This global events report for January 2018 correlates major international events with their markers in specified astrological charts or the sky.
Events as reported by reputable news services.
January 1: North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un in a new year speech says he has a nuclear launch button on his desk at all times so the US ‘will never be able to start a war’. He claimed that North Korea was ‘a responsible nuclear nation that loves peace (Venus)’ and that ‘these weapons will be used only if our security (Saturn) is threatened.’ He said it was imperative to lower military tensions on the Korean peninsula and improve ties with the South, adding the path to dialogue (Mercury) was open. Progressed Pluto was parallel Saturn in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Venus was conjunction progressed Saturn in the Aquarian Age chart.
In his message on the New Year, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is calling for unity among the global community to tackle overwhelming challenges and defend values shared by all.
‘On New Year’s Day 2018, I am not issuing an appeal. I am issuing an alert – a red alert (Mars) for our world. As we begin 2018, I call for unity. We can settle conflicts, overcome hatred and defend shared values, but we can only do that together.’ Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky.
Recalling that last year he urged that 2017 be a year for peace, the UN chief noted that unfortunately – in fundamental ways, the world went in reverse. (Progressed Mercury was opposition birthchart Mars in the Aquarian Age chart.)
He added: Perils, including deepening conflicts and rising levels of nationalism and xenophobia, and global concerns over nuclear weapons reached the highest since the Cold War. The impacts of climate change worsened at an alarming rate, inequalities grew, and there were horrific violations of human rights.
January 2: 300 powerful women (Venus) in Hollywood have joined forces to form an anti-harassment coalition (Pluto) called Times Up. The group (Pluto) will advocate for legislation combating workplace harassment and provides a legal defense fund for victims across different industries. Progressed Moon was semisquare birthchart Pluto in house 9 of America’s chart activating progressed Venus square birthchart Pluto.
Donald Trump feuds (Mars) with Pakistan claiming the US has foolishly handed the country $US33 billion (Jupiter) in the past 15 years for ‘nothing but lies and deceit’ and is currently withholding $US225 million in aid (Jupiter). Trump then threatened to stop aid payments (Jupiter) to Palestinians who are ‘no longer willing to talk peace’. Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky.
Anti-government protests in Iran continue for the sixth day with the death toll rising to 21. Progressed Pluto was parallel Saturn in the Pluto cycle; Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky; and progressed Mars was sesquisquare Mars in the Mars cycle.
At least 36 people are killed when a coach bus in Peru is struck (Mars) by a semi-trailer and plunges 80 meters down a cliff. Progressed Mars was sesquisquare Mars in the Mars cycle; and Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky.
January 3: North Korea reopens a telephone hotline (Mercury) to South Korea, to facilitate talks (Mercury) on its possible participation in the Winter Olympics. Progressed Jupiter was sesquisquare Jupiter in the Jupiter cycle; and progressed Sun was square Mercury in the Sun cycle.
Donald Trumps’ relationship with Stephen Bannon disintegrates into open enmity (Mars) following excerpts from Fire and Fury that appeared in the Guardian. Progressed Moon in Trump’s chart was conjunction birth chart Pluto and sextile progressed Mars.
Winter storm Eleanor (Saturn) moves across continental Europe. Progressed Saturn was semisquare Venus in the Saturn cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Saturn in the Sun cycle.
January 4: Donald Trump’s lawyer says he will try to block (Pluto) publication (house 9) of Fire and Fury (Mars) by journalist Michael Wolff (Mercury) and threatens (Pluto) legal action (Jupiter) against Steve Bannon over ‘defamatory’ comments. Progressed Moon was semisquare progressed Pluto in house 9 of America’s chart activating the major Sun-Pluto semisquare aspect; progressed Mars – the cusp ruler of house 9 – was sextile birth chart Pluto in Donald Trump’s chart; and Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky. In America’s Mars-Jupiter conjunction chart Mars is the cusp ruler of house 9.
The US suspends security aid (Saturn-Jupiter) to Pakistan worth more than $255 million (Jupiter) until Islamabad takes action against the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network (Pluto). Progressed Pluto was parallel Saturn in the Pluto cycle; and Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky.
In America a ‘bomb cyclone’ (Saturn) dumps more than a foot of snow in areas from Virginia to New Hampshire and brings life to a standstill. Progressed Uranus – planet of extreme weather – was parallel Saturn in the Uranus cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Saturn in the Sun cycle.
In the past year Sears Holdings in America closes (Saturn) 400 stores and now it’s closing 103 more. In the US Sun cycle chart the Moon-Saturn conjunction in house 10 (business) is square the Sun cusp ruler of house 6 (shops that sell to the public).
US stock markets reach a new high (Jupiter) as the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average crosses 25,000points. Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky.
January 5: A huge storm (Saturn) batters New Zealand's North Island, leaving tens of thousands of homes without power (Saturn-Uranus) and forcing evacuations in low-lying areas. Progressed Uranus was parallel Saturn in the Uranus cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Saturn in the Sun cycle.
January 5/6: Michael Wolff’s book (house 9) ‘Fire and Fury’ (Mars) – an exposé (Uranus) on Donald Trump and life at the White House – is published (Jupiter). Trump (house 10) in a tweetstorm (house 9) rejects the book as a work of fiction and boasts of his intelligence claiming he is a ‘very stable genius.’ In America’s chart progressed Midheaven was conjunction birthchart Saturn – the cusp ruler of house 9; progressed Mercury (Michael Wolff) in house 10 was trine birthchart Mars and sesquisquare birthchart Jupiter; progressed Moon was inconjunct birthchart Jupiter stimulating the Mercury-Jupiter sesquisquare; and Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky.
January 6: An Iranian oil tanker is ablaze (Mars) in the East China Sea after colliding with a Chinese freight ship (Jupiter). The tanker’s 32 crew members are missing. Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky.
The government (Sun) in Venezuela orders shops to slash prices (Saturn). The country is experiencing severe food shortages (Moon-Saturn), a worsening economy and the world’s fastest inflation rate (Neptune). Prices change daily. Progressed Sun was parallel Saturn in the Sun cycle.
January 7: Sydney, Australia is the hottest (Mars) city on Earth when the temperature in Penrith hits 47.3C (117F) – the hottest temperature since 1939. Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky.
The East Coast of America freezes in brutally cold weather (Saturn). The winter storm has claimed 22 lives. Progressed Uranus was parallel Saturn in the Uranus cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Saturn in the Sun cycle.
January 9: At least 29 people are dead and 22 missing in the aftermath of a strong tropical cyclone (Saturn) striking Madagascar. Progressed Sun was parallel Saturn in Sun cycle.
At least 15 people are killed by mudslides (Saturn) following heavy overnight rains (Saturn) in areas of Santa Barbara County, California, where last month's wildfires destroyed forests and destabilized the land. Progressed Sun was parallel Saturn in Sun cycle.
A US judge (Jupiter) in San Francisco temporarily bars (Pluto) the Trump administration from ending a program shielding young people brought to the United States illegally by their parents from deportation. Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky; and progressed Sun was conjunction Pluto in the Sun cycle.
January 10: Canada files an expansive complaint (Saturn) with the World Trade Organization (Jupiter) accusing the US of breaking international trade rules (Jupiter). The complaint, amid disputes (Mars) over areas such as dairy, aircraft sales and lumber, challenges the ways that the US investigates products for subsidies and below-cost sales. Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky; and progressed Sun was parallel Saturn in the Sun cycle.
January 11: Anti-austerity protests (Saturn-Uranus) in Tunisia spill onto the streets with more than 300 people arrested. Police (Mars) use tear gas against large crowds (Pluto) demonstrating (Uranus) against price rises (Jupiter) affecting basic goods (Moon). Progressed Uranus was parallel Saturn in the Uranus cycle; progressed Pluto was parallel Saturn in the Pluto cycle; Mars was conjunction Jupiter in the sky; and progressed Mars was inconjunct Uranus in the Mars cycle.
The rape and murder (Mars) of a six-year-old girl in Pakistan spark outrage (Uranus) across the country. Two people die in protests (Uranus) in Kasur city. Progressed Mars was inconjunct Uranus in the Mars cycle.
January 14: The Tunisian government (Sun) announces a wave of social and economic reforms (Uranus) after violent (Mars) anti-austerity protests that have resulted in at least one death and the arrest of more than 800 people. Progressed Mars was parallel Sun in Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was square Uranus in Sun cycle.
January 19: At midnight the United States federal government shuts down after the Senate fails to pass a budget bill. Leaders of both parties are still talking in the hope of reaching a solution.
America's chart progressed to January 19, 2018
Progressed Sun (at 12 Pisces 38) in house 10 (the government) and ruler of house 2 (finances) was semisquare birthchart Pluto (at 28 Capricorn 19R) - planet of disunity, division and drastic events - in house 9. The event was timed by transit Sun in house 9 conjunction progressed Pluto and transit Mercury in house 8 sextile progressed Sun.
US Defence Secretary James Mattis says competition between great powers Sun), not terrorism (Pluto), is now the main focus of America's national security. He said that the US faced ‘growing threats from revisionist powers as different as China and Russia’ and warned (Russia) against ‘threaten[ing] America's experiment in democracy’. WE are in the Sun section of the Aquarian Age.
Turkey starts its military campaign (Mars) to ‘destroy’ the Syrian Kurdish YPG group with a cross-border artillery bombardment into the Afrin area. Progressed Mars in house 7 (war) of Turkey’s Aquarian Age chart was inconjunct birth chart Moon; and progressed Mars was parallel Sun and trine Venus in the Mars cycle.
January 20: In Brazil the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais declared a public health emergency (house 1) following a deadly outbreak of yellow fever (Mars). At least 15 people have died since December. A mass vaccination program is in place in three southern states. Progressed Mars was square Moon in the Mars cycle.
Brazil’s Aquarian Age chart progressed to January 20, 2018
Chart data is: January 19, 1881 at 5.56.42pm (15S47; 47W55)
Progressed Mars at 18 Aries 17 in house 6 – the ruler of house 6 (sickness) – was inconjunct birthchart Moon at 18 Virgo 37 in house 2 – the cusp ruler of house 1.
Turkish war planes (Mars) launch air strikes on Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.
Thousands of women protest throughout the United States in support of women's rights (Venus). Progressed Pluto was square Venus in the Pluto cycle.
January 21: Congolese security forces (Saturn) kill at least six protesters (Uranus) and fire tear gas in Kinshasa. 57 people are wounded and dozens of arrests are made in protests (Uranus) across the country. The Kabila government begins blocking internet access (Pluto) in the capital Kinshasa at midnight, after a Catholic lay group’s call to march, in defiance of a government ban (Pluto) on public demonstrations. A joint statement, released by the American and British embassies on Twitter on January 20, applauds ‘Congolese citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble peacefully in support of the full implementation’ of the Sylvester agreements of December 2016. The statement also said that those who do not protect these fundamental human rights must be held accountable ‘at the highest level’. Progressed Uranus was parallel Saturn in the Uranus cycle and progressed Pluto was square Venus and parallel Saturn in the Pluto cycle.
Turkish ground troops (Mars) enter the district of Afrin in Syria. Their goal is to establish a 30-km safe zone.
In Afghanistan six insurgents (Mars) kill at least 18 people (Moon) – Afghans and 14 foreigners – in a 13-hour gun battle (Mars). Progressed Mars was square Moon in the Mars cycle.
For a second day hundreds of thousands of women (Pluto-Venus) in the US protest (Uranus) in support of women's rights. Progressed Pluto was parallel Saturn and square Venus in the Pluto cycle.
January 23: The 11 remaining countries aiming to create the Trans-Pacific Partnership (Jupiter) after the Unites States' withdrawal announce that they will sign an agreement (Jupiter) in Chile in March. Progressed Jupiter was parallel Mars in the Jupiter cycle.
The US closes (Saturn) its embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, due to large-scale protests (Uranus) against Donald Trump’s derogatory comments. Progressed Uranus was parallel Saturn in the Uranus cycle.
January 24: In the US Larry Nassar is sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for molesting (Pluto) Olympic gymnasts (house 5) and other women (Venus). Many of the accusers were children (house 5), who were told to not question authority. Venus and Pluto were conjunction the lunation in house 5 of the US new Moon chart.
The London charity behind a men-only fundraising gala where hired hostesses (Venus) were allegedly groped and harassed (Pluto) announces it will close, after reporters went undercover and exposed baying men (Pluto) in tuxedos fondling women (Venus). Progressed Pluto was square Venus in the Pluto cycle.
January 25: With concerns growing about a possible nuclear war and other global threats The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the Doomsday Clock (Pluto) forward by 30 seconds – to just two minutes before midnight. Progressed Pluto was square Venus in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Saturn was square Saturn in the Saturn cycle.
January 27: Suicide attackers (Mars) drive an ambulance laden with explosives (Mars) past a police checkpoint (Mars) in a security zone (Saturn) in the centre of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul killing at least 95 people (Moon) and injuring 158 others. Progressed Mars was inconjunct birth chart Moon in the Aquarian Age chart; progressed Saturn was square Mars in the Saturn cycle; progressed Mars was trine Mars in the Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was square Mars in the Sun cycle.
The River Seine in Paris floods (Saturn). Progressed Saturn was square Saturn in the Saturn cycle.
January 30: In Iran young women (Venus) with their hair (Venus) uncovered, defiantly wave their discarded headscarves on the end of sticks and in direct violation (Pluto) of the country's strict laws that force women to cover their hair. The photos on social media go viral. Progressed Pluto was square Venus in the Pluto cycle.
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