Home and country – elections in the Netherlands

Cancer 2006

Cancer, a sign associated with the Moon, is the sign of the home and family. Our land, our roots are important to this zodiac archetype. In business, our office and our sense of belonging to the firm, form part of this group of qualities. The Moon will also show the staff culture from bottom-up, as opposed to the management culture from top-down. So we will take a look at my home base…

At the time of writing, the Netherlands, where I am based, has just experienced a cabinet crisis in parliament. There are various schools of thought as to who is to blame, the main two being cited are Minister Verdonk, who is responsible for immigration, and the D66 party, a democratic party formed in 1966, who, up until the crisis, were part of the coalition ruling the country. D66 raised a vote of no confidence in Minister Rita Verdonk concerning a particular case, but as this was not accepted by the other parties, D66 resigned from their place in government. At present the other two coalition parties will rule until new elections take place in November. So the net result is that government continues without the two D66 members.

A criticism often levelled at astrology, states that this crisis could have been predicted. So what is the use of an astrology that doesn’t do that? One answer to this is that there are so many things to look at in life, that one would have to have thought up that specific question – will parliament have a crisis? Astrology could indeed have commented on that question.

Astrology as a learning tool

My view is that astrology is far better employed as a tool to look at a problem. So in this case, I would ask at this point in time : What does this mean for the Netherlands and can we learn from what has already happened? I would also ask how can we shape a better future, because I believe that we create the future within certain parameters. Our future is based on our past and our present actions. So what can be learned first about the Netherlands? I will then discuss the D66 party.

Weak Leadership from Prime Minister Balkenende?

In the horoscope of a country, the Prime Minister and/or the people in authority, are shown by the Sun. So I am interested in what is going on with the Sun in the horoscope of the Netherlands on June 29th, the day of the crisis. Which archetype is triggering the people in power? Has it happened before? If so is it part of a process? And is it finished?

I am using a time for the formation of Holland that is used by astrologers that have followed events for many years. It is March 16, 1815, when William of Orange came to the throne. Using a particular technique, we see that on this day Saturn is the culprit. Now Saturn has his good days, but he is also the planet of the hard lessons.

We are also in the middle of another process concerning the Sun, which involves Pluto.

So we need to look at 2 processes: Saturn, which particularly relates to this crisis, and Pluto to see what else is going on.

Difficulties, Discipline or Clarity?

The astrology points to three important dates for the Saturn process. October 15, 2005, December 30, 2005 and June 29, 2006.  So first we can see that this is actually the end of a process. Balkenende had the opportunity during this whole period to be an authoritative leader, to be a hard task master and to be strict. It was an excellent opportunity to work hard and make concrete decisions. Saturn means that you need to take responsibility rather than blaming others. One could argue, seeing the end result, that Balkenende did not do enough of this.

There will also be a link between these 3 dates.  It is almost as if we are given an opportunity (or a warning) to use Saturn positively around these times otherwise he will teach us a lesson himself. June the 29th certainly gave clarity and a clear decision.

October 15:
Just prior to this date Pechtold, one of the new D66 ministers who believes that open criticism is important, raised an issue about mortgages. He was not taken seriously and was called the “new kid on the block, … only 6 months in the job, doesn’t know the rules…”

On October 15th he was reproached by Prime Minister Balkenende and told that only one message must come from the cabinet. So here we see D66 not being taken seriously (Saturn) for what they believe in. This date also brought an arrest of seven terrorist suspects. Fear is another part of the Saturn group which is possibly present in both these events on this date.

December 30:
Again we see D66 involved around this date, and we see two issues going on, as the start of the Pluto process, which hit its first high point on January 3rd, 2006, can be felt (see below).

D66 was accused of causing delays (Saturn)  because of their internal leadership conflict. Pechtold featured again. But we see statements in the press from various members, which appeared to be be calling for clarity and structure (Saturn). “The cabinet must govern, parliament (de kamer) is informed afterwards.” Parliament called for a debate about “leadership not being visible from Balkenende”. This issue was raised specifically in relation to the decision on Afghanistan (in my view one of the topics in the Pluto process).

So there were difficulties and conflicts between members, and Balkenende was criticised for not showing strong leadership.

June 29:
The last date, the crisis day, reflects a coming to a head of the mounting tension of the attempts of D66 over several months to be taken seriously. The warning signs were there on the previous dates if one knew where, and particularly when, to look.

Free Advice for Balkenende now…
 
The second process the Netherlands finds herself in is the Pluto one, where the following dates are relevant:  January 3, 2006; July 3, 2006 and November 3, 2006, this last one being just before the new elections on November 22, 2006. Pluto has been close for a longer period but these dates are the exact ones where Pluto makes contact.

It appears we need to complete a process before these elections. So Balkenende still has one opportunity to make use of the power he can have with Pluto. Pluto is about power and powerlessness. To use him positively we need to take control, to be powerful, go black and white on issues. Anyone who does this in the run up to the elections will have a better chance of winning. Pluto is an energy that wants to win. It is also associated with war. It is a planet of willpower and strength. Also one of transformation. A charismatic leadership would be a good description. If this archetype works negatively we might see vindictive campaigns or vicious power struggles. Pluto is not averse to sabotage and scandal.

Who is at War?
Balkenende needs to take control, to fight and be very focused on winning. If he feels powerless, he needs to analyse why and be ruthless if he wants to win. The Netherlands wants, particularly at this time, a powerful, passionate, focused leader. It is not for nothing that Rita Verdonk has a following at the moment. But the Netherlands also wants a leader who is imaginative and humanitarian, the Sun being in the sign of Pisces.

But what can we learn about this process? What has gone before?

January 3:
Although Afghanistan has been on the agenda for quite a while, we see here, the first signs of Pluto problems arising, with the big decision which needs to be taken over Afghanistan. The criticism of  “hesitation is not the right way to go” is absolutely correct when we are in a Pluto time period. Pluto is not for the faint-hearted. And sending large troops to Afghanistan is about war of course but also about power struggles at home in the Netherlands. Again D66 feature here, being very clear about their decision concerning this topic. But a decision is not yet made – perhaps a missed opportunity.

July 3:
In the meantime the decision has been made to send troops to Uruzgan but on this date something happens that has never been done before. A top military man states publicly that there will be deaths amongst Dutch soldiers.

November 3, 2006 still to come
In view of the Pluto threads here, no black and white decisions, war, deaths –  all Pluto topics, it is reasonable to assume that the last date will most likely involve Afghanistan and in some way will transform the leadership of the country. I suspect the results of sending troops will be clearly visible and rage at what has happened may be one of the outcomes. Balkenende and his party will probably have to take the brunt of the responsibility for this and may feel the consequences of their earlier hesitation. It will be interesting to see how Balkenende, and indeed other party leaders, handle such a topic just before elections. It is hoped that our leaders will decide with passion and clarity what needs to be done in Afghanistan before this date, as powerful leadership is needed here for a good result. (Note after this post – Balkenende from the CDA won – so he must have done something right:) There is an update on Uruzgan in a later post)

Own Goal for D66?

The D66 chart provides an excellent example of the company clock. The start date I use for this party, which was obtained from someone doing research within the party, is October 14th, 1966. The company clock model shows that the D66 is in the 7th phase of ‘partnerships’. Each phase has a critical point which lasts about a year with a peak at a particular date. The date for the D66 critical point is June 29th 2006, exactly the day of the cabinet crisis. This model suggests that the crisis for D66, is about finding one’s own identity, which is also done in the first six year phase (from start-up) but now it also involves finding an identity within a partnership. (Individuals go through this process at 39 too.)

So astrologically speaking, D66 made a good decision to state what they stand for and to strive for being taken seriously with their coalition partners. We can see how this need had built up over the last few months.

The Cancer Country
 

The United States, born on July 4th, is an example of a Cancerian country. This means that the Sun in this horoscope is in Cancer, the Sun representing leaders. So the United States has attracted a leader that resonates well with it’s own goals. George W Bush is born on July 6th, 1946, and is therefore also a Cancer. So he and the United States want the same thing and it could be said that he is the perfect leader for this country. However before we get too carried away, one needs to look at the way this archetype works, so I will give positive and negative characteristics of this sign and let you judge for yourself, how this might be  working in practice.

Positive: caring, sensitive, strong family ties, motherly, comforting, defends loved ones, home and family (or country) first, patriotic

Negative: too much of the positive qualities such as overprotective and too patriotic; xenophobic, moody, attached to the past, clingy, lunatic ( from the name of the Moon – Luna).

Bush is often accused of having the negative attributes – in particular that he is a lunatic. But hopefully he has some of the positive ones as well and his drive may be to protect home and country. He certainly tries to protect the traditional family. Cancer is a sign that holds on to traditions and roots. And mother’s apron strings. So the US is a country that will be dragged kicking and screaming into the future concerning the modern ‘family’.

The perfect president?

I believe that countries have a mission and a soul and can attract leaders that are needed for a lesson that needs to be learned. It is perhaps, as with people, the level of consciousness that makes the difference as to how we use our given potential. The mass consciousness in the US is at a level where Bush could be considered to be the appropriate president. He perhaps reflects the consciousness level of most people in the country and therefore becomes president even though he did not achieve a majority. As the level of consciousness changes, more people within the country are turning against the Bush administration and this will have consequences for the next elections. But until then, here are some (Cancerian) quotes from the man himself that we can still enjoy. Spelling/ grammar correctly quoted!

Faye Blake-Cossar

Quotes of the Month

“You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you’re gone.” Washington, D.C., May 5, 2006

“You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.”
Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001.

“We’re concerned about AIDS inside our White House — make no mistake about it.” Washington, D.C., Feb. 7, 2001.

“Laura and I really don’t realize how bright our children is sometimes until we get an objective analysis.”
CNBC, April 15, 2000.

“I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.”
Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000.

And a last one from someone else…

“I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it”
Albert Einstein – German born American Physicist  1879-1955.

Interesting website of the month

Cancer is the sign that signifies the office – our ‘home’ for our work. It is important to feel comfortable and at home. The site for this month covers ergonomics – what is good for our health and comfort at our place of work. For tips on everything from desk height to eye strain.