Astrology of Now: Out of Hell
Persephone’s Rescue
Frederic Lord Leighton
As the prisoners pour out of the cells in Sadnaya prison, you can hear their liberators saying over and over, “Thank god for your safety,” the traditiional greeting for someone who has returned from a long journey or illness. “Hamdillah es-salaameh.”
And many of these prisonsers — men, women and children — have been incarcerated for decades. They have indeed been on a long journey.
They emerge bewildered, disbelieving: at first slow, then moving quickly into the world, into the light, into life. It is a miraculous moment to witness, even through the tiny screen of a smartphone. Those first moments in the light and air of the upper world — for in Sadnaya there were no windows at all. The prison was underground, some say five floors down. And, as of this writing, it’s uncertain that all wings of the prison have been discovered.
We are holding our breath for Syria. The Assads, father and son, were in power for 50 years. Theirs was a regime of torture, rape, murder, which used chemical weapons against its own people, where the population was terrorised into silence. At least 126,000 Syrians disappeared. Half the population is in exile.
Ceres and Venus and Pluto
The astrology of this moment is quite simple — and we should all hold it in our minds as it is so very significant. The exit from hell took place as Pluto, Venus and Ceres conjoined at 0° Aquarius on 8 December 2024. Venus was just moving away from the other two planets.
I have written before about the extraordinary synchroncity of Ceres-Pluto aspects and escapes from underground or imprisonment. Ceres makes a deal with the Lord of the Underworld to allow these human creatures to be released, just as she did for her daugher Persephone.
Pluto only just moved into Aquarius for the final time. So this weekend saw the first conjunctions to this new Pluto in Aquarius — first the Moon, then Venus, now Ceres. A procession of female energy sets the tone for Pluto in Aquarius, since what happens first after a major planets semi-permanent arrival in a new home is always signficant.
And remember, Pluto himself has been released from the mountain kingdom of Capricorn and on to the high plateaux of Aquarius, where he can feel the wind in his face again.
These prisons in Damascus and Homs are in a land where the goddess Ishtar used to be worshipped. Her own descent into the underworld is the first such recorded on a tablet that dates from around 1700BCE. Ishtar was the planet Venus for Sumerians, and here she is present as Ceres unlocks the door to Hades and bids the prisoners walk free. Venus is the first to leave the conjunction — floating free through airy Aquarius.
In the coming times, as Pluto makes his way through Aquarius, working his transformations, we must remind ourselves of this moment when thousands were released from hell.
A Tyrant Falls
Mars in Leo is a tyrant. Mars turned retrograde two days earlier. The tyrant fell. “Assad” means Lion. This Mars Rx in Leo is opposite that conjunction of feminine planets with Pluto. You see how Pluto in Aquarius, the sign of the people and of revolution could manifest.
“Don’t be afraid,” said one of the prison liberators as he ushered a group of women from a cell. “We are the revolutionaries.”
If you are interested in more astrology about Syria, including charts of the country and Bashar al Assad, I have written several pieces over the years. See Below.
Wow that is truly fascinating, what a great read!
I burst into tears reading of the prisoners’ ascent from hell to freedom and light. Thanks for your description of the enormity of this moment. Always grateful for your ability to ascribe meaning and depth to current events.
Thanks a lot, it was reay interesting! When will be a change in Hungary’s politics? A lot of people are waiting for it.
Thak you for asking this question. I have never looked at the astrology of Hungary. Is there a date for the natal chart that you would recommend? Is there one that Hungarian astrologers use?
Wonderful article .Brought me to tears. May their lives improve across the land.