Start & End of the Boer War

[Jim Eshelman]

Another example by H.S. Green was the end of the Boer War (what is today called the Second Boer War). In this war, which ran from October 11,1899 to May 31, 1902, England and other nations from her empire defeated two South African nations.

The Boers were Dutch-descent settlers that had overtaken South Africa, who had been in steady conflict with England for over a century. An earlier Boer war had been fought in 1880-1881. I won't use this post to detail the complexities of the war, but you can find a decent summary here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Boer_War

One wonders if the "end" shouldn't be measured a few days earlier. A late turning point was on May 6, 1902 where a retaliatory Zulu attack against the Boers was brutal and bloody. Within the month, the final hold-outs surrendered, and peace was settled. In the aftermath (8 years later) the Union of South Africa was formed as a member nation of the British Empire.

Green gives the example of the Treaty of Paris of May 31, 1902 that settled the war. Heinrich Daath had predicted, in print, "the speedy termination of the Boer War" from the vernal equinox chart of March 21, 1902, cast for London. His approach was sensible and basic, except that I take serious issues with the size of orbs he used (over 9° for a sextile). Jupiter is on Descendant (mundanely 0°05' below) and there is a 1°50' Sun-Mars conjunction (in Tropical Aries) in the IXth House. (Both of these are sound factors.) He cites the sextile between Sun-Mars in the IXth and Jupiter in the VIIth (7-9° orbs) as the basis for predicting the end of the war.

On the day the war ended, transiting Sun trined that exactly setting Jupiter. To use Green's recommended methods, we would have expected the prior New Moon to trigger something in the Equinox chart, but it did not.

How do SMA methods show this event for England?

Solar Ingresses
The Capsolar is dormant. Moon conjoins Venus (3°47' in mundo) for peace. For decisive shifts, Moon squares a 2°08' Uranus-Pluto opposition (Pluto 48' on one side, Uranus 1°20' on the other). The prior Cansolar, subbing as the Year chart has Pluto square MC 0°16', showing something decisive but noting clearer than that.

The Arisolar is dormant. The prior live solar ingress is the Libsolar, with Uranus (which historically begins and ends most wars) as the main planet. It squares Ascendant (0°56') and conjoins Moon (2°19'). Moon opposes Pluto (2°04'). Venus, Mars, Moon, Pluto, and Uranus are all foreground. I think it is primarily a chart showing significant change, though more destabilizing than the opposite.

Lunar Ingresses
For the formal end, Mercury-Neptune seems the main indicator in the Caplunar. Ecliptically, it looks like Mercury is exactly on Descendant, and Neptune a ways off. Actually, Neptune is 1°23' above Descendant and Mercury 3°02' above, the two being conjunct (1°39' in mundo). Uranus is distantly foreground. Then, for peace, Moon squares Venus (2°22'). The one huge negative, that turns this into an unacceptable chart to me, is Saturn 0°32' from EP.

Daily Timing
Our best daily timing tool also speaks more of war than of peace: CapQ MC is 1° past transiting Mars. There are at least marks of change, with transiting Pluto square Capsolar Moon (0°05'). This does not look peaceful, though.

However, the longer-term Cansolar timings do far better for us: There is a progressed Moon-Venus conjunction (0°28'), and transiting Venus is on CanQ Descendant (with ingress Sun square its Ascendant). But, just to screw with this, transiting Mars is < 1° from conjunct Cansolar Descendant.

Were it not for the CanQ Moon-Venus, I'd call this a completely misleading set of charts. As it is, I think it's poor. SMA didn't do too well for this. Perhaps my understanding of the conditions of the end of the war are insufficient but, taking it in a simple "the war is over, it is expensive, and we won" sort of way, it's a poor showing.

[Jim Eshelman]

Green next examined the circumstances for the start of the war, October 11, 1899. He begins with the 1899 Vernal Equinox chart. I would take this chart as quite straightforward, based on what we have learned for war charts: A Moon-Mars conjunction (3°41') is in the upper foreground, with Mars only 0°06' from MC (and Moon about 5° off). Mercury sets 1°12' above Descendant. Mercury and Mars are square (1°13' in mundo, 4°+ in eclipto).

His interpretation is straightforward and sensible in the usual Tropicalist paradigm and, I think unnecessarily tedious. He cites the culmination of the Moon-Mars conjunction (being in the IXth house, foreign affairs), with Mars as ruler of the VIIth house (wars, among other relations issues), squared by Mercury which actually is in the VIIth house.

Regardless, it's a decent chart. Both Heinrich Daath and Alan Leo published forecasts of war beginning and the conditions leading up to it, with Daath specifically citing South Africa (already a point of hot contention) of where Britain's military was heading. The day the war began, transiting Sun crossed the Equinox Ascendant, opposing the setting Mercury.

I must mention in passing that, while Green was being true to his premise that the Vernal Equinox chart is the master chart of the year, he also valued all equinox and solstice charts; and England's Autumnal Equinox right before the war has Venus rising, partile conjunct Sun. He would have seen this as a XIIth house conjunction, though. His proffered interpretations of an unfafflicted XIIth house Venus are not consistent with the outcome. That the sweet Sun-Venus conjunction was square Neptune makes it afflicted, however, and, in his view, changes Venus in that house to mean fraud, scandal, and adverse conditions for women - not exactly the smashing hit.

Let's check the SMA charts. War was inaugurated by a Boer attack on British settlements.

Solar Ingresses
Bingo! In the Capsolar, Mars rises (0°46'). Sun sets (2°16'). They are < 3° from opposition across the horizon.

The Cansolar has numerous interesting and appropriate aspects, though ultimately it is dormant. The Arisolar has Sun 0°54' from MC, Mercury 2°30' on the other side - mostly imperial and mobilizing, asserting strength. The war-building (which is covered by the Capsolar regardless) is deflated a bit by a weak mundane Moon-Venus square (2°59').

Lunar Ingresses
The Caplunar is dormant, though with Moon square Mars (2°41', or 2°01' in mundo). However, the Week chart, the Liblunar, holds its own with a complex international relations pattern. There are admittedly signs of peace, though the whole volatility of patriotic "charge to war" amidst shifting foreign relations come clear.

Moon on WP (0°03')
-- Moon-Sun conj. (1°07' in mundo)
Jupiter on Dsc (0°37')
Mars on Dsc (1°21')
-- Mars-Jupiter conj. (1°58')
--Mars/Jupiter on Dsc (0°22')
Venus sq. MC (1°01')
Mercury on Dsc (7°29')
Sun on Dsc (9°14')
Uranus on Dsc (9°43')
-- Sun/Uranus on Dsc (0°15')
-- Moon-Uranus on Dsc (0°19')
-- Mercury-Venus conj. (1°44')
-- Sun-Mercury conj. (1°45' in mundo)
-- Sun-Venus conj. (2°30' in mundo)
-- Moon-Mercury conj. (2°52' in mundo)
-- Moon-Venus conj. (3°37' in mundo)

Daily
The CapQ Ascendant squares t. Neptune (0°14'), not a common indication for the march to war (which usually looks more decisive), but perhaps more appropriate when one is the victim of attack, and from a great distance.

The CanQ, though, is quite volatile. Quotidian Ascendant is square ingress and transiting Plutos. Within a day following, Ascendant would enter orb of ingress Mars, exactly squared by transiting Saturn.