Final Thoughts
As painful and traumatizing as the 2020 election and its aftermath was in the U.S., fast-forwarding to 2024, "We the People” now have a chance to repair years—perhaps even decades—of damage and to get back to the business of solving critical problems. So, is that, in the end, what the mundane Moon is all about? Is it just a collective repository of complex human needs and priorities that governments of our making are called upon to serve?
Or are we and our needs bound to our governments by deeper ties, akin to the entwined Mind and the Body of any organism? I suspect that both are true in the end and thankfully, our Sibly progressed lunar cycle can help us navigate these dual realities with awareness and heart. We need all the wisdom we can muster to live joyfully and productively in this American world of our making, and we’ve probably only begun to scratch the surface of what that means in this study.
But perhaps we can takeaway a few key points:
First: our airy, electric Aquarius Sibly Moon has always reflected America’s Enlightenment era founding—not just in that era’s literal harnessing of electricity and its humanistic revolutionary concern for “liberty and justice for all,” but for its unfortunate Cartesian view of the Mind being somehow detached from the Body, and from Nature itself. We—and the Earth—have paid dearly over the years for this “rugged individual” sense of detachment, which, face it, makes it difficult to feel like the coherent collective we really need to be.
Second: no one said it would be easy to form one People out of individuals from all national backgrounds and ethnicities—how could it be? But perhaps too much detachment has only supported the backlash of tribalism, zero-sum thinking and yes, our outworn racial caste system—and has left us far too prone to the divisive tactics of self-serving politicos. It’s also made it difficult for a spirituality based on compassion to take root in our national Soul, and that deficit has been deeply wounding.
Third: the good news is, Jupiter and Saturn have just navigated their new great mutation conjunction in that same air sign Aquarius (first exact on December 21, 2020), so perhaps we are looking at an opportunity to make structural (and technological) changes that will truly propel us forward. Will that progress heal divided hearts and minds? Hope springs eternal.
Fourth: when all is said and done, We the People do not exist apart from the collective organism we call our nation, from “sea to shining sea;” indeed, we are the sentient lunar Soul of that homeland, and with our very diverse humanity, we bind everything together. Or not: those bonds require constant vigilance and there are no guarantees. I mentioned in the beginning of this exploration that I thought the mundane Moon has stories to tell us; undoubtedly there are many, but perhaps the one we need to hear now is about how politics is not alien to our humanity; in fact, it’s all about our humanity, and above all, about the respect and compassion we owe each other.
Finally, in my view, we need to take this story to heart before the next Sibly progressed lunar cycle dawns this coming March 25, 2024 at 19°+Pisces: that cycle will demand that we coalesce around some very real challenges to our sojourn on this Earth. With one eye on our resilient mundane Moon, I sincerely hope we can rise to the challenge.
And about the new 2024 Sibly progressed lunar cycle upon us...
Triwheel #1: (inner wheel) the U.S. Sibly chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA. Source: Nicholas Campion, The Book of World Horoscopes (BWH), The Wessex Astrologer Ltd., 2004, Chart 370; (middle wheel) Sibly progressions for March 25, 2024; (outer wheel) transits, March 25, 2024, Washington, D.C.. All charts are cast by author on Kepler 8.0, with Tropical Equal Houses and True Node and courtesy of Cosmic Patterns software.
As the story has unfolded in the past few posts with excerpts from The Mundane Moon: an evolving cosmic story for We the People, the radix U.S. Sibly chart has helped to establish the historical context (time and place) for our explorations. In other words, whatever we have focused on in the two outer wheels (the progressions and transits for each key cycle milestone date) has been considered in reference to this Sibly snapshot of our birth as an independent nation. This need for an historical context can get complicated for sure, but this method also reminds us powerfully that progressed cycle milestones are not abstractions: they’re key moments in the evolutionary development of American society.
As for the outer wheels we’ve considered, focused on the transits of specific milestone days (e.g., March 1, 2017, the launch date for the 1994 cycle’s 3Q phase), including them acknowledges that this evolutionary development is also happening within and is driven by a very specific set of planetary dynamics. We can never step into the same “river” of progressions and transits twice, of course, but we can tease out some important insights from key moments that should help inform the path ahead.
With that in mind, let’s turn to Triwheel #1 above, picturing how this complex American picture is about to coalesce around the new March 25, 2024 Sibly progressed lunar cycle we’ve been anticipating.
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| George Washington and his troops crossing the Delaware. |
In the middle wheel of the chart we see the Sibly progressed Sun and Moon conjunct in Pisces and over the Sibly 4th house, so let’s first consider what might be special about this placement. First, we should note that the middle wheel progressions are calculated for March 9, 1777: the Sun progresses one degree per year, so at nearly 248 years since July 4, 1776 (and with 24 hours of a nation representing one year in terms of secondary progressions), March 9, 1777 thus becomes the date for which the new progressed cycle in question is cast.
We won’t belabor this point, but for what it’s worth, the year 1777 was consumed with the Revolutionary War playing out on these shores. In fact, it was a very significant year in our struggle to break away from the British monarchy at the time, so there’s a definite thematic “ping” between that year and the existential contest we seem to be navigating as this new 2024 progressed cycle begins—this time between Trump’s authoritarian designs on the presidency and Biden’s desire to preserve and protect our democracy.
Trump has promised out loud to be his followers’ “retribution”--although it sure seems that he’s really seeking retribution for his own perceived grievances. His agenda is basically Piscean, attempting to blur the boundary between his personal desires and what the nation, in his view, needs. He makes this point by trying to glorify the “sacrifice” of the January 6 insurgents—the real Patriots in his narrative—who are languishing in prisons, singing patriotic songs and waiting for him to spring them come 2025. Can we start to notice how he’s tapping into a resonant theme here?
I doubt many would dispute that Trump sees himself as a kingly figure who has been cheated out of his kingdom—arms often outspread as he speaks, like a victimized royal, beckoning universal support: by this logic and these theatrics, our right to fairly choose our leaders is his “being cheated.”
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| Mythic sacrificial King Arthur |
How uncanny is it then, that in the middle wheel of Triwheel #1 below, we see such a character—the Progressed Sun (Leader) standing in sacrificial Pisces, overpowering and blurring the boundaries between himself and the People (progressed Moon). This picture reads like a twisted version of Kennedy’s famous “ask not” encouragement, only this Pisces progressed Sun is projecting expectations of sacrifice on the Pisces Moon (the People).
This is only exacerbated by the fact that this 19°+ Pisces conjunction pretty closely opposes Sibly radix Neptune in Virgo, and together, these placements t-square Sibly radix Mars in Gemini. If he loses in November, there will be a bloodbath, he says, and we are left to wonder if the seditious militias (Mars) that descended upon the Capitol on January 6, 2021 on his behalf, are gearing up for a second try.
Of course, just in case things go really sideways and he’s convicted of one of the many crimes he’s indicted for, his followers are also being conditioned to see him as the ultimate Victim/Savior; the Victim with whom they should all be happy to identify, and for whom they should willingly sacrifice their lives. I wish this were hyperbole, believe me!
The “pings” with 1777 become more insistent when we consider that the American colonists were not entirely united in their determination to break away from Britain: historians believe that between 15-20% of white, male colonists of the time were so-called Loyalists (aka, loyal to the King), and many took up arms against the freedom-seeking Patriots. Britain exploited these divisions even further by promising to free any black loyalists from slavery in return for their service.
Bottom line, even if we ignore the actual war raging in 1777 and its relevance today, there’s no denying that the theme of “divide and conquer” resonates across the ages.
There’s also no denying that the key connections we see to the progressed Sun-Moon conjunction in this triwheel (factoring in Sibly Neptune and Mars, as noted earlier) could undermine We the People in other ways as well. There will be choices, however: with Neptune, there is power in choosing to embrace Compassion in the form of People-centered, creative, holistic and inclusive solutions to everyday problems. We are—like it or not—faced with heightened possibilities for climate change-related disasters and mass migrations (long through to be ruled by Neptune) that promise to be stressful and bring out the worst in our politics, at best.
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| Climate change will continue to fuel mass migrations. |
We can either plan sanely and sensitively for such eventualities—or, we can simply accept being passively swept along (Neptune!) wherever the worst of our politics wants to take us. We don’t often conceive of authoritarianism as a Neptunian phenomenon, but as some commentators have put it, we’re “sleepwalking into oblivion” as a democracy—sure sounds like Neptune to me! That’s the key question in the end: how conscious are we of what is really happening to us as a People and a society?
In fact, mundane astrologers have long seen a connection between Neptune and autocracy: it’s been discussed by the authors of the Mundane Astrology classic (M. Baigent, N. Campion and C. Harvey)--and by the work of Andre Barbault that they cite. Barbault has often associated Fascism with Uranian-style dictators and nations and Communism/Socialism with Neptunian ones. [1]
I would argue that this Right/Left breakdown was always a bit simplistic, but for the European world of WWI and II that Barbault was focused on, it made perfect sense. Politics in the U.S. defies that neat, dualistic breakdown, however: there are times when it definitely seems we are really two very different nations spliced together that could be characterized as Uranian on one side and Neptunian on the other, but then there arise seriously challenging times or issues when that breakdown falls apart or—more importantly—becomes meaningless.
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| From Arlington National Cemetery |
For instance, consider our military, represented by Sibly Mars and Uranus (straddling the Gemini DSC) and sensitive to our radix Neptune because it sits in Virgo—the sign often associated with public service and the military. At this moment, U.S. military members are being yanked in two directions like a wish bone by the Pisces-Virgo t-square detailed above to Sibly Mars and the transiting Saturn square to Sibly Uranus (Gemini): they remain disappointed with the way Biden pulled the troops out of Afghanistan, but on the other hand, many are becoming even more disgusted by the ugly disdain Trump shows for our veterans.
As The Atlantic reports it, Trump has expressed the opinion that Americans who have died in wars were “losers” and “suckers.” And he wants to be their Commander-in-Chief? That kind of animus and his cynical refusal (or inability) to understand military values like honor and true sacrifice can’t help but wear thin.
So what lies ahead?
So where does this progressed Sun-Moon conjunction suggest we will be as a nation for the next 7.5 years, if not more? From what I can tell, we and our democracy may be in a “sink or swim” mode for some time to come because an overwhelming effort is being put into sweeping U.S. democracy away on the blended Uranus/Neptune “rapids” of oligarchy and theocracy—the absolute rule of the wealthiest class, most likely to be enabled by a state-empowered religion, aka “Christian nationalism.”
Nothing says we must succumb to this radical transformation, but a strong potential exists for these things to happen if we’re not really dedicated to preventing them. There is much to lose and it can be lost if we look the other way.
Anyone who’s studied Russian autocracy since Putin’s ascent knows that he settled upon this hybrid oligarchy/theocracy formula over time for himself, and that the Church/State juggernaut he’s created has kept him in power through decades of one phony election after another (he gets to choose his own opponents and to exclude anyone he doesn’t want to run against—a dictator’s dream!).
Interestingly, Vladimir Putin’s natal chart (if we can assume it’s credible) features a natal waning Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Libra, an aspect that closely conjoins Trump’s natal Chiron-Jupiter conjunction (Biwheel #1 below).
Biwheel #1. (inner wheel) Donald J. Trump, June 14, 1946, 10:54 a.m. DST, Jamaica, NY. Source: Astrodatabank rated AA, (outer wheel) Vladimir Putin, October 7, 1952, 9:30 a.m. ST, St. Petersburg, Russia (then USSR). Source: Astrodatabank rated DD: conflicting/unverified.
This is interesting because Trump has made no secret of his desire to enjoy the kind of lock on Power-writ large that Putin enjoys—in fact, we’re seeing more and more the appeal that Putin-style autocracy (also embraced by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán) has for billionaire corporate types and grifters. Trouble is, the “shifting sands” of a dishonest, Neptunian basis for government power can’t possibly hold up the secure and solid edifice of a nation state for long. Self-serving narratives must continue being propagated; the truth must be squelched wherever it leaks out; propaganda must become the air such lie-based governments and their people breathe.
For example, it may be that Putin felt he needed to attack Ukraine to solidify his popular support (claiming he was doing so for Russia’s national security, of course), but the truth was bound to come out eventually; people’s access to the facts can only be limited so far. Soldiers fighting and watching their comrades die for Putin’s lies can’t help but see what’s really going on, eventually—Neptune may enable lies and obfuscation, but it also enables the erosion of support and a gradual process of dis-illusionment over time.
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| The now-deceased leader of Russia's opposition party, Alexei Navalny |
Even though in the meantime courageous people like Alexei Navalny may be mysteriously poisoned or die; even though insufficiently groveling underlings might just happen to fall out of windows to their death...to live a state-sponsored lie takes constant maintenance. I find it hard to believe that’s the direction we want to head in for the U.S.
So, it’s not difficult to see the perilous possibilities we are facing today, as this new Sibly progressed cycle launches. Saturn will be transiting (outer wheel) over the Sibly 4th for a couple years yet, potentially suppressing the vote in some places (more on this ahead), but I’m not convinced that the masses of American people will line up in support of Trump’s autocratic worldview, no matter how “victimized” they believe him to be. Autocracy would be an unnatural and undesirable state of affairs in this freedom-loving, Sagittarius rising nation, and it would fly in the face of important indicators in our Sibly chart:
-Our radix Sun (Cancer) is disposed by our late Aquarius Moon, which creates a give-and-take between leadership and We the People: our leaders are meant to be of the People, elected by the People and for the People.
-Sibly Sun squares Sibly Saturn (in Libra, the more structural, non-Executive branches of the government), and this Libra is disposed by Sibly Venus in Moon-ruled Cancer: our government was structurally designed to serve the needs of We the People, not a so-called “royal family” or a would-be King Donald.
For his part, Trump has looked to right-wing billionaires and overseas dictators to shore up his power quest, which is antithetical to our lunar needs as a people in more ways than one. As we know from decades of economic globalization, billionaires take their money wherever they see the most benefit for themselves—ethics and patriotism be damned.
Today’s right-wing billionaires had a heyday under the first Trump administration and are looking forward to more of the same in 2025 because they will support any leader who is willing to serve their purposes first and foremost. Thankfully, that ambition may turn out to be a fool’s errand this year, however: the Sibly progressed Nodal axis stretches across Cancer-Capricorn, pulling in Sibly Mercury (Cancer) on the North end—the direction we need to evolve into to empower individual American voices—and radix and progressed Pluto (Capricorn) on the South end, the corporate-heavy direction that needs to start giving back to the greater collective. Unless something goes very wrong, voters—rather than corporations—should have the final say.
Fleshing out this possibility, transiting No. Node, Chiron and Mercury (Aries) fall roughly-to-widely t-square this Cancer-Capricorn nodal axis, suggesting that the new phase of this 2024 progressed cycle could be volatile and wounding, but could ultimately force us to face karmic realities that are long past due for healing. These issues have been covered at greater length in the March 13th posting, in the context of our Sibly Chiron return, which will be transpiring within a month of this new progressed lunar cycle launch.
When push comes to shove
So, are the “pylons” of American democracy sunk deep enough into the Piscean ocean we’re navigating these days to weather the potential storms coming our way? We must hope so, but we shouldn’t take anything for granted, with Saturn transiting in Pisces (outer wheel), conjunct transiting MC and Venus and potentially suppressing the economy and the flow of power upwards from the grass roots (4th) and our government leaders (MC/10th). This potentially blocked flow probably reflects the many purposely targeted and restrictive voting laws passed since the 2020 elections. In the name of election “integrity,” we may be dealing with voter suppression.
Other Saturn-related dynamics could be likewise challenging: the Saturn-Sibly Uranus square noted earlier could certainly mean tough times for people—Sibly Uranus disposes our Aquarius Sibly Moon and that square could weigh heavily. This could be felt in the economy (remember that transiting Saturn-Venus conjunction), or it could be simply experienced as a deadening fear that the economy may tank at any time. One of our presidential candidates speaks in upbeat, hopeful ways about the American economy; the other one likes to paint a dystopian hellscape picture of life in these United States. The constant dread-mongering can’t help but depress people’s moods over time.
In fact, transiting Saturn is currently working through its balsamic phase (so the very last few degrees of its cycle) with Neptune over the next couple years—a story for another day, but one that could wield influence here in the early days of this new Sibly progressed lunar cycle. In the spirit of a deeply waning cycle, it’s time to suppress “false prophets” (Saturn-Neptune) and to clear out the toxic conspiracy- and fear-mongering that has done so much to divide and destroy our body politic.
And last, but certainly not least, the transiting Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus that we see over the Sibly 6th in Triwheel #1 falls sextile the new progressed cycle point in Pisces and trine Sibly Neptune (Virgo, inner wheel), suggesting that we need to focus in that 6th house realm of public service and practical, pragmatic solutions to the needs of Americans (Taurus-Virgo) to make the most of the road ahead. That we need a new generation of dedicated public servants is no secret: perhaps the new Jupiter-Uranus cycle waiting in the wings for April 20th will facilitate those who will take up that challenge.
A bit of data for the road...
Progressed lunar cycles play out over a roughly 30-year period and pass through four distinct quarter phases: New, 1Q (waxing square), 2Q (opposition) and 3Q (waning square). The dates and degree data for each of these phases ahead is provided in Table #1 below:
Table #1. Quarter breakdown, 2024 Sibly progressed lunar cycle (degrees rounded up)
Phase | Date (first exact) | P Sun | P Moon |
New | 03/25/2024 | 19° Pis | 19° Pis |
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1Q | 11/06/2030 | 26° Pis | 26° Gem |
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2Q | 09/16/2038 | 4° Ari | 4° Lib |
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3Q | 10/26/2046 | 12° Ari | 12° Cap |
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New | 08/06/2053 | 18° Ari | 18° Ari |
Final thoughts
Pressure put on the 4th house of any chart—whether personal or national—tends to test the core strength or “mettle” of that entity. In the case of this new progressed cycle happening over our Sibly 4th, the challenge is to prove what We the People are made of, and whether we are still able to coalesce around our core principles to nurture, rather than tear down, our collective Soul. To my mind, becoming conscious of the subtle and not-so-subtle attacks on our ability to be a collective is job #1. For starters, we might work to become more aware when would-be leaders:
-feign outrage and blame others for not doing something as drugs flow across our borders (maybe the bipartisan immigration bill was really deep-sixed because Big Pharma can’t help but profit somehow if the status quo is maintained?), and relatedly,
-stoke fear and paranoia about the “criminal invaders” who are far more than likely to be innocent women and children, fleeing drug cartels south of our borders. But cynical politicians know that fear sells and is a reliable tool for sending extremists to Congress who will serve their purposes. Finally,
-keep the masses of people guessing and confused and at each others’ throats over everything with deep-pocketed misinformation campaigns...divide and conquer!
Bottom line, there are solutions to our border issues, but rather than celebrate and implement the hard-fought bipartisan bill that the Senate negotiated with the administration, the bill has been set aside so the immigration culture wars can continue to keep us all divided. This is cynical politics at its worst—campaigning on problems they’re not really willing to solve!
And an afternote...Happy Spring!
I’ve been working under a time crunch on this site to give you the story about our Mundane Moon and the new progressed lunar cycle about to launch any day, but now it’s time to acknowledge that this is far from the only major story happening this month and this season! The Sun ingressed Aries yesterday (March 19, 2024) and hailed the coming of Spring and a new astrological year for us (although it’s snowing in Michigan today!); the GOP is experiencing its 169th solar return today, March 20, 2024 (it was “born” on March 20, 1854); a major total solar eclipse will be happening on April 8, 2024 (more on that soon) and on April 20, 2024, both the new Jupiter-Uranus cycle and the Sibly Chiron return will transpire. Just when you think there may be time to breathe!
Keep it light, my friends!
Notes & References
[1] M. Baigent, N. Campion, C. Harvey, Mundane Astrology: An Introduction to the astrology of nations and groups, Thorsons, London, 1984, p. 168.
Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and retired 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, U.S. history, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Her articles on these topics have appeared in several key astrology journals over the years, including most recently, the TMA blog. For information about individual chart readings, contact: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2024. All rights reserved.
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