Dealing with the times

Although I did say top government officials in the new administration would come and go unexpectedly, nobody (including myself) could have foreseen that this "prediction" would be fulfilled SO soon! Secretary for Development Mak Chai-kwong stepped down just 12 days after he had sworn it!

That is why "predictions" are rather meaningless. You still won't know how to change the outcome! However, predictions are usually what people who come to see an astrologer are after. What is needed is not predictions, but suggestions on how to make the best out of what has been given us, as indicated in the birth chart.

As I have repeatedly mentioned in this blog, the world and everyone of us are undergoing a "revolutionary" time in these few years, though the degree of impact that we feel does vary from person to person. If you want to maintain the status quo - forget it! Because you will be swept along by something beyond personal control.

About the new administration: On first looking at its chart on July 1, I found the Sun-Moon blend (Cancer + Sagittarius) intriguing. How would that manifest? I did not have any clue until I recalled the slogan that CY Leung and his team often reiterate - "Seeking changes while preserving stability" (穩中求變)! Cancer is associated with stability in terms of emotions (i.e. feeling safe and secure, especially by clinging to the past) while Sagittarius constantly looks for something better elsewhere or chases after some ideal condition in the future.

However, the spirit of the times does not favour gradual change. The administration’s Sun opposes Pluto and both square Uranus, forming a T-square. The administration has got to be "radical" and "revolutionary"; otherwise, it would be faced with challenges that are so unpredictable and overwhelming that it would find it extremely difficult, if not downright impossible, to achieve what it finds meaningful and purposeful.

The sheer survival of the administration will seem to be most at stake - or if it recognizes its "revolutionary" urges and seeks to make sweeping changes - during the following periods, as transiting Uranus and Pluto trigger off the T-square in the administration’s chart:

Transiting Uranus: July-September 2012, March-May 2013, October 2013-February 2014

Transiting Pluto: July-August 2012, October 2012-February 2013, June-December 2013

The common periods in which Uranus and Pluto make a direct hit will be the most radical of all radical times: July-August 2012 and October-December 2013.

As for Mr Leung himself, right now is a very disheartening period (though he may not show it in public), but he will be able to feel more confident and pick himself up more after late August or early September (depending on his exact birth time).

A critical period to look out for is October to November this year and to a lesser extent, July 2013, as he undergoes his second Saturn return. It is significant because it is an accumulation time, a "make-it-or-break-it" time. It shows whether the person has taken up the responsibility that s/he is supposed to take, and put in the efforts that is necessary for a true sense of inner confidence (rather than being defensive, doing things that seeks only external approval or endorsement) for the past 30 years of his/her life.

As discussed elsewhere in this blog, Mr Leung's Sun is conjunct Pluto in Leo and his Mars is also trine Pluto. Pluto is a transpersonal planet and if a person's personal planets (i.e. the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) or angles is in aspect with Pluto, the person is like having been "endowed" with tremendous power and an iron will. However, the true lesson of Pluto is to use this power for the benefit of others, NOT for personal goals (like prestige, social status or material gains); otherwise, when the time is ripe, the person would be confronted with a strong oppositional power which seeks to bring him/her down.

If the person keeps exploiting his/her inborn willpower to beat opponents because s/he feels his/her survival is threatened, that will only make things worse in the long-run. To use the power of Pluto correctly means to align personal interests with those of others, rather than insisting on one's own stance so much that everything is turned into a life-or-death struggle or a win-lose game. 

Some think that as long as their public relations strategies are clever, then things will work, but I would say it is a definite “no, no”. What really counts is the motive behind our thoughts and actions. Our mind creates our outer reality, not the packaging...

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A look at the new administration

Today's weather was surprisingly sunny and the sky was cloudless. So was this an "auspicious sign" for the new Chief Executive CY Leung and his team who swore in today?

I timed the exact moment when CY Leung finished taking his oath. It was 9:08am when the Leung era dawned.

True to what he has promised, the birth chart of his administration indicates a far more amiable approach in exercising authority and in matters of public image (Venus conjunct Jupiter in 10th house). Some people would call that "populist", but I would think it means that top government officials in Hong Kong will finally become more accessible to the general public, rather than making important policy decisions from the comfort of their armchairs.

Uranus and Pluto have been squaring each other exactly these days and this definitely will leave its mark on everyone and everything "born" around this time. This radical and almost "revolutionary" energy features significantly in the chart of the new administration: The chart ruler, the Sun, is in Cancer in the 11th house (which is associated with collective goals and wishes, usually social and political ones), opposes Pluto in Capricorn in the 5th (the house of individual self-expression), with both squaring Uranus in Aries in the 8th - the house of "joint resources" and total transformation.

What does this mean? This T-square indicates the meaning and purpose of this new administration is emotion- and security-driven (perhaps often looks towards the past too), and is best expressed with regard to collective goals, but this conflicts strongly with the administration's own need for power which tends to be expressed in an authoritative and matter-of-fact way. This inner tension will drive the new government to innovate and overthrow the old in a headstrong (or bold?) manner, particularly in terms of taxation and monetary matters. The change could be quite sudden, in fact. Interestingly, maybe even "secrets" of the government will be leaked out as in a flash of lightning too!

Another possibility is, top officials may come and go rather unexpectedly (as part of the accountability system?), as a result of some serious social and political controversies. It is also possible that because of these controversies, the administration's political alliances and partnerships are made and broken very suddenly.

Meanwhile, the Moon in the 4th house opposes the Venus-Jupiter conjunction in the 10th, with them all squared by Chiron and Neptune in the 7th. This means the Leung administration will feel an inner tension between security needs in private (like the comfort of staying in the office rather than going out to meet the public?) and the need to be popular under the limelight, leading to its allies or opponents feeling left out and hurt. However, if this energy is mastered successfully, it also means the new administration carries a great talent for healing "dashed dreams".

Mercury is in Leo in the 12th house, ruling the 2nd and 11th house. The Leung administration is likely to find its own creative ideas (especially those about the Government's fiscal situation and the community's social and political goals) "behind the scenes". Maybe this means Mr Leung and his team will often go in retreat for brain-storming sessions?

One interesting point is, Leung's own Sun and Pluto are conjunct the Ascendant of his administration! He will certainly be a very strong and powerful leader of his team, dominating the entire outlook of his team. This close astrological connection between Leung and his own administration is an excellent example to show nothing is random in this world.

Overall, what would I say? Frankly, I think the new administration will introduce a totally new approach to governance. Officials will be more willing to get closer to the ordinary people and hear their views. However, turbulent political storms are likely and some officials may have to bow out rather abruptly. This may bring about radical breaks from the past and perhaps, an opportunity for general renewal and transformation for the city too. Friends and opponents of the new administration may feel alienated and disillusioned, but the birth chart also indicates a great potential to heal and be inclusive.

Let's see how things will turn out...

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