THE PACMAN-HATTON BOUT

THE SECOND QUARTER 2009

The period continues the troublous times generated by the internal dysfunctions, and affected by the economic turmoil gripping the world. The question arises: why the almost simultaneous resurgence of cold cases, not only the prevailing government scandals, but also the Ninoy Aquino assassination, the Dacer-Corbito murders, etc. As well, we have the Legacy syndicated estafa case that victimized thousands of small depositors.

Astrology offers explanations for these dire phenomena. The main actor in the mostly economic disaster involving governance is Pluto, the sinister rapine god of Hades. (Rather than engage in concocting the rationale for the current problems, I shall resort to quoting some astrologers who are devoted to the profession.)

Jeffrey Kishner, for one, wrote that “Pluto is no longer a planet, but astrologers continue to treat it like one. In fact, Pluto is one of the most powerful planets in the solar system. It may be small, far away and scientifically demoted, but this little guy packs a big wallop.”

On the other hand, Neil Giles, maintains that “Pluto is remorseless in his search to know where the limits lie and what the inner forces will do. He will persist in this until he knows what can be overcome and what cannot. Such a drive is at the heart of sex, life and death from their highest expressions to their lowest violations. Pluto is a driving force using any means necessary to gain his ends or reveal the truth. Pluto's power will test any resistance, pulverizing or breaking down whatever it encounters into component parts to discover what they are and to release their inner force. With this ruthless investigator at work, there will always be a death of the old, a transformation and a rebirth for Pluto is the god of elimination and regeneration, teaching us that all things that live must die and all things that die will live again…
“Capricorn the Goat rules structures, systems, status, authoritative bodies and those achievements made through career or in the public domain. Capricorn is the authority, as autocrat, bureaucrat, leader or administrator. He offers reward for effort and determines punishment for infringement, laziness, non-participation or rebellion.
“Pluto in Capricorn will test the durability and regenerative resources of leaders and governments across the globe, as well as business and the corporate world. Old or staid structures will collapse or come apart at the seams if they cannot redefine their nature and cope with changing conditions and needs. The renewal or discarding of traditional practices or beliefs will play a part in this for Capricorn draws from inherited wisdom and practice. Those traditions that find new life will serve to guide modern leadership while those that are uprooted or outmoded will pass into oblivion. On the one hand, we will see the renewal of traditional power or thinking that can endure while on the other, we will see its displacement by the forces of the new, as leaders and systems find themselves under the pump. No doubt, Pluto in Capricorn will bring us a new breed of leaders and administrators, noted for determination, practicality and organizational ability. Some of these will offer useful service where others will be ruthlessly ambitious and materialistic.
“So, what can we expect of this new era as it unfolds? When one of the outer planets changes sign, there is a marked generational influence and a shift in the nature of our social experience. In time, we will all be touched by a destiny we cannot escape. As the destiny of Pluto in Capricorn takes hold, we will run the gamut of our control systems, from the humble administrator through to the megalomaniac as governments, organizations and key individuals encounter the testing pressures of Pluto and make their response.”

Again, Jeffrey Kishner, says “This tiny planet can be violently destructive, and its process of tearing down is not always a pretty sight. But keep in mind that Plutonian transformation is always for the better, because that which no longer works is removed, like a toxin from the human body… Pluto in Capricorn signifies the time for real policy change! We won't necessarily see the walls of business as we know it come crumbling down, but there will definitely be a shift in how these companies function. If we think we know a lot about the dark side of corporations, it's possible we've only touched the tip of the iceberg. Pluto will enable investigators to expose the real truth about the corners companies cut to earn money for the people at the top.”

In turn, Molly Hall, writes “Pluto's drama is playing out in the realm of finances, government and the environment. We're seeing desperate, compulsive and obsessive behavior come into the light, as more suffer from a system that's been revealed as unsound. Pluto's probing uncovers distorted thinking, and power being wielded destructively. The truth comes out, and in the financial world, we see a value-system that is poisoned by greed. It's based on a sick psychological foundation, one not in harmony with the cycles of life. Pluto has a way of using extremes to bring a point home. With the bailout, we see the truth made clear -- we have a hopelessly corrupt government, in cahoots with the banking interests.”

We shall continue to experience unmitigated economic difficulties during the period. And for that, the second Quarter will have increased crimes (especially against women and children) and gambling, interparliamentary conflicts, various challenges against authorities, etc. I do not have to write about these cultural dysfunctions; we do not need seers to see these happenings as they are the grists the media feed on to survive. We truly deserve such “punishments” for our sins of forgiving the greed of most of our financial managers and political leaders.

Even so, we can still enjoy the times. During Imperial Rome, the leaders placated their restive subjects with circuses -- the gladiatorial combats in the Coliseum. For this Quarter, we have our own version of the gladiatorial contest: the Pacquiao-Hatton boxing bout in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 2.

For aficionados, the statistics about the fighters are studied, such as their weights, their reach, and the number of wins, etc. On the other hand, astrologers need to know their birth times (not only their birth days) which are never published. In the case of the present fighters, I utilized a “rectification” procedure to determine their times of birth by using their boxing history since 2001. For Pacquiao, he was born at 2:07 p.m. on December 17, 1978 in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Mindanao, while Hatton at 7:50 a.m. on June 10, 1978 in Stockport, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom.

Computing the planetary effects on the fighters, from 7 to 10 p.m., Las Vegas time, on May 2, at 5 minute intervals, I came up with a graph showing the levels of their activities and moods. Pacquiao seems to be very confident during the time period and very active. On the other hand, Hatton appears to have fluctuating sense of confidence and finds it difficult to maintain his actions during the later part of the period. The crucial period appears to be between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. (See the graph above.)

The astrological conclusion: Pacquiao wins.

(Based on Hatton's subsequent planetary transits, he seems to consider retiring from boxing.)

A measure of caution to those who think I am an astrological guru. I do not have any credentials for accuracy. It does not bother me if my prediction is wrong. I am used to that.

2009 New Year in Manila

I entertain the idea that those who know that I dabble in astrology expect me to come up with periodic forecasts of things to come in our lives. Under this self-imposed premise, I try to figure out how to generate data as bases of any forecast I have to make. Thus, I study beginnings.

In astrology, beginnings are supposed to foreshadow things to come. The destiny of a person or entity is supposed to be uncovered from the location and distribution of specific heavenly bodies during a very definite date, time and place.

In the case of the incoming year, when is the Beginning that will present to me the data I need to interpret with the help of notes, books and the internet? Astrologers use the Spring Equinox – when the Sun crosses a specific spot in the heavens – to determine what is to happen to the world, or to a country. But Spring will still be some time in March or April, depending on what method of astrology is practiced. Western astrologers use the Tropical Zodiac, which starts when the sun crosses the ecliptic in its apparent travel from south to north latitude. Eastern astrologers, on the other hand, use the Sidereal Zodiac when the sun conjoins a particular reference point in the skies. I initially wanted to follow the Eastern method and use the sidereal zodiac, but discovered that there are several points preferred by some astrologers, claiming certain advantages in their choices. To name a few, there’s the Fagan-Allen, the Lahiri, the Krishnamurti, the de Luce, and the Synetic Vernal Point of Aries (or SVP). Each of these systems has different methods of computing, resulting in differing patterns of planetary distributions with corresponding plethora of interpretations.

Add to this welter of systems the matter of determining when the beginning of the Year should be taken. In my previous foray into forecasting, I used the Tropical Zodiac and timed the onset of the year 2008 when the Sun conjoined in December 2007 the celestial coordinates of the Galactic Center. As a doomsayer, I wrote about a martial law regime to arise but which did not materialize. I rationalized, however, that even without the declaration of martial law, we now find ourselves in a regime concentrated on supposedly suppressing terrorism or the threat of it. In the process of saturating the horizon with uniformed personnel, both police and military, the embattled government maintains a pressure to suppress any sign of mass action against it. As well, we now have a government almost saturated with retired military and police generals running the executive department.

For this once, I use the horoscope of the midnight of New Year since this is the accepted beginning of the year in our country. (Some think this is also the start of the Chinese Year of the Ox, but this Lunar New Year is still to begin during the annular eclipse on January 26.) Come to think of it, does the day really begin at midnight? The Jews and the Muslims begin the day at sunset, because in Genesis it says “evening and morning, the first day.” Again, there is the matter of determining the time of sunset… but which I will not go into my discussion. I just accept that 2009 started at zero hour of January 1.

What does the New Year horoscope reveal to me? Most of the planets, except Saturn, are below the horizon, indicating a national preoccupation with internal affairs. However, without looking at the horoscope, anybody aware of current events cannot escape concluding that the international financial condition will truly force any country to concentrate on what to do to mitigate or prevent any unhappy development in the economy. So what’s the point of depending on astrology to show us what is to happen? The positioning of the planets, nonetheless, is supposed to show what specifics to expect. (Excuse my extensive use of astrological jargon if only to present to other astrologers the bases of my “forecast”.)

I am particularly intrigued by the clustering of aggressive Mars, unfathomable Pluto and irrational Lilith. My notes say that “Mars governs the military, soldiers and noted military and naval men, as well as signifies, terrorist attacks, industrial disputes, strikes and conflicts.” Pluto, in turn, is “the principle of metamorphosis and regeneration” and all “aspects of life that are carried on in the dark or hidden from public view.” On the other hand, Lilith or the Dark Moon “brings up deep and primal issues like repressed feelings of rejection and rage, refusal to submit.” These symbols are all in the Third House which concerns “all means of disseminating news and information, such as communication networks, internet, telephones, faxes, newspapers, magazines, ephemeral publications and periodicals.” The electronic age we are in makes the dissemination of information (or disinformation) and decisions very rapid.

Also an interesting cluster is the Moon or “the common people, women generally, crowds, and all matters of a common or public nature” flanked on both sides by Venus, symbol of women’s issues and family, as well as music and the arts, and by Neptune “linked with mobs, secret plots, sedition, fraud and swindling, all illicit undertakings, bogus companies, loss and vice.” All are in the Fifth House of “theatres, public houses, all places of amusement, entertainment and pleasure, of children, sexual concerns, and of sports, speculation, gambling”. The Moon’s presence here is indicative of a serious focus of public attention.

There is, as well, the positioning of Uranus, which “rules separation, scientific breakthroughs and discoveries, explosions, and anarchy” and “has a general influence over rioting and outbreaks of political tension” in the Sixth House of, among others, “public health or sickness; the national services: army, navy and Civil Service as servants of the country; workers and employees generally.” This is opposite (or balanced) to Saturn (the minor state executives and law enforcement authorities; civil service employees; land owners and mine operators; and elderly persons) in the Twelfth House (prisons, reformatories, criminals, spies, secret enemies of the country at home or abroad, and possibly secret societies and occult religions).

The placements of the planets in the Third, Sixth and Twelfth Houses bring to my mind the Guinea situation in Africa which columnist Amando Doronila recently discussed in the January 2 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

As a doomsayer, I am omitting any discussion about the Fourth House where Jupiter (religion and the judicial world) conjunct Mercury (communication, telecommunications, trade and commerce) are placed in the horoscope. Their presence gives a bright tone to the national situation, and may give us hope that the grim international economic situation will not touch us severely. On the other hand, also located in this House is the Sun, symbolizing the head of state and all persons of authority and distinction. It is in hostile relation to the Moon and Venus (see their meanings above).

Bringing all the above factors is the crux of the general situation for the country in 2009. Before daring to come up with a dire scenario, I shall indulge in a parable that is based on a recent event that happened in a golf course.

A powerful mayor, son of a cabinet member recently designated as a peace negotiator, was affronted when a 56-year-old commoner brought up his violation of a simple provision in the golf constitution. Insulted by not being recognized as a prominent politician, the mayor mauled the whistle-blower in broad daylight in a golf course where his father also was playing. When the old man’s son and daughter tried to break up the mauling, the mayor’s armed bodyguards joined the melee and the son also got beaten even as he knelt and pleaded mercy. The peace-negotiator-father did not lift a finger to stop his son, the mayor. (Later, he apologized, but not to the aggrieved party, and laid the blame for starting the incident on the victim.) The daughter tried to get witnesses to the mauling – the security guards of the golf course, and the receptionist – but all seemed to see the wisdom of the three-wise-monkey maxim. They feared repercussions from the powerful political family from Muslim Mindanao if they, in turn, become whistle-blowers. They saw nothing, heard nothing and will not speak about anything. We do not yet know how this incident will end. Perhaps, the mayor will merely receive a slight reprimand for his abuse of power. On the other hand, the old man will be thrown out of the golf club for bringing that elite social group into uneasy prominence, especially among bloggers in the world-wide internet.

By the way, the three wise monkeys in Japanese are Mizaru, eyes covered who sees no evil; Kikazaru, ears covered who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, mouth covered who speaks no evil. Today the three monkeys perversely "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" by not wanting to be involved in a situation, or being blind to the immorality of an act in which they are involved. I venture to comment that this must be the maxim of the Supreme Court in its precedent-setting decision on the executive privilege of the president in any investigation conducted by the Senate. As well, whistle-blowers most often get punished instead because they violate the maxim by bringing out in public any evil they see or hear or speak of.

And the dela Paz (of the Peace) parable is a fit background for what is about to come.

I forecast something that will not come to pass: the people become tired of the sorry governance they apparently deserve, but are apathetic to act against due to the predominant influence exercised by the executive over the self-seeking lawmakers and the timid judiciary. The clamor for justice is deadened by the sound of clinking money, especially since the 2010 election fever starts to build up and extensive vote-buying occurs. Nonetheless, the discontent in the armed services boils over and a Guinea-like situation comes up triggered by the insistent effort of the people’s “representatives” to stretch and remove limits to their tenures.

My scenario does not happen. The top military hierarchy is too engrossed in preserving their pecuniary gains and does not dare change the status quo. If ever, an Army officer, holding a rank lower than that held by Senator Trillanes, will surface to “save” the nation. But as Doronila sadly ends his January 2 column, military regimes do not turn out less corrupt than those they replace.

Let us be happy in our ill-fated destiny. We deserve it.