Did astrology predict the actual finacial and social world crisis?

We live in times of reflection - and by no means of celebration. An unprecedented economic and social crisis is spreading rapidly around the Globe. In periods like this it is vital to keep our minds clear and to see things as objectively as we can. And with all due objectivity, we can say that apparently this crisis has not been trully predicted by nobody in the past, neither by the economists nor the sociologists nor by any other specialized scientist. Some may have had some glimpses but the exact dimension and time of occurrence of the phenomenon has not been predicted by none! To the exception of the Astrologers...

In fact, many major Astrologers predicted the current crisis with astonishing accuracy, even decades ago! The French Astrologer Andre Barbault for example, who is a world expert in planetary cycles and in mundane astrology, was talking already back in the '80's about "the great financial crisis of the years 2008 - 2012" ! In his book "L'Avenir du Monde Selon L' Astrologie" (published in 1993, Editions Du Felin) and in page 198 he states: "the opposition Saturn - Uranus (of the year 2008) will probably trigger the first major financial crisis of the XXI Century". In the very same page he talks about the ominous square aspects that will be formed in the year 2010 between the planets Uranus and Pluto and Saturn and Pluto. He claims that these rare planetary delineations will coincide with the peak of this cataclysmic finanacial and social global crisis. Nationalistic and extremistic movements will gain momentum, riots and wars will escalate!

Another relevant book I have in my hands is E. Alan Meece's "Horoscope for the New Millennium" (Llewellyn Publications) first printed in 1996. In page 273 Meece writes: "The year 2009 marks the start of an important and painful period...The ferment will rise to fever pitch in the Fall of 2009...". In page 274 he goes: "Dodging an Apocalypse: A titanic square. When Jupiter and Uranus enter Aries in the spring of 2010, people will be much less restrained in expressing their frustration. "Peasants" and other poor people will rise up world-wide and governments will be besieged with demands for change...This titanic, historic T-square involves the same four planets as the T-square which coincided with the Great Depression"!

Finally, let me quote here an excerpt from the book "Forecasts for 1995" of the American Astrologer Reymond Merriman (he wrote this book back in 1994, when there was not even a slight indication of the current crisis in the air ):

In this book Merriman is focusing on the predictions of the year 1995. He highlights some difficult planetary delineations of that specific year and then he - rather abrubtly - states that these configurations are nothing in compare to the ones that will be formed in the period years 2008 - 2012! As he writes:

"These are indeed all important (planetary configurations), but not likely as eventful as...the period 2008-2012, when Uranus will enter Aries, Pluto will enter Capricorn (squared by Uranus), and Saturn will enter Libra. This will be the first time since 1929-1931 that these three bodies have been in the cardinal T-Square signs to one another. You may recall that 1929-1931 was an eventful time in the world. You may conclude (I do) that whatever we are doing now is simply a buildup into that time period. What happens then will be a direct result of policies, behaviors, and attitudes we are starting to develop and implement now. Hopefully, as a world body, we will have more wisdom and foresight now than we did in the 1920’s. Otherwise it might very well fall apart – again. Oh yes, it will rebuild again. But is it necessary to go through the agony – again? It is until we learn from our experiences."

How prophetic was Reymond Merriman 15 whole years ago! And as we saw here, he was not the only one... Whoever was able to elementary decipher the rare planetary configurations we are actually experiencing would come to the same conclusions. I could cite dozens, hundreds of similar articles of other Astrologers - written some 10, 20 or even 30 years ago - all of them predicting with a stunning accuracy the actual grim situation!

I am ever surprised by the greatness of Astrology! The fact that it forecast this huge worldwide economic and social crisis (a succesful forecast that could be described as the most dramatic made by astrology in the last 100 years) is to me a great event! It makes us realize the validity of Astrology and its enormous utility for us humans, who are blindly trying to find our bearings in this vast and mysterious Universe!

Thomas Gazis

The Zodiacal Banquet (the Zodiac as a Universal "Software")

Whatever exists around us -or in our minds - every single situation, thing or idea corresponds to a certain sign! There is no situation in our entire world that cannot be represented and somehow related to a sign. And this because signs are in reality the 12 archetypes through which the whole Universe is modeled, they are the ultimate matrices of “bricks” or “lego’s” that have constructed the Universe!

The zodiac in itself depicts an evolutionary process, which starts in Aries and ends in Pisces. Thus, the order of the signs is of an extreme importance. Every living organism, machine, thing and situation comes into being, grows, flourishes and dissolves, following exactly and distinctively the steps of this Aries to Pisces sequence. Thus, the zodiac constitutes an archetypal evolutionary process, according which all universal phenomena develop. It somehow is an itinerary with 12 distinctive stations that have to be followed in a precise order, one by one. If not, the processes do not become evolutionary but decadent!

Thus, every situation in life evolves - either explicitly or implicitly - according to the succession of the signs. Human beings, for example, are born and raised according to it. Let me, now, show you in this article how even the most ordinary, every day situations follow this pattern. Let’s take a situation familiar to all of us, the one of having a dinner (or a banquet, on a more solemn occasion) for our friends, relatives e.t.c.


                   THE 12 STAGES OF THE ZODIACAL BANQUET

THE ARIES STAGE Aries corresponds to the initial stage of a dinner/ banquet. We must decide here what meal to cook. This is the first thing that always worries us, when we start preparing a dinner (that is, after having definitely decided that we will make the dinner and having formed the list of our guests). Actually, this is an every day worry to all the people who cook: from a long list of possible meals we must each time pick up a specific one! Picking up the specific meal, from a long list of possible meals, actually is an individualization process. A process has been commenced, a decision has been made and actions are taken (all these are Aries traits).

THE TAURUS STAGE After having decided what meal to cook, we must consider the practical matters of the cooking. We must secure all the indispensable materials (oven, casseroles, ingredients e.t.c.). If we lack an ingredient we have to go out and buy it. Thus, we have to have the indispensable money. If we decide, for example, to cook a turkey we must have in our disposition (or buy) the turkey, the potatoes, the butter, the corn, the stuffing. Unless we secure all these ingredients (and all the other indispensable for the cooking materials) the impulsion inside us to make a turkey dish will never take form, it will never materialize!

THE GEMINI STAGE This stage corresponds to the mental preparation of the meal. Before starting the cooking we must first (as we usually do in every job) enact in our minds beforehand the whole procedure (how to cook the meal, how much of each ingredient to put in the baking pan, how long we should keep the meal in the oven). Then, if we are not very confident about are skills, we might read a recipes book. This stage corresponds to the sign of Gemini, which is the sign of reasoning, of reading books - and recipes -, of interconnecting things (interconnecting the various ingredients of the turkey, in our case). At the stage of Gemini reasoning gets high: we read the recipe, we calculate the portion of each ingredient to put in the baking pan, we probably use scales and dose-meters. All these procedures, of meticulously calculating each ingredient and throwing it to the baking pan, in order for it to mingle and interact with the others, are clearly Geminian.

THE CANCER STAGE At this stage the dissimilar ingredients put together in the baking pan start - for the very first time - tasting and smelling as a food! We might say that at this stage the food’s “soul” is formed! And this constitutes a small miracle; because it is always strange how dissimilar ingredients put together can bind and produce the meal we wanted! And till this happens, we always feel anxiety, wondering whether our “chemistry” will result into a nice food or in a complete failure! We often open the oven and taste the meat, the potatoes, to feel if they get the right taste or if they are missing something. These are moments of insecurity and anxiety. And suddenly, we get in the air the very first hint of a true turkey dish. This is a turning point and produces in us warm feelings and emotions.

THE LEO STAGE The stage where our meal definitely takes the taste and appearance we wanted! Not just its initial taste, but its final, ripe taste, the one that give us the certainty that we have in our oven a well-cooked meal, as the one we were longing for! This is usually a festive moment! The smell of the meal fills every angle of our house and chases away the doubts we had before! We are now sure that we will serve to our guests a delicious turkey, a dish that will impress them! Euphoria fills us up. Our spirits go high and we start singing - or even dancing! At this stage some early visitors might arrive, and we have the first social contacts among the house lords and the guests. Absolute certainty in us, joy and pleasure, all these are typically leonine traits.

THE VIRGO STAGE The stage where the necessary preparations for the serving of the dinner take place. The table must be prepared here; plates and cutlery must be brought out and rightly set on the table e.t.c. This is a rather technical stage, corresponding to the sign of Virgo (the sign of the “savoir vivre”. You cannot rightly set a table unless you are familiar with the rules of “savoir vivre” - i.e. you should always put the guests fork to the left of his/her plate, the knife to the right and so on). At this stage aperitifs are offered to the early visitors. An atmosphere of hasty and anxiety reigns in the air, as so many things and details have to be done, in a due time and in a correct mode.

THE LIBRA STAGE The stage where the guests approach each other and gather to the table. This is the stage of Libra, which supports the harmonic co-existence of the people, even if they are totally strangers among them. So, at this stage people gather to the table in a civil and basically harmonic manner. It is here that the collective phase of the dinner/banquet actually commences! This very moment, where everyone is pulling his/her chair to sit to the table has a uniting flare and usually is pleasant. People tend to be in a good mood (or they pretend to be) as they come close to each other. People of the opposite sex, that where attracted to each other, come for the first time close here and can freely talk to each other! Or they might discover how attractive a person is, who before they thought of as indifferent, since he/she was standing away from them in the living- room.

THE SCORPIO STAGE This is the stage of the inner unification of the guests, the unification of their souls! People that physically came so close to each other must now come psychically close, as well! This cannot be done easily. It all depends on the specific “synastries” formed at the table and - of course - on the idiosyncrasy of each guest. Usually, when people gather together sympathies and antipathies arise. Part of these sympathies and antipathies will surface and manifest during the dinner/banquet. Disguised irony, malice, even open hostility begins to surface. Guests that secretly sympathize each other form alliances and attack those they dislike or support each other from other guests’ attacks, regardless if they are right or wrong! They are motivated exclusively by their feelings. On a pure erotic level, here we have the most passionate and meaningful looks (or some under the table secret feet contact among the people that fancy each other). Obviously, this stage corresponds to Scorpio.

THE SAGITTARIUS STAGE The guests, after having discharged much of their negative psychological energies at the previous stage of Scorpio - feel better and come now closer to each other. Usually, somebody at this stage tells a joke, the guests start laughing and the “ice” begins to melt, the tensions go away. When all the members of a company laugh unhurriedly and spontaneously it means that all of them are internally united and none isolated to the rest. A relaxing and gay atmosphere begins now to reign at the table. People become truer and better intentioned to each other, they start talking more freely and exchange ideas about interesting subjects (often of a philosophical nature). This is the Sagittarius stage of the dinner.

THE CAPRICORN STAGE At this stage discussions regarding professional and social matters usually take place among the dinner guests. The stage of Capricorn usually commences when the coffee is served, after the dinner. Those guests, whose professional or social interests match, engage in conversations about their reciprocal activities. They discuss on their affairs and subjects of common interest and sound out the probabilities of a mutual cooperation or of a joint activity (i.e. a lawyer usually starts giving advises, at this stage, to the people around him who have engaged in legal matters. He might, then, give them his business card as well, in order to continue their discussions in his/her office).

THE AQUARIUS STAGE At this stage the dinner/banquet guests start to feel much more free and comfortable, in the presence of each other. They unbutton their jackets, untie their ties and sometimes sit on the floor! They become more friendly and unconventional. They begin to discuss exciting and unusual subjects (i.e. metaphysics, astronomy, astrology). Each guest begins to clearly see here which people around him are like-minded and which suit him the most. Potential friendships are formed. Invitations are exchanged (to other activities, clubs e.t.c.).

THE PISCES STAGE The breaking up, the end of the dinner. As time passes the guests become tired and sleepy. One by one they start leaving. But as they return home and prepare to sleep, they somehow re-enact in their minds the whole evening, the situations and the faces. They start wondering: why that person behaved like this? Would it have been better if I had not said what I said? Should I have been more explicit to that man/woman I was attracted to? So, they somehow re-experience the feelings they felt at the dinner. By re-enacting the night, the guests will analyze them and see more clearly the main issues raised at the table. They will better understand the quality of their interaction to the various guests, they will draw better conclusions for their characters e.t.c.

It is not only in this dinner/banquet process that the 12 zodiacal principals are followed - step-by-step. The same thing happens to every single situation and process in the Universe (from the act of making love to the very production of a car), since every situation first undifferentiated itself (comes to being), then develops, flourishes and finally dissolves! The “ouroboros” (the snake eating its tail) hides behind every single manifestation in the Universe!

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

(This Thomas Gazis article was published in the “Horoscope Guide” magazine, on the April 2004 issue).

The "Breathing" of the Zodiac (the six zodiacal "Pairs")

The traditional affinities in the zodiac are the "Elements," "Modalities," and "Polarities," as we all know. But the zodiac contains even more affinities! The signs, for example, are constructing six “Pairs” among themselves. Each masculine sign somehow takes in marriage its adjacent feminine sign. Thus, we get these six “Pairs” in the zodiac: Aries - Taurus, Gemini - Cancer, Leo - Virgo, Libra - Scorpio, Sagittarius - Capricorn, Aquarius - Pisces. It seems I am not telling you much at this point, but the concept of “Pairs” is a rather new and fascinating one, as you will see.

We live in a polarized word. Wherever we turn our sight we see polarized situations: things, processes, beings (positive or negative, masculine or feminine). Whatever situation comes in our mind, somewhere exists its opposite one! The polarization process is necessary for the objects to take shape, for the humans to exist and evolve, for life to carry on.

Take cars, for example. What is moving them is the power of their engine. And that power is produced in a rather polarized way (through the mecchanical process of "combustion - exhaustion"). Now, take the human engine, the body. It inhales oxygen and it exhales carbonate dioxide (the exhaust gas). The same mecchanism as in the cars! Without this incessant, "polarized" process of breathing in and out the human body would run out of energy and perish. Somehow, polarization means life!

Let’s go back to our six zodiac “Pairs”. These “Pairs” constitute the six major "breaths" of the zodiac, the six reciprocating processes of integration and evolution.

The zodiacal signs are depicted below in a sine wave, in order to emphasize their “gender” and the way they complement each other. The “mountains” in the figure are the masculine signs, the “gorges” or "ravines" the feminine ones.

Aries and Taurus form the Pair of Individualization, the Pair of Ego. It is imperative for each person and situation to be unique, differentiated, self-sufficient, secure, to impose his interests and dominate, in as much as he can, the others. People without a strong Ego cannot impose their will or sustain the pressures of life. Aries represents the masculine phase of the Ego and Taurus the feminine one. But does a feminine Ego really exist? Yes, it does! Whereas the masculine Ego is manifested “loudly” and aggressively, the feminine Ego is manifested by inertia and non-participation. We should consider egotistical persons not only the ones that behave abruptly and aggressively but also the ones that ingeniously retire into their selves and interests, whenever they have to make a stand and support something or somebody.

So, there are two Ego phases. The masculine phase gives a capacity to openly face situations, to claim whatever one considers his own, to pull things in the desired direction. The feminine (Taurean) phase gives a capacity to sustain external pressures and to define oneself without the need of impressive exterior achievements. This a very important but not very well understood phase of the Ego. Still, it is an equal “half” of the Ego. Aries represents the dynamic Ego, the Ego that is strong as long as it remains in action. Taurus represents the static Ego, the Ego that is strong as long as it abstains from action! In order for a man to be really strong he has to have both the masculine and the feminine phase strong.


Gemini and Cancer are the signs of the logical and of the emotional/psychological development of the individual! Of his/her Interconnection with his/her surroundings, of his/her overall "communication" skills. There is no meaning in an "Ego" that has been created but left in a primitive, unrefined state, isolated from the rest of society. It is vital for this "Ego" to evolve both logically and emotionally, so that it integrates itself to society and fully exploits the many benefits its interaction with it bestows! This is the job of of the Gemini - Cancer duet! These two signs strategically control and ever refine the "interconnection" skills of the individual with the people and the situations around him/her.

We humans are not communicating just verbally but emotionally too! On the one hahnd, the "masculine" reasoning, the intellect, are extremely important in any kind of "communication". Oddly enough though, the emotions we are transferring while we communicate with somebody play a fundamental role too! They influence the quality of our communication (they may enhance it or deteriorate it). So, every time we communicate with some other human beings we have to be aware of our emotional exchange with them as well - and respect that exchange as much as we respect the mere intellectual exchange.

Think of two individuals, a Gemini and a Cancer, traveling side by side in a bus. They don’t know each other and after some time they might even feel uncomfortable for not talking to eah other. The first to engage in a conversation will be the Gemini individual. It is imperative for this sign to interconnect cerebrally with the others, to exchange words with them - without having though any particularly wish to exchange emotions and "soul energy" with the others. That's Cancer’s job!

The sign of Cancer is the feminine phase of Interconnection and Communication. It is the sign of the Soul, so the kind of interconnection it craves for is the warm, soul - centered, emotional interconnection. S/he is shy, so probably s/he won't be the one starting the conversation. But, from the moment the dialogue will begin Cancer will willingly participate in it and will bring in it some much warmer, emotional states (i.e. he might ask his fellow traveler about his family). He will be staring him warmly in the eyes and will be aiming at his own and his fellow travelers “warming” of the soul, in that unique way that the human contact warms our souls. Even if the two do not exchange a single word during the trip and at the moment of getting down from the bus the Cancer individual turns and warmly looks at his fellow traveler, even then an interconnection will have been established, of the Cancerian, feminine type!


Leo and Virgo form the Pair of the Completion of the individual. Leo represents the masculine phase of completion and Virgo the feminine one. In the phase of Leo the individual has been remarkably developed (he has obtained in previous stages a strong Ego, intelligence and soul). Thus, Leo feels very full of himself, he begins to feel a small God! There is no doubt that Leo has a strong and dominant personality, that he is very self - confident and has a wide range of creative talents. He is self-assured and needs other people to admire him and serve him. Leo is remarkable, under many points of view, but still is not a God! This is exactly what Virgo, the feminine phase of Completion, commits herself to constantly remind him.

In the Virgonian phase of completion the individual is thoroughly probed in order to discover all of his shortcomings and failings. We all tend to deny and forget our weaknesses. But Virgo is always there to remind them to us (and of course, to mirror them to Leo, showing him how far away he is from perfection, from divinity).
If we ever manage to look objectively at our selves we will discover in us many shortcomings and weaknesses (in our appearance, personality, behavior e.t.c.). And it is not only our frailties that distant us from perfection. Our everyday sins distant us even more! How chaste and pure are we, for example, to deserve divinity? Virgo is constantly probing this, measuring the distance that separates us from the ideal.


Libra and Scorpio form the next stage, in which one individual joins another. We have here the Pair of Union. Libra expresses the masculine phase of union. This is an exterior phase. A boy and girl walking together along the beach, a man marrying a woman, two persons interacting in a gentle and polite way. However, this exterior harmony does not imply that the two persons really like each other and that, beside their exterior rapprochement, they are united internally, in their souls. There are so many men and women who do not show it externally but are strongly united in their souls (fated love affairs, extra - marital affairs, liaisons e.t.c.).

All these kinds of strong, hidden unions are typically Scorpionic (feminine). In the phase of Scorpio the individuals do not only unite but also actually merge! They become absolute one, in the body, in the mind, in the soul! They completely transform themselves into new entities and their separates “me, myself” become “us”. In the Scorpionic union, the individual ceases to draw sentimental and psychic support from his parents, relatives, friends e.t.c. and draws it exclusively from his partner.

Obviously, the Scorpionic union is a deep and passionate one. But this does not diminish the importance of the Libraian union. It is very important for two individuals, no matter how incompatible they are and how many differences they have, to coexist gently and politely. The human civilization is largely based upon the masculine Libraian union.


Next comes the stage of Socialization, represented by the signs of Sagittarius and Capricorn. Sagittarius represents the masculine phase of socialization. Remember that this phase comes after the somehow claustrophobic phase of Scorpio (where two individuals strive to become an absolute one). Sagittarius knows that if one gets too hemmed in his relationship or in his private life, he risks to be cut off from the vital stream of energies that society harbors. The energies of an intimate relationship can be powerful and regenerating but can become swampy and poisonous, as well! That’s why Sagittarius prompts the individuals to open themselves, their minds, their relationships, to go out and meet people, to have fun, to travel e.t.c.

What Sagittarius starts Capricorn completes. Capricorn considers the Sagittarian kind of socialization important, but somehow frivolous. To him the true socialization begins when the individual starts to serve society, when he produces a socially useful work (through his profession), when he fully takes his responsibilities, towards himself and society. To Capricornean people the individual is nothing but a gear in the mechanism of society and it should be as useful and functional gear as it can be! It is important for Capricorn to see people socialize for specific, utilitarian reasons, i.e. in order to develop professional plans or improve the conditions of their community.


The sixth and final stage of the zodiac is the stage of Universalization, expressed by the Pair Aquarius - Pisces. Aquarius - which is the masculine phase of universalization, considers it important that a man finds his place in society, but even more important is for him to find his place in the Universe! We have to find the meaning of life, we have to understand, in a broader term, which we are and what our mission is. Aquarius brings a high level of consciousness to the individual, so high that he might even deny doing his duty (i.e. the pilot of a military airplane that goes against the orders that he has and refuses to bomb civilians). Aquarius is a humanist. He loves his fellow humans, regardless of their social, financial, racial position. But he prefers to mingle with people that have a high level of consciousness and are like-minded.

Pisces represent the feminine phase of universalization. It is a sign that brings one an even higher level of consciousness than Aquarius. But at this advanced phase, consciousness and perception become so high that start to mutate into an undifferentiated, overwhelming wisdom that might disorientate the individual.
Pisces do not even segregate people according to their level of consciousness - as Aquarius does. To them all people are the same. They all have to carry their weigh, they all have pain and sorrow in their hearts. That’s why this mysterious sign considers each human being his brother. Pisces is the sign of the universal love, a kind of love that many people do not understand. It is a somehow impersonal love, with mixed elements of brotherhood and compassion. Pisces know that all people were once united (and they still are, in a sense) and that we all are destined to be wholly united again!


These are the six Pairs of the zodiac. The notion of “Pairs” is important because it helps us to deeper understand the structure of the zodiac. We knew a long time that there are six masculine and six feminine signs in the zodiac but apart from the obvious symmetry we had little notion of the need for such polarization. Now, with the theory of zodiacal Pairs we begin to better understand the expediency of the polarization in the zodiac. Zodiacal Pairs act as sources of energy and as agents that promote the evolutionary processes of life.

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

(This is an edited version of a Thomas Gazis article that was published in the “American Astrology - Your daily Horoscope” magazine, on the July 2003 issue with the title "The Living Zodiac").

What sign do we become when we get drunk?

Since we are now under the influence of the "crazy", liberating and unorthodox sign of Aquarius and the Carnival is just around the corner I think it fits to ask:

What sign do we become when we get drunk?

Astrology is a universal and all encompassing language, so any kind of question - even the weirdest one - can be astrologically phrased and answered through the correct synthesis and interpretation of the corresponding astrological symbols and concepts.

There is now a rather unexpected source that can give us the answer to our "booze" riddle: Ancient Greek Mythology! It is not by chance that leading Astrologers like Liz Greene have developed a very advanced and meaningfull Astrology based mainly on ancient Greek Mythology.

First, let us ask ourselves: who was the god of wine and drunkenness in ancient Greece? Dionysus -
Bacchus! A very characteristic adjective of Dionysus now is: the "liberator". He was the god that was liberating humans from their "normal" selves, from their worries and sufferings, from their inhibitions and taboos - through the wine, through drunkenness, through the "orgiastic" ceremonies and ecstasy in general.

Does this description ring a bell to you? Is your mind going to a certain "extra sociable, extra free and liberated" sign? Yes, exactly! Aquarius is the great liberator of the zodiac, the sign associated with collective ceremonies, frenzy etc. In modern astrology Dionysus is associated with the sign of Aquarius. And not by chance, Aquarius is the sign diametrically opposed to Leo (who symbolizes our ordinary Self - while Aquarius our transcendental Self). Aquarius is also the first sign that comes after Capricorn - the great guardian of the social conventions, of the limits, barriers etc. Being the first sign after Capricorn, Aquarius symbolizes the breakdown of barriers and conventions.

And since the 12 signs of the zodiac function in pairs, Aquarius is the masculine (+) phase of drunkenness and Pisces the female (-) one. The sign of Pisces represents something even more advanced: the total escape from our everyday routine (which is symbolized by the diametrically opposite to Pisces sign of Virgo). Pisces actually represents a stage where (either through a substance - such as wine - either through a ritual, a ceremony etc.) man is led to absolute ecstasy, the stage where a certain Union with the divine is produced!

And to answer our original question, under the influence of alcohol we do become certain signs or at least we adopt their behavior: we somehow become "Aquariuses" (more open, sociable and friendly to the others) and more "Pisces" (we discover a new, embellished dimension to the people around us, we might unexpectedly get up and dance while we usually feel ashamed, we might do crazy things, we might even fall for the stranger s/he stands beside us  - something we usually regret the next morning).

You will ask me then, if we become Aquariuses and Pisces when we get drunk then what about those people who already are Aquariuses and Pisces? Actually they become Aquariuses and Pisces to the highest degree. Or (on the other hand) when these people are drunk - a situation rather familiar to them - they behave relatively normal in respect to the others.

So there is a priceless treasure in Greek Mythology that can be connected with the archetypes of Astrology and deliver us some very rich and advanced astrological interpretations.

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

A brief history of Greek Astrology - Modern period

We all know that astrology flourished in ancient Greece, particularly in the so called Hellenistic period. The legacy of the ancient Greeks was subsequently passed to the Byzantines (whom we could define as "the Middle Ages Greeks"). Although the church was fiercely opposing the astrology then, the celestial art survived for a thousand years in Byzantium. And not only survived but bred some excellent astrologers too, like Rhetorius or Stephen the philosopher. Even certain prominent Byzantine politicians (like Prime-Minister Michael Psellos) were actually astrologers!

In 1453 Byzantium fell to the Turks. For almost 4 centuries Greece remained under Turkish rule. Astrology was not practiced much during this period. And when Greece was liberated in 1821 astrology was long forgotten. Consider the fact that in the early 1930's some Greek newspapers were reporting astrology as "a magic art practiced by natives in Africa"!

In 1936 the German-raised Greek engineer Peter Gravinger wrote a book entitled "Praktikon Enchiridion Astrologias" ("Practical Handbook of Astrology"), much advanced for those days and largely unnoticed. It would be in the early 1950's before we began to see Sun-sign forecasts appearing in some popular magazines and newspapers.

But the true revival of astrology in Greece came about through the efforts of a lady named Maria Metallinou (1928 - 1974). In her youth she had become interested in astrology and maintained that interest through her polytechnic studies in northern Europe. She and her collaborator Theodora Dakou (b. 1942) took lessons with the Faculty of Astrological Studies, having as their tutor the legendary Charles. E.O. Carter.

As Metallinou and Dakou possessed no ephemeris on those days (middle 60's) they contacted the director of the Athens Astronomical Observatory, Konstantinos S. Chasapes. Doctor Chasapes (1914 -1972), who had a secret flair for astrology, assisted them much with their astrological calculations and interpretations!

In 1969 Metallinou founded "Oroskopio", the first astrological magazine in Greece. However, her untimely death caused the magazine's demise. Subsequently, Theodora Dakou founded the "Ouranos Astrological Society" and in 1975 she published a quality astrology magazine named "Ouranos", that lasted until 1982. In 1980 she organized a pan-Mediterranean (F.I.M.A.) astrology conference in Athens.

In recent years astrologers Thomas Gazis and Maro Ioannidou organized two international conferences in Greece (Astromykonos 2000, featuring Robert Hand, and Astromykonos 2001, feauturing Noel Tyl and Elizabeth Teissier). They also originated the idea (together with the Spanish astrologer Ernesto Cordero) for the formation of the F.A.E.S. (South European Astrology Confederation), which they promoted with other South-European colleagues. Thomas Gazis has written two astrology books and has extensively lectured in Europe.

Another key figure in modern Greek astrology is a lady, Despina Giannakopoulou. She has substantially supported quality astrology in Greece and is actually doing an excellent job on ancient Greek astrology. She has authored five quality astrology books.

Today there are many "light" astrology magazines being published in Greece but none of quality. Commercial astrologers - psychics are over-dominating the scene, leaving very little room for quality astrology. The fact that no formal Federation of Greek astrologers has yet been established says it all!

(This excerpt was written by Thomas Gazis. It has been included - in a shorter and edited version - in Jame's H. Holden book “A History of Horoscopic Astrology”).

The first English astrologers were Greek - Byzantines (and oddly enough Saints)!

The story I am going to tell you is true, but it might very well have been just another Canterbury tale. It is a story that connects in strange ways England and Byzantium. It started in medieval England, in the year 667 CE. The city of Canterbury was then one of the most prominent Anglo - Saxon cities in Britain. Its people had been converted from pagans to Christians just 2 generations before (in 597 CE, by Saint Augustine). The Episcopal See of the city though - founded by St. Augustine - was left vacant in that specific year. And that was serious, because the Canterbury See was (and still is) considered England's primary See.

To fill the gap, the king of Kent sent emissaries to the Pope in Rome, asking him to appoint a new Archbishop to Canterbury. Back then not very many people were eligible for such a place - most of the people could not even read, let alone debate on religious matters. Not to mention that to the high ranked priests in Rome the idea of moving to a distant, misty and (still) barbaric land was not promising at all. With limited choices available Pope Vitalian's mind went to certain monasteries in Italy run by Byzantine monks - the Byzantines considered then the most erudite scholars in Europe.

You may read the whole article here

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This is an original article written by Thomas Gazis. Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis. In order to republish it - parts or all of it - please contact first the author at: ifestion@gmail.com
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Byzantium's vital contribution to Astrology

Since my early childhood Byzantium enchanted me with its glorious and mystical aura! I think I have to blame the Sunday church for this kick. Of course as a kid I didn't like at all the forced awaking on early Sunday mornings (Sunday was the only day off school and I just wanted to sleep long). Not to mention that when in church I couldn't understand much, because the Christian Orthodox Mass was said (and still is) in ancient Greek! But the chant of the priests and of the chorus coming to me through the mist of inebriating incenses, oh yes that was something! New worlds were opening to me, like the ones depicted in the frescoes I was contemplating on the walls and on the dome of the church over me: austere saints, agonizing martyrs, lavishly dressed emperors, scenes of parables and life situations I could not decipher back then - all in a pure Byzantine esoteric manner. Byzantium had fallen some 5 centuries ago to the Turks, but I was still immersed in it, into its divine melody and fascinating iconography, into the exotic names of long forgotten Byzantine cities and provinces that the priest was occasionally mentioning as he was reading the Gospel. Although irrevocably perished Byzantium was all alive to me, I could experience its mysticism and ecstasy!

The Byzantine empire lasted more than a thousand years (324 - 1453 CE), it was culturally prominet in its times, it enlightened the otherwise plunging into Dark Ages Europe and it comprised the largest, brimming with lofty buildings and monuments, most cosmopolitan city of the western hemisphere: Constantinople (today's Istanbul)!

But how can it be an empire so great - heir of the Hellenistic empire - not to have impacted Astrology at all? How comes we never see in the usual "Astrology Time lines" any entry on some Byzantine astrologer or any other kind of byzantine contribution? Actually if you take a closer look to these "Timelines" you will  notice a gap: they start by mentioning several ancient astrologers and achievements and then abruptly shift into the late Middle Ages, mentioning Arab and European astrologers of the time, then they move to Renaissance, to Northern European astrologers and so on. But you will not find a single entry on Byzantium!

I think the best argument to make you realize how important Byzantium has been astrologically is to stress the fact that even William Lilly was studying books of byzantine astrologers! Specifically, Lilly owned the books: "In centum Ptolomei Aphorismos" by Georgius Trapezuntius, a prominent Greek - Byzantine scholar / astrologer. Plus, the "Paraphrasis in 4 libros Ptolemei" by Leo Allatius, who was Greek - Byzantine too. He mentions both in ηισ "Christian Astrology".

Lilly mentions as well the book "De mutatione Aeris" by Petrus de Abano. Although Italian by nature, Peter of Abano was byzantine by education (he went to study in Constantinople and stayed there for 20 whole years)! And you would be surprised to know that even Gerolamo Cardano, although a prominent astrologer himself, revered much the aforementioned Greek - Byzantine astrologer Georgius Trapezuntius - insinuating to the fact that he might have been given lessons by Trapezuntius himself or by some other Byzantine scholars who fled to Italy in the 15th century, a little before or after Byzantium's fall to the Turks.  Lilly acknowledges both Abano and Cardanus in his famous "Christian Astrology" book. So, directly or indirectly Byzantine astrologers influenced enormously William Lilly! And since I mentioned Trapezuntius, it is plausible that the very Regiomontanus was instructed by Georgius Trapezuntius - during the Regiomontanus' stay in Rome.

How could it be otherwise? Byzantine astrology is the direct heir of the Hellenistic one. Major astrological figures like Paulus Alexandrinus, Olympiodorus and Stephanus Alexandrinus belong - at least chronologically - to the Byzantine Era. Byzantium managed  - in times of darkness, hardships, wars and religious fanatism - to breed even its own astrological schools, like the superb one of Rhetorius (late sixth century), and the innovating one of John Abramius (14th century). A Byzantine astrologer (Theophylus of Edessa) was invited  by the Caliph al-Mansur to Bagdad (around 765 CE) and he introduced to the arabs the much advanced by then Byzantine astrology. And how serepiditious was the fact that among Theophylus' audience stood the illustrious Masha' allah, the man that set the paradigm for Arab astrology!

But the Byzantine astrology saga does not end here. Surprisingly - as you will see in my next post - two Byzantine scholars were actually the very first Astrologers in Anglo-Saxon Britain!

Thomas D. Gazis
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This is an original article written by Thomas Gazis. Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis. If you wish to republish it - parts or all of it - please do mention the author and link to this page.
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The Polarization effect in the natal chart! (case studies)

A rather unsuccessful (as I thought at the time) consultation with a client of mine, some 20years ago,  prompted me to dig deeper in his chart and gradually reach the conclusions I am presenting here. The aforementioned client had called me back then to arrange an appointment with me, providing me in advance his data. As soon as I cast his chart I was impressed, because all his personal planets were in the regal sign of Leo (forming a "Stellium" there), with his Moon residing in ultra masculine Aries! Thus, I was anticipating back then to meet a person with a radiant, strong, self asserting personality. When the bell of my office rang on the day of our appointment, I opened the door expecting to see a sort of "Alexander the Great" stepping in! And in fact he had the "Al Pacino" facial features (a strong, radiant face, with prominent angular jaws).

To my utter amazement though, I gradually realized - as the consultation was going on - that he was a rather insecure and fragile individual! Surely he was receiving by then some hard planetary aspects, but by no means were these aspects so disruptive as to justify his actual state. His case puzzled me profoundly and when he left I immediately started re-analyzing his chart, trying to figure out where I was wrong - as the reality of my customer apparently did not match his chart.

It took me a lot of researching and questioning, but suddenly I had an epiphany! This guy had a Libra Ascendant and that meant that all his Leo planets were actually "falling" in his Eleventh House! And likewise, his Aries Moon was "falling" in his Seventh House!

So what (you are about to tell me)? Well, think about it: the sign of Leo is somehow the reverse of the Eleventh House (at least on an archetypal level)! And the sign of Aries is somehow the reverse of the Eleventh House! There was too much "reversing", "distorting" in this chart, causing a huge expenditure of energies!

You see, the "bestial" Leonine energies of this man were struggling to cope with the absolutely opposite “Aquarian” - Eleventh House "anthropomorphic" energies (and in an analogous mode, his Aries energies were struggling to cope with those of his Seventh House)! There was a major battle there since this “sign vs. house” polarization in his chart was turning the everyday reality of this man (expressed by his houses) against the very Universal archetypes imprinted in him (expressed by the  positions of his planets in the zodiac)! Thus, a huge amount of his abundant fiery energies was consumed and “dissipated”, as this person was constantly struggling to bridge in himself two diametrically opposite worlds!

I have personally coined a term for this phenomenon: I call it the "Polarization Effect"! Intimidating as it might sound, it actually describes a very simple condition: a planet in a given sign that happens to reside in the "archetypally opposite" to that sign House!

Of course there isn't such a thing as a House “opposite” to a sign. For the sake of simplicity though, by the term "a House opposite to a sign" we mean here: "the House that corresponds to the diametrically opposite sign of the one we are referring to"! To give you an example, if somebody has his/her Sun in Aries and simultaneously in his/her Seventh House (the Seventh House corresponds to the sign of Libra, the sign diametrically opposite to Aries in the zodiac cycle), then in such a case we get a "polarized" Sun! The Sun in Taurus in the Eight House is “polarized” too, the Sun in Gemini in the Ninth House is polarized, the Sun in Cancer in the Tenth House is polarized and so forth…

- Britney Spears: not exactly a lucky beggar!

Few people will deny the fact that the well known pop idol Britney Spears has been through some kind of ordeal in her life. Although young, rich and famous she does not seem to be very happy, going through continuous stages of psychological breakdowns, addictive behavior etc. Allegedly she suffers from “Bipolar Disorder”, which is a major mental disorder, sending the patient to extremes ranging from (depressive) immobility and “mutism” to (manic) over-mobility and garrulity. Apparently Britney is having a certain difficulty in pulling herself together and getting a grip on life. She got married twice and divorced, she gave birth to 2 children but lost the custody of both, plus she lost (by a juridical decision) the control of her assets!

A fundamental astrological axiom claims that the chart should reflect its owner's reality. So, with all these heavy conditions that Britney Spears is facing in her life it would be natural to presume that she has a "heavy" chart. We might have anticipated i.e. discordant aspects on her Luminaries (Sun, Moon), eventually a pivotal Neptune, an 8th or 12th House emphasis etc. Nope, not at all! Britney Spears chart seems to be one of the "smoothest"! You can see it for yourself (born December 2nd,  1981, 1:30 am, McComb Mississippi):

Her Sun is in the so called "lucky" sign of Sagittarius and receives no major hard aspects at all. Her Moon in Aquarius not only is not receiving any hard aspects but it even forms an harmonic aspect to Saturn. In addition, her Sun and Moon form a Sextile aspect (her “Lights” are 60 degrees apart and this in astrology is considered a positive agent). Not to mention that her Moon is in the warm, vivacious, "solid" and powerfully self-asserting Fifth House. This chart seems to belong to a happy person, having a rather easy life. But it does not reflect Britney Spears' tormented life. Apparently we are missing something here!

There must be some crucial element in this chart that we apparently overlook. Indeed if we search better we will encounter some hard configurations. First of all, she has a Libra Ascendant (which apparently partakes to the overall "easy going" chart pattern of hers). The planet ruling her Ascendant is Venus. And as you probably know, the planet ruling the Ascendant is of uttermost importance in the chart! So, it doesn’t surprise us much the fact that her chart's ruler (Venus, in the 25th degree of Capricorn) is forming a PERFECT (partile) square aspect to Pluto (in the 25th degree of Libra)! Pluto is well known in Astrology for causing (when adversely triggered) huge existential crises, frequent psychological breakdowns, extreme events in life, loss of assets and any kind of ordeals. And in Britney's case Pluto is pivotal, both because it is in her First House (in conjunction to her neighboring Saturn) and because it forms an aspect to her Sun.

And there are other configurations we did not pay enough attention to previously, as they are considered "secondary" ones (not to mention difficult to spot by the eye). We are talking here about her two characteristic semi-square aspects (a semi-square is a 45 degrees angle formed between 2 planets in the chart). Actually, Britney's Sun stands in the very middle of her Venus - Pluto aforementioned square (right on her Venus/Pluto midpoint - to use the proper astrological term). To make it simpler, her Sun forms a perfect semi-square aspect to her Pluto, while at the same time it forms a perfect semi-square to her Venus. There is some strange geometry going on here, as all these planets (Pluto, Sun, Venus) are positioned in perfect angular distances in the zodiac cycle. That is why - although the semi-square aspect is considered a secondary one - we have to pay particular attention to it. Semi-squares are considered difficult aspects, bringing conflict and stress to people.

So, the rare delineation we just examined partially explains Britney's ordeal. Add to it the fact of her 12th House Mars forming a square to her Neptune. As Mars is the ruler of her Seventh house, we can see her dismal relations clearly depicted in this "double whammy" aspect (Mars in the 12thHouse and at the same time in square to her Neptune, the ruler of the 12th House).

But there is still something amiss here! If we thoroughly study any given person's chart we might find similar or even heavier planetary configurations. The average person though seems to cope far better under such aspects than Britney Spears does, not getting immersed in such a gloomy and unhappy situation, not leading such a precariously balanced life style. Definitely there must be some other element in her chart bringing forth major personality disorders. And indeed there is one! The “polarization effect” we mentioned before!

There is a particular Ascendant that is mostly causing the "polarization effect" in a chart: Libra! Mysteriously, the sign of harmony and balance causes - when it is the Ascendant of the individual - the strongest imbalances. Chances are that an Aries with a Libra Ascendant will have his/her Sun in the Seventh House, a Taurus with a Libra Ascendant will have his/her Sun in the Eight House, a Gemini in the Ninth and so on! And the fact is that when somebody has a Libra Ascendant not only his/her Sun but most of his/her planets will be probably "polarized".

There are of course cases where an Aries individual has a Libra Ascendant but his Sun lies in the Sixth House instead of the Seventh - and this of course does not make his/her Sun “polarized”. On the other hand, an Aries with a Virgo Ascendant might have his/her Sun in his Seventh House. Thus, not ALL Libra Ascendants produce a strong "polarization effect" while some Virgo Ascendants might produce one (the Virgo Ascendant is the second best “polarizing” Ascendant). It always depends on the interaction between the House cusps and the specific degrees each planet is in.

Now, all these years that I have been studying people's charts I realized that this "polarization effect" is CRUCIAL and it can produce huge tensions, inner conflicts, imbalances, confusion and even mental disorders to individuals otherwise having very energetic and balanced charts, eventually leading them to a certain degree of of “existential tension” and even to existential "paralysis".

In Britney's case we are astonished by the many "polarization effect" elements she has in her chart! Her Sun is in Sagittarius but in the "opposite" to Sagittarius Third House! Her Moon is in Aquarius but in the “opposite” Fifth House. Her Mercury is in Sagittarius but in the Third House. Her Venus is in Capricorn but in the "opposite" Fourth House. Her Mars is in Virgo but in the "opposite" Twelfth House. And the same goes for her Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto! In fact THE ENTIRE CHART of Britney Spears is "polarized". This amazingly rare configuration produces a huge split in her personality and explains very satisfactorily Britney's behavior, life style and general ordeal. And it does this so effectively that no other method comes even close to it!

- Kurt Cobain and a schizophrenic patient

Let’s study another - rather tragic - case: the one of the singer with the “angelic” face Kurt Cobain - the leading guitarist and singer of the very popular group back in the ‘90’s “Nirvana”. Cobain allegedly suffered from bipolar disorder as well. For years he was addicted to heroin. He was a shy and reserved person (his Sun was in Pisces, in the Sixth House. His Moon was in Cancer). He took his life at the age of 27 by shooting himself with a gun he pointed at his head.

Cobain has a largely “polarized” chart (his Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars and Pluto are all polarized as you can see below):

Our next case has a «spaghetti» flavor. In an interesting article entitled "Astrological research on Schizophrenia", the prominent Italian astrologer Ciro Discepolo analyzes what he considers to be a typical chart of a person suffering from a schizophrenic disorder. Although Discepolo pinpoints and describes accurately all the significant aspects on the chart of this patient he totally misses the "Polarization pattern" which is evident in it (you may read his article - in English - here: http://www.cirodiscepolo.it/english_corner/schizophrenia.htm)

The chart of the schizophrenic patient:

As you can see, a powerful polarization effect is created in this chart, as both his Luminaries and all the other planets (except Mercury and Jupiter) are polarized. In addition, his Sun is "double-whammy" polarized, being in Taurus but at the same time in the "opposite" to Taurus Eight House - and in a partile conjunction to Uranus, a planet totally alien to Taurus and related (by the Argentinean school of Psychological Astrology) to schizophrenia!

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you - or someone you know - has a strong "Polarization Effect" in his/her chart it does not necessarily mean that s/he is going to get suicidal or schizophrenic. It rather means that s/he has to skillfully bridge two opposite forces in himself/herself. And ultimately this process might transform him totally and enrich him/her enormously!

- Franco and Caligula

Keeping now in mind this "polarization effect" it gets easier to explain certain charts that do not make much sense otherwise. Take the case of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco for example. We couldn't otherwise understand why a benevolent Sagittarius with an inconspicuous Moon in Gemini and a Virgo Ascendant became such a cruel dictator.

 
Pluto is aspecting both his "Lights" alright (and Plutonian people may display fascist behavior piece of cake) but I don't think this element - on its own - explains why this person ultimately became dictator Franco. We understand far better his nature though when we realize that his chart is highly polarized.


Last but not least, the chart of a notorious Roman emperor often described as "insane". I am referring to Caligula. You may see his chart below (according to "Astrotheme" his time of birth is 6 AM). Both his Luminaries (his Sun and Moon) and additionally his natal planets Mercury, Mars and Saturn are polarized!

From my own experience, I can attest that I have encountered rather often this "polarization effect" in the charts of people with mental disorders. It seems that when someone is bounded in his/her life by many aggravating factors then this configuration somehow takes a major hold on him/her. Then the task of "transmuting" this configuration might get beyond the individual's means. And if “unharnessed” and brought to such a critical level, the polarization effect unleashes certain very corrosive and disintegrating to the personality energies.

There is a certain "gradation" to this polarization effect. The strongest polarization occurs when both the Luminaries and a certain number of planets are polarized. If only one Luminary and some planets are polarized then we have a relatively minor polarization - but still we are worried about the polarized Luminary. When none of the Luminaries is polarized then the individual might not suffer a major "disruption" in his life but only in certain areas of his life. A minor polarization effects occurs when only just a couple of planets (but no Luminary) are polarized.

Sometimes I encounter this "effect" under a different form. In Hitler's case i.e. I noticed that his Capricorn Moon is tightly conjuncting his natal Jupiter. But this Saturnian - Jupiterian "coniunctio" is a sort of “polarization” too (Jupiter’s and Saturn’s energies are considered “opposite”). Thus, while almost everybody else (outside Germany) saw Hitler as an utterly cruel person he probably perceived himself as a rather "nice guy"! This is the polarization’s weird results!

So, the “polarization effect” may act in some powerful and even disruptive ways, in a chart. But it might as well positively "catapult" the individual in his/her life (helping him/her to achive great things)! It all depends on what "frequency" the individual  chooses to "operate" this rather unique chart! If the chart is constantly "operated" on a low frequency. then the results might be very disruptive! In such a case, a "polarization effected" chart is reminiscent of the other infamous "personality disrupting agent", the Sun - Moon tight square. Of course, if operated on a higher level the "polarization effect" might produce miracles! As I said, it all depends on the will and the actions of the individual. In any case, I firmly believe that we Astrologers should place this "polarization" method in the kit of our favorite astrological tools!

Thomas Gazis

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This is an original article written by Thomas Gazis. Copyright: Thomas D.Gazis. In order to republish it - parts or all of it - please contact first the author at: ifestion@gmail.com

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All charts made by the "Solarfire" astrology software.

Why has quality Astrology grown unpopular? The Greek grim case!

I would like to share with you some thoughts on a burning to many of us issue: why has quality Astrology grown unpopular in the last few years in our societies, the very moment that the "light", commercial astrology is enjoying an unprecedented popularity?

I will draw my conclusions out of my Greek experience - but I think the same paradigm applies to other countries as well. Modern Greece is strongly influenced by the sign of Capricorn, so it is a very pragmatic, down to earth country. But on the contrary to what someone would expect out of a Capricorn country, the "light" popular astrology is wide spread today in Greece, while the quality Astrology is totally marginalized (maybe not that much an element of surprise this, as the sign of Capricorn favors the commercial aspect of any given situation). Think now that Greece is the country that actually laid the foundations of the horoscopic astrology. And in this country Astrology is under-developed today! Even in our neighboring countries like Serbia and Turkey (supposedly less advanced than Greece) Astrology is doing better than here.

The fact is that 25 years ago quality Astrology was going through a huge development phase in our country (with schools brimming of students, a couple of good magazines etc.). It was really promising well then, but instead it took a reverse course and went through an abrupt decline - particularily in the last decade. So, the question is: what lies in the root of such a decadence (apart the fact that Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius are mutually exerting their decadent power onto astrology - I am actually writing an article on this)?

I believe that in the root of this situation lies astrology's dual nature and peculiar relation to society, money and powerful peoples' interests! In Greece it all started some 18 years ago, when the first private TV channels went on air. These channels were all broadcasting then - for the first time - the classic morning shows, which included astrology predictions for the day. In those days there were a couple of good astrologers in Greece, but as often happens in mediterranean etc. countries not the qualified but the "connected" and "recommended" people got the TV privileged jobs. Meaning that certain connected housewives (no offense, my mom has been one), ex "Tupperware dealers" etc. pretending to be astrologers secured these TV "fortunetelling" jobs. In a single night these ladies (mainly) were baptized "astrologers" and the very next morning they were giving "astrology" predictions on national TV!

You can read the whole article here

Debunking the astrological - astronomical lies about 2012. How important is this date after all?

You will be surprised to know that you and I (and everybody actually) have somehow “co-created” the 2012 hype! We are somehow responsible for it (albeit on an unconscious level). That’s something that I will explain you later on. The burning issue now is the “daunting” date that lies ahead of us (21 December 2012), a date that each new day is bringing us excruciatingly closer to it!

For the last two - three years we have been bombarded by a whole literature of signs and wonders that supposedly are going to manifest on the December 21 “apocalyptic” date. We are told we will witness amazing planetary and galactic alignments, colossal earthquakes will tear apart the Earth, an entire planet will fall upon our heads, the Poles will be reversed, we humans will evaporate, become beams of light, pass over to other dimensions, you name it! Can we stand aside for a while and make some sense out of all this frenzy?

I will never forget the summer of 2003 when people from my neighborhood - who knew that I was into astronomy - were coming over to tell me how much concerned they were, because somebody had told them that planet Mars was about to come so close to Earth that it would ultimately appear on the sky as big as the Full Moon! I patiently explained to them that this wasn't the case and they relieved, turned back home. I was puzzled though. How could the people of the 21st century believe in such things? I realized then that some kind of primal, collective "sky - phobia" resides in the people's souls. People become very susceptible when they face larger than life issues they don't know much about, like i.e. any mysterious (and thus potentially threatening) event taking place in the sky, literally above their heads. Furthermore, in that summer I realized that the popular beliefs, the rumors and the “hearsay” can dramatically alter the shape of reality in people’s minds!

But what do we actually know about the 2012 "apocalypse"? Supposedly our world is going to end. The crucial question though is how? Not to mention, why? Is there a good reason for this happen? Is there something wrong i.e. with the Earth? Is it about to crack and break up in peaces? The answer is negative, as far as we know. Still very many people believe that our world is going to end on December 21, 2012 because the Maya “foretold it”. But in reality these amazing people never explicitly mentioned the definite and irrevocable end of the word in 2012! In any case, our cultural background is so different that we cannot easily understand what the Maya were referring to when they were writing about the “end” of this world. It’s like i.e. the confusion produced by the Greek surname “Blessas” to the English speaking people. If a Greek would come over to you shouting “Blessas” - “Blessas” (meaning he is urgently looking for a man called “Blessas”) all you would be hearing is “Bless us!”, “Bless us!”. It would make no sense to you…

1) On December 21st, 2012 there will be a major alignment of the planets and then all hell will break loose on Earth!

This scenario can be very easily busted! Actually, everybody can debunk it in just a few seconds, as long as s/he runs a simple astronomical or astrological program of his own or of some internet site! The term “major alignment of the planets” alludes to a very rare, unique planetary conjunction that will occur on 21th of December 2012. Supposedly on that date all the planets will be clustered in a single zodiacal sign - just a few degrees apart! The fact is that such a clustering has repeatedly occurred in human history. But as far as we know never a biblical proportions event occurred on Earth - at least not in the last 2.500 years that we possess written documents. We might have had events like “Pompeii” or “Tunguska” but these were rather local events which on the planet’s scale produced a rather negligible effect.

In reality, no planetary alignment at all will take place on the 21st of December 2011! The Sun will be in the sign of Capricorn, the Moon in Aries, Mercury in Sagittarius and so on. The planets will be scattered across many signs of the zodiac and thus not “aligned” at all (see the astrological chart for that date below):




2) On that fateful date all the planets (except Jupiter) will be clustered in the same part of the sky (same hemisphere). Such an event is unique and has never occurred in human history!
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NOTE: This is just an excerpt. You may purchase the full article here

   Chapters of the full pdf article (34 pages with explanatory illustrations):
- The Mayan cosmology
- The cyclical nature of the Long Count calendar
- A whole new discovery of Thomas Gazis on the Mayan calendar
- The deeper psychological meaning of the 2012 hype
- The scenario of the planetary alignment
- The scenario of the planetary clustering
- The Galactic Alignment for dummies 
- The Earth crossing the galactic mid-plane scenario
- The Nibiru - Sedna - planet X scenario
- Interpreting properly the famous "Deluge" Mayan illustration

Thomas Gazis

This is an original article written by Thomas Gazis. Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis. thomas_gazis@yahoo.gr

Believing in us, in such a hard times!

As we are going through a critical period worldwide (and the unsettling Uranus, Pluto, Saturn T - Square lies right in front of our doors), I would like to share with you a post I read on a Portuguese astrologer's (Ana Cristina Correa Mendes) blog. She is a Scorpio so definitely she knows something about harsh times and crises. Plus, the way she writes has got "soul" in it. Her blog is in Portuguese http://espelhodevida.blogspot.com/ (the photo is from her blog).

BELIEVING IN US, IN SUCH A HARD TIMES!


In times like the ones the world is facing now there is the risk of being swamped by the collective panic and hysteria, of being devastated by the sheer magnitude of the personal and collective crises around us! A huge individual crisis might be triggered in us thrusting us - like an avalanche - into questioning our selves, our actions, our life perspectives and goals, our very existence. Actually this is a natural life process and everyone should deal with it sometime in his/her life.

The number of people facing nowadays - or anticipating - a profound life change is ever growing! Just watch the people around you: they seem to be in a state of confusion, bewilderment, panic, revolt. There are cases where even plans B and C do not seem to lead anywhere. Facing an unyielding dead end, this is the moment to turn to our eternal reserves, to those assets and values which nobody can ever confiscate from us. I’m referring to the values of having faith in us, having a high self-esteem - which as we learn from astrology is a Second House matter. In our modern Era the money power has been used to substitute all other human values - our feelings included. Now, that we are witnessing the monetary systems' colossal collapse we’re forced to discern first and then turn to the true values of life!

We usually read in books and magazines - or we have been told - that if we believe enough then we will attract what we desire! Thus all we have to do is believe and consequently act as if we already have our desired object or goal. It seems a rather easy thing to do, but probably it is one of the hardest; to BELIEVE, mainly because we have to believe in us, to believe that we deserve, that we are capable of making our dreams come true! This is the time for many of us to use our individual resources and proceed to a radical transformation of the way we see things. We have nothing to loose, so why not take the risk and believe that the path in front of us will be far better than the one we are leaving behind?

(original author: Ana Cristina Correa Mendes
translated by: Thomas Gazis)

Explaining astrologically the unrest and the riots in Greece

(Photo: Reuter press)
Why are we experiencing lately such a turmoil in Greece? Are there any astrological indications that could shed some light on this unusual situation?

First of all, we have to consider Greece's natal chart. Modern Greece was actually "born" on the 13th of January 1822 (NS) (you can read my relative article "Modern Greece's national horoscope" here).

Thus, modern Greece is under Capricorn's influence. Furthermore, in Greece's natal chart the first degrees of the cardinal signs are over-emphasized: the country's Moon is - most probably - located in the very first degree of Libra, while its Uranus and Neptune are forming a conjunction in the first degrees of Capricorn.

Pluto is the name of the game in Greece's case (with Uranus becoming an ever more major player too). Pluto represents the "dark", "hidden", financial, corporate and even "mafia" kind of forces. This mysterious planet (god of the underworld and ruler of the sign of Scorpio) entered definitely in Capricorn just a couple of weeks ago (after its retrogression in Sagittarius). And as soon as Pluto entered Capricorn it triggered - contemporaneously - several explosive planetary configurations in Greece's national horoscope:

1) Being a Capricornian country, Greece is all along affected by Pluto's entrance in Capricorn (by the "same sign" reason - although Pluto is not conjuncting yet by orb Greece's natal Sun).

2) Pluto is actually conjuncting Greece's natal planets Uranus and Neptune, in the very first degrees of Capricorn. This is a very "volatile mixture" as planet Pluto is related to absolute power and often to totalitarianism while planet Uranus is related to major social upheaval and revolution.

3) Pluto is now squaring Greece's natal Moon in the very first degrees of Libra. A "tough" aspect between transiting Pluto and one of the "Luminaries" (the Moon in this case) is considered a major aspect capable of producing extreme events! In "Mundane Astrology" the Moon expresses the people, the masses (and Pluto extreme or even "dark", behind the scenes forces). So, the people in Greece will suffer out of some kind of oppression, of a probable titanic financial crisis and unfair measures that will be imposed upon them.

4) Pluto is squaring Greece's natal Pluto (releasing once again extreme energies, destructive - regenerating ones).

These four harsh aspects are the main astrological "culprits" of the actual unrest in Greece. And there is still to come, as Saturn and Uranus will reach critical points in Greece's natal chart in the next couple of years. Never in its modern history Greece has had such a massive extreme, "off balance" planetary influences!

Personally, I was aware of this unique array of planetary transits in Greece's horoscope years ago. I had published my concern in Greek magazines and on the internet and I was speculating on the form of the (extreme) events that would occur in this country around 2008-2013. I knew that "destiny" would somehow knock Greece's door on this specific period. Because - without doubt - the recent turmoil is just a small prelude. Greece is going now through a huge radical METAMORPHOSIS (and how appropriate this greek word is)! The thing is that metamorphoses of countries never occur in placid and pacific ways. Thus, my prediction is that Greece will go through extreme events in the upcoming years and either it will radically regenerate or somehow perish...!

Thomas Gazis

Modern Greece's national horoscope

As we know, not only the individuals but the countries too have a zodiacal sign. Everything born in a particular moment in time bears the quality of that moment. Thus, by knowing the date and time of birth of a country we can determine its natal chart - provided of course we can identify the country’s exact moment of birth! Because, contrary to a human being - the birth of which is evident to the people around it - the countries may have many and different kinds of “births”, some of which are not so evident. Take Greece for example. When was this ancient country really "born"? This turns to be a rather complicated issue! 

First of all, Greece is not a country that was born in the last few centuries - as i.e. the U.S.A. It has been there for thousands of years! Thus, its birth is lost in the mist of time. How and when Greece was born turns to be a sort of a mystery. Did the geographical area that corresponds to Greece remain uninhabited for millennia till suddenly a day the "Greeks" jumped over its fences and poured over this southern "offshoot" of the Balkans? Had that - somehow hilarious - event happened, then yes, we could say that Greece was born into a particular moment in time (and our only concern would be then to identify that moment). In ancient times however there was not a single ethnic group called “Greeks”, but various kinshipped “tribes” who in successive periods descended to Greece (the Dorians, Ionians etc.). The gradual amalgamation of all these tribes eventually gave birth to ancient Greece, but that was done gradually over time and not at a unique, specific date. In addition ancient Greece had been mostly a conglomeration of independent city-states and was not a single nation-State, a country that is - as we would call it today. 

Of course some very significant and prominent historical events had occurred in the Greek past, out of which we could draw some clues (such as the formation of the “Athenian League” - an almost national institution that came very close to be what we consider today a "country"). But we do not know when exactly the Delian league was officialy formed! And without a specific date we cannot cast a natal chart! We can only speculate and a plausible speculation would be that ancient Greece was much influenced by the sign of Sagittarius. The major ancient Greeks’ deity was Zeus - Jupiter, the archetypal figure that rules the sign of Sagittarius. Maybe that's a mere coincidence...On the other hand it might say a lot about ancient Greece's "geist"... 

Zeus was the father of all Gods and of all the people. He was very liberated, playful and Jovial (as ancient Greeks themselves were). Moreover, the Greeks were considering the virtue of hospitality - a typically Sagittarian trait - as a supreme one, and people were normally expected to host any stranger they were meeting - as any one of them could be God Jupiter himself, in disguise! Additionally, a unique and unprecedented spirit of freedom and democracy was reigning in ancient Greece, a spirit that was quite rare to its epoch! Not to mention that this ancient country is the cradle of philosophy, a Sagittarian field! 

But even if we knew with certainty the zodiacal sign of ancient Greece then a new question would arise: does the sign of a country remain the same as the millennia pass over? I think not! First of all, “everything is flux” as the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus stated. The correlation between a nation and the cosmic forces ever changes! On the other hand - if we follow the exact definition of what a “country” is - no "country" has ever managed to survive as an absolutely homogenous entity for thousands of years. Not to mention the fact that the the so called "country" or "nation-State" is actually a contemporary invention! Most of the nation-States, of the countries that we know today have been formed in the 19th or 20th century! There might be some exceptions - because some scholars consider Japan and China as two countries that were formed many centuries ago. But even in such a case a "country" cannot last eternally. Countries do dissolve and then reconstitute, incarnating each time under a different "state" form. What has to do for example today’s Egypt with the Pharaohs’ one? What has to do today’s Greece with the 5th century BC “Golden Century” Greece? Ancient and contemporary Greece are quite different in spirit and essence and consequently their charts should be different!

Modern period 

When was contemporary Greece born? In order to find it out we have to wrap back the thread and find out when was the last time that Greece “died” as a free and separate country. Apart a small period in World War II (which was really brief, to alter the essence of Greece or its constitution) the last time that Greece ceased to exist was when the Turks military occupied the country in the 15th century and annexed it to the then forming Ottoman Empire! Subsequently, Greece was reborn - this time as "contemporary Greece" - when the Greeks massively revolt against the Turks and expelled them from their country, in the beginning of the 19th century! So, we know the time period but we still do not have a specific date in our hands.

First of all, we must set forth the necessary prerequisites for the formation of a new country - stepping a little bit onto onto the terrain of Political Sciences. The basic premise is that there must be a relative “roofless” nation, which has full «conscience of its entity». This nation must have explicitly expressed its will to become a constitutional country - usually in a geographical area historically related to it. Adverse conditions though (usually the fact that such a nation is subject to another country) might have hampered for a long time the materialization of such a will. Another important parameter to consider is that new countries do not come into being on historically insignificant moments but on the very climax of historical events, after a revolution, an overthrow of centuries old regimes etc. In Greece’s case all of the above features are strongly manifested around 1821, in the year when the Greeks revolted against the Turks, who for 4 whole centuries had militarily occupied Greece and the whole of South - Eastern
Europe!

                                          

The revolution was allegedly proclaimed (give or take a couple of days) on the 25 March 1821 Old Style (6th of April actual date). So, could this be the date of contemporary Greece’s birth? The answer is no! The revolution of 25 March mostly denotes a revolt of certain important Greek chieftains against the Turks (a revolt that was neither the first nor the unique) and not the very establishment of the Greek State. This is made clear by a document issued by certain delegates from all over Greece who met at Epidaurus, 9 months after the beginning of the revolution. Almost in an apologetic tone they write: «It should not seem strange that we have postponed till now the political “arrangement” of our fatherland, that we have not yet declared our independence and stand as equals in front of the other legitimate nations of the world. Because it was impossible to think about our political existence unless we first ascertained our physical one”! The authors of this declaration sound like they knew astrology! Because no situation can really exist and prosper in our physical dimensions unless it goes through the stabilizing phase of Taurus. And this phase cannot be obtained unless the generating phase of Aries has been completed first! So, the mystery remains. Which is Greece’s birth date?

Some 20 years ago it came to my attention the copy of an old document, that I felt very significant! It was entitled «Declaration of the Political Existence and Independence of the Greek Nation». Let us see what this document says:

«In the name of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, the Greek Nation that in the last four centuries has been under the horrible Turkish rule, unable to bear any more the heavy and unprecedented tyranny, which with huge sacrifices we have finally thrown off, is proclaiming today - through its legitimate delegates here assembled - in front of God and humanity, its political existence and Independence! Epidaurus January 1st 1822».

There is no doubt that this declaration constitutes the birth certificate of contemporary Greece! It fulfils all the criteria we set up and unambiguously states the creation of the contemporary country of Greece. The birthday of Greece is on the 13th of January (on the Gregorian calendar. Contemporary Greece is a Capricornian country). You can see Greece's national horoscope (its natal chart) below:

There is a key expression in this historical declaration that we should emphasize: the one that goes "with huge sacrifices we have finally thrown off". This expression is telling us a lot about the mental state of the people who signed the Greek declaration of independence. Actually, this very expression reveals a "certainty" from the part of the authors of the declaration, the certainty that for the first time ever in almost 400 years of Turkish occupation the Greeks had begun to take the "upper hand" against their oppressors - the Turks - and they were feeling confident enough to establish a sovereign state! For the first time ever they had achieved that "critical mass" which we might call "a certainty that they could sustain their liberation and independence and establish a sovereign state". This is a crucial element that plays a key role in the choice of the date January 1, 1822 as the "birthday" of contemporary Greece. You see, a basic argument of those who reject the date January 1, 1822 as the birth date of contemporary Greece is the fact that Greece consisted then by just a fraction of its current territory. This element though I do not consider as crucial as the element of reaching that "critical mass" that triggers the permanent and irreversible "dynamics of liberation, independence and establishment of a state." To draw a parallel, the USA were annexing territories as far as 1912 (New Mexico and Arizona) and 1959 (Hawai and Alaska) their undisputed National Horoscope is considered the one of July 4th 1776!

If contemporary Greece looses or gains - out of a military conflict - some islet should we cast a new horoscope for Greece? Certainly not, because contemporary Greece was "born" as a nation-state in the historical 1822 National Assembly of Epidaurus (the Greeks reached then the "critical mass" for their liberation, independence and establishment of a nation-state) and not during any eventual loss or recovery of any partial territory. When the holy fathers of the USA signed the Declaration of Independence (4 July 1776), the USA consisted of just 13 eastern states, maybe of the 1/20 of its current territory. Still, the natal horoscope of the USA is considered the one of July 4, 1776 (because it was then when the Americans reached the "critical mass" for their liberation, independence and establishment of a state)!

Cultured astrology is not very much advanced in contemporary Greece and the vast majority of the Greek astrologers (who are surprisingly giving credit to the "highly scientific" methods of the "hearsay" and of the "everybody says so...") believe that their country was born on the 3rd of February 1830 - when by the 3rd London protocol the major forces of the time (England, France, Russia) RECOGNIZED the independence of contemporary Greece. Essentially, this 3rd London protocol established the "Kingdom of Greece" (imposing on the Greek throne a Geman king!). But a country is not born when some foreign powers decide it - under their own terms - but when its own people will it! Otherwise contemporary Greece should not be considered a sovereign country but a mere protectorate!

By no means the London protocol defines the birth date of Greece. It rather defines the (imposed by the foreign powers) "Greek Kingdom", a rather tributary state that is under the foreign powers suzerainty! Clearly, we are not talking here about a SOVEREIGN state! In addition, monarchy has been constitutionally abolished in Greece since 1974 - by a national referendum. Thus this 3 February 1830 horoscope is not applicable any more - in any way whatsoever. Obviously Nicholas Campion realized this fact because in his book "The Book of World Horoscopes" he states: "Regarding the significance of the international recognition of 3 February 1830, it should be remembered that Greece was already a fully functioning state with its own government, and had been for some years." Moreover - as you will read below - the political scientists argue that the mere diplomatic recognition of a country by foreign powers does not constitute its foundation act.

And in any case, if Greece was born as a nation-state when the major powers of the epoch decided it then we should apply the same method in the case of the United States. The founding date of this country should be the one in which the major powers of the period recognized the independence of the United States, on the 3rd of September 1783 by the Treaty of Versailles, France. The overwhelming majority of the astrologers world-wide though consider the 4th of July as the birth date of the United States. The September 3rd date is by now an obsolete one, a date that has been forgotten in the drawers of history, a date almost no astrologer ever mentions!

The same goes for all the countries who were liberated from a foreign power, like i.e. Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba etc. etc. Argentina's horoscope for example results from the date on which the Argentinian colonies unilaterally proclaimed their independence from Spain (on 9 July 1816 that is). Spain and the other powers of the time recognized the independence of Argentina much later (Great Britain in 1825). And yet, the universally accepted "birth" date of Argentina is the July 9, 1816, when the people of Argentina - by their representatives - unilaterally declared their independence!

Why should we then apply in Greece’s similar case not only different but quite opposite criteria? It makes no sense at all! And ultimately, this is a matter of political sciences too, thus let us hear what a Greek professor of Political Sciences (George Dimakopoulos) has to say. He argues: «the Declaration of the Political Existence and Independence of the Greek Nation is the constitutive act of the Greek State, whose foundation, legally and historically has to be regarded as from January 1st, 1822 (old calendar, meaning January 13 on the gregorian calendar). Certain points of view that appoint it to a different day - ultimately connecting it to the diplomatic recognition of the Greek State by foreign powers - not only are contrary to the applied Greek national law, but to the international law too. For the diplomatic recognition of a State by a foreign power cannot be conveyed into a constituent part of that State!»!

So, even the political scientists maintain that contemporary Greece was born on January 13th, 1822 (the correct date, on the Gregorian calendar.) Those astrologers who believe that contemporary Greece was "born" on February 3, 1830 instead of January 13, 1822 they are actually maintaining the thesis that a man/woman is not born when s/he comes out the womb of his/her mother but when s/he is baptized!

Greece is NOT an Aquarian country - as very many people believe in Greece - but a Capricornian one! And it has all the characteristics of a Capricornian country. It is an old country, which due to its glorious past it enjoys the respect of all the other countries. It is a conservative country and much materialistic but lacking the material and financial abundance of the other western European countries (should we blame this to Saturn, Greece's solar ruler - Saturn bringing deprivations and hardships)? It is a State whose public sector - associated with the sign of Capricorn - is over inflated. Out of a population of 11 million in Greece there are almost a million civil servants!

Greece is also a country where social status is extremely important! To realise what I mean just picture this: 2 cars mildly crashing in a Greek street. In several instances, the two Greek drivers would jump out of the car and most probably would yell to each other this line, as a kind of intimidation: «Do you know who I am?» - as if every single Greek were at least a tycoon! This is VERY Capricornian and personally I have never encountered it anywhere else in the world!

The fact is that neither any American, English etc. astrologer possessed a documented date for the birth date of Greece (since it was much harder for them to find the relevant sources). In 1994 I met the famous astrologer Nicholas Campion (at his summer astrology school, in the Greek island of Kos). Campion was writing then his very successful book "Book of World Horoscopes» but had no clear view on Greece's horoscope. I explained him my findings and he accepted the January 13, 1822 as the birth date of contemporary Greece (he included it in his book).

One more word on Greece's Ascendant: we know its birthday (13 January 1822) but not the exact time the declaration was pronounced - nor we have some specific information on it! And since we are seeking the Ascendant of Greece my very first thought was "what is the main characteristic that Greece is projecting to the people abroad?" The answers that came to my mind were these: "A maritime and somehow exotic country". " A mythological country"!



Well, these two characteristics resonate a lot with the sign of Pisces. And they are rather "projected" by contemporary Greece, as they are not constituting the entirety of its "body" (the people of mainland Greece for example have a different image of their country in their minds, as been a rather continental and mountainous - and that resonates a lot with Capricorn. Actually Greece - partially maritime, partially continental and mountainous country - something that is resonating a lot with Capricorn)! In any case, this hypothesis of a Pisces Ascendant worked well when I tried to rectify some major historical events in the history of Greece. The speculative birth time I am proposing would be around 9:25 AM. The village where the Independence of Greece was proclaimed - and where actually contemporary Greece's "birth" took place - is Nea Epidavros, close to the famous ancient Epidaurus theater!

Alternative charts

It is worth mentioning that some astrologers favour a more recent birthday for contemporary Greece (placing its birth in the period following the fall of the Greek military junta in 1974). These astrologers are claiming that contemporary Greece's national horoscope should stem out of the date its last Constitution was drafted (on the 11th June 1975 - after the collapse of the military dictatorship). But how proper is it to study astrologically a country not using its "foundation" horoscope but what actually is the horoscope of a posterior constitutional "amendment"? If somebody studies the 1st January 1822 Constitution s/he will realize that it is essentially as democratic and advanced as the Constitution of 1975. Thus, in 1975 we did not experience a major constitutional shift in regard to the VERY Greek constitution (the constitution upon which Greece was founded on). We just experienced a shift in regard to the imposed by the military junta regime - a regime that lasted just 7 years, not so many to alter the "soul" of Greece and its original constitution.

Some other astrologers (mostly English) are claiming that contemporary Greece's horoscope should stem out of the moment its first post-dictatorship Prime Minister was sworn in - on the 24th of July 1974. But as I explained before, the seven years military junta did not essentially change either the "soul" or the constitution of Greece. Why should we then consider the July 24, 1974 chart as the "national horoscope" of Greece and not the original January 13, 1822 one? By claiming that either the 1974 or the 1975 chart represents THE National Horoscope of Greece then we are automatically cutting off something like the 90% of contemporary Greek History - four major war periods and a civil war period, historical battles, some brilliant Greek politicians in office, major deeds (the first Olympic games of 1896 i.e.), military coups, almost everything! It's like claiming that a person is not actually born when s/he comes out of his/her mother's uterus but when s/he is about to draw his/her pension... 

Thomas Gazis

Copyright:Thomas D. Gazis