Power to the People! Pluto, Jupiter, and the New Iranian Revolution

June 25, 2009

by Terry Lamb

When I wrote about Iran last week, it was before we knew how both people and government would react and interact as millions of Iranians began to rebel against four more years of Ahmadinejad in the presidency. In that article, I considered only the chart for the formation of the republic, rather than the revolution, for that shows the viability of the government.

However, the conscience of the people may be seated more reliably in the chart of the revolution two months before. I say this because the current revolt clearly peaked as we reached the culmination of the yearly Pluto cycle — the opposition to the Sun which occurred on Tuesday (June 23). Pluto does not strongly impact the chart of the Iranian government, but it does the chart of the revolution! (Chart shown below.)


Pluto Is a Primary Timer.
On the weekend of the election, Jupiter was making its retrograde station, and the people responded with Jupiterian confidence. The following weekend, however, Pluto became the dominant planet, and Grand Ayatollah Khamenei assumed absolute power in violently quashing the peaceful demonstrations. Neda Agha-Soltan, a quiet bystander, was shot dead in a random act of violence by the basij militia. She has become a symbol of the new revolution and the Plutonian power of the people.

In the chart for the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pluto whispers. However, in the chart of the revolution, it shouts. If we are looking to see what the people will do and when they will do it, observation teaches that the timing will come from the chart for the Islamic Revolution. The primary timer in that chart is Pluto, which is sitting at the top and proclaiming, “Power to the people!”

Where Does It Go From Here?
In the aftermath of the crackdown, the demonstrations seem to be morphing into a general strike. This is how the previous government was brought down. Protests continue, but with telecommunications in a stranglehold the movement may be having difficulty organizing. We on the outside are having difficulty finding out what’s going on, but what we are hearing is not good: Detentions, disappearances, and deaths are becoming more frequent.

If it were only Pluto, there would be a lull in the action, but there are many other planetary events involved. Many of these I covered in my first article on the subject. Key dates to watch in the near future are (+/- a few days):

• July 1(Uranus stationary retrograde): conjunct potentially volatile Mars/Mercury in the chart of the republic

• July 21 (Solar Eclipse): This Sun-Moon conjunction (New Moon) in an incredibly intense total eclipse. It makes contacts in both charts for Iran. In the chart of the republic, it is conjunct 12th-house Jupiter, suggesting an increased level of sick, injured, and incarcerated people. The prisons are swelling with dissidents.

In the chart of the people (the revolution), the eclipse contacts progressed Jupiter (Cancer) and Venus (Capricorn), which are in an exact opposition to each other. This speaks to the plight of women in Iran (symbolized by the shooting death of Neda Agha-Soltan). These fall in houses 5 and 11 respectively, symbolizing a shift in public sentiment, loss of playfulness, and strictures on legislative forms of government.

• August 5 (Lunar Eclipse): This Full Moon (Sun-Moon opposition) is a weak Lunar Eclipse. The Moon conjuncts the Sun of the revolution chart. This can create overt action on the part of the people as they attempt to assert their freedoms against an oppressive government. This is the general time frame for Ahmadinejad to be sworn in for his new term as president.

The Pressure Is on the Religious Leadership.
Jupiter — natal, progressed, and transiting — features prominently in the coming weeks. It was at the Jupiter station (in freedom-loving Aquarius) that the new revolution began. Among other things, Jupiter connotes religious leaders, law and the judiciary. It also represents the honor of a nation. Venus opposing Jupiter by progression indicates an active drive to become a true res publica, a republic or government motivated by the wants and needs of the people, instead of those of the theocracy.

It has become increasingly obvious that, whatever the appearances, Iran’s true rulers are the Imams of the Governing Council. They and the puppet president of the hard right are currently running Iran under martial law, against their constitution.

This progressed opposition also indicates that there is dissent among those on the Governing Council, and this we have seen as Khamenei has said one thing and the more moderate Ayatollah Montazeri something else. When the Solar Eclipse hits this opposition (and the Jupiter of the Republic), can the religious leadership hold to its current position and structure? Almost certainly not. Something will change.

Since this is a Solar Eclipse (a New Moon), the shift will be profound but it is likely to be internal to the Governing Council and not evident to those outside at first. We may have to wait for other contacts to Iran’s charts to ripen over the next year.

It’s Not Over.
If Jupiter has the megaphone right now, Pluto will take center stage next year. This is when Pluto makes its two stations in contact with the angles in the chart of the revolution. Its retrograde station on April 7, 2010 (5̊ Capricorn) is exactly square the Ascendant, while the direct station on September 14, 2010 will be exactly on the MC. These are dates of maximum intensity on points of maximum sensitivity. They will define the boundaries of a period of extreme tension in Iran, if not unrest that leads to the formation of a new government. It is also possible that Iran will enter a new dark period of plutocratic control, with no guise of democracy, in the coming 18 months.

The Third Path
There is a third possibility. If the change is internalized, a quiet and gradual shift could take place that gives the people what they want and need over time. So much of the current response from the government is about face-saving. Gradual change permits the mullahs to save face and could lead to the best outcome, resulting in a freer society and preventing Iran from fragmenting into a number of small warring tribal regions.

© Terry Lamb