Wednesday, June 26, 2013

SNOWDEN AND SNOOPING AT THE NSA

On June 5, 2013, information about a top-secret government data collection program was leaked by a 29-year-old NSA contractor and published by the Washington Post and The Guardian. Edward Snowden is currently on the lam after fleeing to Hong Kong and then Russia in attempt to evade the long arm of U.S. justice, which considers him a traitor and a danger to national security.
            Snowden is a whistle-blower and his act of civil disobedience was designed to expose a clandestine program that deserves public debate. “This is what is happening,” Snowden said. “You (American people) should decide whether we need to be doing this.” It’s a valid point.   
            The astrology of this story is fascinating. Eric Francis obtained a copy of Snowden’s birth certificate and the natal chart is shown below (Chart 1). If we focus on the nodes, they clearly describe the motive, circumstance, and timing of the leak. Natally, Snowden’s North Node is in Gemini conjunct Mars (within 1°) and the Sun (widely at 4°). Although the two bodies reside in the 1st house and are therefore able to act, they are far from the cusp, which decreases this capability. However, since the North Node behaves—actually is—an angle, the energy of both Mars and Sun is easily expressed outwardly and he is able to act with willful purpose. Snowden sees himself (Sun) as a fighter (Mars) and his weapon is information (Gemini). The ruler of the North Node is Mercury, conjunct the Ascendant and ruling the chart. This is a doubly powerful Mercury, strong in its own sign, and contributing intelligence and a propensity to gather information. Despite a lack of formal education, Snowden was a well-paid computer expert who dealt with data.
Chart 1 (click to enlarge)

            The South Node is in the 7th house in Sagittarius conjunct Neptune, and Snowden martyred himself, sacrificing his life by leaking what he viewed as a necessary truth. Jupiter, the South Node ruler, brought both loss and service. In  the 6th, conjunct Uranus, and ruling the 7th, through his daily work with software, he accessed (unspecified) data, which he leaked in the interest of a higher good,  and in so doing,  invited open enemies into his life.  
            Snowden is of the generation with Saturn conjunct Pluto in Libra, sextile Neptune in Sagittarius, which reflects his utopian vision of an accountable, transparent government that has an open relationship (Libra) with the truth (Sagittarius). He is both willing to fight for this (Sun, Mars trine Saturn-Pluto) and sacrifice himself for it (Neptune sextile Saturn-Pluto).  
            The timing of the leak (Chart 2) is related to the Lunar Eclipse on May 25, 2013 at 3°58 conjunct natal Jupiter (the South Node ruler). The time came to release his secret knowledge to the world  On the day of the leak (June 5, 2013), a grand cross had formed, with transiting Mars opposite the eclipse degree at 3°43, transiting Neptune square the eclipse degree at 5°22, and progressed Venus square it at 6°19. Mars activated the eclipse, and information was leaked that compromised Snowden’s happiness and left him in limbo (Neptune), ultimately without a country to call home; he is in a tight place, backed against a corner, with limited options. Transiting Jupiter (carrying the energy of natal South Node ruler) was conjunct natal Mars and the North Node, an indication that Snowden’s act was conducted for what he believed would be the greater good. The transiting North Node was conjunct the natal Moon in Scorpio, further describing the release of secret information (Moon ruling the 3rd), as well as Snowden’s fear for his life. With natal Venus at the South Bending of the transiting nodes, his level of personal happiness was at an all-time low.
Chart 2


            The government’s response is also shown in the astrology (Chart 3). Snowden’s Mars is conjunct the U.S. Mars, activating the natal U.S. Mars square Neptune; and the government, helped by the media, has painted a bleak and likely disingenuous picture of the hacker, who has reputedly put the country in sudden peril. With Snowden’s Mars landing in the U.S. 7th house, he has become a formidable enemy. For at least the moment, Snowden’s goal to initiate a conversation has been over-shadowed by a grand chase across the globe, with the U.S. government lobbing threats and warning of dire consequences to any country willing to provide him a safe haven. But with Pluto coming to oppose the Sibly Sun (the President in a mundane chart) and forming a grand cross with natal Saturn and transiting Uranus, like Snowden, the President, who ran for office on a promise of transparency, will find himself backed into a corner and trying to defend top-secret programs, while explaining, once again, why telling the truth is an imprisonable offense, and why undisclosed mass surveillance in a so-called free world is both constitutional and legal.
Chart 3