(Posted April 2, 2012) The Burmese democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi has won an historic victory in by-elections in Myanmar. As the long-persecuted leader of Myanmar’s democratic movement, Suu Kyi has spent twenty years under house arrest since the military government refused to acknowledge her original election victory in 1990. It is believed that this election result will be allowed to stand by the military as Myanmar slowly opens up to the outside world. While these by-elections only give her NLD party a small foothold in parliament, this victory may well represent a major turning point in the history of this often troubled and isolated former British colony.
This election victory and emotional vindication of her lifelong struggle can be seen in her horoscope. While we do not know her birth time, we do know that she was born on 19 June 1945 in Rangoon. The resulting chart suggests a highly intellectual person: a Moon in sidereal Virgo with the Sun conjunct Mercury in Gemini alongside Saturn and Rahu. (Please refer to the inner wheel for her natal chart) Since Virgo and Gemini are both ruled by Mercury, the planet of intelligence, we can see why Suu Kyi excelled in her education at British universities before returning home to assume the role as unofficial leader of her people. If we use the Moon as the ascendant, then all of her Gemini planets are in the 10th house of leadership and status — a nice fit. As the dispositor of the Moon, Mercury is also appropriately placed in the 10th house with the Sun, the planetary significator of status and power.
What is particularly interesting is to see how even her approximated chart reflects some of the major events in her life. Just as she was becoming an influential politician ahead of Myanmar’s elections in 1990, she was placed under house arrest. This occurred on July 20, 1989. Her NLD party won the elections anyway the following year but the military refused to acknowledge the result. For most of the next twenty years, she was kept under house arrest. She was released on November 13, 2010 and began campaigning for the recent by-election of April 1, 2012. While we don’t know her birth time, her noon chart has her Saturn dasha beginning in 1987. Dashas can vary a few years either way depending on the position of the Moon, but in all likelihood, she was running the Saturn dasha at the time of her original victory (10th house) and her subsequent arrest (conjunct Rahu).
As we know, Saturn can be a difficult planet and its dashas often bring on challenges. Since her Saturn is closely conjunct malefic Rahu, her Saturn is made more malefic. This might explain why her Saturn dasha period was so negative and was running during most of her captivity. It’s also worth noting that her Saturn period ended in 2006 according to this approximated noon time. We can only make general observations with this noon chart, but again this is a good fit since Mercury is a benefic planet by nature and it is likely a much stronger planet by virtue of its placement in its own sign of Gemini and conjunct the Sun. Suu Kyi’s Mercury dasha period from 2006 to 2023 would therefore likely bring about more positive experiences related to career, status and power due to Mercury’s placement in the 10th house from the Moon. While we can’t be sure about exactly when the Mercury dasha started, it does seem to be broadly favourable for her political career in the future. We can only hope that the military let this result stand and Suu Kyi is allowed to take her rightful parliamentary seat. Certainly, this background Mercury influence here would suggest that better days are ahead for her.
We don’t have to look very hard to see how current transits supported her victory in this election. (Please see chart above) Transiting Jupiter (19 Aries) was exactly conjunct her Venus at the time of the election. Venus symbolizes happiness and rewards in a general sense and Jupiter is the planet that can give us what we want, whatever that may be. Jupiter also aspects Venus in her natal chart, so this aspect re-creates that energy and brings it forth. Transiting Jupiter’s wider conjunction with natal Mars is also helpful for success in competitions. We should note that this positive event is due not just to Jupiter but due to the absence of afflictions from negative planets. Transiting Saturn does not closely aspect of conjoin any planet, and neither does Mars or the nodes, Rahu or Ketu. True, Saturn does aspect both Venus and Mars, but the orb is so wide (over 10 degrees) that it does not seem very powerful. Saturn is also moving away from its aspect to these planets through its retrograde motion.
We can also see how this election victory manifests in the national horoscope of Burma. We can see how that Jupiter transit at 19 degrees of sidereal Aries is again prominent: it exactly aspects the Sun-Mercury conjunction at 19 Sagittarius. This contact reflects the new-found optimism and hope that the election has generated throughout this impoverished country. Again, there is an absence of afflictions here that allow Jupiter’s light to shine through and create a sense of relief and joy. Rahu is transiting through the 1st house here, but it may just as likely represent the changes that this election may bring. Interestingly, the national chart is also running the more positive Mercury dasha period, just as Ms. Suu Kyi is. Given Mercury’s tight conjunction with the Sun in the natal chart, this may also be seen as a positive factor for bringing about change and a greater visibility to this closed society. Actually, the chart is now running Mercury-Venus dasha as Venus is the current minor period. Venus is another benefic planet, although it falls under the dubious aspect of Saturn natally. What should be particularly encouraging to the democracy movement in Myanmar is that transiting Jupiter will aspect both Venus in Capricorn and the Moon in Virgo later this year. Jupiter is set to station at 22 degrees of Taurus in September and October. This will form a close aspect to both of these two important planets. It suggests that Myanmar will likely experience more positive events for its people at that time. Perhaps the political and economic liberalization will take another step forward at that time.
One puzzling question occurs to me about this Burma chart, however. This chart was famously selected by Burmese astrologers as being auspicious even though it forced all those concerned to get up at the ungodly hour of 4:20 a.m for the official transfer of power! The problem is that the history of Burma thus far has been anything but auspicious. For more than 40 years, Burma has been ruled by an authoritarian military junta. People enjoy very little personal freedom there. The country has fallen way behind its neighbours by most relevant economic and social measures. Unless they were secretly working for the generals, those astrologers were about wrong as you can be in selecting a date and time for independence. At first glance, the chart looks fairly good. Jupiter rising in the 1st house, Sun and Mercury conjunct in the 2nd of wealth, Moon in the 11th of gains, and so on.
Burma(Independence) January 4, 1948 4:20 a.m. Rangoon
But I wonder if the Burmese astrologers considered the position of Neptune at 19 Virgo, in a close square to Sun and Mercury at 19 Sagittarius. Neptune is not considered a traditional planet and so it may have been omitted from their analysis. As in India, my understanding of Burmese astrology is that only the traditional visible planets are used. The so-called outers planets Neptune, Uranus and Pluto are not included. This may have been a major oversight since the square with Neptune is usually a negative influence. Neptune tends to weaken and reflects situations of deceit and distortion. Its square with the Sun could easily represent Burma’s hidden generals who have plundered the country for their own benefit while leaving the people to fend for themselves. A stronger military is also seen through the prominence of Mars in the 10th house. Significantly, this Mars is supercharged since Burma became independent just 5 days before Mars turned retrograde. Mars was therefore moving very slowly and was therefore unusually powerful. The Sun-Neptune influence makes this military rule more deceptive and negative because Mars is placed in Leo which is ruled by the Sun. The Sun’s affliction by Neptune therefore flows back to Mars. The Moon, representing the people, is placed in Virgo and that is ruled by Mercury. Again, the Neptune aspect is a negative and may reflect the inability of the people to speak freely and the necessity for them to operate in secret. Overall, this Neptune factor suggests it is a chart with more than its fair share of problems.
