A Look at the Aries 2001 Ingress
by Zip Dobyns

Horoscopes calculated for the Sun's entry into the cardinal signs are among the most used techniques for mundane work. They can be calculated for any geographic area of interest, with the planets, signs, and aspects remaining identical, but placed in different houses in the different regions. Aspects from the 'extra' asteroids to the traditional planets provide information that is relevant to all of earth. For example, in the Aries Ingress of March 20, 2001, Saturn is square Winchester and Fanatica in Leo within the one-degree org I use for the new asteroids. We can expect guns wielded by extremists as a potential throughout the year until the next Aries Ingress in 2002. But it is when we note the aspects of relevant asteroids to local angles that things get even more specific and interesting.

Jerusalem has had continuing violence for months, and the current Aries Ingress predicts more. Using the ingress time of 13:32 UT (time in Greenwich), the Ascendant in Jerusalem was 1 Virgo 17. Tyr, the Norse name for Mars, was in 0 Virgo 25, showing the existing war activity already occurring in Jerusalem when the Sun reached 0 Aries. The quincunx of the Sun to Tyr and the Jerusalem Ascendant suggests that the situation will change during the year, but there could just be continuous small changes or there could be movement in a major new direction. For an even more specific clue to the situation, Tyr squared Sharon in 0 Gemini 6, accurately pointing to the current Prime Minister of Israel as a major player in the conflict. Sharon was conjunct Urania in 29 Taurus 54, repeating the likelihood of major, possibly unexpected, changes in the picture.

Reiterating the theme and amplifying the picture, a cluster of asteroids was on the Descendant. Zeus, the Greek Jupiter, king of the Olympian pantheon, was in 0 Pisces 8. Bellerophon, a mythical figure similar to Icarus who overreached and crashed, was in 1 Pisces 8. Starr in 1 Pisces 22 might simply mean the limelight will be focused on Israel's partners/enemies in the coming year, though a star can signify many different potentials. To further pin down the identity of Israel's partner/enemy, Chaldaea was in 1 Pisces 27. The ancient realm of Chaldaea included much of the current Near East: Syria, Iraq, etc. Africa at 1 Pisces 42 reminds us that Libya, Egypt, and other countries are part of the Arab world confronting Israel. The midpoint of Jupiter/Saturn in 1 Gemini 12 adds its reminder of the basic issues in the conflict: power and ethics based on religious beliefs.

Adding to the network of aspects, any factor in 14 to 17 degrees of the cardinal signs may be octile or trioctile the mutable-sign T-square. This brings in Hephaistos (maker of weapons) in 14 Aries 15, Dolores (pain and sorrow) in 14 Aries 50, Venus in 15 Aries, and Juno and Leeuwenhoek in 16 Aries. The latter asteroid was named for the man who developed a microscope to permit bacteria to be seen. It reminds us that Iraq is probably developing biological weapons. Ceres in 14 Capricorn calls attention to the mutual threat to security experienced by both Israelis and Palestinians. The midpoint of Ascendant/MC in 14 Cancer 57 completes a cardinal T-square, and the Part of Death in 17 Libra 40 completes a cardinal-sign grand cross if we allow a wider orb or accept its connection to the network through aspects to other factors.

The asteroid Israel in 7 Cancer 57 is trioctile Uranus in 22 Aquarius and Siva, Hindu god of destruction, in 23 Aquarius 18. Siva opposes the Jerusalem East Point in 24 Leo 4, putting the latter on the West Point which is the equivalent of a Descendant that, again, can signify partners or enemies. Nemesis (who punished you if you flouted Themis, divine law) in 6 Cancer 51 is octile Arabia in 21 Leo 2, and Hybris (hubris) in 7 Capricorn 33 connects all the preceding in an aspect network.

Before we leave the tragic Near East, we might take a brief look at the angles in Baghdad. The MC there is 7 Gemini, the East Point 3 Virgo, and the Ascendant 9 Virgo. Mercury in 4 Pisces and Jupiter in 5 Gemini aspect the local angles, emphasizing the ethical issues, but suggesting that Iraq may continue their propaganda efforts but not enter an expanded state of war. The British and American planes will continue their monitoring, but I think the Iraqi war preparations will continue behind the scenes for this year. Baghdad's Ascendant quincunx to the Moon and Neptune in Aquarius, and the MC's trines to the latter, seem to also support more talk than open action.

There is always more that could be added, but let's look at a different region. As this is written, the new democratic government in Serbia has just arrested Milosevik, the communist leader considered responsible for much of the violence in the Balkans during the past decade. Slobo (to use his nickname) said he would not be taken alive; that he would kill his wife, daughter, and himself before he was arrested. In the end, he was persuaded that he would not be sent to The Hague to be tried for war crimes, but would be tried in Serbia for financial corruption. The latter charges might only keep him in a local jail for 5 years, though local jails are not pleasant. Now that he is safely behind bars, there is talk of much more serious charges being brought against him.

Calculating the 2001 Aries Ingress for Belgrade puts 14 Taurus on the MC and 23 Leo rising. These angles give us a dramatic picture with Veritas (truth) and Friedan (peace) on the Ascendant opposing Uranus and Siva. The aspects certainly fit the country's efforts to find peace and the truth while dealing with dramatic change and destruction. The asteroid named for Serbia, Srbija, in 23 Scorpio 10 completes a T-square with the angles. Russia in 7 Cancer 42 is connected by octiles and trioctiles. As a Slavic nation, Russia has tried to support Serbia. The asteroid Slavia is in 7 Pisces 22, trine Russia. An interesting pair of asteroids is on the MC: Luthera and Bellona. Bellona is a war goddess, and Luther is Colin Powell's middle name. As the U.S. Secretary of State, Powell helped to wield our pressure on Serbia to arrest Slobo or lose major financial aid to the country.

The East Point in Belgrade opposes the midpoint of Neptune and the Moon, putting them on the equivalent of an auxiliary Descendant, the West Point. Beograd (named for Belgrade) in 11 Scorpio 16 just made it to the one-degree orb square to the Moon. There is also a relevant cluster of asteroids in 8 to 9 Aquarius conjunct Neptune. Laverna is the goddess of thieves, and Slobo is accused of stealing millions from his country. There are also two asteroids named for mythical individuals who committed suicide: Erigone and Dido. And finally, Aeternitas, signifying immortality, is also in the massive Aquarian conjunction, with Rubicon in 8 Taurus 50 square them all. Rubicon was named for the point at which there is no turning back.

Another dramatic grouping includes Yugoslavia, named for the formerly united country that is now split into many pieces. The asteroid Yugoslavia is in 2 Cancer 44 conjunct United Nations in 2 Cancer 4, named for the world body that tried in vain to stop the wars involving Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia, republics that were once part of Yugoslavia. It took NATO and U.S. air power to finally roll back the Serbs. The asteroids America and Nobel (dynamite) in 2 Libra 9 are square the Cancer pair, and Atlantis, often associated with the abuse of power, in 3 Libra opposes Vesta. The asteroid Illyria was named for the area and people who are now identified as Albanian, who claim to have been there before the Slavs entered the region. Illyria in 19 Virgo 37 is trioctile Columbia in 4 Taurus1 and Ate in 5 Taurus 36. Columbia could refer to our U.S. capital, and Ate was named for a goddess considered the epitome of evil by the Greeks. After defending the Kosovo Albanians, the U.S. is now trying, along with NATO, to restrain their rebellion in Macedonia. The tension in the Balkans is not likely to end soon.

Rebel Albanians continue skirmishes against the Macedonian army, which is largely composed of Slavs. However, calculating the chart for Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, only changes most house cusps by less than a degree, so the listed aspects remain as long as we allow the overlapping orbs that create aspect networks. Compared to Belgrade, the Skopje MC is moved into 15 Taurus to reach a one-degree quincunx to Pluto. The East Point in 10 Leo more closely opposes the Moon. The Antivertex moves back to oppose Ceres within one degree.

Mundane astrologers who live in California are likely to calculate ingress charts for our two major cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Since I moved to the San Diego area, and especially since our power crisis started, I switched to locating my south California chart in San Diego. The water and power department in Los Angeles was smart enough to keep their power generators when most of the state sold theirs after the deregulation law was passed in September 1996. So Los Angeles has plenty of cheap power while most of the rest of the state is subject to blackouts and exorbitant costs for both electricity and natural gas. The big oil, gas, and power generating companies are raking in billions while California is rapidly running through its surplus and facing mounting debts, buying power on the spot market that sometimes charges hundreds of times the prices of 1999. If the state is forced into recession and drags the rest of the country in with it, the greedy power lords may not look so smart.

We have the date on which Congress voted to make California a state, but we lack a time for the vote. I have been playing with a speculative time of shortly after noon LMT on September 9, 1850. The vote was, of course, in Washington D.C., but our state capital at the time was San Jose and is now Sacramento, which could put late Libra or early Scorpio on the local Ascendants. The chart has a conjunction of Pluto and Uranus in 29 Aries with Juno in 28 Libra 58. In January 2001, when we had our first blackouts, the asteroid P Tesla, inventor of alternating current, was in 29 Libra and P Mars was in 29 Capricorn. If this midday time is close to accurate, the P Moon will be in 29 Aries in the summer of 2001. With P Uranus in 26 Aries and P Pluto in 28 Aries, we can anticipate a turbulent spring and summer with repeated blackouts. By late summer, P Moon could be going into Taurus opposite N Venus and Moon, and we might get the bill.

The Aries Ingress in 2001 has late Sagittarius MCs, 19 in San Francisco and 24 in San Diego. The respective Ascendants are 20 Pisces 57 in San Diego and 11 Pisces 43 in San Francisco. The coast slopes west as you move north, so the Ascendant, East Point, and Antivertex are in earlier degrees of Pisces. Tesla forms powerful aspects as part of a grand fire-sign trine, a yod, plus a trioctile to Chiron. It is conjunct Epeios, designer of the Trojan horse, in 14 Leo 37 and they trine the factors in mid Aries and mid Sagittarius. They are quincunx Ceres, (which is on Anza and the latter on Richter) in Capricorn, and Eleutheria (freedom) in Pisces. The fire trines are appropriate for the power generators who are going after obscene profits and getting them, unchecked by a federal government devoted to total freedom for big business, no matter what the cost to ordinary people. The yod fits ordinary people losing their freedom and their security. Edisona, named for the inventor of the light bulb, and Ganesa, which may signify the Republicans, are both in 9 Gemini trine the Moon but square San Diego in 8 Pisces and opposite Hestia, the Greek Vesta, in 8 Sagittarius. The threat to business that this T-square suggests is reinforced by Industria conjunct Uranus and Siva. The governor of Utah has been making monthly trips to the Bay area, trying to persuade California tech companies to move to Utah. Gray Davis, the governor of California, has been waging a desperate fight to pay for the power needed to keep the lights on. The asteroid Davis is in 0 Cancer, square the Sun in the ingress chart.

One of the men honored by having more asteroids named after him than almost any other was Herbert Hoover. Most people remember his connection to the great depression of the 1930s, but his asteroids Herberta, Hooveria, America, and ARA, were named in honor of his humanitarian assistance to other countries. These asteroids could, therefore, signify financial crisis or assistance to others suffering crises. Hooveria in 24 Pisces is on the San Diego East Point. Herberta is in 0 Gemini, on Urania and Sharon and square Tyr. America, as previously mentioned, is on Nobel in 2 Libra, and it opposes the midpoint of the Sun/Vesta. ARA is in 25 Gemini, just past the San Diego IC and square the Antivertex. San Diego could certainly be under financial pressure this year.

The previous mention of Ceres connected to Anza and Richter reminds us of another possible threat to California that is more lasting (we assume) than the current power crisis. Anza was named for the Spanish explorer who discovered San Francisco Bay, and it might signify the Bay area. We also have an asteroid named Berkeley. Richter carries the same name as the inventor of a scale used to measure the power of earthquakes. Richter is on the true south lunar node, and the nodes form octiles and trioctiles to Saturn and Oceana (ocean) in 26 to 27 Taurus, Poseidon in 27 Aquarius, and the San Francisco Part of Death in 27 Scorpio. Poseidon was the Greek name for Neptune, and they associated him with earthquakes. Earthquakes that occur offshore can produce tidal waves. We have mentioned Winchester and Fanatica in Leo in connection with gun violence. Presumably, they would not be relevant to earthquakes, but the asteroid Skuld is also in the fixed-sign cross, in 26 Leo 52. Skuld is a Norse god of fate, which could refer to any predestined event. Berkeley in 2 Pisces 32 is quincunx America and Nobel in 2 Libra.

The two midpoints that I check for clues to major lessons are formed by Saturn and the lunar nodes. They aspect the Bay area angles, with Saturn/north node opposing and Saturn/south node square the San Francisco MC. We have small quakes all the time, but if California is scheduled for a more major quake this year, it is more likely to be in the northern part of the state. It could also be farther north, since the angles do not change much as you move up the coast from San Francisco to Seattle, Washington. Gaea, the asteroid named for the earth, is usually aspected for earthquakes. In this ingress chart, Gaea is in 26 Aries 2, octile the San Francisco Ascendant. The latter is also octile Lacrimosa and Fama in 27 Capricorn: tears and fame. Hela, a death goddess in 27 Cancer 27, holds a trioctile to the San Francisco Ascendant. Of course, the preceding patterns might simply point to the stress of a power and financial crisis.

Normally, I would start writing about ingress charts with the one drawn for our U.S. capital, Washington D.C. A belated look at it shows the Ascendant in 21 Taurus 58 square Uranus in Aquarius and Arabia and Veritas in Leo. We can anticipate challenges and changes involving the Arab world during the coming year, and some truth coming out with the presence of Veritas, the Roman goddess of truth. The message is repeated, since the Ascendant is also octile a cluster in Cancer that includes Aletheia, the Greek goddess of truth, Nemesis who punished offenders against divine law, Russia, and Israel. The Cancer cluster ranges from 5-59 to 7-57, so all fall within one degree of the Washington Ascendant. Additional important aspects to the Ascendant include quincunxes to Europa and Belgica in 21 Sagittarius. The headquarters of the European Union is in Brussels, Belgium, and the Europeans are growing increasingly uneasy about the policies of our new president and his advisors. The quincunx is often a key to separations, and the U.S. is increasingly diverging from policies favored in Europe. The message is repeated by asteroid George (for our president), which is in 10 Cancer, quincunx the tenth house Moon and octile Bruxelles in 26 Taurus 0. The conjunction of the latter with Saturn also brings in its squares to Winchester and Fanatica, and we can add asteroid China in 26 Aquarius to the mix. Our nation is growing more alienated from Europe and the rest of the world.

The Washington MC in 1 Aquarius 52 is conjunct Nagasaki and Wesson, asteroids associated with the atomic bomb and a brand of guns. It is also octile Mars, with the latter conjunct Pluto and Pallas. Pallas carries Libra connotations, including an emphasis on social causes and justice, litigation, law and politics. The MC squares Prometheus, Medusa, Wladilena, Flood, and Bismarck, all in 1 Taurus. Prometheus looked to the future. Medusa generated such fear, that those who looked at her were turned to stone. The earth has seen increasing numbers of severe floods in recent years, which are blamed on global warming. Wladilena was named for Lenin, the primary founder of Russian communism, and Bismarck was the military leader in Germany who helped unify the country prior to the two world wars. The MC is also trioctile Juewa, named for 'the star of China's fortune,' named in honor of the country. The aspect repeats potential tensions involving China. Both Jeuwa and California are in 16 Gemini opposite Mars to repeat the message. We can expect power struggles involving our executive branch of the government. It is likely to be a tense year, and Dubya may wonder why he wanted so much to be President.

Though I rarely write about heliocentric astrology, I always calculate heliocentric positions when I do a chart that will not be progressed. That includes both the typical cycle charts of ingresses, eclipses, planetary conjunctions, etc, and charts for major events. The Heliocentric positions are calculated from the point of view of the Sun looking at the rest of our solar system.

The 2001 Aries Ingress heliocentric positions repeat the emphasis on the Ascendant axis in Washington D.C., putting the Barycenter on the Ascendant and Pallas on the Descendant. The Barycenter is the center of mass in the solar system. It is near the center of the Sun, but its position varies due to the gravitational pull of the large planets, especially Jupiter. It is theoretically a key to a power center, and the U.S. certainly qualifies as the only remaining 'superpower.'

Dubya is setting us up to challenge the rest of the world on earth's ecology, especially on global warming, on the scientifically untenable 'star wars' missile defense system, and on international relationships in general. It is fascinating that he and Bill Clinton were born just a few weeks apart in the same summer, but they have been expressing their Libra stellia very differently. They show the importance of house positions! Clinton's Libra is in his first house. He is identified with personal action involving others, and has mostly tried to find compromises. Bush has Leo in his first house and Libra in his third house. He talks compromise, but acts like a king, as a conservative ideologue. We need to understand that behind his Leo is his Sun and Saturn in Cancer in the twelfth house. He adores his father and looks to strong 'father figures' like Cheney to guide him and often to do things for him so he can go to bed on time and enjoy his personal life.

Though Colin Powell has spent his life in military service, he is among the most moderate of the 'father figures' that Dubya has chosen to help him. As our Secretary of State, he is currently dealing with the China crisis that followed the downing of one of our spy planes in Chinese territory. The asteroids Powell and Peking, former spelling of China's capital city, are conjunct in 26 Pisces along with Sapientia (wisdom). We can hope that Powell possesses more wisdom than his boss. In addition to the asteroids already mentioned in the fixed signs, several relevant asteroids are placed in different signs around 26 degrees: Gaea (earth) in Aries, ARA (one of the ones named in honor of Herbert Hoover) in Gemini, Quincy (the nickname used for Dubya by his father) in Cancer, Pax (peace), Merapi (an active and very destructive volcano), and Ani (a town destroyed in an earthquake) in Virgo, Tezcatlipoca (Aztec war god who demanded a daily human sacrifice) and Elba (island where Napoleon was exiled) in Libra, Duponta (industrial chemicals) in Sagittarius, and Lacrimosa (whining and sorrow) in Capricorn. Out of this accumulation of misery, the chart offers Iris in Scorpio as a ray of hope from the rainbow.

There is so much more, it is hard to stop. The Washington tenth house has the chart's stellium in mid-Aquarius. It includes Damocles (a sword hanging over the head), Asia, Guernica (war against innocent victims), and Riceia (for Bush's advisor ' Rice), with all of them octile the Sun. Busch is also there conjunct the Moon, and several asteroids are on Neptune, including Brucia for Cheney's middle name. The asteroid named Washingtonia is also there in 16 Aquarius 51 with a sextile to Mars on one side and Juno, an alternate Pluto, on the other side. Unfortunately, the harmony aspects suggest that our federal government will continue to support power plays in the world. Even the auxiliary Ascendants have warning flags. The Antivertex in 24 Aries 7 is conjunct Belisana, a war goddess. The East Point in 6 Taurus 26 is conjunct Ate, the goddess the Greeks considered the epitome of evil. Karma opposes Ate from Scorpio, but Georgia (another George) trines it from Virgo. Dubya is going headlong into his karma, and we are along on the ride.

Anything after this is anticlimactic, but I did want to take a brief look at the 2001 Aries Ingress chart in England, where they are desperately fighting animal illnesses. Perhaps I can close by providing the data and interested astrologers can calculate their own charts. Our SD paper on March 28, 2001 reported that the British had tracked down the origin of the hoof and mouth disease which has forced the killing of thousands of animals. My son, Rique Pottenger, located the obscure town named in the article to get the longitude and latitude for me. For those who want to work with charts, it is Heddon-on-the-Wall at approximately 54 N 58 and 1 W 47, and it even has its own web site. Since the disease was discovered in February 2001, I looked at both the previous Capricorn ingress and the current Aries one. The Capricorn 2000 ingress had Saturn exactly on the Ascendant in Heddon. The Aries 2001 ingress had Themis (divine justice) exactly on the MC in London, but the Heddon MC was less emphasized with an octile to Jupiter. By the time of the Aries ingress, London was totally absorbed with the struggle. The Antivertex in London was in 0 Cancer, square the Sun, and the East Point was on the opposition of Dresden to Libitina. The Part of Death in both London and Heddon was on Tyr, which was quincunx the Sun. Brita (England) was in 19 Aquarius, quincunx the London East Point. The Heddon Ascendant was quincunx Hel, a death goddess, in Pisces in the eighth house. England is fighting frantically, but at least their foe is known. The U.S. may be setting up far worse, unknown karma.

Zip Dobyns

Copyright © 2001 Los Angeles Community Church of Religious Science, Inc.

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