We can be Heroes

During a cold, wet and wintry August 2009, I watched many great documentaries during the controversial Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). The controversy involved the showing of a film The 10 Conditions of Love by documentary maker Jeff Daniels, about Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, whom the Chinese government call a liar and a terrorist. The Chinese embassy demanded the film be pulled from the festival, but when Richard Moore, the festivals director decided to screen the film and even move it to a 1500-seat showing at the Melbourne Town Hall, he showed China that it has no right to dictate what we see here in Australia. As a protest by the Chinese, the MIFF website was hacked and replaced with a waving Chinese flag and anti-Kadeer slogans.



Subsequently the controversy has sparked great interest in the film around the world.In addition to this, during this time there were protesters campaigning outside MIFF movie theatres against the partnership of MIFF with the Israeli film industry, sparking more controversy and attracting attention to the festival. With a gay rights march passing by the Victorian State Parliament, campaigning in support of gay marriage, there definitely seemed to be something in the air. As we find ourselves between another Saturn (rules, restrictions, status quo) / Uranus (change, rebellion, revolution) opposition and with the current astrological line-up of Neptune (film, imagination, the collective unconscious, water, divine connections), Chiron (the asteroid associated with the maverick healer) and Jupiter (the seeker of truth, meaning and justice) – all part of the planetary signature of 2009 and 2010 – these protests and the documentaries I watched are a great example of the archetypal energies in effect at the moment.

Movies I watched included The Cove, The Yes Men - Fix the World and Food Inc., all very informative documentaries dealing with the depletion and deteriorating quality of our air, our water, our land and the spirit of the people around the globe and already these films have motivated and activated many people’s imaginations with respect to these issues. These documentaries reflect the Saturn/Uranus opposition, people taking action, acting from their own sense of authority, not waiting for a green light or a nod from bureaucracy in order to be allowed to expose, film or speak the truth, but just getting on and doing it. Saturn and Uranus denote the concept of the old and the new, stagnation and renewal, control and freedom.

The triple conjunction of planets Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune is in Aquarius, the sign of the commons, the community and the future. As we collectively look to the future and our personal role in its unfolding, Jupiter reminds us to speak and seek truth, Chiron reminds us of the painful mess (and its self-inflicted nature), and Neptune gives us hope, bringing with it a strong idealistic urge for selfless action and self-sacrifice. Together we search for truth behind deception, cover-ups, the lies and corruption that lurk behind the motivations for greed, money and power in every country around the world at the moment. There is a sense of there being no hope for the future if we all don’t take serious action and do something about it.

If you’re not doing something yet to be part of the great changes that need to take place, then these movies are bound to inspire you into some kind of action, or at the least make you question why you’re not playing your part. It is through the tribes we are building on the internet, online communities who share the same goals and values, that differences are being made today. It is through movies, like these documentaries, that we are also making progress, reaching audiences through the universal language of film, activating and motivating people to join a cause. These planets in Aquarius – together with Uranus currently in Pisces – bring hope and possibilities within the collective to understand our universal cause, to share our common goals and visions which can lead us to at least some of the changes necessary in this world.

Neptune and film have a strong connection. Neptune and photography materialized in consciousness at the same time. Like photography, Neptune reflects the moving zeitgeist of our culture through fashion, music, celebrities, imagery and art. It is the essence of Neptune which carries us off, enchanted, to different realms and ways of experience. Movies, for an hour or two, put us under their spell and lose us in romance, illusions, fantasy and drama, and through this they manipulate our emotions. A movie can make you feel bad, angry or elated; it can make you weep, make you laugh or make you want to turn a blind eye. Watching a movie has the ability to stir up all sorts of emotional experiences. The music, the images, real or imagined, are all part of Neptune’s realm.

The first compelling documentary I watched was The Cove, a film that delves into the deception and cover-up behind the slaughter of dolphins in a cove behind the picturesque town of Taiji in Japan. The filmmaker, Louie Psihoyos, and a brave troop of activists and free divers together take on a mission, using covert surveillance tactics to penetrate the hidden operations at this secret cove, successfully bringing this information to the world. The filmmaker said “we didn’t need filmmakers” to make this film, “we needed pirates.” This story in particular has an incredible correlation with the Jupiter /Chiron / Neptune configuration, as it is about the mistreatment of one of the most beloved creatures on this planet, the dolphin, the wild creature of Neptune’s marine realm and the deception, the lies and the illusions of this whole cover-up.

The film documents the passion behind the man Ric O’Barry, the trainer of the dolphin “Flipper.” This series started in 1964, during which time Ric lived with the dolphins in an idyllic setting in a bay in the Bahamas where the star dolphins roamed freely during the duration of the series and became Ric’s great loves. Ric’s love of dolphins and later the death of his beloved dolphin Kate, led to his passion and the mission to relentlessly try and stop what happens to dolphins in captivity around the world. After the series finished and Kate was returned to captivity, where she died in his arms, Ric explains that this was suicide. Dolphins and captivity don’t mix, they have the ability to stop breathing at will and do so all the time in the back pools of Seaworld and other such places around the globe. Ric explains that every breath of a dolphin is a completely conscious decision, and they can choose to just not take the next breath, if so inclined. The constant smile a dolphin wears, whether in captivity or not, is as Ric says, one of the biggest illusions of life. A dolphin will appear to be constantly happy, but in captivity they are miserable and because of this they commit suicide constantly, unbeknownst to well-paying tourists watching the show from the grandstand. The suicide of Kate transformed Ric to campaign and continue to free dolphins in captivity and in any sort of trouble around the world, leading him to Taiji in Japan.

Taiji is a lovely tourist village full of cutesy boats in shapes of whales and dolphins taking tourists out to see whales and dolphins roaming free in the nearby waters, where just behind the next hill, around the next cove, dolphins are being herded into coves by fishing boats. Using metal rods that they tap on, the fishermen disturb and disorient the dolphins into the cove exactly where they want them, net them off, and trap them ready for slaughter the next morning. The dolphins’ most acute sense is their hearing, so disturbing the sound of the oceans leads them straight into this trap. Here they slaughter 2500 dolphins every season which starts in September and lasts until March, keeping some alive to trade to the Seaworlds of the world and then selling the rest as dolphin meat to an unsuspecting Japanese public.

Dolphin meat is highly toxic, full of mercury. Dolphins exist at the top of the food chain in the oceans with sharks, marlin, swordfish and tuna and should be eaten minimally. The toxicity of our oceans due to growing pollution levels in our waters, causes diseases such as Minamata disease, mercury poisoning causing severe neurological problems. High levels of mercury and lead can be found in our air too, due to the highly toxic output associated with coal burning, petrol fumes and industry. During the film we are also alerted to the complete ineffectiveness of bureaucratic governing bodies like the International Whaling Commission, heavily influenced and controlled by Japanese magnates, holding all the power who couldn’t care less about the dwindling numbers of whales in our oceans. It makes you want to scream, because nothing is changing and it is all so corrupt.

When Neptune was in Scorpio during the 1960’s, anti-whaling demonstrations started with fervour around the globe, this was due mainly to the fact that during this time we heard the first whale sounds, alerting man to the sound of the oceans and these incredible beings.* Currently in the last 10 degrees of Aquarius, Neptune squares its previous position in Scorpio and dredges up some issues of the past that still haven’t been resolved. Although Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd have been active trying to protect our oceans for a long time now, not for many years has there been so much attention placed onto whaling and the rights of the Japanese to kill them as we have seen during 2009. The plight of the great cetaceans in our oceans, the state of our oceanic realm and quality of our water will become even more desperate as Neptune moves into Pisces during 2011.

The power of the moving image to show it how it really is, is unprecedented. The brave warriors that came together to secretly film and organize getting their cameras into restricted zones, setting them up underwater, to get this out to the world, have done an incredible job to save these dolphins. The Yes Men too, accomplish brave feats to tell their story, unravel the truth and activate change. By impersonating high profile CEO’s from companies such as Dow Chemicals, the Yes Men manage to expose the truth very effectively to an unsuspecting public, but also completely aggravate and expose the true motivations behind some of these large corporations, ultimately motivated by profits only, with no regard for human life and suffering. In places like Bhopal, India, where 20 years ago a huge chemical explosion happened, due to Dow Chemical, then known as Union Carbide, the victims are still waiting for compensation, as this company continues to make billions of dollars in profits year in year out. It’s a joy to see what these brave warriors in film get away with and even more so, what they accomplish.

Food Inc. moves us into the world of food production, the mistreatment of animals to gain greater yields, the under compensating of farmers by powerful corporations, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, as the food industry gets mightier and stronger with not much hope for the little guy. Our supermarkets are full of food owned by a handful of companies; if you can afford it it is better to shop at farmers’ markets, support them, they need it more, but as the movie shows us, the big guys undercut the small guys by amounts that matter a great deal to people who just can’t afford a bunch of broccoli, but can still afford a crappy hamburger. This movie wakes you up to the harsh reality of what we consume, what we eat, where it comes from, and it’s frightening. The message, buy what’s in season and start a veggie patch or even think of starting a communal one. Think globally, buy locally.

In a world where Big Brother may be watching us all, satellites that can film you in your back yard, CCTV on nearly every corner, it is these brave and courageous people, these heroes, who by making these documentaries and bringing them to the world, are creating activism and stirring up controversy, showing us all what we can do to compensate, watch back and expose all. This is a Pluto in Capricorn signature that comes together with the previously mentioned alignments, exposing what’s lurking underneath, what the powerful and greedy are doing to accumulate wealth and our global resources, to the detriment of the masses involved. All of these movies involved hidden cameras, agendas, impersonations and people willing to tell the truth to get these stories our there. Not all of us can or will ever be so daring, but we can all most certainly join a cause, via the net, join a tribe and by working together, something can be done.

It may be hard to watch The Cove. As I watched in horror, knowing that many more unjust, corrupt, inhumane occurrences are happening everywhere around this planet, I felt a strong admiration for these brave warriors and others like them, that are getting on with the quest, doing what they can to promote effective change around the globe. I held back tears many times throughout this film, but when the titles began rolling at the end of the film, I cried and cried and cried when I heard my all time favourite very Neptunian song……………………………..

I - I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins - like dolphins can swim
Though nothing - nothing will keep us together
We can beat them - for ever and ever
Oh we can be Heroes - just for one day
I - I will be king
And you - you will be Queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be Heroes - just for one day
We can beat them - just for one day

I - I can remember
Standing - by the wall
And the guns - shot above our heads
And we kissed - as though nothing could fall
And the shame - fell on the other side
Oh we can beat them - forever and ever
Then we could be heroes - just for one day

You - you can be me
And I - I’ll drink all the time
Cause we’re lovers and that is the fact
Yes we’re lovers and that is that
Oh nothing, nothing will keep us together
We can beat them forever and ever
Yeah we can be Heroes - just for one day

We can be Heroes
We can be Heroes
We're nothing, and nothing will help us
Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay
But we could be safer, just for one day
Oh, oh, oh, ohhh-oh, oh, oh, ohhh, just for one day
Oh, just for one day

Heroes - David Bowie, 1977
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keoJMgD5QZQ

Julija Simas - Agent 12 July 2009

* the first recordings were only released for sale in 1970’s when Neptune was in Sagittarius by Roger Payne and Scott McVay

http://www.thecovemovie.com/ See the Movie

http://www.seashepherd.org/ The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - a non-profit organization, protecting marine species and environments. It operates a fleet of vessels it calls Neptune's Navy.

www.theyesmen.org - www.theyesmenfixtheworld.com - Lots of great ideas to rock the boat.
http://www.theyesmen.org/blog/become-a-tabloid-writer


http://www.foodincmovie.com/
Find our where your food comes from, who owns it all and what they do to keep control of this massive industry of food production in the USA.

Neptune's Return - A film about Neptune

The Triple Conjunction of Neptune, Jupiter , Chiron - Aquarius 2009

NB : Due to the GFC - The light at the end of the tunnel has now been switched off.

What a thought, sometimes it seems as though the powers that be could and would try anything to try and bring us under control, but as this triple conjunction of planets reflects a world needing to stay on track, working and thinking together about the future, we are reminded to keep a sense of hope for the individual, freedom of speech, action and self expression to guide us on our merry way.As we stick together with like minded groups that make us feel connected in the big wide world, we can only hope that the future is being built by continuing to stand up for what we believe in.

On the 28th may 2009, a rare conjunction that has been in effect since about April this year and lasts until Jan 2010 reflects our world so ultimately connected, but also alarmingly out of sync. The more we feel we progress in the world, helping and caring for each other, raising money, feeding poverty, fighting for a cause, demonstrating etc etc etc, we are constantly reminded of how much still does not change, is beyond our influence, leaving many of us feeling hopeless, depressed and mentally unable to cope with what the future holds for ourselves and the rest of humanity.

As many of us connect via the internet, via facebook, twitter, myspace etc, read each others blogs, share everything we possibly can or want to, whilst feeling somewhat better connected to the world and the growing power of online communities and networking, there lurks in there as well the feeling of being even more disconnected that ever. The signatures of Neptune in Aquarius, a world built on the net, available everywhere seeping through our lives, but keeping us all at megabyte lengths from each other,known by avatars not faces. Our changing world - the atmosphere of our times, a world ultimately so connected, but at the same paradoxical moment, on a individual level we often feel more separated and lonely than ever before, staying behind the safety, mask and anonymity of our Computer.


Of course swine flu, growing everyday with more and more cases, scares the shit out of us, and it wouldn't be a surprise to learn that perhaps it's a WHO tactic, a world organization controlling the masses by breeding fear into them, again. A world organization is pretty scary in itself, as who is it really being controlled by, that's certainly more scary to me than swine flu. An interesting correlation with an Aquarian line up of planets in March 1345 from a statement by the medical faculty in Paris, explains that the “Black Death” was due to the Mars, Saturn and Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius, which explained the “Corruption of the air”*.

The real threats to us now are the masses being controlled. Imagine if our www was disconnected, illegal or what have you. It's been done before, the gathering and distributing of information and knowledge persecuted, books burnt, reading and learning anything besides propaganda in places like the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and many others over the past century remind us of this. In places like Soviet controlled Lithuania illegal "Book Carriers," "Knygnesiai" developed. They would carry Lithuanian language books from village to village, risking their lives, so the children could continue to learn to read in their native language. The biodiversity, of this planet is what remains under threat under this triple conjunction. In Australia we are experiencing the same unification principle with our native indigenous folk, who are being rounded up in the outback to live in larger communities, destroying their uniqueness along the way, a culture and their elders being ignored as to what's best for them and their people.

As this conjunction brings with it the idea of healing and being healed, healing the planet and everything about it, it also alarms us to what still is happening in so many destructive ways, to try and mould and direct us all, it's more economical, but for who?. Chiron reminds us of the difficult task ahead, how much has cut too deep to perhaps ever repair. Chiron and Jupiter together remind us , to seek truth and habour wisdom, to teach what's important, to breed heroes and individuals, people that make a difference in the world, not sheep, blind and ignorant in their existence. Neptune and Chiron together bring with them a feeling of total despair and giving up, because it hurts too much and it's completely hopeless. Jupiter seeks truth too, truth about what lies ahead, the truth about how to proceed, the truth of what we seek, the truth in the information we receive and retain. Unfortunately the masses are gullible, the 6:00 o'clock news is how most Australians get there daily source of information or mostly they just don't care.The triple wammy, expands these themes in human consciousness , a focus on the importance of spreading truth knowledge and re-learning what we know about what's really happening out there.







The Aquarian focus highlights that it is through community , networking, campaigning, speaking up, being active, that we can do it together in the end. This triple conjunction asks,

What is the vision from on top of the mountain we have created?

Part of the mountain is made of garbage and we are now at the brink of deciding what is rubbish and what is not. With the help of Pluto as it moves slowly through Capricorn and will begin to square Uranus over the next year, the changes we are ready to stand up for are coming. From this point of the journey forward, the Aquarian vision we hold now, becomes ever so important. Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter - visions of hope, mixed with faith and a large does of truth, inspiration and the individuals participation, is our key.


This week when the triple conjunctrion is most exact we have mercury retrograde in Taurus, focusing our attention on the corruption, lies and greed that lies behind much of what goes on. Mercury in Taurus square this triple wammy reminds us too, to be real, to show it how it really is, to meet face to face, to have conversation around a dinner table not a computer screen, to see the other side of the world away from the computer. Instead, we freak out when our internet's not working, or our mobiles are switched off , go for a walk, smell real roses, look at the real world, not a screen for a change.


We are also reminded of the incredible power of creatively, art and music to tell a story, speak to thousands, keep us in wonder and awe, and the power of the individual to speak to the collective. In the words of the famous living Musician Poet, Leonard Cohen, a native of Venus and Neptune conjunction in Virgo, an artist understanding the power of words, the sacredness of love and pain, these lyrics from his song Anthem, remind us to to have hope, that nothing will ever be perfect, and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that can never ever be switched off.

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in.

Thanks for the reminder Leonard xxx


* From - A History of Western Astrology - Jim Tester – The Boydell Press 1987- page 185 This time - Jupiter/Neptune/Chiron in Aquarius - Swine flu -

See Also

http://www.thevenusproject.com - an amazing idea, reshaping our view of the Future - thanks to Jacque Fresco

Making the most of Directions

Agent24.7 "making the most of directions"

On April the 12th 2009 Neptune Returns to it's discovery degree and minute, which it will do exactly twice more during it's one year return as he hovers at this point in the heavens. A birthday that lasts a year, deservedly so, as he is a big inspirational influence in our lives.

The C*I*A wanted to host an Artshow for his Birthday, that may still come together, but like all Neptunian things, the Art show has disappeared for now. A few dedicated agents, however, are working on something that suits Neptune in Aquarius perfectly, and that is a Film about Neptune. So stay tuned throughout 2009.

As we can see (see below chart), for Neptune's 1st birthday, Neptune's closest allies during this return are, Chiron and Jupiter, which bring our focus to the exaggerated need for the healing of our planet. A need for equal communities working together to make this world a better place. Interestingly Neptune was first seen by Galileo and his telescopes, but was thought to be a Moon of Jupiter, and this alignment in Aquarius, harks back to this first sighting of Neptune near Jupiter and their close astrological relationship.

These Aquarian planets are squared by a Scorpionic Moon, our challenge is to dig deep to understand what we fear and why we fear, how we are controlled, and why we chose to perhaps not live magically enough. What keeps us away from taking more control of the directions we are heading that affect us all, like where are we heading? who's in charge of our journey? surely it can no longer be God, and what's my transformative role in this global equation.

Mars and Uranus , opposite Saturn, heralds the undercurrent of us all sensing that somethings not exactly right, and acting on it, trusting our instincts and feelings to challenge the systems in place that demand that we can only have faith in the real and the tangible.

Venus - has a step back into beloved Pisces, as though she doesn't want to miss out on a party that celebrates what we want out of life and living here on Earth. At the crucial point of the Zodiac - just behind the Aries zero point, Venus retrogrades in front of our Sun and reminds us strongly to really ask for what we want.

Neptune's return Chart- using zero Aries. as the time of the discovery, back in 1846 in Berlin, does not have an exact time.

Mercury at 4 degrees Taurus, adds to the Venusian meaning, what do we want. Squaring the nodes, we get the message that our lives depend on it, we are at a crucial point, what has served us in the past needs to be left and learnt from, as we continue to consciously evolve. Mercury trines Pluto, an aspect indicating the conscious transformation of our ideas and thinking, this will help us get what we want, but we just have to trust and believe in what we want, in order to get there.

So for his birthday - crack open champagne, gather your mates and together imagine, discuss and create the image and ideal of the world we all would like to live in. Our ideals can shape our future, but we have to believe that they can or will.

Make the most of the directions given by Neptune and his return, he would like that.


For inspiration for your Party - check out our compilation of Neptune Inspired songs -
http://cosmicintelligenceagency.com/zone12cia.html#neptunesbday

add more to the list below - on this blog
http://ciatwelfthzone.blogspot.com/2007/10/neptunes-return.html

The Astrological profile of Ernesto” Che” Guevara de la Serna

Born 14th May 1928, Rosario, Argentina.

Irish artists Jim Fitzpatrick image of Che Guevara, 1967

During a Uranus to Sun /Mercury transit I came across the exceptionally well researched and acclaimed biography written by:
Jon Lee Anderson , Che Guevara : A Revolutionary Life, Grove Press, 1997.
I read the book fervently after researching Ernesto Guevara’s birth data for presenting a Mystery chart to a group of Astrologers I study with in Melbourne. Numerous internet searches gave two different dates, one 14th June 1928 at 3:05am, the other 14th May 1928 also at 3:05am(which was also the same through a friend with astrodatabank). The story of his confusing birthdate is all revealed in the book.

The biography starts with the words, “ The horoscope was confounding” and continues to reveal the story behind the true date of Ernesto Guevara’s birth. We find out that Che Guevara was indeed born on 14th May 1928 in Rosario, Argentina. It continues that his mother “confided a secret she had guarded for over three decades, that her famous son had actually been born one month earlier on May 14th. He was no Gemini but a headstrong Taurus”. She said “if her son had not become famous she would never have needed to reveal the deception. The deception had been necessary because she was three months pregnant on the day she married Che’s father, and a doctor friend falsified the baby’s certificate moving it forward one month to help shield them from scandal.”page 1. Ernesto’s parents were both from well known and respected, Catholic families of Buenos Aires, large land and plantation owners, who found it necessary to keep away from the prying eyes and ears of Buenos Aires at the time, also saying that their son was born 2 months prematurely.

His mother accounts to him being born at dawn, on May 14th , but no time is given. Finding the time for dawn in Rosario Argentina was first on my agenda. Sunrise in Rosario is at that time of year is 7:40am and dawn is within the half hour before that. In the chart above, I have chosen 7:15 am to be the chart I use for this exercise and the chart that was given to the group to unravel the mystery. Che’s exact birth time however could be somewhat different, I would say no more that ten minutes earlier or later, but then again, what is dawn in a mother’s eyes while giving birth, could also be another mystery. Regardless, a few factors , whilst setting a time for the birth needed to stay in place, Saturn in the 8th and Venus near the ascendant, but in the 12th house, and Neptune conjunct the IC(using placidus houses).The Pisces Moon in the tenth house, the mother’s secret, square Saturn in the 8th, the parent’s marriage, squaring the nodes , the individual’s karmic life directions, Neptune on the IC, not knowing, and the 12th house Venus, Chiron and Jupiter, together all paint the story of the cover up and the excerpt below, infuses the astrology further:

“If their child had not grown up to be the famous revolutionary Che, his parents’ secret might have gone with them to their graves. A rare public figure of modern times whose birth and death certificates are both falsified. Yet it seems uniquely fitting that Guevara, who spent most of his adult life engaged in clandestine activities and who died as a result of a secret conspiracy, should have also begun his life in subterfuge.” page 4.
Throughout the biography we find out a few times, that Che celebrated his birthday on the 14th of June, but it is not revealed whether he ever discovered his true birthdate, but would be interesting to find out.

The rising of the planet Venus, the ruler of the chart and Sun sign, was perhaps the most important placement to consider in this chart. It was important to have Venus rising and close to the ascendant, not in the 1st house but in the 12th. Venus in the first would make the birth time too early and before dawn, and making the birth time later moves Venus further away from the ascendant. Venus needed to be closely aligned to the ascendant but in the 12th , as I continued to read this biography.

Che, more than anything, was driven by a strong need and desire to help the impoverished and underprivileged in society, spending his life devoted to the cause.. Venus in the 12th but rising, coupled with his Pisces Moon and Mars, shows us a man driven to extreme lengths of self sacrifice to help others in his ongoing fight against imperialistic regimes. Venus in the first would indicate a person more self involved and concerned with their own needs. Taurus energy is like that of a Bull, following a particular path, not concerned with peripheral distractions, or getting there in a roundabout way, totally determined to go straight for the red flag. His Sun in the first house and Venus rising, reflects his determination ,as well as his charisma and charm. Anyone that met Che spoke of an instant liking for the man. He was never concerned about how he dressed, or how he looked , or what he wore, often wearing the same clothes for days on end without washing, even when not in the jungles with the guerrillas. The rawness of this Taurus personality comes out strong throughout the story, his smile and laughter and calm seriousness adding to his uniqueness and unforgettable presence.

The most incredible likeness to Venus rising is of course that he wore the five pointed star on his forehead. Rarely seen without his guerrilla garb, boots and beret, with the representation of Venus, his star, placed always firmly on his forehead. It’s as if he wore his astrology chart on his head, with Venus, rising on his beret! The five pointed metal star he wore was the symbol of his socialist mission, he didn’t wear the Red Star of the communists, nor the Gold star of the military, his socialist cause stemmed from Marxist ideals and his vision was different to that of the communist movements around the world at the time.

His nickname Che, comes from the time he first met Fidel Castro and other Cuban revolutionaries during the mid 50’s in Guatemala and Mexico, when they were all planning the emancipation of Cuba from Battista. “Che” refers to the Argentine way of saying “Hey You” , and stuck with him for the rest of his life, reflecting a no fuss attitude of who he was. It was much more important to him, what he could do. A doctor, a comrade, a respected commander of the Cuban guerrilla forces, the hero of the Cuban revolution, Che was also appointed as chief prosecutor , commander of agrarian reform , the production of sugar and the head of the National Bank of Castro’s Cuba. A career path that reflects all the fixed angles in his chart and angle rulers, the Midheaven, Ascendant, descendant and IC. Fidel Castro writes on the competence, diplomacy and patience of the man, often referred to as Castro’s brain,

“ When grenades were needed, Che set up a factory to make them. When bread was wanted, Che set up ovens to bake it. When new recruits needed to learn tactics and discipline, Che taught them. When a school was needed to teach peasants to read and write, Che organized it.” Castro’s Brain, 1960.

Venus conjuncts Chiron, and the Guevara story deepens. Chiron tells us the story of his weak lungs, his difficulties with breathing , the suffering from asthma all his life and his need to become a medical doctor. He was born with asthma and as a baby and young man, his family kept moving and uprooting the family home, to see if a new location and atmosphere would help alleviate Ernesto’s asthma. He suffered incredibly long bouts of illness at home in bed, missing school for months on end trying to breathe, constantly vomiting and feverish. As a young engineering student , WHEN his much loved grandmother died, he decided to change career paths and study medicine. He wanted to help alleviate human suffering and particularly to help those that suffered the same condition as himself. He wrote years later of having a dream that motivated his decision,
“ I dreamed of becoming a famous investigator………of working indefatigably to find something that could be definitively placed at the disposition of humanity “ page 42. Certainly fitting to what he was to become .

Later, in the guerrilla camps, he continued to be subjected to great weakness due to his asthma, nearly dying many times. He took up smoking cigars in Cuba , saying it helped his asthma. As Guevara was an avid diary keeper, the biography continually references his own writing and we gain great insights into the man, his mind and his thinking. When suffering asthma attacks during his guerrilla missions, he writes numerous times how he comes to understand the necessity of his illness. He opens up to us astrologers his personal connection to the meaning of his Venus Chiron, with Venus being ruler of his house of health the 6th in Libra. He sees his illness as something he knows he needed to have, he saw his asthma attacks as his time out, his time to reflect, hold back and not move for a while. Sometimes crucial to the movement of the Guerrillas which he commandeered. He saw this timing as a time to plan before commanding the next move, and often wrote that if it wasn’t for his debilitating asthma he would be completely unstoppable and dangerous.

His Pisces Moon, 12th house planets and their connections, also his Neptune on the IC in trine with Jupiter in Aries in the 12th, sharing fire with Saturn and squaring the Sun all indicate his illness , his drive for self sacrifice for the greater good, his peripatetic home life, his non patriotic association with one particular country, his never returning back home to Argentina and his universal socialist cause. The astrology and his story fit so well that we have a great sense that his ultimate mission was definitely fated and not his own. When his father asks Che what he planned to do with his medical career, when visiting him in Cuba after the revolution, Che replies,

“I deserted it a long time ago. Now I am a fighter who is working in the consolidation of a government. What will become of me? I don’t know, I don’t even know in which land I will leave my bones.” Page 390

His missions were too great. He was a world leader in the revolutionary socialist cause and became a wanted, but respected man , spending the last few years of his life in hiding and disguise. He knew that he was creating history as he went, but perhaps never knew how far his legend and his image would be circulated, plagiarized and revered as the ultimate symbol of the revolutionary. We see this astrologically through his, Uranus (modern ruler of the MC) in Aries in the 11th house, trine south node and sextile the North node and Mercury.

The Image of Che Guevara

When we talk about the image of Guevara, a living legend, an archetypal figure , we are all reminded of a specific photo , sometimes referred to as the most famous photo of all time, Guerrillero Heroico, the image above. This image has been copied countless times by artists around the globe in various forms, designs and colours and has become the ultimate image of the revolutionary archetype. This iconic photo was captured on the 5th March 1960, in Havana, Cuba by photographer Alberto Korda, no time available . Taken at a memorial service for fallen comrades of the La Coubre explosion which had happened the day before, the photo however was never published internationally until 1967, the year of Che’s execution. Korda **has stated that he was drawn to Guevara's facial expression at the time, which was one of "absolute implacability ……..anger and pain……… with that great sadness in his eyes”. Korda said the photo encapsulated Che's "character, firmness, stoicism, and resoluteness”.*** The astrological line up in the sky for that day was, Uranus was exactly opposite Venus in the sky, Venus at 17 Aquarius and Uranus 17 Leo, both squaring Guevara’s ascendant and exactly squaring his progressed Moon at 17 Taurus. Inner wheel - Che Guevara, 14th May 1928, Rosario, Argentina,7:15am Middle wheel - Progressions to Guevara’s’ chart, 5th March 1960 Outer wheel - Transits , 5th March 1960, 12:00pm Havana Cuba

Other transits on the day:
Transiting Venus and Uranus sextile and trine natal Saturn
Transiting Mars squares natal Venus and trines NN,
Transiting Mars squares Transiting Neptune
Transiting Sun conjunct natal Moon, trine natal Pluto, sextiles ascendant.
Transiting Mercury retrograde conjunct transiting South Node sextile natal Sun
Transiting Neptune opposites natal Venus and Chiron, trine natal Moon,
Transiting Chiron op natal Neptune.

And more: The transits and progressions line up to encapsulate the power that would be held in the photo, birthed with a Uranus in Leo and a Venus in Aquarius timing, with transiting Neptune in the Guevara's 6th opposite Venus and Chiron in the 12th house, triggering off the connection it would make throughout the collective and people around the globe for decades to come.


Che Lives !

In May 2008 at the Cannes film festival, two movies about Che Guevara, directed by Steven Soderbergh were released, “The Argentine” and “Guerilla”. In Cannes and throughout the premier seasons of 2008 and 2009, Neptune transits the midheaven of Che’s astrological chart. A very likely resemblance to Che Guevara and even a few astrological connections make Benicio del Toro(Bull, Taurus) the perfect choice for portraying the Argentine. The resemblance is somewhat uncanny and he was cast to play the part for obvious reasons. Del Toro’s natal Saturn at 28 Pisces conjuncts Che’s Mars, his North Node conjuncts Che’ s Venus, his Venus Chiron conjunction in Pisces sextileS Che’s Sun and his Jupiter exactly squares Che’s Jupiter. A casting choice made in heaven. Benicio del Toro was born, 19 Feb 1967, no time available. The movie is due for release in the USA in Jan 2009 and has already been released in Spain. I eagerly await its release in Australia.

Benicio Del Toro, Santurce, Puerto Rico, 19th February 1967, no time available,
12pm chart, Solar sign, whole houses

Reading the biography with the chart, making the correlations of his life and times to his astrology was constantly fascinating. Luckily there are many dates in this book and even a death time that make reading the biography even more intriguing and revealing. If only every biography came with a birth chart. For those interested in great biographies that can be followed with an astrological chart, I can highly recommend this book and this chart. As there is so much to write about I will continue with : Part Two, of the Che Guevara astrological story, as I look into his missions, successes and failures , and his death. Our symbolic language, astrology, helps us further connect to his life, his personality, his drive, the times he lived in and the people he was connected to. As the Guevara image continues to resonate throughout the world, during these uncertain times, careering towards 2012, in a world transforming and shedding it’s old skin, we can perhaps take some insights from Guevara and his dire need to fight for more equal societies sans the guns of course).

© Julija Simas - Agent 12

**Alberto Korda born (September 14, 1928 in Havana, Cuba- no time available.
*** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara_(photo)

Knight of Swords - Go Obama- Vehicle of Change

After watching “The Choice 2008” last night on SBS a doco examining the history and politics of the US presidential candidates Obama and Mc Cain, I thought it time to document my idea of who would win this election next week. This documentary gave me a good idea of the baggage that comes with McCain, his profile indicates he has too much negative karma attached, the wounds and scars of war and his rise in the political system stemming from his wartime accolades. The fairness, straightforwardness and idealism that comes with Obama’s background , his need to serve the people was clearly evident. Haven’t we had enough of war influenced politicians, time to move on. With Obama’s long serving catch cry - Change - it seems appropriate that with Uranus and Saturn aligned in an exact opposition on election day - we can hope for Change.

Saturn and Uranus could also indicate no change, a stalemate, but I prefer to see the Saturn opposite Uranus as a strong indicator that change will manifest, perhaps we are more determined and focused on these changes than ever.

The other night I did a tarot reading , asking the question “who will win the US election”.I did a pyramid spread of 5, then 4, then 3, then 2, then one card knowing this would give a more definite answer. The run up to candidates was evident in the spread with a definite female causing havoc in the race in the third line. The third line indicated issues and concerns about money and possessions with the 5 of Pentacles Card, The Moon card, an indication that the whole nation and many more people are in tune to this event, and the Queen of Wands perhaps Palin being a nuisance. The second last line came up with the King of Cups and a Page of Swords - an old guy and a new guy. The top card came out - as the Knight of Swords. This could only be the young guy being elevated to knighthood.

After attending a panel of astrologers in Melbourne where different speakers looking at Charts of the candidates and their running mates, tried to ascertain the outcome, i thought that personally I don’t think that an outcome can be seen in the personal Astro charts of the candidates. Although this event being one the biggest in their lives, was not showing up clearly in either natal charts, therefore could not be clearly defined. A Horary led to a Mc Cain win, Mundane outlooks were done using various US Charts, but no one used an Ingress chart. My preference would be the Mundane outlook and looking at Ingress charts for Washington DC for the Libra Ingress of 2008, it defines the national weather so to speak, for the next quarter.

For the Libra chart Scorpio rises with an eighth house moon , giving the feeling of underlying serpent energy rising. Some would say, but Scorpio is a fixed sign - yes - but it indicates transformation and change. Hanging on does not serve Scorpio energy well . Uranus sits in the 4^th effecting a deep down change in the home of the nation. Scorpio has guts and nerve and so does Uranus.

So many aspects can be looked at to see what will happen, but again nothing is ever so clear in astrology. Election day begins with Uranus in the 4^th of DC chart, Saturn at 18 Virgo - has a Sabian symbol of “ a swimming race” - both are in the race, and Uranus ‘ sabian symbol - “a master instructing his pupil “. If the old guy is Saturn and Uranus the young guy , the old guy is in the race but Uranus is a master, Uranus doesn’t change degree that day, because it is retrograde, but Saturn does to “An automobile Caravan” perhaps symbolising Saturn moving away . The retrograde Uranus, more determined and not giving up, being closer to the earth and symbolic of what is now needed here the most. Mercury changes signs too that day and so does the Moon. To me this is extremely changeable energy.

Well we have to wait for the outcome to see, but the symbolic language of astrology is perhaps the best way to see what will happen. Don’t forget the intention of change that goes with the times we are living through. We are living in extremely transformative times, with Pluto at 29 Sag, the threshold of a new beginning. So lets not be afraid to ask for it as well as believe in the unprecedented global intention that comes with this historic event. Go Obama - Knight of Swords.

The astrology of Falling Man