Euro 2012 begins tonight with Poland and Ukraine co-hosting the football competition but already the issue of racism has dominated the headlines. I saw part of the Panorama programme made for the BBC, entitled, ‘Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate‘, which was truly shocking.
Whether or not the programme sensationalised racist issues at Poland’s and especially Ukraine’s football matches, it was sickening to watch black players being taunted and young Asian fans being brutally attacked in the stadium during a football match.
In a recent article in the Guardian newspaper, it was stated that Sol Campbell has warned black fans against attending the tournament, and the families of England’s Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have chosen not to travel to the finals over fears for their own safety. There’s been controversy because Rio Ferdinand has been left out of the England squad whilst John Terry, who has an outstanding court case for alleged racism against Anton Ferdinand (Rio’s brother), is in the squad.
All these issues are being highlighted as the powerful Uranus-Pluto square draws ever closer, exact on June 24th 2012. There’s been much talk amongst astrologers about this clash of the Titans, the first of seven face-offs which continue until 2015. Uranus, planet of rebellion, is in Aries, the sign of the individual square to Pluto, planet of power, in Capricorn, sign of the establishment.
Astrology is based on the simple premise, “As Above, So Below” and this powerful square was almost exact in August 2011 with Uranus at 4 Aries square Pluto at 5 Capricorn. The cosmic clash was mirrored on earth by riots in the UK and other countries around the world. Time’s person of the year 2011 was the Protester, symbolising the man/woman on the street standing up against greed and unjust power, rebelling against the dominance of government and big business.
So how does this relate to Euro 2012? I originally drew up the chart for the start of Euro 2012 to look at which country might win the competition. The opening match takes place on June 8th 2012 at 5:00pm local time in Warsaw, Poland. This gives the time and place of the start of the competition and the astrology chart drawn up for this moment has an Ascendant of 17 Scorpio 33.
I then looked at the country charts for Poland and the Ukraine. The data for the astrological charts most commonly used are as follows:
Poland – August 24th 1989, 1:05pm local time, Warsaw
Ukraine – August 24th 1991, 5:31pm local time, Kiev
The Ascendant of Poland’s chart is close to the Ascendant of the opening match at 18 Scorpio 36 representing a big event for Poland. What struck me most, however, was the Ascendant of Ukraine’s chart which is 8 Capricorn 42. On June 8th 2012, Pluto is at 8 Capricorn 47 slap bang on the Ascendant of Ukraine’s chart. Plus, Ukraine’s natal Pluto is at 17 Scorpio 46, slap bang on the Ascendant of the chart of the opening match. It’s a double whammy of powerful Pluto.
In mythology, Pluto was God of the Underworld and Pluto was discovered in the 1930’s when Nazism was on the rise. Pluto’s always been associated with racism, the flip side of power and control being hate and obsession. This shows the dominance of the racism issue already strong in the press and media before the event. It suggests that even though the majority of people want this to be an enjoyable football competition uniting countries throughout Europe, the reality is that the dark side of racism won’t stay hidden.
A glimmer of hope is the fact that Uranus in Aries is square to Pluto, giving individuals a voice, a chance to stand up against brutality and violence. With this competition being scrutinized under the global gaze of mass media, it may help expose the issue of racism and not allow Pluto and mindless hooligans to remain invisible. This is the best-case scenario that the idiot minority who believe racism is right are exposed for the bullies they truly are.
On a lighter note, who do I think will win Euro 2012? A quick glance suggests that the two favourites, Spain and Germany, are the countries to note.
https://twitter.com/jessicacadams/status/210970818606407680
[photo by flickr.com]