‘The Skating Minister’ Henry Raeburn c1790 {{PD}}

Here’s a little something I wrote a couple weeks ago (in ECLIPSE) speculating on how the Sochi Olympic games might pan out; considering the reports that are coming out of there this evening, I think it’s time to share.

As far as I can figure out, the games themselves actually begin on the 6th, with the very first events scheduled for 10 AM local time (Men’s Slopestyle Snowboarding and Women’s Freestyle Moguls, in case you’re wondering), and with the opening ceremonies scheduled for Friday evening, the 7th, probably for the convenience of much of the broadcast audience. I think using the advent of the first contest, rather than the opening ceremonies, makes good sense—recall the death of the luger at the Vancouver games in 2010, which occurred before the opening ceremony, suggesting that significant things can indeed happen prior to the ‘official’ beginning of the games. So we’ll look at this point in time, the beginning of the contests, against the inception chart for the modern version of the Olympic Games.

The first modern games were held beginning 6 April 1896, but the structure and international, committee-style governing body was created 23 June 1894 in Paris; we don’t have a time, but a noon chart seems to suit the proceedings, with the Sun and Zeus (ambition and desire) conjunct in Cancer (suggesting the ‘waxing and waning’ nature of the original, 4-years-between-games schedule) in the 10th, making for high public visibility and establishing these as games that carry status (there had been others in various places at various times post the ancient Greek games, but none had the international scope or prestige the original version of the current games almost immediately took on). We also note Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto conjunct in the 9th in Gemini=sports, glamor, and power communicated on an international level—and countries have been taking the Olympics very seriously since this inception, seeing wins as reflecting the nations themselves. Venus sits in the 8th in Taurus, trine Ceres and Vesta, suggesting the extent to which reverence for the Olympics has turned the games into cash machines for entire nations, never more so than in the past twenty years, when related production, infrastructure improvements, merchandising, and endorsements for athletes have skyrocketed, and the quest for new sports to award medals for goes on and on, sometimes to a ridiculous extent (BMX Cycling, Table Tennis, Curling—anyone?) And Saturn trines Jupiter, setting in stone, so to speak, the games for some time—and though there have been boycotts, delays, and a few cancellations, they always come back stronger than ever.

When we put the start of the upcoming winter games in Sochi in comparison to the Olympic inception chart, we see a Taurus Moon for the current events—there may be lots of reporting about accommodations and conditions for the athletes, food and comforts available to them—and this Moon opposes the original Uranus, with UR ruling the 5th and the Moon the 10th=sudden events, risky and surprising, that affect the status of the games as well as the nature of the ‘business’. Pluto (ruler of the original 2nd) of the current games sextiles the founding chart’s Uranus and quincunxes the original Neptune, ruler of the 6th=there are going to be some destructive surprises surrounding money, in the events themselves, and the sense of obligation for the host country. Current chart’s Jupiter forms a perfect Grand Trine in Water with current Chiron and founding Uranus=the public and/ or the athletes, injury, and those surprise elements again, creating an emotional maelstrom. And the current Saturn opposes the founding chart’s Venus, suppressing the one thing that has driven the games to ever bigger, but not necessarily better, displays and commercialism: money. Overall the impression is one of minor or major disasters of a stripe that cause chaos and suppression or denial of revenue—but does that equal terrorist activity?

When we look at the more disruptive influences, we see some activity (Pluto to some founding placements and opposed current Jupiter, aspects to current Chiron) that suggest destruction, particularly explosions or other surprising events, and injury to the public or to revenues (current Pluto in fact falls at the midpoint of founding Uranus and current Chiron). These same contacts, though, could imply minor disasters or unexpected events that are blown all out of proportion, and certainly, any kind of protests, for example those that may surround the participation of gay athletes (by the athletes themselves or other groups) could have a rage factor that can read in the chart as dangerous. But, with the games experiencing a Pallas return, the biggest impact may actually be from having to face what the committee has created in the present form of the Olympics; the wisdom or lack of it in current arrangements may be abundantly clear at this time. The chart interaction also suggests that the results may resonate most strongly in the economic area, and in a loss of sponsor and nation support (Saturn opp Venus, the latter ruler of 1st and 8th, the former ruler of the 4th of foundations). Current Vesta in a Grand Trine with founding Moon and Mercury say that the genuine beliefs and values of all the participants will be front and center, that emotional perspectives may prevail, and that all of it will be communicating exactly how everyone feels. Perhaps it will mirror the kind of terror that comes when we face ourselves, and the world we’ve created, whether the effects were intended or not.

Go here and scroll down to see the charts–and the new ECLIPSE is out! Have a great weekend!