Celestial Phenomena and the Year 1986 of the Philippines

There are celestial phenomena which have unique meanings in astrology. For instance, astrological lore places Saturn as a particular planet "ruling" over the Jews. The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign Pisces signals the coming of the Messiah of the Jews. This was the basis for Kepler's contention that the Star of Bethlehem was not a nova but a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, which led the magi (or astrologers, ac­cording to a footnote by the translators of the New American Standard Bible) to search for the Infant Jesus.

Consider also the prediction contained in a quatrain of Nostradamus which runs as follows:

"In the year that Saturn and Mars are equally fiery,

The Air is very dry, a long meteor.

From hidden fires a great place burns with heat,

Little rain, a hot wind, wars and raids. " The first two lines present an astrological combination which is going to occur in 1986. By February 1986, both Mars and Saturn will be in the sign Sagittarius, a fiery sign. At the same time, Halley's co­met will reach perihelion, or the closest position to the Sun. These conditions are being satisfied by the quatrain, and if we take Nostradamus's prediction accurate, then we may expect the effects of such positions to prevail worldwide. The con­junction of Mars and Saturn will culmi­nate over the Midheaven somewhere along the Pacific coast of the United States. This could indicate some volcanic or subterranean disturbances in the re­gion.

Comets, and eclipses have their unfortunate or difficult meanings and significations. These are studied as well. Since comets are relatively rare occurences compared to eclipses, their appearances affect great men or organizations. They are usually considered as harbingers of wars and disasters. Halley's comet will be at perihelion on February 9 in 5th degree of Aquarius. In the Philippine horoscope of June 12 (Fig. 1) the position is in the Second House of Finances. We may expect radical changes in our banking and commercial systems, most of which could be traumatic but beneficial in the long run.          

A rectified chart,  such that the Mid-heaven (MC) of Meridian is at 18° 27' of Virgo.  Pluto passed this degree on the Inauguration Day of President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Astrological tradition considers the degree of the MC where Pluto passes as coincident with the start of the reign of the longest ruling "monarch" of the Philippine nation.

Additionally, the Mars-Saturn conjunc­tion on February 17 will be almost on the Saturn placement in the Philippine chart. The passage of Saturn over its ori­ginal location usually signals a renewal stage in development or a new cycle. Mars, being a planet of discord, and also hitting the same spot, indicates tumult. However Saturn, the planet of restrict­ion, will be able to place the violence un­der control. (The passage of Mars in the fiery sign of Sagittarius will be from February 3 to March 28. Saturn, on the other hand, entered the sign on Novem­ber 18, 1985 and will leave it on Feb­ruary 13, 1988.)

In the study of Ingress charts (or the "entry" of the Sun into the "cardinal signs" Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capri­corn), foreknowledge of national events may be had. For the solar year 1986, which starts on 21 March, the Sun is exactly on the Ascendant or Rising Sign (Fig. 2). A strong position, it indicates that the focus of interest of the nation is on the ruler. With Venus located in the First House, indications are that this is favorable to women. Combining these factors, there is high probability of the country having a woman in authority. With Saturn (restriction), Mars (con­flict), and Uranus (revolution) in the Ninth House of foreign affairs, there will be some changes in international relations. Mercury (commerce) and Jupiter (expansion) in the Twelfth House of Limitations may severely affect developments in trade, since both signifi-cators are adversely linked to the signi-ficators in the Ninth House of foreign relations. Organized crime will continue, with increased mortalities due to its acti­vities, since Pluto (organization) is posi­tioned in the Eighth House of Morta­lity and favorably linked with Jupiter in the Twelfth. By June, the ruling autho­rity signified by the Sun in the Third House of communications, will be strengthening links with organizations and governments (Sun trine Pluto in the Seventh House of Alliances). Changes continue to dominate international rela­tions, with women figuring strongly in their formulations (Moon conjunct Ura­nus in the Ninth). Domestic commerce will expand, albeit hindered by insur­gency (Mercury trine Jupiter but opposed by Mars). The general situation in this period is greatly improved.

Close to the end of 1986, the govern­ing authority in instituting reforms would be able to consolidate power (Saturn and Uranus in the Tenth), and parliament would have reestablished rapport with the people (Moon in the Fourth trine Mars in the Eleventh).