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Malvin Artley has been a practising astrologer for more than a decade. He is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers.
Malvin is the author of Bodies of Fire: An Exploration of the Lesser Chakra System. He has authored numerous articles and was a member of the faculty of the University of the Seven Rays, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of the Trans-Himalayan tradition as expressed through the books of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and others.
His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism. He has done extensive work with Chinese astrology and the cycles they use and seeks to synthesize the great Western and Oriental systems on such matters.
Malvin lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He also works in the engineering trades and sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.

America After The Election [part two]
Religion? Security? Good vs Evil?? Saturn...?

Malvin Artley continues his esoteric analysis of the recent US Elections in the light of aspects to the US birth chart. He foresees a time of suffering and change — but also of great soul growth.

Deeper Reason

There is a deeper reason still as to why emotions are running so high with people at this moment in history, and it has very little to do with religion at all. There are many great energies and forces shifting for our little globe in this transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. This is causing major upheavals in everyone's life and on a planetary scale. Many new things are coming in. Many old forms and ideas are dying out. But, through it all, we must persist and grow as well as stand in the midst of it all and maintain our spiritual centeredness.

For the bulk of humanity this is causing huge problems, though. People with a bit of psychological or esoteric knowledge will recognize that whenever there is change in the air and that the old must give way to the new, one of the markers for such change in human terms is a sudden polarization of thought and emotion. In other words, as the new energies play upon a person's psyche, that which is unresolved and/or which must give way is pushed to the surface and seeks to maintain the status quo of the old order. It does eventually die off, although often not without a fight. Conflicts are the oft inevitable result, whether personal or on a world scale.

I have mentioned before that the United States has a good dose of one such type of energy that is passing out, and that much of the Middle East also carries that type of energy. I refer to what is known as the Ray of Devotion/Fanaticism. This will not fade out overnight. It will take several hundred years to fully do so. In other words, we will see the final convulsions of blind faith and fanaticism for some time to come, though it will taper off gradually, with flare-ups here and there. The organized religions of the world resonate very strongly to this type of energy. It can be readily recognized in its baser state as a “them/us” polarization, as blind faith, as a violent rejection of all that is not like “us”, as an unwillingness to bend, as an unwillingness to accept other teachings/doctrines, as a tendency to self-immolation, as knee-jerk emotional reactions and as a tendency to addictive behavior, to name but a few qualities. Does any of this sound familiar? And if we (Americans—or Australians, too, for that matter) think this applies mainly to the Middle East, perhaps we should take a good look in the mirror. It is occult Law that we are confronted by the very things that are within us and that any conflict is really more about that which lies hidden within the depths of our own psyche rather than it being the fault of “the adversary”. We sow what we reap, to use the favored phrase.

The Chart of the United States

The chart of the United States yields up some fascinating insights with regard to what has just been outlined. I use the Sibly chart for the US which gives the 13th degree of Sagittarius rising. Sagittarius itself carries a highly devotional energy and one which marks us as a country very dedicated to reaching goals and toward the spiritual life. The key phrase for the US is “I light the Way” and the Sagittarian ascendant stands us in good course with this. We are a nation that aspires and achieves, and in so doing we light the way for others to follow. But we should recognize that ours is not the only path and that there are many ways of achieving goals. There are other, sometimes better, ways of doing things, little as we might like to admit it. This ascendant places our Cancer Sun squarely in the 7th house along with Jupiter, Venus and Mars-a very powerful stellium, indeed. The seventh house is the house of marriage and partnership, but it is also the house of litigation and open enemies. We have forged some powerful alliances along the way and we contribute in a magnanimous manner when needed, but we also attract some powerful enemies and, in fact, it is through this duality of partnership and enmity that we have had our greatest learning. It has often been said by others that we need an enemy; otherwise we are not really happy. We do not seem to be able to go for very long without one. And, we are renowned throughout the world as the most litigious country going, and not without good reason for saying so.

The Sun is square to Saturn in our chart, which is an aspect that has worked to guarantee our great material success in the world along with the stellium just mentioned. But this square also indicates a tendency to meddle in people's affairs, to manipulate things financially, to have a sort of father complex, to a marked insecurity and to its opposite—an arrogance and unwillingness to admit failure or defeat which is actually a mask for the deep-seated insecurity. And for Australian readers who might be nodding their heads in affirmation just be aware that we have the Sun conjoined to Saturn in our chart, which points to many of the same things, along with a marked tendency to depression and self-pity. Australia has a higher than average suicide rate, especially among young men. This conjunction is a lone-wolf position.

Saturn is sextile the ascendant in the US chart, indicating that we are methodical in our pursuit of objectives. With the square to the Sun we know where we are headed and we know exactly how to get there—and heaven help anyone who tries to get in the way. Ambition is very strongly marked in the American chart, along with a strong determination to be noticed and respected. Well, we are both noticed and respected, but sometimes for the wrong reasons, and we seem to be attracting the wrong sorts of those things in the world at the moment. This is a Machiavellian aspect and it brings with it an inordinate amount of pride and a reluctance to bend that often eventually leads to spectacular falls from grace.

But, we can be incredibly giving and self-effacing, too, when the Soul of the nation is drawn out. There have been many instances of our giving and ability to forgive, especially in the last century. We rebuilt the countries of our ex-enemies after WWII and formed alliances with Germany and Japan that have helped us and the world enormously since then. We are a Light in the world that has shone brightly, but we have also created a lot of mess along the way, too, and that is quickly beginning to catch up with us. This brings us to the last major aspect in the chart, which will feature very strongly in the trials that are about to befall our fair nation, as if we didn't have enough already. That aspect is the natal square between Mars and Neptune.

The Mars-Neptune Square

The Mars/Neptune square has been called the single most magnetic aspect a person can have in a horoscope. It confers an unusually magnetic hold over people, and it carries an energy with it that seems to have the ring of divine right. It is frequently found in executives of the church, spiritual and occult organizations. It is an aspect that over-awes people and it gives the owner of it a grip over the minds and hearts of people. When coupled with the Sun/Saturn square and the imperiousness of the Sun/Jupiter conjunction it is small wonder that we feel ourselves to be as one with God's will, divinely inspired and king of the heap. But, this Mars/Neptune square carries a catch—it over-glamourizes everything and adds an emotional fervor that clouds judgment, makes one over-zealous and is, par excellence, the aspect of blind faith in one's abilities and perceptions. In all, these aspects make for a very powerful horoscope, and the just-re-elected administration carries all the extremes of these traits to a tee. There is “a man of faith” in the White House, and he is on a mission for God, or so he says. This very faith and conviction is about to be sorely tested.

Transiting Pluto Opposes Mars

There has been a lot of talk in certain astrological circles as to the meaning of the final transit of Pluto opposition Mars that is about to take place in the US chart. It will occur early next year, about the time of the inauguration of the next administration. Just after Pluto opposes Mars it will move to a square with Neptune. So, what does all this mean? Mars rules the 4th, 5th and the 12th houses in the US chart by orthodox rulership. Esoterically, Mars rules only the 12th house. The 4th and 12th houses especially are concerned with the subconscious and unconscious mind, respectively. Pluto itself rules the subconscious and, more specifically, the clearing of that. Mars rules a great many things, but some of the more familiar ones--and some more frightening ones-are things such as the military, conflicts, cuts, warfare, heat, blood and bloodshed, energy, ambition, discord, anger, recklessness, self-confidence, steel, steel-workers, surgery, temerity and agitators. To have this planet rule the houses of home and family (4th), children and creativity (5th) and institutions and self-undoing is unsettling to say the least. But the house that is most implicated is the 12th, with the 4th running a close second. The 4th house also rules conditions at the end of life and hidden treasures. We could go on and on with associations, but the point to be made here is that with Pluto aspecting the ruler of these houses, especially when that ruler is Mars, it points to the fact that the psyche of the US is in for a major purging next year. It is worthy of note as well that these three factors in combination—Mars, Pluto and the 12th house—are a prime marker for assassins and assassination attempts, although neither planet is in the 12th house.

I am not making predictions here. There are any of a number of things that could happen with such a transit. One would be inclined to think that with assassinations, for instance, the president would be the target, but the 10th house and the Sun (national ruler) are not implicated in this. One would have to look at Bush's chart to see if it is indicated. It could mean any of a number of officials. It could also simply mean that many of our institutions are in for a major overhaul. That would be a good thing in some instances. Pluto is the planet of major endings and separations. I think a far more likely scenario is that people's sense of security is going to be shaken (4th house), that institutions will be under a lot of strain (12th house) and that people are going to feel hard-done-by (afflicted 5th house). At any rate, it will not be an easy year. Some astrologers are saying there is a possibility of civil war in the US. I do not see that myself, and I hope my doubts about that prove justified. I would think that people would have more sense than that. No, there is a more fundamental change taking place that is going to powerfully impact the country, and it is coming from the very Soul of the nation itself.

A Testing Time for the US

The US has been compared to a young woman, who would now be in her mid-twenties approaching the first Saturn return, if such a comparison can be made. The description was given by the abbot of a large monastery in Tibet some 50 years ago, but I feel it to be quite accurate even today in many respects. We do collectively give the impression of young adulthood in our persona as a nation—brash, materialistic, highly idealistic, mystically disposed, always quick to interfere with others but ill-disposed to take any advice ourselves, self-centered, thinking ourselves to be beyond harm's way, thinking we have all the answers, that we have an absolute right to do and act exactly as we please and full of all the life and vitality that youth bestows with seemingly little of the needed common sense. I have traveled quite a bit and spoken to people of many countries, and we are fairly universally seen this way, not that many of us care. But, Saturn returns have a curious way of waking people up to the hard realities of life and of bringing those tests and opportunities that usher us fully into adulthood. The soul moves upon the persona at the Saturn return and gives the final integrating impulse that makes us fully functional, responsible adults—hopefully. And those tests are upon us now.

It has been said that the US is in for a lot of suffering—fortunately for the soul of the nation (and those words are from the same abbot mentioned above). It has also been said that the seeds of that suffering are being sown as we speak. It is not difficult to see that such a thing is so. The suffering will come through the very thing that we have worked so hard to build up-our material security. The conspicuous materialism of our country must give way to a more balanced and spiritual set of values if we are ever to move into a place of real maturity as a nation and take our rightful place on the world stage as a fully trustworthy member of the brotherhood of nations. We have maintained ourselves at the top of the heap through our sheer financial and military strength, but that is not enough to keep us there. It will, in fact prove to be our undoing if we are not careful. The financial straights in which we are about to find ourselves will be dire if immediate changes are not made and strong, positive leadership is not brought to bear. The problem is, if the US suffers, the rest of the world is likely to as well. It will be of interest to note, too, that the major theme/issue being worked out at a national scale as a life-lesson is the division and relationship between capital and labor (Sun square Saturn).

Follow the Money

Consider the following: We have gone from an economy $240 billion in surplus at the end of the Clinton administration to a $450 billion dollar deficit (or somewhere thereabouts) in four years time. Our market value has declined a staggering 5 trillion dollars since the Clinton years. We are a debtor nation. So much for the myth that conservatives are better with finances. Where has all the money gone? The economy is stagnant. Over 2 million jobs have been lost under this administration—the only time it has happened since WWII. We are bogged down in a very expensive military excursion that is a heavy drain on an already strained economy and it shows no sign of ending soon. The Dow has barely risen since the Bush administration took the reins. It should be on the rise according to the planetary cycles. We are heavily dependent upon foreign oil and the rest of the world is beginning to look at trading oil in Euros. If that happens en masse then it would wipe a significant percentage of the American economy off the map overnight.

Oil will steadily get more and more expensive, since we have reached the peak of easy oil extraction. Prices may fall for a time, but they will rise again, and permanently. Count on it. When energy prices rise, so too, will the cost of everything else. In a few short years (in our lifetime) the number of people drawing pensions will be unable to be supported by the number of people left working. Social Security is fast becoming non-existent. From where will the money for pensions come? How will retirees live? People no longer have medical insurance provided by the companies they work for. They have to pay for it themselves, and it is expensive. There are families—a significant proportion—who have to choose whether to pay for pharmaceuticals or for their food and housing. They cannot have both. I have seen this first-hand. And these are just a few of the problems. I sound like a doom-sayer, but these are simple and well-documented facts.

In part three of this article, Malvin Artley concludes his analysis of the US Election with the promise that, while there are testing times ahead for the world, especially due to US national desires and ego-drives, a new day is dawning for the USA.

Read part three of America After The Election

Malvin Artley is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers. His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests in those fields are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism.
He sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. These letters are sent out as a gift and a service. If you wish to be added to or deleted from the mailing list please let me know. If you feel inspired to pass them on please do so, but do so without alteration or charge. They are sent to people of many persuasions, not just astrologers. Blessings. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.