(9 October 2023)  The Middle East has once again descended into a state of war.  The long-simmering conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians erupted anew on Saturday after the Gaza-based terrorist organization, Hamas, launched an unprecedented attack into southern Israel.  Up to 1000 Israelis have been killed so far with a comparable number of Palestinians dead in Gaza.  With Israel now placing Gaza under siege, an all-out invasion of the tiny exclave is imminent.

This latest chapter in the conflict can be clearly seen in the horoscope of Israel (May 14, 1948, 4.00 pm).  The Hamas attack occurred as Mars (2 Libra) was approaching its exact 90-degree square aspect with Pluto (3 Capricorn).  Mars-Pluto aspects tend to highlight situations of violence and coercion, especially when these two planets form a hard angle such as 0, 90 or 180 degrees.  The violent potential of Mars was particularly heightened since it has just passed its conjunction with Ketu (0 Libra), the South Lunar Node.  Ketu tends to act both as an amplifier and disruptor with whatever planet it is associated with.  Mars-Ketu conjunctions are therefore more likely to coincide with situations of conflict and unexpected outbursts when they activate points in a natal chart.

Israel received the full impact of this extremely violent Mars-Ketu-Pluto alignment since it aligned with its Ascendant (0 Libra) and its Midheaven (“Mc” or unequal 10th house cusp at 2 Cancer).  The sudden and unexpected nature of the attack is reflected through the role of Ketu in this alignment.

But this attack cannot be explained solely by reference to Mars, Ketu and Pluto.  Saturn, the most malefic planet, it also a major part of the story.  It is now retrograde and transiting 6 degrees of sidereal Aquarius, as it backs into its direct station on November 4, also at 6 Aquarius.  This happens to be just one degree off from an exact opposition aspect to natal Mars at 5 Leo.  In national horoscopes, Mars represents the military and the capacity for violence. The affliction by Saturn to natal Mars is a very apt astrological signature for an attack where Israel is forced to deploy its military.  Parenthetically, I would also note that one reason why the Israeli army (the IDF) has been so successful over the years is because of the close Jupiter aspect to Mars.   The Jupiterian qualities of wisdom, “right action”, and good fortune are therefore conferred upon Mars through this 120 degree/5th house aspect.  It is not surprising that Israel has won every war it has ever fought since its founding in 1948.  The affliction by transiting Saturn here therefore temporarily undermined that auspicious natal Jupiter-Mars energy and allowed Hamas to successfully carry out its plans.

While the initial attack over the weekend was reflected in the short-lived Mars-Ketu-Pluto alignment, the Saturn-Mars opposition suggests the larger significance of this new military action. The slow velocity of Saturn could mean that the Israeli reprisals against Hamas may last for several weeks at least.  The key date to watch in this respect is the Saturn direct station on November 4, when Saturn concludes its retrograde cycle and resumes its normal forward motion.  Once Saturn resumes forward motion it will begin to separate from its alignment with Mars.  Nonetheless, the whole month of November still looks ripe for violence and stress since Saturn will continue to move very slowly.  Indeed, a further deepening of the crisis is possible as the Sun-Mars conjunction at 5 Scorpio will align with Saturn and thus highlight the alignment with natal Mars at 5 Leo once more.  This Sun-Mars-Saturn-Mars alignment takes place around November 22-23.

While the war could intensify once again in November, Israel’s fortunes seem more likely to improve in December.  Saturn will begin to separate from its alignment with Mars while Jupiter will station at 11 Aries and thus form an exact square aspect with the Moon at 11 Cancer.  Even if the square is not a full-strength Vedic aspect, it nonetheless should improve the outcomes for Israel and its military efforts.

I hope to update these charts as the situation warrants.