Let me begin by expressing my deepest sympathies to the people of Turkey. This is a tragedy beyond comprehension. When we think of the earth it represents a source of solidity for us, we count on its constancy every day. In our daily comings and goings, rarely if ever do we expect the earth to give way or shift underneath us. But we know it can, and it does. As an astrologer, it is always of interest to analyze events (even tragedies) through the lens of the horoscope. What follows is a look at the moment of the first earthquake that hit Turkey, there have been multiple occurrences since then. I am hearing even here in the USA, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck this morning near Buffalo, New York, the strongest recorded in that area in 40 years.
An important preface to this news is a reminder that in 2018 the planet Uranus made its ingress into the sign of Taurus. I wrote extensively about this and you can read that blog here:
One of the significations of Uranus is its association with disruptions, upheavals and sudden events. But the most compelling signification in this instance is its association with earthquakes. Taurus is a fixed earth sign. As such, when Uranus walks through Taurus there indeed does exist a greater potentiality of earthquakes, earth movements, and earth shifts.
So this morning, at around 5:30 am I learned of the tragedy in Turkey and I immediately began looking at the founding chart for the Republic of Turkey and its corresponding transits for 4:17 am Turkey Time TRT. What I initially saw was stunning. My eyes quickly scanned for transiting Uranus to see where it was… it was transiting Turkey’s 11th house which is where we find large groups of people. So, the planet associated with earthquakes is in the house associated with large groups of people.
Adding to this, Uranus was square to the Virgo Full Moon. You don’t have to be an astrologer to know that a full moon has been associated with outrageous and unpredictable events—thus the modern muse “it must be a full moon”. Well, it just happened that at this moment that transiting full moon was right on top of Turkey’s Neptune (known in astrology as a conjunction) in the third house. The third house in mundane astrology is associated with atmospheric conditions in a country, neighboring countries, and even storms. The third house is also connected to communication systems, transportation, and the public’s confidence.
So, here we see a tense, friction-based aspect between the transiting planets of Uranus and the Moon, and the Moon is in a conjunction with Turkey’s Neptune in the third house. A conjunction is indicative of being forced to act together, combining their energies. In this instance, then, it is reasonable to say that if Uranus is an earthquake and the Moon is emotions and desires to feel safe, when the earthquake activates the Full Moon, it then in turn activates Neptune. Said differently, Uranus the lord of “change” through an earthquake, initiated a change to the citizens of Turkey’s feeling of security and safety as well as disruptive and chaotic emotions.
Neptune seems to be signaling the rise of uncertainty, suffering, and isolation at this moment. Neptune is the great dissolver and as such the security and public’s confidence has been changed. Neptune is also known to bring confusion and disillusionment. Sadly, we are now seeing this is the case.
Another powerful transiting aspect at the time of the earthquake is transit Mars square to Turkey’s Uranus which is domiciled in its 9th house and most importantly is in a conjunction with its MC. The MC is the highest point in a horoscope and it represents in this instance Turkey’s status in the world. As a side note, Turkey has the zodiacal sign of Pisces on its MC which has a strong correlation with what most of us view Turkey as, a mystical place with many rich and deep spiritual roots. The city of Ephesus is there where the Temple of Artemis was also called Artemesium, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
With Uranus conjunct this sensitive point in Turkey’s chart, when transit Mars squares Uranus there, we further see the potential for the activation of an earthquake that affects Turkey in a very public and in the "eyes of the world" fashion. Whenever (t) Mars is in a friction-based aspect such as a square to Uranus, the possibility for something explosive expands exponentially. This is a powerful combination that can literally bring on great destruction in a swift and powerful manner. Mars in this case signaling an antagonizing energy pointed at the planet of earthquakes.
There was also an important aspect being made between transiting Jupiter and Turkey’s Mars in the 4th house. This is the house in mundane astrology in which we find buildings of all types, transportation, and Mother Earth herself. It is clear to see that when the opposition of Jupiter, the purveyor of expansion and extremes, to Mars, the planet of sometimes violent and forceful actions became activated. All of the other aforementioned aspects were in play and the result was horrendous destruction.
Looking now at (t) Pluto, lord of death and the bringer of crises, we find that Pluto has just recently crossed into Turkey’s 8th house. This is the house that Pluto co-rules in the natural Zodiac. In mundane astrology, this is the house of death and natural disasters. I hope this one gets your attention. At this moment, the planet of annihilation and destruction was in Turkey’s house of death and natural disasters! When you combine this with the weight of the other aspects that I have highlighted, the moment was ripe for the “possibility” of what we now see occurred.
In summary, some of you might be asking “so are you suggesting there is anything causal here?” I am not. What I am suggesting is that through the remarkable lens of astrology we can peer into a moment such as this and perceive the potentialities of any given moment. There are other ways this could have played out that would have been equally valid, unfortunately, this was one way it could. For the trained astrologer who has experience viewing the many potentialities a moment can be ripe with, as well as a finely honed intuitive sense, there can be a possibility for accurately predicting such events. This has occurred many times throughout the history of astrology on this planet. In this instance, I am looking through the rearview mirror but that does not change that the whole story that unfolded in Turkey is present in its astrological chart.
There is indeed something higher and bigger than us drifting through and inside of all that we behold. Incidences such as this are heavy reminders of that. Perhaps one can extract from this brief summary of the nightmare still raging in Turkey a deepened understanding that what is unfolding here on planet earth is being guided, and orchestrated, both the triumphs and the tragedies. One day we will see this more clearly through “divine eyes”. For now, we must trust and also be there for each other through the good and the bad.
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