When I found the GQs I was a complete novice at mundane astrology. The first thing I wanted to know was if and when such a configuration had last occurred. Secondly, I was very excited at the prospect of what it all might "mean" in mundane terms. Would this discovery coincide with a monumental political or economic event on the world stage? In the end I suspect that this question, regardless of its answer, misses the point of this research. The rest of this section offers a slant on the astrological implications of the upcoming GQs that I believe does not.
The GQs are among the greatest celestial delights of 2004 for the astrologer.1 We have here two perfect five-pointed stars within one month of each other. For a few hours, each formation will hold this dramatic shape as the Earth rotates on its axis. The second GQ, on October 28, is particularly striking as it forms within hours of a total lunar eclipse on the Taurus-Scorpio axis. This eclipse highlights a stunning arrangement of planets, Sun and Moon, from a geocentric perspective. The fifth harmonic energy remains - waxing and waning - until around Christmas Eve.
In a lunar eclipse, the Earth stands between the Sun and the Moon. The Earth's shadow is cast across the face of the Moon. It is visible from Earth from wherever the Moon has risen. The eclipsed Moon is an awesome sight as, over a period of hours, its face is darkened by the Earth's shadow. In some cases, Luna's face takes on a deep red colour. The spectacle is full of drama and mystery. This particular eclipse will be visible over all of North and South America, Europe, most of Africa and western Asia.
The lunar eclipse is symbolic of the bringing of new consciousness to Earth. The passage of the Earth's shadow over the Moon signifies a potent transitional stage in human awareness. This intense involvement of the Sun, Moon and Earth, just hours prior to the formation of the second GQ, suggests that the powerful fifth harmonic resonance at that time is central to the raising of awareness within humankind throughout October. The co-incident combination of a total lunar eclipse and a GQ is very rare, the last occurring in 141 CE.
It will have escaped no one's attention, given the deluge of material being churned out in astrological publications and on websites that the eclipse - and hence the GQ - happens just days before the American Presidential election. Below are two charts, one for October 1st in Lhasa, Tibet and the other for October 28th in - of all spots on Earth - New York City! Note in each case the placement of the Moon, symbol of the masses in mundane astrology. The pulse of the people.
Let me assure you that the odds of any planet in these patterns falling precisely on the Ascendant or Midheaven of a key location in political geography are very slight! I leave the Lhasa chart to your imaginations and expertise. Let's talk about New York.
There is an inevitable connection between the US Presidential election in November 2004 and the formation of the GQs in the month prior to this event. The final months and weeks of campaigning will take place under the celestial process identified in this paper. It is likely that the campaign will have reached its most intense phase under the lunar eclipse as both candidates make their final pitch for votes. We might say that this campaign will actually be characterized by a fifth harmonic energy. A close study of the events and processes that occur during the campaign will undoubtedly shed more light on the meaning and interpretation of the quintile series of aspects and the fifth harmonic.
These GQs represent key out-workings of the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the mid-1960s. Only rarely will major waxing and waning phases of long-term cycles such as this occur simultaneously with the formation of a GQ. Rarer still is the incidence of a lunar eclipse within hours of the completion of the pattern. The research data reveals that the most prominent synodic cycle in GQs is the Mars-Uranus cycle. This pair occurs in 41.3% of all GQs. Its role in the current samples is somewhat tangential but still apparent, as has been discussed above.
The Uranus-Pluto pairing occurs in 30% of GQs, along with a range of other pairings that form in roughly the same proportion of these patterns. The foundational combination of Saturn, Uranus and Pluto that characterizes the 2004 pentangles occurs in 13.3% of GQs formed in the period between 0 CE and 2500 CE. The 2004 GQs are fairly typical examples of the pattern, except for the tangential involvement of Mars and the occurrence of a more or less simultaneous lunar eclipse.
The period of the mid-1960s is often looked back at rather nostalgically. It marks a period of social, economic and political change and liberation in Western societies unknown since the 1920s and the Jazz Age. In those few years, the young people of the West threw off the limitations and prudence of the post-war years and experimented with new forms of art, culture and relationship that defined an era. This halcyon window lasted until late 1967 and culminated in that year's self-styled 'Summer of Love'. However, toward the end of the 1960s, especially in the United States, there was an altogether darker tone to the cultural transformation as the reality of the Vietnam War came home.
The key axis in these GQs is represented by Saturn opposed to the midpoint of Uranus and Pluto. As previously noted, this triangular formation is known as a golden yod: two planets quintile to each other with a third planet bi-quintile the pair. This suggests a dialectical tension between the forces of change and potent political power (Uranus and Pluto) and the forces of consolidation, material expression and crystallization (Saturn). Saturn, in mundane astrology, symbolizes forces of conservatism, law and order, authority and the State. It may also represent traditions, effective or out-worn, and connections with the historical past. In many respects, the month of October 2004 may offer a process of coming to terms with the past, balancing it with the demands of the present, and shaping the future with regard to some of the ideals of the period of the mid-1960s.
The successful candidate in the 2004 Presidential Election may be the one who can capture this dynamic in an accessible and responsible way for the US electorate. In a sense, the candidates in any election stand as embodiments of particular options or choices, and in this case the candidate who most successfully embodies the fifth harmonic process of the latter part of this year may well carry the day. One might say in this context that the one who can combine a forward-looking liberalism (Uranus-Pluto) with a solid, realistic and practical agenda for change (Saturn) will be moving with the celestial flow. Jupiter's involvement in the second GQ within days of the polling indicates that it would be auspicious and providential to be in attunement with this process throughout September and October.
Alternatively one might take the view that the US electorate will have the choice between an obviously progressive candidate (Uranus-Pluto) and one representing the forces of conservatism (Saturn). Of course, one doesn't need to be an astrologer to say this, given the two-party liberal/conservative duopoly that dominates US politics. Still, the celestial process of October 2004 suggests that the choice between these two poles may be much more starkly drawn in this election than in many in the past. The Moon represents the mass of people in mundane astrology. In this context, the lunar symbol represents the US electorate.
However, the global reach of the GQs implies that the Moon in these five-pointed patterns symbolizes the global population as a whole. Now, perhaps more than ever, the choices of the people of the United States have a worldwide impact beyond the margins of the nation itself. The general tenor of the Moon's role in GQs is the "final piece of the puzzle". The Moon is the only astrological symbol to be involved in virtually all GQs. One could almost say that without the Moon these magnificent patterns would not take place at all.
The Moon occurs in Taurus in these pentangles. This suggests that the people's values at this time tend towards comfort, security, safety and connectedness with the Earth. Choices in the electoral campaign may well involve realizing these values, and the candidate who is able to successfully embody and articulate this may come to occupy the White House. In traditional astrological lore, the Moon is exalted in Taurus. This indicates that the masses - the sentiments of the electorate - are carrying great weight. A candidate who attempts to ignore this, or does not read the message of the people, will clearly be out of step with the electorate. That an eclipse takes place within hours of the second GQ, and that this pattern occurs with days of the election itself, implies that grounding and manifesting these values is going to be fundamentally important in the final stages of the campaign. Again, as it comes to fill its place in the second formation, Jupiter promises success to the candidate who taps into this movement.
At the very moment of the formation of the second GQ, the Moon rises in New York City and Saturn comes to the fourth house cusp or Imum Coeli (IC). The Full Moon, recently eclipsed, will come to dominate the night sky throughout the following hours. Weather permitting, this should be a wonderful sight. Of course, Luna will be visible from many other places on Earth at this time. However, the simultaneous rising of the Moon and the angular placement of Saturn, mark New York City as the most powerful of centres for those few minutes.
Whatever happens in the city that evening, whether related to the electoral campaign or not, may provide one of the most deeply illuminating event-related moments of the whole GQ/fifth harmonic process. On the other hand, it is probable that nothing at all of note will happen. Event and process - the twin poles of human experience - draw us to New York by virtue of the Moon's placement. This is the event-process polarity at its most teasing and perplexing. It is tempting, of course, to try and predict all manner of high-drama events for this time and place, especially in light of New York City's profile in global affairs, both before and after the 911 attacks. But by remaining true to the process nature of astrology one may approach the deeper meaning of this celestial event and horoscope in a more open-minded way.
The anima mundi - or World Soul - is most likely to stir in this place at this time, whether or not any particular event takes place at moonrise. Even if the moment itself passes without incident, the hearts and minds of the US electorate and the global population may be moved to recall the 911 attack and its aftermath - the 'War on Terror', the Iraq invasion, and the general wariness and mutual suspicion of East and West, Muslim and Christian. This is the point of fruition for the long build-up of fifth harmonic energy of 2004, crystallized in the specific celestial event of the perfection of the second GQ.
Being drawn here, however, does not compel us to tie the future into a predictive knot based on such spectacular astrological symbolism. This chart is the predictive astrologer's dream - the combination of potent symbolism, patterning and angularity combine to make the temptation to predict almost overwhelming. However, to truly make sense of this moment, with or without the angular integration of this chart, we need to know what goes on, what becomes of this place at this time in terms of terrestrial events. We must wait and see what comes of the marriage of Heaven and Earth in this brief instant. Only then, perhaps, will the truest sense of the GQs of 2004 become clear and their message available for integration into the hearts and minds of men and women throughout the world.
The research takes us to the core of the astrologer's art and raison d'être. What is astrology for? How is it made useful for individuals and groups? What is its application in the world of mundane affairs? Does it matter what happens - or only why it happens?
This brings us to the question of the highest potential for this research.
1. I am most indebted to Ed Gillam for contributing the bulk of this section.
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