European Wildfires Prompt Evacuations

By Alex Miller

Massive wildfires raging in southwest France and central Spain have caused more than 320,000 evacuations, as extreme heatwaves, strong winds and severe drought conditions combined to create a tinderbox.  More than 104,000 acres (42,000 hectares) in France and 111,000 acres (45,000 hectares) in Spain have been devastated by the flames.  In Spain’s Avila province, near Madrid, 23 towns have been evacuated, due to the largest wildfire in modern Spanish history, which sparked on 22 July.  France’s Gironde region, near Bordeaux, has seen some of the worst wildfires since World War II, with between 30 and 40 wildfires currently burning across the country.

Astrologically, the culprit is Mars, ruler of flames and fire, which this week moved to tap into a destabilizing celestial basket structure that is dominating the current skies, just as the Full Moon formed on July 29^th.  The spine of the pattern is an opposition (180 degrees) from Pluto (4 Aquarius) conjoined the Full Moon (6 Aquarius), to the Sun (6 Leo) with Jupiter (also 6 Leo).  The corners of the basket are Uranus (4 Gemini) and Neptune (4 Aries), which are each respectively trine (120 degrees) and sextile (60 degrees) the base points.

The Sun pulls focus, spotlighting what it touches, and is also the source of the extreme heat that is exacerbating the situation.  The Moon refers to the populace disrupted by the event, and also rules natural spaces such as the forested areas the wildfires are devastating.  The disruption itself is provided courtesy of Uranus, while Pluto rules devastation and destruction.  Jupiter acts to increase or enhance a situation, for good or ill, prompting uncontrolled wildfire growth in this instance.  Neptune represents absence or disappearance, here depicted by the displaced populations and the vanished forests.

Mars (21 Gemini) walked into this pattern just as the Full Moon brought the situation to full fruition, by semisquare (45 degrees) to Sun/Jupiter and sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) to Moon/Pluto, both aspects signifying stress, tension and conflict.  Mars is further fueling the fires which it rules, and which still remain largely unchecked in most areas.

Both Spain and France are especially under the gun due to their respective national charts.  Spain (1) is at particular risk, with Mars conjoined its Descendant (20 Gemini), opposed its own natal degree (25 Sagittarius) and the Spanish Ascendant (20 Sagittarius), as well as natal Mercury (12 Sagittarius), the Sun (13 Sagittarius) and Neptune (17 Sagittarius), for good measure also squaring (90 degrees) natal Saturn (13 Virgo), indicating loss, deprivation and hardship.  For France (2), Saturn (20 Sagittarius) is the weak link, opposed Mars, which is also encroaching on its natal Moon (28 Gemini).

With a renewed heatwave in the offing, raising concerns that new fires could ignite and existing ones could spread rapidly, the situation is tense (Mars) and volatile (Uranus) in the extreme.  Portugal, Greece, Italy, Turkey and parts of the Western Balkans are also at risk due to the expected rising temperatures.

Notes:  (1) Spain, constitution approved, 6 December 1978 9 PM CET, Madrid, Spain

(2) France, Fifth Republic, 5 October 1958, 12:00 AM MET, Paris, France

Sources:  reporting from Euronews, ABC News; chart data from serennu.com; graphic images by author

Title Image Credit:  drawn by Chat GPT