Brutal Austerity: the contagious global dysfunction

brutal austerity and market contagion.

Both of these dysfunctions remain deeply embedded in the global economics of 2015.

Latest:

February 2016: Austerity politics in Ireland set to upset the power base
February 2016: Brutal Austerity in New Zealand The southern city of Christchurch has suffered over 15,000 earthquakes since the initial M7.1 in September 2010 and the people of the region are still suffering greatly.

Feb 21
Hundreds protest in Christchurch, New Zealand on the eve of the 5 year anniversary of the powerful, destructive 2011 earthquake that upended the lives of so many.
Seemingly unending delays in resolving insurance claims with the government's quake commission are a symptom of not only a broken system, but also an underlying ideology that gives little value to human suffering when compared with dollar driven agendas.
Feb 17 In a broader context of widespread cuts across the heath sector in New Zealand, including mental health support, hundreds of Christchurch children have been assessed as suffering from post traumatic stress disorder in respect of the ongoing earthquakes since September 2010 but only 8% have received counselling. A university study of a sample of 320 children tracked since 2013 showed 64% had negative mental health indicators -report

 The 16th highest quake, a M5.75 occurred in February 2016, just days ago, on the 14th.

data from QuakeLive

The right wing NZ government under John Key has overseen the harshest treatment of any community, perhaps in NZ history. Ranging from major problems for people facing loss or damage of their home and property - and their entitlement to fair compensation, to the way in which personal mental and psychological trauma has been catered for.

• Many still have outstanding property claims unresolved. report

•  government funding for counselling and related services in the region has been decimated since 2015 -despite increases in suicide callouts and children with trauma related behaviours.

The government took 4 months to release this information to a state radio journalist. 

The Ministry of Social Development response in full facsimile is available 
Multiple news items re the Feb 16 2016 quake have spoken of the psychological impact, even in the face of limited degrees of damage to assets.The government agenda places no value on human life.
It is nonsensical to expect people with major trauma to be healed as quickly as broken bones.They are broken people and may need life long support. 

On February 16 2016 a further example of NZ government extreme austerity arises in the form of a plan to slash over $138 milllion in hospital operating costs

This arises despite years of lengthy waiting lists, significant patient disastisfaction levels, declining levels of care, as well as over-stretched staff.Even in the land once referred to as Godzone, brutal austerity is now well entrenched.

Malcolm Justice on Twitter Feb16 2016

 

Brutalism is a term commonly applied to a stark architectural style but a sector of humanity was not satisfied with their widespread imposition of dehumanising structures to service commercial, civic as well as domestic needs.
The dysfunctional ethos of brutalism is clearly widespread in the management of national economies across the globe.

What was once simply austerity has morphed into brutal austerity in the global context and brutalist economics have a lot in common with brutalist architecture. 
The tower block accommodation for low income renters has not a shred of humanity infused into its style or construction.

UK, Europe are known for brutalist housing

Brutal austerity has led to public dissent in nations including Greece, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Ireland the United Kingdom, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand....as well as many more unlisted here
Not surprising then, that global humanitarian organisation OXFAM, whose motto is the power of people against poverty, issued a 2013 briefing paper entitled

A CAUTIONARY TALE The true cost of austerity and inequality in Europe.
Take the time to hear the counter argument to brutal austerity: the humane, humanitarian, compassionate view
This organisation is unafraid of placing political challenges to those wielding economic power.
If it were only Europe...but it is not...and before Europe was another failed austerity experiment: Latin America...and before that....yes this disease has deep roots.

Quoting Joseph Stiglitz:

Greece could be blamed for its troubles if it were the only country where the troika’s [the IMF, European Commission,& the European Central Bank] medicine failed miserably. But Spain had a surplus and a low debt ratio before the crisis, and it, too, is in depression. What is needed is not structural reform within Greece and Spain so much as structural reform of the eurozone’s design and a fundamental rethinking of the policy frameworks that have resulted in the monetary union’s spectacularly bad performance.

and

Seldom do democratic elections give as clear a message as that in Greece. If Europe says no to Greek voters’ demand for a change of course, it is saying that democracy is of no importance, at least when it comes to economics. Why not just shut down democracy, as Newfoundland effectively did when it entered into receivership before World War II?
One hopes that those who understand the economics of debt and austerity, and who believe in democracy and humane values, will prevail. Whether they will remains to be seen.

No surprises then when austerity can be proposed as a defective and dysfunctional systemic approach, that market contagion also references disease.

The disease rests in the human mind and in particular in the beliefs of those who erroneously believe they can disconnect themselves from their natural condition: we are all collectively embedded in an energetic feedback loop, inseparable from each other's discomfort and suffering.
In the bigger picture, the human collective is a super-organism and the Land of the Broken Foot is equally sensed in the super-organism's consciousness as the Blinded Eye-Lands and the eruptions of Mount Appendix.

But this is an astrology blog so it is useful to look
at past, present and future indicators that cycles related to the planets can deliver.

No single factor determines particular cycles, but certain factors can be seen to recur.
Cycles are based on energy -and various permutations can deliver equivalent forces. 

Saturn is the planet and Capricorn is the zodiac sign relating to austerity.
When combined -Saturn in Capricorn - the positive conservative, cautious energy balance can tip into severe restraint, failed practices and policies.

Jupiter is the planet and Sagittarius is the sign related to prosperity and growth.
When combined the energy balance can tip into excess, over-production.
When Saturn is in Sagittarius or Jupiter is in Capricorn we potentially have a mismatch if these contra-forces are not well balanced eg under-growth or over-growth.

[ The economy is a garden. Chauncey Gardiner was right]

When each planet is in its own sign it has free reign to be a peak positive expression -unless another planet is in conflict or contradiction at that time, altering the energy balance.

When Saturn is in conflict - at a stress angle like 45, 90 or 180 degrees in respect of Jupiter -then growth is curtailed, over-supply is a problem.

Jupiter when in Cancer is likely to inflate housing values.

New Zealand experienced a property boom starting

2001 when Jupiter was in Cancer. The 12 year cycle

returned in 2013 and house prices rose by 9.8%

The momentum from 2001 lasted till 2008 in New Zealand but housing values did not rise significantly until the return of Jupiter to Cancer in 2013.

Pluto is transformative energy. 
Conditions can change fundamentally and extremely.

Pluto in Sagittarius [1995-2008]has an influence on growth.

Pluto in Capricorn [2008-2024] has an influence re austerity

So what can be shown from the past is that:
Jupiter in Capricorn 1925-1926 US boom years

Saturn in Sagittarius Dec 1926-Dec 1929 -decline led into Great Depression

Saturn in Capricorn Dec 1929-Nov 1932 - events created worst years of Great Depression

Saturn in Sagittarius Nov 1985-Nov 1988 - period re the 1987 market crash

Saturn in Capricorn Nov 1988-Feb 1991 worsening effects from '87

Saturn at 90 degrees to Jupiter Dec 2005 flaws that led into 2007 GFC

Jupiter in Sagittarius Nov 2006-Dec 2007 -excesses leading to GFC

Jupiter in Capricorn Dec 2007-Jan 2009 -excesses curtailed.

The omens were bad when Pluto and the Sun conjuncted in Sagittarius as Jupiter entered Capricorn on Dec 18 2007.

The capacity of Plutonic energy to destroy much of the excesses in the system is well documented here.

Pluto entered Sagittarius in Nov 1995 - a period lasting till January 2008.Then began the Plutonic focus on Capricorn territory -business, government, austerity [2008-2024]

Saturn again in Sagittarius from Sept 2015-Dec 2017 is likely again to signify issues related to excess and imbalance as in past cycles [1920's, 1980's]

Saturn in Capricorn Dec 2017-Dec 2020 has the

potential to run to extremes before any relief from 

the potential psychopathic brutality of Saturn combining with Pluto [yes, real psychopaths have this pattern]

2019 is a year to watch in this regard in the build up to the exact Sun-Saturn-Pluto in Capricorn conjunction [22 degrees] of January 13 2020.
At the same time, Mercury is very close at 24 Capricorn; Jupiter will also be in Capricorn then, but at 9 degrees -not close enough to the other 3.

This momentous month January 2020 could see a

socio-economic transformational point that signif

ies the emergence over time of restructured governments and governance, reforms in housing policies, business practices, taxation, and a new consciousness re how governments are essentially elected to nurture, guide and mentor citizens towards their capacity for positive collective contributions.

Instead governments have styled themselves as primarily a source of power and control and as a corporate business. This is not their critical role. This is a distortion based on human inadequacy.
It may be too much to expect an enlightened leap within the space of a mere 5 years.

If extreme imbalances as evident in 2015 like in recent prior years, regarding all manner of inequality and injustices affecting fundamental human dignity, show no definitive practical signs of being corrected by 2020, we face a grim, dystopic era of greater dissent and adversity, and by sheer force of numbers, greater collective inhumanity, all magnified by globalization, than ever in our history.

update June 20 2015

Thousands march in anti-austerity protests across Britain

Updates and further material will be added 

due to the sustained prevalence of this issue

July 2015 sees the forces of austerity arise again in determining a path forward for Greece.

Market contagion displayed in the context of the Chinese sharemarket crisis.

Both of these effects correspond to forecasts published for the July period, extending further... read more in July 2015 forecast and Astrology for China & World Economy

November 2015 Brutal poverty in US 

South


September 2016
Brutalist architecture sees revival

May 2015 -planet earth astrology

May 4 Full Moon is a Taurus-Scorpio event with Jupiter in Leo at exact right angle to the Sun and the Moon -all three at 13 degrees in fixed signs

Taurus is the physical, material plane of nature, objects and money. 
Scorpio is the metaphysical dimension, the energy level of reality known well to physicists and psychics alike even if from different viewpoints
Always the Taurus-Scorpio challenge is to come to terms with both aspects of reality - the world of the 5 senses and the world of the supersenses, extrasensory perception.
The contemporary world has veered way too much into the indulgences of the physical senses, but the transitory nature of sensory objects generates perpetual emptiness - "I can't get no satisfaction" is the voice of the hedonist, never managing to sustain the pleasures of sensations and objects -especially the folly of greed.

Taurus is an accumulating sign- hence the risk of greed - eating, buying, possessing. 
Scorpio is about power that transcends the physical -beyond objects, beyond money, beyond mere sensation: it is an inner power, not one based on outer indicators like real estate, clothes or cars.
Inner security is achievable through Scorpio -not through Taurus.
The evolved Scorpio is prepared to symbolically die and be reborn many times in one lifetime, abandoning the crutches used by Taurus to imitate strength.
Scorpio can burn it all to live renewed.

With Jupiter so tightly linked to this May full moon, there is a challenging force in play.
Jupiter is grand scale and drama, expansive & exaggerating.
Leo is the heart energy and the force of fire being offset against the Taurus earth and Scorpio water.

In the lunar month timeframe from May 4:
Under the prevailing influences, some people may resort to property destruction by means of fire to punish others, or for monetary gain via insurance. Both unwise.
Some people will respond with huge passion and sensuality.
Big hearted energy will conflict with those with clenched hearts.
Personal security and rigid control versus generosity of spirit
Our planet will feel more scorched in relevant zones and more humid in others.
Traffic accidents loom large in the picture as well as travel chaos
Saturn opposite Mercury and Uranus-Pluto entangled give rise to many situations of destructive, dangerous, problematical effects affecting aviation and land transport in particular. Electronic failure in communications systems regulating any transport mechanism -trains will be equally likely to be included.

Communication systems down.
Failures, faults forecast to be prevalent affecting phone networks in places that resonate with the prevailing pattern.
All locations, like people, have their own energy blueprint, and so we differ and places differ in the degree to which effects are experienced. 
Direct communications person to person also affected -disagreement, incompatible viewpoints, general poor communication.
Bad energy for signing important documents.

Water balance/imbalance is highlighted -sustaining the longterm theme of "too much, too little" -different locations get what they are primed for (Neptune's contact with the lunar nodes)

Fire issues -  due to Jupiter in Leo and Uranus in Aries involving both the Sun and Mars. Combustibility is enhanced.
Accidents involving fire. Fire/heat on the land.

Being still within the influence of the March and April eclipses -read those reports for further very significant background energies that remain in play.

Earth strain remains in effect
with the ongoing Uranus-Pluto influence -accentuated by Pluto's stationary situation in mid-April which has magnified seismic strain factors and foreshadowed the unfolding large quakes including most significantly Nepal (25 April) - astrology report here and diverse seismic unrest in places including New Zealand (especially April 24, May 4)

The role of Jupiter as a quake trigger is researched by many outside of the astrology community and so its May 4 connection to the Full Moon should be included as another strain indicator.

Further info for the second part of May and New Moon will be added

As always edits, updates, relevant news may be added

News reports relevant:

May 4 large quake southern NZ 
May 5 large quake PNG with tsunami alert
May 6 - fire in terminal at Rome's main airport
May 7 flash flooding Oklahoma

May 13 noticing many road incidents as expected and now a train event:

May 14 Also as indicated - traffic chaos -New Zealand's capital city Wellington almost entirely cut off from land transport due to an "extraordinary" amount of torrential rain, flooding, landslips on State Highway 1 causing traffic gridlock and affects on rail network
Fatal factory fire:

May 18 New Moon in Taurus 
is closely linked to Venus in Cancer and Venus is coming close to opposition with Pluto.
This combo first delivers a lunar month from 15 May where issues related to money, materialism, objects or things, possessions are a big topic in the collective mind.
The politics of austerity [Pluto in Capricorn] will loom even larger in the financial arena in diverse global locations as governments seek more and more ways to squeeze the lifeblood out of their citizens in order to fund an entirely dysfunctional system

The link from Taurus to Cancer implicates issues re domestic property including housing, the main capital asset and family or personal income will both arise significantly. As will problematical issues arise about the land or Earth itself and the horticulture and agriculture sectors.
[May17 update NZ govt announces a tax on property speculation. The govt will deliver the NZ Budget on May 21.
In resonant locations there will be more significant rainfall or other water related events including flooding, being swamped or sinking. [Neptune-Node]
A good month for comic entertainment [Mercury-Jupiter]

More serious problems surround travel -particularly involving masses of people -both in short distance or land travel by road or rail and in international travel contexts.
Sea travel is included in the risk scenario.
Aviation is also affected [Saturn-Mars] so the general picture means the high risk alerts from earlier in May remain in place regarding mass fatality transport related events -whether accidental [Uranus] or created by the will of destructive forces [Pluto].
Speed, fire, explosion are all energies ready to enter the mix.
The potential for acts of terror in the context of the transport of people en masse is implicated. 
Another potential mutation of the same energy is that cold-hearted political forces [Pluto in Capricorn] will refuse to take on a collective approach [Uranus] to the masses of evacuee citizens lost in no man's land, on the sea, in failing vessels, deprived of sanctuary, whilst aboard sinking ships.

Individual susceptibility to any prevailing energy pattern depends upon the resonance between your birth pattern [astrological birth chart] and the forces in existence on any particular day or time. If there are numerous strong matches or activations of birth potentials then the degree of separation between you and a related event becomes very small - and could be expressed as a "first degree close encounter", a direct experience - whereas a witness has a second degree encounter; the person watching the TV news has a 3rd degree encounter..and so on.  
Remember the May full moon effects noted at the start of this report are still empowered until the June full moon -so the Scorpio aspect of death and transformation remains strong in the public consciousness.
The mass bikie gang carnage in Waco Texas is one example
May 19 -NZ government Budget Week -Finance Minister makes a Taurean statement:

material [Taurus] hardship = the austerity aspect of Pluto in Capricorn.
[The government then gave a pretend increase to a very small targeted sector in the Welfare spend -the "increase" in many if not most cases to be offset by increased costs]
Read in depth Astroblog on Brutal Austerity , market contagion -the past, present and future of this policy & past financial collapses

In May another Taurean example: New Zealand has to face issues re the international price for the commodity milk powder, impacting on farmer incomes & ultimately the NZ economy.
May 26 report re mass fatalities due to a heatwave up to 48C in India -an effect anticipated in the above report as "heat on the land"
May 26 Texas suffers extreme flooding - reflecting the too much water theme anticipated in this lunar month . Severe weather events also affected Oklahoma & Mexico

Nepal 2015 spiritual rebirth: quake astrology

Mass fatalities and widespread effects 

from the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

The Dragon Lies in the Mountain - intuitive artwork conceived of in March 2015, commenced May 2015
This link made between dragons and earthquakes is borne out not only by ancient Chinese technology and also by discoveries such as this report

Latest: scroll to end for May 12 quake

Given the context of the prevailing powerful 90 degree angle of Uranus and Pluto which has considerable energetic potential to enact earth changes, April 2015 has followed on strongly from March 2015 [the last exact Uranus-Pluto square in this 2012-2016 cycle] in manifesting earthquakes of significant magnitude, as well as the major Calbuco eruption in Chile. The April forecast and updates covers these matters both before and in news updates.
On a personal level, this Uranus-Pluto cycle is about making major changes - or being forced to; redressing energetic imbalances, ,assessing use/abuse of personal power

This post focuses on the astrological elements, primarily the mathematics of the midpoints and their significance.

From the basic chart set for Kathmandu, local time 11.56am

the spread of planets, their positions angles and relationships are indicated

Jupiter rising dramatically in Leo, connected to the Sun, Mars, Mercury and Midheaven in the Earth sign Taurus.

Neptune and Chiron in Pisces in the 8th.

The destructive energies of Pluto, Uranus, Saturn all link in turn to multiple other chart energies.

We know that the theme of "world-upside-down" has entered the lives of countless people in this extended period of Uranus-Pluto upheaval.

We know extreme events of nature and expressed through people are channels for this energy. 

The standout elements of the quake event in the chart drawing, taken together, tell part of the story of the powerful prevailing energies, but this first glance method, in this instance, does not jump out immediately with the signature of a mass karma event.

This situation is one where the use of midpoints is where the revelations lie.

By using the midpoint grid, any two chart factors can be considered to see the energy point at which their combined energies are expressed. eg Sun-Moon meet at 15.33 Gemini

Using the midpoint grid for the April 25 Nepal quake, patterns are detected to see where the energy is most focussed.

An immediate standout is the late mutables [Gemini-Sagittarius-Virgo-Pisces] since there are so many midpoints in the range 24-30 degrees. 

This blog has devoted two specific posts in 2013 and 2011 to the energy point known as the Galactic Centre & it's connection to extreme forces or extreme weather.

The Galactic Centre of our solar system currently sits at 27 Sagittarius. This extraordinarily powerful focal energy point arises repeatedly in analysis of events on earth that have global resonance and meaning.

Mass movements of people, mass evacuations - as documented astrologically here in 2011, are also clustered when the late mutable signs are strongly activated 

In addition, Japan's nuclear events as analysed astrologically show the same activation of points related to the Galactic Centre - ie any or all of the mutable signs in late degrees.

Major quake and tsunami events also show the same pattern as covered in this 2011 post

What can be found repeatedly in the Nepal quake is the recurrence of midpoints in late mutable signs.

This data is sourced directly from the grid graphic and includes midpoint pairs such as Uranus-Neptune in Pisces [28 degrees]; Moon-Saturn at 29.58 Virgo.

This graphic presents the mutable cross with all four signs represented:

Beneath the mutable cross are standout midpoints across the range of planets.

Note that direct and indirect midpoints are taken as equivalent [an example: a midpoint in Virgo is equivalent to the same position in Pisces because individual zodiac signs are far less relevant than their group expression -[eg cardinal, fixed or mutable].

What stands out here are the roles of the destructive trio Saturn, Uranus and Pluto, especially Pluto in connecting up with other energies -and the repetitive focus on Neptune.

Take the first example Saturn-Venus=Neptune.

Saturn Venus together represents the loss of relationship, grief, separation, sadness.

Saturn-Venus-Neptune as a collective experience takes this to the level of a mass spiritual event.

This is reinforced most clearly by Pluto's transformational power on a spiritual level [Neptune] focussed on the chart's highest point -where the Sun sits in tight conjunction to the Midheaven.

A spiritual rebirth, affecting masses of people in a part of the world associated with religious practices, primarily Hindu with around 10% Buddhist will be seen in it's larger context.
In totality this is a spiritual event for all of humanity.

It is also of significance that the earth is in an eclipse cycle that relates to the March 20 total solar eclipse at 29.27 Pisces.
This energy has the potential to be retriggered multiple times until at least the next solar eclipse - in Sept 2015 
Themes related to late mutable signs have been noted earlier including mass evacuations [major fatalities in Mediterranean from boats sinking, overloaded with refugees; mass movements of people from quakes and Chile eruptions] and extreme weather/earth strain.

To confirm the quality & intensity of your personal degree of connection to the Nepal Quake, study or get assistance to analyse the midpoint grid, in particular the features emphasised earlier. 
Look for your own birth planets in the range 24-30 degrees in Pisces, Virgo, Gemini or Sagittarius.
Look at any repeated degree positions in the midpoint grid that match any of your birth planet positions.
Multiple matches increase the meaning of this event for you. 

The ANZAC 100 year Commemorations held in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and of course the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey were held according to tradition as dawn approached on April 25.
This collective mass sentiment amongst both attendees and those observing or following via media, also offered an opportunity for spiritual rebirth, since the majority of relevant planetary positions were little different when these gatherings occurred compared to the timing of the severe quakes in Nepal, just a couple of hours later.
Mass movements of people towards and away from meeting places in the respective locations. A significant change in personal response, an elevation in empathy and compassion were on offer. It was the destructive power of human military conflict that blended with this situation, not the power of natural forces

Geologists frustrated at lack of predictive methodology....[ well they can read this blog in secret]

Geologists determine different sequences in Nepal quakes history in Kathmandu region
A proposed dating system in the above article suggests that different fault lines have known precedents in history, as per these years linked:
1255  >>>>> 1934
1344 >>>>>> 2015
1505 >>>>>> 1833

A quick look at 1344 shows Pluto and Uranus were conjunct all year, ranging from 10-16 degrees of Cardinal sign Aries
In 2015 Pluto ranges from 12.58 Capricorn to 15.32 Capricorn; Uranus from 12.37 to 21.35 Aries. Both in Cardinal signs.
In April 2015 on the 25th, Pluto was at 15.32 and Uranus at 17.30. Midpoint is 16.30 in a Cardinal sign.
This mathematical match is undeniable.
It's called a sensitive degree.
Pluto will pass over the 15-17 degree position multiple times in 2016 
Jan, Feb, June, July, Aug, Sept , Nov, Dec = most of 2016
Whether Pluto alone [Uranus by now has sped ahead from late Feb 2016] is capable of bringing more unrest there remains to be seen.
The Jan 2016 New Moon in Capricorn is at 19 degrees tightly activating Pluto at 15 and Uranus at 17. This is a strong strain signature for any vulnerable earth structure.
April 7 2016 New Moon in Aries at 18 degrees. Uranus at 20, Pluto at 17 -also another strain signature in effect for a lunar month. 


NASA report on Nepal quake:

The April 25, 2015, magnitude 7.8 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal created waves of energy that penetrated into Earth's upper atmosphere in the vicinity of Nepal, disturbing the distribution of electrons in the ionosphere. The ionosphere is a region of Earth's upper atmosphere located from about 60 kilometers 1,000 kilometers above Earth’s surface. These disturbances were monitored using signals transmitted by the Global Positioning System (GPS) that were received by a science-quality GPS receiver located in a neighboring region to Nepal.
The disturbance measurements, known as vertical total electron content (VTEC) (depicted in blue in the upper panel), have been filtered using processing software developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, to show wave-like disturbances (circled in red) in the distribution of electrons in the ionosphere. The waves have periods of between two and eight minutes in length. The disturbance measurements following the earthquake rupture are circled in black in the lower panel. The colors represent the relative strengths of the earthquake-induced ionospheric disturbances as captured by the GPS signals, with red being high and blue being low.  source & further content

May 12 2015

BBC report indicates that mass fatalities and injuries have accompanied a M7.3 quake at Dunche near Everest and close to the border of Chinese territory.

The closest town is Namche Bazaar. This follows aftershocks from the M7.8 on April 25 2015.

Kathmandu was once again shaken being 76 kms to the west of the epicentre but Tibet, China, Bangladesh and India also experienced tremors.

Numerous significant aftershocks have once more been recorded.

As always, check back for additions, updates etc 

Aries profile: Paula Bennett

As Aries as you can get could be a descriptor for NZ MP and leadership aspirant Paula Bennett.

What would she enjoy on her birthday? 

Red meat, lots of blood, some bling, a nice argument and the promise of a few heads to roll

scroll to end for latest updates

With a birthdate of April 9 1969 Ms Bennett has Sun, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Chiron  -a good chunk of the solar system -all positioned in the fire sign Aries, the first zodiac sign, whose mission is fundamentally self preservation - and the goal of fearless independence is inherent. [Lunar nodes also in Aries-Libra]

However, as with all zodiac signs, the tendency to flip into the polarity sign's modus operandi is common.
Aries polar opposite is Libra.
Where Aries is War, Libra is Peace.
One part wants to fight, the other mediate.
Go it alone or go in tandem?
These extremes are addressed on the pathway to the type of balance sought by Aries-Libra people.

Having so much Aries makes it a bit harder to clothe the iron fist in a velvet glove.
The smiles are betrayed by a clenched jaw and steely eyes.
Extremely combative and competitive. Her most famous one-liner may be the abrupt Westie call to "Zip it, sweetie" -addressed to the rather genteel Jacinda Ardern in NZ Parliament. Perhaps the leopard prints and edgy style of West Auckland's Outrageous Fortune had become embedded.

The Libra side indulges in the classic feminized artefacts - make-overs, makeup, hair and fashion -but it's not easy to fool many with the amount of military grade machinery that lies beneath.

From a humanitarian perspective there is little to nothing to recommend Paula Bennett as a welfare minister -as she was for a considerable period and unsurprisingly overseeing some cut-throat [Aries speciality] policies. She does have the ability to promote heartless austerity [Saturn-Neptune] - and so was a suitable political choice.

With Mars in Sagittarius -more fire! -a lot of energy goes into travel and a lot of extra fuel to boost the typical Aries confidence levels.

People have perceived fellow minister Judith Collins as Thatcherite - but Bennett has much more in common when astro profiling is done [Collins profile; Thatcher profile]
Having said that, the horrors New Zealand will face can be imagined if Wellington University's computer prediction system continues to place Bennett as next in line to John Key and if the NATs resume power.

But it's not all smooth sailing for Paula Bennett
It never has been - according to the signifiers.
Issues around getting on with people.
Sudden changes and upsets in relationships, alliances, partnerships.

2015 into 2016
Neptune: A growing sense of weakness, exhaustion affecting energy and confidence. This lingers till late 2016, but this is partly in tandem with:
Uranus: from mid 2016 a big change could advance or undermine Bennett's political fortunes. The odds are on advance because the weakening effect is subdued when the potential advancement surge arises repeatedly into mid 2017.
Yes it is possible that this does coincide with promotion within the party ranks.
Her political animal genes are flooding the bloodstream in this period.
BUT
2017
Pluto: transits across at 90 degrees from Bennett's Sun in April 2017 at the same time as the Uranus boost and help from Saturn: opposing political forces at work; a battle scene envisaged
2018 more of the same flows over into 2018, with even more intense battling in 2019, 2020

Armour up now Paula, whether it's House of Cards or Game of Thrones, it won't be pretty whether in power or out of power.


update January 2018
Rumblings reported in the media at the end of January indicating that Bennet's position as Deputy Leader is under threat
With Sun-Mercury-Venus at 18-19 Aries at her birth -the prevailing energy of Pluto at 18-19 Capricorn in January 2018 is a hugely adverse force to contend with [expressed literally as a power challenge underway ] This energy will be more underground for some months in 2018 but will reactivate in Aug-Sept-Oct-Nov - so the die is set. Even if no outcome occurs early in the year...the challenge will be relaunched much more intensely in the second round.


update October 2017
The National Government is out of power

update early December 2016
PB's political stocks rose dramatically with the sudden/unexpected [Uranian event signature] resignation of Prime Minister John Key, leading to a shuffle up the party ranking for Deputy PM Bill English...eventually achieving a sleepwalk into the job after Key's anointment.
Deputy PM then is sought by Bennett and Simon Bridges with Bennett looking early on to gain this foothold on the prize.
Having said that, seems little incentive to explore the profile of Mr Bridges
update Dec 10 2016 - Simon Bridges lacked the numbers [and the destiny cards] to be a challenge for Paula Bennett: she will be named Deputy Prime Minister in days


Also popular:
Aries Profile: Winston Peters political pugilist
Pisces Profile: Judith Collins
 

APRIL 2015 Planet Earth astrology

Latest update : Extreme weather, extreme punishment, extreme force plus Mass fatalities in Nepal quake -scroll to updates starting April 25
The energy forecast for planet earth in April 2015 is a perpetuation and possible amplification of primal forces that erupted in the context of the March 2015 total solar eclipse on March 20.
To recap on globally significant events -documented originally in March report bearing the primal signature:
March saw:

•  the Tunisia terrorist attack reported on March 18  =human extremism

• A range of earthquakes over M6 - none ended up being in threatening locations
• extreme weather in diverse locations including torrential flooding in Kashmir, Peru & Chile; destructivecyclone or typhoon events
• human extremism involving the destruction of Flight 9525 and death of 150 persons including pilot Andreas Lubitz, deemed accountable - analysis

•  electromagnetic extreme -Earth experienced its most powerful magnetic storm in a decade 

April 2015 total Lunar Eclipse, brief, though widely visible  has the potential to perpetuate themes as outlined above.

Each location in the world has its site specific layout but identical inner contents.

This London chart is quite emphasised related to eclipse effects -will something extreme unfold there in the timeframe till the next lunar eclipse? [September 2015]

Ample drama is on offer with Jupiter in Leo in the birth zone -first house of the chart -and linked to the sun-moon and lunar nodal axes.

The lunar nodes always indicate collectively significant issues or events.

Uranus and Pluto with their primal eruptive combined signature are also tightly linked in.

The mathematics are highly relevant denoted often by a clustering of energies around a particular tight range of degrees.

A domino effect occurs with this lineup, making it a potent mix .

Ultimately the zodiac signs are irrelevant in terms of activation. It is the mathematical degree positions and angles that do the work

Lunar nodes at 10

Jupiter at 12

Sun and Moon at 14

Pluto at 15

Uranus at 16

From 10-16 = 6 degree range so midway is 3 degrees so 13 degrees will trigger the whole lot.

Jupiter is the planet positioned to keep the pressure up even into June - it will be reach 19 degrees by then and so will Uranus.

Also

April 4-5 stands out with Moon in Libra passing through the positions linked to Uranus and Pluto [updates: al qaeda crisis in Yemen;
 April 4 Walter Scott shot dead by Policeman Michael Slager in Charleston US]**
April 5-6 - Pluto and then Uranus link to the Sun- increasing potentials for accidents, destruction, death [ update April 7 power outage Wash DC]*

April 11-12 stands out with Moon in Capricorn triggering various eclipse elements.

April 17-18 stands out as a period when:

Aries aggressive energy elevated being New Moon

Mars links to Jupiter adding fuel, aggravation

Moon in Aries triggers eclipse Aries -Libra factors + Uranus, Pluto

[update: terrorist plot re ANZAC war commem. event foiled in Melbourne Australia as hotspots in Northern continents continue to erupt. See timeline below***]

Personal Effects
Aries-Libra is always about Self and Other - finding the balance between being an individual and being in partnership; being able to be independent vs dependent.
Aries is war energy. Libra is peace energy.
Aries is me, myself I.
Libra is partner focussed.
Think about where you are operating too much and where too little.
Upheavals and terminations in partnerships with lots of drama are inevitable surrounding the energy of this eclipse due to the involvement of Uranus and Pluto
The worse case scenario is not the end of a marriage or relationship and a messy settlement, but a power struggle with violent and fatal consequences.
This is a time for cautious, self protective moves if you see that a situation has to change.

As always -the energy is earthed in particular people and in particular locations. 
Your personal experience is a matter of degrees of separation from the issue[s] being triggered by prevailing energies.
Global resonance occurs however when events occur with mass impact.
Eclipse energies can be retriggered many times within the six month period of potential effect.
It is common to see significant eclipse effects arise before the date of exactitude
eg April 2 2015 
Al-Shabaab kill 147 in attack on Kenyan university  [Garissa University College]
*April 7 Washington DC Power Outage affects White House.
No terrorism link but any widespread outage of this kind is a cause for concern. This event was apparently
"caused by a small explosion and fire at a power substation in southern Maryland, according to local and U.S. officials."[ Uranus [electricity] in Aries [fire] in tight conjunct the Sun at 17 Aries and at right angle to Pluto [explosive energy] on Tues April 7]

**April 4 Black man Walter Scott, shot dead from a volley of 8 bullets discharged by Charleston US Policeman Michael Slager, reignites the racial tension between US Police and the Black community.
This tragedy may be the one to turn the tide against Police due to the killing having been filmed by an onlooker with the implication that the officer in addition to the shooting then attempted to fabricate evidence in his favour. The initial encounter was reported as due to a broken tail light. Officer Slager then claimed a tussle over a taser gun. Video suggests Slager placed the taser next to Scott as he lay dying.
This event is a classic case of abuse of power -the authority of Police, the lethal use of a weapon are central to this case and represent exactly the type of imbalance in human behaviour that has to be corrected for us collectively to move forward. For detailed analysis and astrological insights re this message for our times read related post Inequality and the Misuse of Power

April 8 Midwest & Plains tornadoes place millions at risk

April 12 LA quakes

April  2015 has seen an intensification of ISIS activity in numerous global hotspots as well as developing locations of concern -Australia in particular with flow on potential as far as New Zealand.

April 18 New Moon in Aries
This energy accentuates for at least a lunar month time frame the energies of Aries and Mars
This is easily expressed as anger, aggression, military, terrorist energy on account of Jupiter amplifying the Mars potentials.
High drama is on offer with Jupiter in Leo
The prevailing Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn adds to negative outcomes involving excess and extreme force.
The same energy affects natural conditions -the Earth's state of balance/imbalance, the atmospheric conditions and therefore weather.
The world is watching ANZAC 100 year WWI commemorations held in numerous locations including Gallipoli and UK and Commonwealth nations.
The potential for terrorist opportunistic assaults must be regarded as high at an event with deep significance to the West and its military history.  Already related news has emerged:

***April 18 - news around this period 

ABC report

April 19 news headlines

April 19 report of a boat capsize of 700 people escaping Libya.
The boat sank when in sight of land, excited people rushed to one side of the vessel, causing it to overturn. A dramatic death toll is anticipated.
This event involves significant keywords related to the prevailing forces discussed: imbalance, overturned , terminated- as well as the impact on relationships, partnerships - BBC news report
April 20 Severe weather hits Sydney Australia with lots of rain and wind

 

REPORT

April 20 UK teen held over terror plot
April 20 teen kills teacher with crossbow in Spain. Armed also with a knife, these 2 cutting/piercing weapons are typical preferences of Mars/Aries induced aggression
April 21 report from Australia - extreme storm

 April23-24 Central NZ quake activity returns

April 25 Nepal west of Kathmandu M7.5 quake 
Mass fatalities recorded in early assessment. Eye witness accounts.
This may be the most significant global quake since Japan's Tohoku quake & tsunami 2011
April 26 extreme weather Texas, US -natural forces extreme
April 27 -riots erupted across West Baltimore, US after the latest death in a string involving black men and Police =extreme force, extreme response
April 29 - drug offenders executed in Bali the use of extreme punishment makes this action relevant to the prevailing energies noted for April 2015

further relevant updates will be added