I took a walk up lower Broadway this morning, as I am in the city minding my sister's dogs. There are markers in the sidewalk pavement noting dates and ticker tape celebrants. There were parades for Korean War vets, Vietnam vets, Persian War vets, Olympic games medalists, World Series winners, Superbowl winners, Stanley cup winners and astronauts. The predominant recipients were sports teams and war vets. (In the spirit of fairness I also saw markers for Nelson Mandela and John Paul II).
In our last blog we were talking about the early morning sky and how rare it is to see 4 planets rising ahead of the Sun, but that whatever planet rises ahead of the Sun in a personal or country's chart becomes a "herald" for that entity. We mentioned that Mars is the herald for the USA. Mars rose in the eastern sky ahead of the Sun on July 4th 1776. I thought about this this morning as I was walking up Broadway and noticed how "normal" it is for us to honor our war or sports heroes, those people of action demarcated by the planet Mars.
More men of Mars were described in the Sunday NY Times in a front page investigative report about a former Navy Seal, founder of the Blackwell Worldwide Group (the private mercenary group that won billions of dollars of contracts for the US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan). American Erik Prince has organized a secret (although not so secret anymore) 800 man mercenary army, paid for by the Sultan of the United Arab Emirates, the country across the Persian Gulf from Pakistan. These mercenaries from Columbia, the US, South Africa and other European countries are commissioned for secret operations inside the U.A.E. The US and its citizens are very much involved in the promotion of violence and bloodshed overseas. But how long can it last?
Mars is the planet of war, violence, action, strife, fighting, anger, aggression, turmoil and energy spent outwards going after something turned retrograde on July 2006, at 18 degrees Libra in the USA's progressed chart. That means that our use of force to obtain what we want is going to backfire. Instead of being successful in our initiatory endeavors, there are times now when clear cut victories are not a given, as clear cut goals are not defined. (Notwithstanding the Bin Laden raid which happened with a Mars (action) in the sky that night coupled with Jupiter (successful) which only happens once every 2 1/2 years for a few days.)
Secretary of Defense Gates spoke at West Point not long ago and cautioned any future Defense Secretary that if he (or she) was thinking of entering any future expedition like those in Iraq and Afghanistan that "he ought to have his head examined". Are we finally rethinking how and when we use our young men and women? We have doubled our defense budget in the last 10 years. Is it time to trim excessive money spent on weapons? Are the effects of a very slow moving Mars changing its orientation towards the Sun beginning to have an effect in the "real world"? Progressed Mars has been at the same 18 degrees of Libra since 1994 and will stay in this one degree until 2016-that is a total of 22 years in the same degree. We are "stuck" in one place because we have to relearn how we are using our energies, where we are putting our focus and the effects that we have, both anticipated and not.
Another op ed piece in today's NY Times by Nicholas Kristof, speaks to the feelings of the since deceased special envoy to the Afghanistan/Pakistan region, Richard Holbrooke. Holbrooke was privately especially critical of any military action in the region and was a strong proponent of diplomacy-with all the parties even the Taliban. Mars the planet we are talking about has stationed in Libra-the sign of diplomacy and conversation. Kristof is of the opinion that now, after Bin Laden's death, is the time to do double duty on negotiations between rival factions, India and Pakistan, Afghanistan, the US and the Taliban, Israel and the Palestinians. All wars end with diplomacy. Mars rules action and Libra rules diplomacy. Are we going to learn our lessons in that regard soon?
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