Istanbul and transition from 29º Capricorn to
0º Aquarius
Published: 23 December, 2017 I Author: Smiljana Gavrančić
The largest city
in Turkey and the only city spanning on two continents, Europe and Asia, Istanbul
used to be the capital of three empires: Roman (330-395), Byzantine,
i.e. Eastern Roman Empire (395-1453) and Ottoman (1452-1923).
Istanbul was founded on May 11, 330. It used to be called Constantinople (New Rome or the Second Rome, after the emperor
Constantine the Great) and Carigrad (Tsargrad, “the city of the emperor”). The city has
important strategic position for the development of trade and culture. After
the fall of Western Roman Empire, Istanbul became what is now referred to as
Byzantine. Being the largest city in Europe, Carigrad was center of Hellenic world, so the Greeks called it
simply Polis (“city”). Byzantine
Empire had Greek culture, so it became the center of Orthodox
Christianity after the split from the Roman Church. There were many churches in this
empire, including the largest world’s cathedral Hagia Sophia. Istanbul is
still the seat of the Carigrad patriarch, the spiritual leader of the
Orthodox Church. While Catholic Christianity is related to Jupiter, the Orthodox Christianity is ruled by
Saturn, i.e. the sign of Capricorn.
Since my
research work in the area of mundane astrology includes mapping of Zodiac and
assigning certain degrees within the circle of 360 degrees to certain countries
or cities – the transition from 29º to 0º was immediately indicative, since the
city has its European part and its Asian part and in a way it represents some
type of border between the East and the West.
I mapped the
Turkey at 29º Virgo/0º Libra, which is pretty unstable spot inside the Zodiac,
for it is part of the Grand Cardinal Cross, i.e. degrees we associate with
start of seasons and they are in semi-square (45º) with central degrees of
fixed signs, so-called Avatar degrees (15º Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) –
0º Aries (spring), 0º Cancer (summer), 0º Libra (autumn), 0º Capricorn (winter).
My text “Turkey and 0º Libra” may be found here: Turkey and 0º Libra
2020 and
Grand Conjunction at 0º Aquarius
I have mapped
Istanbul itself at 29º Capricorn/0º Aquarius. This spot within Zodiac is very
powerful one, for soon, on December 21,
2020 there will be a Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn at 0º Aquarius,
announcing the arrival of some new age. Jupiter/Saturn conjunction happens
every 20 years and stays in the same element for 200 years. The change of
element, which will happen on December 21, 2020, is called the Grand Mutation.
This will definitely be the end of the rule of the matter, since the previous
Grand Mutation happened in the earth element on January 26, 1842. Jupiter and
Saturn conjunction then happened in the sign of Capricorn, at 8º, and it was
the beginning of the modern materialism. It is interesting that the axis of the
Turkish Republic 1923 falls on 7º Cancer 47’/7º Capricorn 47’, i.e. very close
to 8º Cancer/8º Capricorn. At the same time, In December 2020, secondary Moon
of Turkey will be at 29º Capricorn, getting ready to touch 0º Aquarius! Since
Ascendant of Turkey is in the sign of Cancer, the Moon (as the ruler of Cancer)
represents the capital of the country, but it also tells the story of the
general situation in the country. Turkey’s Moon is also at 29º, but of the sign
Gemini. There is an aspect of quincunx between 29º Gemini and 29º Capricorn,
requiring internal adjustment to the new situation, which may open for Turkey
in the moment of the Grand Conjunction at 0º Aquarius in December 2020. Why? Because
after 29º Gemini (Ankara, as the capital) there is 0º Cancer, much more
conservative and traditional sign than 0° Aquarius that comes after 29°
Capricorn and that represents Istanbul – will the largest city in Turkey and
the very important spot on the world map maybe want some other future in the
symbolism of 0° Aquarius (freedom, respect of human rights, etc.)? Istanbul is
known for protests, and through the history the 0º Leo/0º Aquarius axis appeared
in moments of civil revolutions, riots, wars. For example, the First World War
started in the symbolism of 0º Aquarius – when
the Serb from Bosnia, Gavrilo Princip, on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo
carried out the famous “Sarajevo assassination” (which was the cause of the
World War I) – his progressive Moon was exactly at 0º Aquarius, while his
progressive Ascendant was at 8º Capricorn (the spot of the last Grand Mutation
in the earth element in 1842 and Desc of the Republic of Turkey 1923). Sarajevo
itself, the capital of the former Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
was mapped at 0º Aquarius. Three nations live in the city: Bosniaks, Serbs and
Croats. Sarajevo is often called the “powder keg”, for the WWI started in this
city. Later, during the civil war in the 90s, we witnessed Sarajevo being
the very vulnerable spot in the Balkans… See my article Sarajevo and 0º Aquarius
Now, the
interesting part is the following: I also mapped Spain at 29º Capricorn/0º Aquarius,
which makes sense for one part of Spain, Catalonia, wants the change,
independence, freedom (0º Aquarius). See my article Spain 29º Capricorn
How have I noticed
the significance of 29º Capricorn/0º Aquarius for Istanbul?
Firstly, I did
progression of the chart of Roman Empire
for May 12, 330, since Istanbul was the capital of that empire. Roman Empire
has its Ascendant in Taurus, and in the moment of Istanbul founding, the
secondary progressive Venus (the ruler of the Roman Empire’s Ascendant) was at
29º Capricorn! That same Venus, the ruler of Ascendant of the Roman Empire (capital
of that empire) was at 0° Aquarius in Solar Arc directions for May 11, 330!
Then, I found Taurus Ascendant in the chart
of Byzantine Empire, which means that Venus here too descries the
capital of the empire as in the previous case. Here, 29° Capricorn is
emphasized through the position of the Sun and MC -- 28 º Capricorn
19’. Even the Moon (people) is represented by 29º, but of Taurus, the spot
occupied by Pleiades (known also as “weeping sisters”), cluster of stars
indicating difficult fate in the chart of the person or state.
Battle of Manzikert (often referred to as the Manzikert Catastrophe) from August
26, 1071 is considered to have been the decisive event that directly caused the
later fall of the Byzantine Empire. Both progressive and Solar Arc axes IC/MC of
Istanbul were across 0º Aquarius/0º Leo! Tertiary Sun of Byzantine (the ruler
of Byzantine Empire) was at 0º Scorpio, in square with the transition from 29º Capricorn
to 0º Aquarius! Solar Arc Jupiter of the Byzantine was at 29º Libra, also in
square with 29º Capricorn! In the chart of Byzantine, Jupiter is in 8th
house (disputes, wars).
In the chart of Istanbul,
the Jupiter (essential signifier of religion) is in 9th house (house
of religion), in conjunction with the Venus and in the sign of Jupiter’s
exaltation, in Cancer, where Jupiter feels great. This is certainly depiction
of significant, large, religious object in Istanbul, the church of Hagia Sophia.
When the construction (ordered by the Emperor Justinian I) of this structure
was finished in 537, Solar Arc Jupiter of Istanbul was at 29º Capricorn! The
last degree of the sign of Capricorn was certainly an indication of the later
change that will come in time, for after 29º Capricorn there is 0º Aquarius – the
father of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, later
made the museum out of Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia was firstly the orthodox
church (only between 1204 – 1261 it was under the rule of Roman Catholic Church),
until the fall of Istanbul under the rule of Ottoman Empire, when it became
imperial mosque – on May 29, 1453 until 1931. It was secularized and opened
as a museum on February 1, 1935 – secondary cusp of the 12th house
in the chart of Istanbul was at 29º Capricorn, and the 12th house in
mundane astrology represents institutions of closed nature, like museums, but
also the places of silence, places of praying… this is the field of
spirituality.
The first
Byzantine Emperor, Justinian I (orthodox theologian), the greatest
codifier of the Roman law, came to power on August 1, 527. At that moment Solar
Arc Fortuna of the Byzantine Empire was at 29º Capricorn! As we know, Fortuna is
very important and very personal point within person’s horoscope, composed of
three parts and always representing the relationship of Sun, Moon and
Ascendant. For that reason, the movement of Fortuna in progressions and Solar
Arc directions indicates very important moments in person’s life (if discussing
personal chart) or at the level of state (in mundane astrology). Fortuna moves
fast, even faster than the Moon, and that is why it is so important!
Antique
underground water tank between Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul –
Basilica Cistern, which supplied water to the center of the Byzantine Carigrad,
was constructed during the reign of Justinian I and had been used for a long
time. It is known for its marble supporting columns. Basilica Cistern was
officially reopened for public on September 9, 1987, after
reconstruction works. Secondary Mercury (the ruler of the Moon – people, from
29º Gemini) of Turkey was at 28º Capricorn 24’, in conjunction with the Sun of
Byzantine at 29º Capricorn! Secondary Venus of the Byzantine (the ruler of Asc in
Taurus in the chart of Byzantine) was at 29º Aries, calling out 29º Capricorn (through
the square). Solar Arc Jupiter of Turkey (the ruler of MC in the chart of
Turkey – reputation of the country, its rulers) was at 29º Capricorn! Solar Arc
Fortuna of the Byzantine was at the same spot as it was when Justinian I came
to power on August 1, 527 – at 29º Capricorn! Solar Arc Ascendant of Istanbul was
at 29º Aries, calling out 29º Capricorn (through the square)!
At the time of
the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn at 0° Aquarius on December 21,
2020, Solar Arc Mercury of Istanbul will be at 29º Capricorn! At the same time,
tertiary Sun of Byzantine will be at 29º Cancer and will be calling out 29º Capricorn,
as the degree across from itself, while Solar Arc Asc/Desc axis of Byzantine
will be across 29º Libra/29º Aries. All that shall activate the Grand Cardinal
Cross across 29º, having the tendency to transform into Grand Fixed Cross
across 0º! This is the sign of the great “opening” in which the Turkey shall be
included. The Grand Cross indicates the release of energy – it is inevitable…
Before this
conjunction at 0º Aquarius, there will be introductory event -- solar eclipse
at 0° Leo on January 21, 2019, that will call out 29º Capricorn/0º Aquarius.
Woman at 2019
elections?
The year 2018
will be interesting for Istanbul, for on January 31, 2018 at 11° Leo there will
be lunar eclipse, and Istanbul has Moon (people of Istanbul) at 11° Leo in its
chart! Since the Moon in the chart of Istanbul is in the 10th house
(city government) and since it represents a woman, this may be related to some
important female figure from the city government. Another eclipse during 2018
will affect city government, for it will happen exactly at the position of
Istanbul’s MC at 20º Cancer – this time it is solar eclipse at 20º Cancer on
July 13, 2018! On January 10, 2020 (in the year of the Grand Mutation) there
will be eclipse at 20º Cancer (MC of Istanbul), but this one will be lunar
eclipse.
But, since
Istanbul does not depict only that city because it is the largest city in the
state, we may reasonably expect to see a woman as a candidate in 2019
elections. For now, there is one woman and her name is Meral Akşener. She
is a great opponent of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and she founded her own party on
October 25, 2017. On one of those days tertiary Moon (woman) crossed the
Ascendant of the Republic of Turkey 1923. I want to emphasize this – on
December 21, 2020 progressive Moon (woman) of Turkey will be at 29º Capricorn, ready
to touch 0º Aquarius!
Constitution
change on 2017 referendum
At the last referendum
in Turkey on April 16, 2017, Solar Arc Mercury and Saturn of
Turkey were exactly at 29º Capricorn! Constitution changes that were won by
this referendum gave great powers to the Turkish president Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. The reform stipulated holding of presidential and representatives
elections at the same time, every five years, so next elections would be held
in November 2019. As I have already mentioned, on January 21, 2019 there will
be an eclipse at 0º Leo that will introduce the Grand Mutation on December 21,
2020 at 0º Aquarius. If Erdogan wins, he is expected to rule maybe until 2029. But,
it remains to be seen if the symbolism of 0º Leo/0º Aquarius axis shall bring
some type of rebellion, revolution in Turkey, or more precisely in Istanbul,
the place of crossing between the East and the West, the place of connection
between the conservative (29º Capricorn) and modern (0º Aquarius).
Let us take a look at the horoscope of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,
for the spirit of this man still strongly lives in the collective unconscious. I would say that it shall remain there
forever, since he was the founder of the modern Turkey. If we do progression of
his chart for October 3, 2005 when Turkey officially started negotiations with
European Union, there is his tertiary Moon (describing events at the level of 2
days) exactly at 0º Leo, activating 0º Aquarius/0º Leo axis, clearly
showing how much freedom spirit and the need to progress into the future (0º Aquarius)
were characteristics of this man. Then, in progressions for May 28, 2013 (when
protests started in the famous Istanbul Taksim square) there is progressive Sun
of Mustafa at 0º Leo, again clearly indicating the presence of
revolutionary spirit at the Istanbul square. The year 2020 will be interesting,
for Mustafa’s progressive MC will come to 7º Capricorn 42', and his
progressive IC at 7º Cancer 42' – this activates natal Asc/Desc axis of
the Republic of Turkey 1923 at 7º Cancer 47' / 7º Capricorn 47', as
well as natal Mars (fight) of Turkey at 7º Libra 24' in 4th
house of Turkey’s horoscope (territory, opposition in the country). To be more
precise, there will be a cardinal T-square with Mars at 7º Libra being the
planet in the center of events. Does Mars in Libra in 4th house
have enough strength for change? Mars in Libra is in exile, and in 4th
house Mars is not strong (according to the rules of modern astrology, this
house belongs to the sign of Cancer, and Mars is in fall in Cancer). I have to
say that I used the book of Marc Penfield, American astrologer as a
source for Mustafa’s horoscope, ant the author stated that the date and time of
Mustafa’s birth were unreliable, but since this horoscope got before me, i.e.
the Universe has put it in my way, I take it as something important that
“speaks” to me and give me conclusions, because for some reason I am supposed
to see this version of Mustafa’s horoscope. On the other hand, www.astro.com offers rectified horoscope of Mustafa,
created by my respectable colleague and famous Turkish and world astrologer R.
Hakan Kırkoğlu, who used
29º Leo as an Ascendant in this chart, but also the completely different
date of birth (January 4, 1881, 20:29, Salonika, Greece). I wish to remind you
that any horoscope “works” for any astrologer, for we astrologers are only
“channels” to share the information…
On
the day of Constitution change referendum in Turkey (April 16, 2017), progressive
Moon of Mustafa was at 28º Sagittarius 36' (very close to 29º Sagittarius),
the same spot as progressive MC of this man, which is a clear sign that Turkey
is sensitive to the Grand Mutable Cross across 29º
Gemini/Virgo/Sagittarius/Pisces.
To change
beliefs – in order to have circumstances changed...
In the end, I
have to repeat why the 29º Cancer/29º Capricorn axis is significant. It is the
axis that represents our Third Eye or more correctly, the transition from 29º Cancer
to 0º Leo is the spot between two lights, the Moon (as the ruler of Cancer) and
the Sun (the ruler of Leo). The Moon and the Sun are our eyes, and the spot
between them, at 29º Cancer is the place of Jupiter chakra, our 6th energy
center, our Third Eye. Here, the intuition is our most powerful weapon. Here,
beliefs are changed in order to have circumstances change. As an example of the
state that “vibrates” at 29° Cancer – I list the Netherlands, the country that
went so “far” and is so advanced… See my article The Netherlands i 29º Cancer
It seems that Istanbul
and Turkey will face a great turning point in 2020, and we will wait and see...
~
Chart sources:
All charts are taken from "Horoscopes of Europe"; Marc Penfield
