Ukraine 2014

by Marilyn Muir, LPMAFA

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Has anyone looked at the country of Ukraine’s chart, the recent chart after the breakup of the Soviet Union? We all know the news, bad and worse, day to day. The news was so dismal I pulled up the Rodden record to see the chart. No wonder they are having so much trauma-drama. Let us start with the natal and then look at the transits and the progressions for 2014.

Natal: The birth date of the current country is August 24, 1991, 5:00 PM UZ1, Kiev, Ukraine. Before we look at the detail, look at the broad strokes, the chart pattern, a near-perfect bowl containing a strong T-square. The bowl represents lots of potential difficulty expressing or attaining, relying on the stress activations of the T-square for progress. Not nice! The Moon is opposed to Jupiter, Mercury, Venus and out of sign to the Sun with all those planets separating from the square to Pluto, strongly angular (1/7) with Pluto tightly conjunct the midheaven on the ninth house side, in fixed signs (chronic problems and duration are keywords).  Separating aspects represent functions inherent in the entity that would have their roots in the immediate past. If a chart is born with separating aspects, they had already been in play at the moment of birth. This is a strong indicator of Ukraine’s history as a country prior to the re-birth as a new legal entity.

And if this six-planet T-square doesn’t do it for you, let us add a Uranus/Neptune/Ascendant/ N Node tight conjunction in Capricorn, with the dual rulers (cuspal and interception) Saturn and Uranus both retrograde. Uranus in Capricorn is in the twelfth and Saturn in Aquarius (dignity) is in the first intercepted. This chart has two stelliums: one in Capricorn, one in Leo, which is intercepted in the seventh. Also, five of the ten planets are retrograde, half the available energy is addressing the past or resolving the issues of the past. Pluto is the most elevated planet in the natal chart spreading its rays down over the entire chart.  Just who is Pluto in this chart? It is psychological underpinnings, power and control issues, Big Brother in the form of the bully on the block, internationally still influences by encompassing the whole of the chart with its influence (elevation).

On the plus side, there is a sextile between that Pluto in Scorpio and the Capricorn planets and points. Mars in Virgo is too wide for a trine to Neptune (maximum 6˚ orb for me), particularly since the aspect is separating and therefore weakening. There is also a wide but applying trine between Mars and chart ruler Saturn, which should evidence the ability to organize one’s actions and activities. If there is one item that I do not see in Ukraine’s working government, it is organization of action and activities.  Does the retrograde status of Saturn somehow compromise that trine? A retrograde chart ruler can always be looking back and not forward. The Sun is quincunx Saturn tight and applying requiring much adjustment, adaptation and compromise. That is one tough natal chart… a good description of the problems the fledgling government has experienced over the last 23 years.

Transit-wise: Pluto is sitting on natal Uranus with transiting Uranus on the square, nasty aspect. Both will continue to move forward over the next couple of years engaging the natal Capricorn placements one right after the other. Transiting Neptune in the early degrees of Pisces has completed its opposition to the natal Sun. A really rough Saturn transit is triggering the late degrees of the fixed T-square.  The good part is that the triple passage of Saturn is almost complete for the Neptune, Moon, Jupiter and Mercury hard aspects in late Scorpio degrees. Saturn’s station direct will be almost on a perfect square to natal Venus before it leaves Scorpio. It will have activated by square the natal Sun as it does its triple pass station in early Sagittarius, late Scorpio. Those are a ton of heavy, hard aspects with the bulk of them finished by the end of the year – not all, just most.

Progressions: What do the 2014 progressions indicate? There are still two stelliums, this time one in Virgo intercepted in the 7th but trine the still existing natal and progressed Capricorn stellium. This progressed chart is much lighter in character, with more positivity showing – not that I can see such positivity in current action in Ukraine. This natal is still primary in terms of current events. Saturn is still the chart ruler but now solidly in the 12th house and retrograde.

The progressing Moon enters Capricorn this month in the 11th house where it will remain for the next year and a half. At that point it will cross into the 12th house for about 2 ½ years. The Moon in the 11th ramps up the dialogue with and dependence upon groups and associations, which for a country could easily be other countries. The only planet truly angular is progressed Venus which is near the cusp about two degrees into the 7th house. Natally, it started deep in the 7th and has gradually retrograded back towards the natal and progressed descendant. Venus is now direct but moving very slowly so it continues to be drawn towards the descendent by the natural motion of the house cusps. To me this can be a good indication for future negotiation and detenté. Venus and Mercury are now direct reducing the effective number of progressed retrogrades to three outer planets.

Translation: This natal chart shows a nation entrenched in loyalty issues and traditional values but at war with itself as the citizens are torn between loyalty to Mother Russia (Leo stellium plus Capricorn rising) and the call of personal freedom of the Aquarius chart ruler and Moon in the first. The intercepted chart ruler speaks of a delay but not a denial of Saturn in its Aquarian theme. The Leo/Capricorn pair of stelliums indicates pomp and circumstance, theatrics and rigidity in combination. All those fixed natal planets are difficult to move or change, but the progressions reveal the unfolding process and evolution of the natal promise. Ideally, the loyalty and the freedom will find a way to peacefully co-exist as long as the plutocrats at the top of the natal chart do not dominate the country. Who do you think those plutocrats might be?

The progressed chart ruler is Uranus, the planet of the future, in Capricorn, conservative and traditional, retrograde with its unfinished lessons, separating from the square of progressed Mars, militant and aggressive, the past. It is now moving towards the trine of progressing Mercury of communication mutually applying. This difficulty is not going to go away suddenly. Mars is applying (future aspects) to Neptune and the Nodes. The progressing Moon traveling about one degree per month in the progressed chart will tick off a series of sextiles, trines and conjunctions. I choose to see that as a positive for this unfoldment process. The question is whether or not the Moon is strong enough to pull off success. This would be a series of small incremental steps.

Transits to progressed: Transits to progressed positions work as well, so we must pay attention to any hard aspects Mars makes such as the square to both Neptune and the North Node. Remember also that transiting Uranus in Aries is triggering that progressed Capricorn stellium and is beyond volatile. Add to that transiting Pluto, a bit slower than Uranus to activate that stellium, but relentless and life-shaping through its machinations.

There is nothing quick or easy in the evolution of the Ukraine, successful or otherwise as the aspects are contradictory. I am hoping that the potential of positive aspects can eventually bring about a successful outcome. The alternative is too horrible to contemplate. The plutocrat at the top of the natal chart could become the growling bear that eats its cubs.

Published in AFA Today’s Astrologer Jul 2014 vol 76#8, republished with slight editing.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.