Alex's Asteroid Astrology

On Sunday, 8 December 2024, Syrian rebels occupied the capital of Damascus, effectively overthrowing the government and ending half a century of rule over Syria by the Assad family.  Dictator Bashar al-Assad, in power since 2000, hot-footed it to exile and asylum in Russia, under the protection of bestie Vladimir Putin.  His overthrow also represents the end of a civil war that began in 2011 with a pro-democracy uprising against Assad’s entrenched rule, and cost the lives of half a million Syrians, with 12 million more displaced from their homeland.

The resistance stalled out after a decade of brutal conflict, with Assad regaining control of all but the northeast sector of the country.   But in late November 2024, rebel forces in the northwest, emboldened by other conflicts currently occupying and distracting Assad’s backers Iran, Russia and Hezbollah, launched a shock offensive, spearheaded by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS). HTS has lately attempted to publicly distance itself from its jihadist roots as a regional branch of al Qaeda, but now that the battle against Assad has been won, there is concern that Syria may slip back into chaos, or become a haven once again for militant Islamist groups such as ISIS.

Assad’s overthrow comes just two days after Mars, the planet of war and conflict, reached its station and turned retrograde, indicating a pivotal moment and a change of direction for conflicts across the globe.  At 6 Leo, Mars energized a precise Pluto/asteroid Apophis 99924 conjunction at 5 Leo in Syria’s national chart (set for de jure independence on 16 September 1941, no confirmed time); Pluto represents total transformation and often results in devastating outcomes (in this case, for Syria’s president), while Apophis is related to pure evil (something that Assad’s gassing of thousands of his own people would surely qualify as).  A square to asteroid Fini 795 (French for “finished” or “done”) at 2 Taurus on the day of his ouster, allied with a trine to a pairing of asteroids Asada 8233 (for Assad) and NOT 2857 (a general disqualifier or symbol of negation) at 5 and 7 Sagittarius, signals the end (Fini) via militaristic means (Mars) of Assad’s (Asad) rule, no longer (NOT) a factor in Syrian politics. 

The Mars station is also semisquare Syria’s Sun at 23 Virgo, and sesquiquadrate its natal asteroid Basher 134127 (for Bashar) at 19 Sagittarius.  As such, it energized (Mars) the very essence of the nation, its sense of self (Sun), and brought out the conflict (Mars) with Assad (Basher), always viewed as central to Syria (Basher square Sun), but also inimical or challenging for it (the square aspect).  The natal Pluto/Apophis lies at the Apex of a Yod pattern (AKA “Finger of Destiny”) with sesquiquadrate aspects to both Basher and TNO Chaos 19521, showing the fated (Yod) role Assad (Basher) played in plunging the country into chaos (Chaos) with the civil war, as well as the potential that chaos may once again reign supreme in Syria, in the power vacuum created by his absence.

As well, the Sun for Assad’s departure at 16 Sagittarius opposes a union of Jupiter with asteroid Requiem 2254 at 16 and 20 Gemini.  Requiem is named for the funeral mass for the dead, and Jupiter rules politics, so this polarity speaks to a focus (Sun) on an ending (Requiem) for a politician (Jupiter); the specific politician, and the role he performed, are seen in a T-Square formed with Saturn (ruling heads of state) and asteroid Basher (Assad) at 13 and 19 Pisces on its fulcrum.  Note that Basher’s transit position exactly squares its natal placement in Syria’s chart, suggesting that a crisis moment has arrived; and that Saturn has aligned exactly with its natal degree in Bashar al-Assad’s birth chart (more of which shortly), so Assad is in the throes of his second Saturn Return, a critical moment for career and one’s engagement in the world. 

Two bodies are at station for Assad’s overthrow:  asteroids Fini and Karma 3811.  Stationary points exert a greater-than-typical influence on events, and this pairing signals a fated comeuppance (Karma) and ending (Fini).  We have already seen that from 2 Taurus (where it turns direct on December 24^th, but already inhabits the degree), Fini squares the Mars station at 6 Leo, but it also lies on the fulcrum of a T-Square with Pluto at 1 Aquarius.  This indicates that the change is sweeping and complete.  Karma at 16 Sagittarius is exactly trine the Sun, exactly sextile Jupiter, and also inconjunct the Saturn/Basher pairing.  This repeats the theme of being called to account for prior bad acts (Karma) of a political nature (Jupiter), committed by Assad (Basher).

Perhaps the most striking correlation comes in the placement of asteroid Jolana 182592.  Jolana can be taken to represent Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the rebel forces which overthrew Assad.  In Assad’s birth chart, asteroid Jolana at 29 Virgo is just wide of conjunction to the 18 Virgo Sun, but closely conjoins asteroid Nemesis 128 at 0 Libra, a symbol of downfall or ruin, often self-created.  Amazingly, at the time Jolani wrought Assad’s downfall, asteroid Jolana had exactly returned to its natal place, reinforcing the inborn potential for someone of that name to act as nemesis and bring ruin to the Syrian dictator. 

That midrange of Mutable Signs is a hot zone for Bashar al-Assad as well.  Born 11 September 1965 (no time available), Assad’s 18 Virgo Sun feeds into the patterns of the day he fell from power, squared by the transit Sun at 16 Sagittarius and Jupiter/Requiem at 16 and 20 Gemini, opposed by Saturn/Basher at 13 and 19 Pisces.  The natal Sun is conjoined by revolutionary Uranus at 15 Virgo (Assad came to power in a bloodless coup after his father’s death; at 34, he was too young to legally become president, but had the provision overturned so he could succeed Assad Sr) and power-hungry Pluto, planetary ruler of homicide, at 16 Virgo.  Assad may not have personally killed anyone, but his acts led to the deaths of 500,000 of his own people.  An opposition to natal Saturn at 13 Pisces completes the picture of an authoritarian (Saturn) who will go to any lengths to coerce and control (Pluto) his people, however controversial or shocking (Uranus) the means.

Also with the Sun is asteroid Asada at 25 Virgo, in semisquare to the Mars station, marking that event as personally significant to Assad.  The station further aspects natal asteroids Fini and Basher at 8 and 10 Gemini, by sextile (and both widely squared the Sun), once again focusing energy (Mars) on an ending (Fini) for Bashar al-Assad (Basher, Asada).

Of course, it’s only Bashar al-Assad’s political life that is at an end.  The deposed Syrian president fled to his bolthole in Moscow within hours of the fall of his capital, welcomed with open arms by ally Vladimir Putin.  Asteroid Vladimir 1724 at 13 Pisces, exactly conjunct Saturn, shows someone of that name having an important role to play in times of adversity or loss (Saturn, which also rules shelter).  Asteroid Putilin 3577 at 5 Scorpio, closest to Putin, was also activated by the Mars station, in square, directly connecting the Russian leader to the fallout for Assad from that event.  An opposition from natal Karma at 20 Aquarius to asteroid Moskva 787 at 15 Leo, named for Moscow, the Russian capital, prefigures Assad’s destination when his past finally catches up to him; asteroid Russia 232 on the fulcrum of a T-Square from 24 Scorpio reaffirms this.

For Syria, there is a long road ahead, if any form of democratic government can be installed and maintained.  There isn’t a great track record of representative governments taking root in long-tended authoritarian soil, but for now, the possibility of true freedom for the Syrian people remains.