NY Philharmonic and North Korea

I have been captured by this visit to N. Korea and checked out some of the astrology. The trip was planned over a year ago, when “relations” were a bit warmer than they are now, but it appears that the experience was a great success (see below, text and photo compliments of today’s New York Times).

The chart for North Korea, formally known as the DPRK is based on a US state department website. I have chosen a time that puts Mars in the first house.

The first thing you notice is the mars on the south node, in scorpio. this is a signature of tremendous suspicion, violence, power struggles and militance. and it squares venus in leo, suggesting that the country takes all these threats very personally and with high drama. but the history of Korea (a unified state for centuries before Japan occupied it in WWII and the US and Russia divided it) is one of great creative expression and sophistication, which is echoed in the neptune/mercury conjunction in libra as well as the saturn in leo in the 10^th. some clues about the current situation in North Korea can be found in the chart of Kim Jong Il who is given two birthdates and two birth locations in wikipedia. Surprisingly, (or not) both show a taurus stellium (saturn/uranus with either jupiter or mars making the 3^rd member) which explains the incredible paranoia about security. mars aspects the nodes in both charts.

On feb 26, the NY Philharmonic visited:

It was the first time an American cultural organization had appeared here, and the largest contingent of United States citizens to appear since the Korean War. The trip has been suffused with political importance since North Korea’s invitation came to light last year. It was seen by some as an opening for warmer relations with the United States, which North Korea has long reviled.

The concert brought a “whole new dimension from what we expected,” Mr. Maazel told reporters afterward. “We just went out and did our thing, and we began to feel this warmth coming back.”

mercury, venus and neptune are currently in aquarius, the ‘collective creativity’ sign, and the sun and uranus are in pisces, the ‘we’re all in this together’ sign. pluto has moved into capricorn, opposing DPRK’s natal uranus in cancer exactly. this will continue for quite a while… I like to think it signifies DPRK’s need to join the global family and transform its rigidity into a more mature form of strength. uranus has just transited into a tight orb of opposition to DPRK’s virgo sun, highlighting the need for a more enlightened and tolerant management. For me, however, the most interesting aspect is the nodes on DPRK’s natal saturn at 28° leo . the aquarius/leo nodal axis is about integrating mind and heart through recognition of one’s own as well as others' creativity. my creativity is not the only contribution to the cosmos; yours is needed as well for evolution of our souls. standing apart and merely criticizing others is a self limiting use of energy. life requires participation, exchange, learning from others’ achievements, and the desire to leave something behind once we’re gone. this concert seems to have been one of those exceptional moments when, through heart-felt emotion, progress was made.