Israel, Iran and the big Taurus convergence
This weekend is the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus, a fixed point in fate, its like not seen since 1941. I explain how this crossroads will play out in the personal (NYLON) and cultural (The David Odyssey Show). But here on Substack, I want to delve into astro-politics, namely into the ongoing showdown between Israel and Iran. To be clear: I have no clue as to what the future may hold in the months to come. This is just an exploration of synchronicities, using signs and planets to make sense of circumstances.
Before the founding of the Islamic Republic, Iran fell under the constellation Taurus, the sign of beauty and fertility. With the revolution in 1979, Iran became an Aries, the sign of war and creation. The Ayatollah Khamenei is an Aries.
Since they marked their doors with ram’s blood during the Ten Plagues, the Israelites have been the people of Aries. But the state of Israel (and the Naqba) came to be in Taurus season. These two signs set the stage: April 8’s total solar eclipse went down in Aries, and this weekend’s historic planetary convergence strikes Taurus.
Aries is the sign of the protagonist, and Taurus the idol. There is a sense of immortality which girds both countries, a fanatical and often-dangerous fixation with destiny, a sense that this place is special. Aries’ drive for for renewal, revolution and new life has made life in these countries violently unpredictable, but no one can accuse Israel or Iran of being faded lands, of having faded away. Whether they’ve chosen a new life elsewhere or are sticking it out past the point of no return, Iranians love Iran and Israelis love Israel. These are not places you can forget.
That protagonism has gone toxic with the Aries-Libra eclipses (Netanyahu, a Libra, has certainly embodied the sign’s dark side), leading to a dangerous penchant for revenge and grandstanding, a warped victimhood which can be used to write off the most horrific, even genocidal, acts of so-called defense.
And then there’s Taurus’s bull-headedness, marked by two heads of state who have been in office for far too long, refusing to adapt to the changing desires of their people. The Settlers in Israel are a Taurean nightmare, an entitled fringe seeking to assert itself by stepping on other people’s land. Iran’s religious rulership has turned a land of beauty and poetry into one of control and cruelty.
The current showdown between states bears too much resemblance to the events of 1941. Aries and Taurus are the signs of the spring, of the raw resurgence of life. For a new cycle of creation to come, it must often be born through destruction.
And yet. That may offer us optimism. The Aries eclipse cycle has awakened a new revolutionary fire in both lands: Iranian women have been protesting hijab laws for two years now, risking torture and even death. And since Netanyahu returned to power via a coalition with Israel’s far-right in early 2023, unprecedented percentages of the country have hit the streets every week to call for democracy, not missing a march, even under rocket fire.
Taurus is the sign of the body, and of self-ownership. These are countries of hot summers, long eyelashes, full lips, rich food, ecstatic music. The currents of life are ever-present and undeniable.
In late December, Iranians of all ages took to dancing, a rapture which threatens the iron rule of the master. A new cultural identity is forming. For Jews and Israelis, who have been rocked to the core after the massacre, mass bombing, kidnapping without ransom and rape perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, we are also reckoning with a new sense of selfhood. Who are we, as Jews in the world? Of course, for me, the only answer has been to hit the dancefloor. Whatever comes next, we won’t be waiting around composing tweets. We’ll be too busy fucking.
Come late May, Uranus will hit Israel’s sun, for the first time in the nation’s history, a make-or-break moment of liberation — or annihilation (I hope it’s the former). Uranus is the planet of change and youth culture. Upheaval can lead to progress. Next April, Saturn hits Iran’s Mars — spelling out a clash between the ruling guard and the young rebels. I just had this same transit, and after feeling more crushed than ever , something swam back to the shore alive. I no longer believe in the old limitations.
Both countries sprung from those vital life forces, so powerful since the days of gods, prophets and poets. These can resurge. But it may take a lightning bolt (or two or three) to shift the tectonic plates, to force the old authority out of their tower, to open a new way.
Ever,
David Odyssey
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UPDATES:
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Check out my interview on the Curious Ones podcast, in which we really dig into the Saturn Return saga.
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OK, that’s enough for now.
All my love,
prayers for lightning <3