Haitian Earthquake
When an event as tragic as the January 12th Earthquake in Haiti happens professional and hobby astrologers always ask themselves if it could have been foreseen. Sadly, it is much simpler to see the harm after the event; after more than 40 years of study I still can’t decide if this is a failing of Astrology or astrologers.
The following is a review of the Mundane Cycle charts constructed for Port-au-Prince with an eye to the active elements in each chart. The system is described by Zain in his 10th book Mundane Astrology. While I use the charts he describes I tend to look at them as interconnected and layered.
The planetary cycle charts are erected for the moment a planet moves from South declination to North declination. In each chart, the cycle planet is directed, by transit, to the other planets. Events indicated are described by the cycle planet determinations and transit aspect. The Sun Cycle charts are ingress charts for the Sun moving into each cardinal sign. The Aries Sun Cycle chart is descriptive of the year, the remaining Sun ingress charts modify but do not supersede the events shown in the Aries Sun Cycle chart. The Lunar Cycle chart is for the closest New Moon to the event.
On December 25, 2009 Pluto moved to conjunct Mars. Pluto in this chart is posited in the 2nd of people’s money and possessions in square to Mercury, ruler of the chart Ascendant. Pluto transits can be expected to create problems (square) and either financial risks (Mercury in 5th of risks) or harm to children (5th is children). As Mercury is in Aquarius, a human sign, the harm is more likely to be to children.
The conjunction with Mars is very harmful as Mars rules the 8th (people’s deaths) and it is with two violent planets (Saturn and Uranus) in the 4th House of homes and property; all three planets in an Earth sign, Capricorn. Mars co-rules Scorpio, with Pluto and it opposes the Moon (common people). The conjunction would indicate all these planets co-operating with one another to harm the people and their children in their homes. In a cardinal sign, the event would come on suddenly.
There are no active transit aspects in the Neptune Cycle chart.
On January 12th, the day of the earthquake, transit Uranus moved to conjunct Mercury and oppose Pluto in the Uranus Cycle chart. Uranus is in the 12th in the Uranus cycle chart so all his transits will carry some element of suffering for the people of Port-au-Prince. It co-rules the 5th House of children or the places where children congregate and Pluto co-rules the 2nd so the indications are similar to the Pluto Cycle Chart: harm financially and to children. It opposes the Sun in the 6th of injury and is conjunct the South Node; all these contacts increase the possibility of harm from its transits. Mercury rules the 9th of foreigners and is in Pisces, an indication the event would be widely publicized and attract the attention of foreigners.
The only active aspect in the Saturn chart was Saturn parallel the North Node. Saturn is in Fall in Aries in the the 4th House of homes in partile opposition to Mars and partile square to Pluto; the parallel intensifies this destructive T-square, promising to harm the people (1st) and their property (4th). Pluto co-rules the 12th (suffering) and Mars rules the 5th (children) so again we see these elements being emphasized.
In the Jupiter Cycle Chart, transit Jupiter was parallel Mars. Jupiter is in the 1st house of the people, disposited by Mars who is in the 8th of death. An indication that a large number (Jupiter) of people will be harmed, possibly killed, while this transit is active.
Oddly, the Mars Cycle Chart has no active transits. The trigger appears to be in the Mercury chart where we have Mercury in the 5th in partile opposition to Uranus and with Saturn. At 3:59pm
Mercury moved into contra-parallel with the chart Ascendant. In the chart, the Ascendant is ruled by Venus posited in Virgo (Earth) in the 4th; transits of Mercury put the people, their children (5th) and their homes (4th) at risk (5th); high risk because of the violent nature of Saturn and Uranus.
Also of note in the chart is Pluto in Capricorn (Earth) in the 8th (death) sextile the Sun, ruler of the 4th (homes).
The indications in the cycle charts are, on the whole, violent, for Port-au-Prince
. The Solar, New Moon and Eclipse charts are also not positive looking. The Aries Solar Ingress chart has Aries on the Ascendant and Scorpio on the 8th, both ruled by Mars who is with Mercury and Uranus in Pisces in opposition to Saturn in the 6th of injury.
The New Moon chart has Mercury in the 1st in Capricorn trine Saturn in the 8th with Uranus in the 2nd opposing Saturn. And the Solar Eclipse chart for January 15th has the eclipse in Capricorn (Earth) in the 2nd with Pluto, Mercury and the North Node with Pluto and Mercury conjunct and sextile Saturn and Uranus in and co-ruling the 4th sextile the eclipse. Mercury rules the 8th House of death and Pluto co-rules the Ascendant (people). There appears to be a layering of harmful indications beginning with Pluto down through all the planets and culminating with Mercury who appears to have acted as a trigger, releasing the energies of the upper planets.












eatest at systematically going through an entire chart so I’ve set myself the task of working completely through one over the next week or two.






First, I erected the Eclipse chart at Ulm, Germany (Einstein’s birthplace) and compared it to his natal. Here you can see the Eclipse Ascendant is directly opposite Einstein’s Lot of Fortune and trine Einstein’s North Node; the Eclipse Mars is sextile the Lot and also trine Einstein’s North Node while the Eclipse MC is square to Einstein’s Mercury and the Eclipse North Node is trine Einstein’s Mercury. These are fairly significant contacts in that Fortune occupies the 10th (career, reputation), is being stimulated by eclipse Mars (it’s ruler) and is conjunct Mercury who rules the Fortune 6th (work) which is also being stimulated by the eclipse MC. To top it off, his Lot of Accomplishment (Asc + Sun – Jupiter) and his Lot of Exaltation (Asc + 19 Aries – Sun) are both at 7 Leo, sextile the eclipse point.
The directed 3rd House cusp, between October 14th and November 14, moves into his radix Ascendant degree, 11 Cancer; an indication that his studies or news (3rd) will affect his life during this period.