Spiritual Company Newsletter

By Steffan Vanel • Astrologer • Tarot  Reader

Author of: The Astrological Karma of the USA
And: Charles & Diana: The Inside Story:
An Astrological-Karmic View

Now on YouTube: The Astrological Karma of the USA and The New Presidency
New on YouTube!: Bridging Heaven & Earth Show #238

In Ireland and England in September and October...view my schedule.

The Astrological Karma Of Ireland

I am currently making my first visit to Ireland. Yesterday I gave a lecture involving a view of the Astrological birthchart for Ireland. It is quite interesting to use the lens of Astrology to look into the soul and psyche of a nation. Of course the last time I did this I wrote a whole book about it, and the same could easily be done for Ireland. That, however, would require a more in-depth knowledge of the country than I presently possess.

I have been earnestly researching in the short time that I knew that this trip would take place, and have been keeping my eyes and ears open since my arrival one week ago. I hope the words I write here may provide some tingling of insight in the ears upon which they fall.

First of all, there are two different events which could be taken as the birth of modern Ireland. One is the official establishment of the Republic in 1949. The other is the famous Easter Uprising in 1916. Of course one can work with both charts, but the chart which really resonates with me, and in the interest of some degree of brevity, is the Easter Uprising chart. When those brave and tragic men declared independence on the steps of the Dublin Post Office, later suffering 15 out the 22 being executed by the British, was the start of a movement from which independence and full separation from Britain was inevitable.

The Easter Uprising was an archetypal, psychological transformation, whereas the establishment of the Republic was more of a political event.

The other main difference between the two events was that the Easter Uprising was relevant to the whole island of Ireland, whereas the establishment of the Republic also established the separation from Northern Ireland.

So, in the Easter Uprising chart it shows that Ireland is a Taurus, thinks she is a Leo, and in her childhood had to be a Capricorn.

Interestingly, the Moon, representing the influence of childhood, is in Capricorn in both charts. No escaping that rather dreary childhood. Capricorn is not a great place for the Moon. It is opposite the sign of Cancer, which is ruled by the Moon. Hilarion says that with the Moon in Capricorn there is a burdened childhood with a sense of limitation and restriction. He says one will look back on one’s childhood the way a character in a Charles Dickens novel would.

This is easily relatable to the years of heavy-handed oppression by the British (said to be a Capricorn nation by the way) and the frightening memory of the Famine. These heavy memories show up elsewhere in the chart as well.

The Sun, the present identity of Ireland, is in Taurus, an earth sign. Hilarion says that someone who is Taurus is someone who has developed a quality of love at a very high level. Taurus is ruled by Venus. This is truly evident in the Irishman’s love for the Emerald Island of Ireland, and a love for being Irish, which would also lead to their Taurian fixed determined drive for independence.

The lesson for a Taurus, however, is to be able to give that love unconditionally. If they have difficulty giving that love then it may turn back towards themselves, leading to an over-valuing of money and possessions and nice ‘things.’

I’ve pointed out before that a lot of dictators are Taurus, i.e. Saddam Hussein, Hitler (cusp), Lenin, Emperor Hirohito in WW II Japan, sensing that they must have a quality of love or they couldn’t reach and inspire their followers. But they have a problem with desiring possessions, like other people’s countries.

Maybe some of you have seen the Irish film: The Field, where an old man’s intense attachment to a field he has been renting, but dedicatedly nurturing for decades leads to a human tragedy. I said in my lecture yesterday that I would bet that old man was a triple Taurus. I was since reminded that the old man’s name was Bull McCabe, as in Taurus the Bull.

Now, Ireland thinks she is a Leo. She has Leo rising. I wrote about Leo rising when I wrote about George W. Bush. Leo rising gives a self-image that has Leo qualities, of pride, elegance; perhaps a tinge of arrogance and superiority. But Leo rising is given to someone because in previous lives they have had difficulty feeling good about themselves. In my Lonely Planet Ireland guidebook the writer points out that behind the swagger and pride there is a bit of self-deprecating insecurity in Ireland.

One could imagine, however, for Ireland to take on and succeed in freeing herself from Britain, one of the greatest military powers in the world at that time, they probably needed a Leo self-image to pump up their confidence. Ireland also has Jupiter in Aries, which makes you think you can do anything.

Seven years ago Ireland’s Progressed Sun, the movement of her identity through the chart, went into Leo, resulting in the recent boom years economically and a flaring up of her pride. Three years ago the Progressed Sun in Leo squared the Taurus Sun, followed by the last two years of pretty serious recession, forcing Ireland to look at the pretty intensive materialistic obsession/expansion people went into for a while, like flying to New York for the weekend to go shopping. More than one Irishman has pointed out that there was a lot of material greed gripping the nation.

There are other factors relatable to the recent economic downturn, which I will explain later.

But first I want to point out that before the identity of Ireland went into Leo it spent 30 years in the sign of Cancer, since 1976. Cancer is a sign of home and family, caring and nurturing, belonging and security. A large part of that period of Progressed Sun in Cancer was moving through the 11th House, which Hilarion has renamed the house of karma with former enemies. Ireland has three planets there, including the heavies Saturn and Pluto. Ireland obviously has been working out some heavy karma with its former enemy, the UK. In fact, the years of moving through this 11th house, the 70’s and 80’s and early 90’s are the years of the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland.

In 2001 the Progressed Sun conjuncted Neptune, in the last degree of Cancer, in the 12th House of the deeper unconscious. Neptune in positive aspect is healing and compassion and forgiveness. In this one can feel the healing finally taking place through the power sharing peace process in Northern Ireland.

This 12th house Neptune is opposite the Moon in Capricorn in the Natal Chart. Neptune in difficult aspect represents tests along the lines of confusion, illusion, victimhood and martyrdom, and possibly problems with drugs and alcohol.

I won’t go into the advertisement that says: ‘Guiness, more than a breakfast drink!’ But looking at this Neptune opposite the Capricorn Moon, one can, again, recognize the suffering and pain and oppression weighing on the unconscious of the Irish people. The weather not helping a whole lot there either.

I did a reading for a British lady who has lived here for 17 years who said that she’s not sure if she will stay in the country with this current economic downturn. She teaches Art therapy at a college and thereby attunes to collective unconscious currents. She said that, unconsciously, the Irish still have a deep fear of the Famine returning. What I read about the Famine is pretty heavy. And yet, at that time, there were Moon in Capricorn, emotionally cold, wealthy people, who were totally cut off from the pain and suffering of those dying of starvation. This could be why Bono says that in America, when you see a rich man with his house on the hill you say, “Some day I’m going to be up there too!” Whereas in Ireland they say: “Some day… I’m going to get that guy!”

Another level of this Neptune in the deeper unconscious, inherited collective memory, is the profound spiritual mystical reality and consciousness of pre-modern Ireland. Accessing this non-rational realm is one drive towards a thirsting for the Neptunian alcoholic spirits. Neptune is also related to music and where would the world be without Irish music.

Being opposite a non-spiritual Capricorn Moon in the Virgo 6th House of practical, daily activity in the world, is representative of a tension between the material rationally fixated world and this deeper mystical reality.

As far as current affairs in Ireland, well, as I wrote in my last newsletter, the whole world, including every nation and individual, is getting hit somehow by the Saturn/Uranus opposition, which I have paraphrased as: Responsibility vs. Freedom.

Ireland has transiting Saturn in its 2nd House, the Taurus house of money and finances and love and affection, opposed by transiting Uranus in their 8 House, house of, among other things, other people affecting your money. This is relatable to the surprise American financial shenanigans putting a heavy limiting weight on Ireland’s financial reality.

Saturn/Uranus have both been squaring Ireland’s Venus, which is in the 11th House, house of former enemies, but also house of one’s relationship to the greater community of humanity.

In my last newsletter I related this Saturn/Uranus tension to the healthcare debate in the States. Well, for Ireland it is the same debate, but over whether they will vote yes or no to the European Union ‘Lisbon Treaty’ on October 2nd. It’s the same Saturn/Uranus tension. Those who oppose it feel that the Saturnian, authoritative restriction of the EU will restrict Ireland’s Uranian independence and freedom. Those who vote yes feel that the provincial, restrictiveness of Irish national government will restrict Ireland’s ability to be free to innovate and be liberated as part of an evolving European Union.

I went to a debate at a hotel here in Cork, with two officials on the no side and two on the yes. The first thing I would say is that I was duly impressed how, even though intensely impassioned, both sides, including the questioners in the audience, were amazingly respectful of the other side. There is no way you could have such a public debate in the States. It was such a refreshing relief from the aggressive, obnoxious, self-righteousness of those on the right in America.

Myself I thought the arguments on both sides deserved serious consideration and I could understand virtually all of their points. Being in such a typical Libran state I decided to ask my Tarot cards: Where is it at for Ireland to vote yes, and where is it at for her to vote no?

The first two cards were both good, so I had to cut two more cards to see what would follow. The first card for yes was The Star, the Aquarian Star of unconditional love for everyone. This would be the elation that the yes side would feel if they surrendered to being a willing partner in the European family.

The card for no was the Two of Cups, Love, emotional harmony and balance and positive feeling. This is the positive feeling that the no side would feel if Ireland remained more autonomous, more independently Irish.

The second card for no was The Emperor, a spiritual empowerment by one’s own Higher Will or the Will of God. The 2nd card for yes was the 10 of Swords, Ruin, ruin of the mind as a result of trying to figure out with mind and thinking and rational analyzing intellect that which cannot be figured out with mind and thinking and rational analyzing intellect.

My take on it is that there is probably no way of stopping the vast global shakedown coming our way over the next six years. If Ireland casts her fate with the European Union there could be lots of futile ‘headtripping’ as to how they would have been if they had not hooked their cart to the EU horse.

If Ireland stays out of the deeper engagement with the EU they will be more able to access their own spiritual empowerment.

Personally, I’m most disturbed by the military provisions in the treaty, and the European defense contractors relationship with the European Defense Agency, where the lady on the no side, Patricia (forgot her last name) from the People’s Movement said: “It’s like the drug pushers setting the guidelines for the treatment of addicts.”

In November, the Pluto/Saturn square, which I’ve noted before is looming ahead rather intensely for the US, will be t-squaring the natal Pluto of Ireland in her 11th house of karma with former enemies and relationship to collective humanity.

This will probably be the intense aftermath of the Lisbon vote, no matter which way it goes.

When commenting about different nations I always say that I love and hate every country I have ever been to, including my own.

Foreigners who come here to Ireland have expressed a variety of experiences in their individual relationship to Ireland. Nevertheless, Ireland is an easy country to love. There is something very magical here, and the people have a refreshingly human, less mechanical quality to them, and hopefully, in the challenging days ahead for all of us, she can find the spirit and love in her soul, rather than go into an increase of the home invasions while people sleep in their beds as is now taking place in Dublin.

Go for the love and not the ‘goods’ Ireland.

Good Luck and May the blessings of God/Goddess/All that Is be with you.
Steffan Vanel

PS: If you have anyone in Ireland who might be interested in my work view my schedule.

I will continue to be available for phone readings from Ireland. I will purchase inexpensive phone cards and charge a slight surcharge for the call.

Steffan’s Spiritual Company Newsletters and ‘Starwise’ Monthly Forecasts are available by email on an annual, sliding-scale donation basis; from $10 - $50 a year.

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— Steffan Vanel Archive —