It all began with a single q, for the word quarantine. It has spawned derivatives, ECQ, MECQ, GCQ but after one year, we are back to square one when the National Capital Region and neighboring provinces were put under ECQ again. The Philippines, as of March 2021, has the 2nd highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia (after Indonesia), and ranks 8th in Asia, and 30th in the world. Let’s call a spade a spade, the ECQ chart itself indicates insufficient actions to stop the virus.
ECQ was first imposed on March 15, 2020, right after midnight. If we erect a chart for that date and time, what we have is an event chart. The pattern, the seeds (even the hidden intentions) and forces that will be manifested can be gleaned from that chart.
The ECQ chart has a Sagittarius ascendant and it is ruled by Jupiter in Capricorn. Jupiter is weak, it can’t accomplish what it’s meant to achieve, which is to control the Covid-19 virus from spreading. Worst, its effect can be devastating. Jupiter is besieged by the malefic planets Mars and Saturn. Saturn is a form of restriction and Mars is the military. The people, symbolized by Jupiter, suffered more. Being besieged by the malefic planets is one of the most difficult planetary configurations.
In what manner? The suffering is emphasized on the economic front because Jupiter is in the second house of money. (* This is the reason why I took note in Astro Year 2020 of the economic figures). The country’s GDP fell to its lowest level since our independence from the United States of America. The economy tanked by 9.5 percent. And to give it more context, we are the worst performer in Southeast asia.
How did this come about?
First the National Action Plan (NAP); it was designed to curb the spread of the virus. It was created on the evening of March 24 and was announced on television also late that night. Astrologically speaking, it was one of the worst dates to come up with a plan to battle an invisible enemy. The Moon was combust and also within the Albuim hour period; basically it’s a dark period, we cannot see the light of the Moon yet. Symbolically, the birth of the NAP is like that, in the dark, wherein the right solutions seem to elude the policy-makers and the implementers couldn’t get hold of the vaccine. One year into the pandemic and with billions of loans, what arrived in early March were donations. Dark Moon periods also speak of some things (deals and transactions) that are hidden from the public eye.
Leadership
The ECQ chart also features Mercury in anaretic degree, the last degree of the sign. It is a stressful location for any planet to be in, which speaks of destructive instead of constructive energy.
The AstrologyInAction.com defines anaretic degree thus:
“The anaretic degree is accidentally weak at the end of a sign; therefore, it signifies the end of a cycle. This degree represents either getting too much or too little of something. The last degree often describes a desperate situation.”
As Mercury deals with the mind, it deals with the thought processes before decisions are made. Sadly, Mercury in anaretic degree does not speak of the best and the brightest of minds. It’s more about knee-jerk reactions than well-thought plans.
And more importantly, Mercury, in this chart is the ruler of the 10th house. The 10th house are the leaders, policymakers and the decision-makers. It’s the President, the DOH and the IATF.
Now that a year has passed, the original ECQ chart still applies, but we have an additional tool to assess what is to come for the rest of the astro-year, 2021 (starting March) and that is the anniversary chart of the ECQ.
This chart doesn’t look good at all. The ascendant is Pisces, ruled by Jupiter, which is the same as the original ECQ, but this time, Jupiter is in the 12th house of diseases, hospitals and isolation. The health sector will be overwhelmed and this can lead to more casualties. The Sun rules the 6th, the house of sickness is with the planet of death in the first house of the people. This means that, if the current trajectory is not changed, we will see exponential growth of casualties in the coming months, if not weeks.
Critical periods based on this chart are from April 1-14, the weeks of May 12, June 5, June 27, Aug 9, August 29, and September 6.
What needs to be done? As Mars in the original ECQ chart is part of the problem, we need to heed more the advice and strategies from the medical practitioners such as Dr. Tony Leachon. Mars is the planet of the military and militaristic mindset. The pandemic is not a peace and order problem, it is primarily a medical problem. Decisions must be based on data and science. With regards to leadership, we hope that with Mercury in Aquarius, which speaks of a science-based approach (not militaristic) will win the day.
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“We hope and pray that ECQ with fulfillment of mass testings , contact tracings , speedy vaccination and collaborative work with the leaders and the public will slow down the virus.” – Dr. Tony Leachon.
This article was written in March and sent to Filipino Astrologer Gold subscribers on March 31, 2021.