The Astrology of Upcoming #OCCUPY Events in May 2012

Below are key upcoming dates in the #OCCUPY movement (and other related organizations) per recent info from adbusters.org.
Since it's not practical, or even feasible, to run event charts for every specific happening, I'll list the dates chronologically and include the Moon's aspects and other significant planetary configurations, with analysis.
There may be some changes to or discrepancies in the dates, times and places of the events, as organizers adjust to fluctuating circumstances, so I'll update here as new info becomes available. All events below, except for May 1st/May Day, will take place during a Mercury-Venus mutual reception, with Venus going stationary retrograde on May 15th. So sometimes when benevolent intent meets practical considerations in getting the message out, adjustments are needed in order to achieve the goals.
May 1st: May Day General Strike. The Moon will trine the Sun and Jupiter before squaring Venus and going void of course. High hopes for success as the renewal of energy and enthusiasm from last Fall's protests brings the movement back to the forefront with a bang. Look for headlines and magazine covers announcing the comeback.
(Some aspects in effect on May 1st, and also, #OCCUPYCHICAGO, have been written about previously here. #OCCUPYCHICAGO has a myriad of dates listed on their events calendar, and there are other groups protesting G8/NATO later in the month, so it's a bit confusing to pinpoint one specific event to analyze.)
May 12th: Originally slated to be an international protest day, it looks like they have moved the date to May 15th to coincide with other worldwide events. There is conflicting information, as Adbusters states that it's a 3-day event of global action. So again, it's hard to determine which is the actual date to use.  From the #M12 website: 

After international forums, as well as online and face-to-face discussions, it has been decided that May 12th should be the next Global Day of Action, and May 15th a new Transnational Day of Mobilization.

The Moon will be in Aquarius on May 12th, with aspects of a square to the Sun, a square to Jupiter, and then trines to Venus retrograde and Saturn retrograde before going void of course. (Saturn will disposit to Venus). This starts off on the wrong foot and ends with a reality check. There will be ramifications from this event later in October when Saturn changes sign and moves into Scorpio, mutually recepting Pluto.

May 15th: This was slated to be a day where the various movements were to re-take the squares they had previously occupied and been evicted from, but it appears that has been changed as well. Now, based on the above, it appears it may have dissolved back into the international protest day activities of May 12th.
May 19-20th: #OCCUPYCAMPDAVID. According to one website, "Protests of the G8 are being held on Saturday, May 19, starting at 10 or 11 am,  in Frederick, Maryland." The #OCCUPYFREDERICK Facebook page states that there's an event on Saturday, May 18th beginning at 9:00 am EDT in Frederick. So I'll use a 10:30 am chart to split the difference, since these events never really go off on time anyway:

The Moon is in Taurus on May 19th, and applying to conjunct Jupiter at Caput Algol and dispositing to retrograde Venus. Algol is on the Sun-Jupiter midpoint. Are these people out of their minds? Why? Because every elite special force unit is going to patrol that perimeter with no humor for tree-sitting and camping in the woods. (Shortly after I wrote this, the Secret Service shut down a nearby state park.)
The Ascendant is 2 degrees Leo with the Sun at a dead degree of 29 Taurus and conjunct the South Node in Gemini, which is disposited by Mercury conjunct Lilith. The Moon is conjunct Lilith as well and will conjoin Mercury and Jupiter before going void of course. The Sun will refranate into Gemini before the Moon can conjoin it in eclipse.
The Uranus/Pallas conjunction ruling the 7th and 8th houses of the G8 group shows the authorities have the upper hand in every way in this event, and have been strategizing and planning (Pallas) to counter the protests with a show of force all along.
This event will get the message across and be more hype than productive change, as Venus retrograde mutually recepts Mercury. However, the event will be anticlimactic, especially compared to the NATO protests in Chicago the following day...
May 20-21: NATO Protests. By far, the biggest and potentially most explosive event astrologically is the Chicago NATO summit (only the G8 was moved to Camp David). According to one website: "The NATO Summit is being held in Chicago on May 20 - 21.  The main protest is being held on Sunday, May 20 beginning at noon." Here's the chart:

This chart has a 25 degree Leo Ascendant and is a terrible chart in several ways. First, the Moon is void of course, combust the Sun, with both squaring the ASC. This is also right on the doorstep of a solar eclipse, so something's got to give and certain events and circumstances will be overshadowed. Second, Neptune is very strongly placed in the house of the NATO summit participants (7th), who have a plan of deception, misinformation and infiltration in store, as well as a strong show of force, with Uranus ruling the 7th and dispositing to Mars. In other words, the protesters' position is strongly debilitated, and the NATO participants are well-positioned, and square the protester's Sun and Moon significators. (Remember the Haymarket Affair?--history rhymes yet again.)
Mars in the protesters' first house could have them instigating a fight they can't finish. Mars in the first house ruling the 8th also shows the protest groups have been heavily infiltrated by the authorities, affirmed by Pallas in the 8th conjunct Uranus, with both squaring Pluto. With Juno in Scorpio (disposited by Pluto) at a dead degree making an opposition as the last aspect to the Moon before it changes sign and runs into the solar eclipse, the wife of a prominent politician may have a hand in the skullduggery against the protesters.
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The bottom line with ALL of the above events is that it's STILL TOO EARLY for much mass, organized interest and effect, and more importantly, CHANGE. As L.A. Times columnist and political cartoonist David Horsey wrote, "The people in the Occupy Wall Street movement have shown they can take over a park, pitch a tent, run a teach-in and give everyone time to talk. They are still far from proving they can change a country." This image continues to dog the movement. To be fair, the #OCCUPY protest movements are still in their infancy (less than a year old), and changing a country as corrupt and rotten with entrenched power and money does not happen in a year or two or five. As Billie Holliday once said, the impossible will take a little while.
So June is really the month to look to as there's a whopping amount of astrological activity:

• A lunar eclipse in Sadge on the 4th, 
• Jupiter changes sign into Gemini on the 11th as dispositor of that eclipse,
• Mars clears its shadow on the New Moon of the 19th, 
• There are four lunar occultations that month involving Venus, Pluto, Jupiter, and obviously the sun with the eclipse,

And in late June, 

• The first partile square of Uranus-Pluto is on 6/24/12,
• Saturn goes direct the day after the first partile square of Uranus-Pluto,
• Venus goes direct two days later.

And a couple days after that.....for the grand finale of the month.........the Sun forms a hellacious T-square to the Uranus-Pluto square. The outlet leg is in Libra which will be tinged by Saturn. In other words, OUCH!!!! Adding insult to injury, Jupiter will be squaring Neptune, showing HUGE disillusionment and disappointment, while Mercury moves into Leo, it's fall (perhaps an over-estimation of the organizers plans, ideas and influence?)

So what does all that mean? Turmoil and tumult and violence and upheaval are the name of the game with long-range ramifications. Setbacks and frustration are assured. Not only that, but while the focus is on the #OCCUPY groups, there will be other organizations and individuals that come out of nowhere to act on their own accord, steal the spotlight, and create a zeitgeist of actual change—and disappear again. Watch for it to begin in late June.
From July onward through October, (when Saturn changes signs and moves into mutual reception with Pluto while Via Combust, in which Saturn's mean side is showing), the situation will heat up drastically and boil over sporadically during the next five years. The Powers That Be will not tolerate insurrection before the election, and will stamp it out with both feet wherever it is found. It will look terrible for the protesters for awhile, until they change their tactics. Certainly, the protesters have taken some blows to the chin, as they've been infiltrated, harassed, intimidated and surveilled, and to be sure, this will continue with even more heavy-handedness by the authorities. But Uranus in Aries knows how to take a hit—and dish them out as well. The upcoming societal changes in America will be a marathon, not a sprint. So think "long run" and know that regime change is never overnight—or painless.
(For a deeper understanding of the time frame and dynamics behind the actual events, check out Bill Herbst's latest commentary, "Approaching Critical Mass.")

The Two Steepest Cliffs in Astrology

Once each month with the Moon, and late each year for the other planets in all charts (horary or otherwise), there are two jarring ingresses to be aware of:

1) The Libra to Scorpio Ingress. Moving from the Lesser Benefic of Venus to the harsh, uncompromising intensity of the KBO Pluto = OUCH!  Especially since the door from Libra to Scorpio is right at the Via Combust midpoint. (The Via Combust Way is from 15 degrees Libra to 15 degrees Scorpio.)

2) The Sagittarius to Capricorn Ingress. This ingress is about moving from the Great Benefic of Jupiter to the Great Malefic of Saturn. Talk about a sobering cup of coffee as good-time Sadge smacks right into the brick wall of reality of Capricorn.

The drop-off/whipsaw shift in dynamics is the same regardless of the planet making the ingress. For example, Mercury moving out of its Sagittarius detriment of unrealistic expectations and overly-optimistic thinking meets cold, hard reality in Capricorn, which requires a return to the drawing board to start over with diminished expectations or a complete change in plan. This is further compounded because 0 degrees Capricorn is a critical degree.

A querent I know had a few employment interview event charts with Venus in the later degrees of Libra as the significator of the potential employer (chart forthcoming). The employer wooed and wined and dined the querent, telling him how wonderful the company and location were, and how great the work environment was. The querent accepted the position, and by the time he began his first day of work, Venus had slipped into Scorpio. The employer promptly revealed what a financial mess the company was in, and told him flat-out, “I hired you to fix it.” Talk about the crumbling mess behind the pretty façade!

So give your querents a strong heads-up that dangerous curves are ahead (within the context of the chart) when these ingresses appear. Aspects and dispositors will determine whether the changes are for the best or not.

The Saturn in Scorpio-Pluto in Capricorn Mutual Reception During the Uranus-Pluto Square This Fall

Not to get ahead of things, but here's a sneak preview of what to expect this Fall when Saturn and Pluto mutually recept each other in October during the Uranus-Pluto square:

"Freedom is not license. Freedom is responsibility. And if you cannot take your responsibility yourself, then somebody is going to take the responsibility on your behalf. And then you are enslaved."

 --Osho, from Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic (See at: http://bit.ly/FQ7YAh)

So to be clear: Your politicians won't save you, your priests won't save you, your employer won't save you and your television won't save you. They are the problem. You are the solution. 

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7/18/12 UPDATE:  Note that in the latter part of August (15th through 31st) 2012, the Nodes conjoin the Saturn-Pluto midpoint at 1 degree Sadge before preceding Saturn by a month into Scorpio. This is an enormous turning point and harbinger of what will come, both personally and in the world. Saturn-Pluto is about as dead-serious, no-joking-around, actions-with-crushing-consequences as planetary symbolism can get.

However, keep in mind that the Saturn-Pluto mutual reception beginning at the end of the first week of October will be an applying sextile. Mutual receptions always provide a way out of a particular jam; in this case, likely an economic one. But, with the North Node in Scorpio with Saturn, it will be a case of 2 1/2 years of personal survival at all costs — but at a price. More to come later in a future post...

7/27/12 UPDATE: The Via Combust Saturn-Pluto mutual reception and sextile beginning in October 2012 will intensify the attention on the U.S. election. (Most people don't pay attention to the hype until the last minute, anyway.) The fallout from the Citizens United decision will be front and center, further cementing and entrenching money and power with politics at an unprecedented level. When Mars ingresses into Scorpio (8/24/12) and Capricorn (11/18/12), the so-called 99% will have brief chances to steal the spotlight in protest, as Uranus in Aries will be strengthened, generating action, discontent and pockets of rebellion. Don't kid yourself, though — things will get worse before they get better as the Saturn-Pluto mutual reception/sextile gives the plutocrats the distinct advantage for the better part of 2 1/2 years.

Remember though—the tide ALWAYS swings the other way eventually, and as Uranus approaches Eris (and as Pluto applies to square Eris) much later on (circa 2016) the tide will swing (violently) in favor of revolt for change.

In other words, things aren't bad enough yet to wake the masses up to take action and demand/force change.  This takes time, especially because such slow-moving planets (and dwarf planets) are involved. For awhile the plutocrats are going to have an airtight lock on power, and at times it will seem as if the Occupy movement never happened. Things will look bleak and hopeless and downright oppressive. This will cause the violent backlash for change, as Uranus conjoins Eris. And if you doubt the power of extreme reaction and upheaval of that combo, consider that Eris on her own got Pluto demoted. (Astrologically, dwarf planets are far more powerful than the inner solar system planets, because they symbolically represent very condensed power beyond personal control.)See also: Neptune in Pisces Points to the Solution of the Uranus-Pluto Square: http://www.modernhoraryastrology.com/2012/07/neptune-in-pisces-points-to-solution-of.html

In my upcoming series later this year on these transits to the U.S. Sibly chart, I will post more time and specific predictions.

8/12/12 UPDATE: Keep in mind that there is a reason for the famous Janis Joplin lyric from "Me and Bobby McGee," where she sings, "Freedom is another word for nothing left to lose." Changes (squares) of colossal magnitude, like the ones ahead, do not happen without risk (Uranus) or cost (Pluto). As such, as long as the majority of people have a fear of being fired from their job (Saturn) for speaking up, or a fear of being arrested (Pluto), the status quo will continue unimpeded. Safety, security, and stability (Saturn/Capricorn) are the enemies of change (Uranus/Aries) in an unenlightened society.

Beginning August 24th, 2012, when Mars ingresses into Scorpio (see * below), this point will be emphatically driven home. Mars is the traditional ruler of Scorpio, and exalted in Capricorn, meaning for a few weeks it will be the agent provocateur of the Saturn-Pluto mutual reception sextile. On top of that, Mars rules Aries, the sign Uranus is currently transiting, so it is going to activate the Uranus-Pluto square simultaneously. So basically, the malefic strain of the outer solar system will be channeled lightning rod-like through Mars, since Mars will be in relationship with everything malefic from Saturn to Pluto, and particularly Eris. (It's no coincidence that the Curiosity rover on Mars is the center of attention in astronomy right now—just wait until the New Horizons mission gets to Pluto in a few years!) In natal as well as horary charts, Mars is where the hot seat of permanent, painful change (and some major endings) is going to be activated. Perhaps a kinder term for it is "enforced, long-term change at gunpoint." Look to Mars in your natal, solar and progressed charts to see where the action is going to be in your own life. And in your horary questions, watch its effect on outcomes that will be beyond querents' control.

At the mundane level, the above mentioned Mars catalyst will intensify the dissatisfaction of the populace with all politicians as the election cycle kicks into high gear. SuperPACs are clearly in control, and voters are becoming less and less relevant to the plutocracy. Pluto goes direct on a partile square with Uranus on 9/18/12 as Saturn prepares to ingress into Mars' traditional sign of Scorpio on 10/6, dispositing to both Mars and Pluto for a couple of days at the end of the first week in October. The presidential candidates are not going to find rainbows and roses on the campaign trail this season; a hostile, poorer and frustrated electorate are (thankfully) going to take out their frustrations on them instead.

(Read Part II on the Saturn-Pluto mutual reception here.) See also: Election 2012: World's easiest astrology prediction ever!

*Zero degrees of any sign is always a critical degree, especially since (as mentioned in a previous post) one of the steepest cliffs in astrology is the change from Libra to Scorpio. But as the midpoint of the Via Combust zone, zero degrees Scorpio for Mars in particular means "no more Mr. Nice Guy" as its struggles through its detriment in Libra end, and whipsaw around into rulership In Scorpio, where it's suddenly payback time.)

#OWS Morphs Into #OCHI / #OCCUPYCHICAGO on May 1, 2012 - Astrological Event Chart & Interpretation Below

<<Check out my UPDATE post about May 2012 #OCCUPY events here.>>

Adbusters, the folks who brought you #OWS, has put a call out to occupy the Windy City on May 1st, 2012 for an entire month to challenge G8 and NATO meetings occurring that month. From their website:

"On May 1, 50,000 people from all over the world will flock to Chicago, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and #OCCUPYCHICAGO for a month. With a bit of luck, we’ll pull off the biggest multinational occupation of a summit meeting the world has ever seen.

Against the backdrop of a global uprising that is simmering in dozens of countries and thousands of cities and towns, the G8 and NATO will hold a rare simultaneous summit in Chicago this May. The world’s military and political elites, heads of state, 7,500 officials from 80 nations, and more than 2,500 journalists will be there. "

You can find the information here:

http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/tactical-briefing-25.html#.TyCpI5mmi-A.twitter and  https://www.facebook.com/events/215015741925055/ and 
http://twitter.com/Adbusters

And of course, the event chart (click on it to enlarge):

(Note that the time of the event chart above is based on the Adbusters data provided in the 2nd link above from their Facebook page announcement.)

The most important signatures in the chart are:

• The Eris and Mercury conj. the ASC and opposing retrograde Saturn-Haumea trine Venus
• The Moon-Mars conjunction (the protesters' significators) in a grand trine with the Sun and Pluto
• The Moon-Mars conjunction opposing the Neptune-Chiron opposition and at its midpoint

If the start time of this chart holds, it shows that they are going to have an easier time of sticking it to the plutocrats the second time out. Look at that GORGEOUS grand trine of the Moon-Mars conjunction with Pluto and the Sun! And ASC ruler Mars mutually recepting Mercury as final dispositors! There will be NO confusion or mistake about their message this time around. And Eris conjunct the ASC with Lilith in the 1st ensures that bigtime mayhem will ensue. Neptune in the 11th with Aquarius on the cusp shows the public will be far more available for some radical changes, as foreclosures and food prices (Vesta conjunct Ceres combust the Sun) fuel some righteous indignation!

Oh, but wait, look at The Powers That Be with their retrograde exalted Saturn opposing the ASC. That darned police state--you can slow it, but you can't stop it. And with their Saturn trine Venus, the plutocrats and their government minions have the media in their back pocket and controlling the message and manipulating (read: lying) public sentiment--again. This is doubly affirmed by Mercury in mutual application to oppose retrograde Saturn. Retrograde Rhadamanthus (not shown) at 20 Libra will be squaring Varuna in the 4th, so the facts will be fought over, revealed relentlessly, and hit very close to home.

The biggest damper on things, literally, is the protesters' Moon-Mars conjunction is in opposition to the Neptune-Chiron conjunction, and indeed, right on its midpoint. There will be casualties (think wounded in action, lots of teargas, and firehoses) in the demand for change, but the four Cardinal angles and that Sadge-ruled 9th with Pluto and Quaoar in it don't show international or legislative change anytime soon. The other problem is that they are using a G8 and NATO summit to raise awareness, when the problems amplified in Occupy Wall Street are domestic rather than international. This is going to lead to "mixed messages" that will dilute some of their gains, unfortunately.  With Chiron in the twelfth house and Neptune ruling that house, disorganization, impracticality and some infighting among the protesters will undermine their efforts. Hopefully, they won't be their own worst enemy, because they are going to get plenty of blowback from that Saturn-ASC opposition to keep them plenty under siege. An important point to remember is that the plutocrats and government have very effectively been containing and ignoring protests on a grand scale for years, especially when the G8 is involved, while the protesters haven't changed their tactics (large, mostly non-violent, peaceful mass gatherings) much since the 1960's. In other words, it will take more than mass demonstrations in the streets, property damage in the millions, and social media to create the type of policy and societal structural changes needed. The mutable grand trine with the cardinal angles in the chart is going to emphasize that.

The early degrees of Mars and the Moon, along with the not-yet-partile Uranus-Pluto square, show this show has a long way to go yet, and will set the stage for future battles. This chart shows the movement has not yet developed into "overthrow" rather than "occupy" mode yet, where push comes to shove and change is demanded regardless of the cost at the behest of Uranus-Pluto. Finally, Ceres, Chiron and the Vertex are all at the same degree, showing an internal operations turning point for this particular protest. Will there be a surprise ending? Hardly. The Moon's last aspect before going void of course will be a conjunction to Makemake while opposing Pallas in the 12th-6th house axis. Again, the protesters will retreat, lick their wounds, reconnoiter, come up with new strategies and tactics, and live to fight another day after a time of repose. They are not going to get a different result until they do something more radical and powerful than gather en masse in protests that are brutally subdued and quashed by the government forces. But what will be interesting to see is if this specific event spawns a splinter group (or groups) willing to take it to that next level of force as a separate entity from the formal Occupy movement (Haumea conjunct Saturn and opposing the ASC, Eris and Mercury).

No matter what, I just love that Eris conjunction to the ASC. As promised, I'll soon be posting the first part of a series on Eris in the US Sibley chart, now and through 2016 when she conjoins Uranus for some serious societal chaos. For now, just be content knowing that transiting Pluto is conjunct the US natal Eris in the Sibley chart's first house. And when Eris meets Pluto, it's not Eris who gets the worst of it. More to come!


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1/26/12 edit: See? What did I say about the infighting already? These people are walking straight into a police buzz saw, and they are worrying about who gets credit for the invitations?
( See also: http://inthesetimes.com/uprising/entry/12634/adbusters_call_for_month-long_chicago_occupation_rankles_some_in_movement and http://gapersblock.com/mechanics/2012/01/31/eye-on-ochi-adbusters-and-the-locals/ )

March 7, 2012 edit: Word is out on the adbusters.org site that President Obama has relocated the G8 Summit where #OCCUPYCHICAGO and #OCHI were to take place to Camp David. Talk about an event chart that never was! :)