Thursday, March 31, 2016

Playing Tag with Cerberus: Mars Rx & our revolutionary times



Mars is stationing retrograde on April 17 at 8°+ Sagittarius and will remain retrograde until June 29th when it goes direct at 23°+Scorpio. Big Red will be joining both Jupiter and Saturn in this retrograde tag team...the question is, what will this mean for the nation-at-large and its inborn revolutionary impulse?

Jupiter will be the first to turn direct again in May, Mars following suit at end of June, and Saturn lingering behind until August. The good news with Mars going retro is, we’ll be hitting a “cosmic pause button” for some of the chaos we’ve been seeing this election, but a Mars retrograde pause does not mean total inactivity: it’s all about regrouping around the core purpose for action, and that could dramatically influence election results.

As if to mirror our 3-member tag team, we are seeing a 3-headed Cerberus-type demon guarding the gates of today’s chaotic election: Resentment about the country’s demographic shift away from the white majority to a more diverse mix of peoples—the so-called “majority minorities;” Frustration with an economy that hasn’t worked for millions; Angry blame directed towards minorities and the government for all of the above. 

Long story short, angry millions of people are “not getting theirs” and they’re open to any and all solutions, including a radical move away from the so-called global “free market” of the past 4 decades. Both Trump and Sanders are proposing such a move, albeit from very different directions. But is the Cosmos going to support a true revolution at this time? Or, will we see yet another aborted attempt at real change?

Unfortunately, the two often go hand in hand: in 1789 the French thought they were following in our American revolutionary footsteps, when actually the “powers-that-be” reasserted themselves with swift vengeance, paving the way for Napoleon’s ascendance to power (1804) and a brutal period of warfare (1803-1815). It wasn’t a total loss, however: the desperate conditions created for the French and others across Europe by the Napoleonic Wars seeded the more lasting revolutions of 1848. It’s no coincidence that the young United States was falling apart over the issue of slavery at this exact time—a second revolution was unfolding beneath our feet at that time, as well.

Against other background tensions, the 1848 revolution in France erupted over the lower classes lacking access to the ballot box—could we be seeing a parallel today? Or are we seeing the ascendance of an archetypal “Napoleon” type who fits the “savior” profile for disaffected voters?

The genesis of a revolution

I think Mars’ impending retrograde holds some answers for us—especially in regards to the bigger picture of American democracy: what is this Mars transit, in concert with its tag team partners, likely to mean for the nation at large and its inborn revolutionary impulse?


As it turns out, America’s revolutionary heritage is rooted in that 8th degree of Sagittarius Mars will be triggering. The history tells us something we need to revisit with this season’s retrogrades.

Here’s the genesis: a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at that 8th degree of Sagittarius in 1603 laid the groundwork for U.S. colonization “due to religious (Sagittarius) oppression[1]”—in other words, as a rebellion against that oppression. That 1603 cycle began what is called a Great Mutation—the first of a series of Jupiter-Saturn cycles in a new element—in this case, the revolutionary element of fire. Interestingly, that conjunction tightly squared Virgo Neptune, and a fiery 25°+Aries Pluto trined the Galactic Center (26°-27°Sagittarius). As we’ll see, the parallels with revolutionary times in the U.S. run deep.

The next major milestone featured a Chiron-Pluto conjunction at that same 8th degree of Sagittarius in November 1752–arguably marking the conception period of our 1776 revolution. Revolutions don’t just happen—they germinate and develop towards manifestation/birth. Let’s examine that conception chart against the eventual 1776 Sibly chart:


·       
·     
      The 12th house gestation. Not surprisingly, the 1752 Chiron-Pluto conjunction fell in the future 12th house (gestation) of the revolution “born” on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia. In its transformative, evolutionary role, Pluto rules both birth and death processes, so its later position in the Sibly 2nd house speaks to the founding values of the nation, but the path Pluto took through the remainder of Sagittarius and early Capricorn to get there reflects the treacherous journey that infant nation faced in the “birth canal.” Many internal divisions (including Pluto transiting the future Sibly 1st) threatened to derail the revolution, but Chiron and Pluto continued to nurture the revolutionary impulse through a heightened level of British oppression. 




      Britain’s King George III didn’t turn the screws on American thumbs at that time for the fun of it, however—he had enormous debts to pay on the heels of his 9 year (1754-1763) French-Indian War with France, and the net effect was that working class colonists were drafted into that war, paid higher taxes and suffered deeper poverty. The American Colonies were the King’s go-to source of revenue and expendable cannon fodder.

When that fateful war began at the Battle of Jumonville Glen in western Pennsylvania on May 28, 1754, Chiron conjoined the GC at 27°+Sagittarius and Pluto conjoined the future Sibly ascendant at 12°+Sagittarius, preparing the “ground” for revolution. Similar to the rush of hormones that signals an infant that it’s time to let go of life in the womb, Chiron at the GC signaled “enough is enough,” stimulating release of the increasingly toxic relationship with Britain.

Revolutions happen when people feel backed into a corner, with nothing more to lose—certainly a parallel with today. As the revolution’s target, George III was experiencing an equally volatile set of transits: the Jumonville Pluto tightly opposed his Gemini Sun, forming a t-square with transiting Pisces Uranus, while Sagittarius Chiron (then conjunct the GC) opposed his Saturn. That significant 8th degree of Sagittarius fell opposite his natal Chiron. George III had his own “corner” to occupy; his only release in the end was to literally go mad.

1752 Uranus in Aquarius lights up our 3rd house Sibly Moon. Aquarian ideals were essential for the success of the coming revolution. Chief among these was what Aquarius Now author Marilyn Ferguson calls “a return to radical common sense”—“…the growing realization that individual good sense was not enough—that society itself must make sense or decline.”[2] The system of hereditary monarchy made no sense to revolutionary Thomas Paine (our original “spin doctor” and author of the influential pamphlet entitled Common Sense), whereas the principles of constitutional democracy did. The 1750s were the height of the Age of Enlightenment in Europe, a time when great thinkers like Voltaire, John Locke, Adam Smith and Jean Jacques Rousseau were seeding the democracies to come. Our founding fathers studied these men and modeled our Declaration of Independence and Constitution on their ideas.

1752 Saturn in Sagittarius opposes Sibly Mars in Gemini and squares Sibly Neptune in Virgo. This volatile t-square certainly amplified the growing discontent and destabilized the existing order. Things broke loose seriously in the 1760s and 70s, with mob violence, the Boston Massacre and finally the Revolution itself.  The parallels between this aspect and the 2016 Mars retrograde chart (below) are stunning!

1752 Jupiter-As in Cancer trines 1752 Mars-Node in Scorpio and conjoins Sibly Sun.  Both dignified by rulership, Jupiter and Mars appear to bless the future nation’s revolutionary birth with this nice trine spanning the 8th-12th houses of that nation. The Mars-Node conjunction reflects the stamina and vitality of the revolutionary impulse and its alignment with destiny. Jupiter’s position foreshadows the generosity that France extended to our leaders during the Revolution—we would not be alone in this quest.



A new revolution ahead?
So, returning to the question posed early on: assuming there’s popular support for one, is the Cosmos going to support a true revolution at this time? Or, will we see yet another aborted attempt at real change? Given the history of that fiery 8°+Sagittarius point, chances are good that the Mars Rx chart for April 17, 2016 will tell us something. Let’s examine that chart, set against the Sibly chart:





Biwheel: (inner chart) Natal, U.S. (Sibly), July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m., Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) Mars Retrograde, April 17, 2016, 8:14:40 a.m., Washington, D.C. Equal houses, true node.

Cross our heart and hope to …?

Incredibly, at the heart of this powerful interchart relationship is a mutable Grand Square that stretches across the Sibly chart axes (using Equal houses). Included are the following aspects:

Transiting Mars Rx and Saturn Rx conjoin in Sagittarius at the Sibly Asc; both points oppose Sibly Uranus (Gemini) at the Sibly Dsc.

Transiting Jupiter Rx (Virgo) at the Sibly 10th cusp opposes Transiting Neptune (Pisces) at the Sibly 4th cusp; both points square the Asc-Dsc axis.
·   
·      This amazing configuration offers the American people a chance to reconsider national priorities and direction, and to—importantly—take a breather. This election year, coinciding with an accelerated number of terrorist events and other geopolitical turmoil, has been too shrill, too chaotic and too demoralizing to continue as-is. Mars here seems to say that we need to revisit the truth (Sagittarius) underlying today’s revolutionary impulse. The remaining tag team members seem to be counseling a long, unvarnished, “spin-free” look at the real oppressor(s) we need to overcome before we work to manifest a better, more all-encompassing alternative (Saturn-Jupiter-Neptune).

Not that a grand square’s built in tension should be underestimated: Revolutions explode out of pent-up situations, and this one’s a doozy. It’s no wonder we’re seeing a rash of terrorist incidents that defy intelligence networks (Sibly Uranus), and accidents involving collapsing structures, like the Kolkata overpass (India) today. 

Even so, I believe this configuration says that revolution—for all its romanticism—isn’t what it used to be. The “oppressor/enemy” is more woven into everything we touch, including the very products we consume. It’s the result of the long erosion process our legislation process and system of justice have undergone, flooded with corporate rivers of money (Neptune). Our checks and balances are sorely out of whack.

This oppressor is a true creature of our own making, more systemic than personal, and one election cycle is not going to reverse its effects, even if we burn the world down in protest. Still, the situation wasn’t created over night, so we have to start somewhere—perhaps taking a hint from other points in this Mars Rx chart:

Interchart T-square: Transiting Uranus (Aries) conjoins Sibly Chiron (Aries), opposes Sibly Saturn (Libra) and squares Pluto (both transiting and Sibly). Revolutionary potential is strong, and will find an outlet—unfortunately, there will be no one-size-fits-all plan of action, so wounding and healing will be flip sides of the same path to some sort of restored balance.

Transiting Chiron (Pisces) opposes Sibly Neptune (Virgo). Recalling that Neptune was also in Virgo in that 1603 chart we first considered above, it’s not hard to see the historical echoes at play here. It’s also worth considering that transiting Neptune will oppose its Sibly position in the 2020s (first exact in May 2021), so we might want to act before even rockier times ahead. Few would argue that the so-called “American Dream” has lost its luster lately—the challenge here is to learn where the breaking points are so we can prevent future catastrophes. 

Revolutions are always preceded by some triggering event that pushes people beyond their limits—Hollywood might picture people pouring into the streets, pitchforks in hand, running the greedy banker out of town. This aspect, however—foreshadowing the later Neptune-Neptune passage, perhaps—suggests a rising tide that either “lifts all boats” or leaves them capsized and lost at sea. It’s a metaphor that any politician worth his/her salt should be contemplating.

More on individual Candidates and Mars retrograde coming soon!






[1] Michael Baigent, Nicholas Campion and Charles Harvey, Mundane Astrology, Thorsons, 1984, p. 185.
[2]Marilyn Ferguson, Aquarius Now, Weiser Books, 2005, p. 12.


Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former university English instructor. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years. Raye can be contacted by comment here, or at: robertsonraye@gmail.com. 


© Raye Robertson 2016. All rights reserved. 

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Cosmic Connections: exploring how young people become radicalized, from Srebrenica to Brussels




Here we are again, mourning the victims of yet another terrorist attack–this one on March 22nd in Brussels—and wondering why

Political candidates have all chimed in with promises to “destroy ISIS,” but I can’t help thinking the discussions hardly define the problem, much less offer a plausible solution (i.e., one that won’t simply play into the terrorist agenda). Are we “at war with radical Islam,” as some would have us believe? Or, are we threatened by a parasitic strain of extremism that just happens to use Islam as its host? Is Islam the problem, a part of the problem, or none of the problem? What, many ask, is radicalizing these young Muslims? Thankfully, one media host finally asked a man with some first-hand experience in the matter for some insights!

John Hockenberry’s March 24th “Takeaway” segment (NPR) was entitled “Can We Talk About ISIS Without Talking About Islam?” Normally, Muslim guests on such news segments emphasize Islam’s peaceful credo and intentions; surprisingly, Hockenberry’s guest Maajid Nawaz—a self-professed former radical who found his way out of the grip of extremism to write a book about it and to establish an anti-extremism “think tank” in London—did not. Instead, he offered a much more nuanced, and probably more helpful view. Here’s the gist:

Hockenberry introduced the segment by citing the “baptism massacre” montage in the first Godfather film and questioning why the Catholic Church has never been accused of fomenting terrorism when so many murderous Mafia players have been members of that church. Nawaz pointed out the flaw in that analogy (basically that the Mafia doesn’t proclaim a religious reason for their actions) and offered a more plausible scenario:

“…a  better analogy would be the Crusades…I think between the position of sensationalism that Donald Trump takes and Ted Cruz takes, and denialism…some on the Left want to take a denialist position…I think it’s as unhelpful to say this has nothing to do with Islam as it is to say it is Islam per se…The truth is…it’s got something to do with Islam…it’s got something to do with foreign policy…it’s got something to do with socio-economic factors and geopolitical factors…you know, the truth is a lot more complex than that…It’s as unhelpful as saying that the Crusaders who were Christian had nothing to do with Christianity…when somebody does an action and they proclaim it’s for a religious reason, it’s not really wise for us to ignore that as one of many factors involved.”

Of course, Nawaz is an anomaly among radicalized Muslims—he lived to talk about his path out of extremist thinking and away from violence as the solution to historical grievances. Importantly for this post, Nawaz revealed a key moment in his own radicalization process that we can examine astrologically—the Srebrenica massacre. This horrendous event unfolded over three days in July, 1995 and saw the systematic execution of 8000+ Bosnian Muslim boys and men—their bodies dumped in unmarked, mass graves. It was the event that turned the 1992-1995 Bosnian War into genocide, and unless Nawaz was the exception, it probably radicalized others as well. This was a timely revelation on Nawaz’s part, of course: yesterday (March 24th ) was also the day the war crimes tribunal in The Hague sentenced former Serbian Republic president Radovan Karadžić to 40 years in prison for his role in this massacre.

Genocide is an existential threat to a whole people, and the world has seen far too much of it in the 20th century and now, in the 21st. Maybe it's not too mysterious why young Muslims coming to grips with the Srebrenica atrocity—and more recently, by the Syrian government’s slaughter of its own people—might be prompted to action. Unfortunately there’s no chart available for Nawaz himself, but we can explore the broader complexities he points to above. As we’ll see, Srebrenica and recent terrorist activity have important outer planetary cycle connections.

Common threads...
Two common astrological threads unite the tensions of the early 1990s with today’s terrorist threat (including the March 22nd attack in Brussels): the 1988 Saturn-Uranus cycle (now in final trine phase) and the 1989 Saturn-Neptune cycle (now in final square phase). I would argue that—if we really want to know why young people are being radicalized, it would help to understand the connections between these two socially unstable time periods.


Not that these two time periods tell the whole story—Middle Eastern cultures are ancient and proud of their long memories. So, as Nawaz points out, the resentment harks all the way back to the 11th-15th century Crusades, when killing Muslims was a loudly proclaimed Christian quest. Nevertheless, a shorter time frame can tell us a lot, considering the dynamics are fairly predictable: periods of social instability arise (often due to economic/resource factors); you kill us, we kill you…repeat…repeat…repeat….

So, let’s examine the event that Nawaz claims radicalized his thinking: the Srebrenica massacre, as seen against the Saturn-Uranus-Neptune cycles in question (chart below):



Biwheel: (inner wheel) Saturn-0-Uranus, February 13, 1988; (outer wheel) Srebrenica Massacre, beginning on 7/11/1995, 11:00 a.m. (based on a Wikipedia report that the timing was “before mid-day”), Srebrenica, Bosnia. Any house, angle- or Moon-related ideas below are thus somewhat speculative.  

Interchart Grand Cross: Cycle Mars-Cycle Point (Sagittarius) opposes Cycle MC-Chiron (Gemini); this all squares the Cycle Nodal axis, which is aligned with the Massacre Mars-Chiron (Virgo) opposition to Massacre Saturn (Pisces). Amazingly, the Massacre chart angles are aligned with the Cycle angles, as well—a compelling argument for the 11 a.m. time in these circumstances—but again, the exact time is unconfirmed and even without those connections, this is a dramatic interchart configuration. 

As we know from today’s cosmic climate, mutable energies can be super volatile—the heavy Mars interactions with Saturn, Uranus and Chiron we see in this instance suggest State-sanctioned and militarized (Virgo) social change with greatly wounding consequences (Chiron). As I’ve written elsewhere, regimes that resonate with the Saturn-Uranus cycle are often “heroic strong man”-centered, authoritarian affairs, and that’s strongly indicated here. As we’ll see ahead, this profile also fits Radovan Karadžić’s nativity, whose natal Pluto exactly coincides with the 29°+Sagittarius Saturn-Uranus cycle point. The 29th degrees of the fire signs are particularly powerful[1]--a key reason this Saturn-Uranus cycle has been so violent.


Cycle point (Sagittarius) trines Cycle Jupiter (Aries); Massacre Neptune-Uranus (Capricorn) squares Cycle Jupiter, trines Cycle AS-South Node (Virgo) and semi-sextiles Cycle Sun (Aquarius). The 1993 Uranus-Neptune conjunction at 19°+Capricorn closely preceded this event and set an aggressive global resource-seeking cycle in motion. This cycle has victimized many ethnic populations whose land and resources were coveted by another, more powerful group (including global corporations). As with other populations, there was an historical rivalry at stake in Bosnia: Yugloslavia’s disintegration unsettled the region during that 1980s-90s period, setting Bosnian Serbs scrambling to consolidate the territories they felt belonged to them, historically.
This scramble was fueled by long-held resentments: the Ottoman Turks (i.e., Muslims) occupied Bosnia and the whole Balkans region in the late 18th century, until the formation of Yugoslavia in 1918, and the relationship between present-day Bosnian Serbs and Muslims has been strained ever since. The aspects shown here speak to both the strained power relationship that evolved between the groups and the volatility of the situation.

More on the Interchart T-square: Massacre Chiron-opposite Saturn, all square Cycle Chiron. It’s worth emphasizing here that deep, historical wounds were suffered in the Bosnian region by all concerned; Bosnian Serbs and Muslims were only able to coexist under the post-WWII Yugoslavian Republic because of the strong leadership of Marshal Josip Broz Tito, but when a severe economic downturn hit, along with the Republic’s disintegration in 1989 (the year of this new Cycle), a leadership void opened up for xenophobic leaders like Milošević and Karadžić. Security fears (centered heavily around material resources) ran rampant, and at that point, repressed religious/cultural animosities simply busted loose. It’s taken 21 years to prosecute the war crimes committed, but hopefully the country will now begin to heal (Chiron).



Biwheel: (inner wheel) Saturn-Neptune Cycle, March 3, 1989; (outer wheel) Srebrenica Massacre.

Cycle Uranus-Moon-Saturn-Neptune (Cycle Point 11°+Capricorn) oppose Massacre Venus/Sun (midpoint in Cancer). This cycle triggers the all-important cardinal Cancer-Capricorn “power axis” with particular force. As often happens with tense Saturn-Neptune aspects, material issues morph into security fears (Venus/Sun midpoint in Cancer), heavily cloaked in ideology (Neptune). Political aggression is then easily justified by tapping into latent ethnic tensions (Moon-Uranus-Neptune).

Cycle Pluto (Scorpio) trines Massacre Sun (Cancer) and Saturn (Pisces). Under Slobodan Milošović, the new Serbian republic was born in the midst of ethnic unrest, including a 1989 Kosovo miners’ strike by local Albanians (Muslims) that may have triggered the years of forceful ethnic cleansing that followed; it seems the Srebrenica action was the culmination of this campaign and was carried out despite U.N./U.S.-led air strikes begun in 1994.


Interchart Grand Trine: Cycle Mars-Jupiter (Taurus) trines Massacre Chiron-Mars-AS (Virgo) trines Cycle Neptune-Uranus (Capricorn). Again, the Massacre chart ascendant is unconfirmed, but its convergence with this belligerent interchart configuration makes perfect sense. The genocide was a carefully planned 3-day operation carried out by the Serbian military (Virgo Mars), so the chart angles would reflect that fact. The resource-related power at stake is reflected in the strong Taurus energies; the trines reflect how widespread and pervasive the violence was by that time in Bosnia.

Turning to Brussels...
So, we’ve seen how tightly the two Cycle charts tied into the Srebrenica event; let’s now briefly consider the Cycle connections with the March 22nd Brussels event:



Biwheel: (inner wheel) Brussels Airport Bombing, March 22, 2016, Zaventem, Belgium, 7:58 a.m. ST; (outer wheel) 1988 Saturn-Uranus Cycle.

Brussels Saturn (Sagittarius) trines Brussels Uranus (Aries); Cycle MC-Moon-Mars (Sagittarius) conjoin Brussels Saturn and trine Brussels Uranus-Cycle Jupiter. This powerful blast of fiery energy certainly reflects the violence of the day, spanning the Brussels 8th-12th houses (death via hidden enemies). The Cycle Saturn-Uranus conjunction at 29°+Sagittarius (also falling in the Brussels 8th house) speaks to how this release of energies at the Saturn-120-Uranus was seeded during that late 1980s time frame.

Cycle Pluto (Scorpio) trines Brussels Neptune-Venus (Pisces); Brussels Saturn (Sagittarius) squares Brussels Neptune-Venus. Belgium has been characterized as being a “hotbed of jihadist ideology” by some media outlets, which suggests that Pluto’s position over the Brussels 7th house of open enemies makes sense. Reportedly, authorities have known about terrorist cells in Belgium for some time, and haven’t arrived at a coherent strategy for dealing with the threat. The Pisces planets in the Brussels 11th house reflects this confusion, especially square Saturn in Sag. The Pisces points probably also reflect the appeal jihadist ideology had for those carrying out this attack, who were putting the Saturn square to different use: to “manifest” their “dream.”

Interchart Grand Square: Cycle Chiron (Gemini) opposes Cycle MC-Moon-Mars & Brussels Saturn; all of this squares Brussels Chiron-South Node (Pisces) opposite Brussels Jupiter-Moon-North Node (Virgo). Martin Lass says that Saturn-square-Chiron blocks or represses avenues for healing our wounds, but he also suggests that if the square is part of a T-square or larger configuration, an outlet for healing can be found. Unfortunately, terrorism trades in the deeply-engrained delusion that vengeance = healing. Such delusions can be difficult to separate from positive religious ideologies because they are subjective and vulnerable to the “power of suggestion” (Neptune/Pisces). Blocked energy of any kind seeks an outlet, and the blockage provided by this Grand Square was particularly volatile with Cycle Mars’ involvement. This may have felt like the time to act, no matter what! The perpetrators may have felt they were “being cornered” since the arrest of Salah Abdeslam that same week—vengeance became the outlet. All of this supports the theory that the Brussels attacks were connected to the November 2015 Paris attacks.



Brussels T-square: Jupiter (Virgo) opposes Brussels Neptune-Venus (Pisces); all of this squares Brussels Saturn. It’s important to isolate this powerful t-square from the Cycle chart for further comment: first, because the Jupiter-Saturn square represents the waning square of this duo’s cycle that launched on May 28, 2000 at 22°+Taurus. That cycle point falls in the 1st house of this Brussels chart, trine the Brussels Jupiter-Node in Virgo. This suggests that the fixed, “material world” concerns of that society-building cycle are now finding an outlet in the growth of ideology-driven (Virgo-Pisces nodal axis), military-style operations. This Taurus cycle provided fuel for the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11/2001 and has been busy providing material support for the build-up of ISIS. This may explain why some current theories about how to combat that threat focus on draining their resources.  

Unfortunately, any measures taken can be twisted to the advantage of extremist recruiters. Some analysts feel that one of the reasons Belgium and France have become “hotbeds” for radicalism is that neither country has welcomed Muslim immigrants and integrated them into their social fabric very well. Most importantly, economic opportunities have been elusive. They, like many disadvantaged groups in this globalized economy, are feeling the inequities. This is a global problem, so the potential to spread the unrest is huge. If Europe is unable to address the roots of the radical threat soon, the potential for social breakdown/chaos between now and the start of the new Jupiter-Saturn cycle in late 2020 is very real.




Biwheel: (inner wheel) Brussels Airport Bombing, March 22, 2016, Zaventem, Belgium, 7:58 a.m. ST; (outer wheel) 1989 Saturn-Neptune Cycle.

Cycle Point-Moon (Capricorn) conjoin Brussels Pluto-MC; Brussels Pluto squares Brussels Uranus (Aries). This gathering happens in the Brussels 9th house—the house of religion and foreign affairs, which suits the Saturn-Neptune cycle (ideological agenda); the attack’s deadly purpose and the violent means used are clear in the Pluto-MC-Uranus configuration (Uranus in 12th = hidden weapons). The square also points to the use of suicide bombers (12th = self-undoing).

Interchart Grand Trine: Cycle Mars-Jupiter (Taurus) trine Brussels Jupiter (Virgo) and Pluto-MC (Capricorn). This echoes what we saw happening between the Srebrenica chart and this cycle chart, reinforcing how important resource-related issues are to the radicalization of young people who feel they have nothing to lose.

Final thoughts...
What do we all have at stake in the radicalization of today's youth? Pictures say a thousand words...there is no choice and again, the Cosmos provides the guidebook. The two planetary cycles highlighted here are super-active right now, so it's important that we make the best use of those energies. Perhaps rather than taking the knee-jerk reaction of unleashing the fire power, we could apply some rational thinking to the radicalization problem (both options are covered by Saturn-Uranus). Perhaps we might even manifest a different vision than perpetual war, by applying a little compassion (Saturn-Neptune) -- I hope we can do better!

http://registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer. 

Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former university English instructor. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years. Raye can be contacted by comment here, or at: robertsonraye@gmail.com. 





© Raye Robertson 2016. All rights reserved. 






















[1] For a masterful analysis of the 29th degree, see Astrologer Michele Adler’s “Reconsidering the Zodiac’s 29th Degree: Three Sides of an Enigma” in the Oct./Nov. 2015 issue of The Mountain Astrologer.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

An Astrological Milestone for the GOP: May 24, 2000 & the 2000 Jupiter-Saturn cycle



As we’ll see, this was also not just the GOP’s doing, but with today’s rowdy mid-mutable energies, it’s not surprising that this tense T-square would come back to bite the GOP in the person of Donald Trump.



I couldn’t help noticing this recent headline posted on Facebook (thanks to Theodore White), from the March 21 Washington Post: “What Republicans did 15 years ago to help create Donald Trump today.” Amazingly, the author, Jim Tankersley, opened by saying:

“The Republican establishment began losing its party to Donald Trump on May 24, 2000, at 5:41 p.m., on the floor of the House of Representatives.”
This pronouncement was a mundane astrologer’s dream—how often do journalists pinpoint the source of a current dilemma to a specific date in history, much less a specific place, hour and minute? In being so specific, the author was laying down a gauntlet I had to pick up. Needless to say, I had to cast charts and see if the author’s claim made astrological sense. If it did, I figured that would open an interesting line of discussion about the embattled GOP.

First, a brief recap of the author’s claim: by May, 2000 George W. Bush had locked down the Republican nomination for that year’s presidential election, and as the party frontrunner, he was pushing for extended “permanent normal” U.S.-China trade relations. According to Tankersley,

“The legislation, a top Republican priority, held the promise of greater economic prosperity for Americans. But few could predict that it would cause a series of economic and political earthquakes that has helped put the GOP in the difficult spot it is in today: with the most anti-trade Republican candidate in modern history, Trump, moving closer to clinching the party’s nomination.”
May, 2000 was a momentous astrological period for other reasons, too: for starters, there was a crazy convergence of Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in Taurus early in the month, perhaps explaining why Congress and the public prioritized “greater economic prosperity” so highly at the time. In all fairness, even though this was a mainly Republican bill, Dems helped pass it in both houses and then-Democratic president, Bill Clinton—strongly pro-global trade—signed the bill into law.

As it happens, the passage of this bill on May 24th was sandwiched in between that 7-point conjunction in Taurus and the beginning of a new Jupiter-Saturn cycle on May 28. As we’ll see below, this cycle launched at 22°+Taurus, and the chart for that event features several strong ties to the GOP’s 1854 birth chart. First, however, let’s consider a biwheel between the Party and the U.S. China Trade Bill on May 24th, 2000:

Biwheel: (inner wheel) GOP, March 20, 1854 (noon), Ripon, WI; (outer wheel) U.S. China Trade Bill, May 24, 2000, 5:45 p.m., Washington, D.C.



Trade Bill Sun conjoins GOP Node (Gemini) and squares GOP Venus. This aspect suggests that the spirit of the Trade Bill aligned well with the GOP’s raison d’etre or developmental path. Square the GOP Venus, this Sun echoes Tankersley’s point that trade with China would come back to haunt the GOP eventually.

Trade Bill Jupiter-Saturn-Venus (Taurus) squares Trade Bill Uranus (Aquarius), conjoins GOP Saturn (Taurus) and trines GOP Jupiter (Capricorn); Trade Bill Venus squares GOP Venus. The Trade Bill was a major step forward for a process begun in the late 1970s to literally re-engineer the American economy and society—with the help of technology (Uranus)—to accommodate more open global trade and fewer restrictions on corporate movements. In the case of trade with China, the resulting “economic and political earthquakes” (Uranus square) Tankersley refers to transformed the U.S. from a middle class-waged manufacturing/industrial economy into a minimum-waged service economy. Wall Street’s role in causing the 2007-8 Recession would be implicated here, as well—a closely related story for another day.

Earth energies Taurus and Capricorn (seen in this configuration) excel at producing tangible goods for robust returns, but this Trade Bill turning point shifted the benefits of that earth energy away from U.S. workers and local economies into the hands of global corporations and others positioned to profit from the shift (reflected in the Trade Bill’s ties with the GOP Saturn-Jupiter trine). This shift is further reflected in ties to the U.S. Sibly chart—we’ll consider those below.



Trade Bill Mars (Gemini) opposite Pluto (Sagittarius) T-squares GOP Neptune (Pisces). This was probably only one of several forces that colluded in 2000 to cloud our legislators’ judgment about global trade, framing this social/economic shift as “inevitable” and the “new norm,” when it fact it was a deliberate choice. As we’ll see, this was also not just the GOP’s doing, but with today’s rowdy mid-mutable energies, it’s not surprising that this tense T-square would come back to bite the GOP in the person of Donald Trump (whose chart features strong mid-mutable points).  Looking at this aspect, it seems Trump can truthfully claim that the country was sold a bill of goods when it came to trade with China. Of course, Trump is a master at bending the facts to suit himself, so the irony represented here (also a Mars-Neptune phenomenon) leaps off the page.


Trade Bill Neptune (Aquarius) trines Trade Bill Sun (Gemini) and squares GOP Uranus-Pluto (Taurus). It’s easy to forget that the GOP was founded during an important period of U.S. industrial development, leading into the Civil War in 1860. It was also a period that exploited great reserves of natural and human resources (outer planets in Taurus), and concentrated great fortunes in the hands of industrialists who would be known as “Robber Barons” by 1870. In other words, it was a lot like today’s economy, only expanded to encompass global resources. The Trade Bill (Sun) promised the Neptunian ideal of “lifting all boats”—and there has been dramatic economic progress in China, despite their current woes—however, the GOP didn’t mention they were setting in motion a leveling out (Neptune) of American wages and the flushing away of  millions of jobs. Tankersley extends the “water” imagery even further, saying:


“The 2000 vote effectively unleashed a flood of oursourcing to China, which in turn exported trillions of dollars of cheap goods back the United States. Over the next 10 years, economists have concluded, the expanded trade with China cost the United States at least 2 million jobs. It was the strongest force in an overall manufacturing decline that cost 5 million jobs.”
I have to wonder, were all those cheap goods worth the damage?

Biwheel: (inner wheel) U.S. Sibly chart; (outer wheel) U.S. China Trade Bill.
The overall affect of the U.S.-China Trade Bill on the U.S. is not hard to imagine from the first biwheel, but putting the Trade Bill next to the Sibly chart adds a few worthwhile insights, so let’s dig in (chart below):


Trade Bill Sun and Mars (Gemini) conjoin Sibly Uranus (Gemini); all three points oppose Trade Bill Pluto-Sibly Asc (Sagittarius). This dramatic energy spanning the Sibly horizon suggests that America’s global superpower status was solidified (or even redefined) with this Trade Bill, and that no holds would be barred. In retrospect, we can see that geopolitical relations were about to become very tense, and sure enough, they did, especially in the Middle East. Were trade relations with China a strategic alliance, as well as an economic arrangement? Machiavelli would approve—we decided to “keep our friends close, but keep our enemies closer.” Unfortunately, China outplayed us, a complicated story told very well in Dylan Ratigan’s Greedy Bastards.

This mutable configuration explains both Trump’s and Sander’s views on global trade agreements—and the angry outcry against such trade. Always beholden to those “1 percenters” with the most lobbying dollars, Congress simply allowed our economy to be rigged to the advantage of outsiders and outsourcers. No wonder our so-called “recovery” from the recession has been slow!

Trade Bill Jupiter-Saturn (Taurus) trines Sibly Neptune (Virgo) and Sibly Pluto (Capricorn). As alluded to earlier, Jupiter and Saturn on May 24 were quickly waning towards the new cycle point of 22°43,’ exact on May 28th (chart below), so the timing of this legislation that same month suggests a very deliberate move to lock in a new order for at least the next 20 years of the cycle. It’s difficult to throw the brakes on a grand trine like we see here, which set the global flow of wealth and products and resources (earth) moving in a self-perpetuating loop. Now in the final square of this cycle (exact in August 2015), however, the tension is mounting for change—and Trump and Sanders seem to be the agents of that change. Seeing this demand for change coming from both sides of the aisle is breathtaking, but if not taken seriously (i.e., if more establishment figures prevail), there’s probably a comeuppance coming around the time of the new 2020 Jupiter-Saturn cycle (at 0°Aquarius). More about the coming Jupiter-Saturn cycle and its importance for current elections in a future post.



Jupiter-Saturn – the “Great Timekeepers”
Mundane Astrology by Baigent, Campion and Harvey teaches that Jupiter-Saturn cycles throughout history have formed an interesting pattern—an approximate 20-year Minima cycle which usually repeats 12 times in the same element to form a Media pattern; then, a so-called Mutation Conjunction transitions the pair into a new element series. Perhaps an indication of how unusual our times are, the earth series that began in 1842 and included the recent 1940 cycle in Taurus and the 1961 cycle in Capricorn, was interrupted by a “maverick” Libra (air) cycle in 1981; then, we were back to earth with the 2000 Taurus conjunction. In retrospect, the political ground did shift beneath our feet during that 1980s cycle, so maybe it was a “warm-up” for the 2020 cycle beginning at 0°+Aquarius on December 21st

Ahead, just a couple more thoughts about the GOP chart and the present Jupiter-Saturn cycle in relation to it:

Biwheel: (inner wheel) GOP; (outer wheel) Jupiter-Saturn cycle, May 28, 2000, 10:14:12 a.m., Washington, D.C.




Cycle point (Taurus) conjoins GOP Saturn (Taurus) and trines GOP Jupiter-Chiron (Capricorn). Clearly, this Taurus cycle launched to the benefit of the GOP, with 8 years to come for George W. Bush and nearly universal acceptance of global trade agreements as just “business-as-usual.” Still, Chiron’s position conjunct the GOP Jupiter suggests that the Party’s growth could be subject to some painful adjustments. With 3 fixed earth points and 2 cardinal earth points, this chart suggests deep resistance to change and some difficulties adapting to the times, despite a mutable Sun, Venus, Node and (probably) Moon.

GOP Sun, Neptune and Venus are in Pisces; GOP Mars (Virgo) trines GOP Pluto (Taurus) and opposes GOP Venus (Pisces); Uranus (Taurus) sextiles Neptune. Hitching their fortunes to those who want government and religion to work like two sides of the same coin made sense for the GOP over many decades; it provided the Party with a simple, ideologically-charged and emotionally-appealing (Pisces) narrative for leveraging power (Mars-Pluto), and it gave the appearance of solidarity with and compassion (Neptune) for their constituencies. Unfortunately for the establishment Party, appearances don’t bring jobs home, raise workers’ wages and un-“rig” the economy against them, so the GOP finds itself in a Catch-22 that Donald Trump is able to exploit.


Finally—not to be discounted—the 2000 cycle point also conjoined Trump’s MC (Taurus), powerfully supporting his goals for this year. His MC, in turn, conjoins the GOP’s Saturn—is it any wonder his candidacy challenges them the way it does?
  


 Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former university English instructor. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years. Raye can be contacted by comment here, or at: robertsonraye@gmail.com. 





© Raye Robertson 2016. All rights reserved. 







Sunday, March 20, 2016

The Youth Vote 2016, Part Two: the Pluto in Scorpio Millennials



They, like their older Pluto-in-Libra siblings, have lived through the 2008 Wall Street crash—which made finishing their educations, finding decent jobs and launching their independent lives even more difficult than usual. They know the “rigged economy” Sanders rails against first-hand, so convincing them to work against it hasn’t been difficult. 
  
My first article about the Pluto in Scorpio generation—the November, 1983-January, 1995 cohort of the so-called Millennial generation of young adults (now ages 22-33)—was published in the October/November issue of The Mountain Astrologer, just prior to that generation’s stunning turnout in favor of Barack Obama. So, here we are 8 years later, approaching Election 2016, wondering how today’s Millennial vote—estimated between 80-91 million strong—will shake out this time. Astrology studies generations in terms of Pluto signs; mainstream demographers segment by age (usually 18-29 years olds, but some studies use 18-33), so the population figures vary somewhat.

Of course, today’s youngest voters are no longer Pluto in Scorpios—Pluto transited Sagittarius between January, 1995-January, 2008, seeding the newest crop of 18 to 21-year old voters out there (a story for another day). For now, let’s consider the impact this Pluto-in-Scorpio cohort is likely to have again this election.[1]

For the sake of space and clarity, the Pluto-in-Scorpio group will be referred to as Gen Scorpio.

The most intensely studied generation ever

Analysts William Strauss and Neil Howe[2] have written several studies on Millennials and their observations are a good starting point, particularly for Gen Scorpio. They say that Millennials have an irrepressible,“can-do” attitude, are civically engaged, other-oriented, team-spirited, possessed of progressive values and reassuring self-esteem and confidence. So far so good—but wait…

To psychology professor Jean M. Twenge, there’s a darker side to the Millennial esprít de corps and bluster: in her book, Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before, Twenge cites survey data that shows the Millennials are “the most narcissistic generation in history.”[3]

So, how can two generational studies differ so widely? Their subject was mostly Gen Scorpio, the first generation to come of age in post-9/11 America (the youngest turned 18 in exactly 2001), so if they didn’t embody extremes in all possible directions, we’d have to wonder why not. Besides, as we’ll see in their generational chart, the tension between focus on Self and focus on Others is a major theme.

The Scorpio generation: (roughly 22-33 years old in 2016)

Before we consider this generation’s chart, one key point to remember is that young voters do not act in a vacuum, but within the current astrological dynamics and in ways that either resonate or clash with preceding generations. These interactions are intriguing—first, because they drive social evolution, and second, because the process of political change is far from linear, or even logical at times.
But how could this intergenerational dance not be intriguing? We’re dealing here with Pluto, after all—primal upheaval, unfolding over long periods—is its modus operandi. This Scorpio generation was born into the most intensely fixed sign of the Zodiac, so while they resonate with their fixed Pluto-in-Leo parents or grandparents, they also blame that generation for a lot of today’s problems. So it’s interesting that the Leo generation is staging a political last hurrah this year—and that Sanders, the oldest Pluto in Leo running, seems to have captured a lot of their hearts. More on specific candidates to come—let’s consider their generational chart (below):

First, a disclaimer: a generational chart sets the “tone,” so to speak, for the broad, collective trends a society is likely to see during that time period. This does not speak to individual behaviors or potentials within that generation. Collective trends may well impact individuals, but they are not the primary factors to consider when analyzing a natal chart.


Pluto enters Scorpio—Gen Scorpio debuts

Capricorn-Cancer AS-DS; Scorpio-Taurus MC-IC; Pluto conjoins MC and inconjoins Chiron (Gemini). With Saturn as their chart ruler at the Capricorn As, this complex suggests a generation that is fundamentally conservative (by character, if not by politics), no-nonsense, proactive and hard-working—they are an exquisitely intense lot, with ambitious goals. These “heirs apparent” resonate with the WWII generation because that generation won against great odds, and that validates their own competitive drive. Winning, even by ruthless means, is essential for self-validation in their chart—besides, as Pluto’s favorite children (in its home sign), they equate winning with survival. The potential for a wounded, degenerate, Mad Max-style world—totally destroyed environment, scarce resources and sadistic repression—is not lost on them. For some, Trump’s “winners v. losers” mind-set hits them where they live; for others, the wound of wealth inequality and the resulting social injustices (Pluto inconjunct Chiron) drive them in Sanders’ direction.

4th quadrant Sun and Moon (Scorpio). As mentioned earlier, the personal (Self) and the collective (Other) are hopelessly entwined in Gen Scorpio—but that’s as it should be, given their Sun-Moon placement. As Haydn Paul says, in The Astrological Moon, “When both Moon and Sun are placed above the horizon, the appropriate individual response should be directed toward collective activity in the group evolutionary path, which may involve political, cultural, or scientific unfolding, inspired by firmly held personal values and ideals.”[4]  This generation wrestles with where the line should be between individual and public domains, and rightly so—many of today’s key challenges depend upon where that line is drawn (i.e., privacy v. security, privatization v. “the environmental commons,” and so on). This generation is going to be instrumental in drawing those lines and managing those challenges.  

6-planet Scorpio stellium in 11th, bracketing the MC, Saturn, Sun and Mercury between Pluto at 0º and the Moon at 22º. Spanning their collective-oriented 10th-11th houses, these placements also fit the intensity of today’s social and environmental challenges—the world the Scorpios are inheriting. They grew up with The Lord of the Rings films and the Harry Potter 7-part saga, so they’ve been primed for the transformative, “all or nothing” heroic quest their Pluto has assigned to them. This stellium, of course, may also explain why, in a 2014 Harvard Institute of Politics study, so few of them claimed to trust Congress (14%), the Federal Government(20%), Wall Street (12%), and the Media (11%). Hillary Clinton (whose chart features strong Leo and Scorpio placements) suffers with them on the trust issue, too. Scorpio gifts them with exquisite skepticism, so Hillary’s commitment to the “extreme makeover” they want may not ring true.

Mars in Virgo disposes Scorpio stellium, squaring Jupiter/Neptune (midpoint) in Sagittarius. This generation is clearly capable of analyzing information objectively; they can see both the parts and the big picture of any situation), although relying on their Scorpionic “gut” is an easier default mode. Unfortunately, such instincts—centered in the primitive reptilian brain and limbic systems, ruled by Moon and Pluto (their Moon disposed by Pluto)—react identically to real and imaginary threats, and are thus subjective, rather than objective sensors. According to Noel Tyl, the Mars square to their Jupiter/Neptune suggests “strong idealism; a need for practical focus.” Many seem to be channeling this idealistic energy into practical protest tactics these days, in a growing determination to shut down Trump rallies.

Jupiter conjunct Uranus (Sagittarius) at their Scorpio Saturn-Capricorn AS midpoint; Saturn (Scorpio) semi-sextile Uranus. Already blessed with Scorpio’s exquisite hogwash-meter, Gen Scorpios are not naïve idealists: this dignified Sagittarius Jupiter rules their 12th house and co-rules their Pisces 3rd—their growth has been stifled and they’re looking to bust loose. With Jupiter conjunct Uranus (ruling their finance-minded 2nd house), they are keenly aware of the opportunities available in the “anything goes” globalized economy, and make no mistake, they want theirs!

With the co-rulers of their 2nd house in an irksome semi-sextile, however, they’re suspicious of Wall Street’s model of limitless growth. They, like their older Pluto-in-Libra siblings, have lived through the 2008 Wall Street crash—which made finishing their educations, finding decent jobs and launching their independent lives even more difficult than usual. They know the “rigged economy” Sanders rails against first-hand, so convincing them to work against it hasn’t been difficult.


Virgo Venus-Mars sextile Scorpio Moon. With a strong perfectionist streak, this generation can be quick to pounce on others’ “imperfections”—brutally, at times. Social media provides an outlet for this aggressive energy, which seems to “come out of nowhere:” more likely, it’s lurking in that repressed Sagittarius 12th house Jupiter-Uranus conjunction and its lackluster semi-sextile outlet (mentioned above). There are no “excuses” with this generation—they are very demanding with themselves, and when they put their trust in a candidate, that candidate better deliver!


Virgo Venus-Mars square Sagittarius Neptune. Thousands of Gen Scorpios have channeled their generation’s intensity into military service; that Gen Scorpio women (Venus) are standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the military with men (Mars), in their militarized 9th house of international affairs (Virgo cusp), is literally reflected here. As for the Neptune square, this aspect reflects not only their idealistic motives for serving, but also how a commonplace influence in their lives—video gaming—prepared them for these careers. Social analyst John Leo explores the connection between gaming and the battle simulators used in the military—both employ visual illusion (Neptune) for the sake of building the needed fighting skills; the simulators specifically work on “breaking down the soldier’s aversion to killing.”[5] As transiting Neptune (Pisces) approaches their mid-life square with natal Neptune, however, they may become disenchanted with any abuses of military power they experience.

11th house Moon (in fall in Scorpio) conjoins Mercury (Scorpio); Mars (Virgo) sextiles Moon. These factors perhaps explain Twenge’s view that in their teenaged years, this generation was psychologically troubled—statistics for anxiety, mood disorders, depression and suicide were all above the norm when her study was released in 2006. Interestingly, with these personal placements in their collective 11th house, Gen Scorpios instinctively know that personal problems are rooted in collective failings—and that solving those problems requires collective action. Gen Scorpios have been strong advocates for gender equality, civil rights (for an array of groups), labor issues, the legalization of gay marriage and marijuana.

Gen Scorpios are adept social media-based activists, but their sharp emotional instincts (Mars-Moon sextile) leave them open to misuse; Gen Scorpios are not easily deceived—their sensitive Scorpio energies and especially their Mercury endow them with acute perception—but individual vulnerabilities within the larger group are another matter.

6th house, collective Gemini north node, disposed by 11th house Mercury; Uranus in Sagittarius rules 2nd.  This Node signals an evolutionary direction for Gen Scorpio: toward practical ways of serving their local communities (Gemini=3rd house) via communication, technology and information. They are likely to lean toward solving human problems using intelligent, hands-on solutions, toward sharing rather than hoarding resources, and so on. Alternative transportation technologies should continue to unfold dramatically under their watch, as will local sustainable enterprises. As a generation, their faith in abundance has been challenged by the recent recession, but shaking things up in the financial realm is an instinctive part of their larger Plutonian, transformative purpose. In this regard, they are tailor made for Sander’s anti-Wall Street “revolution.”


5th house Chiron (Gemini) opposite 12th house Uranus (Sagittarius). This placement evokes what Chiron expert Martin Lass calls a “revolution in consciousness, per se…the exploration, discovery and development of radical new ideas and technologies for Healing.”[6] Given the opposition, they may be both wounded and healed by technology, and by the aggressive thrust forward (Sagittarius) in developing that technology. Drones, the latest unstoppable juggernaut industry, are a good example—Gen Scorpios may profit greatly in that field, but some may balk at the privacy concerns. With all their generational Scorpio energy, privacy is important—witness the current dust-up about Apple, Inc.’s dispute with the FBI over the disabling of iPhone encryption. Apple does not want to lose its Millennial following. Uranus’ added conjunction with Jupiter (out of orb for the Chiron opposition) only super-charges the scenario. 

Dramatic generational transits

The cosmic struggle goes on for this generation’s soul. As I pointed out in my 2008 article, Pluto transited slowly over their entire Scorpio stellium, (MC, Sun, Mercury and Moon) in their early years, so—to Twenge’s point—being moody and depressed was understandable for them. As the oldest among them moved through their teens into their 20s, Pluto was slowly moving over their Uranus, Jupiter, south node and finally, their Neptune, which conjoins the Galactic Center (26-7 Sagittarius)—probably a turning point at which many of them woke up to their survival being linked with the fate of the earth.

Pluto finished its tour of Sagittarius conjunct their 12th house Neptune/GC, entering Capricorn in January 2008. Pluto transited within a 5° orb of their generational ascendant (crossing between their 12th and 1st several times) well into 2014, stepping into their 1st house to stay in November 2012, where it remains today. As if that journey of Pluto into the GC’s “heart of darkness” in their 12th house wasn’t enough, the oldest Gen Scorpios experienced Neptune’s 2011 ingress into Pisces as a 3rd house trine to their Pluto-MC-Saturn—an overwhelming influence that probably led many to sacrifice their ambitious plans for the sake of everyday survival. Those able to leverage the creative potential of that trine probably thrived, while many suffered a setback at that critical “launch” period of their lives.

To complicate their lives even further, the oldest Gen Scorpios began their Saturn returns in 2012, with Pluto transiting their 1st house and the collective teeming with “end of the world” prophecies. They responded in great numbers to that year’s politics, helping to re-elect Barack Obama, their 2008 favorite for president. For many this late-20s period inspired a personal quest for fitness and discipline; marathon running, extreme sports and gym memberships.


Relationships became more serious, as befits the age, but the average age for marriage remained above 25. Many returned to school to complete the plans they had put on hold—it was a time to get serious and this time, get the job done.


It’s all in the numbers…

Judging from the outpouring of Millennial support for this year’s most liberal candidate, Bernie Sanders (approx. 80% in Michigan’s primary), it seems that Gen Scorpios see the current power and finance structures of society as an unjust, even dystopian obstacle to their futures. Politicians are taking notes because this generation is going to vote in record numbers. Even a 50% turnout of their 80-90 million total would make a staggering difference.


Granted, Gen Scorpios will not vote as a monolithic bloc—there’s an 11-year age range among them, spanning their 20s and 30s (22-33), and that decade-divide can make a big difference in perspectives. There will be supporters of all campaigns in the mix. Besides, the Dems should certainly not take the Gen Scorpio voting bloc for granted—they can be tenaciously loyal, but look out if they sense your campaign is long on talk and short on action. President Obama’s inability to move a polarized Congress disappointed them, and even though they’ve been somewhat forgiving (Obama compensated with some of their high-profile priorities like marriage equality, more accessible health care and gender equality in the military), this disappointment probably explains their lukewarm feelings about Clinton’s campaign. And, not to be ignored, there are some disenchanted Millennials supporting Trump this time around—an extreme generational chart tends toward extremes.







[1] A number of articles have been published over the years on related generational topics in The Mountain Astrologer. For more information, see the “Back Issues” Article Index at http://mountainastrologer.com/tma/.  
[2] Howe, Neil and William Strauss, Millenials Rising: The Next Great Generation, Vintage Books, New York, NY, 2000.
[3] Twenge, Jean M. Ph.D, Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before,” Free Press, New York, NY, 2006, p. 70.
[4] Paul, Haydn, The Astrological Moon, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach, ME, 1998, p. 37.
[5] Leo, John, “When Life Imitates Video,” U.S. News Online, “Outlook on Society,” http://usnews.com/usnews/issue/990503/3john.htm.
[6] Lass, Martin. Musings of a Rogue Comet: Chiron, Planet of Healing, Galactic Publications, Nyack, NY, 2001. p. 403.

Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former university English instructor. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years. Raye can be contacted by comment here, or at: robertsonraye@gmail.com. 





© Raye Robertson 2016. All rights reserved.