Isis Unveiled

As the recent upheaval was occurring in Egypt, the first thing that ran through my mind were my own desires; every time I've wanted to visit the country, some catastrophe has taken place. First there was the Gulf War, then there was the Second Intifada and although those incidents didn't take place in Egypt, as a American I could be in danger. And most recently, the uprising. Despite having a love of the Egyptian ancient civilization, and yearning to see the ancient sites, their remarkable collection of tombs and excavations, I believe Egyptians must be concerned with the enjoyment of life—so much that they desired their existence to be continued in the afterlife, and equipped their tombs with all the trappings of life pleasures and pastimes. 

In present times, this view may have faded. I know for the Egyptian friend I have, it has.

Watching Charlie Rose every night while discussions take place between economists, politicians and scholars, I wanted to know why Egyptians are so unhappy.

I found out that Egyptians have basically no more freedom than Tunisians. Egypt is ranked 138 out of 167 countries on The Economist's Democracy index, a widely accepted measure of political freedom. That ranking puts Egypt just seven spots ahead of Tunisia. With an autocratic government, high levels of corruption, and grinding poverty, Egyptians are significantly worse off than their cousins to the west.

But like their Tunisian counterparts, Egyptian protesters have pointed to a specific incident as inspiration for the unrest. Many have cited the beating last June that resulted in a death, of Khalid Said, allegedly at the hands of police, for their rage. But it's also clear that the issues are larger.

The Muslim Brotherhood, says it plans to achieve a democratic Islamic state by peaceful means, as the only truly organized bloc in Egypt they believe they could win up to 30 percent of votes in a free election. This could mean hostility for Israel, and perilous indeed, surrounded by practitioners of hybrid warfare.

But life in Egypt is still far from normal almost a week after the popular revolt focused on Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square, with tanks on the streets, banks closed, workers on strike and schools shut.

Egyptian pro-democracy leaders plan a "victory march" in Cairo tomorrow to celebrate the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule last week, and perhaps remind the military of the power of the street.

In an effort to make sense of it all, I consulted with the stars.

Tomorrow is a Full Moon. Venus will square Saturn at 16º Capricorn/Libra; Mars approaching conjunction to Neptune at 26-28 Aquarius and opposing a Full Moon.  What this indicates is that these positions are likely to cause a great deal of social turmoil and havoc. People will be up and at arms about economic conditions. This will be the culmination of all of the social upheavals combined.

Full Moons always exacerbate the collective solar plexus and thus the feelings of personal (in)security. Mars, Moon, and Neptune are the rulers of the astral plane and all will be very powerfully stimulated now with issues of power and control, blame and guilt, ethics and honor. For those who are conscious of their lower gut tendencies such as fear, anger, forms of manipulation, and conflict, this is a time to stay vigilant and work from your own source of loving detachment.

For those who are not in Egypt, use the power of the mind to visualize peace for the region and pray. Meditate and observe in your own life where your own buttons will be pushed and respond not from a place of instinct, or revenge, but from a place of conscious choice.