Joy to the world

A public frenzy has been going on in Hong Kong over the giant exhibit "Rubber Duck" created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. It would be hard to name another piece of public art which has been so enthusiastically received by the city.

Students of psychotherapy would know what we like or dislike reflects our inner world, for it must have touched a part of ourselves that we love or hate. So what has this Rubber Duck exhibition triggered off in the collective psyche of Hongkongers?

The duck was formally unveiled around 11.30am on May 2. Its birth chart made a number of extremely tight aspects (within a one-degree orb) with Hong Kong's: The Ascendant conjoined the SAR's Venus in Leo in the 5th house, Venus squared Jupiter in Aquarius in the 11th house, and the MC-IC axis squared Neptune in Capricorn in the 11th house.

These suggest the Rubber Duck's looks exactly correspond to Hong Kong’s aesthetic taste (owing to its sheer size and bright, yellowish colour?) and is thus deeply appreciated. It has also touched off the city’s egalitarian social aspirations. The aim and source of inspiration for this exhibition have set off the city’s commercialized idealism and romanticism - as shown by the wide range of "ducky" products bought and sold (Neptune in Capricorn)?

Hong Kong's Uranus is particularly strong, for it is in its own sign and house (i.e. in Aquarius and the 11th house). This points to a highly dynamic, unpredictable social and political scene. No wonder since the Handover, Hong Kong has been called "The City of Protests". 

In recent weeks, transitting Saturn has been squaring Hong Kong's Uranus, reflecting a suppressed rebellious urge which feels trapped and has nowhere to go. Interestingly, the Moon of the exhibition was exactly conjunct Hong Kong's Uranus, showing the duck's evocation of old memories provides a (timely?) release point for these suppressed feelings which have been boiling inside.

With Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune there, the 11th house is the most packed in Hong Kong's chart. It highlights the social and political themes for a place. As the chart of the Rubber Duck exhibition aspects so closely with all these three planets, it is not surprising that it has been the headline news in local media, taking the place of many other controversial political and social issues.  

The magic of this "duck" lies in its resonance with Hong Kong society's collective wish, perhaps best summed up by its creator Hofman on his personal homepage: "The Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn't discriminate people and doesn't have a political connotation. The friendly, floating Rubber Duck has healing properties: it can relieve mondial tensions as well as define them."

To learn more, please go to: -

Astro Pastures website - http://www.astropastures.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/astropastures

Hong Kong's Year of the Snake

I think a major difference between the Western and Chinese cultures is, while people in the West seem to believe more in themselves in effecting change, Chinese people tend to think individual fates are determined more by external circumstances and so there is more emphasis on acceptance of "destiny" or the givens in life. Perhaps that explains why psychotherapy was first invented in the West while a more deterministic approach to the occult arts is still so popular in Chinese societies.

It is impossible to say which is more superior, as both have their strengths and weaknesses. In any case, as indicated by astrological symbols, real and fundamental change is inevitable across the globe and Hong Kong is no exception. 

The political storms in the last couple of years are reflected through the square by transiting Uranus (in Hong Kong's 1st house) with Pluto (in the 10th house). This means our society is undergoing a revolutionary change in terms of both our approach to the world and our aspirations (and relationship with those in power). This radical process will continue in the next several years. 

However, since the fourth quarter last year to end-2014, transiting Saturn (in Hong Kong's 8th house) will be in mutual reception with Pluto (in 10th house), suggesting a strong potential for fundamental, structural changes in a less painful way. This will be especially true for Hong Kong's on-going merging with the Mainland: Full merging will be halted or slowed down, with resistance to full merging fortified as well, since Hong Kong will press for far greater control in this process.

Meanwhile, transiting Neptune in Hong Kong's 12th house will be in a trine with transiting Saturn as well, implying that this "resistance" to full merging will not be as rigid as imagined. There is even a great possibility for Hong Kong to come up with a solution that combines both realism and idealism, particularly between May to August this year.

Astrologically, the first day of the Year of the Snake for Hong Kong began at 3.21pm, 10 February 2013, with the New Moon falling exactly on Hong Kong’s natal Jupiter in Aquarius in the 11th house. Any aspirations (political or social) based on egalitarian or humanitarian principles (Universal suffrage? Animal rights? Same-sex marriage?) will enter a new cycle. The transiting nodal axis (across Hong Kong's 2nd and 8th houses) was also squaring Hong Kong’s Jupiter on the Chinese New Year Day, indicating that all those political and social aspirations would be triggered off because of a conflict between what Hong Kong sees as rightfully hers and the merging with the Mainland (which will mean giving up some of what Hong Kong sees as distinct and separate from the Mainland).

The need for an emotional grounding (or the concept of "home") is likely to be expressed through a confrontational, aggressive approach (transiting IC on Hong Kong’s natal Mars in 7th house), seeing the "enemy" as outside of oneself. Skeptics would interpret this as meaning one tries to find an enemy to fight against to make oneself feel good and solid! 

However, as I have repeatedly mentioned in this blog, the greatest problem that Hong Kong people as a collective must learn to tackle is a lack of confidence in outlook on life, as indicated by Saturn in Aries in Hong Kong's 1st house. We as a society must learn to adopt a "can-do" attitude, rather than complaining how external problems or circumstances have blocked us from our goals. No doubt there are mountains to climb and hurdles to cross, but if we maintain a "defeatist" attitude, however high or low the mountain is, we would not be able to climb it - or even attempt to climb at all. This is why Hong Kong so far is still embroiled in internal strife, making little progress in the last 15 years since the Handover. 

Some people seem to think once a certain Chief Executive is removed, then things will start to improve. I do not agree. It is only when we have awakened to the fact that the true solution lies in ourselves, then a genuine improvement to our circumstances is possible.

To learn more, please go to: -

Astro Pastures website - http://www.astropastures.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/astropastures