Last week I commented, “Judging from the chart for the war in Iraq, events are about to make a surprising turn. After two years of a challenging transit (square) from Pluto to the Sun/Mercury conjunction in the chart, which seems to have had the effect of relentless and unending death and destruction (Pluto), Uranus (radical change) is about to transit Pluto (power and transformation) in the invasion chart.”

Noting a strong Chiron influence, I was hoping for some healing to take place but sometimes Chiron exerts its healing influence by bringing the simmering conflicts into view so that they can be examined in order hopefully to release them. Now we learn that Moqtada al Sadr’s cease fire has suddenly (Uranus) ended in Basra and Sadr City. Much of the success in reducing violence has been attributed to the surge in US troops, but some argue that al-Sadr’s ceasefire had as much or more of an influence.

The re-emergence of al-Sadr did seem to be a surprise after such a long time, but Mahdi Army fighters are now saying “The cease-fire is over; we have been told to fight the Americans.”

It appears that President Bush will be forced to deal with this problem before the election and that will make for an even more interesting Presidential race.