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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 three]
Religion? Security? Good vs Evil?? Saturn...?

Malvin Artley concludes his article on the aftermath of the US elections in 2004. He argues that people in America will come to see that such issues as the "War on Terror" are developments of the national desires and ego drives, allowed to remain unchecked. The Bush Administration is the catalyst for the nation (and indeed the world) coming face to face with reality, in the sense that the greatest struggle is to achieve the true security of self-knowledge. The matters of faith held so dearly to the hearts and souls of Americans will be tested and those who have true compassion and love will rise ahead of those whose goals are based in fear. Community must be extended to cover all people, even those who are different, so that inner growth can come through challenge and suffering, not merely sorrow and destruction.

National Desires and Ego Drives

There is talk of the War on Terror, but this is really a diversion from the larger problems that face us as a nation. I have called Pluto the “Handmaiden of the Soul” in past letters. Pluto is always active when the Soul seeks greater expression in a person's or nation's life, and it works to clear away the obstructions to that fuller expression. This is often a painful process. Soon our national desires and ego drives (Mars) will be seen for what they are under Pluto's influence and many of them will be seen to be a hindrance rather than a help or a good thing. This is not to say people should be poor or unhappy—far from it. But a healthier sense of what wealth is and how it should be used and distributed is on its way for us as a nation. There is also a major disillusionment on the way for us as Pluto squares Neptune soon after it opposes Mars, and we will be forced to take a good hard look at what our ideals really are and where we have been falling short of them. People will be looking to our leaders for answers to a lot of hard questions. If we think things are bad now in that regard, wait until the financial situation gets worse, as it probably will. When Saturn moves into Leo next year people will also be looking for heroes as well as security, and in addition will have to reassess themselves. Our individuality will be tested under Saturn's sojourn in Leo [Saturn will be in Leo between July 17, 2005 and September 2, 2007 — ed], as well as what it means to be a good leader or an American, for instance. This will be on a world scale, too. National and personal identities will be under examination everywhere.

We can expect to have new enemies presented to us under Pluto's transit, either real (7th house) or fabricated (12th house), since Mars is in the 7th house of our nation natally. We have been going through a very deep examination of what it means to be an American and of how we present ourselves to the world since Pluto has been transiting the first house. It entered our first house (appearance, self-expression and self-image) at the end of 2000, and as it squared our solar arc Pluto in September of 2001, we had the great event of 9/11 that eventually lead us into our present situation in Iraq. Solar arc progressions signify major events. At that time Pluto by solar arc was also just within orb of a square to the ascendant/descendant axis, and our national identity was rocked to the core, as well as our perceptions of who or what our enemies are and where our partnerships lay.

Soul of Our Nation

We saw a very interesting dichotomy with that event. For the people of New York especially, and for the nation as a whole, there was a wonderful response to the tragedy in that people responded instead of reacting. They helped eachother and drew together as a family. It was a most impressive and moving moment for the Soul of our nation. We did get a glimpse of our Soul then, and the world responded in kind. At that point we had a marvelous opportunity to do some great work with the rest of the world in addressing terrorism and its solution, along with a lot of other issues. It could have marked a drawing together of many nations and factions in the world. There was tremendous goodwill toward the US at that point and nations all over were with us in our shock and grief. But the government had a different response. Initially it acted well and decisively immediately following 9/11. Then it began to follow its own agenda, and we now find ourselves locked in our present impasse in Iraq. Whatever goodwill we had with other nations has been squandered in large part and, instead of being universally supported in our efforts, people look over their shoulders at us now to greater or lesser extent. I think I can say emphatically that the War in Iraq was not Soul-inspired, although the events that have ensued as a result of that action are very definitely of use in the further awakening of the Soul of the nation.

Significators of Conflict

I was recently asked to give a talk at an astrological forum that was taking a look at the astrological significators of conflict. I was further asked to do so from the perspective of Chinese astrology. When I had to give a title for the talk the thing that immediately came to me was to name the talk: “Chinese Astrology and America's Wars”. This was a few weeks before the elections. The talk was given on the 6th. So, in the intervening time between the elections and the talk I came up with some rather interesting information, some of which has prompted me to write this article.

In looking at the Chinese charts I was immediately confronted with a dilemma: Chinese horoscopes are gender-specific. How does one assign a gender to a country? Upon further investigation, I found that both the male and the female charts for the US gave accurate data, but for different reasons. In the end, one of the charts gave clear indications for the populace and the other for the government. As it turns out, the male chart fits the government very well, whereas the female chart fits the populace. I have not investigated to see if this is universal among countries, but the implications for the US are of major note. The long and the short of it is this: In 2005 the government will move to consolidate its fortunes (or it will have a setback in that area) and there will be an event that will shape or seal the fate of the populace for at least 12 years to come, probably longer.

Period Looms Large

The period after 4 Jul 05 looms large for the US. A good friend of mine who is quite a capable seer asked me out of the blue one day what I saw around the period of Aug/Sep next year. She was not given anything specific and was asking about the world in general, but there was something prompting her. So, I had a look. What I found matched very closely what I found with the Chinese charts and also with the Western charts for America's wars. As an aside, it might be of interest to note that all of America's wars were marked by strong quintile patterns, and we are under the influence of one now, hence the incursion into Fallujah. That period my friend mentioned—and especially October with its two eclipses—looks to be a definitive turning point in the internal workings of the country. Just as a very brief description, the subconscious of the nation is in for a very big shakeup at that time. A new order is seeking to be imposed upon the psyche of America from that point onward. The old ways of looking at things are simply going to be changed, and the projections of the masses are going to come forward as never before. Some sore points are going to be touched upon as the natal Saturn is strongly activated at that time (Saturn in the US chart is a very sore and sensitive point). The Soul of our nation will be moving very strongly upon us then. I will have to leave all the astrological indicators for a later date, but astrologers reading this would benefit by looking at 17 Oct 05, especially with an eye to solar arcs and transits, along with the eclipse on that date.

I may lose a few subscribers over what I am about to say next, but after due consideration there are certain points I have to make. I had said earlier in this piece that I did not feel there was much to choose from in the election. Many people had clamored for a vote for Kerry if for nothing else than just to get Bush out of office, so strong are the emotions against his administration among many groups. That is the wrong reason to vote and it is counterproductive. But there is something to keep in mind here. Bush and Kerry are cast from similar molds in some ways. They are both members of the same secret organization (the Skull and Bones Club). They both have a lot of big money behind them. There was actually not a lot in Kerry's policies that stood out as a radical departure from the Republican platform. If Kerry had been elected there is no guarantee he would have effectively been a major force for change due to the changes in congress brought about by the senate and house elections and the monied interests behind him.

The one candidate early in the primaries that gained little notoriety, but who would have more closely reflected the Soul of the nation was Dennis Kucinich, but the media machine kept him in the background and the public at large simply did not resonate with what he had to say. Otherwise he would have made a much stronger showing. People voted their compulsions this election on the whole, bearing witness to the darker side of the Grand Quintile pattern. We need to realize that we almost have what could be characterized as a one-party system. There is the same thing in Australia. To listen to all of the political ramblings of all parties gets a bit mind-numbing at times. There are no particularly shining lights at this point in our history. Whatever happened to the Lincolns, Roosevelts, Trumans and founding fathers?

Our political system seems to be following a course wherein there is only a certain type of man who is put forward for the electorate to consider, and it has been that way for at least 2-3 decades. Think about it. Who was the last president who really evoked a strong sense of purpose in the country and drew out our higher qualities? Some would argue that there has not been one since WWII. There is something distinctly “on the nose” about the whole process. Now we have a “man of faith” in the White House and many see that as a very positive sign. But, I and many others look back on the past 4 years and when we compare the actions of the administration with the faith they supposedly espouse the hypocrisy is, at times, astounding. Yet, Bush is exactly the man who needs to be there at the moment, but not for the reasons many would think.

The Bush Administration

Who else would do more to highlight to the public eye what needs to change in the country and do more to bring it about quickly than George Bush and the Neocons? Who else is going to polarize the country like he can and force people to take a long, hard look at things? Who else is going to be able to bring enough force to bear in order to crystallize those patterns of thought that have become so entrenched in American politics and bring them to a point where they can finally be confronted and ultimately shattered? Who else is going to continue to suppress civil liberties and set back social reform to the point where people will finally have had a gutful and rise up to confront it? Who else but George Bush needs to clean up the mess in which we find ourselves as a result of his unilateral policies? When I speak of Bush singularly, I mean the entire administration. And finally, who else but Bush is going to be the exponent of the old guard-the status quo of the American psyche that is fast coming up for examination—to the extent that he can? He is a Cancerian himself, and in many ways he exemplifies a significant part of the psyche of America, our protectionism, the ability we have to crawl into our shells and to see only our own agendas, along with the tenacious desire to cling whole-heartedly to the past and to that with which we are most comfortable. I firmly believe that one part of him has the absolute conviction of his faith. But, the actions of his administration exemplify anything but good Christian values-those of love, honesty, self examination, charity to the poor, openness, tolerance, humility, a love of peace and the ability to treat others as we would wish to be treated ourselves—the basic tenets of all faiths.

A Hard Road Ahead

I could go on and on with this, but it would be pointless. I think I have made my case clearly enough and my thoughts on the matter known. I will make it clear, though, that I take no joy in what I have just said. I see a hard road ahead. But, I also see the promise of our great nation and I know for sure that Light and Love will eventuate. I do not want to see our nation suffer. But, if that is what it is going to take to awaken people, to bring out the more spiritual side of the nation and to solve our present impasse, so be it. I have learned the value of pain throughout my life, but I also know it can be avoided. I have only suffered when I have not paid enough attention to what I knew I should have been doing at any given time. But, what I have learned from all that has been priceless. One of my mentors once told me I should be happy for my pain. At the time, I thought he was nuts! Over the years I have grown to see what he meant. All pain on this planet is meant to bring with it some kind of spiritual reward, a greater sense of love and livingness and an increased ability to feel compassion toward others. We have seen the evidence of this in every disaster that has befallen our country in the capacity of our people to respond and come together in times of need. Now, if we could just do it all the time then we will have learned to live as Souls. My entire family and a great many of my friends live in the States. I have relatives serving in Iraq. I pray that nothing untoward befalls them and that we learn the coming lessons quickly. I pray that for all people, not just my family and countrymen.

I know I have painted what most would consider to be a bleak picture for the future. It could turn out that way. I hope I am wrong about that. I know also that many of the recipients of these letters live in foreign lands. But, what I have said herein could equally apply to many countries. It can very easily apply to Australia in many respects, for instance—maybe not the astrological implications, but many of the national woes. Conservatism seems to be on the rise throughout the world, as well as the polarization of thinking that we see so strongly in the US. That is only a symptom of what I have described in earlier paragraphs.

As usual, there is so much more that could be said and outlined here. All I can do is to give a broad indication of trends for the next few years, and especially for the 229th year of the US. I have said these things not to frighten people or to paint gloomy pictures, but rather to raise our awareness of certain issues, of which many of you would know already anyway. Though much of what is contained herein may seem negative and anti-Bush, the facts speak for themselves. I do not see him as a dark persona. We are all children of the same God. I do see that many of the policies of his administration are in error, though, and need to be corrected. Otherwise, what we feel as strain now could well become acute suffering later. It is time to do some national “yard-work” here and clean away some of the undergrowth. Nature has a marvelous way of self-correcting, though, and we are an integral part of nature.

Community

When my ex-boss and his family lost their son their grief was palpable and brought up more than a few quiet tears in me. But, in their grief they found out just how large was the community in which they lived. The response at the boy's funeral left them dumbfounded. It was the largest funeral the chapel had ever seen (and it was a sizable chapel), and for a man so young. They had no idea how loved he and they were throughout the community. There were many gifts presented to them through that. They are only now beginning to realize the gifts that their pain is revealing to them in the love of others that they never really knew was there. And, every day new gems present themselves to them. I wish them well. They have responded admirably to their crisis and are realizing just how important community is in times of trouble-more then that, at all times. And the capper to it all is that they will be receiving a new son or daughter into the fold in a few short months in the form of a grandchild, their second.

This brings us to my closing points. As I see it, there is but one solution to the trials that face all of us now and that are likely to increasingly surface in the future-community. The value of this was presented vividly to me a few years ago when my last long-term relationship ended. It was a deeply-felt crisis for me and I found myself alone, but for a few people. I was in a foreign land and was standing at a crossroads. So, I reached out and started to build on my connections within the community. Since then I have made some marvelous and invaluable connections with people and my life has been enriched immeasurably. That breakup cost me plenty in monetary terms and set me back for a time. But, nothing can replace friends and family and my life is now rich beyond measure. And, as my Soul was stirred, I began to give back to those who had helped me so much through my difficulties. These letters are one result of that, and my community grows steadily every day.

Community begins at home. Where it ends, we never really know. All we need do is to open ourselves to people, give of ourselves, especially of our highest good, and graciously receive when nature and circumstance reciprocate. It is as simple as that. This is a thing that all faiths recognize and which they do very well within their own communities. And, the churches are set to play a big role in the expression of the Soul of America in the coming years—not in militancy, but in simple Christian values. The same will be true of all the faiths that now find their home in America and through their own highest values. They would all do well by reaching out to eachother, too.

A New Day Dawning for America

There is a new day dawning for America. There is a new age dawning for the world. We have all been inundated with talk of the New Age, of a golden era dawning for humanity, that we will all ascend out of our present morass and brotherhood will win the day. Someday all this will be true. But, in the interim we have a lot of hard work to do. We are prone to think people have chosen badly in the elections and that we will all suffer in the process. We are prone to think many of our fellow citizens somehow blind to the realities of things and that we personally will suffer because of the poor choices of others. I would ask the people who think that way what it is they would rather share with their fellows—just the good times or “life with the works”? Instead of recriminations and negativity toward others who do not think as we do and whom we suppose to have completely lost the plot, I suggest it would be better if we would instead get on with our work, keep up a steady pressure for the truth as one sees it to come out and to build common ground with people. We just might have something to offer each other.

In the days to come let us be mindful that we are not really so different from each other. We are one humanity regardless of nation, politics, religion or any of a host of differences. We are too apt to focus upon difference than on similarity. In so doing we forget the gift we are to eachother. And if we feel strong sentiment toward another or a group, let us be mindful of the mirror they are into our own Soul. I know the Soul of the nation moves upon the persona of America and the freedoms we have fought so hard to secure will eventually be returned to us, and even greater ones. There is no freedom greater than the Soul in full flight. And, when we free our own individual Souls, then the collective Soul is stirred much more intently.

Lastly, for those who feel what is going on in the world and especially in the US to be a struggle of good against evil, I leave you with the following lines from one of the world's more beloved poets, Kahlil Gibran:

“Oftentimes I have heard you speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto you and an intruder upon your world.
But I say that even as the holy and the righteous cannot rise beyond the highest which is in each of you,
So the wicked and weak cannot fall lower than the lowest which is in you also.
And as a single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree,
So the wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all.
Like a procession you walk together toward your god-self.
You are the way and the way-farers.
And when one of you falls down he falls for those behind him, a caution against the stumbling stone.
Ay, and he falls for those ahead of him, who though faster and surer of foot, yet removed not the stumbling stone.”

— The Prophet, “Crime and Punishment”

Many blessings to you all,
Malvin.

This concludes the article. Return to the start 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.