Dangerous Russia

A year ago, Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, began to alarm the world with his statements threatening nuclear war. After months of massing troops on the Ukraine border, Putin ordered his military to invade on February 24, 2022.

The West has been helping Ukraine escape Russia's orbit. Certainly, the majority of the citizens in the western and central part of Ukraine want to turn towards the West, while views in the east may be more mixed. Putin is angry that the US-led military assistance to Ukraine, which is fighting to reclaim occupied territories, thwarting his goal of restoring Russia as a power to be reckoned with in the world.

Not surprisingly, the western world increasingly sees Russia as a threat to world peace.

"Over 70% of global citizens see Russia as a threat to the world after more than a year of the country’s war with Ukraine, even as support appears to be waning slightly for the invaded nation, according to findings from the 2023 U.S. News Best Countries survey."[1]

But the picture is not black and white. Russia also has a long history of being invaded by outside forces and this hyper-defensiveness may be part of their collective psychology, resulting in aggression.

HISTORY OF INVASIONS

• In 1223, the Mongols invaded and began to conquer and rule over Russia for over two centuries. The Mongol Golden Horde ruled over Russia for centuries, but was defeated by the Russian army led by Prince Dmitry Donskoy in the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. By 1480, the last of the Mongols were gone.
• In 1242, the Teutonic Knights, a Germanic military order, invaded Russia and were defeated by Alexander Nevsky, a prince of Novgorod.
• In 1605, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth invaded Russia during the Time of Troubles, a period of political and social upheaval, lasting until 1618.
• In 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia with a Grand Army of over 600,000 soldiers. The invasion ended in disaster for the French, with only 100,000 soldiers returning home a few years later.
• 
  On 22 June 1941, Adolph Hitler invaded the Soviet Union during World War II, leading to one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. The invasion resulted in significant casualties on both sides. According to German Army medical reports, the Germans suffered over 1 million casualties, while the Soviet Union suffered even greater losses, with over 4.5 million military casualties. The Germans began their retreat in January 1942, and the last German troops left Soviet territory in 1944.

In the Putin era, since 2000, Russia has been increasingly assertive in defending its interests and borders. Putin has argued that Russia has the right to defend itself against perceived threats, both internal and external. In recent years, Russia has been involved in conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, which it has justified as necessary to protect its national security.

In this regard, Putin has long singled out for criticism NATO's eastward expansion, which he sees as a threat to Russia’s security. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine have been controversial, with many countries condemning Russia’s actions as a violation of international law. However, Putin has argued that Russia was simply protecting the rights of ethnic Russians in Ukraine and that the annexation of Crimea was necessary to prevent NATO from expanding further eastward.

Indeed, NATO has been expanding eastward. Putin claims it is doing so in violation of earlier assurances by US leaders that it would not do so. It is clear that NATO has been cooperating with Ukraine since the early 1990s and the latest development is that Ukraine has been cleared to join the defense alliance once the current hostilities end. The EU has also been intimidating that Ukraine could become a member since 2002. On February 28, 2022, Ukraine formally applied, with the EU further clearing its path for membership since.

Putin is also focused on preserving Russia's national customs, especially language and religion. It is often forgotten that Russia is on a civilizational path that is different from that of the West.[2] Putin claims the West has become a cesspool of loose morality. He fails to recognize the progress for freedom of people to be as they wish, that it truly represents.

But more importantly, Putin is furious over the West's reluctance to cede to it the territories it has taken from Ukraine, thwarting Russia's ambitions.

Today, the following Russian war propaganda arrives:

"In #Russia, Kremlin’s propaganda released a short animation showing a Russian nuclear strike on the #US, with devastation of American cities including San Francisco and New York City. Kremlin’s wet dreams about the world they want to live in." [see video here]

 

BELLIGERENCE TOWARDS NEIGHBOURS

During the Putin era, Russia has become an increasingly belligerent actor on the world stage, with the treats far exceeding those made by the country's leaders during the Soviet Era and the immediate post-Soviet years (1917-2000).

Here are four aggressive steps Putin has taken to annex territories in neighbouring states.

• In 2008, Russia and Georgia fought a brief war over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Russia later recognized as independent states
• In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, a move that was widely condemned by the international community
• In 2015, Russia established a military base in Armenia, a country that has a long-standing territorial dispute with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region
• In 2022, Russia illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, despite major battlefield reversals in recent days shrinking the amount of seized territory Moscow controls

Currently, according to a report by CNBC, Ukraine’s top military leader has said that the war with Russia has reached a “stalemate” and that a “beautiful breakthrough” is unlikely.

But that is not all, Putin and his proxies are busy making claims on other territories.

• In September 2022, former President Dmitry Medvedev, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, warned that any weapons in Moscow’s arsenal, including strategic nuclear weapons, could be used to defend territories incorporated into Russia.
• In September 2022, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said hat regions of Ukraine where widely-criticized referendums are being held will be under Moscow’s “full protection” if they are annexed, raising the prospect of the use of nuclear weapons if Kyiv tries to retake those territories.
• In February 2023, Ramzan Kadyrov, a key ally of Putin, suggested that Russia should “denazify and demilitarize” Poland next after Ukraine.
• In August 2023, Putin suggested that the Baltic states should become Russian protectorates.
• In October 2023, an official in the Ukrainian region which Moscow claims to have annexed said Russia should try to take territory that was formerly part of the Russian Empire “through the might” of weapons. He also suggested that Russia should have its eye on the Baltic states, as well as Poland and Finland, all five of which are NATO countries

GROWING RISK OF NUCLEAR WAR

Putin has also steadily been preparing to use his nuclear weapons as a last resort. Here are eight specific actions he has taken so far in this regard.

• In 2000, Putin signed the Federal Law on the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence, which established the legal framework for the use of nuclear weapons
• In 2007, Putin announced that Russia would suspend its participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, which limits the deployment of conventional military forces in Europe
• In 2008, Russia and the United States signed the New START Treaty, which limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles
• In 2014, Putin signed a law suspending Russia’s participation in the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement, which aimed to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium
• In 2018, Putin unveiled a new array of nuclear weapons, including a hypersonic missile, that he claimed could evade US missile defenses .
• In 2019, Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) after the US withdrew from the treaty.
• In 2022, Putin announced that Russia had developed a new hypersonic missile capable of evading US missile defenses .
• On October 5, 2023, Putin claimed that Russia had successfully tested a nuclear-powered cruise missile and warned that lawmakers could revoke its ratification of a global nuclear test ban.
• On November 2, 2023, Putin signed into law Russia withdrawing its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), a global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests. The move was condemned by the US and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. Putin revokes Russian ratification of global nuclear test ban treaty.

Putin is also scaring Western leaders. According to a report by LBC, Russian President Putin made a chilling reference to the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron in November 2022.[3] Putin is said to have alarmed Macron by suggesting that the 1945 atom bomb was proof “you don’t have to launch nuclear strike on a major city to win a war”. Diplomatic sources said that Putin’s remarks sounded like a very heavy hint that he might detonate a tactical nuclear weapon in the east of Ukraine, while leaving Kyiv intact.

Putin has also previously warned that if Western forces endangered the “integrity” of Russian territory then he would “certainly use all the means at our disposal”. Likely, this is because the Russian economy is far smaller than its western counterparts, and all it has is the threat of using nuclear weapons if it's resources are not up to the challenge, and it finds itself losing ground in a war it started.

ASTROLOGY OF THE COMING HALF YEAR

The transits and period influences in the SAMVA Russian Federation chart show grave difficulty for Russia in the coming year. Currently, the Ketu-Jupiter period is operating, with transit 6th lord Jupiter retrograde at 17° Aries and 10th house, under applying aspect from Rahu at 16° Sagittarius and 6th house. It is suggestive of conflict involving close neighbours, where Russia uses misinformation to achieve its goals. This aspect will reoccur in the Spring of 2024, but then with a host of other even more challenging aspects. Hence, the situation is expected to get even more difficult for Russia and, by default, its neighbours.

Any authentic horoscope of a nation suggests tendencies for the nation, specifically its leaders, to undertake certain actions that come with reactions. It is worrying to think about what the Russia's leader may find himself karmically compelled to do at that time, given the aggression seen in the horoscope for the Russian Federation, and in view of Russia's nuclear stockpile and advanced delivery systems.

Let's hope for the best.

REFERENCES

[1] Elliott Davis Jr. (2023). "Survey: Russia Rates Highest as a Threat to the World, Half See U.S. as a Global Danger". U.S. News & World Report. Sept. 7, 

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2023-09-07/russia-rates-highest-as-threat-to-the-world-half-see-u-s-as-global-danger

[2] Ravi Batra (1978). Downfall of Communism and Capitalism: A New Study of History. MacMillan, London. 

[3] Emma Soteriou (2022). "Putin 'makes chilling Hiroshima nuclear threat' during call with Macron".  LBC, London. 6 November. 

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/putin-hiroshima-nuclear-threat-macron/

Spark That Lit The World

The Beatles last single "Now and Then" was released on 2 November 2023. It was fittingly accompanied by their first single "Love Me Do", originally released on 5 October 1962. These two songs are separated by over 6 decades, bookending a great catalogue of 188 original Beatles' songs, mostly written and recorded by them between1962 to 1969. 

The event shows up in John Lennon's horoscope in a surprisingly vibrant way.

THE BEATLES' LAST HURRAH

The reworked song is preceded by a 12-minute documentary film “Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song”. It is about the story behind the reworking of Lennon's demo into a proper Beatles song. The film includes exclusive footage and commentary from Paul, Ringo, George, Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson. 

What is remarkable is that the final release will have a contribution of the two living members, Paul McCartney (81) and Ringo Starr (83), with a guitar lick recorded by the late George Harrison for the song in 1995, as well as with Giles Martin, son of their original producer George Martin, at the controls. 

An earlier such transformation of songs by John Lennon happened in 1995, when George, Paul and Ringo collaborated in 1995 on the Beatles Anthology CDs and DVDs. John Lennon's original demo of Free As A Bird was low key, but became quite impressive in the Beatles rendition. 

The earlier Beatles rendition involved a songwriting collaboration that was separated by three decades. It would have been impossible without Paul, as one of the songwriters present. His genius becomes apparent in blending new material seamlessly with John's original song that even manages to improve the original. 

A shortcoming of that recording was that Lennon's vocal was accompanied by his piano playing in the demo. At that time, the two could not be separated without losing either part of the voice or the piano. In the future, also this song may be remastered with the same technology. 

THE SONG

Here is John Lennon's original demo of Now And Then, recorded on a cassette recorder in his apartment in the Dakota building in 1979. As the film narrates, it took modern AI technology (machine learning), as developed by Peter Jackson for the Get Back documentary, to isolate and reconstruct Lennon's vocals. By itself, it became the foundation of the new song. Here is the long awaited Beatles' version.

LENNON'S LUCK

It is interesting to see how this event is reflected in John Lennon's 9° Aries rising chart. Even if he has passed on, his evolving energy remains among his friends, family and fans, who keep his memory and contribution alive. 

Lennon's chart is in the Mercury - Jupiter period. It would be a lucky period, involving his friends. because in the chart, Saturn as 11th lord of friends is conjunct Jupiter as 9th lord of luck and preferment in Aries and the 1st house of Lennon's chart. This combination signifies that his personality attracted great friends. Paul McCartney has repeatedly expressed how lucky he was to know and work with these gifted gentlemen. 

On the eve of the songs release, transit 11th lord Saturn is in Aquarius and the most effective point (MEP, +/- 5° from rising degree, where a planet has most influence) of his 11th house of friends, where it is in opposition aspect with Lennon's Venus as 7th lord of partners, in the MEP of the 5th house of creativity. Saturn has been in Lennon's 11th house MEP since earlier that year. 

At the same time, transit Mars as 1st lord of self is in Libra and the 7th house in opposition to the above natal conjunction. 

Transit 9th lord Jupiter has in recent months also been conjunct the natal duo, amplifying the luck.

Today, transit 5th lord Sun is also in the 7th house conjunct transit 1st lord Mars and opposite transit 9th lord Jupiter in the 1st house. 

What an unusual combination for friendship, partnership, creativity and luck to resurrect John Lennon's voice. 

Finally, as Jupiter and the Sun are also involved with Lennon's 6th lord Mercury in the 7th house, there is also a bittersweet tinge to the happy time.

EPILOGUE

Again, astrology surprises, here involving a deceased person. It suggests the dynamics he set in motion more than forty years ago have carried on with others to this day. This vibrant personality, John Lennon, still echoes powerfully among the living today.