Aung San Suu Kyi Revisited

I have written about Aung San Suu Kyi before, particularly at the time of her release from house arrest and visit to the U.K.  Her current standing is very different:  there is a worldwide clamour for her to denounce the actions of the military in her native Myanmar (formerly Burma), and thousands of Muslim refugees (Rohingyas) are fleeing to Bangladesh, with horrific tales which many say amount to ethnic cleansing or genocide.  This week she cancelled a trip to the U.N. General Assembly in New York for 20th September, a Myanmar government spokesman saying she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Birth Chart

Aung San Suu Kyi was born on 19th June 1945, and it is rumoured that she was born at Noon.  Her Sun is in Gemini conjunct Mercury in Cancer, and this conjunction is square to Chiron in Virgo and Neptune in Libra, which is a stressful and complex double square.  The square between the Sun and Chiron is exact, giving rise to a great deal of crisis in her life.  Venus is exactly sextile Saturn in her chart, signifying loyalty (to her country notably) and Saturn is conjunct the North Node in Cancer, the sign of patriotism (suffering for her country).  Venus is square Pluto, showing the pain of separation from her loved ones.  Mars square Pluto indicates the aura of implied violence she has lived under.

If she was born at Noon, the Sun, symbol of power, is at the top of her chart.  Jupiter and Chiron would be close to a Virgo Ascendant (Jupiter representing the role of philosophy in her life, and Chiron emphasizing crisis).  Neptune would also be rising (representing house arrest).  The Saturn/North Node conjunction would be in her 10th House of world status (representing a possible fall from grace at some point).

Biography

Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Yangon (then known as Rangoon), and educated at the Methodist English High School in what was then Burma.  Both her parents were involved with the politics of her native country.   She obtained a degree in philosophy, politics and economics at St. Hugh’s College Oxford in 1967.  On 1st January 1972 she married Tibetan scholar Michael Aris.  Their first son Alexander was born on 12th April 1973.  Another son, Kim, followed in 1977.  While living in Oxford in 1988 she was summoned to Burma (now Myanmar) due to the illness of her mother, who died on 28th December 1988.

This was to prove a life changing moment for Aung San Suu Kyi, and a point of decision in her life.  Uranus was opposite her ruling planet Mercury at the time, causing a disruption to her life.  Neptune was on her South Node, a possible karmic obligation throwing her life into confusion.  That transit does describe an act of self-sacrifice, which was the consequence of her decision to honour the political lineage of her family and her patriotism.

Her relationship chart with Burma/Myanmar has a very warm personal aspect, in that the love of her country is shown by her Venus exactly trine its Sun/Mercury.  But it is also problematic, with her Saturn opposite its Sun/Mercury.  Its Neptune square her Saturn describes her house arrest, effectively an incarceration.  Her Moon is trine with its Moon, describing an emotional empathy with its people.

She made the decision to stay in Burma/Myanmar and formed a political party, but was placed under house arrest for 15 years.  During this time, she meditated (practising her Theravada Buddhist principles) and made powerful speeches on human rights, for which she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.  David Mathieson, a researcher for Human Rights Watch said of the speeches she made in that period: “She was electric.  She was funny.  She was informative.  She was principled.”

There is no doubt that Buddhism was at the forefront of her philosophy and strength, especially in this period.  She was once asked by Alan Clements, an American Buddhist, what her greatest struggle was, and she replied:  “It’s always a matter of developing more and more awareness, not only day to day but moment to moment.  It’s a battle which will go on the whole of my life.”  Her greatest aim was “purity of mind”.

On the subject of non-violence (she was often compared to Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela) she stated very pragmatically that “I do not hold to non-violence for moral reasons, but for political and practical reasons.”

Husband’s Illness

She was repeatedly told by the ruling party that she was free leave to be with her family, but on the understanding that she would not be allowed to return, and she made a conscious decision to stay under house arrest.  Meanwhile, in 1997 her husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  The last time she saw him was in 1995. He died in 1999, and her children carried on alone after this loss.

Release

She was released in October 2010, accompanied by mixed aspects, perhaps a foretaste of the difficulties to come.  Uranus, planet of freedom, was exactly square her natal Sun (freedom at a price, perhaps?).  Chiron was exactly trine her Sun (a healing for her; support from an asteroid which was at odds from her birth). The North Node (karma) was exactly trine her natal Mars (a reward for her Inner Warrior); and  Saturn square her natal Saturn (a new order of struggle begins).

In 2012 she was able to leave Myanmar legitimately, and undertook a tour around the world, meeting various politicians and statesmen.  She met David Cameron in the U.K., and John Bercow introduced her as “the conscience of a country and the heroine of humanity”.

After the 2015 elections, she was made State Counsellor, effectively the head of state.  In the same year, her party began to prevent Muslims standing for parliament.

Fall from Grace

The worsening situation for the Rohingya tribe in March this year, and her unwillingness to speak up about their suffering or to give interviews, saw her “crown slip” as the Guardian put it.  Saturn was opposite her natal Sun, and square her natal Chiron, triggering her very difficult natal square.  By May, Chiron was opposing her natal Chiron and squaring her natal Sun.  Now Chiron is retrograde but next March it will again be in that position of acute crisis.

Of her recent reticence on the matter of the plight of the Rohingya, even Archbishop Desmond Tutu has spoken:

“It is incongruous for a symbol of righteousness to lead such a country

“I am now elderly, decrepit and formally retired, but breaking my vow to remain silent on public affairs out of profound sadness,”

“For years I had a photograph of you on my desk to remind me of the injustice and sacrifice you endured out of your love and commitment for Myanmar’s people. You symbolised righteousness.

“Your emergence into public life allayed our concerns about violence being perpetrated against members of the Rohingya. But what some have called ‘ethnic cleansing’ and others ‘a slow genocide’ has persisted – and recently accelerated.

“It is incongruous for a symbol of righteousness to lead such a country,” said the anti-apartheid activist. “If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep.”

What is her Mindset?

She has the world (well, at least the U.N.)  trying to fathom what she is thinking right now.  For someone who used peaceful Buddhist arguments formerly to plead for freedom for prisoners on the grounds of love and compassion, it is perplexing.  She always had the interests of her country at heart, gave up much for it, but the problem of the Rohingya Muslims was known to her before she took power.  She will have known it could become a problem, and must have formulated in her own mind an intellectual framework of how she would deal with it.

Poppy McPherson, writing in the Guardian in March said: “Some defend her, saying it takes time to right the wrongs of decades; others see a misunderstanding of the woman herself. ‘Many who led the campaign [to free her] …were on the liberal side,’ one diplomat put it. ‘I think she’s closer to a Margaret Thatcher.’ ”

Is her reticence purely fear of the army?  In the same article, McPherson writes: “A peace process analyst said she had one strategy: ‘to have good relationships with the [army]’ “.  The article goes on to say: “Few people who know her believe Aung San Suu Kyi is prejudiced, though they do say she is afraid of being painted as cosy with Muslims by powerful, radical Buddhist influencers.”  Her own life may indeed be more in danger than ever.

In last week’s Observer, in an article entitled “Damned by her Silence”, Emma Graham-Harrison touches on what is probably the heart of the matter: “ ‘It is not power that corrupts but fear,’ she wrote in Freedom From Fear, perhaps her most famous work. ‘Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it.’ ” Right now, she seems paralysed.

It is one thing to be a theorist and a freedom fighter.  Some do not live to put their theory into practice, and are assassinated.  It takes a different set of skills to actually wield the power wisely, once it has been attained.  Has she run out of steam, become tired, or is she suffering from post traumatic stress?  She has made statements along the lines of the Rohingya did not properly belong to the nation, and that stories of their villages being burned by the military are fake news, but does she really believe that?

She passed a major test in her life, that of her very long seclusion in house arrest, but now her life is handing her a more excruciating test.  Planetarywise, that test is coming through Chiron (“the wounded healer”).  Astrologically, that test is yet due to intensify.

Astro Twin

Here is a curious thing.  Aung San Suu Kyi has an Astro Twin, Radovan Karadzic, born the same day, in Yugoslavia.  She is now being accused of ethnic cleansing and genocide, and he was convicted in 2016 of genocide and war crimes.  No one is suggesting the same level of involvement and depravity in Aung San Suu Kyi, but it is nevertheless quite a coincidence, as it is rare for anyone to be accused of this.  In a further coincidence, he was born at 11.51 a.m., and if she was born at Noon they would both have Virgo rising in their charts.

Going back to what I wrote in 2012, describing her character:

“What is it in her chart which points to the strength of character she has come to be known for?  Her North Node (karmic mission) is conjunct Saturn in Cancer, giving her resilience, forbearance and patience and a deep commitment and sense of responsibility towards her native land.  This conjunction is sextile Venus which adds love and grace to the way she has conducted herself in a personal history which mirrors to some extent Nelson Mandela’s.”

Will the real Aung San Suu Kyi stand up?

Aspects

Tomorrow the working week begins with an aspect of sociability and innovation, or any combination of the two, with Venus trine Uranus.  People may surprise you, and reveal the real person behind the public persona.  Artistic and musical creativity will show originality. In the office,  it is a good time for Human Resources to implement changes in office routine, to satisfy the workers, such as free gluten-free sandwiches all round at lunchtime.

Tuesday (19th) may pose a problem, with possible minor health irritations, as Chiron opposes the Sun. It is good to cultivate a good relationship with your Inner Healer, and thus find more intuitive answers to any problems.  Look more deeply into the source of the symptom or problem.

With Venus entering Virgo on Wednesday (20th) the last of the minor planets leaves Leo, and the holiday season is officially over; the working season is officially under way.  Put some love into your work now, and it will reward you.  Cultivate working relationships.  Find artistic angles to enhance your work.  What working practices are beginning to look stale, and need an injection of warmth and feeling?

Another aspect that day, Mercury opposite Neptune, may be preventing you from seeing as clearly as you would like, and from working as efficiently as you would like.  There may be mental illusions getting in the way of productivity.  In business for instance, someone may be putting a gloss on their wares, and you may need to sense the true picture.  Messages may get garbled, so be ready to decode them.  Travel may also be complicated.

You can also start afresh, with a New Moon at 27 degrees Virgo, on the same day.  This is about getting practical matters right, to a high standard, and pertains very much to the working environment, and service.  It is about ensuring that your best practices are aligned with your highest ideals.  So it is a good time to start a new regime according to lines that have suggested themselves to you lately.  It could also be a good day for the working Unions and their purposes.

Mercury trines Pluto on Friday (22nd) which is helpful mentally, psychologically and in our working lives.  There may be solutions to some technical problems which have been in the air.  Discussion should be satisfying, and may bear long term fruit.  State your truth.

In the evening, the Sun enters Libra, and it is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness already: The Autumn Equinox.  There is still time to reap the rewards of Jupiter in Libra, before it goes into Scorpio, so brush up your negotiation skills, and help bring peace or artistic works into the world.  Bring the best out in your relationships – maybe you need to love yourself more (or not?).  Review the meaning of love in your life, and you may reach a new conclusion.  Libra is the sign of design, and maybe you need to re-design an area of your life or living space.  Libra is also the sign of balance, and the sense of well being that flows from that.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tomorrow – sociable and innovative
  • Tuesday – health niggles
  • Wednesday – love your work; confused minds; start afresh
  • Friday – deep thought and communication; peace and balance
Date: Sep 17th, 2017 · Comments RSS · Tags: Historical · News