Of all the outer
planet cycles that make our solar system such a lively place, the
Saturn-Neptune cycle is perhaps the most puzzling—and worrisome, as there
always seems to be a crisis of some kind brewing. Saturn and Neptune represent
quite contrary impulses—one likes to separate (as in the “real” from the
“imaginary”) and one likes to confuse the differences between such categories
(is it “real,” or is it “Memorex?”). Saturn contains and limits; Neptune
undermines and erodes all limits. The only thing Saturn and Neptune can agree
upon is their perpetual disagreement.
In fact, the
Saturn-Neptune cycle is all about manifesting a collective vision. Since the
present cycle now entering its final quarter began in November 1989, the
visions on the world scene have hit manic highs—such as the end of the Cold War
and all that marked that passage—and horrific lows—the 9/11 World Trade Center
attacks in 2001, and now “Black Friday” in Paris on November 13, 2015 (more on
that below). In retrospect, it seems that these alternating waves of collective
euphoria and near-apocalyptic anxiety are Neptune-Saturn’s forté—especially
forceful since Neptune entered its home sign of Pisces, the sign of
victimization, in 2011-12.
Rewinding to where
it all began…
Before we consider
the most recent event in Paris, however, let’s consider where the present cycle
began, in November 1989 (chart below).
Interestingly, just that August, the space probe Voyager II had passed
by and photographed Neptune and its Moon, and in retrospect, I have to wonder
if we weren’t being cued to pay special attention to Neptune in the period that
followed, as Neptune was joining forces with Saturn at 10°+Capricorn to undermine all types of
structures—physical, social, economic, ideological.
George H.W. Bush was
finishing his first year as U.S. president and would soon be sending U.S.
troops to the Persian Gulf War (August 1990-January 1991), but perhaps most
dramatically, between 1989 and 1992, Communist governments (Saturn-Neptune
rule) in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union were “washed away” (Neptune) in
waves of mass protests, and the Berlin Wall was reduced to rubble with great
jubilation; the Cold War (begun under the 1952 Saturn-Neptune cycle)
“dissolved” like a spoonful of sugar in hot tea.
By the time Saturn
squared Neptune (in 1998), the newly-democratic Eastern bloc countries were
caught in a global recession. Interestingly, the International Monetary Fund,
which played a role in this crisis, was founded under the Saturn-Neptune square
of 1944. Russia’s economy,
for instance, took a serious blow in 1998, triggered by a sharp decline
(Saturn) in the price of oil (Neptune), which produced a disastrous fall in the
value of the ruble.
During the years
preceding that Saturn-Neptune square, the U.S. began experiencing major
terrorist events. After 1998, of course, the situation only worsened. Although major
terrorist events usually feature powerful collusions between all of the outer
planets (we’ll consider examples ahead), I would argue that the Saturn-Neptune
cycle plays a key role in terrorism—especially in cultivating the twisted
mindset characteristic of this phenomenon. With this duo it’s easy to get
caught up in the hermetically-sealed cycle of victimization, blame and
retribution—and the poles of good and evil are infinitely reversible.
Saturn brings a
judgmental “separating the wheat from the chaff” mentality to bear; Neptune
applies its sleight-of-hand until the opposite poles are indistinguishable, and
that’s how seemingly well-intentioned, well-justified people end up doing
horrendous things at times.
Our Middle East
politics has been rife with such ironies: in trying to support Iraqi forces
with weapons in recent years, the U.S. inadvertently provided weapons to fighters
with the Islamic State; in trying to avoid policing every Middle East conflict,
we facilitated the terrorist side effects of the Syrian civil war. And so
on…the lines between defense and offense become blurred, and with Neptune
casting its spell on Saturn, the Lord of Karma falls down the proverbial
“rabbit hole,” and everyone is responsible—to the terrorist mindset, at
least—for the actions of a few. The
relationship between actions and consequences becomes distorted: we’re all
victims and—on the flipside—we’re all victimizers.
This, it would
seem, is what guarantees that terrorism will not be defeated with additional
violence; as with the Hydra, the mythical water monster (one of Neptune’s worst
“baddies” and a frequently-used symbol of “feminine rage”), cutting off one
“tentacle” of terrorism merely results in two more springing forth. Suicide
bombers know full well the power of victimization and so-called “martyrdom”
(also ruled by Neptune).
At the square and
opposition…
Let’s briefly
consider some examples and then give more careful consideration to yesterday’s
Black Friday tragedy.
The first terrorist attack on the ill-fated World Trade
Center towers happened on February
26, 1993, just days after the new Uranus-Neptune cycle began at 19°+Capricorn, with Saturn semi-sextile Neptune
and square Pluto. In Capricorn, Uranus and Neptune are infused with Saturn’s
predilection for structure, only Uranus likes to blow up structures, and
Neptune facilitates with the requisite deceit and subterfuge. Saturn square
Pluto marked this as a major transformative moment, ushering society into the
apocalyptic feeling end of the 20th century.
On September 11, 2001, the chart for the first World Trade Center attack features Saturn in
Gemini trine the Uranus-Neptune midpoint in Aquarius and opposed to Pluto in
Sagittarius. This attack completed what the 1993 attack sought to do and the
depth of depravity represented by the attack on innocent lives was countered by
incredible heroism (both covered by this tense Saturn-Pluto moment). This
opposition also set the stage for the coming years of warfare in the Middle
East and everything this has meant for American society. Interestingly, Mars in
Capricorn conjoined the South Node that day (fitting for such collective
violence) and beyond that formed only minor aspects—most notably a septile with
Uranus. This fits if we consider the U.S. financial system (Capricorn) was the
symbolic target for the attack’s violence and chaos.
In both the above
instances, Saturn appears to relay and implement the less grounded energies of
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, directing their manifestation in the days’ events.
This remains true
with the Paris attack chart (below).
Saturn in Sagittarius squares Neptune in Pisces (5th-8th house) and sextiles
the North Node (Virgo) Mars-Venus (Libra) conjunction, reflecting the
psychological dynamics and deception underlying the terrorist enterprise, and
the extent to which it depends upon the agents’ (suicide bombers, shooters,
etc.) outraged sense of justice (Libra). The involvement of the Node suggests the
terrorists seized a fated moment in time—and as Theodore White points out, the
migration of the Node (retrograde) into Virgo supports belligerent actions on
the part of people who consider themselves “victims” (Virgo-Pisces axis).
Jupiter in Virgo opposes Chiron in Pisces. Military and police forces tend to build-up
when Jupiter falls in Virgo; terrorist attacks, of course, only promote greater
build up, as security concerns escalate. Of Jupiter opposite Chiron, Martin
Lass writes: “The initial reaction to this aspect is to assert that there is
something ‘wrong’ with the world that has dealt us our Wounds. We feel things
should have been different and could be different now, if only…”. Those who
lost loved ones in Paris will certainly relate to this, but we will probably
miss the greater point of this aspect if we ignore that those driven to
terrorism are probably feeling the same—wounded and alienated from a world that
doesn’t make sense to them. With nothing to lose, they become horrifically
powerful agents of change.
Uranus in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn; Uranus inconjuncts Jupiter and trines
the Moon in Sagittarius. We’ve lived with the pressures of a cardinal
Uranus-Pluto square for more than five years now, so the aspect has become an
annoying cosmic background “hum” of sorts—until the social and personal
planets call down the energies of that cardinal duo and deploy them in targeted
directions. Here, Uranus super-charges Jupiter’s militant leanings in Virgo and
suggests that technology was instrumental in the coordination of the attack. In
so doing, Uranus inflicts great shock and trauma on the people (represented by
the Moon). The collectivization of this trauma—expressed in the global outcry
of support and messages such as “Nous sommes Paris!” also speaks to
Uranus.
Jupiter squares the Moon and trines Pluto. These aspects amplify the trauma
experienced by the people of Paris and probably also reflect the mass audience
type venues that were attacked, between the Paris soccer stadium (first attack)
and the Bataclan concert hall. They also reflect the mass casualties inflicted
and the grave importance of the event for French society going forward. We know
in the U.S. how the 9/11 attacks impacted our public consciousness and
policies—up to and including assaults on our traditional constitutional rights.
The "usual suspects"
Even before the
Paris attacks, Saturn and Neptune were the “usual suspects” in a steady stream
of fearsome effects around the world:
between wars, drought, epidemics, oppression, terrorist attacks, poverty and
global warming, a lot of people on this planet are suffering their own personal
apocalypses right now, and one way or another, we’re in this collective vision
together. What needs to change—if we are going to live out the higher, rather
than the lower possibilities of this cycle—is the vision itself. Not surprisingly—visions (Neptune) become
reality (Saturn)!
Approaching the
cycle actively, rather than passively, would help. The antidote to panic and
fear is critical analysis (Saturn)—a little Saturn applied to media illusions
and misinformation can bust Neptune’s Orwellian bubble. It is also possible to
use Neptune’s intuitive powers to discern, rather than confuse the truth. In
fact, Neptune’s higher manifestations can be glorious, but we need to actively
employ Saturn to make them happen: Compassion (active caring requires effort);
Healing (a discipline must be learned and applied); Wisdom (personal ego must
be set aside to view situations from a collective or spiritual focus) and
Vision (active imagining of an ideal, so that it can manifest) are all the
better fruits of this cycle.
Nous sommes Paris!
© Raye
Robertson 2015. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment