September 27, 2017
On September 15, 2017 the Cassini space probe to Saturn ended its mission with a controlled fall into the planet’s atmosphere.
Cassini spent thirteen years at Saturn and the official Cassini account tweeted:
‘Cassini showed us the beauty of Saturn. It revealed the best in us. Now it's up to us to keep exploring.’
On the same day, here on Earth, The World Health Organization reported that hunger around the world had risen as a result of war and climate change; and key housing bills were passed in California, the US state with the highest number of people suffering from homelessness and poverty.
Cassini sent a huge amount of information about Saturn.
It transformed our understanding of the sixth planet from the Sun, but here’s some data it didn’t send.
Saturn in astrology
Saturn is the planet of poverty – an economic circumstance that’s primarily defined by a lack of money and material resources.
And every country has its poor whose lives are defined by a daily struggle to make ends meet.
Saturn is the planet of natural disasters – the earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons, tornados, volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts and famines that inflict hardship, loss and suffering.
Saturn is the planet of disease that often accompanies a natural or man-made disaster and robs people of their physical wellbeing.
Saturn is the planet of shortages – a life situation that involves a lack of something like food, shelter or work.
And Saturn is the planet of fear, worry, anxiety, depression and despair – the mental states that accompany poverty, natural disasters, loss, disease, shortages and war.
The astral vibratory rate emitted by the Earth facilitates the reception of Saturn’s signal so it’s received loud and clear, but in 2017 the loss, hardship and suffering have become a dominant and constant theme.
In the Aquarian Age chart progressed Venus – planet of affection and the social ties that bind – is conjunction progressed Saturn.
In the 2017 Sun cycle the Moon – planet of the common people and basic supplies (food and water) – is conjunction Saturn and around the globe Saturn’s hardship, loss and suffering is impacting the lives of the everyday folk and civilians.
Disease and suffering in Yemen
The fighting (Mars) in Yemen started in 2015 and since then more than 10,000 people have been killed with tens of thousands wounded and millions displaced.
In June 2017 the United Nations reported that country was facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with 2 million severely malnourished children and ‘the world’s worst cholera outbreak’.
According to the latest figures (September 2017), more than 2,000 people have died from cholera since late April.
On average 5,000 new cases are reported every day and there are more than half a million suspected cases.
The UN placed blame for the outbreak on all sides in the country's ongoing conflict.
(Progressed Mars is inconjunct birth chart Moon in the Aquarian Age chart.)
Flooding in the Indian subcontinent
In August 2017 unusually heavy monsoon rains caused catastrophic flooding and wrecked havoc across India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Flood waters over several weeks took away homes, possessions, crops and farm animals, claimed at least 1,000 lives, devastated impoverished communities and directly impacted the lives of 41 million people.
Fleeing violence in Myanmar
On September 11, 2017 the UN human rights chief said that the security operation targeting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar ‘seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing’.
And to escape the violence – which began on August 25 in Rakhine province – more than 440,000 Rohingya have fled (Saturn) to Bangladesh.
The television images tell a harrowing story of burning homes and villages (Mars-Moon), brutal atrocities and unbearable suffering.
The social fabric (Venus) of the Rohingya is in ruins and impoverished Bangladesh struggles to deal with the humanitarian crisis.
Storms, floods and earthquakes in the Americas
On August 25, 2017 hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas with 130 mph winds and flooding rains.
That’s when the suffering started in Houston with homes and possessions lost and lives shattered.
Harvey is estimated to have caused $180 billion in damage due to flooding.
On September 6, 2017 hurricane Irma barrelled into the US Virgin Islands, St Maarten, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda causing a trail of devastation and destruction.
Buildings and hospitals were wrecked with thousands left homeless.
On September 7 Irma slammed into Grand Turk, Haiti, The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico with howling winds and rough seas that demolished homes, businesses and roads.
On September 7 a magnitude 8.1 earthquake – the largest in a century – hit 96 kilometers (60 miles) south of Pijijiapan, Ciapas, Mexico.
There’s massive destruction and the death toll stands at 96.
On September 8 hurricane Irma hit the south eastern part of the Bahamas as a category 5 storm.
And on September 9 Irma made landfall in Cuba with high winds and flooding rain.
The island suffered major infrastructure damage with homes, business and roads destroyed.
On September 9 hurricane Katia slammed into Veracruz State, Mexico destroying homes and leaving thousands without power.
And, on September 10 hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida as a category 4 storm.
High winds and flooding rain destroyed homes with more than a seven million left without power.
The storm caused massive damage to the Florida Keys, storm surges and tornados. 43 people died in the Caribbean and 22 in the US.
On September 19 hurricane Maria – a category 5 storm – made landfall in Dominica causing massive loss and suffering.
The island was reduced to rubble. Thousands are homeless.
On the same day, in central Mexico, a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck killing at least 320 people and toppling buildings and destroying homes in the heavily populated capital.
Mexico’s Saturn cycle chart progressed to September 19, 2017
Saturn – the planet of loss, hardship and suffering – is in house 5 (children and schools) and is cusp ruler (Capricorn) of house 3 (roads) and cusp ruler (Aquarius) of house 4 (homes and buildings).
On September 19 (and September 7) transit Saturn at 21 Sagittarius 42 in house 2 (finances) was semisquare the ascendant (the people) and sesquisquare the MC (business).
And on September 20 hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a category 4 storm.
The devastation is total.
Three million people lost power and are without food, water and fuel.
Communications and medical services are down and thousands are homeless.
Daily life, here on Earth, regularly features loss and suffering but in 2017 Saturn’s influence is constant and unrelenting.
And with the Moon conjunction Saturn in the 2017 Sun cycle, the everyday, ordinary folk are the ones bearing the full brunt of Saturn’s escalating hardship, loss and suffering.
Astrology for Aquarius – sharing our knowledge
