Normality is soon to be a thing of the past, and over the next half decade we will be witness to social, technological, political and personal transformations which will result in a world quite different to the one we know today. This could have been said in 1988 – just prior to the Saturn, Uranus and Neptune conjunctions opposite Jupiter, which precipitated the New World Order and fall of communism. It could also have been said of the mid sixties – just prior to the Uranus/Pluto conjunction opposite Saturn, which polarized youth and age and evoked a social revolution. It could have been said of the early 1940’s, when Jupiter conjoined Saturn in Taurus and squared Pluto going on to conjoin Uranus, which led to Germany’s seizure of most of Europe’s land.
But no historical period quite mirrors another, as no astrological combination is every exactly repeated. What makes the period between June 2012 to March 2015 significant are the seven Uranus/Pluto squares which take place over an unusually long period. (Note 1) But already in 2010 the wanderings of Saturn and Jupiter weave the connection between Uranus and Pluto, and therefore we are getting a taste of the extremes of behavior associated with these two outer planets. (If you want a visual expression of their craziness see Batman Forever, starring Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face – Pluto – and Jim Carrey as The Riddler – Uranus.)
Together Uranus and Pluto suspend normal moral behavior in favor of uncompromising change. Students in China during the cultural revolution in the mid-sixties threw their teachers out of upper floor windows on the grounds that their age and experienced had already corrupted their minds… Saturn was involved in this instance. When Pluto combines with Uranus, their mission is total revolution, and humanitarian concerns are sidelined.
Here in 2010 from April to July, Saturn returns to Virgo after making two squares to Pluto from Libra, and dwells in a powerful opposition to Uranus, which was exact on April 26th at 28 degrees Virgo/Pisces. This was the beginning of an extreme period of unrest, which was reflected in Europe by the financial crisis in Greece, which awakened great anxiety for the economies of Portugal and Spain and ultimately threatened the viability of the Euro. And in almost every country in the world, governments are trying to find a balance between cutting expenditure and dampening the subsequent social unrest.
But unrest is coming, and with unrest comes repression. Taking Thailand as an example, the government clampdown on protestors in mid-May 2010 – before Uranus had even entered explosive Aries – is an example of the choices the establishment faces, when confronted by its people. (Note 2)
Thailand. June 24th 1932 12.00 Bangkok AS 27.41 Virgo (Source BWH)
Although the birth time for Thailand is unknown, it is tempting to use the noon time, because the Saturn/Uranus opposition falls exactly on the Ascendant/Descendant axis. The transiting Pluto opposing Thailand’s Sun at 2 Cancer, shows the leadership dispute that lies at the root of the current unrest. What makes this horoscope interesting is the 1932 foundation year, when present constitutional system was established via a revolution. It was at this time that the last Uranus/Pluto square was exact, which predisposes this country to times in its history when extreme events wreak havoc… and the current repeat of the aspect may well be one of these times. It is worth noting that Mars in this horoscope has progressed and is now on the Pluto/Uranus square, which indicates dictatorial repression. And later, as the series of seven squares pick out the retrograde Venus at 10 Cancer, economic chaos and restructuring lie ahead, perhaps as a consequence of a second social revolution.
On May 28th – two weeks after this article has been written – Uranus moves into Aries, and almost immediately Jupiter also enters Aries, conjoining Uranus on June 8th at 0.18 Aries. Whilst Uranus in Pisces is prepared to play a victim’s role, it will not do so in Aries. The last time Uranus was in Pisces, Hitler was in jail and writing Mein Kampf, but when it came into Aries, he was well on the way to establishing his credentials as Führer (leader) of the Arian race.
Of course the Uranus/Jupiter conjunction is not malefic in itself, and it plays a tremendous role in technological development cycles. The last conjunction in Aries in 1927 saw the first transatlantic flight, by Charles Lindberg, which led to an explosion of pioneering international flights the same year. This was also the year when the Talkies began… all movies until that time had been silent. (Initially people were extremely skeptical… who needed to hear people speak, when you could see them?) 1927 was also the year of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, which stated that certain experiments could not be relied on because the presence of the observer affected the experiment. This was a concept which revolutionarized scientific materialism.
We can expect amazing pioneering discoveries now, especially because the digital world is so unlike anything experienced before in history. A scientific group in the USA has in fact just created – for the first time – life. The controversial leader of the project, Dr Venter, is quoted as saying:
“We were ecstatic when the cells booted up with all the watermarks in place,” “It’s a living species now, part of our planet’s inventory of life.” For 15 years his research time had coded genomes until they could be chemically combined by digital software to create living bacteria. (Note 4) Primitive life forms can now be digitally created in the laboratory. Unfortunately his company is patenting tis process, which raises the prospect of someone actually owning the building blocks for life creation. Otherwise known as god.
The current Uranus/Jupiter conjunction takes place just once in Aries… the next two take place in Pisces, as both planets retrograde. This could indicate a summer of unrest, with a mopping up effect from August 2010 to March 2011. But in the explosive period from the end of May to early September 2010, anything can happen. Probably the USA will not be exempt, because the IC on the USA (Sibley) horoscope is at 1 degree Aries, indicating unrest – or more extreme events – close to the White House. In 1969 Jupiter and Uranus conjoined at the opposite point – 1 degree Libra on the Midheaven – just as Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. This current conjunction is the time of the World Cup which takes place in South Africa on June 11th 2010. This is obviously going to be a riveting and electric international event. The security had better be good though. The World Cup took place for the first time in 1930, as the last Uranus/Pluto square was building up.
Security is exactly what Pluto in Capricorn is interested in. It is the solution to everything. This means surveillance cameras, extra police, control over the movement of people, the joy of the global database. As Jupiter and Uranus move into Aries, their message is freedom for the individual – at any price – whilst Pluto in Capricorn is interested in protecting the state – at all costs. As Saturn currently opposes Uranus and Jupiter, the incredible desire to break free is stopped by Saturn – it is simply impossible and impractical. With Saturn disposing of Pluto, the indications are that whilst Saturn is in Virgo it will serve the people, and whilst it is exalted in Libra until October 2012, the leaders of the state – Obama for example – will take a balanced and fair approach. But when Saturn moves in to Scorpio, which is does at the next presidential election in November 2012, all bets are off. Saturn in Scorpio sextile Pluto in Capricorn is successfully repressive… and may have to be with an economy that has hit rock bottom.
Uranus enters Aries tentatively, going retrograde at 0.35 Aries in July and returning to Pisces. Jupiter meanwhile, emboldened by its brother at arms Uranus, continues on, going retrograde at 3.24 Aries whilst in exact square to Pluto – an aspect that lasts for many weeks. The indications are that revolutionary behavior at this time is ill-judged and will be brutally stamped out. The last time Jupiter/Uranus conjoined in Aries in 1927 the palace of justice in Vienna was stormed and burned by an angry mob. Very appropriate. Angry mobs may want to mete out their own fiery brand of justice this summer and there are many places in the world this can happen. In Greece a government elected by the people to protect the laid-back social fabric of their society is being forced by the EU to impose draconic financial cuts, which the people find oppressive. Rather than contemplate a domino effect which causes the Euro to collapse, the EU must impose its will… Pluto in Capricorn. The Greek people are furious that the government they elected to protect them forces them to suffer even more.
Greece revolution – 24.03.1821 12.00 Kalavryla AS 19.25 CN (Source BWH)
Modern Greece was founded when the Ottoman occupation was overthrown on the last but one Uranus/Neptune conjunction in 1821 when both planets where in exact conjunction to the minute of arc at 3 Capricorn… where transiting Pluto is in 2010. Subsequent horoscopes for Greece consistently show 3 – 6 degrees of cardinal signs to dominate completely. For example the July 24th democratic revolution in 1974 against the military dictatorship shows a Moon/Pluto conjunction at 4 Libra square Venus at 3 Cancer. The pressures on Greece are massive, and the government cannot survive 2010. Even Greek membership of the Euro seems in doubt. Nothing less than a total reconstruction of Greece can be effective… an iron hand will probably initially keep the people under control, but the Uranus transit in 2011 will bring unrest and revolution.
How this will affect the rest of Europe is uncertain, but with Pluto slowly approaching 9 degrees Capricorn – where the sun is every New Year’s Day, which is the date for the foundation of many European institutions as well as the horoscope for the United Kingdom – turmoil is indicated until 2015. Russia, China and the US horoscope are all profoundly affected by the transits of Uranus and Pluto, so we are entering an unstable period for the world with continued recession and increasing unemployment. Scapegoats will be sought, and the wise individual must refuse to be drawn in to mass movements that demonize specific groups. It is worth remembering that the last Uranus/Pluto square in the early 1930’s did not coincide with war… just extreme political movements and economic depression.
It is quite likely that the two retrograde conjunctions of Uranus and Jupiter in Pisces will bring innovative solutions to environmental problems, as well as radical and effective solutions to help the unemployed and underprivileged, as well as providing finishing touches to health reform in the USA. Also, when Neptune enters Pisces in April 2011, there will probably be extremely strong humanitarian forces trying to heal those who are victims of the coming changes.
As the Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto are moving through cardinal signs in the coming years, this is a period of dynamic change rather than passive inactivity. What pays for the individual now is to act… to keep ahead of things. There is no status quo… everything is movement and this means taking personal initiatives for change. There are waves that need to be surfed, trains that need to be hopped on to, falling bridges that need to be sped over. After one initiative is taken, it is time to take the next, as each change rapidly becomes obsolete and consigned to the past. Therefore this is also a period of radical progress in all directions.
By the year 2020, with Pluto at the tail end of Capricorn and soon to enter Aquarius, and with the first of a 200-year cycle of Saturn/Jupiter conjunctions taking place at 0 Aquarius, a new era will dawn. At this time the repressive governments that were created to handle crisis will be swept aside. Technological change will sweep the last of an oil and coal based world away, people will unite in a one world state of digital union, and a new electromagnetic world of light will emerge. In the meantime perhaps we can find inspiration in the words of French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, who wrote – at another Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Aries in 1762 – “Man is born free yet everywhere is in chains”. (Note 4) That was the state of things prior to the French Revolution in 1789, and now perhaps we are still slaves… to capital.
Adrian Duncan 20th May 2010
1. This aspect repeats itself about every 80 years, but you have to go back to 1755 – 1758 for the last series of seven squares.
2. The crucial date for the formation of Thailand can be traced back to April 6th 1782, when the capital was moved to Bangkok. In 1932 however the present constitutional system was established via a revolution. Interestingly Mars is at exactly the same degree – 1 Gemini – in both horoscopes.
3. Interview with The Guardian May 20th 2010.
4. Le Contra Social – 1762. This book expressed antimonarchist views and Rousseau has to take refuge in Switzerland to escape prosecution.