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.

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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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