As the Aries-Libra eclipse passed over last week, two judges from the Royal Court of London presiding over Julian Assange’s case made a ruling in favour of his extradition. Breaching Article 4 of the UK-US extradition treaty1, stating that no person can be extradited for political reasons, the ruling necessitates assurance from the US Government that Assange will be protected by First Amendment freedom of speech rights, as well as protection from the death penalty. His wife, Stella Assange, continues to fight for him as the window of opportunity for Julian’s freedom narrows by the day.
Julian Assange remains a political prisoner, held in solitary confinement in London’s maximum security Belmarsh prison without charge, or bail.
This case is 99% politics 1% law. - Stella Assange
Unlike the 2024 information landscape, the lines in Assange’s case are not blurry. He is a political prisoner who is being charged with the Espionage Act; a law that can only be enacted where there is a political offence.
What Assange is being charged over is also clear: via Wikileaks he published evidence of war crimes and human rights abuses. From this we now know it’s worse to publish the evidence than it is to commit the crime.
“One of the hopeful things that I have discovered is that nearly every war that has started in the past 50 years has been a result of media lies, and the media could have stopped it if they had searched deep enough, if they had not reprinted government propaganda they could have stopped it. What does that mean? That means populations don’t like wars. Populations have to be fooled into wars. Populations don’t willingly, with open eyes, go into a war. So, if we have a good media environment then you’ll also have a peaceful environment.” ~ Julian Assange2
THE AIR ERA: Access to information
Assange’s case puts the Air era on the map. Changes in law, media, language, how we connect and have access to information have all accelerated since December 2020. Being in the infant stages of an unfolding 200 year Jupiter-Saturn cycle, what we agree to now in these areas will set precedence for the future.
The Jupiter-Saturn cycle is indicative of the current rules and social trends. Being both large and distant planets, they govern collective arenas in society over large spans of time. Saturn, being disagreeable and astringent3, represents measures, limits and penalties. Its stern rule is balanced by Jupiter’s agreeability and alignment with justice, the Law, truth and growth. Together, they tend to forge new ground with a dynamic expansion-contraction tension in 20 year intervals. Their most recent conjunctions, in 1980-81 and more recently in December 2020, occurred in Air signs, Libra and Aquarius, respectively.
The element of air is hard to catch and contain. Trapped, it turns putrid. Free to roam it propels things forward, carries messages and clears the old so the new can take footing. It is unpredictable, changeable and intangible.
With the first square of this Jupiter-Saturn cycle approaching (Jupiter in Gemini square Saturn in Pisces: August, December 2024, June 2025), Assange’s case serves as a benchmark ruling which will determine the future of press freedom and access to information.
The Air era has proliferated our ability to access information and increased exposure to disinformation and censorship. Countries such as China now have retroactive laws in place that forbid you speaking negatively about their government in any foreign territory. Social media has also morphed the average person into a political commentator on an international platform. As technology continues to bleed into every aspect of our lives, when and how these laws extend are yet to be determined. In the years that follow anyone could be subjected to international law. For example, if you post online from the UK about the genocide taking place in Gaza, can you be subjected to Israeli law? It sounds absurd, but this is the extremity of the charges leveraged against Assange. He is not, nor has he ever been, a US citizen.
While Assange is himself on trial, this is not just about one man and one website. What happens to him in this case happens to us all. It concerns our collective right to access and distribute information, the right to know the truth, the right of journalists to report the truth, or counter-arguments, without fear of persecution, and the right of the public to make informed choices based on facts, not a curated political narrative. It also brings into question international treaties; how these agreements can extend beyond the limits outlined when there is a political agenda, and what legal rights the state has over political prisoners held without charge in foreign territory.
What’s also alarming about Assange’s case is that even though your country might uphold democratic values and policy, it might not have the political ability, or the spine, to protect you. The Australian government has still done nothing to aid Assange’s release.
EXTRADITION: Not so Priti.
Housed with asylum protections in the Ecuadorian embassy from June 2012 until April 11, 2019, Assange was then arrested for breach of bail, and on behalf of the US authorities, and placed in solitary confinement in the UK’s highest security prison.
Recent court proceedings on February 21st-22nd, 2024 were some of the last windows of opportunity for Assange. The ruling, handed down on March 26th, 2024, affords the US Government three weeks to meet the assurances, and Assange’s legal team an opportunity to formulate another appeal. Beyond this, his options are nearly diminished.
The extradition motion came about in 2022 at the request of then UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel. Not surprisingly, Patel was born on the day of a Full Moon at 9° Libra, the exact degree of Assange’s Uranus, and the same axis that is being activated by the current eclipses.
Interestingly, Patel’s chart has malefic co-presence in the sign of information gathering and dissemination, Gemini (Mars conjunct Saturn in Gemini), suggesting she deals with these issues with a harsh hand. Mercury rules this combination and is currently repeating its natal retrograde motion through Aries, while the transiting Nodes also pass over her Sun-Moon-Uranus-Pluto combination. These most recent rulings are potentially landing as a weight on the scales of Lady Justice, reminding Patel of the irrevocable nature of holding the fate of someone else in your hands, and the extending ramifications to the future of press freedom in society.
WIKILEAKS: A new frontier
Assange is a critic of war and an advocate for freedom of information. Not only did his actions threaten political power and supposed national security (there is still no evidence that anyone lost their life because of what he published), he also poked the lucrative and influential advertising bear.
It’s helpful to remember that in 2010 Wikileaks challenged the financial model of mainstream media as sales dropped with advancements in technology. Independent, and therefore not dependent on advertising revenue, Wikileaks had leverage via releasing information from credible sources online which resulted in a high impact, something mainstream outlets all vied against each other for.
This underground, volunteer run movement allowed a different business model for journalists and independent researchers to operate outside the constraints of mainstream media and advertiser’s influence. Because of this we now have reader funded platforms such as Substack and Patreon etc. that are not restricted by advertising pressures, which further allow people to produce content that may be in the public’s interest but not found in mainstream sources.
The lack of transparency around information gatekeepers in corporate clothing should continue to be investigated as we’re very clearly in some muddy waters with regard to the legitimacy of information. There is however, without question, more information available to us now than there was 20 years ago which should work in our favour, not against us.
WHAT IS FREEDOM?
At this stage, even freedom would not really be freedom for Assange. With the amount of energy poured into torturing him thus far, there’s little doubt he’d be left alone well enough to really be free, and he will no doubt be suffering from mental health issues that won’t subside should he be released. Currently, the US government says if Assange is extradited he will face charges that amount to a further 175 years in prison. Either way, he is facing a death penalty.
Approaching the 5th anniversary of his imprisonment in Belmarsh, the unfortunate astrological hammer that looms over Assange comes from within the current Mars cycle, initiating at 26° Scorpio. This is within a degree of his Jupiter, squaring his natal Mars on the IC in Aquarius (Mars rules the 12th & 6th houses).
Because Stella’s Scorpio Sun sits within orb of Julian’s Jupiter (see this piece for further analysis of Stella and Julian), it suggests she will also be negatively impacted within this malefic cycle. Mars delivers blows, cutting, severing and severity. Making its retrograde passage in this cycle across Julian’s 9th house Mercury (legal matters, publishing, international relations), it appears that January-February 2025, when the next US president is sworn in, will be testing times for the journalist.
This Mercury placement is crucial in Assange’s case as it’s where it all began. He argues that he is a journalist and his duty is to report and publish the truth (Mercury in the 9th), but the cadency within the 9th house has found him in difficult waters with no clear direction. It was in 2012, when Assange was 40yrs, that his Mercury stationed retrograde by progression, coinciding with his appeal for asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He was granted asylum the same year, but technically not freedom.
Choose your own adventure…
Released or bound, Assange will likely have harsh conditions placed on him. Unfortunately, the year ahead does not look promising for an extradition case. If you were placed in solitary confinement for speaking truth to power, no doubt you’d appreciate public support. Utilising the momentum of the air era we can share links, make donations and continue to seek and speak the truth. What we do now contributes to shaping our information and tech landscape going forward. Surely it’s in everyone’s best interest to aim for a world where we don’t need whistleblowers.
A full analysis of Assange’s 2024 Solar return charts can be read here. It’s a little astro-heavy as it looks at themes in his year ahead. Sadly, it looks like a difficult year.
To read more about Julian Assange and the connections with his wife, Stella, follow this link.
LINKS
Espionage Podcast
If you’re interested in hearing more about how Benjamin Franklin fronted the Espionage Act and sparked the American Revolution, several May-June 2020 episodes of this podcast detail the evolution of whistleblowers, the Espionage Act and follows the lives and events of Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden.
Democracy Now
Democracy Now has been reporting on Assange for many years. There are endless links here:
The Trust Fall
Amnesty International is promoting a documentary released in 2024 - The Trust Fall. You can find screenings in your location at the link, watch the trailer below, and organise screenings near you.
Julian Assange, an Australian journalist, and the founder of WikiLeaks, has become an emblematic figure in the fight for press freedom and transparency. Despite being arbitrarily detained in HMP Belmarsh Prison, his work and voice resonate stronger than ever. This documentary delves deep into the revelations brought to light by WikiLeaks, examining the global reverberations and the relentless pursuit faced by Julian Assange and his family.
This extraordinary film, filmed over two years across three continents, includes insights from renowned figures such as Daniel Ellsberg, John Pilger, and Tariq Ali, alongside reflections from Assange’s family. It’s not just a film, but a journey into understanding the complex narrative surrounding one of the most influential figures in recent history. ~ Amnesty International - The Trust Fall
REFERENCES
Al Biruni. The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology. The Astrology Centre of America. 2006. p26-27