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Friday, May 21, 2010

The Cardinal T-Square Crisis: America, Iran, Israel & United Nations, BP's Oil Spill, Art Theft in Paris & Buildup in the Persian Gulf?

The Cardinal T-Square Crisis

May 2010

America, Iran, Israel, Historic Art Theft in Paris; Action in Middle East, Persian Gulf & BP's Oil Spill?

Forecasts & Dates for Cardinal Crisis Years

By Theodore White; Mundane Astrolog.S

My forecasts for the cardinal crisis of 2010 remains the same - so, stay safe out there. After a difficult week of violent transits, most notable in Thailand, along with the shakiness of global markets, events continue to tend towards the negative, to say the least.

This will continue into the late spring and summer months of 2010, in my mundane astrological estimation.

Some ominous signs indicate geopolitical consequences as a result of the economic crisis as well as long-standing issues left unresolved by stubbornness, procrastination, and poor policy.

The recent banning of naked short sales in Germany, along with the continued stresses in Europe and its monetary union against wolf speculators, has the markets on edge.

Greece, which borders on the edge of revolt, has made its first debt payment from EU loans, but the questions around European sovereign debt remains.

Violence and repression continues in Thailand with the country on the edge just a month before the start of the global cardinal crisis transits.

In the Middle East, it appears that confrontations are ahead this summer, with increasing tensions with Iran possible in the Persian Gulf, while a huge oil spill threatens the Gulf Of Mexico, and American coastal regions.

Seismically, world transits act as sparks on regions of the world prone to earthquakes, and we are now in that transit zone again. I expect to hear of numerous earthquakes followed by large magnitude events along the Ring of Fire especially. Those living in regions prone to even small earthquakes, should update their emergency supplies, and measures.

These tensions occur just prior to the Cardinal T-square months of 2010, and are of concern to everyone who seeks peace, and calm in the world.

I continue to forecast that unless sound minds, common sense, and wisdom is brought into the equation that things could get out of hand this year.

It is important that everyone avoid haste, impulse, and misjudgment in the months to come or there will be geopolitical consequences that are unintended.

Paris Calling?
Major Art Heist of Masterpieces
Perhaps a Hedge Fund wolf in the mix?
Who can afford the Unaffordable?
This Picasso was one of five masterpieces stolen in an art theft from the Modern Art Museum in Paris, France on May 20. Titled "Le Pigeon aux Petits Pois," by Pablo Picasso, 1911, dimensions 64 x 53 cm and priceless. Wonder who will try to actually put a price on this piece? I wouldn't. Not with these transits. Good luck trying to hang it on your wall. You want Picasso's ghost pissed off at you? Talk about a hot item. What a world...

In the early morning hours of Thursday, May 20, with Moon and Mars conjoined in tropical Leo, and in the Sixth House of Work about 3: 50 a.m., Paris time, someone made their way into the Modern Art Museum in Paris and stole five master oil paintings worth an estimated €100 Euros.

Amazing.

You couldn't make this stuff up. Truth is stranger than fiction.


~ The British Times Reports May 21 ~ 

Paris, France -- "Bertrand Delanoë, the art-loving Mayor of Paris, had some explaining to do last night.

A masked man had just climbed into the Musée d’Art Moderne and helped himself to five masterpieces — including a Picasso, a Matisse and a Modigliani.

The Pink Panther-style raid, which netted works insured at €100 million (£85.4 million) was one of the biggest art thefts in decades. Christophe Girard, Mr Delanoë’s Deputy Mayor in charge of Culture, was flummoxed.

“Er, the alarm was apparently deactivated. They must have been a sophisticated bunch. The guards saw nothing.”

He added: “To get into the museum so fast by disassembling a window, choose five specific works and then slip out unnoticed by the guards, that is quite impressive.”


Serious Crime Brigade officers were questioning the three night staff at the gallery for a clue as to why none noticed anything unusual and why the elaborate electronic systems had failed.

It was about 7 a.m. when a patrolling guard noticed the empty frames where five of its most celebrated oeuvres usually hung.

“Pastorale” by Henri Matisse, 1906, dimensions 46 x 55 cm

Gone were Picasso’s cubist Dove with Green Peas, Matisse’s Pastorale, Braque’s Olive tree near l’Estaque, Modigliani’s Woman on the range, and Léger’s Still life with candlesticks.

A pane of glass on a street-level window had been neatly cut out. A padlock on an iron grille had been sliced through. Surveillance video showed a lone hooded man in dark clothing entering the building, which is east of the Art Deco Palais de Tokyo, opposite the Eiffel Tower.

The thief apparently strolled around picking out the works at leisure...


"Nature morte au chandelier” by Fernand Léger, 1922, dimensions 116 x 80 cm

"In a statement last night, Mr Delanoë said that the motion detectors in the gallery had been out of order for some time but the video system was 'working perfectly, transmitting live pictures to the security post.'"

There are three officers on duty every night.

Yesterday the gallery was shut. A notice on the bronze doors said:

“Closed for technical reasons.” 


The city put the combined value of the lost works at just under €100 million, though the paintings would be worth a lot more in an honest auction and a great deal less on the black market, experts said.

Mr Delanoë was “saddened and shocked” by the theft, which he described as “an intolerable attack on Paris’s universal cultural heritage."

"La femme à l’éventail” by Amedeo Modigliani, 1919, dimensions 100 x 65 cm

Experts said that they were less surprised, given the failure in recent years of galleries to defend themselves against increasingly bold thieves, and the rise of international traffic in stolen art works.

“L’olivier près de l’Estaque” by Georges Braque, 1906, dimensions 50 x 61 cm 

In June last year, a sheaf of Picasso drawings worth several million euros was taken from the Musée Picasso in central Paris during renovation.

In December a thief walked out of a gallery in Marseilles with Degas’ The Chorus under his coat.

In 2008, paintings by Cézanne, Degas, Van Gogh and Monet were stolen from the Bührle Collection in Zurich.

Only the Monet and the Van Gogh have been recovered.

Robert Read, the head of art at Hiscox insurance in London, said that private buyers were unlikely to have ordered the theft because people usually acquired art to exhibit it.

“It is more likely to be criminals trying to extort money out of the museum or the State, or who trade it in the underworld for drugs or weapons,” he said.

At the Palais de Tokyo contemporary art site, which is opposite the Musée d’Art Moderne, Pierre Cornette de Saint-Cyr, the director, appealed to the thieves to give back the works.

“You cannot do anything with these paintings. All countries in the world are aware, and no collector is stupid enough to buy a painting that . . . These five paintings are unsellable, so thieves, Messieurs, you are fools, return them.”

Emmanuel Pierrat, a Paris lawyer who specializes in art, called the scale of the haul exceptional. “At the same time, when you know the way galleries are protected, it is not so surprising. For some reason, the galleries consider themselves impregnable.”

Since the theft of Edvard Munch’s Scream in Norway in 1994, the “priority had been given to surveillance of visitors at the expense of night-time surveillance,” Mr Pierrat said.

“When you hear that he only had to saw a padlock and break a window to steal these canvases, it’s mind-boggling.”

Alice Farren-Bradley, of the Art Loss Registry in London, called the Paris theft 'one of the biggest art heists ever, considering the estimated value, the prominence of the artists and the high profile of the museum.'

'Very often they can be used as collateral to broker other deals involving drugs or weapons,” she said. 'They are not necessarily going to be bought by some great lover of the arts.'

Police view art as the fourth biggest criminal enterprise after drugs, weapons and money laundering. Interpol recently contributed to the publication Invisible Museum, a compilation of thousands of missing works."

 The Cardinal T-Square Crisis
What's Brewing in Middle East, Iran & Persian Gulf?

Talk About Bad Timing...

You see, this is why I often criticize policymakers. The reason why the human race has made it this far is because the monarchs listened to their mundane astrologers. Once they stopped listening, that's when they began to fail miserably in matters of state. Nothing has changed since that time, and I wish it would.

Here's one reason:

It is reported that thousands of Hezbollah gunmen are on some kind of "war alert" heading towards Southern Lebanon, while Syria, Hezbollah, Turkey and Israel appear to be in preparations for resumed conflict as all sides are taking on new weapons supplies.

One of the major problems with 2010 are the Cardinal T-Square transits - this summer - along with the position of Jupiter and Uranus near the star Scheat, at the end of tropical Pisces. I have written about this before, and forecasted on this matter last year. I continue to do so early in 2010 as well.

Both planets are now within orb of this malefic star that signifies potential negative events on and over the high seas along with ocean-going and airborne vessels of all types.

Therefore, it is most likely not a surprise that the US has sent more navel ships into the Persian Gulf, most likely as a result of dealing with a hard-line regime in Iran, which has brutally crack-downed on their own population earlier this year. I say cool it down, as the international community is right on this one.

My question to Iran's leaders is this:

If you find it hard to refine your own oil in order to make kerosene and gasoline, then why on earth would you choose to try to refine something along the lines of, say, nuclear material, which is inherently more difficult, and a million times more dangerous to your own country? Are you out of your freaking mind or something? Am I the only one that can see this?

~ According to Debka File News May 21st ~

The USS Harry S. Truman heads a carrier force sent into the Persian Gulf by US President Barack Obama

"Debkafile's military sources report a decision by the Obama administration to boost US military strength in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf regions in the short term with an extra air and naval strike forces and 6,000 Marine and sea combatants.


Carrier Strike Group 10, headed by the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, sails out of the US Navy base at Norfolk, Virginia Friday, May 21. On arrival, it will raise the number of US carriers off Iranian shores to two.


Up until now, President Barack Obama kept just one aircraft carrier stationed off the coast of Iran, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Sea, in pursuit of his policy of diplomatic engagement with Tehran.


For the first time, too, the US force opposite Iran will be joined by a German warship, the frigate FGS Hessen, operating under American command.


It is also the first time that Obama, since taking office 14 months ago, is sending military reinforcements to the Persian Gulf. Our military sources have learned that the USS Truman is just the first element of the new buildup of US resources around Iran.


It will take place over the next three months, reaching peak level in late July and early August. By then, the Pentagon plans to have at least 4 or 5 US aircraft carriers visible from Iranian shores.
 
The USS Truman's accompanying Strike Group includes Carrier Air Wing Three (Battle Axe) - which has 7 squadrons - 4 of F/A-18 Super Hornet and F/A-18 Hornet bomber jets, as well as spy planes and early warning E-2 Hawkeyes that can operate in all weather conditions; the Electronic Attack Squadron 130 for disrupting enemy radar systems; and Squadron 7 of helicopters for anti-submarine combat.

(In its big naval exercise last week, Iran exhibited the Velayat 89 long-range missile for striking US aircraft carriers and Israel warships from Iranian submarines.)

Another four US warships will be making their way to the region to join the USS Truman and its Strike Group. They are the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy and guided missile destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill, USS Oscar Austin and USS Ross.

Debkafile's military sources disclose that the 6,000 Marines and sailors aboard the Truman Strike Group come from four months of extensive and thorough training to prepare them for anticipated missions in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean."

The situation is made more precarious with three American hikers who continue to be held by Iran since July 2009.

Recently, three of their mothers were able to travel to Iran and visit them after not seeing their children for 10 months."


Americans Detained in Iran?
Mothers Plead for Release Of Their Children
Mercy Mission to Iran: Cindy Hickey, Nora Shourd & Laura Fattal show respect for local Muslim culture as they arrive at Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran with pink roses for Iranian government officials in an effort to gain the release of their children held in Iran for nearly a year.

~ The Daily Mail Reports May 21 ~

"Dressed in black Islamic headscarves and long traditional robes, these three Americans pass for any Muslim woman going about everyday life in Iran.

But unlike their local counterparts, Laura Fattal, Nora Shourd, and Cindy Hickey are desperate to secure the release of their three children, who were arrested by Iranian authorities ten months ago for alleged spying.

In a gesture of goodwill to the Iranian government and a sign of respect to the country's culture, the mothers arrived at Tehran airport dressed in full Muslim garb and each carrying a pink rose for their hosts.

Iran had granted the women visas to visit their children Sarah Shourd, 31, her boyfriend, Shane Bauer, 27, and their friend Josh Fattal, 27, who had been hiking in Iraq's scenic and largely peaceful northern Kurdish region when they were detained on the border.

Through tears of joy and relief, the mothers threw their arms up in the air and rushed to hug and kiss their children in an emotional reunion at the Esteqlal Hotel in the capital.

It was the first time the families had met since the young trio were arrested.

Iran detained the three Americans along the Iraqi border in July and have accused them of spying.

Their relatives reject the accusation and say the three were simply hiking in Iraq's scenic northern Kurdish region.

The mothers, who were still wearing Islamic dress and holding bouquets of flowers, arrived in Tehran in a bid to secure the release of their children.

Mrs Hickey, the mother of Shane Bauer, said they were 'very grateful to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the authorities for granting us a visa' to visit their children.
Detention In Iran: Shane Bauer hugs his mother Cindy Hickey, who is desperately hoping her visit will help win the release of the three young Americans.

'We know that this is a great humanitarian act that they have given to us. Our reception was wonderful when we came into Iran,' she said in comments that were aired on English-language Press TV.

Relatives have had little news on the three Americans since their arrest, and their mothers were eager to talk to them and gauge where their health stands after ten months in captivity in Iran's Evin prison.

Nora Shourd has said she is especially worried about the effect that near-solitary confinement may be having on her always social daughter.


Wants daughter back: Nora Shourd is concerned about the welfare of her daughter Sarah (left) who has been detained in Iran's Evin prison since July 2009.

With no one to talk to, Sarah had become seriously depressed, her mother said, referring to information given to her by Swiss diplomats who visited the trio last month.

 The diplomats also reported that Sarah was suffering a serious gynecological condition, while her boyfriend Shane Bauer had a stomach ailment.

But Iran's intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi, has defended his country's treatment of the Americans during their detention.

'We have treated the U.S. nationals according to our religious principles and on humanitarian grounds, even though these individuals committed an act of espionage by illegally crossing the border into Iran,' Mr Moslehi said today.

Iran claims the three entered Iranian territory from Iraq. But their parents argue that if the trio crossed the border it was by accident.
Drama in Tehran: Laura Fattal of Philadelphia grasps her son Josh Fattal in her arms at the Esteghlal hotel in Tehran for the first time in 10 months since he was jailed along with his two American friends, by Iranian authorities.
Global Transits

Let's keep everyone in our prayers during these changing and challenging times.

The cardinal T-square transits are very active from June through September with the months of July and August particularly strong.

It is very important for all parties, including governments, and their leaders to remember the inclinations of the planetary bodies, and how small things can become large things in a short amount of time under the cardinal influences.

Haste, and impulse are most troublesome, as well as allowing unresolved situations to continue into such powerful world transits. In my perspective, much of this is leading up to conflicts, which, under the cardinal T-square transits, can get out of hand.

Therefore, it is wise to allow normalcy to occur, and to avoid the hostile and much unneeded violence that can easily be avoided with flexibility, and co-operation with everyone.

~ The BBC Reports May 21 ~


Jerusalem-- "Middle East envoy George Mitchell wound up a second round of indirect peace talks between Palestinians and Israeli without any outward sign of progress.

A statement from the office of the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of the "possibility" of goodwill gestures towards the Palestinians. No details were given.

The US envoy and Mr Netanyahu met for three and a half hours on Thursday. Mr Mitchell met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas earlier in the week.

The indirect, proximity talks are set to continue for four months, and should get to addressing some of the core issues - borders, Jerusalem, and refugees.
All parties say they hope these will lead to direct negotiations.

Shuttle diplomacy

In the current talks Mr Mitchell shuttles between Mr Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem and Mr Abbas' office in Ramallah, a journey of about 10 miles (15km).

Thursday's statement from Mr Netanyahu's office said part of the meeting with Mr Mitchell concentrated on water issues.

The US envoy met Mr Abbas on Wednesday. He was given letters protesting against the killing of a Palestinian teenager in the West Bank, allegedly by an Israeli settler, and the killing of an elderly farmer in Gaza by the Israeli military.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said his side also brought up the "the numerous Israeli provocative statements of the last few days".

Palestinian officials have been angered by repeated statements by Israeli officials, including the prime minister, that settlement construction would continue in occupied East Jerusalem.

'Giving cover'

The Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has criticised the talks, warning that they "give cover to the Israeli occupation to commit more crimes against our people".

The proximity talks were meant to start in March, but Palestinians pulled out of talks after Israeli municipal authorities approved plans for 1,600 new homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Ramat Shlomo.

The announcement was made during a visit to Israel by US Vice-President Joe Biden and caused great strain in Israeli-US relations.

The Palestinian Authority's formal position is that it will not enter direct talks unless Israel completely halts building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In November, Israel announced a 10-month suspension of new building in the West Bank, under intense US pressure.

But it considers areas within the Jerusalem municipality as its territory and thus not subject to the restrictions.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. It insists Jerusalem will remain its undivided capital, although Palestinians want to establish their capital in the east of the city, and the international community does not recognize the Israeli annexation of the east of the city.

Nearly half a million Jews live in more than 100 settlements in the West Bank, among a Palestinian population of about 2.5 million.

The settlements are illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this."

Time-line of Recent Crisis Talks
  • March 7: Palestinian leaders in West Bank agree to join proximity talks already backed by Israel, US and Arab foreign ministers.
  • March 9: Israel announces the building of 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem during visit by US Vice-President Joe Biden, who condemns the move.
  • March 11: Mr Biden says there must be no delay in resuming Mid-East peace talks, despite the row.
  • March 12: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Israeli move is "deeply negative" for relation.
  • March 15: The US says it is waiting for a "formal response" from Israel to its proposals to show it is committed to Mid-East peace.
  • March 16: The US envoy to the Mid-East postpones a visit to Israel.
  • March 17: President Obama denies there is a crisis with Israel.
  • March 22: Hillary Clinton tells pro-Israel lobby group Aipac that Israel has to make "difficult but necessary choices" if it wants peace with Palestinians. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu tells Aipac that Israel has a "right to build" in Jerusalem.
  • March 23: Mr Obama and Mr Netanyahu meet behind closed doors with no media access
  • March 23 Mar: Jerusalem municipal government approves building of 20 new homes in East Jerusalem
  • March 24: Mr Netanyahu ends Washington trip talking of a "golden" solution amid US silence
  • May 2: Arab League backs resumption of proximity talks to run for four months, before start of direct talks.
I continue to forecast that accidents on the seas are more than possible under the Cardinal T-Square transits. With both transiting Jupiter, and Uranus conjoined near 0-Aries, and to the fixed star Scheat, situations can easily get out of hand merely by accident, haste, and impulse.

This can lead to escalations that are untended.

So I continue to call for prudence and timing under such strong global inclinations such as the cardinal transits, particularly July and August during the height of the cardinal T-square.


Tensions Over A Nuclear Iran?

~ The BBC Reports May 18, 2010 ~

Tehran--"After months of deadlock, suddenly the diplomatic confrontation over Iran's nuclear program has burst back into life.

On Monday, Iran signed a deal with Brazil and Turkey, under which a large part of Iran's stocks of enriched uranium would be shipped to Turkey in exchange for new fuel for a Tehran research reactor.

It was widely seen as a last-ditch effort by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to deflect pressure for fresh sanctions, a diplomatic coup possibly enabling him to slip out of the encircling net.

But despite that, on Tuesday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced agreement among the permanent five members of the security council on a new draft UN Security Council resolution on sanctions.

It is not clear whether the 10 non-permanent members of the council will support the draft.

They include Brazil and Turkey, who have both said new sanctions are not now necessary.

But Mrs Clinton's comments strongly suggest that the hard-won support of China and Russia for the sanctions has withstood the blandishments of Mr Ahmadinejad.

At the same time Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while calling on the world to give the deal a chance, warned Iran that if it did not deliver the fuel in one month, as agreed, it would be "on its own".


Efforts undermined?

Iran watchers are already criticizing Washington for moving the goal posts. The state department spokesman seemed to suggest that only the suspension of uranium enrichment by Iran would be enough to stop the new sanctions.

A senior US official said the negotiations on a fuel swap were on a "separate track" from the discussions over sanctions - and the deal with Brazil and Turkey, while well intentioned, was "largely beside the point."

Turkey and Brazil may also feel disappointed that this rapid announcement by the US secretary of state undermines their effort to find a diplomatic solution.

The problem for the United States and its allies is that they are very keen to keep the pressure on Iran.

Any suggestion that they are willing to hold off on sanctions and the coalition, so tortuously assembled, might begin to fall apart.

The West would fear that it might also give Iran the option to play for time.

After all, they might argue, this latest deal was only won under threat of those very sanctions.

Uranium questions? 

The deal itself certainly leaves plenty of unanswered questions. The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a Washington think tank, pointed to one of the most obvious.

What happens to Iran's enriched uranium, shipped to Turkey, if and when it gets the fuel for its research reactor?

Under the original deal negotiated in Geneva last October, it was that low-enriched uranium that would be converted to higher-grade fuel for the Tehran research reactor.

Under this deal, it just sits in Turkey, while France provides fresh fuel for the research reactor.

Nothing in the agreement stipulates whether or not Iran gets its low-enriched uranium back.

Another point made by the ISIS is that the situation has changed since the original deal in October.

At that time, 1,200kgs of uranium made up the bulk of Iran's stocks. Shipping it out of the country provided a high measure of security that it could not be diverted to make a bomb.

But since then Iran has been busily enriching. It may now possess more than 2,000kgs of enriched uranium. And what happens also to the higher grade uranium - 20% grade - that Iran says it has been producing itself for the Tehran reactor?

The nuclear facility near Natanz, Iran
photograph: DIGITALGLOBE/GETTY IMAGES

A more fundamental question is whether President Ahmadinejad can actually deliver on this deal.

Two previous attempts to reach a similar agreement fell apart, when Mr Ahmadinejad came under sustained criticism at home.

It was the clearest evidence of the weakening of his domestic political position following last summer's election dispute.

Hardline response?

This time, reaction in hardline newspapers has been less negative but still mixed. Iranian, Brazilian and Turkish foreign ministers brokered the deal

Jomhuri-e-Eslami, which is seen as a hardline supporter of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, said the deal was "an obvious backtrack from Iran's announced strategy.

It said: "This declaration is not a victory for Iran but it is an obvious backtrack against the bullying demands of the West and the Islamic Republic of Iran should not accept it."

By contrast Keyhan, also seen as close to the supreme leader, said Iran had not backtracked, but rather "gained the objective guarantee that it was seeking".

So even hardliners in Iran are divided. One can only imagine how much greater those divisions are likely to become if they see that the moment is approaching for Iran's hard-won uranium to be sent out of the country, particularly if sanctions are still on track.

Perhaps Mr Ahmadinejad himself is bluffing, reaching a deal he believes he will never actually have to implement.

In that case, Washington might decide the best course is to call his bluff and agree to the deal.

Key Timing

Meanwhile in New York, US officials are confident they have the votes they need for new sanctions - in other words, they have the support of nine members of the security council, and no vetoes from the permanent members.

But Western officials have always stressed the need for as much support as possible, so as to send the strongest possible message to Tehran.

Abstentions or negative votes from powerful countries such as Turkey or Brazil would be very damaging.

Another issue is the timing.

It has always been assumed that no vote would come forward this month while Lebanon is chairing the Security Council, because of the influential role of Iran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

If it does slip to June, then the Americans have to decide whether they feel a vote would be productive in the sensitive days running up to the first anniversary of Mr Ahmadinejad's re-election on 12 June.

So a deal, originally put forward as a confidence-building measure, risks just becoming a new source of bitter debate between Iran and the West.

~ The Guardian Followed Up May 19 ~

United Nations, New York -- "The rapid flurry of diplomatic activity in the past few days over Iran has collided with the month-long talks in New York on mending the threadbare Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the results have not been pretty.

Some observers inside the NPT negotiations are saying the US and other weapons states have sought a quick diplomatic victory over Iran at the expense of the long-term prospects of the global arms control regime.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks at the NPT Review Conference at the United Nations in New York.
Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Security Council smackdown of Brazil and Turkey's efforts to secure a compromise over Iran's enriched uranium stockpile has taken many inside the conference chamber by surprise and triggered a wave of anger over the humiliation of the two countries' leaders, who had invested considerable political capital in the deal.

Anne Penketh of the British American Security Information Council and Rebecca Johnson of the Acronym Institute both report on the diplomatic blowback.

The Turks and Brazilians are of course mightily annoyed, but so are many NAM countries who see this week's sequence of events as yet one more example of P5 arrogance.

All this has come at a delicate moment at the conference. A deal on how to proceed on a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East remains a key to avoiding another fiasco like 2005, as my colleague Ed Pilkington is reporting.

There is a meeting on the zone idea on Wednesday afternoon, to talk about what a conference on the issue would look like, what it would discuss, and whether it would be convened by the UN secretary-general.

The details are potentially a deal breaker for Egypt, and if Cairo and other Arab capitals side with Brazil and Turkey, that could spell disaster for the Obama agenda here, which is to get non-weapons states to agree to more intrusive IAEA inspections and more controls on the export of nuclear technology.

That seems a high price to pay, particularly as not much is going to get done on the Iran sanctions resolution until June 2010, after the Lebanese Security Council presidency.

So why announce the sanctions package on Tuesday and do so much potential damage at the NPT? It's not clear."


The Cardinal T-Square Crisis Transits

I keep writing about the Cardinal Transits because it is very important. At this time in history, with these particular global transits, it is not wise at all to engage with heavy weapons, or to fight in conflicts, be they ideological or religious, under the planetary inclinations at play.

I warn again against haste and impulse, as well as making assumptions for all sides of any conflict, but rather take time to calm things down, and explore better options that would lead to compromises everyone would be pleased with if only they would try.

However, I warn those who say they do not believe in transits that in no way does this alter the astronomical and mathematical facts. Saturn, Uranus, Pluto's T-square in the cardinal signs of Libra, Aries, and Capricorn; joined by Jupiter at sensitive seasonal degrees relative to the Earth during the months of June, July, and August 2010 - is a potent mix.


Policymakers and diplomats should be keen on seeing the much bigger picture, which is common to mundane astrology. I keep saying that foretold is forewarned.

The configurations are global, and transpersonal, so conflicts ongoing can have a tendency to quickly inflame and expand under the cardinal t-square inclinations, while new issues (many which have been outstanding for some months & years) can quickly come to a head at moment's notice. 

Caution is advised.

I continue to warn about all vessels on the high seas, and to guard against accidents or events that can get out of hand, and be difficult to resolve without great losses of life.

Again, this is not the year for travel, nor for taking chances on the high seas. I urge caution for those taking part in operations over the water, and, cruise ships, which, I am sorry to say, will not have a stellar year. I warn cruise ship operators to exercise extreme caution this year and to be prudent in their safety responsibilities to their customers and passengers.

We already have seen accidents on the seas take place, such as the crisis situation in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the British Petroleum Oil Rig Spill.

 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
 Disaster in the Making?
 NASA CAPTURES OIL SPILL FROM SPACE: The “Terra Terra satellite captured a visible satellite image of the Gulf oil spill on May 17 at 16:40 UTC (12:40 p.m. EDT) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer Instrument on-board. The oil slick appears as a dull gray on the water's surface and stretches south from the Mississippi Delta with what looks like a tail.”
credit/NASA

~ AFP Reports May 22 ~


BP OFFICIALS deny botching the month-long clean-up of an oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico and deliberately hiding the true extent of the disaster.

"With a thick sludge now washing up in the Mississippi delta threatening disaster for a wealth of animal and plant life, the US administration has set the British energy giant tight deadlines to come clean about their operation.

Just how much oil is gushing from a pipe ruptured when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank a month ago has been a contentious issue, with BP initially putting the figure at 5000 barrels a day.

 
 April 20, 2010: An explosion on a deep-water drilling rig 40 miles offshore the Louisiana coast launched what could turn out to be the largest environmental disaster in U.S history. Despite rescue efforts, 11 of the 126 workers on the rig are presumed dead. The rig sank, leaving a leak at a sub-sea well spewing thousands of gallons of crude oil a day that continues to this day.

See the Houston Chronicle's excellent coverage of the BP Oil Spill and the investigation & cleanup of the accident at the Deepwater Horizon, a half-billion-dollar rig owned and operated by Swiss-based Transocean and leased to BP.

~ Houston Chronicle Energy reporter Tom Fowler writes ~

"While BP has started siphoning oil from the leak in the Gulf of Mexico and is getting ready to use its "top kill" method sometime early next week, two relief wells are still being drilled.

Drilling on the first relief well started on May 2 and drilling on the second well on May 16.
BP released a graphic yesterday showing the progress of the wells. 

As of yesterday, the first well has been drilled to a depth of 8,762 feet. The second well is at 5,471 feet. They still have several thousand feet more to go.

The drilled wells will intersect either side of the original wellbore above the oil reservoir to allow heavy fluid to be pumped into the well to stop the flow of oil. The planned intersection depth is at around 18,000 feet.

BP said that each of the wells will take an estimated three months to complete since the start of drilling. "That was not just BP's estimate. That was the estimate of the in-flight command, including NOAA and the Coast Guard. That's the best estimate we have," BP's chief operating officer Doug Suttles said on Friday.
 
Meanwhile, AFP's Stephane Jourdain Continues her May 22 Report published from Australia ~
"But the company says it is now siphoning 5,000 barrels a day from the leak by a 1600-meter-long insertion tube device, and live webcam television pictures show more oil continuing to spew into the Gulf from the ruptured well, meaning the figure must be higher.

Mr Suttles sought to quell the growing anger among the US administration, residents and lawmakers that not enough is being done, with the spill flowing unchecked since April 20 just 80km off the Louisiana coast.


"We've thrown everything at that," he said on ABC television, saying the company has so far spent about $869.67 million on the clean-up.

 Oil Flowing Into Habitats
Credit/SpillCam

"We've mounted the largest response ever done in the world. We put 20,000 people at this."

He confirmed BP had met a late Thursday [May 20]deadline set by the US administration to answer concerns over the chemical dispersant used to break up the oil slick on the surface, but had failed to find a less toxic alternative.

"Right now, we cannot identify another product that is available that is better than the Corexit product," he said, stressing the dispersant they're using is on a list approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Democratic US congressman Ed Markey voiced the frustrations of many Americans, saying: "We're beginning to understand that we cannot trust BP.

People do not trust the experts any longer. BP has lost all credibility."

With thick patches of oil tarring coastal Louisiana marshes, a haven for migratory birds and rare wildlife that will be virtually impossible to clean up, local leaders have started to despair."

The planetary configurations call for calm, cool heads, and prudence in watching for others who "do not get the message." In this light, everyone needs to be on the same page, or situations can quickly get out of hand.

These are the major planetary configurations & dates of the Cardinal Crisis of 2010:
  • April 6-7 - Pluto stations retrograde at 5-Capricorn
  • April 7, 2010 - Saturn re-enters tropical Virgo
  • April 26, 2010 - Saturn opposes Uranus (4th opposition)
  • May 23, 2010 - Jupiter opposes Saturn (first time since 1990-91)
  • May 27-28, 2010 - Uranus enters tropical Aries
  • May 30th, 2010 - Saturn stations direct motion
  • June 5-6, 2010 - Jupiter enters tropical Aries
  • June 6-7, 2010 - Mars enters tropical Virgo
  • June 8, 2010 - Jupiter conjoins Uranus
  • July 5, 2010 - Uranus stations retrograde at 0-Aries
  • July 8, 2010 - Jupiter turns North in declination
  • July 11, 2010 - New Moon total eclipse at 19-Cancer (not seen in N. America)
  • July 21, 2010 - Saturn re-enters tropical Libra for good
  • July 23, 2010 - Jupiter stations retrograde
  • July 25, 2010 - Jupiter Squares Pluto
  • July 26, 2010 - Fifth Saturn/Uranus opposition
  • July 31, 2010 - Mars & Jupiter turn S in Declination
  • August 3, 2010 - Jupiter, retrograde, Squares Pluto again
  • August 6, 2010 - Venus turns South in Declination
  • August 13-14, 2010 - Uranus re-enters tropical Pisces
  • August 16, 2010 - Jupiter Opposes Saturn
  • August 20, 2010 - Mercury retrogrades in Virgo
  • August 21, 2010 - Saturn Squares Pluto
  • September 8, 2010 - Saturn turns South in declination
  • September 8, 2010 - New Moon at 15-Virgo
  • September 8, 2010 - Venus enters Scorpio
  • September 8-9, 2010 - Jupiter re-enters tropical Pisces
  • September 12, 2010 - Mercury stations direct
  • September 14, 2010 - Pluto stations direct
  • September 14, 2010 - Mars enters Scorpio
  • September 19, 2010 - Jupiter conjoins Uranus in Pisces
  • October 8, 2010 - Venus stations retrograde in Scorpio
  • October 18, 2010 - Jupiter conjoins Uranus in Pisces
Major Transits of Cardinal Crisis Years

There are six (6) major transits of the Cardinal Crisis Years - signified by the planets involved and their inclinations:


- Saturn oppose Uranus -
2008-2010
Frustrating attempts to change existing conditions
The new versus the old
Virgo/Pisces - Aries/Libra

Negative attitudes within personal areas of responsibility against those of personal freedom. People generally demand strict obedience to their authority but will rebel against authority at the same time.

Much cooperation is needed to avoid falling into the unfavorable inclinations of Saturn's opposition to Uranus.


A sustained cycle where much insight, honesty, and awareness is needed to offset the powerful tendency to be rigid and unforgiving in personal and professional affairs.

Extreme viewpoints expressed by the ignorant and mentally ill fall under this influence. Loud public pronouncements shouted with wild mannerisms expressing inconsistent attitudes can be observed.

Common sights are: bugged-eye pundits uttering unsubstantiated personal opinions as facts; personal attacks, insults, and acerbic comments designed to bring attention to oneself.

Impulse, haste, snap judgments, immaturity, poor communication skills lacking any sign of social grace and basic manners can be observed.


Negative emotional attitudes bordering on signs of stress and mental illness is also quite common.

There is widespread conflict between the old order and the new emerging order. This is generational.


Groups and individuals battle against corruption of the old establishment, while the old establishment denies losing their clout, and remain fixated on old methods, rejecting anything "new" that threatens their established order.

Concepts and ideas in economic, business and political affairs tend to be impractical, unreliable, and eccentric. Economic life continues to run at a low ebb.


See - Part 3 Of Spain Is Dying

These conflicts play out with professional and personal relationships in a pre-revolutionary manner - pushing relationships to breaking points.

Saturn's opposition to Uranus is unfavorable when dealing with joint accounts, finances, corporate business affairs, inheritances, insurance, and all economic matters important to organizations, groups, and individuals.


The economic climate is highly stressed, with conflicts between the "old" and the "new" at extremes and waiting for the breaking points to arrive.

Selfish motives within organizations, and groups tend to be those where others try to take credit for the work of others in order to advance their own careers leading to estrangements between associates, colleagues and friends.


Ulterior motives abound, as do negative emotions, rampant cynicism; along with personal and professional betrayals. The feelings are quite intense, as oppositions tend to be.

Saturn's inflexibility grinds against Uranus' desire for significant change. The events that have taken place in the world since 2001 is now moving into the "release" phase and into the second decade of the 2010s.

As the fifth and last Saturn/Uranus opposition peaks by July/August 2010, we should observe strong emotions worldwide; seeking a "release" from the pent up energies, anger, and recriminations that have built up over the recent decade of the 2000s.


- Saturn Square Pluto -
2010
Power Plays, Plots, Cold, Evil & Unsympathetic People
Libra/Capricorn

General signs of paranoia exists within groups and organizations is one feature of a Saturn/Pluto Square. The large-scale implications of actions taken in government, business, and political groups often force people to face dangerous situations of a sinister nature.

The will power of those involved in personal and professional intrigues is heightened to the point of very negative inclinations with some people using coercive methods to achieve what they perceive as success.

Under Saturn/Pluto this can feature acts of blackmail, threats, and plots at the highest levels of government, within political groups, and corporations.

Paranoid individuals with extreme opinions, and viewpoints is also common under  A Saturn/Pluto square. 


The emotions can be deep, but the insights are often clouded by dishonorable associations and emotions to individuals and groups who do not have the best interests of others at heart.

Some individuals will find themselves battling against corruption and rampant dishonesty within organizations, or within associations, be they professional or personal with attacks on their reputation coming as a result of fighting dishonest persons and groups.

The coming revelations of widespread corruption in global financial markets, on Wall Street, and other stock markets will be under the Saturn/Pluto square.


Forcing major players to fight for their freedom because of accusations of the theft of tens of billions of dollars leading to a worldwide global recession.

Corporate power plays take center stage under the cardinal crisis transits with increasing political pressure and regulatory scrutiny on major banks, insurance companies, and those implicated in widespread financial malfeasance over the last decade.

The focus on these areas: unemployment, insurance, housing, stock markets, hedge funds, secret bank accounts, general economics, political and government affairs, alimony, and inheritances - is all common under the influences of Saturn's square from Libra to Pluto in Capricorn.

It is also common under these inclinations for opposing groups and individuals to use negative, dishonest, and evil means to obtain personal/profession advantages over others; or attempts to hide past acts of malfeasance to avoid implicating others involved in acts of corruption.

This often backfires under the Saturn/Pluto square and results in public scandal along with damage to the reputation and the careers of those who used negative means to gain what they "perceive" to be an advantage.

Nowhere does "do unto others as you would have them do unto you' applies more than under a Saturn/Pluto world square.

The effect on personal and professional connections can be long-lasting with people completely breaking off any further association with friends, family and colleagues.

Power struggles - both internal and external - is a main theme of a Saturn/Pluto Square.


The will-power is increased, but the personal judgment is often very poor. This gives way to intense emotions that are not clearly understood enough to make valuable judgment calls on all levels of decisions.

Often, decisions are based on perceived "associations" with others who are not one's friends, nor who share one's common interests, except to advance their own personal interests while using others as a means to and end. Very common under Saturn's square to Pluto.

After the square aspect passes, the events which have taken place under its influences are fully revealed, leading to permanent estrangements from those once trusted and valued as friends, associates, or lovers.

Saturn's continued transit through Libra (2010-2012) then features a full distrust and estrangement from those who used dishonest means during the Saturn/Pluto inclinations. 


These estrangements will last a very long time and trust will never be restored after the world square aspect has moved out of orb.


- Jupiter Square Pluto -
Coercions, False Promotions, Litigation & Dishonesty
Aries/Capricorn - 2010-2011
Opposition from Jupiter in Cancer to Pluto in Capricorn arrives 2013-2014

The Jupiter/Pluto Square acts much like that of Saturn's square to Pluto. Jupiter's motion into Aries in mid-2010, and then again in February 2011, will square Pluto in tropical Capricorn.

The same kinds of conflicts under Saturn's influence by square to Pluto comes into action with hasty, impulsive and headstrong promotion of one's opinions as facts to gain a perceived advantage over others.


Temptation is strong with inclinations to use dishonest means to get what one thinks they want.

Rampant litigation under Jupiter's inclinations lead to a rush toward legal wars without first seeing the bigger picture. With the Jupiter square to Pluto: it is the forest first, the trees second, but do make sure you count each tree.

The contradictions of this is simple:


Jupiter's square to Pluto, in combination to its conjunction to Uranus in opposition to Saturn, and by square to Pluto, and back, fully complicates matters, so as to act as a powerful feedback loop with amplifiers about to blow loudly if the volume of intensity is not turned down.

The energies of the Cardinal Cross transits are simply too strong. Patience, slowing down, and reposing are the keys to effectively neutralizing these powerful cardinal inclinations.

Under the Jupiter/Pluto square, serious mistakes are often made preparing legal cases without first laying down the proper practical groundwork.

Often, this comes about because of ego, and headstrong acts featuring arrogance and pride; but wholly failing to take into account the small, but very important details.


The majority of litigation made under these influences will collapse like a house of cards after months of what seemed like a iron-clad case.

The only way to neutralize this transit, as with all the others of the Cardinal Crisis transits is to slow down, and to be strictly honest at all times in all personal and business affairs.

Also, the need to remain detached and practical while plodding step-by-step without ego, impulse, and haste. This is the antidote to the impulsive inclinations of cardinal transits.

Power-plays, and forced acts of coercion, with promotions of extreme expressions of personal, political and religious viewpoints is quite common under this global square.

Often, one's aspirations to remake others comes with neglecting one's own house while confused attitudes about ethics and morality are cast aside in favor of haste and impulse - rushing to judgment.

Struggles with corrupted individuals and groups is also common under a Jupiter/Pluto Square. 


Criminal underworld groups, and their associates often war against one another in the perceived struggle for "power," without understanding the dire future implications of their violent acts which, in time, will return upon the very people involved in these evil affairs.

There can be dubious spiritual practices featuring over-optimistic false spiritual, religious and political beliefs shaped by the realization that there are large-scale forces at work that the individual (s) have been forced to see as a result of changes in lifestyles.

The square aspect in this respect can be positive if the individual (s) remember to not act in haste or impulse in accepting too easily that which is being realized.

Under the cardinal crisis transits, there are efforts by others to remake or coerce others to partake in evil behaviors - effectively using people to do the things which "appear" to advance the interests of those who agree to take part in actions, or groups. 

After the 2010 Jupiter/Pluto Square comes another one by mid-2013 into the year 2014.

This will be part of the Grand Cardinal Cross of 2014 showing powerful cardinal inclinations of haste, and impulse that feeds into the coming Uranus-Pluto Squares of the 2010s.

Again, there is a sense that things are not changing as quickly as people would like them to, and the ramifications of the decade of the 2000s continue to persist into the early years of the 2010s.

Unless the problems of rampant past corruption - especially in the financial sector - then this world Grand Cross, with Jupiter now in Cancer, as part of another series of cardinal crisis configurations - will return to bite back with a vengeance in 2014.


- Jupiter Oppose Saturn -
2010-2012

Bad Business Timing, Questionable Tactics &  Promised Favors Undone
Pisces/Aries - Virgo/Libra
Jupiter at 0-10 degrees Taurus


Jupiter/Saturn oppositions arrive every 20 years. The last one took place in 1990-91. They usually always feature an economic recession, usually deep ones, which can take several years to emerge out of before conditions gradually improve.

Such will be the case with the 2010-2012 opposition of Jupiter/Saturn. During these oppositions expect business to suffer as the generational transition continues over the course of Jupiter's opposition to Saturn.

Because of the poor economic climate some people may resort towards using questionable tactics to get ahead and make money.


With the business climate contracted, some will seek shortcuts and dubious actions to get ahead while others continue to face competition with limited resources.

The desired expansion of business is fraught with frustration after frustration, red-tape, barriers, blocks, delays, and legal problems. Rising defaults & bankruptcies increase as a result of past mismanagement of resources and corruption with credit conditions tighter than normal.


See - Professor Warren Warns About 2011-2014

It is an unfavorable time to expand business concerns, or to take chances because of the uncertainty of finances, contracts and commitments from others, who tend to be unreliable due to limited resources, confusion, lack of planning, procrastination, and a general lack of honesty and fair play.

The crush of competition, fighting for a limited amount of customers, with resources lacking can further cause disruptions in professional and personal lives to the point of some leaving entire industries for good.


This will continue under the inclinations of Jupiter's opposition to Saturn.

It is a poor time to seek favors from others, as the business climate of 2010-2012 will continue to suffer from immense commercial & residential real estate losses, double-digit unemployment, and a general sense of malaise from an aging generational establishment.

Those seeing support from official institutions, such as federal, state, and local agencies, may find themselves frustrated with the lack of help usually expected from these offices.


This is because those in positions of power are either on their way out the door themselves, or have become cold and unsympathetic to those in need; preferring instead to look out only for themselves.

While this takes place, many people will see their own personal and professional responsibilities increase; while wages continue to stagnate from the lack of resources, which will be limited because of prior economic corruption and waste.

The opposition of Jupiter to Saturn can test what the true balance really is between being optimistic, and being pessimistic. Much will depend on the ability of the individual to be creative, and patient, while the opposition is underway.


It will not last forever, so those who are looking for opportunities during this time should be aware to remain cautiously optimistic, while clearly seeing what the true barriers to success will be during 2010 to 2012.

Most, if not all of the barriers are those held by people with cold, conservative and uncompromising attitudes. Hypocrisy and distorted moral values is also common under a Jupiter/Saturn opposition.

What used to make sense, and would be expected as normal modes of operation and procedures is perverted by the unyielding attitudes of uncompromising people.

Many of these people will be older, and due to the transit of Saturn, will exhibit rigid views without realizing that in a short period of time after the opposition has waned and passed; that they themselves will receive similar treatment from the very people whom they denied opportunities and relief.

The conflicts which come about during 2010-2012 under the Jupiter/Saturn opposition will tend towards ethics; morals; joint finances, family responsibilities, friendships, associations, romantic relationships, partnerships and corporate struggles that will test the reliability and strength of relationships in general.

The Jupiter/Saturn opposition will begin to weaken in February 2012, and by the end of March 2012, will move out of orb.


By this time, those who were frustrated, or blocked from advancement will find an easier go of things gradually in 2012 as Saturn moves out of opposition to the outer planets, and brings a sense of relief by 2013.

However, memories will be still fresh from the red tape, delays, and barriers put up by those with unyielding attitudes. This will come back to haunt those who denied others the potential for advancement during the 2010s, and leads into the coming Uranus/Pluto squares of the 2010s.

The relief in 2013 doesn't last long due to Jupiter's motion out of tropical Gemini, and into tropical Cancer where Jupiter will transit to oppose Pluto in Capricorn - initiating yet another chapter of the Cardinal Crisis Years.

- Jupiter Oppose Pluto -
August 2013 - June 2014
Cancer/Capricorn
Part of the Cardinal Grand Cross of April 2014

Forced Reforms, Business Clash, Coercions, International Tensions &  Revolts

By the end of June 2013, transiting Jupiter will have moved out of tropical Gemini, and enter Cancer. Making a nice trine to transiting Saturn in Scorpio by early July, it would appear that the struggles, and tensions of the previous two-and-a-half years are over.

However, this is not so according to the world transits. This is simply a breather with more to come by the following month of August, when transiting Mars conjoins Jupiter in Cancer and oppose Pluto in Capricorn.

Jupiter's opposition to Pluto is a time of what appears to be continued stresses around finances, economics, and what policies should be enacted, and which should not.

There can be tendencies to push things too quickly, to overreach with big plans, and grandiose ideas without firming up foundations.

During the period of the Jupiter-Pluto opposition, it is important to take time to make certain that the practical matters of business and personal life are attended to by balancing one's sense of organization against one's desire to push out and expand.

Under this influence come attempts to force, to coerce, or to remake others - claiming one's desires to reform other while not paying attention to one's own need for it personally. This is also extended internationally.

A fine balance must be taken under a Jupiter-Pluto opposition before initiating wide reforms carelessly without prior deep thought, insight, and understanding of the long-term consequences.

Jupiter is in Cancer - the home sign of the United States - so in 2013 and 2014, the opposition to Pluto can indicate tensions from the people towards government, or, to an administration in power at the time as well as international tensions abroad.

The areas highlighted are those around political policies, philosophical ideology, education, religion, and cultural beliefs and norms clashing against anything that appears to be autocratic in nature.

The strongest date of the opposition is in the year 2014, when transiting Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto form a Grand Cross in the cardinal signs of Aries, Libra, Cancer, and Capricorn. The peak of this grand cross is in April 2014.

Jupiter will oppose Pluto, while in square aspect to both Uranus in Aries, and Mars, retrograde in Libra by April 2014. Tensions are high and this grand cross speaks of both international and national tensions at a peak under yet another Cardinal Crisis.

Mixed with a sense of over-optimism, underneath the public feelings at this time is also impatience, and a strong lack of practical common sense that allows many to jump to conclusions - which is part of the cardinal inclinations of haste and impulse once again coming to the fore.

The sense of adventure and grandiose idealism at this time is marked by a hesitancy seen by the retrograde of Mars in Libra at this time.

There are unexpected hostile dealings with foreigners for those outside their home countries, and those overseas tend towards being unpredictable and unreliable.

Spring 2014 into summer 2014 is not a good time for overseas travel. Moreover, the diplomatic tensions are high, so diplomats may come into contact with those in foreign states those who may be difficult to contend with at this time.

Prudence, tact, and foresight is strong advised among all parties, be they individuals, groups, companies, organizations or nations.

The Grand Cross of 2014 signals a sort of "peaking" of the previous cardinal transits of 2010 and 2011 with inclinations of demanding freedom at all cost without taking on the mantle of patience, and responsibility that comes along with demands.

Before 2014, the sense of optimism fueled by the coming and going of the year 2012 when the world did not come to an end, and the inclinations of the year 2013 with a sense of new-found, but cautious optimism, is met by April 2014 with a sense that rebellion and revolt is once again on the horizon.

The international tensions at this time in 2014 will stem from former disagreements and beliefs among nations which appear to have undermined future matters by ignoring principles with empty words - saying one thing, but doing another.

This obviously leads to international clashes when trust appears to be broken between some nations. This shows in world transits of 2014. It is the year of the diplomat.

Mars' retrograde in Libra (March 1, 2014 to May 19, 2014) plays a strong role in the Cardinal Grand Cross of that year.

Wise decision-making is at a premium; so heads of state, and their diplomats should be careful not to overreach, nor to promise more than they can deliver, but to balance threats with peaceful acts, and with careful solutions via prudent diplomacy and tact.

Mars' opposition to Uranus in Aries in 2014 speaks of conflicts, and clashes among states, organizations, friends, and family who take sides on the broader issues of the times. The transit of Mars in Libra (December 7, 2013 to July 25, 2014) is a long one. 

The retrograde of Mars from March to May 19, 2014 takes part during the strongest months of the Cardinal Grand Cross in April & May.

Decision-making is important here, and, with Mars declining in Libra, it is essential to have the right players in position during this time of global transits. The wrong personalities involved as "diplomats" are apt to make things that much worse simply because of their personal and political ideologies.

It is wise to remove ideological hotheads in critical positions at this time in 2014 and to replace them with calm, cool, and smart diplomats who can be trusted and relied upon to create atmospheres for leaders where positive progress can be made.

Compounding this will be a total Lunar eclipse at 25-Libra during the early morning hours of April 15, 2014 that will be visible over the Americas, the Pacific, and east Australia. 

The degrees indicated by Sabian symbols say ~
  • 25º Libra - "The sign of an autumn leaf brings to a pilgrim the sudden revelation of the mystery of life and death."
  • 26º Libra - "An Eagle and a large White Dove Turning into each other."
 My forecast is for an international conflict at this time of the Grand Cross, that continues into July 2014, before either being resolved fully, or which escalates into warfare.

The choices indicated here by Jupiter's opposition to Pluto show that successful advance diplomacy must be made prior to spring 2014, and that signs of the coming conflicts will be seen in late 2012, and early 2013.

Spring 2014 in the northern hemisphere is a tense time of international tension that should be resolved by carefully handling the energies with proper decision-making, diplomacy, and a fine balance between leadership and international cooperation. 

In this way, President Theodore Roosevelt's advice to "speak softly but carry a big stick" applies very well at this time in the world. The energies of the solar year of 2014 are about the promotion of peace, calm, and wise diplomacy. 

Though the ignorant may propound immediate military action; the consequences are far-reaching into the future - so leaders at this time in 2014 will need to exercise wise restraint while carefully balancing the advice of doves and hawks to come to a solution that will satisfy everyone.

Compounding the problem at this time is the fifth exact square between Uranus and Pluto which occurs in April 2014. This is part of the Global Grand Cardinal Cross that year. We will now take a look at the roles these two outer planets will play, along with their powerful inclinations.

 - Uranus Square Pluto -
2011-2020 overall
Rebellion, Revolts & Revolutionary Sentiments
Aries/Capricorn
early Taurus/Capricorn

If anything defines some of the more tense cardinal energies of the 2010s, it will be the Uranus transit of Aries in global square to transiting Pluto in Capricorn. 

Handling this world square will not be an easy matter after the failures of the past generation to resolve many of the outstanding issues of the end of the 20th century, and the decade of the 2000s.

By July 2011, transiting Uranus will come very close to performing a near-exact square to Pluto in Capricorn, but Uranus will station retrograde on July 9, 2011 - delaying the first exact square with Pluto for 11 more months.

Uranus and Pluto, as slow moving outer planets, will remain in orb for most of the decade of the 2010s. Their most powerful inclinations occur from 2011 to the year 2018.

The first of seven (7) exact squares begins officially on June 24, 2012 with Uranus and Pluto square at 8-Capricorn. This is the first in a series of very powerful world square aspects between both planets relative to the Earth.


The Uranus/Pluto Cardinal squares lasts, overall, from 2011 to 2020.
An unprecedented Seven (7) exact squares occur in just three (3) years: 2012 to 2015
(*) = significant dates

1. June 24, 2012 – first global square at 8-degrees Aries/Capricorn
2. *September 18-19, 2012 second square at 6-degrees Aries/Capricorn
3. May 20, 2013 – third square at 11-degrees Aries/Capricorn
4. November 1, 2013 – fourth square at 9-degrees Aries/Capricorn
5. *April 21, 2014fifth square at 13-degrees Aries/Capricorn
6. December 14-15, 2014 – sixth square at 12-degrees Aries/Capricorn
7. *March 16-17, 2015seventh global square at 15-degrees Aries/Capricorn


The last time Uranus and Pluto met in global square aspect was during the 1930s. This was a decade of reactionary, extreme right-wing politics, revolutionary socialism, rising crime, rebellions, revolts, and restrictive laws gradually reducing freedoms throughout Europe and the then-Soviet Union.

The Bank Crisis and Stock Market Crash of 1929-33 fueled the early years of the Great Depression with rising waves of petty crime and bank robberies. The resulting foreclosures of homes, businesses and family farms amid a depressed global economic system cast a dark shadow over the world.

The NYSE reaching its lowest trading point in history. Weather anomalies under the influence of Uranus in Aries led to the hottest year in U.S. history in 1933-34 with drought and dust storms raging across the American Midwest.

Meanwhile, political extremism ensued with the rise of tyrants, as Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany while in Japan, radical forms of militarism spread so much that it was being openly taught in elementary and high schools.


The revolts, rebellions and revolutionary sentiments under the Uranus/Pluto squares thus paved the way for the Second World War that followed by the end of the 1930s.

Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn revolve their squares worldwide for much of the 2010s, but the most powerful periods are between 2012 through 2015.


This is a time of great upsets within nations which have now experienced at least four to seven years in the wake of the global economic crisis.

Uranus' penchant for sudden change against Pluto's desire structure in Capricorn for a kind of transformational war that butt heads over the "kinds" of new changes to be realized and those not to be supported.

While this is happening, populations around the world seem to have had it to their chins with the constant disruptions of their lives; the losses of lifestyles over the years. 


They react powerfully by demanding immediate changes without question while the forces of the status quo and old establishment refuse to yield - deciding to procrastinate even more.

Groups, organizations and individuals have become radicalized by the events since 2008. So much so, that by the time (June 2012) of the first of seven exact Uranus/Pluto square social unrest is a certainty in regions around the world.

There are increasing signs of rebellions, revolts and foreboding examples of revolutionary sentiments expressed in various nations upset with the status quo, represented by Pluto in Capricorn.


It seems everything is on the table here: economic, social, political and religious structures are be challenged from all sides. People want change, and intend on getting it.

The headstrong inclinations of Aries, with Uranus in it's 7-year transit in this sign, squaring Pluto can indicate sudden deaths coming about unexpectedly; usually through acts of violence, and from common accidents, and unexpected large-scale disasters related to weather extremes.

Past associations, friendships and relationships can become radically changed under Uranus and Pluto's cardinal squares. It is at this time, between 2012-2015 that companies that were hanging on by a thread financially - can suddenly break and fall into bankruptcy.

The entry of Neptune into tropical Pisces in February 2012 will impress dissolution on failing companies afterward, with a slow, but gradual death into the mid-to-late 2010s.

The sudden losses associated with Uranus' transit in Aries can bring about greater financial losses than expected while corporations continue to witness power struggles as the generational transition picks up speed in the early to mid-2010s.

The revolutionary sentiments inclined by Uranus/Pluto come about as a result of the frustrations of the decade of the 2000s.

The global economic crisis, and the resulting societal effects have angered many populations who feel that their governments and representatives were not representing them, but corporate monied-interests that pilfered society's resources.

The resulting backlash featured under the Uranus/Pluto squares of the 2010s will be widespread, and quite unsettling for those involved in the mismanagement of trillions of dollars and euros over the previous decade.

Rising crime can be a problem; also fueled by the lack of resources because of the Banking Crisis of 2008-2012. 


Hasty and impulsive actions to acquire money through illegal acts become more public as law and order seems to be failing to take hold of the rising tide of criminal acts perpetuated by career criminals let out on the streets after being released from prison, but not reformed.

State officials, under pressure financially, are forced to release thousands of prisoners in the early 2010s to relieve the system from overcrowding.
 

State lawmakers all over the U.S., who say they need to save money from the devastating losses in state revenues say must release tens of thousands of convicts from prison in the 2010s, including drug addicts, thieves and violent criminals.

If there has been little reform of the system during the time of incarcerations, then obviously the lingering effects of the economic crisis that awaits convicts on the street can be a threat to public safety under the Uranus/Pluto squares.

By the spring of 2014, things become quite tense again globally with another Cardinal Cross - this time a Grand Cross configuration featuring Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto in the Signs of Libra, Cancer, Aries and Capricorn.

Grand Cross configurations in cardinal signs seek immediate release of strong, emotional pent-up energies.

By April 2014, there is a sense among populations that they have had enough. They eject the usual explainations behind the causes of the economic crisis, which, by this time, will have persisted at various levels significantly enough to cause outright revolts in some nations.

At the same time, international tensions are sure to be high as well. There is a strong need for calm, but strong diplomacy as the Cardinal Grand Cross energies peak by April & May 2014.

Resolution of conflicts between nations can occur by utilizing cooperative stances, as well as using the carrot and stick method to bring unwilling parties to the bargaining tables to resolve differences.

The energies of Uranus Square Pluto can be violent. Accidents, and deaths are caused by haste, impulse, and the refusal to be patient, and tolerant.

Aries is the Sign of haste/impulse, while Pluto seeks general transformation, but through a gradual and steady use of the authority, forms, disciplines and structures of Capricorn.

The clashes between pre-revolutionary forces and those managing the old systems of structure can meet in the middle, but this can only be accomplished through diplomacy, understanding with all sides being flexible.


Uranus' transit in square to Pluto will undoubtedly shape much of the international climate of the 2010s to the point that presidents, prime ministers, diplomats, national leaders, CEOs, managers, and all those in executive positions will have to carefully determine how best to handle their respective leadership roles over the next 10-12 years.

It will not be easy. Those who make the effort to plan ahead, and who are flexible in their thinking, and their attitudes, will do much better than those who are not.

Nonetheless, expect the global square of Uranus to Pluto to be the prime cardinal inclinational force that will make world news time and again through the decade of the 2010s, and into the mid-2020s. 

What Can Be Done About All This? 

While all of the above sounds quite bleak, with doom and gloom potentially forecasted; we must remember that the planets incline people - but they do not compel.

Those who do act out will be those who are already unbalanced. This is one sure sign that a person, groups, organizations, etc., who are reactionary are not healthy enough to continue in whatever positions they are in because of the coming global transits.

I strongly advise that anyone who shows clear signs of being influenced by these unfavorable cardinal inclinations (reactionaries, ideologues, over-emotional, erratic & impulsive behaviors, haste, nervousness, etc.) should be removed from their positions; as they will surely make matters worse rather than better under these cardinal inclinations.

We all have the capacity, will power and creativity to neutralize the inclinations transits by our thoughts, words and actions.

The influences of the planets test us to see if each one of us, despite the influences, is able to withstand the temptations of hate, greed, corruption, violence, and warfare that has long plagued humanity.

Cooperation among populations, nations, groups, organizations and individuals is always the best antidotes for such powerful world transits.

Squares are challenges, but, when used properly, can lead to wonderful outcomes, using the power of the square to progress.

The opposition is a aspect that contrasts against what is perceived as the "other," and is more difficult to handle without understanding and cooperation.

But surely, these cardinal transits are reactionary - to the extreme.

To handle these energies, it will require letting go of the past, and especially letting go of rigid ideology.

It requires the knowledge, patience and tolerance of different points of view which can be shared to bring about a general understanding to progress - rather than to regress into negative behavior patterns and ideological extremes and pettiness.

The transits of the outer celestial bodies move so slowly as to make it difficult for people to handle without becoming so inclined to react emotionally to such long-lasting inclinations over periods of time.

How world events play out over the coming decade of the 2010s will determine in large part the decade of the 2020s.

So, there is a great opportunity for humanity in the 2010s to come to terms with the past and to move forward into this new century without the baggage of the 20th century.

To rid our world of the brooding and fearful angst of ideological generations always at war with itself, and to take hold of a new mantle of positive change.

By doing so, and bringing about thoughts and acts of compassion, tolerance, respect, and creativity, so the inclinations of the global transits ahead can be used towards positive transformations; rather than those which are violent, reactionary and ideological.

Should humanity heed this call, and take to heart the potentials of healthy progress - to face the future with a smile - not a regressive frown - then yes, there is always hope.

To face this future - not with our backs turned against it - but facing forward - then the possibilities are endless as we head into the second decade of the 21st century.

This future ahead is a fresh, blank canvas which can be filled with positive words, creative ideas, healthy acts of cooperation, common interests, and beautiful images.

Or that canvas can be splattered with ideological angst, rants, selfishness, pettiness, curses, violence and blood from acts of disgust.

All this depends on each and every person on Earth; be they individuals, couples, friends, families, groups, organizations, governments, and nations.

In the Pistis Sophia, we discover there is a heavy price to pay for those who would violate the laws of the spirit, and that one's very soul will surely be held to account for what one has done - either for good, or for evil.

So, we know this ~ each person's fate - every single person's very destiny - will  depend on just what they choose to put on that blank canvas of the future.