This is the Neptune war, and Neptune is a good symbol for the pharmaceutical and telecommunication industries that are so important these days and the defining industries of the age. Another important Neptune concept is propaganda. Though propaganda has a negative connotation, it merely means information in general. The propaganda you agree with is information but the propaganda that you disagree with are lies, or in today’s speak MDM or misinformation, disinformation, and malinformaton. Of these three the worst is the last item, which means information that is true but will get the hearer of such malinformation to take unorthodox opinions different than of the government.

In an important way this war differs from others before it, and this is due to the Internet being available. This is another reason I call this the first Neptune War, since the Internet (which I mean the Web) had just started when the Afghanistan and Iraq wars started. Now there are many independent reporters from countries which are not associated with either side. An example is Gonzalo Lira, a Chilean-American who has been reporting from the Ukraine and caused an online stir when he was captured by the Ukrainian SBU (their FBI). He has released independent reports from the Ukraine War on his YouTube channel that have nor pleased the Ukrainian authorities. Anybody can watch his reports which are still on YouTube. This kind of reportage did not and could not exist during the wars of the Twentieth Century. These external reports can certainly change our perception of reality. Thus you can see why the powers that be want to restrict the exposure of the independent sources.

Let us look at the astrological charts for some of the major participants of this Neptune War. There are several charts for the current Russia, but my favorite is for the actual lowering of the flag of the Soviet Union and raising the flag for Russia. This obviously bears huge symbolic meaning. This chart suggests a strongly introverted — all planets below the horizon — country and one with deeply held values — Venus conjunct Pluto. With the Moon in the first house and conjunct the Ascendant it is easy for it to be/feel insulted and take every thing personally. I’m sure Russia right now feels like the Rodney Dangerfield of countries, it just can’t get no respect and it craves that.

The transiting Sun was on the Russia MC on April 30 of 2014, just after the exact grand cross and just before the Odessa massacre, mentioned previously and below. Note that by 2020 transiting Uranus was coming to the MC showing that the country could be very excitable and upset at the time. At the start of Operation Z Uranus was a degree and a half away from the Midheaven on the tenth house side. Certainly the country would exhibit some Uranian tendencies to the outside world.

Back in 2014 most western commentators agreed that there were far-right or even neo-Nazi forces in the Ukraine, as this article for Reuters makes clear; and here is one from the Washington Post . At the time people were worried about neo-Nazis from the US and other countries going to train in Ukraine. But since the Russian invasion these forces have disappeared, a purge of Neo-Nazis from Ukraine, a real denazification. But since we are talking about 2014 we can still admit that these dark forces existed. One of the more egregious acts of those forces occurred in the first week of May in 2014 as was mentioned in the last post. The memory of that action is so strong in the country that a curfew has been instituted for the first week of May in Odessa. It was then, about a month after the Maidan coup, that a group of people who were opposed to the coup were driven into union hall after which the doors were barricaded and the building was set afire. Those few who managed to escape were set upon by the neo-Nazi mobs who had started the fire and killed. The day is important because of the chart for April 22: this event was less than 10 days later.

Americans do not understand the meaning of the word “Nazi” to the Russians. In America “Nazis” are something that existed in World War Two and there was something called the American Nazi Party headed by George Lincoln Rockwell that existed a long time ago. And you can call people you disagree with a Nazi — remember the Soup Nazi in the comedy Seinfeld back in the Nineties. But to the Russians the term is more immediate. The Soviet Union lost over 25 million people to the armies of Nazi Germany and almost every family has relatives that died in the war. Every town still has monuments to the men lost in that war. Putin himself lost an older brother to the Germans in World War Two.

NATO — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — is a big actor in this war, even though it is not considered a participant. Even though the name suggest that it involves countries centered around the North Atlantic, we now see observer status for Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Some suggest that this is actually a war between Russia and NATO. The original purpose of NATO was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down” according to the first secretary general of NATO. NATO was formed shortly after the start of the Cold War and while we don’t have a birthtime, one can safely assume that the meeting where the agreement was signed was sometime during the day, and in that case 12 noon is a reasonable guess. Of course the Sun in on the MC which is true by definition; the designation AM and PM stand for ante-meridian (before the sun reaches the meridian) and post-meridian (after the sun has reached the meridian). NATO is an Aries with Mars and Venus closely conjoined and also conjunct the Sun. NATO is a very hot-blooded, passionate organization. You have to wonder if a staff astrologer picked the birth date for this organization. I’ve heard it argued that for organizations noon is the correct time.

Jupiter is essentially the only planet on the west of the chart and is in the seventh house conjunct the Descendant. This of course changes with an afternoon birthtime. To the outside world, NATO appears to be very positive and enthusiastic but self-contained. The First house Pluto further accents this directness. Neptune is conjunct the IC, suggesting that NATO is somewhat uncertain about its foundation and purpose in life, but with all those planets up at the top of the chart (in Aries no less) it is headstrong and aiming to make a mark in the world.

Uranus of the Grand Cross — April 2014 — is on the Sun of NATO and thus all of the planets of the formation are aspecting NATO’s Sun (and loosely the MC),and much like that of the United States it is strongly hit by the transits of 2014. The Mars-Uranus opposition of those transits lie on the Sun-Neptune opposition of the natal chart, suggesting that what was happening at the time of the Grand Square involved NATO as well as the United States. Notice that the transiting Mars conjunction to Neptune is exact.

At the time of the Russian invasion, Pluto was closely conjunct the Descendant of NATO — the “force majeure” that NATO feels is coming from outside the organization. Also transiting Neptune is tightly square the Moon of NATO — the organization is still unclear on how to deal with this crisis; this is an echo of the Neptune on the IC of the natal chart which was mentioned above. This transiting Pluto is conjunct the natal Jupiter suggesting that NATO’s sense of optimism and benevolence is feeling crushed by the force of Pluto (Russia). Pluto was on the Ascendant of the US on 9/11 and Pluto makes me think of the falling/flaming tower in the Tarot major arcana.

As with Russia, there are several charts for Ukraine. This chart is drawn for when independence from the Soviet Union was declared. With many planets above the horizon it is much more outgoing than Russia. Quite noticeable is Pluto near the Midheaven and Uranus exactly on the Ascendant. It is a country undergoing transformation (Pluto) and with a strong sense of independence; I would guess it does not like being told what to do. One notices first the cluster of planets around the Sun. Next we see Pluto at the Midheaven and much tighter Uranus conjunct the Ascendant at under two degrees.

In the transits during the Russian invasion Uranus is prominent also. Uranus is opposite the MC and trine the Ascendant. For April 22, 2014 we see that Pluto is conjunct the natal Neptune and in the first house of Ukraine. In 2012 and 2013 Pluto conjoined the Ukraine Ascendant which would suggest the powerful changes or transformations were coming to the country.

And of course here is the standard chart for Vladimir Putin though I’m a bit hesitant to discuss it. This invasion of Ukraine is being personified — at least in the West — as being a war by Putin. We also hear that it is Putin’s price hike that is causing prices in the United States to rise. America has done this in other wars, such as attaching Sudam Hussein to the invasion of Iraq and Ho Chi Minh to the invasion of Vietnam, but the connection of Putin with this war is so strong it is scary. There are other people in the government of Russia whose opinions are important. We do not consider, for example, that the American invasion of Iraq is “Bush’s War” since we know many others were involved. The demonization of the leader of a foreign country can come to no good, but the demonization of Putin stated at least in 2015 with Russiagate. And indeed other Russians than Putin are being banned, such as Russian cats and Russian composers. Try to get an America symphony orchestra to play the 1812 Overture or Pictures From an Exhibition, and Christmas time will be without the Nutcracker Suite. We should also recognize that the birthtime is considered of a low level of reliability and I have been told there are even doubts about the year of birth.

Note the stellium of planets with his Sun in the Twelfth house. If the date is correct even without a good time that stellium still exists. Closest of the planets to the Sun is Saturn. Though being a Libra he is in some ways a Capricorn, and that is good for being a politician. People with a strong Saturn tend to feel much responsibility, and I am sure this sense of responsibility to the Russian people was one factor in his decision to take a “crossing the Rubicon” step of invading another country.

The most obvious feature of this chart is Pluto on the Midheaven, even tighter that with the Ukraine. The standard interpretation in the West is that this positioning shows how aggressive and overwhelming Putin is. But another interpretation is that it shows what a transformational leader Putin is. But of course with such a dubious birth time such interpretations are almost cartoons.

Those using the Transneptunian planets may point out that Putin has Zeus, the planet of directed energy (or war), conjunct his Pluto making him even more ruthless — the standard meaning for this conjunction is “to start something new” and with the invasion of Ukraine we certainly saw that. In the chart of the invasion discussed in the first part we say Mars square Zeus. But of course Putin also has Poseidon, a higher Neptune, conjunct his Sun which suggests a wise person. But the United States also has Poseidon conjunct its Sun, and the spirit of that conjunction inspires the popular belief of a “City on the Hill” but unfortunately other things have overwhelmed that, like a tight Pluto semisquare the Ascendant.

When the invasion of Ukraine happened, transiting Uranus in his Seventh house was opposite his Venus — a challenge to his sense of self worth coming from outside his country. He is well beyond his second Saturn return and transiting Saturn is trine his natal Saturn, more sense of responsibility.

There is one other participant whose chart we should look at, and he has an actual birth time, thought it is from memory. That is for the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. In the source I checked (a company run by the person who provided the data) it is given as very good data but that depends on Zelensky’s memory.

Jupiter rising in the first house is a good sign — he displays optimism to the people seeing him. The conjunction of Sun and Venus at about three quarters of a degree shows him as someone who identifies his self with how he displays, on how he is seen by others. The opinions of others are important to him. He has a tight Moon trine Neptune which indicates he is either an actor or a politician. Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts had Neptune conjunct his Moon, and water (Moon) led to his downfall. Zelensky’s birth was just after Full Moon (as was that of another possible politician, Donald Trump) and if his time is close to correct his birth was one day after full Moon at the bottom of the sky, the symbolic lowest point in the chart, his foundation. There are some deeply personal things possibly with his mother that I’m not privy to. The least often retrograde planet — Mars — is retrograde and loosely opposite his Sun — good for a Churchill in a T-shirt, as he has been dubbed. At the time of his birth Mars was halfway through its retrograde cycle.

At the start of the Russian invasion Saturn was right on his Midheaven, the only time this happens on this Saturn cycle. This indicates that he will have burdens places on him at this time which I realize is self evident.

At the time of the Grand Cross mention previously — late April 2014, the real start of the war — Pluto was on his Mercury, but there was nothing as impressive as that Grand Cross on the US Chart or even on the NATO chart.

Ultimately, these massive changes in society are because of computers and especially the Internet — Neptune truly represents the virtual as opposed the real. When the World Wide Web was first introduced under the Uranus- Neptune conjunction of the early Nineties it was believed that this would lead to true world-wide democracy and other optimistic visions of the future. What was unrealized by most at the time is that the Internet could lead to the ultimate totalitarianism since the Internet can also be used for ultimate control. What we see now is a world wide conflict between this two possible futures through the use of the Internet and computers.

Both the decade of the Sixties and the decade of the Nineties had a very important conjunction of two of the three outer planets — Uranus and Pluto in the Sixties and Uranus and Neptune in the Nineties. The third possible conjunction — Neptune and Pluto — happened in the early 1890s — a good lead in to the eventful Twentieth Century. But we have been fortunate to witness two out of three outer planet conjunctions within 30 years. But the Sixties are more highly regarded in popular culture than the Nineties, even thought, to name just one item, the development of the World Wide Web was more significant than anything that happened in the Sixties, even than the Beatles!! But the Internet was born in the Sixties even thought it would not become popular until that other decade. Perhaps this loving of the Sixties is because the generation of the sixties, the Boomers, still control the media. But as explained previously, there is twenty year Jupiter-Saturn cycle overlaid over the decades, and the Sixties was a waxing decade (as is the current decade) while the Nineties was a waning decade and the nature of the decade effected how we would respond to events of that decade. Waxing decades are just considered more important and eventful, witness the Twenties, the Forties and the Eighties.

There is much worry expressed in the United States about Russian disinformation. There was even a proposal for a Disinformation Governance Board to oversee the spread of disinformation, especially Russian disinformation about the war in Ukraine. This board was to have been overseen by the self-described Mary Poppins of Disinformation (there is a video of her singing about this and she has good pipes). And of course disinformation is itself ruled by Neptune. This particular organization has been halted, at least temporarily, probably because of all the bad press it garnered and the reference to the Ministry of Information in a novel by George Orwell, but I’m sure that the spirit lives on. But since all forms of Russian information (such as the television service RT) has been banned from the US airways it is unclear what amount of Russian information/disinformation is allowed into this country. Perhaps it is anything Russia says that happens to reported on. It seems a move is afoot to label history of Ukraine and the Maidan Revolution as Russian disinformation, which immediately makes what was once the truth now suspect. The banning of RT currently is reminiscent of England cutting the overseas cables from Germany shortly after the start of World War I. The result of those overseas cables being cut was that America could not get the German view of things but only the British view. Thus there were reports of Huns raping Nuns and stories of crucifixion. These very horrific stories increased the desire for war in America. But the amount of United States propaganda supporting the Ukraine war which the United States is theoretically not involved in is more that I have ever seen; the propaganda supporting the Iraq War in 2003 pales in comparison. Those who are old enough to remember the propaganda during World War II confirm that the current level is higher than ever.

I like to noticed the connections between this sixth crisis and the previous fifth crisis that was World War II and its aftermath. Two things stand out: World War II was the real thing that ended the Great Depression for Americans, and so the leaders of America realized that the defense spending necessitated during the war needed to be kept going to avoid a return to the Depression. As a result the Military Industrial Complex that Eisenhower warned about was continued with increased defense spending for the new Cold War that started within a couple of years after the end of World War II, under the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of 1946-1948. The MIC is certainly reaping benefits under this current war. Recently the US Congress has passed a $40 billion bill to send arms and other aid to Ukraine, but most of that money will go to defense industries such as Raytheon. The thought that this has any connection to the fact that the current Secretary of Defense was previously on the Board of Raytheon is only from the minds of cynics or conspiracy theorists.

It is clear — since they say it — US wants regime change in Russia. At first it seemed in the West that we must support Ukraine but with no boots on the ground. Later it became clear that there were US boots on the ground of Ukraine and had been for awhile, probably since 2014, and this included people from CIA and NATO giving support and training to Ukrainian troops. Any talk of a negotiated settlement was considered nonsense since the US wanted to wear down Russia much like the (US instigated) Russian invasion of Afghanistan wore down the Soviet Union. However to many it seems that war is wearing down the United States and Europe more than Russia.

Recently but before this invasion year Voldemort Zelensky pondered if Ukraine should get nuclear weapons since those in Ukraine were given up with the break-up of the Soviet Union. The image of “Nazis With Nukes” was certainly a good way of getting the Russians riled up.

Few who are not historians remember the Cuban Missile Crisis since they don’t teach it in school. Fewer than 20 years ago when there was a big protest world wide to the Iraq War there were many more who remembered that crisis. In that case of Cuba 60 years ago the United States invaded that island nation “only 90 miles from our shores” when Cuba became friendly to the Soviet Union, and almost had a nuclear war because the Soviets tried to put missiles into Cuba. Up until this time that is the closest the world has come to nuclear War since World War 2. Kennedy agreed to remove missiles from Turkey that were already scheduled to be removed in exchange for the Soviet Union removing their missiles from Cuba. Since President Biden has shown that he is more of a peacemaker than JFK I’m sure we have nothing to worry about!
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The example of Cuba shows how antsy major powers become when they see a possible threat very close to them. Imagine if Canada wanted to be have a Russian military base on Vancouver Island how disturbed the United States would be. But of course since many Americans consider Russia as a gas station disguised as a country (a joke John McCain told often) it is not really allowed to get upset. But since Russia has nuclear weapons on the scale of the United States, perhaps it is due a little more respect. As we can see from the chart of Russia, it is a country that wants this respect. Maybe we can send them that famous Aretha Franklin song instead.

From a wider perspective what we are seeing now is the end of the 500 year period that was a unipolar world. First it was Spain, then Holland, the England and finally the United States for the last 100 years as the dominant power. We are now moving into the multipolar world, where several countries are important. If the United States recognized this then things would go much better that what is currently happening: the US is fighting to hold onto its crown as the single most important power instead of being satisfied as being one of the important powers. Fighting this trend will only reduce the power of the United States in the long run.