One Night In Cologne
In the early hours of 2016, more than a 100 women were sexually assaulted by roaming gangs of men in the streets of the German city of Cologne. At least one was raped. At least 1000 men are said to have been involved in the organised attacks.
It took five days for the media to catch up with the story.
Cologne is a 2000-year old town on the banks of the River Rhine. It was smashed to pieces in World War 2 and as it rose from the rubble again, lovingly rebuilt in its own image, it became symbolic of the new, peaceful Europe, a place where old rivalries could be finally buried.
The fireworks by the Rhine on New Year’s Eve are, apparently, rather good. People come in from all over the surrounding area to see them.
This year as usual young people took the train into town, but when they got off they found they had to walk through a crowd of men, described as “North African” looking, or maybe “Arab”. Women were groped, mauled, bruised, pushed to the ground, had their clothes ripped and their possessions stolen.
From The Guardian.
“One of the victims, identified only as Katja L, told the Kölner Express:
“When we came out of the station, we were very surprised by the group we met, which was made up only of foreign men…We walked through the group of men, there was a tunnel through them, we walked through…I was groped everywhere. It was a nightmare. Although we shouted and hit them, they men didn’t stop. I was horrified and I think I was touched around 100 times over the 200 metres.”
One investigator told the Kölner Express: “The female victims were so badly pushed about, they had heavy bruises on their breasts and behinds.”
This assault on the women of Cologne is an assault on freedom. A core theme of the women’s movement is “taking back the night”, making the streets safe for women.
In parts of the world, women are not free to walk down the street at all, and in much of the world, the risk of going out at night, even chaperoned, is death. Remember the rape and murder of Jyoti Singh in Delhi two years ago. Even if you’re not going to be murdered, you risk molestation. For example, according to the UN, 99.3% of women in Egypt have been sexually harassed. If you’ve ever walked down the street in Cairo, you’ll wonder about the .7%.
But in Europe, it’s normal to feel safe. That’s not to say it’s always safe, but most of the time, it is. What happened on New Year’s Eve broke that. It was a reminder of a different kind of world, a place where we might live if history had worked out differently, a world where public spaces are not safe for women.
In Europe and the West, public space used to equal male space. That’s changed over the last 100 years. And the other side to that is that men have been allowed into the kitchen and the nursery. We don’t have perfect equality between the sexes, but we are stumbling there. And this sharing of public and private space is essential to our evolving collective identity.
To write in sociologese for a moment, the gendering of space has been transformed in the West over the last century, but in much of the world public space is still male, while private space is female.
Think of the signs around the zodiac. Aries, the first one is I or me; then as we move around, the signs become more and more collective in nature, until we reach Pisces, the collective unconscious, the mystery. But before we get to Pisces, we have Capricorn, the collective earth sign, the sign that rules the topmost house in the “natural” chart. This is the sign of public life, government, indeed you could say, for Victorians, for example, the “masculine world” or public spaces. This as opposed to the Cancerian world of hearth and home, the “angel in the house”, another Victorian concept. But you can translate these ideas to say, the harem and the salamlek in traditional Ottoman houses, or today, in, say Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia.
During this transit of Pluto through Capricorn (since 2008) and Uranus in Aries (since 2010), we have seen the Occupy movements and the Arab Spring transforming public spaces such as Tahrir Square in Cairo. In contrast, we have also seen the privatisation of much space that used to be publicly owned.
Then there were the attacks in Paris last year. These were also about the dominion of public space. Parisians went on the offensive after the massacre at the Bataclan by going on “en terrasse”; drinking, eating and having fun in restaurants and cafés.
The hard square between Uranus and Pluto, the individual and the organised group is no longer exact. However, it’s just one degree away, so every time a fast moving planet touches one, then the other outer planet, the square re-emerges. Pluto is also a planet associated with criminality and the underworld.
It’s noteworthy that Lilith, the notional Dark Moon, the goddess of transgression was rising in the chart for Cologne at midnight. Not only that, she is creating a T-square with Uranus-Pluto. Now, there are good things to do with Lilith in your own chart, but this is a dangerous marauding energy. There’s a reason Lilith is strong in the charts of serial killers and crime writers. Remember, she is the goddess of dead babies, vagina dentata, the untamed.
Venus, the planet of young women — and the victims were mostly young, was at 2° Sagittarius, the freest, funnest position for Venus. This is a party Venus.
Pluto is also associated with crime and the underworld, in Capricorn, crime becomes organised.
The mauling men of Cologne demonstrated contempt for women. Maybe that’s rooted in fear of the wild feminine. If you come from a culture where women are covered, at home, shut in, then the women of Europe out on the town for a night of fun are the embodiment of feminine freedom — dangerous, intriguing, “wicked”. Shrews that need taming. But Lilith is also manifesting within these men as the spirit of uncivilisation, anti-nurturing, uncaring. Lilith is the opposite of the Moon.
Lilith is currently in Libra, a highly political sign. A sign of argument, discussion, confrontation, dialectic. Libra is a sign of opposition. And what happened in Cologne was a clash of cultures. Of course, the politicians of Left and Right are piling in now. The far right in Germany and across Europe gets just the ammunition it needs, while the Left is in a pretzel trying to figure out how to defend women’s rights, defend refugees but condemn the attackers and avoid racism. Already the stories of the victims are being lost in the political name-calling.
This incident triggers the tension between generosity and fear, Jupiter and Saturn, which are squaring each other — widely at the moment but the stress is there already. Meanwhile, Jupiter hovers near the North Node. This will have big repercussions.
With Mars (men in uniform) in Scorpio (retribution) for much of this year, there’s no doubt that things could get unpleasant.
Why was there silence about this outrage for five days? Indeed, it was not until Mercury turned retrograde that the news began to spill out. Mercury turned back towards the Sun and Pluto. On the day the news began to spread, the Sun squared Lilith exactly.
Sexual violence is a endemic in much of the world, according to the UN, but it’s something that we still have trouble discussing.
Mercury, the planet of talk, will be retrograding back over the incident in the coming weeks. So far, the commentariat silence here has been resounding — except for this interesting piece by an African poet resident in Berlin.
Women’s right to occupy public space is under attack right in the heart of Europe.
GOD.
I thought it would take longer than that for something similar to happen – I was wrong.
Oh, and I always vote for the Left (in case anyone is wondering.)
I believe it probably it’s gonna get worst than that.
Can women buy pepper spray over there? I would have loved to do that to these men!
Thank you for this, Christina. A very depressing event indeed. There are so many young male migrants and refugees seemingly without family or partners. They have travelled alone, banded together, and clearly have no respect for ‘foreign’ independent women here in Europe. That Mars in Libra, sign of partnerships, had nowhere to go and erupts in fear, violence, anger and frustration. The Moon in Virgo with the Nodes speaks of passageways and routes, the collective, and like-minded groups of people. What was in their collective minds is horrible, but not horrible enough for the media it seems. What will it take? It is unlikely we’ve seen the last of this kind of event, and with Mars in Scorpio I’d say sexual frustration and the desire to dominate might possibly increase. Mars makes it’s last outer planet aspect in February I think, then a bit of a gap until the conjunction with Saturn and Antares in August. So perhaps things will simmer or be hidden between February and August? I’m not sure. Anyway, we have to all find a way to discuss this and more importantly, deal with attitudes so at odds with our own culture. I would also have some concerns around homophobic attacks as well.
By the way, the dreaded Victorian archetype of the ‘angel in the house’ was strictly a middle and upper class obsession. Armies of 19th century working women did not have that kind of suffocating seclusion available to them! And much to the horror of some commentators those women even went into pubs All By Themselves! Shocking…..
indeed Jane! Dickens novels are full of ladies partial to a drop of gin!
The police (Capricorn, government-authority) were not present? The Sun & Pluto at the IC in Capricorn, the 4th house, would have secluded them (perhaps in retreat from fear of the gang?). Interesting that Capricorn’s ruler, Saturn, is in the 3rd house of transportation and local neighborhood, as this occurred at a train station in the heart of the city. Saturn is square to Neptune in the 5th house of revelry and fun would indicate repercussions and disillusionment from seeking that fun, both the gang and the victims. Mercury in this chart rules the ninth house of foreigners and Mercury is in the 4th house of home turf. The exact Uranus-Pluto squares may have ended, but as you mention, currently 1* of separation…a year from now (2017), they will again be 1* separated. You mention that Capricorn rules public life and government, and I’d add social order and civilized behavior to that list. Here in the USA, we face a challenge to our collective notion of acceptable social behavior, professionalism, and ethics, whether discussing Trump, gun control, police, health care, et al. We are experiencing the vigilantes.
Absolutely.
Ugh, that is horrible. This is the first I’ve heard of it. Thank you for the astrological analysis to shed some light on what’s happening. And what Mike said about some of the ugliness going on in the US political sphere. Trump has already said nasty things about women, which will get uglier if Hilary Clinton is the nominee (although she is one tough Scorpio to deal with it). sigh
Could it be an “incident” orchestrated so as to fuel more the refugee debate?
Get real. Not everything is a conspiracy.
Could be. But I like to step out from looking directly at the incident and look from above. Watch the patterns.
Conspiracy is nothing complicated. It is just guiding the events, people and masses to one’s own agenda.
If these people were known to the police why no action was taken?
And as regards cultural differences. In Italy I do not dare go on a public transport after a certain hour and this before there were many immigrants. As well as I have been palpated inappropriately several times on public transport in broad day light. Or the latest not advancing in career because I am a woman. And this was not implied but said in simple words.
Agreed.
I’ve been thinking the same thing. A provocation, admittedly less deadly than the Paris attacks, but also designed to provoke aggression against resident Muslims and thus draw more to the radicals’ cause.
According to a reporter of the WDR (the regional TV broadcasting company for Western-Germany) the men who attacked these women were not refugees from Syria or Afganistan, but of North-African or Arab origin.
This journalist said they were wellknown to the police and apparently they understand they will not get asylum in Europe and before they are sent back to the African continent they use their time to perform criminal activities (thieving and so on).
Maybe out of angriness that they are not allowed to stay here in Europe. And of course these men look upon women in the Western world as easy prey. They have been brought up in a totally different world from ours.
Furthermore, there were not only attacks in Cologne but also in Hamburg and Frankfurt and maybe even more cities.
A memo has emerged of a police officer who warned in the night it happened in Cologne that the police would not be able to control this group of men. He even feared there could be deaths.
This is far from over. I have no doubt the Germans will get to the bottom of this.
mimi
You can add Helsinki and Zurich to the list.
Of 31 suspects in Cologne, 18 are asylum seekers.
Nice article. Best read of the year. To the point with a generous amount of outrage. You couldn’t have too much outrage for my tastes. Because lack of outrage implies acceptance, and some things shouldn’t be tolerated.
At the risk of sounding anti-foreigner, whatever happened to “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” When did it become okay for foreigners, guests or recent imports to enter someone else’s country and bring their nasty, detestable, evil ways with them to inflict on their host-populace? If tolerated too long it becomes custom. If allowed to spread and grow, then you’ve just allowed yourself to be invaded.
Think this is connected with fearfull emasculated male energy, demanding to be bolstered , ie weak male ego energy ,needing to be massaged by female energy . no thought for the tender female side of things.thus seeing female energy having to be subjugated and repressed,through disdain and contempt.Any one who feels superior, or inferior to anyone else ,has a serious problem. Weak inadequate people ,have to put others down, to raise themselves up, total cowardice. We are here to empower others ,to be the best ,integrity full individuals, they can be. We all need to see our whole self, warts and all ,to be balanced and not project our faults onto others.The patriachle megalomaniac energies of Pluto Capricorn, have to face the dark night of the soul ,by looking deep into its heart and stop being cold and calculating and doing whatever is expedient, from a sense of distorted power. In the grand scheme of things ,we don’t have carte blanche to rape and pillage the earths resources, there will be a payback time 2019/20,stop fighting and pull together we are one human race.
This is connected directly to a cultural and religious belief which has not advanced in a long long time. Forget the psychology. It is of no use to the women who have been assaulted, or the culture of tolerance which is being violated. Tolerance and adaptation go two ways. How on Earth can people share the planet sanely if their basic beliefs and entitlements are so opposed?
that’s the whole point,the manipulation of male energies, to get exactly what they want through brainwashing ,on many levels ,has to be confronted inwardly ,to change unbalenced cultures.it starts with honesty and no denial, self government of inner conscience. of both male and female energy.
psycologicaly, that is done with psycopaths in mental hospitals.
I agree with you anna: it is about unbalanced male energy.
Again, I agree.
It didn’t take the press 5 days to catch up with these events, because it was all over YouTube and non mainstream news feeds. There was an attempt at a cover up. Angela Merkel etc took no warning from Sweden or Rotherham in the UK about what the real problems of such cultural differences are.
Look where the Moon is! Conjunct the star Alkaid, which is described as “the destroyer of nations”. It opposed Chiron, creating an injury through which the healer has been poisoned.
@Leonora
And how this:
„Get real. Not everything is a conspiracy.“
goes with this:
„There was an attempt at a cover up.“
???
Media started reporting so late for good reasons.
First, it was not the single „sensation“ of that night.
There was a terror warning in Munich (which turned out to be fake), a clash between two motorcycles-gangs in the center of Hamburg (an explosion, shootings with many seriously wounded), as well as an armed attack on a refugee-shelter in Dreieichen (one shot refugee).
Ok, the last one is not really a „sensation“, since it’s only 1 out of 630 attacks on the refugee-shelters – in that month only.
However, the journalists were also cautious because of the series of false accusations against refugees in the last months. There were lots of smear-campains in the social media, as well as in many local papers, claiming that refugees were raping women. They turned out to be false, but each time it lead to many innocent refugees being severley beaten-up.
There was even a fake report by the police about a refugee who raped a woman, just a few days before the New Year. Once again, it turned out to be staged and instrumented for the racist propaganda.
The media was also not able to report because we know very little about what happened in Cologne (and that lead to misinforming, once again):
„At least 1000 men are said to have been involved in the organised attacks.“
I know it was said so at first, but it is simply not true. There were around 1000 people celebrating the New Year’s Eve at the central station in Cologne, yes. And most of them were male immigrants, yet there were also Germans and women among them. They were drunk and loud, and many of theme went wild, pointing the firework at each other and at other persons around them.
Yet, by no means is this so unusual for the New Year’s Eve in Germany, let alone in Cologne. And each year it gets worse.
It’s still not clear why the police didn’t call for reinforcement. They could, it was even offered to them more than once during that evening, but they refused it each time. There were 100 policemen in the reserve, for such situations – and they remained in the reserve.
Now, among this group of some 1000 people, there were other, smaller groups, which were sexually assaulted and robbing women and girls at the central station, and in the nearby streets. How big these groups were, is still not clear. Meanwhile, the police assume some 70 criminals (which is a bit different from 1000).
Yes, I think the numbers are hard to establish. It’s why I put it the way I did “are said to have been involved”. That is the number that was being reported at the time I wrote this piece.
We will find out more about this as the Merc Rx progresses.
@Christina
I know, sorry, I was only quoting you in that context above – despite the fact that the media start reporting so late, it spread false informations because so much is still unclear. I still hear about “thousands of rapists” everywhere. And that will forever remain in the heads of people.
It causes fear, and the fear feeds sexual offenders. This is exactly the effect they hoped to achieve. The day after the media start reporting, I met some of those „proud“ members of that species at the street. Nothing happened, since my dog was with me (and they seem to be more afraid of dogs then anything else), but clearly they were encouraged – because too many women are afraid now. It delights them.
Thank you for that great clip with Mona Eltahawy, I was searching something like that. I still do miss one important topic – and that is the fear of the female sexuality as such.
Then, while everyone is comparing Cologne with Tahrir Square, they forget that these attacks at Tahrir Square were probably not so spontaneous as they seem at first, but rather organized. If you already have a group of men conditioned by the fear of female sexuality, you don’t need more then one or two spies to initiate the action – many others will follow.
So you have the fear of female sexuality on the one side, and the diffuse fear of the „animalistic, dark-skinned rapists“ on the other side. Not an easy combination, making our society too easy to manipulate.
Were the attacks in Cologne and other cities organized? It’s not possible to say yet. We are in the Neptune in Pisces Age, after all. The line between the sexism and racism is very thin, so is the line between being a conspiracy theorist and a gullible fool.
The people who already dismissed even the possibility of these attacks being organized, probably do also believe that there are some very old Jews at Auschwitz, still playing darts.
Yes, all is foggy here. Smoke & mirrors.
actually it does help the abused tremendously, to be heard and feel empowered, if they are not shut up, literally ,and allowed ,not allowed ,they have a right to be angry ,at being treated like a piece of meat, with no respect for their feeling or autonomy..also the daesh chart shows pluto cap opp sun moon cancer and Hylonome Chariklo and Amycus are all conj sun pluto cap opp mc .also Pylenor conj mc, means disgust with the female principle. that’s why confronting the charts changes things inwardly, its all about balance of the animus and anima.4th ,10nth
PS what do you think is said in counciling of those returned from Syria,having been trained to persecute, seen as normal its not acceptable.
But its not just Cologne!
Similar deliberately organised attacks have happened this NYE in Helsinki, Switzerland Austria and Sweden, as well as Hamburg, Stuttgart and several other German centers.
Its a terrifying and deliberate targetting of women by men who use their culture as an excuse.
Men have been using this excuse for thousands of years.
But in this case it would not suprise me in the slightest if Daesh was involved. The whole thing is too suspicious and too organised….
The thing that initially sprang to my mind on hearing this was The Handmaids Tale.
Yes, I have been associating the Handmaid’s Tale with Daesh for a while — since hearing of the rapes and enslavement of the Yazidis. This is eerily similar to what happens in that book.
It’s become clear since I wrote this piece that there has been international organising involved — very sinister and unsettling.
Heres is a round up of some of the commentary. http://theramblinginfidel.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-nightmare-of-cologne-denialism-and.html
So disturbing.
I’ve had Jeremy Neal’s great article about Orcus opp Neptune square Saturn re Daesh in mind & had the sense these attacks also fitted what he was talking about in some way. Your comment that the attacks were internationally organised seems to strengthen that sense. The astonishing scale of the pattern, the indifferent brutality. Sinister organisation.
http://mountainastrologer.com/tma/orcus-opposite-neptune-now
Orcus was at 8-ish degrees Virgo & retrograde on 1 Jan 2016, so that’s 11th house of the Cologne chart, large groups of course.
This is from an article written in October 2015. The European Left know what they are doing, it’s their white liberal guilt, but they are throwing women under a bus to appease minority groups of men.
Women are the canary in the coalmine. From all of the talk of ‘re-education’ (what, so suddenly all of these single men are going to become feminists once they set foot in the Western world and women are the collateral damage until they ‘learn’ how to behave?), to telling women to stay ‘at arms length’ and wear modest clothing around refugee camps – it’s apologist. Unless the men who committed these crimes are deported once found guilty, there’s going to be one huge backlash.
http://www.annemariewaters.org/europes-rape-epidemic-western-women-will-be-sacrificed-at-the-altar-of-mass-migration/
The Egyptian feminist Mona Eltahawy has been writing and speaking about the war on women in the Middle East for years. Here she is being challenged on Al Jazeera and standing up for herself brilliantly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bomCMNGfs1I
What an excellent clip, Christina, thank you so much. I was especially interested to hear what the progressive Imam was saying. Yes, Mona stood up for herself very well.