March 23rd, 2002
Nancy Lubar Sommers, LCSW
On May 14, 1948, after the Israeli Proclamation of Independence had been read and signed, Ben Gurion proclaimed, “Israel has been born! The meeting has ended.” The time for this moment is alternatively given as either 4:32 or 4:37 PM. In my previous work I have always used the 4:37 time, but I have recently come to the conclusion that the relentless violence that has plagued the region in the past month is better described by a time a few minutes earlier. In the article below, I had improvised using 4:33 PM, but I had not actually seen a source for that time. I have since noted that Nicholas Campion in The Book of World Horoscopes mentions a 4:32 time.
Careful calculation using this time yields a progressed Midheaven conjunct progressed Mars that has been building in intensity for at least two years. Moreover, this aspect will continue to wax in strength for several months. The progressed Mars/progressed Midheaven conjunction at 24 Virgo, although currently only about 12 minutes apart, continues through mid-October 2002. It is a very strong indicator of an intensified military focus in Israel during the entire period of its duration.
In the past year this progression has been rendered especially violent by its square to natal Uranus (24 Gemini21). Although progressed Mars is now slightly past natal Uranus as of early March, progressed Midheaven remains in square to natal Uranus until early June. This implies sudden changes and shifts in policy due to unexpected and distressing events. It also suggests that virtually any transit triggering 24 degrees of the mutable signs can stimulate potentially aggressive, violent, or military events.
With the Mars/Midheaven/Uranus energy as a background, the coming transit of Uranus opposite Israel’s natal Mars (28Leo19) takes on a more ominous note. This is yet another very violent aspect that implies sudden, unpredictable and dramatic events. This transit will be very strong in April and is likely to be significantly triggered by the Mars /Uranus square of April 8 – 10 at 27Taurus/Aquarius42. Until about mid-July, Uranus will make a station opposing Israel’s natal Mars, continuing the hyper-stimulation of war-like energy and violence. During this transit, any stimulation of 28 degrees of the fixed signs, 28 degrees in general, and 13 of the cardinal signs, will act as a trigger, especially when the aspect is close to exact (second half of April and mid-June through July 10). The final phase of this aspect comes in late January and early February 2003.
Thus, despite the current attempts at peace negotiations, the existing cycle of attacks and reprisals seems destined to continue for at least a few more months. It seems that the most dangerous period will be from now through mid-July with the concurrence in Israel’s chart of progressed Midheaven conjunct progressed Mars, progressed Midheaven square natal Uranus, and the coming transit of Uranus opposition to natal Mars. After mid-July it seems that a lull in the violence is possible, although the progressed Mars/progressed Midheaven aspect is seemingly still in effect (based on the 4:32 PM time), suggesting that at least some level of tension will remain.
The final act of the current Palestinian/Israeli conflict is likely to come during December 2002 through mid-February 2003. That period includes Israel’s tertiary progressed Sun square natal Mars and the last phase of the transit of Uranus opposite natal Mars. (It should be noted that the same period shows up as a potential time of military events in Iraq.) However, when the planetary configurations of early 2003 are past, it seems that a real possibility exists for peace to take hold in the Middle East. In my calculations, I can find no further indications of the violence and turmoil that have plagued the region increasingly for the past 18 months.