A Secret Agency’s Secrets Were Revealed!

by Marilyn Muir, LPMAFA

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I am in the process of indexing AFA’s library of bulletins, Today’s Astrologer. While indexing vol 69 #12, I came across an article on the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) by Henk Middelraad. He used asteroids extensively in his very interesting article. While asteroids are not one of my strong suits, I recommend reading his article. That is how we learn…we study. At the beginning of the article Astrologer Middelraad gave the NSA official operational opening, source: public records. Since we have had ongoing news about the NSA for a few years, I pondered the possibility of an article, but on what point? What stands out as an event or a centralized moment worth singling out? There are so many choices, with revelations on a frequent basis! How about the controversial release of security documents by Edward Snowden?

I know there has been widespread speculation and strong opinions pro and con about Snowden’s actions. I choose not to follow that route; I will do no judgment or assessment of blame or culpability. For this article we will look at the NSA in its corporate suit and the impact on the NSA of the release of that information, which is both an event and a process. Edward Snowden acted at a particular moment (event), but it has had a cascade of effects (process). Currently we call that cascade “fall-out”. Life is not a series of unrelated events. This event did not just appear out of thin air; it was produced over a period of time prior to the event itself, which was also a process. Overall, this is a process that led to an event that unleashed a process. Life!

Astrologically what can show such a process? Activation to the natal is the obvious answer, traditionally by direction, progression and transit. In my personal experience, directions (symbolic motion) tend to produce events: birth, death, marriage, divorce, children, job change, etc. My quest for this article is to understand process.

The natal as a freeze frame of a moving sky gives a false impression of a static chart. The sky never stopped moving. We do not have a single chart; we have a series of charts, effectively one for every moment of a lifetime. In my estimation, that is not remotely possible to search. For my clients and myself, I usually set a progressed chart for whatever year I am reading. A progressing chart represents the ongoing transformation of a person, place or thing, a personal record of evolution. As we experience, we grow… and become…and evolve (hopefully). The progressing chart is a record or map of that experience and growth, the process itself. At moments a process culminates, an event occurs, and that event results in the next part of the process. It is a continuum. We are not newborn babies drawing in our first breath forever. Life is always a work in process (not always progress). 

Natal:  This particular life process is a department of the U.S. government, a very secretive one, so I will tread lightly. I will read the chart as a corporation that became operational at 12:01 PM EST (by law) on November 4, 1952 at Fort Meade, Maryland. This is an amazing chart with so many malefic aspects.

The Scorpio Sun and Midheaven aptly describe the secretive, federal security agency. The pairing is in a fixed grand cross with Jupiter, Pluto and the nodal axis, strong power and control issues. This agency has a conflicting, yet expansive power and control pattern that has extended its power far beyond what may have been the original aim, becoming a power unto itself.

Add to that the massive natal cardinal T-square involving the Capricorn ascendant and chart ruler Saturn. The agency can be its own worst enemy, working at cross-purposes with its intention, with ruler Saturn square the ascendant. That T-square includes co-ruler Mars on the 12th house side of the ascendant, covert or hidden aggressive actions, opposed interception co-ruler of the ascendant Uranus conjunct the descendant (the public) – an unexpected outing of classified material? Co-ruler Uranus is squaring ruler Saturn, which is also conjunct Neptune. To me, that is the conjunction to be concerned about: secrets, subterfuge and hidden issues joining organizational control and unanticipated headlines.

Between Jupiter and the strong natal 9th house, add international reach. 

Then add to that the tight opposition between the Moon and Venus across the communication axis of Gemini/Sagittarius.

Those hard aspects contain nine of the ten planets and the Nodes; the only planet not listed is Mercury. As a matter of fact, natal Mercury stands alone. It has no major aspect; it is unaspected. According to the late Master Astrologer Eugene Moore, Mercury in this chart is a wild card, a planet than cannot interact with the other planets, a dumb note or instrument in an orchestra, out of tune with the other energies. Communication seems to be at the core of the agency’s problems. The natal has provided the promise.

Progressed:  On June 5, 2013 Edward Snowden released a maelstrom in the form of communication so we will begin with that ruler. Progressed Mercury 26 Sagittarius 41 is sitting on the black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Galaxy is speaking through Mercury, the supposedly uncooperative dumb note of the natal chart, in the 9th house. This is a very public (international) issue. But stay with the progressed planets. Progressed Mercury is not only not talking, it is singing with its trine to the progressed Moon/Pluto conjunction in Leo and the sextile to progressed Venus and the progressed Saturn/Neptune conjunction.  It took 61 years to get Mercury to communicate and did it ever have one heck of a coming out party!

Look at the location of the progressed Saturn/Neptune on the 7th cusp, the descendant, the diametric opposite to the ascendant, the face of the agency and its coping skills. If you wondered why a sophisticated public agency had problems coping with the revelations, there it is. The progressed ascendant/descendant is square natal ascendant/ descendant and right on natal Saturn as well, triggering that massive and not nice natal T-square.  Progressed nodes square progressed Jupiter and natal Sun. Do you think the recent communication problems are over the top and globally visible?

Look at progressed aggressive/assertive Mars on the square to natal Mercury. Can you see the process in play by progression? We can watch the development of the agency and its evolution simply by watching the progressions. Progressing chart activity illuminates the process that led to an event that led to fall-out from the event, the process we are now observing. Progressions map the evolution of whatever was created in a moment of time from what was cosmically available at that moment of birth into the energy that will be available for its future experience (cyclic). Will it be growth (evolution) or disaster (devolution)?

How do you watch the process itself developing? Those of you who have a computer, simply cast progressed charts one year after the other on a common date such as the birthday. Flip forward through them to watch the evolution of any natal chart. You can easily back up if you think you missed something. I did this with my study of long-term coma. The progress of the coma was evident from precursor, to event, through duration of coma, that ended in death. It is all visible in the progressing chart. Think process.

Transits:  What were the transiting energies in play that fateful day in NSA history? I use personal diurnals for individual planetary transit accuracy, plus they provide a personal midheaven and ascendant. Remember that nasty natal Moon/Venus opposition? The four diurnal angles and the Sun are all triggers to that natal promise. Remember the natal Sun/Midheaven conjunction in Scorpio? The diurnal (transit) Moon is on the money opposition those natal placements, all squaring the natal Nodes, karma in action. In modern language, what goes around comes around.

Diurnal Jupiter is on the opposition to both the progressed Mercury and the black hole on the center of the Galaxy, challenging international communication – and it sure did that! Diurnal Neptune is square the natal dumb note (unaspected) Mercury and diurnal Mars is in opposition. Diurnal Mercury is the diurnal chart ruler and is opposed diurnal Pluto square diurnal Uranus, that nasty outer planet aspect that has been bedeviling our world for several years.

If you look at the natal chart as the promise, the progressed charts as the evolving, ongoing process and the diurnals as the second hand on the activation clock, this whole pattern is about communication… and it is not finished yet. Look at the progressions to come. Progressed Sun is moving to opposition progressed Uranus who is retrograde, mutually applying within 4 years. The progressed midheaven is following suit, mutually applying to an opposition to progressing Uranus in 5.5 years. Progressing ascendant opposes progressed Neptune in 3.5 years and opposes progressed Saturn less than 3 years later… and that is only progressed to progressed. Do not forget to look at progressed to natal (my personal choice for strongest aspects and effects). The NSA is in a long-term fall-out process not only from what Edward Snowden revealed, but also from all the other surveillance problems that have come to light in recent years. This is just not going to go away anytime soon.

Again…life is a process not a series of random events strung together.

Late breaking news: Today’s headline* (August 28, 2015) NSA’s communication dilemma is still alive. The U.S. Appeals Court overturned a lower court decision to stop the bulk collection of telephone data from the general public. NSA wins… for the moment. That requires one more diurnal about this Appeals Court ruling…

  • Natal 9th house issue: 15 Libra 14 on natal 9th, Venus rules and is 16 Sagittarius 29, plus Saturn 20 Libra 53, Neptune 22 Libra 13 and Sun 12 Scorpio – 14 occupants, one of the nasty natal aspect complexes.
  • Diurnal Uranus 20 Aries 04R opposes natal Saturn. Can you see the headlines?
  • Diurnal Mars 12 Leo 41 conjunct diurnal Venus 15 Leo 53R in diurnal 9th opposed natal North Node 17 Aquarius 17, square natal Sun and midheaven 14 Scorpio 52, and conjunct natal Jupiter 16 Taurus 25R, activating another nasty natal aspect complex.
  • Diurnal Moon 20 Aquarius 08 is square the diurnal ascendant/descendant axis and opposed natal Pluto 23 Leo 10 within four hours on the day’s clock… and for good measure, that Moon is also conjunct the USA natal Moon 22 Aquarius 37 within five hours on the day’s clock. (Diurnal Moon travels 12 to 15˚ daily).
  • If you want more detail, that diurnal Moon must have passed all those earlier fixed positions within a few hours on the day’s clock. Does Pluto remind you of power and control issues?

Not enough room for this article but for your files and research: Edward Joseph Snowden was born June 21, 1983, 4:42 AM EDT, Elizabeth City, NC, Rodden AA.

*http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/08/28/nsa-phone-surveillance-court/71303750/

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