Iraq and the Cancer Ingress Chart

I’ve been thinking about Iraq. In mundane astrology, this is the time of year where we look to see how the Cancer ingress chart might manifest in the world. This is done by casting the chart of the ingress from different places around the world, normally capital cities, to get a feel for how the energies are working in these areas. I pay attention to the angles of the chart which are unique to each place.

I noted in my newsletter for this month that I was closely watching what might happen when Mars once again hit the 13^th degree of Libra, triggering the sensitive hotspot of the Cardinal Grand Cross that occurred in April. It hit the hotspot between the 15^th – 18^th of June. Sure enough, with the tensions in Iraq that are now headline news, it seems this Martian energy has fuelled the religious war that is now raging – remember Jupiter opposite Pluto, Mars opposite Uranus in the Grand Cross. I also mentioned I’ve got my eye on Mars crossing over April’s Lunar eclipse point, also in Libra at 25 degrees. This will occur mid July.

With this is mind, I looked at the Cancer ingress chart for Baghdad and it’s a tense chart indeed. Firstly, what leaps out at me is the Nodes sitting right on top of the Ascendant – Descendant axis. This transit often produces situations that feel like ‘life or death’ – in this case depressingly literal. Whilst Saturn trine Chiron is the closest aspect in the ingress chart, the volatile Mars opposition to Uranus is next in line. It is widely conjunct the Ascendant from the 12^th house. This house is the house of secret enemies and Mars here seems on the attack, the element of surprise being their greatest ally. Mars is conjunct asteroid Typhone whom the Greeks referred to as ‘the monster of monsters’. With the Midheaven being on the Sabian symbol A Willful Man Is Overshadowed By A Descent Of Superior Power, there is a feeling that this could get out of hand. Asteroid Pandora is opposite Mars and this situation has certainly opened a can of worms as discussion rages over the Iraq war – who was right and who was wrong. Is there any hope the country? With the Moon conjunct Uranus, this is a shock to the people as a whole and now they too have been encouraged to take up arms (opposite Mars). It’s a very sorry state of affairs.

Saturn in the 1^st house of the chart is an ominous sign and does not bode well for the country as a whole. It’s a depressive influence, public sorrow. Saturn rules the 4^th house – the land itself. It’s the people who will suffer as always in these wars. With the Moon conjunct the South Node and Venus in the 8^th house, it’s the woman who will suffer perhaps more than most: at the hands of war, at the hands of religious rule.

I notice Jupiter conjunct the Midheaven and square to the nodal axis. Whilst Jupiter can be a protective influence, as it is square to the nodes, it feels bombastic, righteous. It seems to both capture the zealots who have taken over the country and also the greed of western countries playing God. It’s possible someone may come to help – but is it really help or hindrance to the karma of the country as a whole?

The Mean position of Black Moon Lilith is in the degree of Pluto creating a quincunx. Old ghosts have come back to haunt. Now looking at the headline today I see that I.S.I.S have raised black banners over the oil refinery they captured!. With Pluto in the 3^rd house, I wonder if there will be an attempt to black out the media. Black Moon Lilith true position is exactly trine to Saturn from the 9th house. On the one hand this could show support from an outcry abroad. But Saturn and Lilith are diametrically opposed in many ways – Saturn is the established order, Lilith says to hell with your order. Trines speed up energy, there’s nothing stopping it. It may be that the trine here could whip up a Lilithian frenzy that demands a new order. The Jihadists could see this as a chance to heal everything that is wrong in their society.

Emphasising the religious connection, the ingress chart Sun is placed in the 9^th house and conjunct asteroid Isis on the day! It seems sacrilegious that the group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have the acronym of an ancient and powerful Goddess. Even though asteroid Isis has other meanings in the chart, in this case, it is simply spot on – too synchronous to ignore. Sometimes asteroids just nail the story. Asteroid Isis blazes through the Sun and it seems that the I.S.I.S group are looking for (religious) glory. With the Sun trine to Neptune, they are on a spiritual mission – delusional with Neptune but spiritual in their eyes.

Is there anything positive to say about this chart? I’m trying! I really am!

It’s possible that with Neptune in the 5^th house, ambassadors from other countries may be on hand to advise. A prayer from us all wouldn’t go amiss either. It’s possible with Saturn trine to Chiron that the land as a whole can eventually heal, but it is a painful process. Mercury trine to the North Node shows that a dialogue is important in establishing any kind of balance in the region.

And as I write, I have just flicked to the news and seen the headline that Iraq have formally asked the US to intervene with air strikes. I wasn’t going to cover the US chart in this post but I’m prompted to take a look.

Ouch! The US ingress chart Ascendant is on the volatile 13th Cardinal degree. Pluto sits on the Descendant and Mars and Uranus are square the Ascendant/Descendant axis. With the Sun in the 12^th house, there is a sense of a hidden agenda by those in power. The Midheaven is conjunct asteroid Klio, the Muse of History. In Pisces there’s a feeling of what goes around comes around. Pluto in the 6^th can relate to the armed forces – conjunct the 7^th cusp, foreign affairs and warfare. With Jupiter in the 1^st house, it may be that the US wants to be seen as doing good, doing the right thing. But with the North Node and Mars in the 4^th house, whatever the politicians decide seems to add fuel to the opposition.

Certainly it seems as though this next three months could be a challenge with this developing crisis in Iraq. The question remains whether the Goddess Isis will help put it all back together again, after the warring is done.

Painting – ‘Belgian King Albert at the time of the explosion of the dam in 1914’ by Ilya Repin