Jupiter adrift on the River Styx: October's Scorpio ingress

In October, Jupiter will shed his Cosmic Judge robes (for hanging out in cerebral, justice-minded Libra) and will take on his sexy Black Knight garb...

...a strapping new look that will set hearts aflutter as he steps firmly into the Mars- and Pluto-ruled domain of Scorpio. This brooding, intuitive and potentially ruthless realm will be mildly uncomfortable for the Optimist King, but will definitely suit Game of Thrones fans.

Bear with me here, however—to understand what this new passage for Jupiter will mean for public affairs, the economy and today’s geopolitical tensions, it’s not enough to simply interpret the keyword phrases that will apply; we need to appreciate the broader cosmic context as well. Even so, the keyword phrases are compelling: 

Growth by any means, and the ends justify the means; Extreme defensive measures; Expansive manipulations and power plays; Expanding one’s reach to avoid taxation (overseas bank accounts?); The growth of Plutonian, “survival of the fittest” ideologies and power dynamics; Expanded policies/actions intended to purge “impurities” (however those are defined); Cynical use of growth ambitions to achieve power; Expanded death tolls; Expanded covert and clandestine investigations.

And more...

Growth in undercover police forces; Growth/Manipulation of hidden power dynamics; Exploitation of mined resources; Potentially deadly natural disasters; Ruthless, bullying tactics for achieving success; Growth in organized crime (money laundering, sex trafficking, etc.) and thuggery; Powerful opportunities for transforming systems of power….etc.

This is a dreary, albeit partial collection of possibilities for the coming year (Jupiter enters home sign Sagittarius in November, 2018), and we need to remember that there’s a light at the other side of Scorpio’s River Styx. Finance-minded constituencies love this transit--and Jupiter loves them back, until he doesn't, so take nothing for granted.

Unfortunately, getting to the light side of Scorpio often demands that we surrender to an intense process of confrontation, breakdown and clearing. It’s a character-building passage, and heaven knows, as a nation, we need to examine our character and come to grips with its darker, moldier corners these days. 

It’s no coincidence that this Scorpio passage transpires in our national 11^th and 12^th houses (Sibly): I would argue that this will be the beginning of an important gestation process. The “baby” we give birth to when Jupiter reaches the Sibly Asc will be either a reaffirmed commitment to our positive ideals as a nation, or a sad accommodation with the dark ideals we saw on display in Charlottesville, sold to us in the name of growth or security. These are the usual pretexts for sealing a Faustian bargain. 

In so far as possible, we need to make this passage a conscious one, as Jupiter transits between this Scorpio horizon in D.C. and the Sibly 12°+Sagittarius horizon in January, 2019. That’s asking for a lot from an 11^th-12^th house transit, but between these two horizons, we have urgent soul-regeneration work to do, a process that includes purging our collective mythos of its accumulated toxins before Jupiter’s homecoming in fiery Sagittarius. Moving Confederate statues to museums instead of celebrating them in town squares would be a good start, but it’s just a start. 

 

To purge effectively, of course, those toxins must gurgle to the surface for all to see. Charlottesville and Trump’s response to it tells me that we’re already engaged in this tearing down process. It’s all been an international humiliation, but I am heartened by the outpouring of counter-protesters in Boston this past weekend. 

The last go-round

The issues underlying Charlottesville demand priority, but Scorpio’s toxin-clearing process will dig up other kinds of collective dirt, as well. The last time Jupiter ingressed Scorpio was in October, 2005, and the finance industry was fully committed to Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan’s so-called “easy money” policies—Scorpio and billionaires are like Forrest Gump’s “peas and carrots.” 

By unleashing “quants” to design ever more convoluted, algorithm-powered ways to extract profit from thin air (a considerable feat of Scorpionic manipulation), this Jupiter inspired excessive risk-taking on Wall Street and laid the groundwork for what Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan labeled the “irrational exuberance” of the market. This characterization certainly fit Jupiter’s move into Sagittarius in November, 2006.

In 2005 and 2006, even before Jupiter entered Sagittarius, risky, toxic investments (Scorpio/Pluto) in subprime mortgage loans mounted, expanding the housing bubble (Jupiter), and it was simply a matter of time before the bubble would burst, devastating thousands of home owners whose mortgages became “under water.” What better reflection of water sign Scorpio and its relationship to debt? An “under water” mortgage is one in which the mortgage amount is more than the market value of the house.

It’s worth pointing out that the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, passed under the Clinton administration, rolled back key financial regulations contained in the Glass-Steagall Act (1933) that prevented that destructive subprime mortgage lending, among other prudent restrictions. The chart for the 1999 act features a strong Aries Jupiter disposing Sagittarius Pluto, within 3° of the Sibly Asc! 

I’m sure there’s no need to recount the stormy period that followed from there, as this Pluto tightened its conjunction and opposed Gemini Saturn across the Sibly horizon on September 11, 2001. Yes, Jupiter and Pluto (and their ruling signs, by extension) have been constant players on Wall Street and in regards to our national security and wellbeing.  

So, yes, for our Jupiter-ruled nation (Sagittarius rising, Sibly chart) there could be some dicey times ahead, as Jupiter launches its boat across Pluto’s River Styx. Let’s examine the ingress chart alone, set for Washington, D.C.

Chart #1: Jupiter enters Scorpio, October 10, 2017, 8:25:23 a.m. DST, Washington, D.C. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.

Jupiter rises at the ASC (Scorpio), opposite Uranus (Aries). This Jupiter rises like a grand, but ominous-feeling apparition on the horizon. We can imagine a scene from the indigenous history of the Americas, as Cortez’s ships came into view for the first time. Some peoples had no vocabulary to express what was approaching, and so they didn’t really “see” the ships for what they were. 

Make no mistake, Jupiter has intense plans for this voyage—opposite Uranus, they may even be shocking and revolutionary. Considering that Jupiter’s exact opposition would have happened before this ingress, there may be shocking/revolutionary developments already in progress that Jupiter’s move into Scorpio will help us to begin processing from a deeper perspective. Remember—this is happening in the Sibly 11th and 12^th, so the nation’s unconscious impulses are likely to surface.

We can’t help but be blown away by the synchronicity here: Jupiter rises in the chart of its Scorpio passage, not just anywhere, but in the seat of our government, Washington, D.C.!  Should we take the post-Charlottesville statements by the alt-right that they’ve “declared war” on D.C. seriously? Is their movement (which smacks of Scorpio’s dark side, to be sure) about to enjoy a massive growth spurt that tears the country apart (opposition to Uranus)? 

Or, will Jupiter’s aim of purging our national toxins be co-opted by the distracting forces suggested by co-disposing planets, Virgo Mars, Capricorn Pluto and others? Here’s where we need to consider more closely how this chart works with the Sibly. 

Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) USA – Sibly chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) Jupiter enters Scorpio, October 10, 2017, 8:25:23 a.m. DST, Washington, D.C. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node. 

Interchart Mutable Grand Square: Ingress Mars-Venus (Virgo) conjoins Sibly Neptune (Virgo) and opposes Ingress Chiron (Pisces); this axis squares Sibly Mars (Gemini) opposed Ingress Saturn (Sagittarius). The sabers are rattling with the Mars and Saturn activity we see here, and considering how tightly these points tie into Trump’s natal Full Moon configuration (chart not shown), it’s fair to be concerned that his trigger finger will be quite itchy by this time (if it isn’t already). The chaotic atmosphere we’ve come to expect from his White House is on full display here, and we might expect some of his military advisors to be in the spotlight. 

This doubling down of Mars activity is also concerning because Mars co-disposes Ingress Jupiter with Capricorn Pluto. We’ve talked a lot about Pluto’s ongoing transit into its return position in the Sibly 2^nd house, but here we’re starting to see that it’s not just talk—it’s actually getting close enough to start counting orbs. Ingress Mars-Venus are trine both Plutos, and Mars pretty exactly trines the Pluto/Pluto midpoint! 

So, the corporate military establishment (Virgo-Capricorn) appears well-funded and poised for action here, and this is doubly significant since Sibly Neptune (Virgo) is also involved—Mars transiting Neptune speaks to delusion-based actions, and in the context of the mutable grand square, we can expect these to be carried out in a chaotic, over-stressed manner.  

The oppositions and squares to Ingress Chiron speak for themselves: all these chaotic misadventures take a toll on the nation as a “home” for its people (4^th house). Infrastructure bill? Never heard of it!  

The complex aspects that Ingress Venus is caught up in here—including her cozy trine relationship with the Capricorn Plutos—evokes an interesting connection from Sumerian mythology known as “Inanna’s descent into the Netherworld” that’s worth a longer explanation:

“In the poem, the goddess, Inanna descends into the Underworld, apparently seeking to extend her powers there. Ereshkigal is described as being Inanna's older sister. When Neti, the gatekeeper of the Underworld, informs Ereshkigal that Inanna is at the gates of the Underworld, demanding to be let in, Ereshkigal responds by ordering Neti to bolt the seven gates of the Underworld and to open each gate separately, but only after Inanna has removed one article of clothing. Inanna proceeds through each gate, removing one article of clothing at each gate. Finally, once she has gone through all seven gates she finds herself naked and powerless, standing before the throne of Ereshkigal. The seven judges of the Netherworld judge Inanna and declare her to be guilty. Inanna is struck dead and her dead corpse is hung on a hook in the Underworld for everyone to see.” 

The story doesn’t end there, however: Inanna has powerful allies who succeed in arguing for her life and safe passage home, but they are countered by a “horde of angry demons” who demand that she be replaced by someone else. The story ends on a sorry note for one:

“When Inanna discovers that her husband, Dumuzid, has not mourned her death, she becomes ireful towards him and orders the demons to take Dumuzid as her replacement.^[6]”

Venus and Mars (Dumuzid?) conjoin in this Ingress chart like husband and wife, but Mars (not at his best in Virgo) may suffer greatly for his heartlessness. There are no military solutions to today’s geopolitical quandaries, and if we pursue military options simply to expand our “power” as Inanna sought to do (there are corporate profits and mineral rights at stake, after all - Ingress Venus-Mars trines Plutos), we are inviting the stripping away of our honor, integrity and reputation in the world. The “Queen of the Underworld” (Ereshkigal/Pluto) will bring us low.

Final thoughts

In Scorpio, Jupiter in our national chart will spring trap doors open as it tempts our darker impulses: at what point is More and Bigger, for the sake of More and Bigger (a Jupiterian pitfall) simply not better?  Perhaps when it's more off-shore oil drilling, more coal mines...more recklessness with the environment.

Faustian bargains like these will likely taunt our politics, but Trump himself may begin feeling that he’s losing his “edge.” From just before last year’s election, Jupiter has been softening other, harsher transits to his chart by its presence near Trump’s natal Jupiter (Libra), and it’s now moving out of orb quickly, leaving Saturn to conjoin his Moon and oppose his Gemini Sun-Uranus-Node from Sagittarius. 

In good times, Trump is difficult to deal with; how will he be in these tougher times coming up?

Jupiter will be traversing his 3^rd house while it transits our Sibly 11^th and 12^th, so he is likely to become more protective and secretive about his immediate environment and about his viewpoints on issues. If this is even possible, he’s likely to become more intensely focused on the economic dimension of his job (and on his own businesses, which have never stopped concerning him). In regards to the country, this focus makes sense as the national budget and debt ceiling become the big issues this fall (Jupiter trines Sibly Venus-Jupiter in Cancer). 

As Jupiter edges deeper into Scorpio, it will also trine Trump’s natal Mercury (8°+ Cancer) and square his Pluto (10°+Leo), so he will probably seek out experiences that make him feel energized and validated. We can expect more campaign-style rallies and even more attempts to control his media coverage, especially if the Mueller investigation reaches a critical point (likely around the time of that Scorpio-Leo square). 

But these are the easily predictable possibilities. With Jupiter traversing his 3^rd house of communication and mental resources, there are likely to be less obvious dynamics in play, as well. For starters, Scorpio co-rulers Mars and Pluto will continue to steel his resolve, so those wondering when he’ll be gone are going to have to be patient. 

These same co-rulers will provide him with the possible distraction of wars to wage (hot and cold, “trade” wars): we’ll see what his “big announcement” regarding Afghanistan is later today. Interesting timing for such an announcement, on “eclipse day!” 

Finally, in regards to all the talk of Trump’s possible mental health issues, that perhaps he’s in the early stages of dementia, etc.—time will tell. About a month after Jupiter enters Scorpio, it moves into trine position with transiting Neptune, creating a grand water trine with his Mercury. 

  

Trines are not necessarily a positive when it comes to mental issues—they tend to unleash whatever repressed material is lurking in the mind, and in Trump’s case, this will unleash his mouth  (as if he’s been that restrained already). Of course, that will further feed the speculation about his mental health. Toxic tweet-storm are likely to persist.

Trump’s natal Mercury square Neptune (Cancer-Libra), with Mercury disposing his Sun-Uranus conjunction (Gemini) could certainly account for all the speculation: he is naturally an erratic, delusional thinker, who likes to craft his own “realities” as he goes. But these placements also explain why some say he’s “crazy like a fox.” Let’s just say for now that the Cosmos will be testing his mettle, mental and otherwise. 

It will also be testing our mettle, as a nation—and that may be a good thing, ultimately. Happy Eclipse Day!!

Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former educator. 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.

She is also available to read individual charts—contact her at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.

© Raye Robertson 2017. All rights reserved. 

The young & the stressed: pre-eclipse drama in Charlottesville VA

Just when we thought the situation with North Korea was threatening to blow, all hell breaks loose in Charlottesville, Virginia, heightening the pre-eclipse drama in these United States and bumping NK right out of the headlines.  

Not the relief from the intercontinental, adolescent saber-rattling that we might have been looking for! The fact is, there are good astrological reasons for these tense situations happening in tandem. 

I’m taking a slight detour by covering the Charlottesville story today: how could I not, first of all? Like many of you, I lived through the civil rights struggles and anti-Vietnam unrest of the 1960s and this attempted consolidation of Neo-Nazi and alt-right forces—enabled by the president and his fringe Right advisors Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka—feels like something much more troubling than an echo of those years. 

As former White House Chief Ethics advisor Richard Painter put it, condemning the event in strongest terms, “this is the face of fascism in America.” Painter, who’s been speaking out forcefully about the many ethical concerns afloat in the Trump presidency, adds that he will call for Trump’s impeachment if he doesn’t crack down on the extremist elements in his presidency—specifically Bannon and Gorka—and specifically condemn the white supremacist groups behind the protest for promoting domestic terrorism. 

Bannon’s influence on alt-Right media platform Breitbart News is definitely an issue here: that outlet is largely thought to be the driving force in “uniting the Right” around an anti-immigration, anti-Jewish, racist Neo-Nazi style “Blood and Soil” agenda. 

Judging from protest rhetoric, Breitbart followers claim that they’re not spouting “hatred,” but protecting their “White Christian heritage.” The fact that they’re conflating Christianity with a heritage fully dependent on hatred, racism and xenophobia is jaw-droppingly twisted, but it’s nothing new with the fringe Right. 

The fact that Nazi history and ideology are being celebrated by these folks still feels shocking, but we saw this coming all through Trump’s run for president. As former KKK grand wizard David Duke and Trump supporter put it at the protest:

 “We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump, because he said he’s going to take our country back.”

Trump, of course, is pretending that he doesn’t know where all this came from: once he finally made a statement, it very carefully condemned “hatred…on many sides,” suggesting that there’s some kind of moral equivalence between the actions of the Neo-Nazis, etc. and the counter-protestors. Clearly he didn’t want to ruffle his alt-right supporters’ feathers. 

Focusing his remarks on the lack of law and order rather than on the specific brand of racist/xenophobic vitriol spewed by the protestors, Trump was met with disapproving comments from members of the GOP, who urged him to call out the protestors’ intentions for what they were: “evil”…and “domestic terrorism.”

Richard Painter was not only historically correct, but astrologically attuned when he equated yesterday’s melée in Charlottesville with the thuggery underpinning the 1930’s fascist movement in Germany. We’ll consider the astrological echoes in due course, but first, let’s consider the event chart for yesterday in Charlottesville. 

Wikipedia documents three distinct highlights and times: 11:00, the city of Charlottesville declares a state of emergency as the event showed signs of violence; 11:40, VA State Police declared the protest illegal, and 12:30, when 20 year old James Alex Fields, Jr. took a page from the ISIS playbook and deliberately plowed his car into the crowd, killing a 32-year old woman and wounding 19 others. As might be expected, all three charts are similar, so for the sake of space, we’ll use the earliest one. 

Chart #1: Unite the Right Protest, August 12, 2017, 11:00 a.m. DST, Charlottesville, VA. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.

Grand Fire Trine: Mars-Sun-No. Node (Leo) trine Moon/Uranus (midpoint, Aries), trine Saturn (Sagittarius). Please note that Mars trines the Moon, but not the Moon/Uranus midpoint here, but both tell the story of this explosive configuration. The will to violence took on a life of its own yesterday, and it’s possible that if it hadn’t erupted in Charlottesville, it would have somewhere else. Trines unleash whatever forces they connect, so a grand fire trine is exceptionally volatile, especially when it involves Mars, Uranus (the protestors) and Saturn (the authorities). The Moon in belligerent, Mars-ruled Aries accounted for the mass thuggery and “mob” feel of the event.

Timing is everything, of course, and that governs the 7^th house position of the Moon and Uranus, conjunct the DSC, which suggests that Charlottesville was invaded by a hostile force, prepared to fight. Interestingly, Mundane Astrology authors Baigent, Campion and Harvey have long equated Uranus with right wing authoritarian (fascist) movements and Neptune with left wing collectivist  movements (communism)[1], so Uranus’s involvement in yesterday’s events (and with its long Aries transit, the rise of Brietbart News) is no surprise. 

I think events since WWII illustrate that we should qualify that stark Uranus-Neptune divide, however: although a prominent Capricorn-Aries Saturn-Uranus square (Aquarius co-rulers) featured heavily in Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s, a Capricorn-Virgo Saturn-Neptune trine also figured into the mix: fast forward to 2015-6, the Sagittarius-Pisces Saturn-Neptune square played an integral role in Trump’s campaign success, especially in helping to create his “fake news” assault on the media and his “cult of personality”-style appeal. 

The recent Saturn-Uranus trine has also been a factor, promoting his intolerant assaults on basic civil rights and “Make America great again” (i.e., white and Christian) rhetoric. Yesterday’s event was hailed as a “Unite the Right” revolution aimed at “taking back the country”—a desire to turn back the clock to pre-Civil Rights days that is clearly influenced by Saturn-Uranus. 

As these Saturn aspects gradually separate, we can feel the urgency from those intolerant forces that voted for Trump and are now insisting he “fulfill his promises.” 

Bottom line, Uranus and Neptune operate more like a tag-team than isolated and opposing forces when it comes to major geopolitical struggles. Pluto’s role is equally fundamental, of course—we’ll get to that soon. 

So it’s doubly unsurprising that the city declared a state of emergency early in the rally: apparently, the KKK-style torch march the night before across the University of Virginia campus—an institution steeped in Virginia’s Jeffersonian heritage—probably told them what they had to look forward to on Saturday.  

The bellicose Aries points in this chart are tied into an extremely tense cardinal grand square, as well, so this grand trine functions like the fuel that ignited a concerted effort to consolidate forces around one “cross”-shaped banner (interesting that the “Iron Cross” is an enduring Nazi symbol). Again, the iconic reference to Christianity is troubling to say the least. It’s hard to believe that sincere Christians would condone this cynical use of their faith.

One last point about the Moon/Uranus midpoint. Midpoints expert Michael Munkasey characterizes this blend as “help[ing] to nurture an inner rebelliousness against maternal or traditional family roles. It can denote emotional detachment and an erratic restlessness.” And, in regards to politics and business, he adds: “Leaders who rule at whim, with little sense of how their enterprise is seen by the rest of the world; an emotionally immature person placed in an important and visible leadership role.”[2]

Speaking of important midpoint connections, it’s no coincidence that Trump’s Moon/Uranus midpoint (chart not shown) falls at 19°Pis33’, conjunct this event chart’s Neptune/Chiron midpoint (20°Pis43’). Trump is clearly one of perhaps many “emotionally immature people” whose actions are deeply wounding our national psyche, but he is ultimately responsible, being their “leader who rules at whim…”  

The Sun-Mars-No. Node stellium energizes the grand trine with belligerence, anger and outrage, the will-to-power by violence (Sun-Mars) and a sense of “destiny” (Node). And, as anyone who has protested anything knows, the police (Saturn) both respond to the protest and instigate even more protest, so Saturn’s flowing relationship with the Leo and Aries points makes perfect sense. The somewhat restrained approach the police took to intervening in yesterday’s violence is reflected in Saturn’s retrograde status. Could they have done more? Media opinions differ, but Saturn turns direct on August 26^th, so we may have a chance to revisit the question.

Unfortunately, the counter-protestors seem to have fallen into the bellicose trap laid for them by the “Unite the Right” people—the same trap that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. cautioned his Civil Rights era followers against.  Meeting violence with more violence literally fans the flames in such situations, and certainly in this chart, solves nothing—unless the point of the whole exercise is for both sides to vent, of course. Whatever it was, the violence certainly reflected this fiery grand trine and the tone set by the Trump administration.  

Some experts claim that eclipses are often felt in the public sphere before the fact, and I think this past week has been an example of that. 

Cardinal Grand-Square: DSC-Moon-Eris and Moon/Uranus (midpoint, Aries) oppose Jupiter-ASC (Libra); this axis squares Ceres-Venus-MC (Cancer) opposite Pluto-IC (Capricorn). This intensely strained configuration speaks volumes about yesterday’s event, including the unfortunate death of three victims—one innocent bystander run over by a car at 12:30 p.m. and two police officers killed when their helicopter crashed. Shocking/accidental death by metal objects (whether meant to be weapons or not) certainly evokes a fiery Mars-Uranus trine, not to mention the Aries-Capricorn Moon-Eris to Pluto square seen here, with Pluto conjunct the IC (end of things). 

The exact Moon-Jupiter opposition (Aries-Libra) set against the Venus-Pluto opposition suggests that the masses (alt-right, etc.) felt empowered to act out against the reigning ideology of justice and equality (Jupiter in Libra), and that their efforts were handsomely financed by some elements of the “grass roots” (Venus-Ceres-MC to Pluto-IC). Pulling the 4 directions apart, we see a powerful Jupiter-Pluto square. This indicates an ambitious political power grab—the alt-Right is at home in the White House at the moment and clearly means to leverage that reality. 

One protest sign that read “No Apology” (referring to white supremacist goals) seems to reflect the tension built into this configuration really well. Is the alt-Right basically daring the rest of the nation and the Constitution to stop them in their quest? What exactly are they counting on their man in the White House to do to our democracy?

It always intrigues me to see event charts with strong angular placements, as this one has. Was the event deliberately planned and located for maximum astrological impact, or did it just “happen” that way? Either way, the event consolidated four streams of energy into one seamless, “perfect storm” of tension and outrage. Next, we consider who the “foot soldiers” of this alt-right, Neo-Nazi blitzkrieg were. 

A Millennial event? 

I’ve written extensively about the Millennial generation—loosely speaking, the Pluto-in-Sagittarius generation—a generation that is “coming of age” in waves even as we speak. The 20-year old man who committed mayhem (or terrorism) by driving his car into a crowd in Charlottesville yesterday falls squarely in this Millennial group. The oldest among them are not too long out of high school and, for those who made it there, not yet finished with college. While overwhelmingly "enlightened" when it comes to cultural diversity and quite tolerant of all our differences, this group has a lot to be angry about—their school loan debt is ridiculously high, and while employment is getting better, finding jobs that pay decently and use their degrees is another story. 

But the college educated among them will eventually prosper from their efforts—that “piece of paper” is still worth something in the marketplace. Those who never made it to college, however, are looking at a very tough road ahead: our economy favors highly-skilled individuals with degrees, and the alternative is often a minimum wage service industry job. Anger often masks depression, so the anger we’re seeing with these young people on the streets (mostly white men) may have a lot to do with repressed potentials, a lack of opportunities, and a need to blame someone else for their lack of achievement. Why not blame immigrants and the usual “outsiders,” people of color? 

This need to blame would explain why Trump’s Justice Department has targeted university Affirmative Action programs and moved to round up and deport as many “illegals” as possible very quickly, threatening to defund so-called “sanctuary cities.” These measures won’t begin to satisfy the job needs of these disenchanted Millennials, but my guess is that they are made to feel like unjust victims by the incendiary media content they read on sites like Breitbart. 

To explore the connection between unrest on the street and the Millennial generation, then, I’ve set their generational chart against yesterday’s event chart. The highlights are very suggestive.

Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) Pluto ingress into Sagittarius, January 17, 1995, 1:28 a.m. ST, Washington, D.C.; (outer wheel) United Right Protest, August 12, 2017, 11:00 a.m. DST, Charlottesville, VA. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.

Protest Mars-Sun (Leo) conjoins Pluto-Sag MC (Leo) and opposes Pluto-Sag Mercury (Aquarius). This opposition kind of says it all – Millennials aren’t likely to shy away from confrontations—even amongst themselves, as we saw yesterday, and they are generally a free-thinking, even radically-minded (Mercury in Aquarius) group. Mercury is disposed here by a hard-nosed Capricorn Uranus and a softer, perhaps more “liberal” Pisces Saturn. 

It’s very possible that this dual rulership (of Uranus) accounts for the extreme polarization we saw on the streets of Charlottesville yesterday: there was no common ground between alt-right, its goal of “taking back the country,” and everyone else. 

Interchart T-square: Protest Mercury (Virgo) opposes Pluto-Sag Saturn and Protest Neptune (Pisces); this axis squares Pluto-Sag Venus-Jupiter (Sagittarius). I don’t remember who said it, but here’s the gist of an observation that seems to fit this interchart t-square: every time the American economy becomes stressful for the working class (as it’s been since the early 2000s), race has been used insidiously by extremist opportunists to create a deep wedge between people over issues of inequity and opportunity. 

President Obama’s election clearly fed this race-baiting “beast,” and Donald Trump egged it on with his phony “birtherism” assault on Obama. 

How does this relate to the Millennials and to what we saw in Charlottesville yesterday? The protest was the alt-right’s opportunity to articulate a message (albeit deluded—Virgo Mercury opposed Pisces Neptune) that its many factions can unite around: taking the country back from those Others whom they believe (Sagittarius Venus-Jupiter) have stolen it from them. Through constant media reinforcement, this message has been deeply embedded in these young people’s minds and hearts.

With Sagittarius Jupiter as their chart’s final dispositor, this is an ambitious generation with mountains to climb and tall buildings to leap over, but their collective Saturn—which squares their Jupiter—leaves something to be desired. In Pisces, it falls in mutual reception with their Capricorn Neptune, which leaves this generation with a somewhat distorted sense of collective responsibility and heritage. 

Clearly we can’t paint every individual Millennial person with this broad brush, but those individuals whose personal planets and luminaries tie into these generational Saturn or Neptune placements may be more prone to this distortion. 

There’s no denying, also, that how the collective planets manifest in an individual’s life has a lot to do with training and environment (Saturn figures heavily here), so family background and cultural dynamics are key. 

Other pressure points

I’m less interested here in doing a complete chart reading than I am in teasing out the key pressure points that may have caused the explosion we saw in Charlottesville yesterday. Clearly, vulnerable Millennials have been subject to a distorted, hateful narrative (Saturn in Pisces square Jupiter-Venus in Sagittarius) that says their problems are the fault of Others taking what is rightfully theirs. That narrative has overwhelmed their minds and their innate sense of “law and order” of late, with Neptune transiting this Saturn. 

I am concerned that the upcoming eclipse, falling at 28°+Leo and conjunct their collective Mars (Virgo), will further unleash their rage and wounded pride. Why are “those people” succeeding when we’re not? There may be very sound answers for those questions, but those who have been sucked into the victimization narrative will hear what they want to hear. 

Uranus has also been transiting their collective Aries 6^th house of labor issues and public (including military) service: with this militant Uranus here for years now, they’ve been improving themselves by becoming armed and dangerous, seeking out jobs that allow them to carry guns, pushing themselves in extreme sports, training in the martial arts¸ kickboxing, etc. Even the women are engaged in this quest to become tough as nails, and many aspire to the most challenging combat positions in the military.

Were Millennials consciously preparing for the street-brawling we saw in Charlottesville? Not likely for most of them, but there was a distinctly militaristic feel to the alt-right “forces” on the streets yesterday. Equipped with military trappings like flags, shields, helmets and hand weapons, these young adults were following someone’s orders and behaving like something between a trained militia and a chaotic mob. 

Jupiter is transiting their collective 12^th, which doesn’t necessarily mean that every individual feels “stuck” when it comes to his/her futures, but there’s a generational sense of being “contained” in some way. Many are experiencing “debtor’s prison” (12^th) with school loans, which has a way of delaying their launch into adulthood. 

Saturn will continue to transit their generational 2^nd house of finances and resources for a couple more years, at which time it will enter their third house and pass over their Uranus-Neptune-Sun conjunction in Capricorn before meeting up with transiting Jupiter to begin their new Aquarius cycle. It is essential, I think, that the issues of job opportunity, education and rebuilding their local infrastructures (3^rd h) be seriously tackled so these young people can stop feeling so disenfranchised in American society. We will benefit nothing if they continue to rage and feel left out of the “American Dream.”

Neptune and Chiron have been transiting their collective 5^th house of good times, romance, children, and socialization, with transiting Chiron opposite their collective Chiron. This is a critical time for healing those feelings of victimization that seem to be dogging the steps of too many. How much of this victimization mentality is fueling the opioid epidemic wherever they are impacted? To what extent are they feeling unable to move forward with their lives (romance, family, etc.) because of external forces they have no control over? Bullies were usually bullied themselves in some way, and these wounds are difficult to heal. When that fails, it’s too easy to keep inflicting their wounds on others.

Final thoughts

If you’ve been in tune with this site, you’ll know that I’m concerned about the August 21^st eclipse that’s almost upon us. Yesterday’s events in Charlottesville only reinforce my concern because clearly, we’re getting a sneak preview of things that could escalate as the Moon closes in on the Sun, and Mars inches closer to the Sun. Cautious, conscious action are the watchwords for these heady, volatile times—we can get a lot done with these powerful energies, but it will help to slow down and be very deliberate and aware.

Ultimately, the wonder we will witness on August 21^st (with appropriate safety glasses) is a gift of Nature—one of her more spectacular gifts, in fact. Mass psychology being what it is, we tend to project our own fears into eclipses (it’s probably a primal survival thing), but history has proved that they can be positive forces for change, as well. Rather than fear the possibilities, I would suggest that we envision the highest possibilities we can imagine. We’re capable of better…we’re clearly capable of better things!

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[1] Baigent, Campion, Harvey, Mundane Astrology: An Introduction to the Astrology of nations and Groups, Thorsons, London, 1995, pp. 176-77.

[2] Michael Munkasey, Midpoints: Unleashing the Power of the Planets, ACS Publications, San Diego, CA, 1991, p. 128.