Though I intuited difficulties and saw rough waters in the Fall stars, the horrors of September 11 and the aftermath are simply out of my reality frame. I am still dazed by sadness of atrocity. Here are some preliminary astrological insights around the World Trade Center attack and the period ahead.

Summer began in rare fashion with a Total Solar Eclipse right at the powerful cardinal zodiacal point of the Solstice -- Zero degrees Cancer. Eclipses are a darkening of the light, and sometimes are a harbinger of dark events ahead. Most of the Summer was underscored by a most challenging aspect of the opposition of Saturn in Gemini to Pluto in Sagittarius, representing a radical transformation of structure. God of War, Mars, spent an uncanny 7 months cooking in Sagittarius, much of it conjoined with Pluto and also opposite Saturn, before moving into crafty Capricorn on September 8. Mars crossed an opposition to the Eclipse point and the Moon and was in close orb to the midpoint of the Karmic Nodal axis at the time of the horror. This marked an activation and manifestation of all the Pluto/Saturn tension building up.

According to Interpol, Osama Bin Laden was born in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia on March 10, 1957, time unknown (See chart in the "Chart Gallery"). With the Sun and a Mercury/Venus conjunction in Pisces squaring his natal Saturn in his natural twelvth house -- he has the disposition of a self-sacrificing martyr and extreme zealot, capable of living in the harsh environments of the Afghan desert. Born into a huge family with 52 brothers and a billionaire father, material abundance is marked by his of Mars in Taurus trine Jupiter. In this circumstance, what jumps out of Bin Laden’s chart is his elevated Saturn right at 14 degrees of Sagittarius — the precise axis of the Pluto/Saturn opposition.

Pakistan was founded on August 15, 1947. What is most noteworthy in the Pakistan chart is the position of Mars at Zero Cancer --the precise Summer Solstice and Eclipse Degree. This is an indication that this country bordering Afghanistan, will be in the center of the cyclone.

President Bush has declared war on global terrorism, dubbing it the first war of the 21^st Century. With Jupiter applying toward a conjunction with his Sun, he is and will continue to get widespread support. Already he has received support from around the world as he builds a global alliance against terrorist organizations, as well as any country’s that allow them to operate. The controversial military government which Bush installed has suddenly been transformed by this abominable attack into a perfect and popular cast to combat the current enemy. With Aries at his Midheaven, this militancy will define his entire presidency.

Pluto and Saturn are still in orb, so the energy of frustration and radical transformation will continue to fill the fall air. The Fall Equinox falls on September 22^nd at 4:05 (Pacific Time), marking the activation of a new cycle. Mercury goes retrograde on October 1^st to October 22^nd,. Saturn turns retrograde on September 26^th and applies toward a direct opposition with Pluto on November 2^nd. The zodiacal screws are being tightened, and in this current climate I think we’re looking at a long and protracted war and a diminution of our civil liberties.

Russia found their ten-year war with Afghanistan impossible, especially with the Afghan’s getting US support, including our hand-held Stinger missles. And let us not forget that the US also supported Saddam Hussein and Iraq for 8 years in their war with Iran, before also becoming our enemy. I think the US is about to embark on another un-winnable war, however noble the goal of rooting out global terrorism may be. The weapons of terrorism risk consequences which are all within the realm of UR — unacceptable reality…..be they biological, chemical, radiological attacks, or more terrorist horror. Shortly, I will post more insights on what is ahead. For now, all I can say is…………let us PRAY.

Ken Kalb is an author, publisher, and astrologer with over 800 published articles and 4 books. He is the director of Lucky Star Astrological Services. In the last 6 years, he has been the vortex of the global LightShift 2000 peace initiative, bringing millions of people together in Spirit for quantum global meditations to raise planetary consciousness. The August 11, 1999 Total Solar Eclipse, 1/1/2000, May 3-28 World Illumination Days, and 1/1/2001 Millennium meditations are considered the largest spiritual convergences in history. The LightShift 2000 website is www.lightshift.com and Lucky Star is www.luckystarz.com . Email dolfunman@aol.com

If you would like to publish, post, or reprint this article, simply email an acknowlegement to dolfunman@aol.com.