The fall of the House of Assad has turned the spotlight back on the mafia state in Syria which crushed dissent for decades, killed countless hundreds of thousands and wrecked a country rich in natural resources, with an ancient history and a strategic position on the Mediterranean.
Hafez Assad, 6 October 1930, described as “a cold and calculated political and security operative” – a Mars, Pluto, Jupiter in Cancer trine Venus in Scorpio which was opposition Algol; with a Libra Sun opposition Uranus – took over in 1970.
He was succeeded by his second son Bashir ably assisted in his kleptocratic dictatorship by his brother Maher and wife Asma — a London-born ex-JP Morgan banker. Maher, head of the army’s notoriously brutal fourth division, ran weapons, oil smuggling, alcohol and sales of the illegal amphetamine Captagon. Asma consolidated control over the aid sector, a huge — and rare — source of clean cash into Syria.
Summarised from a previous post on Asma – “a greedy profiteer who amassed billions for herself and her family out of the bloodied ruins of starving country. She controlled the economic levers consolidating the Assad’s grip on Syria, shaking down the rich merchant class (imprison in hotel and extort a la MBS in Saudi) and even – horrifyingly – crafting a corrupt humanitarian assistance system, monetising NGOs and the aid sector which takes in international money. The economy is teetering on the brink of collapse and what little still exists appears to be controlled by Asma Assad and family across multiple sectors, including real estate, banking and telecommunications. “For any new business to get done today, Asma [and her people] take a cut,” says a relative.
Wives of dictators tend to get an easy ride in the media but her chart, 11 August 1975 with its Mars, South Node and Algol clustered in late Taurus was always an ominous sign. Her Leo Sun falls in his husbands 7th for a good partnership with her controlling Pluto in his 8th as she pulled the economic strings. Her Mars Algol fell in Bashir’s 4th conjunct his IC so she’d be a dominant force in his home life.
Not surprisingly her life is in turmoil with tr Uranus conjunct his Mars South Node and Algol through till mid 2025. With her Solar Arc Venus conjunct her Uranus for an upset – and a high-risk, acutely frustrated and trapped 2025 ahead of her.
Indications on Bashir’s relationship chart with Putin (birth data being accurate) hints at a deteriorating association as tr Neptune Saturn move into Aries and oppose the composite Sun and square Saturn; with muddles and disappointment in 2025/26.
Skipping across a few other wives of strongman rulers, some of whom went on to succeed them, Taurus features widely and, on some, Algol.
Imelda Marcos, 2 July 1929 2.30pm Maluso, Philippines, was a Sun Pluto in Cancer with Venus conjunct Ceres, Algol and North Node square Mars Neptune in Leo.
Eva Peron, 7 May 1919 5am Buenos Aires, Argentina, a determined and acquisitive Sun Mars in Taurus with confident Jupiter Pluto in Cancer trine Uranus.
Grace Mugabe, 23 July 1964 Harare, Zimbabwe, a Sun Leo with Jupiter in Taurus conjunct Algol and widely trine Pluto.
Farah Pahlavi, widow of the exiled Shah of Iran, 14 October 1938, is a Sun Libra, with Uranus South Node in Taurus trine Mars Neptune in Virgo – and Ceres conjunct Algol.
Catherine The Great of Russia, 2 May 1729 2.30am, came to power after overthrowing her husband King Peter. She, like Eva Person, was a Sun Mars conjunct in Taurus in her case sextile Saturn and inconjunct a yod focal point Pluto. With her Pluto square Jupiter.
Forget the weaker sex – these relationships are either folie a deux with two sociopaths meeting their twin or as may be the case with the Assads, the wife being the stronger half. The relationship chart between Asma and Bashir has a chained-together power-couple Jupiter and Saturn trine Pluto plus a one sided, can-be-cruel Mars square Saturn. It’s a toss up which of them had to suppress their identity to make it work.
The post Asma Assad – Taurus Algol profiteer first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
