Monday, December 29, 2008

Some Reflections on Idealism and Deception

With Neptune in the U.S. chart so triggered by the current configurations, and representing as it does both idealism and deception, it is appropriate to reflect on the recent revelations concerning the disclosure of fraud on the part of trusted Wall Street insider Bernard Madoff, who turned himself in on December 11 just before the balloon collapsed on a decades-long $20 billion to $50 billion scheme in which investors were paid from new investors coming in until there were no more new entrants to keep ahead of the consequences. See truthout.org for more details. But first a little background on the timing of these transits.

Saturn and Uranus opposed each other in November, exact for the first of five passes, on the very day of the U.S. presidential elections. The degree that they occupied was only a few degrees away from U.S. Neptune, with Saturn conjunct, and a few degrees away from U.S. Mars, forming a T-square to U.S. Mars, and triggering the natal Mars - Neptune square in the U.S. chart.

Then, Saturn moved on, and while still opposing Uranus formed an inconjunct with transiting Neptune over the latter half of November, and on into December, all the while getting closer and closer to the exact degree of U.S. Neptune. Finally, in this recent period, Saturn will station on December 31st within a degree of U.S. Neptune, while Neptune in the sky is inconjunct it to the exact degree and minute, and while transiting Venus conjuncts exactly U.S. Moon, representing the public.

There is idealism present in the Neptune - Mars square, together with the possibility of passionate action (Mars) in support of the idealistic conception (Neptune). These are known national characteristics. We have as well the potential for deceptive action, another Neptunian keyword. Here's a quote from Mr. Madoff:

"In today's regulatory environment, it's virtually impossible to violate rules ... and this is something the public really doesn't understand ... but it's impossible for you to go - for a violation to go undetected. Certainly not for a considerable amount of time." -Bernard L. Madoff, just over a year before turning himself in for perpetrating what may prove to be the largest financial fraud in history.Many people were taken in, and many more must have turned a blind eye to their suspicions, in what amounts to an indictment of the entire American financial system.

The blatant lies surrounding what was really going on inside is eerily reminiscent of Enron. This was perhaps the first warning in recent history of the potential for deception on the part of the U.S. banking industry. The demise of Enron took place in August of 2001. The banks and accounting firms were complicit. This was a very vicious case indeed, where upper management lied their way through the incipient disaster, including deceiving their employees and their stockholders, after inflating the books and also incidentally after participating in gaming the California electric grid once it had been deregulated at the behest of republicans in the state legislature. Of course Enron CEO Ken Lay was a close confidant of George W. Bush, not coincidentally. In early 2001 also, there were meetings in the White House held by the office of the Vice President on exactly how to carve up Iraqi oil fields once an American invasion had been accomplished. What were the transits at this time? Well, of course Pluto was opposed at that time by Saturn, and the two were transiting the Ascendant and Descendant of the U.S. chart, signaling that massive transformation for America was in the works. More significantly, transiting Uranus was occupying the same degree of Aquarius where transiting Neptune currently resides, making an exact inconjunct aspect to U.S. Neptune, symbolizing an important case of deception (Neptune) suddenly revealed (Uranus). But this was the tip of the iceberg, as subsequent revelations of corporate malfeasance have continued to show themselves. The recent $700 billion bailout of Wall Street firms with little or no guidelines on how they will spend the money is another case in point. Is this a case of idealism or deception?

In 2009, Saturn and Uranus will once again be opposed, in February and in August-September, with Neptune still in the picture. With the station of Saturn on U.S. Neptune looming as the New Year begins, and the August 2009 conjunction of Saturn with U.S. Neptune coming up, as Uranus opposes it, one wonders when the other shoes will drop. There may be many more surprises before we as a nation are out of these particular woods.

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