This Part 3 of the Santa Fe 2017 Predictions Seminar focuses on the three most influential countries in the Middle East: Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.
Iran
Iran gets Pluto Square Pluto this spring of 2017 (March - June), and it will be sharp. Iran's natal Pluto is in the 7th House of "treaties with other nations, courts of law." With Pluto transiting the 10th House of "reputation, the ruling party, the President," it is very probable that 2017 may see a transformation crisis involving treaties with other nations or a crisis between Iranian citizens and the government. Other possibilities include a reputation or political crisis involving the president or prime minister of Iran, along with the courts of law of Iran. Changes may take place in these described areas in 2017 for Iran, and there may also be internal conflict within the ruling party in the course of such needed changes (due to Pluto transiting the 10th House, which rules "the ruling party").
Neptune transits the 12th House throughout 2017. Iran may have important issues with 12th House "secret enemies, enemies of the ruling party" in 2017 due to a Neptune Opposition Saturn transit that takes place in February and October of 2017. This may either represent new government worker measures (Saturn in the 6th house) aimed at cracking down for prevention of security breeches, issues with political opponents, or possible arrests made involving spying. Budget cuts involving health care (since Neptune transiting in the 12th House can represent hospitals) is another possibility with Neptune Opposition Saturn.
A very important astrology picture is forming in 2017 with Iran's horoscope that involves transits of Uranus and Saturn with Iran's natal Sun and Mercury placements in the 11th House. Mercury rules "communications, the media, roads, postal services" and the Sun rules "personality, health, national identity of a country." The 11th house represents "neighbors, international allies, and local governments."
Transiting Uranus is in Iran's 1st House of "the general environment" throughout 2017 and will form a hard sextile with the natal Sun (and Mercury) placement from February through April of 2017. This may represent something important concerning an expansion of sharing technology or communications with other allies, neighbors, and/or friends. This is especially true involving nuclear technology or computer technology (since Uranus rules both of these). With Mercury ruling communications, a general population communications expansion with others (i.e. internet) is also a possibility with this transit.
Transiting Saturn is in the 9th House of "foreign relationships, international views, religion, philosophy, and higher education." Saturn will also form a sextile to Iran's natal Sun/Mercury position from January to February of 2017, and a very hard sextile to the natal Sun from July through September of 2017. As is similar to the case with Uranus Sextile Sun/Mercury, it is probable that Iran's neighbors, allies, friends, and local governments may be involved with important government involvement that concerns opportunities for "building roads with others."
The one problem with Saturn in the 9th House may concern Saturn's government restriction tendencies. Hence, this may define the opposite effect: government restrictions concerning communications or shared technology among neighbors, friends, allies, or local governments. Saturn in the 9th House can also represent travel restrictions for foreigners wanting to enter the country.
Jupiter may provide some relief to the Pluto Square Pluto transit described earlier. Jupiter transits the 7th House throughout 2017, and Jupiter Conjunction Pluto takes place in March and August of 2017. This may help smooth out some potential disruptions with what appears to be an intense transformational crisis for Iran in 2017.
Jupiter Trine Sun takes place in March and August and Jupiter Trine Mars take place in April and July. This may be favorable times for involvement with treaties or implementation of important laws via the court system.
Finally, Iran gets Jupiter Square Jupiter and Jupiter Sextile Venus from November to December of 2017. This could be a time-frame whereby 2017 closes out with potential success involving speculation in certain areas (possibly financial) along with improvement in certain relationships.
Israel
Israel has Pluto transiting the 3rd House of "communications, the media, postal service, and roads." There are no significant transits of Pluto in 2017 for Israel. However, Pluto in the 3rd House can sometimes represent a transformation crisis or crisis with others in 3rd House areas. This is especially true involving Israel's media and communication products (i.e. Intel) which have had decreased demands over the past year in international markets. This may continue in 2017, unless Israel's market place initiates measures designed to improve trust and customer satisfaction with these products related to the 3rd House.
Transiting Neptune is in Israel's 5th House of speculation throughout 2017. Neptune forms a square with Israel's natal Mercury in the 8th House in January to February of 2017. This represents "disappointing news" in 8th House areas, and these areas include "banking, insurance, espionage, and activities of the elite." Israel financial revenues rely much on tourism due to it's history with important events related to the beginning of the Age of Pisces, and with Neptune transiting the 5th House (and in its ruling sign of Pisces), this may define bad financial news regarding the outlook for tourism (along with banking and possibly real estate).
Uranus is transiting Israel's 6th House throughout 2017. The big event to watch for with Uranus is the double trine of transiting Uranus to the natal Mars position in the 10th House and the natal Jupiter position in the 2nd House. This will take place from June through September of 2017, and this may represent "military victory, expansion in government services, new and improved technology, and surprises involving military services and personnel."
Saturn transits Israel's 2nd House throughout 2017. Saturn rules "restrictions, often via government actions." The 2nd house rules "general banking and financial conditions for the general masses (as opposed to the elite)," and this may indicate banking issues and financial problems that concern the general population (as opposed to the elite). This problem will be especially pronounced between March and May of 2017 with Saturn forming a strong conjunction with Israel's natal Jupiter in the 2nd House, but note that this Saturn Conjunction Jupiter transit may also indicate "government crackdowns on religious and philosophy areas" (i.e. terrorism, violent religious practices).
Jupiter transits Israel's 12th House throughout 2017, except for October (with a transit of Jupiter out of the 12th House and into Israel's 1st House). Jupiter's sextile transit to natal Saturn in the 10th House takes place in April and July of 2017, and this may indicate opportunities for Israel to work with and find success with areas related to 12th House "secret enemies, enemies of the ruling party, terrorists" (either for good or bad, and nothing in between).
Jupiter forms squares to the 10th House lineup of Moon, Pluto, Saturn, and Mars from November through December of 2017. This should represent some sort of "improvements" or a c"leaning of house" involving the ruling party, voters, and general reputation of the government. The final four months of 2017 look promising for success in the Israel 10th House areas mentioned.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia will have both Saturn and Pluto transiting its 2nd House throughout 2017. This indicates that money and general banking conditions will be very important for Saudi Arabia throughout 2017, especially concerning the general population (as opposed to the elite).
The government of Saudi Arabia took out a loan for $10 billion for the first time ever in 2016, and thus the concept of usury is new to them. It is for this reason that I suspect that Saudi Arabia may have problems in 2017 working with this new style of finance, especially with oil at historical low prices and a Federal Reserve who may be raising interest rates substantially in 2017.
Transiting Neptune is in the 4th House, and will be forming a semisquare to natal Saturn in the 3rd House during April and August of 2017. This looks like mild tension in communities and neighborhoods of Saudi Arabia that may be related to negative and restrictive government communications that concern communities and neighborhoods (and especially those that do not involve the elite), or possible government censorship of certain activities that concern such communities and neighborhoods.
Uranus makes its final conjunction with natal Uranus in the 5th House in February 2017, and this looks like some sort of resolution either with terrorist groups or financial speculation. Uranus will then go on to form a square with natal Pluto in the 9th House in March, and this looks like "shocking transformation" involving 9th House matters (which include "relationships with foreigners, international travel, foreign people, religion, philosophy, and higher education").
Jupiter stays in the 11th House of "allies, friends, neighbors, local governments" until September of 2017 (which is when it enters the 12th House and stays there for the rest of 2017). Jupiter forms a hard opposition with natal Uranus in the 5th House from January to February of 2017. I suspect this may be related to improvement in financial speculation (especially if Wall Street is doing financially well as this time, since Saudi Arabia has significant investments in U.S. stocks). There is also a possibility that it may indicate some success with certain allies involved in terrorist activities that Saudi Arabia sponsors (i.e. ISIS). The problem with this terrorist success scenario is that Syria is reportedly getting much in terms of military aid and military assistance from Russia and has been successful with keeping ISIS away from important Syria areas. I suspect that this Jupiter Opposition Uranus transit is an improvement in the Saudi financial picture due to resolution in terrorism matters, and not funding of certain terrorist activities. Again, I suspect that ISIS may become a "hot potato" for Saudi Arabia to deal with in 2017,and holding on to ISIS (and similar terrorist groups) may hurt Saudi Arabia in 2017 in terms of financial growth and financial improvement that it may need since a Trump administration will not back them in a similar manner as an Obama administration would.
Thanks for reading.
Love to all,
Malcolm
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