Time for some Grand Reconstruction

Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.
~Francis Bacon

August 16th through the 21st is framed by two heavy aspects: Jupiter will oppose Saturn on the 16th, followed by Saturn’s square to Pluto on the 21st. 

Pluto in Capricorn, who stands in the middle of the Jupiter/Saturn opposition, is about breaking down the infrastructure, and the ingrained institutions that have become out-moded, decayed and repressive; in order to rebuild more solid and dependable structures that we can rely on.  But initially what we have been witnessing is this apparent collapse.  And when Saturn comes to meet Pluto, that whole process meets with resistance, denial, selfishness and withdrawal.
 
Saturn/Pluto indicates that resources are not going to be available, because those that have the resources are holding on to them, refusing to let go.  Jupiter/Pluto is big money, those that have the keys to the locked box, the vault, and want to fill it up with more.  Saturn/Pluto is resistant to change, even when change is necessary, even when the circumstances that exist are obviously working against the common good, or not working at all.  Throw Jupiter in there, and we have a recipe for corruption, and a belief that the ends justify the means. We also have a resulting moral crisis, where both optimism and hope are locked between a rock and a hard place. 

Unemployment?  All well and good for the corporations.  It keeps the minimum wage down, since people are too scared to risk asking for raises.
Education?  So long as people learn to follow orders and regurgitate memorized sound bites, that’s what the slave-wage economy relies on in order to supply enough drones.  Keep the workers intellectually incurious and uninformed.
Health care?  If they can’t afford it, they don’t “deserve” it. 
Housing?  Same as above. 

In an article by Paul Krugman in the New York Times (8/9/10 editorial), Mr. Krugman discusses the current erosion of the infrastructure in the US. 

“In effect, a large part of our political class is showing its priorities: given the choice between asking the richest 2 percent or so of Americans to go back to paying the tax rates they paid during the Clinton-era boom, or allowing the nation’s foundations to crumble — literally in the case of roads, figuratively in the case of education — they’re choosing the latter.”

The argument is about making government “smaller”, which really reads: don’t provide services, even those services that nobody else will provide if the government doesn’t.  Such as street lights, paved roads, health care and a decent education.  But in doing so, as Mr. Krugman points out, we go backwards, instead of forwards. The government is just not spending, at least not on the infrastructure.  And certainly not enough in a way that will promote growth and prosperity.   Preserving the tax cuts for millionaires, keeps money out of the system.  They don’t spend it.  People in the middle and lower brackets have to spend their money.  They do spend it.  They just don’t have it.  What we really need is a New Deal type plan, to really put America back to work.  It’s not happening.

The result?  Righteous indignation.  We see a lot of this on the right, with the tea party, the militias, the birthers, and right-wing activists, with their call to bring the government down to its knees, but with no real plan for rebuilding or reconstruction, leaving things to "alter for the worse spontaneously.."

We don’t see enough indignation on the left.  These aspects are not meant to lull us into a state of comatose demoralization.  It is a call to action.  The resources are being withheld, therefore we need to depend on our own ingenuity, and initiative.  It is, indeed, a time to create a plan to rebuild America.  But it is a time to initiate a long-term plan and goal to restore our country and put it back on its feet, not just tear it down, and leave it to its own inevitable demise.  And as Mercury idles, and stations Retrograde on the 20th, let’s use this time to reevaluate, reconsider, research, and reorganize.  This is what these aspects are good for.  Long term, reliable, equitable and fair plans for restoration, and rebuilding.  Some Grand Reconstruction.  It is time.

The Internet, Deluges and Peak Oil - Uranus returns to Pisces

Uranus retrogrades back into the sign of Pisces on the 13th of August.  Astrologers refer to these brief returns of the outer planets... as having to take care of some unfinished business... in this case in Pisces, the sign of the dreamer, the musician, the escapist, the poet, the social worker, the altruist and mystic.  Pisces rules oil, oceans, liquids in general, fogs and fairies.  As Uranus re-enters Pisces, it also reestablishes its connection with Neptune in the Uranian sign of Aquarius, through their mutual reception (they rule each other’s signs). 

I saw this relationship between these two outer planets as a progressive urge to embrace all peoples, of all faiths, of all backgrounds, genders, nationalities... to come to realize our interconnectedness with each other and with all of life.  And we have done this in a curiously Uranian fashion: via the internet.  If you were to ask what Friendster, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter all have in common, the answer is, they were all founded while Uranus was in Pisces*.  Uranus rules computers, cutting edge technology, the internet included... but it also rules freedom... the Universal Mind, as it were, expressed through the medium of computer technology and virtual networking platforms.  Pisces has no boundaries.  It is elusive and ephemeral, and all-inclusive. Pisces does not discriminate.  It also rules music, hence YouTube.  Which is why, every time the issue of regulations comes up regarding google, the internet, or social networking sites, everyone’s hair is on fire.  Uranus in Pisces is about the ultimate, unregulated freedom of informational access. 

Also in the news while Uranus was in Pisces/with Neptune in Aquarius, where Pisces/Neptune rule oceans, water, and oil; and Uranus/Aquarius rule sudden, altering events, and humanitarian crises:

The invasion of Iraq occurred in March of 2003; (though this was also a decidedly Saturn opposing pluto in Sagittarius event, as well, many have good reason to believe the true basis for the invasion, was to regain control of Iraqi oilfields, ruled by Pisces/Neptune)....

In 2003 Global oil production began a 4 year plateau, and subsequent decline, in the face of rising demands.  This caused many new price increases.

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, caused a tsunami in which 227,898 people died.  The earthquake had a magnitude between 9.1 and 9.3 making it the 2nd largest earthquake ever recorded.  It caused the entire planet to vibrate, triggering other earthquakes as far away as Alaska.  Measured in the amount of lives lost, this is one of the 10 worst earthquakes in recorded history, as well as the worst tsunami in history.  As a result of the reported casualties, there was an unprecedented humanitarian response worldwide, where more than $7 billion dollars were donated in aid.

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina was not only the most costly natural disaster, it was also one of the 5 deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States.  It single-handedly exposed the raw underbelly of poverty, inequality and neglect of the classless in American society... all very Pisces/Neptunian subjects.  Interestingly, the storm also brought forth a much stronger role in blogging, and web-based news (Uranus/Aquarius).  NOLA.com, the affiliate of the New Orleans’ “Times-Picayune”, was awarded the Breaking News Pulitzer Prize, and shared the Public Service Pulitzer with the “Sun Herald”, whose coverage had to be carried exclusively on NOLA’s blogs for several days, as the newspaper had lost its building and presses due to flooding, in the wake of Katrina.

Earlier this year, in April, we saw the explosion of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon, in the Gulf of Mexico.  Uranus was still in the last degrees of Pisces.  Issues surrounding oil, the sea and its environs, as well as questions about our dependence on fossil fuels, and reconsidering alternative (Uranus) fuels reemerged.

In the news this week as Uranus heads back to Pisces?

A huge unstoppable island of ice is drifting across the Arctic Ocean after breaking off from a glacier in Greenland.  There is the possibility that if this island continues on its current path, it could mow over oil platforms and through shipping lanes where it could cause all sorts of havoc and damage.  This is part and parcel with unprecedented heat, wildfires and floods as an inevitable result of the continuing warming trend on our planet.  This ice island, is only the “tip of the iceberg”, of untold consequences of global warming and its effects on the environment.

While Uranus is revisiting Pisces, we may find ourselves revisiting some of the issues of his previous sojourn here. Keep your eyes peeled for more newsworthy events re: oil, water, oceans, alternative fuels, internet issues, music and film, with sudden events and innovations concerning these through March of 2011, when Uranus will then re-enter Aries once again.  


*Friendster was founded in March of 2003, soon to be followed by MySpace in August of 2003.  Facebook was launched in February of 2004.  YouTube was founded in November of 2006, and Twitter in 2006 as well.  Uranus entered Pisces in March of 2003.  (this is according to information posted on Wikipedia, founded in 2001, when Uranus was in its own sign of Aquarius)

photo at top of page is by evgeni dinev: freedigitalphotos.net

Saturn/Uranus and Proposition 8

Since Election Day, November 4th, 2008, we have had 5 exact oppositions of Saturn and Uranus.  The last opposition occurred on July 26th.  

 Saturn/Uranus cycles are notorious for financial instability, as well as extremes in weather patterns.  They can also be associated with periods of great calamity.  In 1918 Saturn opposed Uranus and 25 million people died as the result of the flu pandemic.  In 1930 during a Saturn/Uranus square, a volcanic eruption and earthquake in Japan would kill 10’s of thousands.  In December of 1941 with the conjunction in Taurus, we witness Pearl Harbor. When Saturn and Uranus were exactly opposite in 1965, the first US troops were sent to Viet Nam. They are also evident with revolutionary, scientific breakthroughs such as with the first controlled nuclear reaction in 1942.  Saturn was conjunct Uranus in Sagittarius at that time.  And in 1965, during the opposition, the first man would walk on the moon.

But what is most notable are the radical movements in society, that bring forth advances in our civilization.  In 1930 radical revolutionary changes were initiated through Gandhi’s famous peaceful civil disobedience “Salt March”.  And in 1965, when Saturn was opposing Uranus, yes, we saw the war in Viet Nam escalating, and we saw the first man walk on the moon, we also saw Martin Luther King lead his famous Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.  The 1960's are legendary for birthing civil rights movement, the women's movement, and a greater environmental awareness, among others. 

This time around, the 1st 4 oppositions occurred in the signs of Virgo (health care, jobs, workers) and Pisces (social programs, oceans, oil).  With Saturn/Uranus cycles, the more you resist them, the more likely the instability is going to transpire.  It’s like a pressure cooker.  If it doesn’t have an adequate valve, the pressure becomes overwhelming and things explode.  We saw this in evidence with the West Virginia Mine disaster back in April, as well as the BP oil well explosion in the Gulf.  It takes wisdom to understand our relationship with nature, and how to work with her, rather than against.

One good thing that did come out of this, was the Health Reform bill that was finally passed... weakened, diluted and apparently negligible compared to what many of us hoped for, nonetheless after decades of trying, it was passed!  Recently I received this notice, with some interesting highlights, which are certainly nothing to be sneezed at:

Report: 30M American women to benefit from health reform law
Approximately 30 million women will benefit from the new health care reform law over the next 10 years, according to a recent report from The Commonwealth Fund. 



The report says that the law will serve to stabilize or even reverse women's growing exposure to increasing health costs by subsidizing health insurance for approximately 15 million women who currently have no health insurance coverage, and by strengthening existing coverage for an additional 14.5 million women who are underinsured. 



The authors found that provisions pertaining to women include expanded eligibility for Medicaid; provision of subsidies to purchase health insurance; limiting out-of-pocket expenses; preventing insurance providers from charging higher premiums or turning down coverage based on gender or health status; and mandatory new plans to cover pregnancy, childbirth and newborn care. 



In addition, the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance plan (PCIP) is a key provision that will aid approximately 100,000 currently uninsured women with pre-existing conditions in getting provision coverage.

And then Uranus moved into the warrior sign of Aries, and Saturn into the sign of marriage, and equality.  These are cardinal signs, signs of initiative.  And on August 4th, San Francisco Supreme Court Judge Walker, overturned California’s Proposition 8.  Proposition 8, passed in 2008 with 52% of the vote, in order to overturn a newly appointed law which would allow same-sex marriage in the state of California.  Two couples sued the state of California, stating that this Proposition violated their rights.  And it turns out that the Judge agreed with them. 

Judge Walker stated that the referendum’s outcome was irrelevant, because “fundamental rights may not be submitted to a vote.”  He then tore apart the sham of a case presented by the supporters of Prop 8.  One of his most cogent statements, is actually revolutionary in scope, bringing us forth, into the 21st century, to another plateau of the expression of civil rights in our culture.

One of Judge Walker’s strongest points was that traditional notions of marriage can no longer be used to justify discrimination, just as gender roles in opposite-sex marriage have changed dramatically over the decades. All marriages are now unions of equals, he wrote, and there is no reason to restrict that equality to straight couples. The exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage “exists as an artifact of a time when the genders were seen as having distinct roles in society and in marriage,” he wrote. “That time has passed.” 

You can read the full article in the New York Times here. 

Happy Birthday Mr. President

August 4th

Every Friday morning, for the past 10 years, my friends and I have met in the local laundromat.  Because of our common political views it wouldn’t be long before we began to refer to our Friday morning rendezvous’ as our “summit meetings”, as we hashed out our own strategies to save the world.  I mention this, because looking at Obama’s chart, I can’t help but believe, in his heart of hearts, (esp. with his Moon in Gemini in the 4th House) he would fit right in with us in the laundromat, progressive to the bone, wearing his mis-matched left-overs from the week, eager to solve all the ills of the world, one by one, as he folded his t-shirts. 

So what has led progressives, including my husband, to proclaim, “He’s just another lying, manipulating politician.”  I believe my husband is only half right: he is a politician; but I’m not so sure about the lying, manipulating part.  Politician, yes.  Actor, yes.  Leo, 100%. 

I blame it on Neptune.

Neptune is idealistic.  It rules fogs, gases, and mirrors, masks, and actors.   Neptune rules illusion, as well as disillusionment.  There is often confusion about one’s stance and identity when Neptune travels through one's Rising Sign, as it is with Obama.  One becomes too concerned with the expectations of others to the point of losing one’s personal identity in the collective.  The picture that he presents of himself, therefore becomes contradictory and confusing.  People tend to act on the basis of who they want to be, or who they want other people to think they are, rather than who they really are.  It could very well be, that who he is, has become less important, is fading into the background. For this can also be an extremely idealistic time in which people are willing to sacrifice their personal desires, their personal lives, for a much higher cause... Once again, Neptune is idealistic in its highest expression.

With Obama’s South Node in Aquarius, and Neptune sitting right on this degree, on his birthday, one can see that he’s been trying to release, lose, dissolve any radical feelings of antipathy, feelings of it’s us against them, through the realization, that as the President of the United States, he represents all of the people, not just the ones who agree with him.  Even the ones who hate and fear him.  And if that means reaching across the aisle, if that means, meeting with, hiring, listening to people, who would just as soon string him up than be in the same room as him, then so be it.    This approach to conciliation with people who have no intention of cooperating, bewilders and frustrates us, but is Obama’s life path.  It is what he is meant to do.  And at times it may seem exasperatingly hopeless, and useless, maybe even to him...nonetheless, it is his path.  And it may seem to those of us on the progressive side, that he is too conciliatory, too accommodating.. but that’s mostly just because we’re not seeing everything there is to see.  There is a higher purpose here.

Interestingly enough, the transiting aspects that are influencing President Obama on his birthday (and therefore for many months to come), are pretty hard core.  Mars, Jupiter and Pluto are in an exact t-square, joined with Saturn and Uranus.  Pluto, the ruler of corporations, big  money and perhaps, those that feel they own and/or control the country, is transiting Obama’s house of “friends”... this is also the house of Congress in mundane astrology.  Pluto squares, and is in conflict with Saturn and Uranus, the rulers of Obama’s Aquarian ascendant.  Coincidentally, Obama also has Aquarius rising in his Solar Return chart (placed in Chicago, where he is reported to be celebrating his birthday). 

Along with Jupiter and Uranus, the planets of progressive change on Obama’s side, these aspects give tremendous drive and determination.  This is the sort of energy that knows no limits, that works persistently into the night, day in and day out.  With this energy behind him, the President is going to feel very determined to achieve his goals at all costs.  The result is tremendous success.  But there is a caveat here.  It has to do with honesty, integrity and sticking to the rules.  The opposition will stop at nothing to try and find a way to undermine his authority, and to stop him in his tracks.  There are powerful forces afoot, determined to bring him down, and stop his momentum. Now an attack against the President, is an attack against the country, but these attacks and roadblocks, although apparently coming from without, are actually coming from within, from those who wish to “seize the throne”, or take back control.  Or fear that they are losing what control and power they have... There is an inference of huge corporate or financial backing working against the President and the policies that he is trying to promote.  But it looks like they’re going to have a big fight on their hands.  Saturn in Libra, ruler of Obama's Aquarian ascendant, can be the iron fist in the velvet glove.  And he will be called out to defend both himself, and his policies.  And he will do so with his usual eloquent style. 

From the day I took office, I've been told that addressing our larger challenges is too ambitious; such an effort would be too contentious. I've been told that our political system is too gridlocked, and that we should just put things on hold for a while. For those who make these claims, I have one simple question: How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold?

State of the Union Address, Jan. 27, 2010

Obama’s ace in the hole?  His Moon in Gemini sextile Mercury in Leo.  In his Solar Return chart, the Moon returns to its natal place, only a degree away.  This is what gives him his eloquence.. his ability to reach out and tell us about those uncomfortable truths in ways that strike home and resonate.  His Moon is in the 4th House, the house of the home, the country, the people, and even laundromats, which is why he did so well in his town hall meetings.  And with this Moon strategically placed in respect to the powerful Cardinal planets, he’s in position to convince even the most stubborn, and obstinate opponents.  He’s got a gift, and he’s going to have to use it.

Astrologically?  My money’s on Obama with this one, especially if he fights on the side of truth and justice.  But he’s got a perilous and exhausting fight ahead of him.  And if all else fails, we have a washing machine waiting for him... our laundromat door will always be open.

We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it's easy, but when it is hard.

Nobel Lecture, Dec. 10, 2009