At 5:07AM EET on February 24, 2022, Russian troops invaded their neighboring country of Ukraine. We've talked briefly about connections to the charts of Russia, Putin, the United States, Biden and Ukraine HERE and HERE.
Let's look at the event chart for the moment the invasion began and see if we can get any ideas for where this might go.
This invasion started with Pluto within one second of the United States natal Pluto, which is rather insanely EXACT. The U.S. Pluto return - Pluto returning to his natal position for the first time since the Declaration of Independence was signed - is a BIG deal. And not just for the United States. Note we have two more exact dates in 2022, one in July with Pluto retrograde and the final exact date in late December. Both dates could relate to this conflict among other things. This doesn't mean, as some people worry, that the Russia/Ukraine conflict is bringing the world to a World War, but it is an ominous starting point.
The previous two World Wars (also the Vietnam War, the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, the Falklands War) started with Saturn/Pluto aspects. Although 2020's exact Saturn/Pluto conjunction is no longer in play (thank God), this invasion started just as Mars reached 22 degrees Capricorn, which is where Saturn met Pluto (and the Sun and Mercury and Ceres) back in January 2020. I call this the "time runs out, power is cemented" degree (this is also the degree of China's natal Jupiter, so we'll keep that in mind, too).
Mars often acts as a TRIGGER when he reaches HOT degrees, triggering activations of old energetic signatures. He kind of pulls that Saturn/Pluto back into play. Not a good thing.
On February 24th, Mars had just barely eked past Venus (she was at 21 degrees Capricorn at the time of the invasion, Mars at 22) and was conjunct Vesta (sacred focus/what keeps us up at night) and asteroid Lachesis (one of the three "fates" and daughters of Zeus whose name means 'to obtain by fate, lot or divine will'). Note Zeus sits between Jupiter and the Sun in the invasion chart.
Venus will meet up with Mars again and pass Mars in early March - this might indicate peace talks/cooperative dealings coming pretty quickly (this might happen after we get past the Venus/Uranus on March 22nd or when she meets Saturn on the 28th). Mars and Venus will move into Aquarius TOGETHER and meet Ukraine's natal Saturn, at 1 degree Aquarius. The President of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, has a natal Sun/Venus conjunction at 5 degrees Aquarius and a natal Sun/Venus to Mars in Leo (showing courage) opposition being equally triggered. His chart is on fire/strongly challenged over the next couple weeks.
(the Full Moon in Leo, we talked about HERE "how kings fall" was tightly conjunct Zelenskyy's natal Saturn/authority and rules his 8th - death, 9th - foreign affairs and 10th - career houses)
Symbolizing the Aquarian fate playing out, the future/chaos/trauma/new leadership and also that whatever is 'put together' now, if something is - some kind of neutral status/non NATO being firmly established for Ukraine? some leadership of some part of Ukraine switching to Russia/Putin? - might once again 'die/transform' when Pluto moves into Aquarius in March 2023 and/or when Pluto reaches 1 degree Aquarius in March 2024.
Either way, I am sorry to say :( upcoming transits to their natal chart for 2023 look like it might be pretty challenging for Ukraine to remain Ukraine.
(Venus/Mars move into Aquarius could also indicate the battle moves into cyber warfare, but hopefully it speaks of cooler heads and new ideas.)
With Mars as a trigger rather than this happening on the Saturn/Pluto itself, maybe we are looking at something - the actual fighting/bombing/guns - of a short duration. The first few days of March when Mars is applying to and then hits Pluto - look especially dangerous.
This event chart, looks like the aggressor/starter has the advantage, although we know Putin's personal chart does not look satisfied, so what winning means here is uncertain.
The North Node on Algol (malevolent fixed star) speaks of leadership changes 'off with their head' among other things. The North Node's conjunction to Ceres (Mother Earth) - the North Node was also conjunct Ceres when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 - speaks of land issues, the opportunity to make complicated concessions/to work out challenging compromises, maybe 'Mother Russia' herself with her natal Sun conjunct Ceres. In the myth, the Ceres/Pluto compromise deal was brokered by Jupiter - maybe China with that 22 degree Cappy Jupiter or the U.S. since she is a Sag rising country (ruled by Jupiter) can broker a compromise here.
Biden's North Node is exactly conjunct Ukraine's Sun, so this could somehow shine a light on his 'purpose' or indicate his fate is tied to Ukraine. Happening as the U.S. Pluto's clock strikes twelve, might indicate whatever is happening could further align Russia with China - maybe strengthening them and weakening the U.S. and allies. Surely what is happening is one result of America's changing power on the world stage, and at home, which is fated through the U.S. Pluto return. We'll talk more about some possibilities for this in part ll this week.
Putin certainly seized the moment.
Although keep in mind this whole 'who looks stronger/who looks weaker' hierarchy thing is part of the dying Cappy/old world order paradigm and thinking like this just keeps us mired in this dead zone.
(note China also has a big Pluto transit with transiting Pluto bearing down on their Ascendant and eventually their Moon - the people. Like the United States they also have an Aquarian Moon, China's Moon is an early degree, will be impacted years before the U.S. Moon. These Pluto transits will change the way they express in the world, their relationship with power, their relationships with allies and enemies and the status of those allies and enemies. Aspects within and secrets they have tried to suppress will come out. They could become more powerful or less, etc.)
The chart's activated Pluto speaks of everything from Plutocracies to Plutonium (Chernobyl is back in the news as well as European countries speaking of the need to maintain nuclear power plants. Pluto, ruler of 'everything buried' also rules oil, natural gas). Pluto is conjunct asteroid Amycus. Amycus connects to two characters in mythology. He was a brutal ruler with huge strength who left his enemies 'at the absolute disposal of the winner'. And he was a centaur of a similar ilk. In Asteroid Amycus's discovery chart he was in Aries opposed to the Libra Sun, so kind of a martial and likely dangerous lone wolf. Pluto/Amycus sounds very Putin-like.
The ruler of the event chart is Saturn (ruler of Capricorn and 'authority') - Saturn, the aggressor, is Russia here. Strong in the Aquarius 1st house, a sign he co-rules/ancient ruler with the Cappy planets - and Aquarius planets - answering to him.
The ruler of Ukraine is the Moon (ruler of Cancer and 'the people'). The Moon in the 10th (Saturn's natural house) is not so strong, is alone there in Sag - the house of foreigners, maybe put in this situation by foreigners or (Sag being a fire sign) armed by foreigners or even ending up as foreigners as some flee/emigrate. She trines Mercury - aided by press/communication/tech/the local environment. The Moon in fiery and hopeful Sag is answering to Jupiter, strong in Pisces. Ukraine gets some foreign (Jupiter) or legal help and strength from other countries. This will also be about compassion, charity, prayer, universal love, Piscean help - all will be important now. The Moon near the mid-heaven gives Ukraine strength, brings her situation to the world's attention. People around the world will feel what Ukraine (that 10th house Sag Moon) is feeling.
But Russia here, as Saturn, with all those Cappy planets answering to him looks hard to beat. Russia's natal Sun/Ceres making them a kind of 'Ceres' country (think of Mother Russia - that mama bear with a sickle) with transiting Ceres on the North Node also helps them here with timing.
The reason for the invasion can be seen through both the ascendant and MC. The ascendant in Capricorn speaks of tradition, things that are old (Ukraine was Russia), power, authority, things that are planned over time, property and land, the desire to leave a legacy, certainly the NATO/control issue for Putin, likely his desire for Russia to remain a 'super-power'. The MC is Scorpio - ruled by powerful Pluto - speaks of power, secrets, money, shared resources like oil/natural gas. Cappy and Scorpio are powerful signs - arguably the most powerful signs.
The question with Ukraine as the Moon (Ukraine in Sag and Sag ruler Jupiter in Pisces) is - how does how much the world cares about Ukraine compare to how much Russia/Putin cares about Ukraine?
That pile-up in the first house supports Russia, BUT Saturn being blown out by the Sun (widely conjunct Sun) speaks of Russia's leader's weakness (Putin) or maybe his invisibility (this is also repeating Russia's natal Sun/Saturn, so probably not so bad for them). Putin has a lonely 12th house natal stellium in Libra - the isolation from the Saturn/Pluto (virus) would contribute to his actions here.
And Putin has a natal 22 degree Pluto conjunct his South Node in Leo - an old life as a king/tsar/emporer, probably in Russia maybe in China, that he is powerfully re-enacting, possibly to his own detriment (the 22 degree master number is very powerful but has a self-sabotage possibility and we are in a lunar cycle connected to self-undoing), but almost certainly he would feel this as his destiny/fate. And keep in mind that 22 is a master number and Pluto is arguably the strongest planet - it doesn't have to self-destruct.
Putin's natal Pluto is conjunct his own South Node, China's Pluto and Russia's Mars. When I say Putin is playing Pluto I am not kidding!
Asteroid Gonggong (the Chinese monster/hero God conjunct the event chart's Sun and Ukraine's natal Moon) also pulls China into the mix. Gonggong's myth speaks of a kind of emotionally driven combativeness - Gonggong was ashamed to lose a fight and then pitched a fit that threatened to toss the world off her axis. Sounds a bit like an echo of the Ceres/Russia energy and all repeating patterns are what we need to be paying attention to.
Maybe when Venus passes Mars in early March or after whatever blow-ups Mars/Venus/Uranus bring mid-month, so after the 22nd - some kind of peace/agreements can be reached. All the inner planets are on a direct path to Saturn over the next few weeks (Saturn here being Russia, but also stability, sobriety, authority, rules, boundaries) which could help things stabilize, too, although likely at a cost - because in this chart, Saturn is Russia.
After Saturn, 'the cement is poured', events/deals will not be so easily undone. We are married to the future. Uranus squares will provide some twists and turns mid-March, but hopefully after Venus pulls ahead of Mars for in March, this will bring some kind of truce/peace/easing (Venus ruling the 4th house - end of the matter).
The U.S. Pluto return, and this invasion is clearly part of that, plays out throughout 2022, is designed to transform the United State's (AND THE WORLD'S) relationship with power and isn't so quickly wrapped up.
Russia will have the upper hand, but monetary sanctions, etc, will hurt them, note the charts 2nd house (money house) Chiron - wounding, and Neptune - dissolving funds and resources.
Looking back at the Crimea invasion chart on February 22, 2014, when Russia began their piece-meal take-back of Ukraine - ALMOST EXACTLY 8 years to the day of this invasion - we see MANY similarities.
Back then we had the Pluto/Uranus square of 2012-2015. On the day of the Crimea invasion we had Jupiter forming a tight T-Square (exact with Uranus) with the open leg filled in with Putin's Sun. We had Ceres/North Node on the MC just like we have now. In 2014 they were joined by Vesta and Mars. Asteroid Gonggong was once again tightly conjunct the chart's Sun. Venus was again at 21 degrees Capricorn - an uber powerful degree in history. She was squaring Mars and Mars was squaring EXACT the U.S. Pluto (so this event in 2014 would be connected to the U.S. Pluto return/likely loss of power, too). Jupiter, during the Ukraine invasion was conjunct Chiron in the Crimea chart. Chiron, during the Ukraine invasion was conjunct Uranus in the Crimea chart. We had a Pluto/Uranus then, we have a Saturn/Uranus now. Saturn was on the Moon in the Crimea chart. He is on the Ukraine natal Moon in this week's chart. Lots of connections.
The 2014 Crimea/Russia conflict ended with Russia annexing Crimea about a month after the invasion. Something like this is possible now, too.
But Putin doesn't have his Grand Cross this time and the karmic U.S. Pluto return is exact ...
(the extent to which this mess has been created by the U.S, in particular, but also her allies in the west/NATO will have a role in the outcome, too, as fate, via the Pluto return of the U.S. plays its hand).