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Australia is a rugged land. Although we have wonderful modern cities, Universities and arts, Australia was carved by our pioneers under severe conditions. Victoria is a southern State of Australia, known as the 'Garden State' because of its green lush gardens, ferns and trees.
In the hot summer period Bushfires are a common occurrence in Victoria. Victorians, especially those living outside the city on larger blocks and farms, are asked to formulate a fire plan. We can choose whether to evacuate our homes or stay and defend them with a fire plan in place.
Victoria has suffered a 10 year drought. A few years ago, back burning in some rural areas was minimised as a result of pressure from conservationists, leaving many forest areas with a higher-than-usual level of burnable fuel. This is despite the fact that Australian indigenous trees already drop highly volatile leaves and bark. The country areas are well populated with small towns and close knit communities.
In the week prior to the major bushfires Victoria sweltered under a heat wave, with temperatures over 40 degrees Centigrade on three consecutive days. Fires broke out that week and those who chose to stay and fight the fires saved their homes. The Country Fire Authority policy of allowing people to stay and fight is based on sound judgement and knowledge about bushfires.
However on February 7, 2009 we awoke to extraordinary conditions. The temperature rose to 46.4 degrees C (118.2%F) just outside Melbourne, the State Capital. This was the highest temperature on record since records were established in 1855. As scorching north winds gained momentum, we were all on high alert.
Dozens of spot fires started to appear all around the State as a result of lightning strikes, melted components and fast moving embers. In some instances fires were started by arsonists. The fires took off with searing 100 km per hour winds and it was realized with horror that these were not bushfires -- they were Firestorms. Trying to stop them is like trying to stop a Tsunami. We can only prepare for them or evacuate early.
Smaller fires joined together to create monster fires and combined with changes in wind direction, towns thought to be safe, were caught unawares. We have been told that parts of the fire front were 100 kilometres long and 50 metres high (equivalent to a 15 storey building).
The fires moved fast, fire balls jumped roads and buildings, but ultimately those people who bore the full brunt likened it to a nuclear bomb. Whole towns were demolished and many people who stayed to fight died. Families well prepared for a normal bushfire, panicked when they realized that this was a freak circumstance and tried to escape in their cars -- only to be confronted by falling trees, no clear vision and no way out.
On reflecting, the survivors say they will always be haunted by the roar of the fire and the speed at which it travelled, giving some people only a few minutes to evacuate.
One of the most damaging fires started in Kilmore East (yes, Kilmore) and quickly spread to the Kinglake complex. The towns of Kinglake and Marysville suffered extraordinarily heavy casualties and were literally wiped out. The Kilmore East fire was said to have been started by a falling power line which ignited the brittle bushland. Marysville is being treated as a crime scene, as arson is suspected.
The hunt for the arsonists is on. The crime of arson has been upgraded to murder. To date, a 39 year old man has been charged and imprisoned for starting a fire at the town of Churchill, which resulted in 21 deaths.
Miracles did occur and some got out in their cars, on wheel rims after the tyres had burnt off. Isolated homes were left standing, the residents full of grief and guilt because they were left and their neighbours taken.
The Progress and outcome of these fires was truly an act of God -- Australia's worst natural disaster. As I write the death toll is close to 200 and rising as bodies are found in burnt out cars and properties. The current loss of homes is nearly 2000, with 7000 people and countless thousands of pets and wild life dead or displaced.
There will be a Royal Commission investigation on all aspects of bushfire protection.
Astrologically speaking
This event fell between the Annular Solar Eclipse of January 26, 2009 and the Lunar Eclipse on February 10, 2009. I will concentrate on the Solar Eclipse. My colleague Murray Beauchamp has written an article on the Lunar Eclipse, which is published below this article.
January 26 is Australia Day and when I saw that the Solar Eclipse fell on this day, as well as the Chinese New Year, I was concerned and suspected Australia would experience events to affect the whole country. Indeed, whilst fires raged in Victoria in the south, floods ravashed the State of Queensland in northern Australia.
There are several charts for Australia in popular use and I will examine the effects of the Solar Eclipse on the Australian Federation chart (Sydney) and the Proclamation chart (see data below). As the fires were distributed throughout the State of Victoria, I have located the Solar Eclipse chart for Melbourne, the State capital.
(a)The Australian Federation Chart, when all States joined to become a Federation.
January 1st, 1901, 1:35:42 pm AEST Centennial Park Sydney, New South Wales
(Latitude 33deg.53min.47sec.South; Longitude 151deg.14min.18sec. East)
(b)The Australian Federation Chart located for London, England. Australia was very much under the banner of England in 1901. This chart is drawn for 0 hrs, January 1, 1901, London and gives a Libran Ascendant. It is not discussed in this article.
(c)Proclamation at Sydney Cove, known as 'Australia Day', commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet -- January 26, 1788 (NS), 5:30 pm LMT, Sydney NSW
(Latitude 33deg.52min. South; Longitude 151deg.13min. East).
Data for Charts (a) and (c) was provided by Gwen Stoney from Sydney NSW (now deceased), one of our best known astrological researchers.
What do the charts tell us?
Below are some outstanding astrological factors. Space prevents me listing more interpretations, but you are welcome to email me at pamrowe@astrocos.com.au if you have anything important you wish to add.
(a)Australian Federation chart - Centennial Park Sydney/Solar Eclipse Bi-Wheel (Chart 1)
The Federation Sun conjunct Saturn in Capricorn has been rattled locally and internationally by the entry of Pluto into Capricorn. Mars, the ruler of the chart was in Capricorn in the eclipse chart. The Federation Sun conjunct Saturn is semi-square the Eclipse Neptune and opposition the Eclipse Ascendant.
The opposition of Saturn to Uranus and Venus in the Eclipse chart forms some favourable aspects to the Eclipse Mars, Mercury and Neptune, although the Eclipse Saturn is quincunx the Eclipse Neptune and the Eclipse Mercury is retrograde.
The Australian people have rallied together as never before, with unprecedented donations of food, clothes, money and toys, plus offers to help rebuild, and rehouse the victims and care for burnt pets and wildlife. The caring goes on and grows daily.
The transiting Saturn/Neptune midpoint in the Eclipse chart is at 7.14 degrees Sagittarius, and fast approaches Australia's group of planets in Sagittarius, highlighting both positive and negative expressions of this midpoint -- that is, undermining circumstances leading to loss and health issues, but also extraordinary caretaking of others.
Transiting Saturn/Neptune entered the Federation natal house of death and joint resources in 2008, so our current issues of death and financial instability were predictable. (See my article 'Medical Astrology Hidden Triggers -- The Transiting Midpoints', also featured on this website, for further information).
(b)The Proclamation Chart/Solar Eclipse Bi-Wheel (Chart 2)
This chart is loaded with planets and points in Aquarius. The large number of transiting planets in Aquarius at the time of the January 26, 2009 Solar Eclipse reinforces both the positive and negative expressions of the sign -- unexpected events and great humanitarianism.
The Proclamation chart is ruled by the Moon, with Mars and Uranus sub rulers. The natal Moon is heavily aspected by the Saturn opposition Uranus and Venus in the Eclipse chart. The Mars in the Eclipse chart is in Capricorn conjunct Mercury and Mercury is within minutes of its return.
Mars is conjunct the Ascendant in the Proclamation chart and the Ascendant of the Eclipse chart is within minutes of this conjunction, all between 10.0 and 10.52 degrees of Cancer.
When observing the east/west balance of this bi-wheel, the heavy weight of outside influences on the fate of Australia is immediately obvious. The focus is on partnerships and allies, death and financial resources.
(c)Proclamation Chart/Solar Eclipse Cosmobiology Bi-Dial (Chart 3)
Cosmobiologists can look to the bi-dial for the descriptive planetary picture of the event. The tense devastating relationship of the Venus Saturn Uranus = Midheaven Jupiter Sun Moon and Moon Nodes in the Solar Eclipse chart clicks into the Sun=Moon=Mars Ascendant/Venus Saturn of the Proclamation chart.
This is interpreted as upheavals, separation in relationships, destruction of buildings, cutting old ties, new starts, huge expenses, legal matters, rebuilding of lives and properties, reshuffle, relocation, breaking new ground as a result of hope and love.
There are also many other indicators in this bi-dial.
(d)Proclamation Chart/Start of Fire Crisis (Chart 4)
This bi-wheel shows the start of the fire in Kilmore East in Victoria. Transiting Mars has moved into the air sign Aquarius. The orb for the opposition aspect between the rulers of Aquarius (Saturn and Uranus), is still tight after its exact opposition two days prior to the big fires.
Following its retrograde motion through January, transiting Mercury was direct again and within a degree of its return position for its third and final hit.
The trigger for this bi-wheel is the transiting Moon, which activated the Proclamation Mars conjunct Ascendant immediately prior to when the fire crisis was recognised and the National alarm sounded.
References
"Australia's Heritage" by Gwen Stoney, Astrological Monthly Review, September 1986.
Herald-Sun Newspaper February 9, 2009.
'Medical Astrology Hidden Triggers - The Transiting Midpoints' by Pamela Rowe (featured on this website)
Solar Fire Astrological Software
Pamela Roweİ
February 14, 2009.
VICTORIA'S BUSHFIRES FEBRUARY 7, 2009 -- THE LUNAR ECLIPSE & SAROS SERIES
By Murray Beauchamp, MAFA, Dip.AAAC
There was an even chance of destructive fires on the weekend of 7th to 8th February. Following an unprecedented heat wave and on top of a 10-year drought, the forecast for Saturday of 45C+ temperatures with strong hot northerly winds raised concerns; under these conditions only a spark was required.
Astrologically there was also a warning; this difficult period was during an eclipse season. A lunar eclipse was to take place on 10th February. The 0.9 magnitude penumbral lunar eclipse made a close conjunction to the Midheaven between longitudes 140E - 148E. Kinglake, a district destroyed by the fire, is on longitude 145E20. This eclipse was also strongly connected to its saros series birth.
Located for Kinglake the eclipse axis sits astride the MC-IC with the eclipsed Moon forming a close opposition to Chiron and Neptune, both are conjunct the IC. This pattern suggests a storm with tragic results. (Neptune and its association with storms is well known, but here we can envisage a storm of blinding choking smoke). Saturn opposes Uranus (an aspect active from December through to March) with Mars semisquare to Uranus completing a pattern representative of the violence and destruction associated with a fire out of control. These two patterns are interconnected by Saturn quincunx Sun, Chiron and Neptune, and Uranus quincunx the eclipsed Moon. A configuration suggesting a stressful state of affairs, where under prevailing conditions, a simple spark can escalate to a destructive firestorm.
The penumbral eclipse of 10th February belongs to Lunar Saros Series 143 to be born on the 14th March 2063 (the concept of eclipses from the future connected to the present is explained in detail in my book 'The Cryptic Cycle -- Astrology and the Lunar Saros' -- available through this website). Key aspects from this saros series birth chart include:
** An opposition from the eclipsed Moon to Pluto (extreme shock or emotional upheaval)
** Neptune forming a T-square to the eclipse axis, a square to Pluto and a quincunx to the chart ruler Uranus (a stressful event both unexpected and soul destroying)
** Mars conjunct Uranus trine the Sun and Pluto and sextile the eclipsed Moon (extreme efforts to resolve a difficult situation)
** Saturn trine the North Node and Chiron and sextile the South Node (a community expressing grief and undergoing a process of healing).
Located for Kinglake the saros birth shows no direct angular activity. However when viewed as a bi-wheel with the penumbral eclipse, strong interactions between the charts reflect events on the day. Mars from the penumbral eclipse is conjunct the ASC of the saros birth (in fact on the day Mars transited the ASC of the saros birth). The Saturn-Uranus opposition from the penumbral eclipse T-squares the saros birth Neptune, and straddles the saros birth eclipse axis (with Saturn conjunct the eclipsed Moon and Uranus conjunct the Sun-Pluto conjunction of the saros birth). Uranus of the saros birth forms a T-square to the penumbral eclipse axis and a square to its Neptune-Chiron conjunction.
These strongly interconnected eclipse charts tell a tale that is applicable to the event, in fact these connections are valid for the day of the event. On the day of the firestorm victims were caught unaware and in many instances attempts to escape were to prove futile. A raging storm of fire, radiant heat, choking smoke and violent winds in excess of 100kph, wrought havoc on anybody and anything in its path.
Murray Beauchampİ
14th February, 2009.
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