Hope in precarious times: Saturn enters Aquarius to square Uranus

Thank you, health care workers!!

“Hope — and the wise, effective action that can spring from it — is the counterweight to the heavy sense of our own fragility. It is a continual negotiation between optimism and despair, a continual negation of cynicism and naïveté. We hope precisely because we are aware that terrible outcomes are always possible and often probable, but that the choices we make can impact the outcomes.”

—Maria Popova, Brainpickings.org

 

In the midst of rising concern over the continued global spread of COVID-19 and the economic upheaval it has produced in the U.S., Saturn made astrological news of its own late just minutes before midnight on March 21^st (EST) by quietly exiting one of its home signs, Capricorn, to enter the next, Aquarius. In doing so, it also stepped into a tighter applying orb to its waning square with Aquarius co-ruler, Uranus, now in earthy Taurus.  

So, the Saturn-Uranus cycle will be shortly entering its third-quarter, waning square (meaning the faster planet has transited past the opposition point with its slower “partner” and will be heading back around into its next conjunction. 

The third quarter of any planetary cycle can generate considerable stress because the agenda is to wind down and sort the useful from the outworn dynamics put in place during the course of that cycle. Clearly, there’s a lot to sort through and resolve, from this cycle’s 1988 inception till now—and this winnowing process is going to unfold on the heels of a global pandemic, of all things. The specific form all this takes varies with the pair of planets involved, of course—more on that ahead. 

Naturally, we’re curious about what impact, if any, this particular cycle might have on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic we’re all experiencing, so this will be one big question that frames our discussion later in this post. But let’s begin at the beginning, with a look at the basics of this Saturn-Uranus “dance.” For instance, consider the basic impulses of each planet in Table 1 below:

Table 1. Basic planetary impulses and nature, Saturn v. Uranus.

Saturn	Uranus
Earth “god” in mythology	Sky “god” in mythology
Restricts and limits	Liberates
Establishes order	Rebels against established order
Consolidates influence	Disperses power across masses
Conserves status quo; obstructs change	Overturns status quo, unleashes surprising change
Promotes conformity with structured bureaucracies	Promotes eccentricity and innovation/creativity
Enforces existing laws and regulations	Supports reforms to authority
Counsels moderation	Inspires extremism
Celebrates heritage and traditional mores	Celebrates future-focused ideas and nontraditional mores
Promotes “realistic” (often change averse) viewpoints	Promotes rational, experimental viewpoint
Frames arguments with pessimistic viewpoint	Frames arguments with “sky’s the limit” attitude
Dampens public enthusiasm	Electrifies and inspires public enthusiasm
Rewards responsible behavior	Rewards disruption
Reinforces authority by punishing change agents	Disrupts and exposes shortcomings in power structures

Table 1 teases out the conflicting impulses expressed by Saturn and Uranus, and these clashing dynamics beg the question: how do these two collaborate as co-rulers of Aquarius?  Before the 1781 discovery of Uranus by Sir William Herschel, Saturn was thought to rule this sign on its own, but the addition of Uranus made sense if we consider that this discovery expanded the boundaries of the known solar system¸ which had been marked by Saturn up to that point. 

Hesiod's Theogony describes relationships among the classical "gods."

The mythology of these two figures—the tight, but tortured father-son relationship of Ouranos (Uranus) and Cronus (Saturn)—probably inspired this co-rulership because it fit the blatantly adversarial impulses these energies were observed to express when combined. Change requires a clash between past and future, between ideas that are accepted as “just the way things are” and ideas that are generated by rational and scientific processes. Democracy as a viable social system was the product of the rational-thinking Enlightenment-era philosophy that came of age around the time Uranus was discovered. 

In fact, humanity has ensured its survival and improved its social situations thus far by applying its intellectual brilliance to practical, earth-bound problems. This has been done systematically over time, but it can also unfold chaotically, challenging the value of tradition and pushing technical limits, preserving what is essential and moving on through the genius of innovation into new technologies and inventions that serve human needs. So the clash between these dueling impulses is the point, after all, because just like positive and negative particles can be harnessed to generate electricity (an Aquarian specialty), the bipolar forces ruling Aquarius spark its creative power.  

It takes two opposite charges to power new ideas..

Over time, the conventional wisdom of mundane astrology in regards to this unique cycle has evolved in response to observation. The results (at least through the mid-20^th century) is well-compiled and expressed in the work of Michael Baigent, Nicholas Campion and Charles Harvey in their collaborative work, Mundane Astrology: An introduction to the astrology of nations and groups),[1] where they basically cite key ways in which history has correlated with the stress points of this cycle. An extended excerpt is in order here:

“As a result of studies covering 1625 to the present time, Barbault [André] identifies this 45-year cycle as a right-wing and essentially conservative/authoritarian process which emphasizes the politics of Order. He finds it strongly associated with the development of ‘imperialist’ tendencies and with capitalism. This agrees with astroeconomic analysis which points to this cycle as a crucial one in the ebb and flow of investment and production in heavy industry…In broader terms it can also be seen to relate to the practical ‘earthing’ of brilliant ideas, insights, inventions, reforms and so on.”

The authors also detail ways in which this cycle seems to closely correlate with the history of conflict and upheaval in the Middle East, a region where the Saturn-Pluto cycle is also seen as especially active. It would seem then that the Middle East is subject to a tense, three-way dynamic between Saturn-Uranus-Pluto, which certainly reflects the volatility of that region, the prevalence of super-wealthy authoritarian regimes, the key role played by big oil wealth (Pluto), and the ever-simmering possibility of mass rebellions and widespread disorder, as we’ve seen in Palestinian protests against Israeli occupations, the so-called Arab Spring of 2010-11 that lit up the entire region and resulted in a tragically destructive civil war in Syria, not to mention upheaval in Egypt and in 2015, a horrendous civil war and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. 

Democratic aspirations spread like wildfire in the Arab world in 2010-11.

Interestingly, the 2010 chaos in the Middle East may have been most immediately triggered by the launch of two idealistic, mass-upheaval-oriented cycles: Jupiter-Uranus in Aquarius (May, 2009), which was closely followed by the militant June, 2020 Jupiter-Neptune cycle in Aries in June, 2020. The amazing way in which the uprising spread to all corners of the Arab world from one dramatic incident in Tunisia in December, 2010 was certainly captured by the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces that was made possible by Jupiter’s July-November 2010 retrograde (more on this ahead).

It should be noted that the causes and goals of the uprising were very well defined—what happened across the Middle East wasn’t merely an emotional contagion or social media hysteria of some kind, even though the May, 2009 and June, 2020 Jupiter cycles noted above might have supported such phenomena. 

According to Wikipedia, the uprising’s causes and goals were:

Caused by	Authoritarianism Monarchy Demographic structural factors 2000s energy crisis Political corruption Human rights violations Unemployment Inflation Kleptocracy Poverty Sectarianism Self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi
Goals	Democracy Free elections Economic freedom Human rights Employment Regime change Secularism Islamism

Notice how closely the “causes” noted above are related to the most toxic expressions of the Saturn-Uranus and Saturn-Pluto cycles (see here for more on Saturn-Pluto), which were both in waning mode at the time, having begun in February, 1988 (at 29°+Sagittarius) and November, 1982 (at 27°+Libra), respectively. Then notice how the “goals” sound more related to the lighter Jupiter cycles that had launched so recently at that time. So why didn’t the idealistic Jupiter-Uranus-Neptune mass movement have the desired result in so many places?  

For starters, by definition, events triggered by a Jupiter cycle tend to be more short-lived and/or vulnerable to the heavy recuperative powers of the slower, more institutional Saturn cycles. Perhaps the people’s efforts would have had more staying power if the Saturn-Uranus cycle was hitting a critical point in 2010. This difference between Jupiter and Saturn cycles explains why revolutions—even widely embraced ones—are so difficult to sustain for the long-term. Indeed, it appears that cosmic timing was everything with the ill-fated Arab Rising rebellions in another way, as well: the events of December 2010 transpired during Jupiter’s “shadow” period (while it was retracing the degrees it lost to a long retrograde).

Our times have allowed authoritarian impulses to fluorish.

This retracing would have reinforced the desires that fueled the rebellions, but it might have also succumbed too easily to the controlling Saturn-Uranus-Pluto energies at work. With only the exception of Tunisia, in due course, these methodically beat back the Arab Spring rebellions and recuperated their authoritarian control. This begs the question why Saturn-Uranus would lean towards right-wing/authoritarianism, as well: doesn’t Uranus lean toward democracy? 

In fact, it seems that during tense moments in their cycle, the change produced by Uranus in response to public unrest tends to be co-opted by Saturn’s isolationist, consolidating force, and the result is often fascist-style systems in which political power is strongly centralized in the hands of a “strong man” type or—as happens with kleptocracies—a similar figure who closely allies himself (it’s almost always a male) with corporate moguls or oligarchs. The strong man characterizes himself as the "only one" who can save the people from the chaos their aspirations have created.

Thankfully, Jupiter-Uranus cycles have tended more towards democratic revolutions—again, provided Saturn doesn’t get a chance to rein in this drive for People power. The American Revolution’s democratic idealism was most immediately seeded by the 1775 Jupiter-Uranus cycle that launched in 3°+Gemini. The Revolution unfolded during the 1^st quarter of the 1761 Saturn-Uranus cycle, during a waxing trine, which probably protected our fledgling democracy from becoming overly invested in a strong Executive (overthrowing monarchy was the whole point) . but clearly, we shouldn’t have taken this protection for granted over the long term. 

Revolutions rarely succeed in achieving their goals; food for thought?

Each nation has dealt with these cycles in its own distinct context (i.e., interactions with the relevant radix and leader charts), but in all cases, there’s a push-pull dynamic that must be navigated between deeply-entrenched authoritarian dynamics and lighter, democratic aspirations.  

In one startling and timely example, for instance, who would have guessed that Syria’s Bashar al-Assad would respond to the peaceful Arab Spring protests in his nation by lashing out so ruthlessly against his own people, to the point of bringing in outside assistance from Iran and Russia to brutally crush any remaining pockets of rebellion? See Chart #1 for Assad’s nativity, set for noon (no time known). Data from Wikipedia.org:

Chart #1: Bashar Al-Assad, September 11, 1965, 12 p.m. DST (no time known), Damascus, Syria. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.

Assad proved willing to work with any and all controversial forces willing to get involved in order to retain his own power. In retrospect, perhaps it would have helped to notice that the dominant feature of Assad’s birth chart (noon, no time known) for September 11, 1965 in Damascus, is a mutable Sun-Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo opposite Chiron and Saturn in Neptunian Pisces. He was born capable of adapting (mutable signs) to any situation and feeling absolutely entitled (Sun) to do so by any means necessary. He was born capable of imagining any conspiracy and or "Us v. Them" scenario that would justify the heinous crimes he would direct against the Syrian people. All for the sake of the power he inherited from his father, Hafiz Al-Assad. 

With his Neptune disposing and trining his Saturn from Plutonian Scorpio, the son would have likely considered any power-sharing arrangements or loss of power as a betrayal of his dynastic family. This willingness to wreak havoc for the sake of power is also seen in his applying Uranus-Pluto conjunction—in September, 1965, one month before the new cycle perfected, this would have fallen in the final degrees of the 1850 cycle that launched in volatile 29°+ Aries. 

It seems that Syria's civil war has been mostly waged against civilians.

So, Assad approached his people’s unrest and dissatisfaction in March, 2011 with an absolute willingness to re-assert his power in the most brutal fashion possible: not coincidentally, Assad’s natal Uranus-Pluto conjunction had moved into its super-volatile opening square from cardinal Aries-Pluto by that time—the universe threw down a challenging gauntlet to this man’s hold on power and he reacted from the deepest, darkest recesses of his Uranus-Pluto nature. 

By the time Syria erupted in civil war, the Saturn-Uranus cycle was almost two years into its second quarter (opposition) phase: the tension and instability produced by its 5/2009 opposition between mutable  24°+Virgo and 24°+Pisces had had time to build up and ultimately explode in December, 2010, an explosion that was exacerbated and reinforced by the hopeful Jupiter cycles discussed earlier, but unfortunately, the heavy Saturn-Pluto square (Libra-Capricorn) that was simultaneously unfolding (first hit in November, 2009) was poised to suppress both the rebellion and the hope.  

In fact, the atrocities directed at civilian populations (including chemical weapons attacks) that have distinguished the Syrian Civil War have produced a major refugee crisis estimated to have displaced 13.5 Syrian people, now living in the most precarious conditions imaginable and causing considerable disruption to their beleaguered host countries. 

All of this unfolded with great complexity during the final years of the 1982 Saturn-Pluto cycle, with several regional players, including ISIS, Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Kurds and the U.S. playing intermittent roles in it. Unfortunately, the hostilities are ongoing as we speak. Clearly, the final waning years of any Saturn cycle can be brutal and repressive, but now that the new cycle has begun (since January, 2020), perhaps the situation will also turn a corner. It’s also fair to wonder whether the waning days of the Saturn-Uranus cycle we’re considering here might finally make a difference. 

Camps like these are in grave danger of the pandemic as we speak.

 

The placement of Saturn and Uranus in fixed signs Aquarius-Taurus makes compromise difficult to envision, of course, yet economic and structural disintegration, exacerbated by the reality of COVID-19 within his borders may finally force Assad to bend. Not surprisingly, the United Nations has called for a total ceasefire of hostilities in Syria to counter the spread of COVID-19. From a U.N. news release:

“We need the kind of sustained period of calm that a nationwide ceasefire would ensure because we need cooperation to take place across the front-lines that riddle Syria’s territory – and this is needed not tomorrow, but now”, Geir Pedersen said in a videoconference with Security Council members.

Years of conflict have degraded or destroyed the healthcare system, the UN envoy pointed out, stressing that that the virus does not care if you live in government-controlled areas or outside; “it endangers all Syrians”. 

Given large scale population movements, dangerously cramped conditions in multiple camps for the internally displaced, informal settlements, and places of detention, he voiced concern that “Syria is at high risk of being unable to contain the pandemic.” Moreover, weak or absent governance, a hollowed-out health system, and shortages of health professionals, medical equipment and supplies, only add to the crisis.” 

This statement suggests that Assad’s government is weak, yet it’s the ruling authority and it’s unlikely to be rebuilding the critical infrastructure it destroyed with its war on the people.  Can such a government survive the ravages of a pandemic? Or is Syria already a failed state in every sense that really matters, and the pandemic will simply reveal that to be true and force some kind of transition?

When the Saturn-Uranus cycle officially reaches its waning square in Februrary, 2021, it will light up the 7^th degree of Aquarius-Taurus, conjunct Syria’s[2] So. Node (7°+Aquarius, chart not shown) and opposite its Leo Pluto—if the end of the current regime is imminent, that might be an opportune time period for a transition. 

In other posts, we’ve discussed how Neptune rules pandemics; however, a nation’s ability to ride out such a rolling tragedy is closely related to its internal power dynamics and the structural integrity of its institutions, so it’s fair to conclude that Syria is living through a major Saturn-Uranus-Pluto cautionary tale.   

Saturn enters Aquarius, and then re-enters

We’ve definitely confirmed mundane astrology’s conventional wisdom regarding how intensely the Saturn-Uranus cycle expresses itself in the Middle East, however we can’t ignore this cycle’s impact elsewhere. For instance, this cycle (along with the Saturn-Pluto cycle) has spoken to America’s increasingly entangled involvement in that Middle East region since the 1980s and 90s. The 1988 cycle launched at the volatile 29°+Sagittarius, just in time for the George Herbert Walker Bush administration and his interesting alliance with Saudi Arabia, not to mention his determination to rein in Saddam Hussein’s regional ambitions. All of that led, of course, to a series of wars and military adventures that we’re still trying to end.  

Let’s consider how this waning 3^rd quarter is poised to unfold with Saturn:

-          Saturn first entered Aquarius on 3/22/20;

-          Saturn stations Rx on 5/11/2020 at 1°Aqu 57’

-          Saturn turns Direct on 9/29/2020 at 25°Capricorn 20’

-          Saturn’s “shadow period” will thus be 9/29/2020 to 1/3/2021, at which point Saturn will have retraced the degrees it lost to this long retrograde period.

-          Saturn squares Uranus (officially entering their waning square period) on February 17, 2021, at 7°+Aquarius-Taurus. 

While all this is transpiring between Saturn and Uranus, Jupiter will be catching up with Saturn to close out their 2000 Taurus cycle and begin a fresh new airy cycle at 0°+Aquarius on December 20, 2020 —a topic that deserves a much deeper dive in a future post—but for now, let’s just be aware that this will be happening less than three weeks before Saturn and Uranus officially enter their waning square.

As noted earlier, we’re interested here in considering how the Saturn-Uranus dynamics of these times are likely to impact our current COVID-19 challenge. Even as I write this, these two are within orb of a square, so it stands to reason that we’ll experience some impact long before next February.  

Click here for an updated look on the U.S. spread of COVID-19.

The U.S. context

Since we’re concerned with Saturn’s ingress into Aquarius here (and secondarily, its square with Uranus), let’s consider how the chart for that ingress looks against the U.S. Sibly chart. This should give us some insight into near-term events, including the pandemic. 

Biwheel #1: (inner wheel) USA-Sibly chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) Saturn Aquarius Ingress, March 21, 2020, 11:56:37 p.m. DST, Washington, D.C.. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.

Ingress Sun (Aries) squares Sibly Jupiter-Venus (Cancer) and sextiles Ingress Uranus (Taurus). It’s an amazing instance of synchronicity that this ingress transpired within a day of the Sun’s Aries ingress—the chart for which we often use to predict the overall tone of the entire year to come. Likewise, it’s very feasible that we’ll be feeling the significance of Saturn’s ingress into Aquarius through the rest of this year into the next, when its waning square with Uranus perfects. More about that ahead; here, we see the significance of this ingress for the everyday economy we all depend upon (Sibly Jupiter-Venus) and the opportunity Ingress Uranus now has to upset that apple cart. 

I wouldn’t dream of making light of the disruption this is causing to working families and businesses, but we may discover some unexpected “silver lining” to the situation as we go. Countless instances of everyday heroism and community spirit have already transpired—it will be good to see some of this translate into cooperation beyond our borders, as well (Ingress Uranus sextiles 7^th house Sibly Jupiter-Venus). 

Interchart T-Square: Ingress Saturn conjoins Sibly So. Node (Aquarius, opposing No. Node); this axis squares Ingress Uranus (Taurus). This aspect is a bit concerning—but, as we know, these are precarious times. Doubly concerning is the fact that in February, the exact Saturn-Uranus waning square will perfect at 7°14’ Aquarius-Taurus, reinforcing whatever impact this aspect is likely to have. With the Sibly nodal axis spanning Sibly 2nd-8th, the danger of public mortality figures growing is uncomfortably real, with damage being done to the “big E” economy in the process. 

The historical precedent is also sobering: the so-called Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 featured Neptune conjoined Sibly No. Node, with Saturn opposing Uranus across late Leo-Aquarius axis, catching Sibly Moon on the Aquarius side, while Saturn also inconjoined Sibly Pluto (Capricorn). This was such a volatile transition period between WWI and the 1930s Depression—the country was really never the same after all this. A long story for another day!

Wm. Barr is asking Congress for extraordinary DOJ powers during COVID crisis.

Epidemic Pallas-Jupiter-Mars-Pluto (Capricorn) conjoin Sibly Pluto, oppose Sibly Mercury (Cancer) and trine Sibly Neptune (Virgo). These strong cardinal dynamics are clearly pointing to the overwhelming stress that all our national systems are experiencing at this juncture—the stock market and working economy, the Law (and Justice system), health care, education, media, national security and the military (Ingress Mars quincunxes Sibly Mars), and probably more. 

The trines to Sibly Neptune probably reflect the aspirations embodied in 2020 Election campaigns, even though we’re not quite sure what form all that will take going forward. There’s a sense that the nation is going through a massively disruptive transition, which accords with its impending Pluto return unfolding at the same time Neptune (Pisces) is transiting opposite Sibly Neptune (Virgo).

If we’re starting to feel overwhelmed, the heavy sluggishness of these Saturn- and Neptune-ruled dynamics offer reasons aplenty.

For starters, they certainly explain the passive aggressive inertia with which the Trump administration has hobbled its pandemic response. CNN reported yesterday that the Pentagon is sitting on thousands of ventilators because no one told them where to ship them!! Is this willful incompetence, or just "ordinary" incompetence?

How true to form that because Trump finally acknowledged the seriousness of the situation he’s being hailed as some kind of conquering hero by his “deer-in-the-headlights” cheering squad. Meanwhile, state officials are pit against each other on the open market for the equipment they need, while other equipment is shipped out of the country! That would be fine if we had a surplus of these items, but our own health care workers in several hard-hit states are grossly underequipped, left to endanger themselves every day of the week for the sake of caring for all of us! 

Ingress No. Node conjoins Sibly Jupiter/Venus (midpoint, Cancer). This configuration is hopeful, reflecting the trend toward joining forces with others of like mind to serve our common needs. We’ve already seen so many unique ways that people have found to band together for some purpose—sewing surgical masks and other items, clapping together as a community for health care workers, promoting awareness, looking out for the needy in their communities, being extra kind and patient in the midst of all this, and so much more. Cancer wants to nurture others, so it’s an impulse that fits the needs of our times to a tee.

Final thoughts

One of the most insightful comments I’ve heard this week was a wry observation made by WWII-era British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, who had quite a challenge gaining U.S. support for Britain during that war: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing…after exhausting all the alternatives.”  

To our credit as a nation, we’re probably on track to be doing the right things about COVID-19, but we would be unwise to think everything will proceed in an organized, competent fashion from here forward. With Neptune poised to sabotage even well-meant efforts left and right, and a White House that can’t stop patting itself on the back long enough to actually get essential equipment in the hands of those who need it, we’re far from out of the pandemic woods. 

So what are the major Saturn-Uranus takeaways for all this? I’m struck by how critical it is at this juncture in the U.S. that we harness the highest expressions of these two because the lower expressions have historically been oppressive and nothing to wish for. These higher expressions could help us get beyond our present chaos and dysfunction to renew our democratic institutions and engineer a more enlightened economic system, not to mention a gentler, wiser social order. If we miss our chance—and there will be opportunities to “exhaust all the alternatives” first, we could find ourselves forced into accepting a much more oppressive order just to conserve the status quo or worse, and the ever-diminishing returns it offers ordinary working families.  

Bottom line, an important passage looms ahead with this pair’s waning square.  Both world wars were either fought or begun under one brutal Saturn-Uranus cycle that launched in 1897 in late Scorpio; its 1930-42 waning square saw the beginnings of Nazi atrocities across Europe as Hitler and Mussolini consolidated their power over their own people and colluded in the extermination of millions in the 1941-45 Holocaust.  The U.S. waited for its December 1941 Pearl Harbor cue to get involved—still within that final waning square—but the rest of the war unfolded during the new phase of the May 1942 cycle that launched in late Taurus, square Sibly Moon (Aquarius).  

The May 1942 cycle covered such highlights as our WWII victory, the Cold War and a new world order arranged around two opposed “superpowers” with nuclear weapons pointed at each other, the beginnings of U.S. involvement in the Middle East, the Viet Nam War  and the Watergate conspiracy and scandal. That cycle's final waning square (10-1975 to 2/1988) featured an Arab oil crisis, deep recessions and economic dysfunctions, leaving the nation vulnerable to forces who favored globalized trade and borderless, “free market” capitalism. These "neoliberal" forces also rejected the role that government and labor unions had played in reining in the worst impulses of capitalism during the nation’s 1950s middle class expansion.  

In fact, in support of those neoliberal forces, under presidents like Ronald Reagan and G.W.H. Bush, government became the “problem” instead of the “solution” to American needs. By the time Saturn and Uranus reconnected for their fiery February, 1988 cycle in late Sagittarius, the seeds for decades of war in the Middle East were sown, and the rest is history.  

  

This rather long account reminds us that the high points of the cycle we’re examining are often associated with war and destruction of some kind, but the underlying drive of this cycle is toward structural social change, and war is one (the most dismal) way of doing that. Historically we've seen that this change is often imposed from outside for the sake of consolidating the change agent’s power over some desired territory, resource, etc.

“Regime changes” embarked upon with the pretext of protecting “national security” or restoring order are common examples, and the U.S. has an obvious history with all this. Even where we haven't been involved, however, this cycle often results in one nation overturning the sovereignty of another nation by force. 

These are the possibilities for Saturn-Uranus that we would all like to avoid, I suspect. IMHO, it’s well past time to begin re-inventing ourselves here at home for the sake of a higher good and a more enlightened approach to life on this planet. That would be a productive use of this cycle.

So here's my hope at this juncture: maybe the forced inactivity we’re experiencing right now will give at least some of us time to contemplate the road ahead and to make more conscious use of the power we possess. It's becoming increasingly clear that we must demand better of our leaders—on both sides of the aisle. As revolutionary thinker, Thomas Paine famously said, “The Time hath found us.” 

Meanwhile, we all owe a great debt of gratitude to our dedicated health care workers, don't we?!

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 2020. All rights reserved. 

---

[1]Michael Baigent, Nicholas Campion and Charles Harvey, Mundane Astrology: an introduction to the astrology of nations and groups, Thorsons (HarperCollins), 3^rd ed. Rev., London, UK, 1995. (1^st edition, c. 1984).

[2]Chart for Syrian Independence, Jan. 1 1944, 12:00 a.m., Damascus, Syria. Chart #322, Book of World Horoscopes by Nicholas Campion, The Wessex Astrologer, Bournemouth, UK, 3^rd ed. 1999, p. 310-311.