work with it!
Good observation. Astrologers in the past had the kind of time necessary as they would be working for the leaders and doing nothing else. But when all else fails, cast a horary!

Tom

5
Hi Duncan,
Re: Sun in exaltation.

The sun is fixed fire and cannot operate as well from a cadent house. I understand what you say about 'modern house' methods but I will explain this through an unusual style of house positions. If Leo is the asc, by using whole sign methods Aries is 9 houses(signs) away from the asc thus introducing the theoretical, 9 houses = 9 signs from the asc and the natural 9th sign being Sagittarius, from this perspective modern houses play no part. Do not shoot me down here by stating that 'whole sign' starts with 1 house = Aries which of course it does but working as whole signs(taken from the asc) which I have been exploring is similar to equal house. The arabians use it in their parts/lots, a system of 12 houses each equal to 30 degrees from the part.
I understand how whole sign houses work. My reference to modern ideas was to the idea that Jupiter is somehow in his natural house by being in the 12th house or sign. Jupiter, in traditional astrology, has no natural connection to the 12th house.

You wrote in the previous post:

Using classical rulership Jupiter receives an accidental dignity by being in his own 12H.
I understood your reference was that since Jupiter rules Pisces and Pisces is the 12th sign, that therefore there is a connection between Jupiter and the 12th house or sign. In traditional astrology the planets do have associations with houses but they start with Saturn and follow the Chaldean order (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon). If we follow this to its conclusion, the 12th house has a connection with Venus, not Jupiter.

Modern astrology, on the other hand, does make the association with rulerships in the following fashion. Mars rules Aries and therefore has a connection with the first house. Taurus is the second sign and therefore Venus is connected to the 2nd house etc. Using traditional sign rulerships Jupiter would have a connection with the 12th house due to his rulership of Pisces. If this was your point, then it is based on a modern idea of house associations, i.e. planet = sign = house. If I misunderstood you, I'm sorry.

Re: Sun in exaltation.

The sun is fixed fire and cannot operate as well from a cadent house
The sign Leo is fixed fire, and the Sun, the symbol of power, rules it. True, in general cadent houses are considered weak, much weaker than angular houses, but all cadent houses are not equal. It is generally considered that the 9th and 3rd are better positions than the 6th and 12th. The 9th trines the ASC and the third is sextile to it. Neither the 6th nor 12th cast an aspect to the ASC and are therefore considered weaker.

I freely admit that there are better places in the chart for an exalted planet to exert the full measure of its power, but the 9th, despite its being cadent isn't considered all that bad. I also admit that the Sun in Aries in the 12th is seriously weakened because of its cadency.

In the case of Iran, having an exalted ruler of the ASC in the house of foreign affairs is easily understood as having an inflated opinion of itself in the world community. I have no problem with that delineation at all.

On average 1 in 12 people have the Sun in Aries, there is no way on this planet that 1 in 12th of the population have honours of exaltation. If the Sun were in good condition I would agree with you 100% but he is a nasty, selfish, do what I want and stuff others sort of Sun is not exalted material.
I agree that there are other factors to consider besides exaltation, and as I suggested above, having an inflated opinion of oneself is perfectly consistent with an exalted planet in an otherwise weakened condition. I really think we're both on the same page here.
Re: the Grassy Knoll.

Let us hypothesize that an astrologer has been consulted and a highly secret time has been placed for a strike. Now let us assume I predict the time and day of this highly classified military action. This means either a, I had a lucky guess or b, I possibly had access to a knowledge that could be used and abused by most of the political world. If you were on the chief of staff would you be happy about someone divulging your every move or would you feel threatened by that?
In 1963 it was documented that psychic Jean Dixon tried to warn JFK not to visit Dallas. In other words, she accurately predicted his death. To my knowledge she was never investigated by the Warren Commission or anyone else. The idea that any astrologer anywhere is good enough to continuously and precisely pinpoint covert military actions is more than I can believe. Although, if such a person existed, and did those things publicly, he or she would doubtless attract unwanted attention. Robert Zoller more or less predicted 9/11 and was never investigated either.
Of course the war mongers have better things to do but this is the 21st century internet and the 'news travels fast' - Isn't it odd how world peacemakers seem to have met with premature deaths?
Peacemakers, warmongers, and private citizens routinely meet premature deaths. Stuff happens. I'm not a conspiracy theorist and if you're referring to the list of so-called "mystery deaths" that followed JFK's murder it's substance was busted a long time ago. In other words, that list is a joke. The overwhelming majority of people on it (there are actually several of them) believed that Oswald murdered Kennedy by himself. Why kill people who believe precisely what you want them to believe? Other deaths on that list are too ridiculous to cite. Earl Warren (as in Warren Commission) is on the list. He had almost nothing to do with the actual investigation other than lend his name to it (At the time he was the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court) and he died of a heart attack in his 80s - hardly suspicious. No one is after us Duncan, even if one of us nails the operation's date and time. Actually all I asked was a yes or no question and looked for an approximate date. This is nothing more than any pundit would do.

Mars in Pisces.

Mars in this chart is in term and face I think, but is in the 8th house which is an accidental debility. Planets in the 12th, 8th, and 6th are considered more weakened than those in the 9th or 3rd. It is not powerless. I've seen Mars in the damndest places in the charts of military people. Patton had it in Virgo, one of the last places I would have expected. Montgomery also had Mars in Virgo, and Rommel had Mars in Libra (detriment). Mars' sign position isn't enough to determine its full potential; we both know that.

I wish your son well Duncan. My oldest son is in the American Army currently serving in Germany.

Tom

6
I think you are looking at the wrong chart. The natal chart to examine in the first instance is surely that of Israel.

Iran is under pressure, but that pressure does not come primarily from inside. It is not economically desparate (strong oil revenues, particularly from China) and neither does it seem politically pressured (international criticism, mostly from the West, will only serve to unify Iranians).

Israel OTOH is feeling very much under pressure, threatened not only by the political noises from Iran and Iranian vigour in pursuit of its sovreign rights, but by growing Iranian influence in southern Iraq which may, when US leaves Iraq, result in an Iranian client state.

But you have to ask yourself why now, or why soon? Apart from the above-mentioned reason, there are two significant factors. The first is the imminent delivery of hi-tech Russian weapons systems to Iran, including highly sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles, and supersonic cruise missiles, which would make an Israeli strike against Iran along the lines of the '80s strike against Iraq that much more unpredictable. The second is the Iranian announcement that it is considering starting pricing its oil in euros, perhaps in March. The latter will be of great alarm to the US, since if the other oil-producers do the same, the dollar will no longer be the choice world currency, and will depreciate in value, perhaps up to 50%. The economic consequences in the US would be very very painful. Bear in mind the last country to announce oil pricing in euros was bombed "into the stone age" shortly after (yes, Iraq).

The second chart to be considered is therefore that of the USA.

It is of course to be hoped that further military antagonisms will be avoided. Even if they are, it will still leave more than enough economic and ideological ones to fill the void within hearts of darkness.

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I think you are looking at the wrong chart. The natal chart to examine in the first instance is surely that of Israel.
The original question was based on a news report that the US was planning a military strike on Iran. By planning I do not mean that a decision has been made. Any military strike requires planning, and it would be surprising if the US and perhaps others did not make such contingency plans.

Since Israel was the country that was threatened by Iraq, I believe the Iranian President used the words "wiped off the map," the chart of Israel would certainly be of interest all the more since it is doubtful Israel would not participate in some way. I don't think it is necessary to assign priorities, athough something has to be used first. You either need the chart or you don't.

The main problem we always face when using a US chart is "which one?" If I ever get back home, I'm going to try working with the 1762 chart, i.e. the great conjunction that occurred prior to US Independence. Anyone could use any chart they wish, but if anyone posts results of their efforts, I only ask that they specify which US chart is used so we can all follow along.

But you have to ask yourself why now, or why soon?
This, like much of the post, is more political than astrological. But the answer is too obvious. If the object is to prevent the use of a nuclear attack or sale of nuclear weapons to the enemies of the US and/or Israel, it makes a lot more sense to do it before they develop the full capability of delivery than after. Three years of negotiations have produced exactly nothing.

This can also be used as an exercise in self-discipline. The astrologer's opionion is irrelevant. Whether the astrologer thinks an attack is necessary or unnecessary, justified or unjustified, wise or foolish is well beside the point and the question. It isn't easy keeping our biases out of our judgments, and I am just as bad as the next one in this area, maybe worse than most, but we still need to divorce our feelings from our work or our work becomes just another extension of our feelings.

Let's try to keep this astrological. Will an attack occur, if so when, what is the possible outcome? Effective? Ineffective? A World War? Iranian surrender? Iranian vicotry? World economic collapse? Conspiracy theories regarding gun toting Vice Presidents, and other sinister plots to divert all the world's cash to the Bush family checkbook are not revelvant to the question. Such ideas are best entertained on political websites.

I'm going to suggest an order of charts to be used and a possible method, but this is only a suggestion. Look at the last grand conjunction set it for Washington DC and perhaps Tehran. Look for conflict.

Pick a US chart and look at your favorte predictive method, directions, progressions solar arcs, whatever, and see if there is some kind of indication of conflict in an applying aspect. We all know there is a conflict ongoing at the moment. Look for a transit to trigger it.

Do the same for Iran.

Ditto Israel and any other country you wish to include. Russia made some noises today. Look at them, too if you wish.

Try to put together the information to come up with defensible thesis. If you think there will be an attack, show us. If not, tell us why not, etc. This is an exercise only, we aren't dealing with sensitive information, and some of us will be right and others wrong. No one will be any richer or poorer as a result of his or her prediction. This is difficult stuff, but that only makes the results more satisfying.


Tom

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Hi Duncan

I use the first of the series so I would use the 5th of May, but now that you mention it, the last of the 170 year cycle was on May 28, and I'll look at that one, too. However, if this were not the last of a cycle, I would have stuck to the first of that particular series for simplicity's sake.

I'm not sure what you mean by :

Could you please also state what was born on the grand conjunction that you would compare to the US chart.
The conjunction is the "birth" if you will, of a new cycle. True it is contained within other cycles as you pointed out above, but it has its own significance. That conjunction is cast for a particular point and it can be quite revealing. Comparison to the birth chart is also helpful, but it can be used as a birth chart or I think it can. This is one reason I want to use the 1762 chart - to see if it can be used in lieu of a July 4th chart. John Frawley did just that in a recent issue of The Astrologer's Apprentice with convincing results. Like any national chart, there are sound arguments for several "birth times" for the USA, and using a grand conjunction conveniently avoids the pitfalls of having several available charts.

If anyone prefers a July 4 chart, and lots of people do, then by all means use it. What I wrote previously was a suggestion to help sort through the sheer volume of charts that have potential use. It was an attempt to simplify or suggest a simplified method. I think an exercise like this can be done any way the astrologer wishes, just let us know what was done.

Tom

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If anyone prefers a July 4 chart, and lots of people do, then by all means use it. What I wrote previously was a suggestion to help sort through the sheer volume of charts that have potential use. It was an attempt to simplify or suggest a simplified method. I think an exercise like this can be done any way the astrologer wishes, just let us know what was done.
If you want to use a chart, use it? ?The sheer volume of charts that have potential use.? ?Done any way the astrologer wishes.? This opens the door to the outer planets as rulers of Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces. Chiron and dozens of asteroids. Midpoints. The most minor of aspects. Anything goes. The much-touted tightness and concise technique of ?traditional? astrology has just gone out the window. How can there be a simplified method if it can be done any way numerous astrologers wish? All for the ?fun? of being able to predict a war.

Have fun. Predict.

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Kirk
How can there be a simplified method if it can be done any way numerous astrologers wish? All for the ?fun? of being able to predict a war.
You missed the point entirely, as usual. First no one was asked to predict a war but rather a military strike. There is a difference. The war is already ongoing. War exists; if that offends your sensibilites, too bad. Everything isn't about you - I know that's the hardest part to grasp for some. You don't like it, don't participate despite it being fun to tell others what they should and shouldn't do "for fun."

This is an exercise, not a philosophical discussion. It is an exercise in prediction and no particular method, technique or tradition was specifed or required or forbidden; therefore "the astrologer" is free to use whatever the astrologer wishes to use. The "astrologer" being anyone who wishes to participate. It was not an instruction to the entire field or to any individual. I don't know how to make it simpler for you. If someone wants to make a prediction using Chiron or Vesta, go ahead. If anyone wishes to limit their work to transits to a particular chart, fine: do it. It's an exercise that all are welcome to participate using whatever methods they prefer. Do you get it now? If not please go huff someplace else .

Yes there are lots of charts to chose from and eliminate. That's the challenge, and we meet the challenge by sorting through the complexity to simplify our efforts. Simplify is a verb' simple is sometimes a noun, sometimes an adjective: learn the difference.

Tom