The residents of Seattle can sleep easy.  At least tonight they can.

News has just come through that North Korea’s rocket test has failed.  Ostensibly the aim was to put a satellite into orbit, but many commentators are suggesting a more sinister design.  If you can put a satellite into orbit you’re well on the way to being able to drop a nuclear warhead on an American city of your choice.

Of course you’ve still got to perfect your warhead.  At the time of writing North Korea has had two nuclear tests, and opinions vary about their success.  They weren’t as powerful as the Hiroshima bombs, and even if they were, it would seem that there is still an issue about miniturisation.  You have to be able to make the bomb small enough to fit into a rocket cone.

I mention Seattle because it is the closest big American city to North Korea.  It has been suggested that the next generation of North Korean missiles could have intercontinental capacity, but only just.  Hitting New York would be impossible, and Seattle is significantly closer to North Korea than Los Angeles.

From an astrological point of view, the timing of the launch wasn’t great.  The Sun was making a close opposition aspect to Saturn, which suggests delays and frustrations.  Furthermore the Ascendant was late Taurus, and Venus, ruler of the Ascendant, was conjunct the South Node, indicating that the launch might have a negative impact on North Korea’s reputation.

Most importantly, we need to see the launch in a military context.  The North Koreans are almost certainly taking a military initiative, and the chart should therefore have a strong Mars, because Mars is the planet of war.  Unfortunately for the North Koreans Mars is still going backwards, while making an opposition to Neptune, the planet of confusion.  However if they had waited until next week, Mars would have been going forward, and it would also have been in mutual reception with Mercury.  In other words it would be in a much stronger position.  Perhaps if North Koreans had waited one more week, and checked things over one more time, they would have got their satellite into orbit, and demonstrated that Seattle was a feasible target in the not so distant future.

By the way, I’m not sure if the North Koreans would ever fire a nuclear missile at Seattle.  The launch and its trajectory would be detected by the Americans in minutes if not seconds, and Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, would potentially be vapourised before the missile had reached its target.  Deterrence works, doesn’t it?  Also, if North Korea seriously wanted to destroy Seattle, it would be easier to load the bomb onto a container ship, and sail straight into Seattle’s port.  They could then detonate the bomb at their leisure, and well before Homeland Security’s neutron detectors picked up on it.

Have a great weekend!

Copyright © 2012 Archie Dunlop

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