Like Ahmadinejad, Rouhani was born with his Scorpio Sun in close aspect to Pluto (November 12, 1948; Semnan, Iran; time unknown), a relentless combination that seeks absolute power. In contrast to Ahmadinejad’s flakey Mercury-Neptune conjunction, Rouhani’s Mercury is very well aspected in deep-thinking Scorpio. His Mercury sextiles a pragmatic Saturn in Virgo, and is given progressive views by a trine to Uranus. Rouhani is a clear thinker, unburdened by illusions and fantasies.
Mercury is undoubtedly a prominent planet in Rouhani’s horoscope, perhaps near the Midheaven or Ascendant, or is the chart ruler. This is evidenced by its activation when he was elected: transiting Saturn conjoined his Mercury, while his progressed Venus was precisely sextile to it. Also progressed Mercury was trine natal Venus, making a double Mercury-Venus theme: the people liked what he had to say. He spoke of building bridges between reformists and conservatives in order to improve the economy.
Rouhani will be inaugurated on August 3 when his government officially replaces Ahmadinejad’s. His main objective of improving the economy is astrologically verified by his progressed Venus applying to a trine to natal Saturn, an aspect which also indicates definite improvement. However, undoing western economic sanctions means working with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The external and internal power struggles will likely reach a critical phase as transiting Saturn enters Rouhani’s Sun-Pluto square between November 2013 and October 2014.
NewsScope; July 22, 2013;
Last week, Iran’s president elect criticized his predecessor for mismanaging the economy and severely under-estimating the inflation rate. The moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani was
declared the winner on June 15 despite a Washington Post editorial that claimed “he will not be allowed to win.” To get the economy going, he will have to negotiate an end to international sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program.
"Many women who do not dress modestly... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes," said Hojatoleslam Kasem Sedighi - Tehran's leading Friday prayer leader.
Iran’s Black Moon Lilith
Since the religious patriarchy came to power in 1979, women have been forced back into archaic, subservient roles.* Essentially, Iran is run by a nation of sexually repressed men who vent through external aggression. Women have rebelled: women were the driving force against the fraudulent 2009 election, which took place precisely as Iran’s progressed Mars was trine BML. Since then, tyrannical measures have been imposed to keep women in their place.
On October 21, Iran will have a progressed Moon-BML conjunction. This astro-event may coincide with some significant sword rattling or military incident. Iran’s election in June 2013 features transiting Uranus conjoining its Aries Sun, which will surely re-awaken the feminist movement. A concurrent progressed Mars-BML aspect warns of increasing conflict in this region. One alternative strategy to managing Iran’s troublemaking tendencies is to support the women’s movement, and let the country revolutionize itself from the inside.
Iran’s horoscope – with Black Moon Lilith sitting right on its Leo Ascendant – makes an ideal case study. BML here shapes Iran’s national image and its interface with the rest of the world.
Iran’s BML is powerfully placed, not only by its angularity, but also due to its close aspects to all three of the outer planets, which helps us understand why Iran is such a mean-spirited, powerful player in the Middle East. Iran, like Black Moon Lilith, gets angry, irrational, and vengeful when it feels mistreated. Most significantly, Black Moon Lilith is associated with the women’s rights movement.
Is Black Moon Lilith just another asteroid-like object to place in the horoscope, or does it have more important implications?
NewsScope; October 1, 2012; Mars advances only three degrees during the month of January, since it will turn retrograde on the 24th. These three degrees, covering 20º to 23º Virgo, are unusually dynamic since they align
This biwheel shows Iran's natal chart on the inside and its progressed chart on the outside.
with the U.S. Mars-Neptune square. The shape of pending trouble became apparent last week, when Iran threatened to shut off the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to 1/6 of the world’s oil.
Like the U.S., Iran (April 1, 1979; 3:00 pm; Tehran) also has a Mars-Neptune square, and it’s also being activated by transiting Mars throughout January. The combination of Mars and Neptune is a clear reference to fighting over oil, as well as military conflict (Mars) in and around seaways (Neptune). As Mars activates Iran’s Mars-Neptune, the Revolutionary Guard is staging war games in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Iran’s Mars conjoins Vesta, creating a highly focused empowerment of an elite group within the armed forces. In Pisces, Vesta can readily be identified as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which was chartered to protect Iran’s Islamic system. On January 24, transiting Mars will turn retrograde while exactly opposite Iran’s Vesta (orb: 0º05’). As it turns out, the Revolutionary Guard is also in charge of naval operations around the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Vesta resides in the 8th house of corporations and capitalism. Since its
founding in 1979, the Revolutionary Guard has expanded rapidly and taken control of an estimated 1/3 of Iran’s economy. Under President Ahmadinejad’s guidance, the Revolutionary Guard has become the most powerful faction in Iranian society – more powerful than any ayatollah. Iran’s progressed Vesta is now at 8º Aries, a point becoming stressed by transiting Uranus and Pluto. Iran is in the process of morphing into a volatile military corporatocracy.
Rouhani’s Charm Offensive
prominent political prisoner. Last week, Rouhani penned an op-ed piece for the Washington Post urging world leaders to respond genuinely to his efforts, and to engage in friendly dialogue.
As described in NewsScope’s July 22 edition, Rouhani’s Mercury (November 12, 1948) makes him a much clearer thinker than his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And now, with transiting Neptune trine his well-aspected Mercury, Rouhani is finding creative, imaginative ways to open negotiations over his nation’s nuclear programs. The Iranian people are suffering under the Western nations’ economic sanctions, and have evidently elected a leader who can navigate through these troubled waters.
Rouhani’s progressed Mercury underscores his goodwill gestures. It’s currently at 14º Aquarius where it trines his peace-loving Venus-Neptune conjunction in diplomatic Libra. This makes a double theme, which is the key to understanding his priorities. Transiting Neptune trine Mercury and progressed Mercury trine Neptune both emphasize his openness to new ideas, his receptivity and sensitivity to others, and his heart-felt communications that help mend fences.
However, Rouhani’s Mars in Sagittarius squares Obama’s Mars in Virgo and opposes the U.S. Mars in Gemini. Obama’s Mars signifies his role as Commander-in-Chief, but Rouhani’s Mars doesn’t necessarily correspond to Iran’s more autonomous military establishment. While Rouhani may extend his hand to Obama at the United Nations this week, transiting Saturn squaring his progressed Mars may represent an internal conflict pitting his charm offensive against the military’s nuclear ambitions.
NewsScope; September 23, 2013; Ever since Hassan Rouhani took office in August, the rhetoric coming out of Iran has softened considerably. The new president promised to never develop nuclear weapons, tweeted greetings on the Jewish New Year, and released a
U.S. Relocated to Tehran
NewsScope, February 13, 2006
One way to track the U.S. relationship with Iran is to relocate the U.S. horoscope to Tehran. This technique uses the same time, date, and time zone (July 4, 1776; +5:00:40), but with the longitude and latitude of Tehran. The planets remain in the exact same degrees, while the relocated Ascendant becomes 22º25' Pisces, and the Midheaven is 25º36' Sagittarius.
Neptune (oil), located at 22º25 Virgo, dominates this chart by being the ruling planet, and by being located precisely on the Descendant. In Philadelphia, Mars (military) is in the 8th house, but relocated to Tehran, it's angular conjunct the chart's fourth house cusp. The U.S. Mars-Neptune square becomes the primary signature of this relocation chart, making Tehran a key focus of the U.S. military-petroleum complex.
The CIA's first successful coup put the Shah in power on August 19, 1953 with all five of the outer planets forming tight aspects to this Mars-Neptune square. Iranian actions against U.S. interests are also shown in this chart. One example is the hostage crisis that began on November 4, 1979 when transiting Saturn was conjunct the relocated Neptune-Descendant, and transiting Neptune was entering the natal Mars-Neptune square.
Now and throughout 2006, transiting Pluto hovers over the relocated Midheaven, which accounts for the U.S.'s keen interest in Iran's nuclear program. Watch the rhetoric heat up when transiting Mars enters vocal Gemini on February 17. Mars then heads into an opposition with transiting Pluto, becoming exact on April 8. Mars-Pluto aspects can create extremely hostile confrontations, with increased likelihood of military action well before the aspect is exact.
The U.S. Mars-Neptune square becomes the primary signature of this relocation chart, making Tehran a key focus of the U.S. military-petroleum complex.
additional technical notes - This April 1, 1979 horoscope supercedes the February 1, 1979 horoscope in its accuracy. The February 1 chart might refer to an important Islamic revolution while the April 1 chart specifically describes the Islamic Republic of Iran. Those who have decent astrology software might want to check out how well this horoscope works. Here's a look at key transits (T), secondary (P2), and tertiary progressions (P3) during a few of Iran 's historical turning points:
September 23, 1980 - Iraq invades Iran
T VE {squ (MA opp CH)} cnj ASC
P2 MO squ MA
P2 MA cnj ME
P2 ME cnj MA
P3 MA cnj SU
P3 MO squ UR
June 3, 1989 - Ayatollah Khomeini dies, and the next day President Khameni is appointed new supreme leader.
T NE squ SU
P2 MC opp UR
P3 JU tri NE, squ UR
P3 UR squ AS
P3 AS opp MO
P3 MC squ NE
May 23, 1997 - Reformer Mohammad Khatami wins presidential election by a landslide with 70 percent of the vote to beat the conservative ruling elite.
T SA tri AS
T MA squ NE
P2 VE cnj MA
P2 SU squ JU
P2 MC sxt JU
P3 SU opp MO, squ SA
P3 MO opp PL
P3 AS cnj SU
July 6-13, 1999 - Student protests following closing of newspaper lead to rioting and arrests of thousands.
T PL opp MO, squ SA
P2 MA cnj SU
P2 AS opp VE, ruler MC
P3 SU squ PL
P3 Ceres cnj SU
P3 MA opp Ceres
June 24, 2005 - Ahmadinejad elected President
T NE opp AS
T JU opp SU
T SA tri ME
P2 AS cnj SA
P2 VE trioct UR
P2 MC cnj MO
P3 CH cnj MC
P3 UR tri MA
Iran has at least three national horoscopes in common use. A February 1, 1979 chart is often used, and is timed to Ayatollah Khomeini's return from exile. This April 1, 1979 chart seems to work best and is based on when Khomeini proclaimed Iran's current governmental structure in a radio broadcast.
