Category: Politics

Philosophy

Life, Liberty, and the Avoidance of Tyranny

Try it: Google ‘democracy in USA is finished’. If, like me, you get 28.3 million hits in 0.49 seconds, are you really surprised?

Let’s face it: as a democracy, America is on the verge of collapse and it is only the less astute citizen who fails to acknowledge that this proverbial writing has been on the proverbial wall for more than two millennia.

In his famous political essay The Republic, Plato (circa 424-348 BC) teaches that as surely as Democracy evolves from Oligarchy (a system of government where the rich rule the poor) that Democracy evolves into Tyranny. While the first transition results from an excess of wealth as with the English monarchy from whom the American colonists won freedom in 1776,  the later results from an excess of freedom. Plato provides some startlingly scary examples of the warning signs, should you care to read them. 

Plato also teaches that bloated with desire to do whatever we wish – whenever we wish, (i.e. the American obsession with unlimited free speech and unmitigated gun control), the citizens of democracy will at last become so sensitive that we no longer can endure ‘the yoke of laws’. Consider why recent laws requiring Americans to wear face masks to save their lives in the face of the pandemic killer, Covid-19, have become such an intense, hotly debated political issue.

This is the beginning of the end.

“… for there is a law of contraries: the excess of freedom passes into the excess of slavery, and the greater the freedom the greater the slavery.”

It happens like this: because law and order have vanished, the disgruntled citizenry elect a champion to seize control.  All goes well until inevitably the champion oversteps his bounds. When the citizenry try to remove him, they discover their champion turned tyrant is even more lawless than they. 

Plato teaches the champion turned tyrant is one of ‘false and braggart words and opinions’ who calls impudence ‘good breeding’, lawlessness ‘liberty’, wasteful extravagance ‘magnificence’, and self-control ‘want of manhood’. Not to cast aspersions, but am I right in guessing this might sound familiar?

As an American, I lament that so many of my fellow countrypersons have not read Plato nor are they likely do so prior to this November. But then again, ought I to be surprised? Recently media analyst, Mark Dice, asked Californian beachgoers why they celebrate the 4th of July and far too many of the replies were shocking.

I mean, how could any American who actually believes that America obtained its independence from China want to read Plato?

Has such ignorance, as Plato has plainly predicted, truly sealed the fate of the country of my birth? I hope not. Not only has America survived a good many serious challenges to date but so have other democracies like the United Kingdom. That America survives this epic challenge, remains up to each and every citizen to do his or her civic duty and remember that at all times individual freedom must be balanced with individual responsibility. 

If this democracy known as the United States of America is not to topple into the abyss of perpetual tyranny, this balance point must be found and respected.

Let’s face it: Tyranny is unlikely to bring the citizens of the United States of America anything close to which, more than two hundred years ago, they had promised themselves; ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’

Some may say this is not true; it is their democratic right to do so. But is it wiser to believe them or Plato?

Astrology

What’s Ahead for June 2020?

We’re coming up to a real zinger of a month.

Peddling Backwards

First and foremost, for two days (from 23-24 June), no fewer than six planets will be retrograde, or apparently moving backwards through the sky. This is a rare occurrence and not the time to expect to make forward progress. Instead, use it as perhaps the gift that it is intended to be; a time for reflection, reality checks, and making strategic plans and decisions. Doubtless this time will be sorely needed.

Final Endings

Earlier in the month, on 5 June, the eclipse season commences with a lunar eclipse. With every eclipse something ends and something begins but whilst solar eclipses tend to offer new opportunities, lunar eclipses tend to bring final endings.

Because this eclipse (where the shadow of the earth blots out the light of the Moon) occurs on the Sagittarius/Gemini axis, we can expect a shadow of some sort to fall across our beliefs and knowledge.

Perhaps some ‘truth’ in which we’ve heavily invested is seriously questioned? If so, at least because the highly auspicious fixed star Betelgeuse is involved, it’s more than likely that in the end, we’ll consider learning this now rather than later to have been for the best.

Affirmative Action

Unfortunately, until Mars moves from foggy Pisces into more clear-sighted Aries, we may be unable to take affirmative action about that which we’ve learned. This delay could prove painful. This is because on 12-14 June, Mars in Pisces will have met up with Neptune (by conjunction). As the result, we’ll probably learn something about that upside down ‘truth’ that is disheartening.

Because the zodiac sign of Pisces is closely associated with martyrs, we might expect someone or some group of people to suffer persecution because of this ‘truth’. Because Pisces is ruled by the planet Jupiter, we might expect this persecution to involve some kind of legal ruling.

But, rest assured, when Mars finally does move into Aries on 28 June, there will be plenty of time for action. Mars will remain in this most militant of zodiac signs from then until the beginning of January 2021. It’s with the next set of eclipses, that we might expect to learn more about the precise nature of that which will goad people to take (militant) action.

Domestic Disruption

For those who figured that by now the Covid-19 situation will have been now be well on its way to simply going away, with the solar eclipse on 21 June at 0 Cancer, there could be some bad news. As noted above, all eclipses denote beginnings and endings and this eclipse, about both, will be particularly strong; it packs a serious punch on Cancerian themes of home, family, and domestic affairs. In hindsight it might well be viewed as a new chapter in the story that commenced back in January 2020 with the stealth advance of Covid-19.

To finish up the month, on 30 June, we have another conjunction of Pluto and Jupiter, the two planets generally considered to have symbolized the spread of Covid-19. The big difference between earlier in the year and now is that both Pluto and Jupiter are retrograde. Might this mean the advent of the second wave of the corona virus?

Interesting News

Let’s hope not. But at the very least we might expect this conjunction of Pluto/Jupiter to take developing matters irrevocably out of our hands. If this happens, then we ought not to expect any serious clarity about this until around 5 July, when we will enjoy another Lunar eclipse, which like the solar eclipse on 21 June, will fall on the Capricorn/Cancer Axis.

Interestingly, this eclipse in July occurs against the backdrop of three important fixed stars. This suggests that as the result of whatever will happens as the result of the seeds planted by July eclipse, we might learn that we’ve been urged by leaders to move to too quickly to get back on track with ‘normality’ in the wake of Covid-19:

  • Canopus – speaking to the potential for great leadership and finding new pathways or back new ground.
  • Sirius – speaking to the dangers of pushing things forward too fast and taking action that lead to unexpected results, results that may ‘burn you’.
  • Vega – speaking to charismatic ‘star’ appeal that can be used for good or for ill.

Could you benefit from some help navigating June?

50 minute Astrology-Coaching sessions available for £(GBP) 60. Enquire below:

Astrology

What might we expect this weekend?

This weekend we will experience two powerful transits. They may not last for long but what comes about as the result will likely influence our lives for some time to come.

SUMMARY

Put disruption together with leadership figures and messages as well as crisis, fear, and uncertainty and at least we know what to expect; in essence the king has lost his crown. The next step is to figure out how to identify the silver lining inherent in every cloud and make the best use of it with tips from experts from crisis management.

ANALYSIS

Mercury in Aries is forming a square or challenging aspect to Jupiter/Pluto in Capricorn and the Sun in Taurus is uncomfortably connecting up with disruptive Uranus.

Let’s start first with Jupiter/Pluto: these planets have a 12-year cycle which is associated with power struggles and excessive optimism especially in regards to fear and uncertainty. In Capricorn, this dynamic is playing out in the realm of political and economic structures – governments, banks, and similar inviolable institutions upon which we have become accustomed to relying. The problem here is that Jupiter is in its ‘fall’ (i.e. falling from on high like Humpty Dumpty). Yet Pluto in Capricorn is strong. Whenever Pluto is involved, we can expect crisis of some sort. Something that was once well hidden about why we should remain optimistic is no more and no one will be happy about it.

Add Mercury, the messenger, to the mix and we might expect messages and vital information about something that will threaten our complacency. After all, if we choose to believe that there are such things as inviolable institutions, then haven’t we set ourselves up for an unpleasant surprise?

At the same time the Sun in Taurus will conjunct with Uranus in Taurus. Uranus is well-known for bring both disruption and surprises – often of a revolutionary kind. With this aspect, change and disruption in our domestic (Taurus) situations is pretty much a given. The Sun is associated with ‘father’ and similar authority figures and so that suggests both ‘king’ and ‘leadership’ figures. This could be the CEO of a multinational or it could be the president or prime minister.  

Put disruption together with leadership figures and messages as well as crisis, fear, and uncertainty and at least we know what to expect. We learn that the ‘king’ has lost his crown.

RESOLUTION

Experts in crisis management suggest that whatever the bad news, we need to remember that in every cloud there is truly a silver lining.

They suggest we experiment with ideas about opportunities that will not only help us to weather the storm but also to come out on top when its all over. This is best achieved when such opportunities work to the advantage to all involved. After all, chances are pretty good that it was a joint effort that got everyone into the mess and chances are equally good that it will be joint effort to get out of it.

Experts also suggest that incumbent to the success of our efforts will be to both stay focused on a meaningful goal. We also need to ensured (best we can) that everyone involved is honest about sharing whatever information they have.

Finally, the experts advise that it goes without saying that pretending something bad isn’t happening when it is happening will not work. Acknowledge the negative emotions churned up as the result of what’s happened and then after a deep breath, purposefully let them go.

If you’re going through hell, keep going.

Winston Churchill

Astrology

What we might expect in this next calendar quarter:

Summary:

  • In the UK, the next three months will be difficult – very difficult to be brutally honest – consider this akin to a death and rebirth. However, the good new is that there’s ample evidence in this chart that the people of this nation (albeit perhaps not including the current government) have the resolve, desire, and spirit of enterprise to pull through this crisis. We might also see some expected developments in BREXIT and our relationship with Europe
  • By contrast, in the US the next three months – equally difficult – will likely be characterized by illusion, disillusion, confusion and (self-imposed) deception. The need to be ‘perfect’ will severely hamper the situation in the United States.

Detailed points of consideration:

  1. With Capricorn rising, the key to the entire situation is Saturn, the chart ruler, and he is a particularly strong position in his home sign.
  2. In mundane astrology Saturn often represents the amount of freedom a society permits or denies itself. In Capricorn, this is likely to be restrictive. This is now clearly showing up with social-distancing and self-isolation – some of it mandatory, some not. Saturn as chart ruler also suggests that UK is slipping into a its ‘traditional’  and conservative outlook. The sign on the Ascendant is oft said to represent the national ‘myth’ and in the UK that myth has traditionally been in keeping with Capricorn: ‘knuckle under’ and ‘get on with the job’.
  3. Yet that is not the entire story; Pluto is rising in this chart and is within seconds of arc with a conjunction with the Ascendant. Also note Jupiter/Mars conjunction has just risen. This is not to mention that in this chart, the 1st house has no fewer than 5 (or 50%) of all the possible planetary players.
  4. In mundane astrology, the 1st house governs the health and general disposition of the nation and its people. This suggests the UK is being heavily hit and it shows.
  5. More specifically, planets making close contact (within 2-3 degrees) with the ASC/DSC are seriously powerful players and the planet in this chart is Pluto. Here the health and general disposition of the UK and its people is characterized by the principle of rebirth that comes as the result of death and decay. We may thus speculate that in the next calendar quarter, the UK will experience a trauma that could quite literally bring the nation-state to its knees.
  6. The 7th house, governing the UK’s foreign relations as well as agreements is also impacted by Pluto. I would hazard a guess that suggests significant ‘reconsideration’ of the UK’s position re: BREXIT and its relationship with Europe.
  7. The good news, however, is that Pluto also represents the healing principle, which impels the collective – as an organic whole – to experience violent phases of self- healing, in order to regain health.
  8. Pluto is also making close contact (by Sextile/Trine) to MC/IC axis. The MC (also the 10th house cusp) represents the country’s leadership – in this case the prime minister and his style of government. Pluto also represents corporate affairs and similar group activity especially when applied to selfish advantage. That the prime minster is tied in with this suggests that what we are being told is something less than the truth – at least about the economy and the impact of this crisis on corporate affairs. In addition, because Pluto also suggests self-destructive impulses, any governmental activity along these lines is not likely to bring happy results for anyone.
  9. Pluto is also making close contact with the 4th house (the IC in this chart) which suggests that difficult challenges and changes can be expected to be made by the citizens of the UK especially in regards to their domestic situations. This also comes as no surprise but because this chart covers the energy to be experienced over the next 3 months, it might carry on longer than anticipated (at least by some).
  10. The final piece of the puzzle comes with the Mars/Jupiter conjunction that also is making close contact all the chart angles (MC/IC and ASC/DSC). This suggests that the nation has the resolve  and ability to pull through this crisis. Add Pluto to this mix, and we find an extraordinary spirit of enterprise as well as the desire and ability to tackle huge problems with great success.
  11. When the going gets tough, the tough (in the case the people of the United Kingdom) get going. YEAH!

By contrast, the chart set for Washington DC, suggests that the United States will not fare so well.

  1. As Capricorn is also rising in this chart, Saturn is still the chart ruler and again we can expect social-distancing and self-isolation.  Clearly that is already happening although perhaps not as wide a scale as in the UK.
  2. But the planet that sets off the ASC/DSC axis (1st and 7th houses) in this chart is not Pluto as it was in the UK chart, but Neptune.
  3. Whilst Pluto suggests that the UK would undergo self-healing, however difficult, Neptune  suggests that the American’s collective need to be ‘perfect’ (not only in the image it presents to others but also as to how it sees itself) will hamper their recovery.
  4. In this respect Neptune suggests the United States as a whole will suffer over the next calendar quarter from illusion, disillusion, confusion and deception.
Philosophy

What is Truth – Take 2?!

This is the second of a series of three mini-essays written for a course exploring various philosophical theories of ‘truth’:

For William James, turn-of-the-last-century adherent of Pragmatism, ‘truth’ was a working hypothesis; if something ‘works’ to enable us to move forward in our search for ‘truth’, then accept it as ‘true’ (for now). By contrast, if you wait until absolutely certain you have found ‘truth’ before calling it such, you will be forever disappointed. James believed that although ‘truth’ is capable of being known, we can never be certain whether or not we have reached it.

Besides, with constant advancement in science and technology, ‘truth’ changes over time. We are always aiming at a moving target.

Although James failed to specify where our target of ‘truth’ might reside and what might be its ultimate purpose, he obviously thought it worthwhile of pursuit. Not all would agree. For example, by the mid-20th century, Deflationists had concluded that there’s nothing special about truth so why bother with it? Despite such developments, James need never to have worried. The continuing 21st century popularity of The Varieties of Religious Experience, James’s epistemological study of the spiritual experience of men and women, suggests his brand of ‘truth’ remains in high demand.

In my view, those wishing to find ‘truth’, at least in an epistemological sense, should consider James’s approach. Pragmatism opens more doors than other theories of truth and keeps them open too. For example, correspondence theorists require ‘truth’ to be shoe-horned into a rigid set of factual constraints, leaving us bereft when the ‘facts’ in play are neither black nor white, but instead clothed in shades of grey.  Equally, Coherence theorists narrow the field by requiring potential new ‘truths’ to either fit comfortably within an existing body of knowledge/understanding or be discarded.

Despite many upsides, Jamesian Pragmatism has downsides.

Although James was pluralistic (i.e. multiple versions of ‘truth’ exist), he was not a relativist, at least not in the sense that one man’s version of the truth is necessarily as good as the next (i.e. ‘anything goes’). Sometimes, however, in practical terms this distinction falls flat.

Consider Donald Trump and his claim regarding numbers attending his 2017 inauguration. Correspondence theorists would not consider this as ‘true’ because it fails to correspond to observable facts. Yet undoubtedly Trump’s ‘truth’ was useful to him, perhaps furthering one of his favourite pursuits, self-aggrandisement. James may also have considered Trump’s claim as useful and thus ‘true’ at least to the extent it furthers our understanding of human nature.

Accepting this ‘truth’ even as a working hypothesis appears dangerous. The challenges of a post-fact, post-truth White House are highlighted daily.

It is disturbing that some have suggested that the late philosopher, Richard Rorty, who actively aligned himself with Jamesian Pragmatism, actually prophesied the coming of ‘truth’ à la Trump.

Other downsides include: if no cares enough about a potential ‘truth’ to attempt to prove it, then it can never be considered as ‘useful’ or not. Equally, the approach may be so scientifically oriented as make it impractical when dealing with certain types of ‘truth’ such as moral imperatives or aesthetic values.  

Astrology

Batten Down the Hatches

Back in April 2018, I was lucky enough to attend The Astrology of Wealth Management, a seminar given by Christeen Skinner, a clever and well-experienced financial astrologer with a client base of market-traders, investors, CEO’s, and entrepreneurs. In that seminar, Christeen warned us to clear as much personal debt as possible prior to 2020.

I took her advice. Would you have done?

In 2020, there will be several planetary cycles crashing up against together like tectonic plates. Expect some ‘serious global financial fallout’.

According to Christeen, ‘this will a really tough time’ – ‘there are too many bubbles under the surface’ – ‘expect a serious financial reset’ – ‘batten down the hatches and prepare to ride out the storm’ – ‘this is a crisis of values – what matters most’.

What matters most to you and how will you protect it?

Christeen was right – and we’re in middle of this right now:

  • The Saturn/Pluto cycle (33 years) is a compulsive/obsessive energy that constellates violent reactions and victimization. The theme of this planetary cycle suggests the ‘need for endings’.
  • The Jupiter/Pluto cycle (12 years) is associated with international terrorism; it suggests political power struggles – punctuated by excessive optimism and intense beliefs. The theme of this planetary cycle is ‘a response to fear and uncertainty’.

Add to the mix the planet Uranus (disruption) wandering back and forth on the cusp of Taurus (security and stability) and it’s sure to be a bumpy ride.

If you’ve identified a clear direction forward, do you still feel on track?

Christeen did not comment as to what might manifest as the actual trigger nor did she suggest when it might end. But given the planetary cycles involved, I’d suggest (and is NOT financial advice) that although we might feel the pressure lifting a bit in April, the situation will get tense again with the Lunar Eclipse in July and then carry on pretty much through the whole rest of 2020.

Christeen also suggested that 2024-2025 may be a tough time and I have to agree. For some years, I’ve been predicting the United States will suffer a second civil war during this period and I’m not the only one.

If that were to happen, then how might it effect the global economy and perhaps more importantly, what might be the impact on you and your family?

Finally, Christeen suggested that we might see the global markets bottoming out in mid-February 2026, which will be a difficult period for the United States for a number of good reasons.

debra@archetypalassets.com
44 7881821498
Astrology

BREXIT – Alpha & Omega

The chart of tonight’s BREXIT set for London sets the tone:

At the very bottom of the chart, we find Saturn/Pluto – the two heavy-hitter planets the conjunction of which earlier in January this year, astrologers have been fretting about for many months.

  • Although Saturn/Pluto conjunctions occur about every 30-33 years, they have not come together in Capricorn since 1518, when Martin Luther posted his thesis which, with the Protestant Reformation, ended the Catholic Church’s stranglehold on Western religion.
  • Astrologers have, for the most part, agreed, that (for a number of reasons) something equally as momentous can be expected this time.
  • Saturn/Pluto in conjunction puts us in touch with the necessity for endings. Either something is completely destroyed or utterly transformed beyond recognition. There are no other options.
  • This Saturn/Pluto conjunction, the energy of which has been building for many months, will be operative throughout most of this calendar year. The conjunction is both (1) the end of the previous cycle (which occurred in 1982 in Libra) and (2) the beginning of the next, which will end in 2053.
  • In this BREXIT chart, Saturn/Pluto straddle the cusp of 4th house. In mundane matters, the fourth house  symbolizes the common people as well as the families and clans which, naturally, they form. We might read this BREXIT chart as signalling the end of the ‘clan’ known as the European Union, to which the United Kingdom has belonged for some time.
  • We might also see it as a sign for the future – the necessity of the ending of the United Kingdom as it is now. With Saturn/Pluto, we often also get an advance look at the cracks that are forming in the foundation before they cause complete collapse. For example, Scotland has made no bones about it: the ‘clan’ to which they may more naturally adhere (i.e. Scots) has been dragged from the European Union against its will.
  • The good news is that in this chart, the Sun, which symbolizes the UK government is in Aquarius – it is progressive and radical, if not rebellious, at least ready and willing to try out new ideas. The bad news is that this Sun is not in a position to accomplish much (i.e. it is not ‘plugged into the angles) of any of this in the ‘real world’.
  • Leaving the past behind, we look to the future and in this sense, progressive talk is good but affirmative action is better. Over the coming months, we shall see how the current UK government fairs in this regard but don’t expect all to be made perfectly clear until this cycle comes to an end in 2053.
Astrology

Crisis & Collapse / 2020

Last night, I had a horrible dream: I was sitting in my living room watching as (for no apparent reason) the wall of the house next door crumbled and collapsed.

This metaphor aptly depicts what we might soon expect from a series of planetary onslaughts across the bow of the Capricorn/Cancer axis.

To understand what this means, first remember that Capricorn is ruled by Saturn and Cancer by the Moon. Thus we can expect the cold, hard reality of material events (Saturn) to seriously disrupt our domestic and emotional security (Moon) as follows:

10 January – Lunar Eclipse

With every eclipse something ends and something begins but whilst solar eclipses tend to offer new opportunities, lunar eclipses tend to bring final endings. Because this eclipse (where the shadow of the earth blots out the light of the Moon) occurs on the Capricorn/Cancer axis, we can expect a shadow of some sort to fall across the promise of continued domestic/emotional security.

11 January – Uranus turns Direct

Now comes the turning point – although the proverbial writing may have been the proverbial wall for some time in regards to an upcoming change we can no longer ignore it.

12 January – Saturn/Pluto Conjunction

A seriously powerful planetary line-up in Capricorn (Saturn/Pluto/Sun/Mercury/Jupiter) assures us a crisis of significant magnitude to catch and hold everyone’s attention. The status quo explodes and as a consequence, we are forced to take action, like it or not.

The last time Saturn/Pluto were conjunction in Capricorn was 1518, when the world witnessed the start the Protestant Reformation and the end of the Catholic Church’s stranglehold on political and religious power.

The planetary line-up in 2020 is eerily similar to that of 1518.

During this period, we can expect nothing less than the total and utter structural (Saturn) collapse and death and rebirth (Pluto) of some status quo that will play heavy on our minds (Mercury).

Because of the nature of Saturn and Pluto in combination, this will not be pretty.

Add the Sun to this planetary line-up, and we can expect this crisis to bring about a sober AWAKENING – a mature, realistic understanding that something we’ve taken for granted has come to the bitter end.

17 January – Last Quarter Moon

The Moon in Libra reactivates the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of five days ago. The last quarter Moon is always a trying time – a test – a judgement of how well we’ve dealt with that which has come before. Expect more drama, disruption, and hard choices.

21 June – Solar Eclipse / Summer Solstice

Just minutes after the summer solstice, when the Sun enters the zodiac sign of Cancer, there is another solar eclipse. We’re looking at new chapter in the story that started in January re: crisis and collapse. What’s being offered here and will we take it?

5 July – Lunar Eclipse

By this time, the Jupiter and Pluto conjunction, which has been plodding along in the background since April, will have come center stage. At last, we might expect our story to be approaching some kind of resolution.

But before getting too optimistic (Jupiter), remember that the Jupiter/Pluto cycle is associated with political power struggles arising from excessive beliefs and optimism, i.e. fundamentalism and terrorism. Likewise, we might expect some death/rebirth (Pluto) regarding Jupiter-inspired things like the legal system or governmental rules and regulations.

29 September – Saturn turns Direct

Back in January, Saturn and Pluto formed that conjunction in Capricorn, one that reminds us of that formed in January 1518.

In April, Saturn moved out of Capricorn and into Aquarius, thus alleviating some of the pressure. But, unfortunately, it’s not over yet. In May, Saturn turned retrograde and started reversing back into Capricorn throughout the entire summer reigniting the crisis experienced earlier in the year.

Finally, at long last, Saturn turns direct moves definitively away from that January conjunction. Whilst it is true that Saturn’s 2020 conjunction with Pluto has set off a new cycle that will take approximately 33 years to unfold in its entirety, at least we now have some breathing space to reflect upon what has happened and adjust our lives in keeping with it.

In regards to my horrible dream, the wall (Saturn) of my neighbor’s house (Moon) may have collapsed (Pluto) in January but the dust didn’t start to settle until the end of the summer. Towards the end of 2020, my unfortunate neighbor will finally learns if he or she is can rebuild or need to relocate.

Astrology

A Day of Thanksgiving & the Pilgrim’s Pride

In the United States, today is Thanksgiving – a day to give thanks – as well a day to remember the pilgrims who arrived there in 1620. This small band of men and women endured many hardships in order that they might practice their own religion without persecution and for that, we continue to applaud them.

Whilst you’re digesting your turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie, might you be interested in delving deeper?

Sure, why not – let’s give it a try.

I think it no accident that the pilgrims in question set out from England with the start of a new Jupiter/Pluto cycle:

  • Pluto = fanaticism, obsession, compulsion, and power.
  • Jupiter = relaxed liberalism, tolerance and good will.

Jupiter most certainly can be taken to suggest the strongly-held religious beliefs of the Pilgrims with Pluto representing the Church of England, which after many gyrations (Catholic/Protestant and back again), they found to be impossibly corrupt.

Little wonder.

With the death of Elizabeth I (who had restored the country to Protestantism after the death of her Catholic half-sister, Mary I), James I of England (James VI of Scotland) took the throne. He had been baptized Roman Catholic but was a practicing Protestant and so the Catholic/Protestant conflict raged on.

Initially, Elizabeth I had taken the position of Moderate Protestantism, a comprise that took the middle ground and allowed the Catholics to practice their religion, as long as they kept their heads down. This was too much for some but not enough for others and so eventually after 1580, the noose around the necks of the Catholics was tightened by the government, whether Elizabeth liked it or not.

Willingly or otherwise, James took the same approach, reinforcing ever more strict penalties against the Catholics whilst at the same time seeking a Spanish wife for his son, Charles, which understandably fueled fears that Catholicism would be the state religion again. By 1620, the situation had become impossible. If the Catholics were too bold and brash and mystical for some tastes, Luther and Calvin and the religions they’d spawned were too mean and harsh for others. The government was expected to intervene (again), and it did effectively becoming, at least in regards to religion, a police state.

This is the essence of the Jupiter/Pluto cycle, political power struggles, intense beliefs, and fundamentalism, as a response to fear and uncertainty.

The last Jupiter/Pluto cycle that commenced in 2007 is drawing now to a close. Consider any and all similarities between that time and that experienced by those pilgrims when in 1620, they’d finally had enough.

Next consider that the next Jupiter/Pluto cycle commences in March 2020 in addition to a heavy-hitter conjunction between Pluto/Saturn (the need for endings) in Capricorn in January 2020. The pilgrims did not have to deal with Pluto/Saturn but we will. To give you a taste of what that might entail, consider that a Pluto/Saturn cycle in Capricorn has not occurred since January 1518, just two months after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg. Thus began the Protestant Revolution that not only radically changed the face of world politics but also fueled those pilgrims to leave home.

Can we expect to see another wave of pilgrims, setting off from regimes they find too intolerant for their taste? Your guess is as good as mine but I’m willing to bet that we’re already seeing the beginning of it with immigrants fleeing…ah, but then you don’t necessarily want to reflect on that on a day of thanks giving do you or, then again, maybe you do?!

Astrology

UK General Election / 12 December 2019

Summary

All change! The end of the current Conservative status quo is in sight but it won’t be pretty. Expect reputations ruined and careers terminated in a flurry of victimization, dirty deals, and scapegoating. The people will have soundly voted against the current government but things will not turn out as they’d hoped or expected. This heralds a brand-new day in British politics, a completely new cycle. Optimism abounds but, unfortunately, is short-lived.

Discussion

The key to this chart (set for when the polls close) is the close conjunction of Venus/Pluto/Saturn in Capricorn in the 5th house. Also, of note is that earlier in the day there was a full moon – i.e. when the Sun and Moon are in complete opposition.

  • The Saturn/Pluto cycle is about the need for endings – the status quo is no longer viable and is swept away to make room for a new political order for the future.
  • This conjunction of Saturn/Pluto comes exact in January 2020 but be prepared for the outcome of this election to set the tone for what is later to come.
  • The last time there was a Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn was in January 1518, just two months after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg and began the Protestant Revolution that radically changed the face of world politics. The Catholic Church, the then prevailing ‘big government’ had abused its power too many times and so came to an end.
  • Capricorn symbolises not only government and similar bureaucratic structures like the Catholic Church but more specifically conservative governments/structures.
  • Put all this together and it’s likely that we will see the end of the current Conservative government, which arguably has also abused its power.
  • That Venus (which speaks to a nation’s resources) is involved suggests that current Conservative policies re: the national resources has come to an end.
  • Add to that all that planetary energy in the 5th house which among other things is linked with financial speculation and we can expect that current Conservative policies (or those individuals/institutions behind them) that have basically been throwing the ‘dice’ with the nation’s resources will be resoundingly finished. Was the NHS (National Heath Service) really up for sale under the current Conservative administration?
  • The new world-order that is in the making from the ‘ashes’ of the soon-to-be failed Conservative policies might well have something to do with the very prominent Jupiter/Uranus trine (hope/possibility/optimistic rebellion) which also touches the 5th house and the 9th house (foreign relations). Interestingly, the Jupiter/Uranus trine ties very tightly in with the Ascendant, or the cusp of the 1st house, which speaks to the national identity and outlook. We can see the fruits of the whatever was unleashed at the start of this current Jupiter/Uranus cycle in 2010, with the UK general election that is known as ‘the day that changed politics forever’ when the Conservatives (David Cameron) were forced to form a government with the Lib Dems (Nick Clegg). Perhaps this is an indication that the electorate is again so unhappy with any of the party manifestos that a coalition government will again be necessary?
  • It is also worth noting that earlier in the day, there was a full moon. As is often the case, the full moon often serves as the trigger of planetary patterns. In this regard, the voters/common people (Moon) are in OPPOSITION to the sitting government (the Sun) and this has manifested in an outcome that quick frankly, not many will have expected.
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