Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with Northern Ireland’s deputy minister and former IRA deputy leader Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Fein activist who probably authorised the bombing and murder of Lord Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh’s uncle in August 1979. Such a meeting even until a couple of years ago would have been thought to be unthinkable, yet today the historic meeting between the two took place at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, and the future of Northern Ireland now looks brighter than it has done for many a long year. Not surprisingly, the upbeat mood as well as a picture of progress is shown in the astrology right now.
The Northern Ireland chart I use harks back to the moment the Northern Irish parliament in 1922 repealed the right to join the “Irish Free State”, thus linking the province to the United Kingdom. The chart has a prominent and rather subversive grand water trine, linking Pluto in Cancer the planet of power and control in the sign of the home and security to Uranus the planet of rebellion in Pisces the sign of faith, and to Jupiter in Scorpio, a planet representing beliefs in the sign of jealousy and underground violence. Religious power and rebellion is inbuilt into the DNA of Northern Ireland.
This troubling grand trine is furthered by a trine between the Sun & Mercury in freedom orientated Sagittarius to Neptune in proud Leo which focuses onto harsh Saturn in Libra, a Saturn that rules the Midheaven. The right to speak one’s mind about one’s faith and religion has always been a bone of contention, and that fight between the communities in Northern Ireland has extended to the control and governance of the province. There is a tense square between Mars in humanitarian yet rebellious Aquarius and Venus in emotional and vengeful Scorpio, so relationships between the people have been prone to bouts of violence, and force has been used for years to sort out disputes, followed by tit-for-tat reprisal action.
The people of Northern Ireland have had a rough deal and it is shown by the Moon in Cancer (the Northern Irish are very proud of their heritage) squared by that Saturn in Libra representing tough relationships taking time to sort themselves out. Anyone who has been suffering relationship trials and tribulations in the same way through the recent Saturn in Libra transit of the past 2 years will know what this is all about!!
Here’s the transits chart for today, 27th June 2012. The highlights of this chart are Saturn turning direct exactly square to the Northern Irish Moon, a real turning point in the history of the country. It is really interesting and a lesson to us all that the handshake pictured above took place as Saturn stopped to turn direct in Libra for the final time, as if time had become a healer, a cycle of history had now completed and that the peoples of this beautiful country could now move on. Just to add weight to this point, Pluto has been opposing it’s own position for a year or two now from inside the 8th house of regeneration, showing a change and transformation taking place in the battle for control and ending the underground resistance movement. Transiting Pluto is quindecile that Moon too, change is coming to the people.
On this day the Sun was trine to Jupiter which was also receiving a sextile from Pluto, a sign of prosperity to come and one which may encourage more investment to the country. Transiting Mars moving through the 5th house was conjunct the North Node as well as trine to the Midheaven, a really poignant aspect as we had a offer by the man of violence (Mars) to the head of state the Queen (Midheaven) to meet in a place of creativity, a theater (represented by the 5th house); a public gesture (North Node) showing that the future of the country was now moving forward.
Finally in the stars for Belfast’s latitude 54 degrees North, transiting Venus turning direct and sitting bang on the Northern Ireland ascendant was in paran relationship with fixed Star Deneb Adige (the tail of the Swan in Cygnus) showing the celebration of religion, art and music (how appropriate) and Jupiter highlighted by the Sun was in relationship with Aldebaran, the royal star in the eye of the bull in Taurus as well as with Vindemiatrix which is a star to be found in Virgo. Together they relate a picture of a success focusing on a noble project and an event attended by a gathering of the people for the common good, and under a common banner. Anyone seeing 20,000 people greeting the Queen and Prince Phillip this afternoon would be in no doubt that the stars and planets were reflecting the joyous mood of the day, and that Northern Ireland for the first time in a long time is a nation living together in peace and in harmony.
