The Astrology of the Beach Boys

[TMinthePM]

A seed becomes a tree

A mountain, a star

And all is meant to be

[TMinthePM]

It is important to understand that the outer planets move quite slowly and so their influence is in the nature of background. The faster moving inner planets would seem to manifest their influences in the quirks of personality. But influences are not determining. Free will remains.

Now to fill the gap between 1990-2011.

The most important point in this period will obviously be the death of Carl and the disintegration of the band, but also the continuing reemergence of Brian Wilson.

[Cabinessenceking]

save that for your biography plz.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

It is highly unlikely that the movement of celestial objects has had any influence on the lives and politics of a species of ape on a small planet in a solar system on the edge of the Milky Way. How is this possible?

And I would argue that this.....

Here's another piece of Conventional Wisdom some out there might recall:

ICEBERGS?

THERE ARE NO ICEBERGS!

FULL STEAM AHEAD!

.....applies more to people who continue to believe in bronze age belief systems despite there an collusal amount of evidence to the contrary. It's called willful ignorance.


These people on this spiritual journey for answers don't like it when they're given an actual proper answer.

[The Heartical Don]

Two remarks on the matter:

1. Where does Pluto come into all this? It's a key (non-)player, I am told.

2. In what ways does the asteroid 'Brian Wilson' influence the goings on in Beach Boys- and Wilson-land?

I am eagerly awaiting answers and suggestions.

Your Heartical Don, Friend To The Stars.

[TMinthePM]

THE 1990s:

THE SHORT OF IT:

the 1990s… can be summed up… spiritually speaking, as the baby boomers finally got a clue!

In the late 1960s, we saw how the conjunction of Pluto and Uranus cause a worldwide eruption, a dramatic shift and upheaval of large collective forces arriving at the surface of consciousness, and creating dramatic changes in many areas of opinions, structure, endeavors, beliefs, organization, politics, spirituality and so on. Many of the changes have had lasting effects up to the present

1. On February 15, 1993, Uranus and Neptune completed their conjunction

Uranus symbolizes the forces that manifest as sudden shifts in consciousness,

Neptune… is most associated with the 'hidden'

The Uranus-Neptune conjunction… in the sign of Capricorn… is associated with hard work, grounded practicality, seriousness, traditionalism, stability, responsibility, self-discipline, cautious, perseverance

In contrast to a Uranus-Pluto conjunction, characterized by Uranian suddenness and rebellious with Plutonian need to act upon transformations… the Uranus-Neptune conjunction is more ethereal

2. in late 1995, Uranus moved into the Sign of Aquarius, and .. When Uranus is in Aquarius, people are interested in radical departures from traditions and patterns,

the movement to Aquarius by Uranus signifies a release from whatever confines… individuals…. On a personal level, the movement into Aquarius represents a breakdown of limiting concepts based upon old paradigms…

the last time Uranus was in Aquarius was in 1912-1920, in which the world stage was dominated by World War I. On the other hand, during this period, our understanding of the universe deepened with breakthroughs in the realm of physics with the likes of Neils Bohr and Albert Einstein. Though exclusively in the realm of science, the theories expounded by these individuals were so startlingly advanced that they began to spill over into the realm of metaphysics, and have certain correlations with non-dual Hindu, Buddhist and Sufi teachings.



THE FULL ARTICLE:

Spiritual Transformation in the 1990s:
Underlying Syncrhonicities
First let me state for the record, that I am not a professional astrologer, nor have I ever been one. But I've more than dabbled in Vedic Astrology for a number of years and can work my way around a chart to some degree. Thus, the contents of this essay may not represent the deepest of astrological knowledge or insight, and it does not exhaustively cover the astrological events described below. However, in my opinion, certain synchronicities have occurred in the past decade of the past century that warrant at least a few comments, from a spiritual perspective.
Around 1996, while surfing the Spirituality folders of AOL, I came upon a posting that said, " ...said he just became realized. There's a lot of that going around lately". The cynicism in the content of the post made it sound like some awful disease was going around, but it essential message was that there were significant numbers of individuals who were having breakthroughs in the mid 1990s (call them realizations, awakenings, openings, satoris, whatever). And that was only a part of the story.
In the 1990s we saw the emergence of a new class of spiritual teacher: westerners. Certainly this was not new, as there were many western teachers throughout the decades, but it didn't take more than ordinary perception to notice a huge new wave of teachers with first names like Mike, Dave, Toni, Andy, John, Susan, etc., and this occurred in both traditional and non-traditional settings. One positive outcome (in addition to being able to pronounce their name!) was the cultural similarity, which I believe aided their effectiveness.
Thus, in my opinion, the 1990s played as a backdrop to what appears to be a fairly radical breakthrough in consciousness on a personal and collective level, which can be summed up as the following: spiritually speaking, the baby boomers finally got a clue! So what could be some contributing causes for this?
Certainly one attribution is that the forces that led westerners to seek the truth in the late sixties and early seventies (of which I am one of many) resulted in many an individual taking up spiritual practice under the guidance of eastern teachers of Hindu, Buddhist, and Sufi persuasions, etc. And from the basis of that practice and association with realizers and spiritually advanced souls, several decades later, the 1990s saw the fruition of that work in the passing of the "Torch of Certainty" from one generation to the next, one culture to another. To add to the radical change, the 1990s saw the westernization of what was once the exclusive domain of eastern esotericism, a large part due to the graduation of many into the role of western spiritual teacher.
But for the remainder of this essay I would like to address the reasons why there seemed to be a significant number of radical and sudden breakthroughs, as well as the emergence of westernization of spiritual dharma from an astrological perspective.
Astrological Underpinnings
The last few decades saw two significant conjunctions of the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. In the late 1960s, we saw how the conjunction of Pluto and Uranus cause a worldwide eruption, a dramatic shift and upheaval of large collective forces arriving at the surface of consciousness, and creating dramatic changes in many areas of opinions, structure, endeavors, beliefs, organization, politics, spirituality and so on. Many of the changes have had lasting effects up to the present (despite the ill wishes of many conservatives for the 60s). Though the outer planet are traditionally viewed as planets representing group, generational or mass karma, they do have implications on an individual level, in the deep psyche.
Uranus-Neptune Conjunction
On February 15, 1993, Uranus and Neptune completed their conjunction, meaning that from the perspective of planet Earth, Uranus and Neptune in the sky were sitting right on top of each other (all the planets in our solar system except for Pluto revolve around the sun on a single plane, more or less). The Uranus-Neptune conjunction takes place once every 171 years and the last few conjunctions were in 1136, 1307, 1479, 1650, and 1821. What makes this conjunction different than the rest is that the majority of humankind has knowledge regarding the existence of both planets (Neptune was discovered in 1846).
But let's take a moment to meet our players:
Uranus
Uranus symbolizes the forces that manifest as sudden shifts in consciousness, revolutionary changes, flashes of insight, bursts of new ideas. Uranus also represents independent, deconstructive, rebellious "tear down the walls" impulses of the psyche. The quality of sudden changes towards instability or destruction of current structures is a classic Uranian feature. It takes what is subliminal and bursts it into conscious awareness, and at its best, it represents a liberating force. Being the next planet after Saturn in our Solar System, it couldn't be any more different than the qualities of Saturn. Uranus is also associated with computers, which will draw obvious conclusions regarding significant advances in computers during the 90s.
Neptune
Neptune, god of the deep sea, is most associated with the 'hidden', which translates into a connection to mysticism, mystery, oneness, spiritual development, inspiration. It also has associations with the urge to lose oneself in another state of consciousness, and at its worst, it can represent escapism, dreaminess, ungrounded and imbalanced idealism, unrealistic fantasies, being confused or 'spaced out'. Alternatively, Neptune represents deeper sensitivity to hidden energies and forces.
The Sign of Capricorn
The Uranus-Neptune conjunction occurred in the sign of Capricorn (Latin for 'horned goat') an earth sign, ruled by both Uranus and Saturn. Capricorn is associated with hard work, grounded practicality, seriousness, traditionalism, stability, responsibility, self-discipline, cautious, perseverance, etc. – many of these qualities also associated with its ruler, Saturn. On the dark side, it represents impatience, egotism, stubbornness, status-seeking, an appetite for power, unsympathetic and dictatorial tendencies, etc. It is also associated with the 'sea goat', a mythical figure of dual nature that represents the evolution of consciousness from the sea to embodiment on earth.
Analysis of the Conjunction
The Uranus-Neptune combination is associated, both in history and in personal biographies, with periods in which the archetypal--the mythic, the spiritual, the transcendent, the imaginal, the numinous--is suddenly awakened and liberated in new ways into human consciousness. We see this all around us now: the tremendous upswelling of interest today in an astonishing multiplicity of spiritual paths and traditions, in esoteric disciplines, in the transpersonal movement, in meditation and mystical religious traditions, in Jungian and archetypal psychology, in mythology and ancient religions, in shamanism and indigenous traditions, in the recovery of Goddess s pirituality and the feminine dimension of the divine, in ecofeminist spirituality, in psychedelic self-exploration and new forms of experiential psychotherapy that effect profound changes of consciousness, in the emergence of holistic and participatory paradigms in virtually every field, in the unprecedented convergence of science and spirituality.
-Richard Tarnas
A quick overview of the characters in question, above, indicates the potential for powerful changes in the area of spirituality. In contrast to a Uranus-Pluto conjunction, characterized by Uranian suddenness and rebellious with Plutonian need to act upon transformations (and thus creating worldwide political eruptions and chaos in the late 60s), the Uranus-Neptune conjunction is more ethereal than a 60s student rebellion. However many astrologers ascribe the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 80s, the end of the Cold War and the Promethian ideal of democracy (i.e. Tiananmen Square) as a having astrological roots in the early stages of the conjunction. And historically, the conjunction of Uranus and Neptune has been a time of the transformation of religions (1136, 1307, 1479, 1650, and 1821 A.D.).
One obvious synchronicity with the Uranus-Neptune conjunction is the explosion of the internet and World Wide Web. In my research for information on the Web, I found numerous articles that tried to predict the real-world results of the conjunction, and only a few were in the ballpark (Uranian connection with computers), but no one hit it dead on (though in all fairness, astrology is not about the capacity to foresee the exact content of new formations in the future). It is quite obvious how much the World Wide Web has impacted the lives of those in the industrialized nations, and as we go forward, it is making great inroads into third world countries.
By the nature of all of the three above characters (plus the ruler of Capricorn, Saturn), the Uranus-Neptune conjunction would indicate that spiritual breakthroughs would occur on both an individual and collective basis that would have real-world and not idealistic implications. The mysticism of Neptune is balanced by the stability and practicality of Capricorn and the grounded, balanced quality of its ruler, Saturn. What this means is that walls have been broken down, but it did not lead to crippling chaos, rather accelerated growth. Another important aspect is that there was the dissolving and deconstruction of rigid structures in the spiritual arena on individual, collective and organizational levels. For instance, the late 80s and the 90s saw the introduction of both male and female lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, as well as a large group of teachers that have been part of the Ramana Maharsji-Poonjaji 'diaspora', Andrew Cohen and Gangaji being the most famous. With a surge of western born individuals assuming teaching roles in what was once primarily the domain of middle and far eastern religions, it can be safely said that many spiritual schools and religions of various levels of esotericism have not only spread but established themselves globally.
And underscoring the fruition of what was sent into motion decades ago, many individuals have reported significant breakthroughs in the mid 90s, which may be categorized as satoris, realizations, awakenings, etc. The deep forces set into motion by the conjunction of Uranus and Neptune has strong associations with this new paradigm, and certainly provide cause to speak of a certain 'synchronicity'.
However, there is also a dark side to the story – as highlighted by the Waco tragedy, the mid 90s saw an significant increase in fundamentalist religious cults, white supremacy and patriot movement groups in America. However, it has been reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which follows and investigates the activities of these groups, the late 90s have seen significant decreases in number of these organizations.
Primarily, taken alone, the conjunction of Uranus and Neptune signifies sweeping political, religious and sociological reform through individual applications (Uranus) to collective mores (Neptune). In Capricorn it reflects that the primary area of reform will be in governmental structures and science. Physics will become metaphysics and governmental structures will begin to dissolve because the belief in hierarchies and Saturnine perspectives is dissolving.
-Edmund Wollman
Uranus's New Home: Aquarius
When Uranus is in Aquarius, people are interested in radical departures from traditions and patterns, and their capacity for experimentation and innovation is fiercely insistent and adventurous. This is perhaps one of the most highly charged energy combinations available when it comes to innovation, inspiration, and ingenuity. Bizarre and extremely "unexpected" changes come into being with an abruptness and intensity that is literally startling.
Equally as important as the Uranus-Neptune conjunction, if not more so, in late 1995, Uranus moved into the Sign of Aquarius, and this, in my opinion, unleash a spiritual dynamic that called for rapid and radical shifts in consciousness, resulting in transformation and realization on a global level. Any hemming in that occurred with Uranus being in the sign of Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, was unleashed when it moved into Aquarius. Capricorn is an earth sign, whereas Aquarius is an air sign, and one can say that any structures that were earthbound were unleashed into the sky with the Uranian movement into Aquarius. Certainly from events in my own life, 1995-1996 period was a time of significant and surprising shifts in consciousness, and this has been reported by many others.
Additionally, the movement to Aquarius by Uranus signifies a release from whatever confines that spiritual traditions may have held on individuals. With the movements of Uranus and Neptune, collectively people were fed by the spiritual traditions, but the movement into Aquarius completes the transcendence of any limitations that the traditions may have held. On a personal level, the movement into Aquarius represents a breakdown of limiting concepts based upon old paradigms - people suddenly realized that they were free, as conceptual fetters were snapped. This would be especially true for individuals with a well-placed Uranus in their birth charts. Additionally in the 90s we see a large number of non-sectarian teachers delivering dharma that once the exclusive domain of eastern spiritual schools - just go to your local spiritual bookstore or center, and you will find someone coming through on a book or seminar tour!
However, the last time Uranus was in Aquarius was in 1912-1920, in which the world stage was dominated by World War I. On the other hand, during this period, our understanding of the universe deepened with breakthroughs in the realm of physics with the likes of Neils Bohr and Albert Einstein. Though exclusively in the realm of science, the theories expounded by these individuals were so startlingly advanced that they began to spill over into the realm of metaphysics, and have certain correlations with non-dual Hindu, Buddhist and Sufi teachings.
Conclusion
I'm a firm believer in the Hundredth Monkey Theory, and believe that that extraordinary transformative events of the 1990s (which includes the expanded capacity for electronically based communication which makes this page possible) offer a groundbreaking initiation into a new and expanded consciousness that can only serve to benefit mankind on its evolutionary journey. I wouldn't go so far as to say that a Golden Age has been ushered in by any stretch of the imagination, but that as larger numbers of individuals grow into spiritual maturity through quantum leaps in consciousness (and eventually stabilize in that awareness), it will serve as an empowered sphere in order to aid others in their process, to provide a quickening that feeds upon itself in greater numbers. And since our mind streams are so tightly interwoven, spiritual transformation of any number of individuals will help ease the burden of those not so fortunate or spiritually aware.
The enhanced capacity of individuals to make connections via the World Wide Web is a macrocosmic metaphor of greater connection made by neurons in the brain. This can only serve to expand our views in many ways, to promote healthy exchange and create new forms of physical and virtual community that is so desperately needed in this often brutal, isolating and difficult world.
Reference:
http://www.heartspace.org/writings/essays/2001/Transform90s.html

[TMinthePM]

So now the Celestial Arc of the Beach Boys career looks like this:

1. 1960-72: a conjunction between Uranus and Pluto  - compelling…consciousness-raising, and rebellious expressions…awakenings and liberation. The band is formed, finds its voice, produces music that reflects the concerns of its generation from early adolescence to young adulthood. Progressively runs out of creative steam as the aspect fades.

2. The early 1980’s was epitomized by a conjunction between Saturn and Pluto… Saturn correlates with the desire for stasis, stability, and tradition. The band nearly breaks up (late 70s), salvages career by emphasizing its past glories - delivering powerful live set in Washington D.C. July 4, 1980.

3.The late 1980’s,… conjunction between Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune…. Neptune dissolves structures not unlike a metaphysical solvent…. blurs distinctions, melts that which was once solid, and softens that which was distinct and hard. Brian Wilson returns from the creative dead with what is arguably his best work since 1966, but not as a Beach Boy.

4. On February 15, 1993, Uranus and Neptune complete their conjunction in the sign of Capricorn… associated with hard work, grounded practicality, seriousness, traditionalism, stability, responsibility, self-discipline, cautious, perseverance. The Beach Boys soldier on, hitting the road year after year The band releases a well received retrospective box-set and tours behind it with sets that are more creative and diverse than any since the early 70s.

5. In late 1995, Uranus moved into the Sign of Aquarius…signifying a release from whatever confines… individuals…. On a personal level,…the movement into Aquarius represents a breakdown of limiting concepts based upon old paradigms…and .. When Uranus is in Aquarius, people are interested in radical departures from traditions and patterns.  The band breaks up following the death (departure) of Carl Wilson, putting an end to the structure that has served them for over 30 years. Brian Wilson breaks out of the Landy straight-jacket, remarries and sets upon a solo career.

6. Summer 2011 the Grand Cross will primarily feature Uranus, Saturn and Pluto, much like the decade of the 1960’s and these outer planets pack a punch. Uranus impulse to revolution, immediacy, emancipation, and freedom from restrictions opposes Saturns need for order, tradition, rules, boundaries, time and restrictions. Both are squared to Pluto (deep, elemental power, transfiguration, death and rebirth). The band reunites, produces an album that harkens back to 1965 and tours to ever mounting acclaim, but is bedeviled by divergent drives and tendencies. .

[TMinthePM]

Now I'd like to look into aspects in late 66 thru 67.

That is obviously a key moment in the arc of career that has had people scratching their heads ever since.

And, upon reflection, it was not just the Beach Boys who were rocked (no pun intended) by what the stars were delivering. The Beatles stopped touring, Brien Epstein died and they released their weakest album - The Magical Mystery Tour, while the Stones nearly went to prison on trumped up drug charges while releasing their weakest album of the decade, Their Satanic Majesties Request.

[MarcellaHasDirtyFeet]

Alright, this stuff is kind of fun and interesting. I'm a believer in NO WAY but it is kind of fun to see the coincidences and connect things in such a way.

Maybe Brian decided it was time for the reunion because of the confluence of the 50th anniversary (sort of) and the astrological charts...?

[TMinthePM]

Can't seem to find anything specific to 1967, so am trying to bring in a pro-astrologer for insight. A guy in the UK named Steve Judd, not that any here on this board give much thought to Merry Ol' Angleterre, padding around in your bikinis and woodies somewhere south of LA.

[bossaroo]

wait... there's a MALE astrologer in the UK?!?!?!!! surely you jest.

Science gives us mere explanations. It does not give us the truth.

That is the worst nonsense ever written here.

as I stated earlier, science can explain the hows of existence, but not the whys. It tells us how our bodies function, how the world turns... it attempts to explain existence. Do these explanations amount to the deeper truth? Do they explain why we exist? To me, that is the truth. Science stays away from all that.

Do you think astrology is a sport or a language? It is an ancient and highly in-depth form of study based on very real events in our solar system. The study of real events=a form of science, in my mind. Astrological charts are open to interpretation, but the charts themselves are solidly based in fact. They simply state where the moon and planets are located in relation to the Earth at a specific time. Predictions can be drawn based on knowledge of the path that planets take and where they will be in the future. That is all very scientific.

It is highly unlikely that the movement of celestial objects has had any influence on the lives and politics of a species of ape on a small planet in a solar system on the edge of the Milky Way. How is this possible?

a lot of people don't consider the human race a species of ape, so right away we have a severe difference of opinion. I looked at your website Stephen and you state "Music Is A Science" ...another huge difference of opinion. So Astrology is centuries-old hogwash, but music is science? and we're all apes. ok, man.

[TMinthePM]

Thank you, Bossaroo.

If you, or anyone reading this, is interested, I would direct your attention to Rick Tarnas. He has several clips up on Youtube.

I was blown away by his first book - The Passion of the Western Mind - his survey of western philosophy, which has been adopted by schools worldwide as the gold standard.

But my jaw dropped when I came upon his second book in 2006 - Cosmos and Psyche - in which describes his inquiries into astrology and concludes thumbs up.

I thought - well this guy has just wrecked his career.

But the man is brilliant, and I will tentatively say - persuasive.

I certainly don't argue in opposition to the scientific outlook, but consider the rational faculty of mind one facet in our psychic composition.

Well, not to drift too far afield. Greetings!

[TMinthePM]

To those who hold that objects in space have no influence upon us, let me remind them that we actually are in space.

[SMiLE Brian]

The study of planets and stars through astrology is legit and science, the "new age" aspect of controlling human behavior I have a problem with.

[bossaroo]

Thank you, Bossaroo.



I certainly don't argue in opposition to the scientific outlook, but consider the rational faculty of mind one facet in our psychic composition.

no, thank you... for summing up in one sentence what I still haven't quite been able to in several posts.

scanning the Mountain Astrologer article today. I think you (and perhaps others) will enjoy it. Some will hate it, and that's OK too! 

[Cabinessenceking]

wait... there's a MALE astrologer in the UK?!?!?!!! surely you jest.

Science gives us mere explanations. It does not give us the truth.

That is the worst nonsense ever written here.

as I stated earlier, science can explain the hows of existence, but not the whys. It tells us how our bodies function, how the world turns... it attempts to explain existence. Do these explanations amount to the deeper truth? Do they explain why we exist? To me, that is the truth. Science stays away from all that.

Do you think astrology is a sport or a language? It is an ancient and highly in-depth form of study based on very real events in our solar system. The study of real events=a form of science, in my mind. Astrological charts are open to interpretation, but the charts themselves are solidly based in fact. They simply state where the moon and planets are located in relation to the Earth at a specific time. Predictions can be drawn based on knowledge of the path that planets take and where they will be in the future. That is all very scientific.

It is highly unlikely that the movement of celestial objects has had any influence on the lives and politics of a species of ape on a small planet in a solar system on the edge of the Milky Way. How is this possible?

a lot of people don't consider the human race a species of ape, so right away we have a severe difference of opinion. I looked at your website Stephen and you state "Music Is A Science" ...another huge difference of opinion. So Astrology is centuries-old hogwash, but music is science? and we're all apes. ok, man.

- the premises for your inquisition is flawed since you assume the existance of something signifies that there must be a purpose with its existance.
- define 'deeper truth' without pseduscientific/philiosophical jargon.
- science doesn't "stay away from that". everything there is is science. everything can ultimately be explained. some things are too hard for us to explain as of now.

edit: I now saw your disagreement with the fact that we are descended from apes. you can live with your illusions, but please don't post them here. I thought you were trying to put light on the Beach Boys/astrology connection but the result is you are here only to preach your opinions. these opinions are of no use and of no interest on this board.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

as I stated earlier, science can explain the hows of existence, but not the whys. It tells us how our bodies function, how the world turns... it attempts to explain existence. Do these explanations amount to the deeper truth? Do they explain why we exist? To me, that is the truth. Science stays away from all that.

Science doesn't stay away from this. Its just you get answers you don't want, such as it is likely we are; all here by chance; there is no creator; no grand design; no afterlife;  no meaning of life.

And is my life empty because of my acceptance of these likelihoods. Far from it. I see the beauty of the wonderful ecosystem of laws and processes of which I am part. How wonderful that we have, in our skulls, one of the most complex things in the universe. This is where my sense of wonderment comes from. The real stuff all around me.

a lot of people don't consider the human race a species of ape

Well we are, so those people are morons. Denying evolution is as ignorant as maintaining the world is flat.

[bossaroo]

here's the article. download HERE for higher resolution.











 

[TMinthePM]

Reading this with the career of the beach boys in mind is a mind-bender. I'm now inclined to think that Mike and Bruce put an end to the reunion tour in response to the rising intensity of it all, retreating into the relative safety and predictability of their own scaled down shows, while Brian, predictably, and with Al and David in tow, was all about pushing on to where angels fear to tread:

An Alignment for Our Times:2010 - PART 1

by Bill Streett
1/13/04

http://www.astrologyforthesoul.com/billstreett/2010alignment_printer.html

The beginning of the next decade has received much attention by futurists, metaphysicians, and historians of ancient civilizations. This brief but important period of time is considered by many to signal either a leap of human evolution, an exponential increase in creativity, or a time of dramatic societal change. Arguably, this time period is receiving more attention than the beginning of the millennium a few years ago as we began the new century.

Astrology also suggests that this brief time period will be an important one, as a dramatic alignment between Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus constellates at this time. Specifically, Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus form what is called a “T-Square” in which the three planets form an isosceles right triangle. Although forming an exact T-Square in the year 2010, the alignment will certainly be potent in its manifestations for a year or two on either side of 2010.

Throughout history, when Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus form hard alignments(1) such as a T-Square, a time of socio-economic and political destabilization, tension, and contraction arise. Any hard alignment involving these planets suggests a period of stress where growth and evolution is demanded yet hard to achieve. On one hand, the alignment represents a stalemate between opposing forces, and, on the other, the alignment represents a time where pressure, hardship, and frustration ultimately give birth to something radically new. Out of this alignment arises a new order, where the old order disintegrates and gives rise to new social, economic, and political visions and movements.

A cursory look at the planetary archetypes involved can explain why these times tend to be so challenging and destabilizing. Saturn symbolizes tradition, order, and limits; for all intents and purposes, Saturn represents the establishment at any given point in time. In many ways, Uranus is in complete contrast to Saturn’s order and tradition. Uranus symbolizes humanitarian progress and freedoms relative to Saturn’s restrictions and traditions.

Archetypally, Uranus ushers in new changes, a heightened renewal of creativity, new reforms, and new ideals to aspire to. A person aligned with the archetype of Uranus tends to be more visionary, more idealistic, and unbound from the limits, traditions, social expectations and conservative sensibility that defines the person more attuned with the archetypal Saturn.

Arguably Pluto is the most difficult archetype to define, particularly in a limited space. Writing about Pluto is applying a rational process to a symbol that is almost wholly irrational. In a simplistic way, Pluto represents the primal, primitive survival instincts that drive and compel individual and social evolution onward. What can be expressed is that Pluto is an analogous to a will to power, which often implies a ‘power over’ or dominion over something or someone. Seen more as a process versus a steady state, Pluto symbolizes powerful times of transformation and change that occur at a fundamental level. Both terrifying and cathartic, Plutonic events are the eruption of processes that have long been gestating underground and hidden from collective consciousness.

When these planetary symbols come together in hard aspect, they are “forced to negotiate their differences” and the cross talk between these archetypes is not always polite nor productive. During these times, the socio-political dimensions of the collective approach conflict, if not crisis and breakdown. During these critical junctures in time, prevailing modes of economic and political discourse are pushed far-from-equilibrium and mounting tensions that have been ignored or repressed due to limitations of the current socio-political paradigm reach a breaking point. Simultaneously, new alternatives that range from enlightened progress to regressive barbarism rise to cope with the ensuing crises and difficulties of the time. During the period of the alignment, the problems and crises are often exaggerated or rendered more intense; real progress, forward momentum, or breakthroughs toward the challenges presented manifest after the alignment subsides.

Twice in the twentieth century have all three planets aligned in hard aspect: once in the early 1930s and again in the middle part of the 1960s. Certainly, these times were crucial in constructing the socio-political makeup of the decades that followed and were arguably the most dynamic and tumultuous years of the previous century. A look at the dynamics of these years will help to understand the themes and possibilities that lay ahead in 2010.

Late 1930-1932: Saturn-Uranus-Pluto T-Square

This T-Square in the Cardinal Signs of Capricorn, Aries, and Cancer was the symbol of economic breakdown in the Western economies. Astrologically speaking, we have an instance of the quality of dearth or scarcity associated with Saturn being ignited, empowered, and intensified by the outer planets of Uranus and Pluto. In the United States and Europe, unemployment rates reached their highest levels of the century and many people in industrialized countries experienced the bare subsistence levels typically associated with the Third World. The Great Depression effected all countries; only communist Soviet Union was able to increase industrial production levels at this time.

However, this T-Square symbol of Uranus, Saturn, and Pluto is a complex one, and one would be negligent not to broaden the scope of perspective to include how Pluto and Uranus were each adding their own archetypal dimension to the time at hand. Although the Crash in 1929 and subsequent Depression were sudden, many factors were at work years before the Depression to bring it into manifestation. The industrial boom of the 1920s helped to mask large and looming difficulties in industrialized economies. Moreover, throughout the 1920s, national economies tried to return to pre-World War One strategies that were hopelessly insufficient. Thus, although unexpected, the Depression was the result of many hidden variables that erupted at once. It is the nature of the archetype of Pluto to lay dormant for many years only to manifest in great power, not unlike a volcano or an earthquake.

The beginning of the decade also saw the emergence of the darker aspects of the collective psyche in the appearance of fascist governments, and in particular, Nazism. The scapegoating, lust for political dominance, paranoid obsession with total dictatorial control, and manipulation of mass consciousness through propaganda seen in the Third Reich are all manifestations of the lower qualities of Pluto. With Saturn and Uranus aspecting Pluto at this time, the ‘return of repressed’ elements from the shadow of the unconscious reared its ugly head.

The workings of Uranus can be observed through the quality of accelerated change of the period, as Uranus is always associated with sudden change and reversals. Certainly, the unexpected decline in the world economic situation is the most apparent corollary with this quality of Uranus. However, the acceleration of changing conditions is also noted in socio-political conditions of the day, most notably in Germany. During the time period of the T-Square, the Nazi party rose from a tiny minority with little over ten seats in the German Reichstag to becoming the majority party of the German political system—an extraordinary, sudden twist of events in European history.

1964-mid 1967: Saturn opposition to Uranus and Pluto

If the 1930s alignment brought out the face of Saturn dealing with scarcity and lack, the 1960s opposition brought out the side of Saturn dealing with convention, established values, and tradition. The period of the early 1960s saw a rise in new and unconventional ways of being in all facets of society, however, it was the mid-1960s where the real struggle between old and new, authority and youth, convention and progress came to a head. To the establishment, the wave of rising countercultural tendencies of the late 1950s and early 1960s was not going to influence and permeate cultural values without a showdown and standoff. In nearly every cultural and political arena, the mid-1960s witnessed the old guard of tradition tensely poised against the new vanguard of countercultural and progressive sympathies.

As Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X pushed the frontier of civil rights, race riots erupted all over the United States. In South Africa, as the government tightened its segregationist apartheid policies, resistance led by Mandela and others grew stronger. With American forces in Viet Nam intensifying, protests and civil unrest arose against a war deemed unexplainable and unviable by the majority of the American public. As self-expression and intolerance of communism increased inside the Eastern Bloc, the Soviet regime enforced harsher and stricter controls against dissention.

The greatest demonstration of tension between social and political opposites was not in the West but in China. With his hope of eradicating a rising tide against communism, Mao Tse-Tung initiated his great Cultural Revolution—a veritable civil war in which China’s political and social history and future were at stake. Mao’s enemies were not so much a political party or group but rather values, including his list of four olds: old customs, old habits, old culture, and old thinking. Anything associated with capitalist sympathies and traditional Chinese culture was to be annihilated, and Mao’s Red Guard was happy to oblige his extremism.

During the mid-1960s, progressive idealism and entrenched traditions were in heightened dialectical tension—and the main astrological alignment of the times perfectly mirrored the standoffs across the globe. Saturn, representing order, tradition, authority, fear of change, and restrictions was symbolically and literally opposite Uranus and Pluto, representing change, disorder, youthful idealism, rebellion, liberation of the oppressed and suppressed, and self-expression.

The Aftermath

The above examples demonstrate that when Uranus, Pluto, and Saturn form hard alignments, an era of socio-political destabilization and heightened cultural tensions manifest. During the early 1930s, an age of economic scarcity pressured the rise of new governments and new economic policies across the globe. In the mid-1960s, ideological tensions reached their peak surrounding issues of war, race, politics, self-expression, and economics. These alignments represent global pressure cookers wherein crucial socio-political issues smelt.

Out of this crucible, new ideologies, governments, policies, reforms, and social movements are born—and often the offspring of these alignments are a mixed blessing. After the crises of the Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus alignment of the early 1930s, the Nazi regime established its legacy of hatred, terror, and tyrannical cruelty, and much of Europe embraced fascism and totalitarian control as an answer to the economic woes of the early part of the decade.

However, the destabilization and catastrophes of the early 1930s also spawned innovation, reform, and progressive humanitarianism. FDR’s “New Deal”—albeit controversial—reformed business, labor, and the American Presidency to a greater degree than any presidential policy since. Sweden—hit as hard as any nation during the worldwide depression of the time—established the very model of social democratic government and initiated public and political reforms that were way ahead of its time.

[TMinthePM]

tHE aLIGNMENT OF oUR tIMES - part 2


The Saturn, Pluto, Uranus Alignment of 2010

Given historical precedence and the archetypal dynamics involved, The Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus T-Square of 2010 should coincide with a period of great socio-political upheaval and destabilization, if not crisis. This alignment is arguably one of the most important astrological signatures of the first half of this century, certainly of the first three decades. This T-Square symbolically represents a turning point in which economic, cultural, and political difficulties of the last decades come to a head and demand resolution.

Out of this alchemical vessel of 2010 should arise significantly original and unprecedented social and political movements and reform. Certainly, there is a hope that what will emerge out the tensions of this time will produce greater freedoms, tolerance, peace, and prosperity. However, to remain true to past patterns, we can only say that what will materialize we be both progressive and regressive, tolerant and fascist, peaceful and oppositional—polarities that grow stronger.

If astrology is to grant anything to collective knowledge, it is the visionary capacity to see through the contingencies of history and see into forces and energies that inform and are in dialogue with our collective evolution. Whatever the period surrounding 2010 may bring—environmental catastrophe, financial collapse, political reformation and counter-reformation (or any combination thereof)—it is best not to see the events as an isolated crisis. Rather, astrology suggests that the events around 2010 should be seen upon a continuum in which tension and problems of the era demand and create growth and evolution. Thus, the astrological paradigm is not the province of Cassandras who intuit gloom and doom but is a way of seeing that potential greatness and maturity doesn’t come without growing pains and birth pangs

In last month’s essay, we focused upon a challenging and stressful aspect that has grabbed the attention of many astrologers, a t-square involving Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto occurring in 2010. Given the symbolism involved and drawing from ancient and intuitive wisdom, this time represents both a turning point in history and a crucible of socio-culture forces. The alignment suggests that old structures and traditional modes of being will clash—and potentially clash violently—with new ideologies and social organizations that have reached their point of needing collective manifestation. If the 2010 t-square alignment is to be the fulcrum of change, then what are the emerging possibilities that will surface from the wake of this time?

The main astrological alignment that informs the next decade involves a square, or ninety degree, alignment between Uranus and Pluto. Essentially, as Saturn moves out of alignment with both Uranus and Pluto, the two outer planets remain in the configuration. Given an orb of ten degrees, this square between Uranus and Pluto will remain in effect through 2018. As a pairing, Uranus and Pluto correlate with times of societal change, upheaval, and revolution. When these two planets join forces, cultural structures are challenged and often transformed.

Instead of predicting what changes may come from the Uranus-Pluto square alignment ahead, it is advisable to look at historic precedent, to see how the Uranus-Pluto cycle has manifested through history. Through scrutiny of the cycle, it is apparent that these alignments have a foundation-rocking, evolutionary, and progressive vector; it may be argued that this cycle is the true engine and catalyst for the tremendous push on cultural evolution that occurs from time to time. The following represents only a small sampling of the potentials that occur under this cycle, however, through focusing in on this short list of possibilities, one can extrapolate the forthcoming potentials that wait in the decade ahead.

Technological Innovation and Changing Infrastructure

When Uranus receives a major aspect from the other outer planets of Neptune and Pluto, technological innovation tends to take a large leap forward. That is, the acceleration of technological progress when Uranus is in alignment to Neptune and Pluto is noticeably heightened and quickened. During these times, novelty and technological improvement take a discontinuous leap forward, and societies have to adapt very quickly to the radical technological and scientific advances that are occurring. Uranus alignments to Neptune and Pluto tend to revolutionize technology; the steady and staid progress of evolving technology during typical times is overturned and overthrown.

Reviewing the last two conjunctions between Uranus and the other two outer planets, we can observe the increasing velocity of technological progress. In the decade of the 1990’s, Uranus and Neptune formed a rare conjunction. During this time and seemingly from out of nowhere, a technology that had its origins in the 1960’s, the Internet, literally revolutionized global culture and economics. Although the integration and development of the Internet and its potential is still very much evolving, the liberation and creative birth time—the extraordinary novelty and originality of the Internet—has occurred.

Like the 1990’s, the Uranus conjunction to Pluto in the 1960’s also witnessed extraordinary technological revolutions and quantum leaps forward in innovation. The most stunning and obvious example of this period is witnessed in the golden age of space exploration. Unparalleled in terms of its scope and advancement, the 1960’s saw incredible breakthroughs in space exploration from the deployment of the first satellites to the crowning achievement of sending a man to the Moon. However, the 1960’s also realized science and technical accomplishments that had more bearing on day-to-day reality. Commercial computers became viable for the first time, the workforce in Europe, Asia and the United States moved increasingly into white-collar jobs demanding technological skills, and consumer lifestyles embraced to a higher degree than ever before a hi-tech world.

When reviewing cycles involving Uranus and the outer planets, the conclusion can be drawn that technological and industrial progress take giants leaps forward in their momentum. In particular, the Uranus-Pluto cycle makes sweeping changes in the technological and industrial landscape and the backdrop in which we live irrevocably changes.

The Return of Eroticism and New Levels of Sexual Expression

When Uranus makes hard aspect to Pluto, our collective relationship to sexuality changes. Pluto may be thought to rule the sexual centers inside of us. Physiologically, we may think of Pluto as having association with the reproductive and limbic systems, with their biological imperatives to procreate and reproduce. More esoterically, we may think of Pluto as having an association with the lower charkas, particularly the second chakra. When Uranus forms a hard alignment to Pluto, awareness, stimulation, and excitation occurs in our collectively owned sexual energy and the reverberations and manifestations are profound. Uranus aligning with Pluto acts doubly as a liberator of sexual energy—the release and excitation of sexual centers—but also makes us profoundly more aware of our sexual natures as well.

A look at the last two eras in which Uranus and Pluto were in hard aspect will illustrate the sexual dynamism of the alignments. Certainly, one of the first associations one has of the sixties was the sexual experimentation and liberation that was occurring at the time. The repressive and strict codes of conduct that ruled sexuality and gender throughout the decades prior to the sixties were rebelled against as a burgeoning libido and primal life force began to culturally intensify. This rising tide of sexual liberation could be mirrored everywhere in the cultural discourse of the time. The sixties commenced with the introduction of the birth control pill which allowed sexuality to be cut from the umbilical cord of reproduction. To compliment the sexual liberating technology, attitudes and mores toward sex shifted rapidly and deeply at this time. What once was taboo became tolerated; What once was prohibited now became permitted. Promiscuity and free love experimentation were no longer relegated to a small underground minority but were embraced by an entire generation of youth.

However, more than just a decade of sexual liberation and awakening, new levels of heightened eroticism could be witnessed in the entire cultural panorama of the time. Most noticeably, mainstream cinema began to integrate material that was much more sexually erotic and explicit in nature, ultimately leading to the creation of the rating system at the end of the decade. Eroticism in movies was not reserved for the exploitation films of the era but was incorporated into all genres: from action movies (the popular James Bond series) to science fiction (One Million Years B.C.); from horror (Psycho; Hammer film productions) to comedy (The Graduate). Yet movies were arguably only a reflection of what was going on a deeper level of the collective psyche as all outlets of popular culture were, as author Aurthur Marwick suggests, “rejoicing the natural attributes of the body.”(1)

Witnessing a square between Pluto and Uranus, the 1930’s, like the 1960’s, also was remarkable for its heightening of eroticism and challenges to sexual mores of its day. As the androgynous “flapper” style of the 1920’s went into the decline, a new, more sexually potent fashion—and the birth of the moniker “bombshell”—gripped the collective. Due mainly to nude scenes of famous starlets like Hedy Lamarr and Myrna Loy and the sexual explicit monologues of Mae West films, The Hays code was a moral backlash which strictly enforced what could and could not be shown in movies.(2) However, even as the movie industry controlled a new sexuality that was emerging on onscreen, they could not repress the emerging cultural eroticism. The 1930’s saw the birth of the two-piece bathing suit for women, the acceptance of sexual investigation in academia through the Kinsey Report, and an escalating but temporary leniency toward sexual behavior.

Brilliance in Artistic Expression and the Revitalization of Pop Culture

Of all the recollections that are to be evoked of the 1960’s by those that experienced the decade, quite possibly the easiest and most accessible memories are attached to the music and art of the time. It is truly through art and music that archetypes receive their greatest and most vibrant expression, and the decade reflects the combination of Uranus and Pluto remarkably. In music, one only need to conjure reminiscences of the beginning chords to Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” the thunderous opening riff to “Layla,” the tumultuous crescendo to the Beatles “A Day in the Life,” or the passionate, soulful voice of Janis Joplin. All these instances capture the power and creative brilliance of the Uranus-Pluto synthesis. In the visual arts and film, unforgettable images pervade from the period: The harnessing of technology in the “Dawn of Man” sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the wild editing and camera movement in Midnight Cowboy, the explosive color in Roy Lichtenstein’s pop art, or the shocking experimentations from Andy Warhol.

Through both visual arts and music, we see the combination of Uranus and Pluto expressed transparently: The creative, rebellious mental fire of Uranus meets with the passionate, soulful, and intense vibrations of Pluto. The composite effect is extraordinary, leading not only to revolutions in art and music, but to the most powerful and brilliant creativity possible. It is no wonder that, aside from its chaotic wildness and frenzy, that Uranus and Pluto are so associated with peak experiences and collective mania.

The preceding hard aspects between Uranus and Pluto before the 1960’s also show the powerful and creative stirrings of the combination. In the dancehalls of Harlem was birthed Swing, a genre, like Rock, that would profoundly influence pop culture. As the Uranus-Pluto square of the 1930’s reached its tightest orb, Swing possessed American culture. As critic Gary Giddins writes, “Swing music was an electrifying development in American popular culture…It…unleashed forces that, I think, people didn’t know existed.”(3) The start of the century witnessed an opposition between Uranus and Pluto and, like Rock and Swing after it, Ragtime was a musical phenomenon. With its infectious syncopations and incredibly catchy hooks, Ragtime started a short-lived but undeniable cultural obsession.

The combination of Uranus and Pluto—mesmerizing, powerful, and wickedly creative—creates a sort of phenomenal grip on the popular imagination. More than just correlating with fads or trends, Uranus-Pluto times are associated with manias (as in“Beatlemania”) crazes(“the latest craze”), and rages(“it’s all the rage”).Thus, the archetypal energy of the combination is very much responsible for injecting a pulse into dormant or dying cultural expressions. Given its Promethean intensity, the Uranus-Pluto phenomenon is undeniable in its extraordinary genius and force.

Holding the Larger Framework

The 1960’s may seem like a curious anomaly in these rather conservative and even-tempered times. However, astrology illuminates the cyclical nature of history and demonstrates the recurrence of archetypal patterns that lie beneath the stream of cultural evolution. Given this perspective, the 1960’s must seen as a seed or birth time, a time which rebelled against cultural norms of the day and which liberated, awakened, and excited new potentials to replace dying and outworn modes of expression. If the conjunction between Uranus and Pluto is to symbolize an origin of new values and modes of expression, then the subsequent square alignment between Uranus and Pluto—occurring between 2008 through 2018—is symbolic of the struggle to manifest and midwife the potentials of the conjunction in a more enduring and effectual manner.

As exciting, dynamic, and creative are the potentials of Uranus-Pluto times, they are also highly chaotic, destabilizing, and even destructive. This essay has highlighted some of the more positive potentials of the Uranus-Pluto combination, however, as extraordinarily powerful and profoundly liberating these eras can be, they are also “crazy-making,” undermining, and highly disorienting. The sciences of chaos and complexity teach us that in order for a system to evolve and survive, stasis and equilibrium are not the answer. On the contrary, when pushed far-from-equilibrium, systems are forced to experiment, challenge, and create, often coming up with brilliant and novel solutions and new ways of relating. Uranus-Pluto times push cultures to the edge of chaos, forcing growth, change, and novelty. May you live in interesting times!

In this third and final installment of essays investigating astrology around the year 2010, the focus is on the personal impact of the incredible astrological alignments occurring at this time. While the first two essays examined both historical precedent and the creative consequences of these alignments, this article will center on the individual and generational potentials that will occur at this time. To review, occurring in 2010 is a T-Square alignment involving Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto—a rare alignment and a profound symbol connoting societal and socio-economic transformation.

Although the full explication of this alignment has been addressed in the previous two essays, I will borrow an iconographic image from popular culture to help to better understand the meaning behind the planetary symbolism. One of the most popular scenes in the original Star Wars involves the rebel forces caught within a trash compactor. Trying to elude oncoming storm troopers, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and other members of the rebel alliance find themselves trapped within a garbage processing machine. With the walls of the trash compactor closing in on the heroes swiftly, time is of the essence and a creative solution is absolutely imperative. This famous scene captures so many of the potentials and meanings of the 2010 alignment involving Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus: constrictive forces creating crisis; garbage, waste, and unprocessed filth; rebels and revolutionaries; rebirth from the darkness into a new case scenario; and elemental intensity that demands awareness and creative solutions. This scene from Star Wars mirrors the significance behind the 2010 alignment. Like the rebel forces of Star Wars, we may very well find our selves within a difficult, constrictive case scenario that not only brings us face to face with our shared “garbage” but which also demands swift and creative action so that a new beginning can emerge. The Saturn-Pluto-Uranus alignment in 2010 is both a societal bottleneck and crucible where situations of the past and solutions of the future enter into a highly dynamic and highly chaotic relationship.

This astrological alignment is certainly collectively owned—we are all in the metaphorical trash compactor—however certain individuals and generations are likely to resonate with the archetypal energies more than others. That is, certain generations and persons are likely to feel the impact of the alignment to a greater degree in their consciousness and will have a greater tendency to react to the reverberations and character of the alignment. This is by no means a comprehensive guide, but this essay does highlight some of the generations and individuals that will be significantly transformed by the events and general atmosphere surrounding the 2010 alignment.

The Cardinal and Mutable Cross

When speaking of the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the sign of Virgo of the 1960’s (the main alignment which correlated with countercultural ethos of the time), astrologer Erin Sullivan remarked that those with their Sun placement in Virgo just went through the greatest of transformations—they almost literally changed identities and became very different people as a result. Although that era was very transformative for the entire world—as cultures were shuttled through a rebirth sequence at the time—certain individuals were to carry or become a conduit to the massive, transformational, and creative energies of the era. Certainly, those with their Sun placement in Virgo were good candidates for change, as the Sun is closely identified with our identity and self-concept.
The T-square between Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto occurs in the very late degrees of what are called the “mutable signs” (specifically, the T-square occurs in Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces, with the additional mutable sign being Gemini) and the very early degrees of “cardinal signs” (specifically, the T-square occurs in Libra, Capricorn, and Aries, with the additional cardinal sign being Cancer). Certainly, those with their Sun or Moon placement within these “power zones” of the late mutable or early cardinal signs are sure to feel the effects of this dramatic alignment quite prominently in their lives.

One way to interpret how these individuals will be impacted is to simply extrapolate the meanings and significance that this alignment has on a collective level. If socio-economically the alignment suggests a death-rebirth sequence, a tight and tense negotiation between history and the future, and a tremendous amount of energy placed on transformation, then the same can be said for those whose Sun or Moon are in the cross hairs of the alignment. Both internally and externally, the alignment suggests that those with prominent Sun and Moon degrees already discussed will go through rapid, creative, and dynamic personal changes. This will be seen both in attitudinal shifts and in changes in life circumstances—through family, work, relationships, and self-concept. The alignment is certainly a threshold and will symbolize a tremendous and concentrated period of personal evolution and transformation in these individuals’ lives.

[TMinthePM]

THE ALIGNMENT OF OUR TIMES - CONCLUSION

The Legacy of the Sixties Generation

The 1960’s was a decade of upheaval, reaction, turbulence, creativity, activism, protest and social change. The youth coming of age at the time rallied against the structures they inherited with an intensity and sweep that was almost unprecedented—certainly there was no precedence for this earlier in the twentieth century. Ironically, however, the children of the sixties, for the most part, haven’t had the thirst for social activism, political change, or the tenacity for tearing down structures as their parents did. However, many of the 1960’s generation are just beginning to throttle through their mid-life transition, which can bring about significant attitudinal changes and value shifts.

In astrology, transiting Uranus opposing natal Uranus—a transit which occurs somewhere between the ages of 38 and 42—is often a time of re-evaluation and change. The creative, independence-loving, and visionary archetype of Uranus is not going to be satisfied with life structures that have been created if one’s essence, creativity, uniqueness, and independence are not involved. There’s truth to the belief that the more one sleep walks through life, the more challenging the Uranus opposition at mid-life can be. The notorious “crisis” may ensue if one really has chosen life style patterns for the sake of fitting in to consensus reality without any consideration of one’s authenticity and spirit. During the Uranus opposition, tolerance for simply “going on autopilot” may be completely exhausted, and events may transpire to suddenly and rapidly “wake one up” and get motivated to “out” one’s true identity to the world-at-large.

We can see the Uranus oppositions that are occurring to the 1960’s generation now as the slow, almost imperceptible, shifts in consciousness that will really break free in the next decade. In particular, those born in the mid-1960’s have a very interesting Uranus opposition ahead of them in the upcoming years. Those born in the mid-sixties were born under a Saturn opposition to Uranus. It was at this time when the countercultural tendencies became heightened and serious. Saturn opposing Uranus suggests a “facing off” or negotiation between young and old, tradition and progress, established values versus new ideas and ideals. Interestingly, as these mid-1960’s individuals throttle through their Uranus opposition, Uranus and Saturn form an opposition in the sky, aligning over the original Saturn-Uranus axis of the 1960’s.

This double axis of Saturn and Uranus suggests a need to renegotiate structures for this generation as they go through their mid-life transitions. Although the shape-shifting, creative, and “trickster”-like energy of the Uranus opposition always brings in some unpredictable change, with the addition of Saturn in the mixture, the changes will be of a harder quality, impact structures and security patterns directly, and force one to break free from outworn arrangements in one’s life. Saturn and Uranus as an archetypal combination is highly similar to the “Tower” card in tarot. The Tower suggests radical, unpredictable, and sudden reversals and shake ups. Like falling from a tower, the Uranus-Saturn interface suggests leaping into the unknown (or being forced to do so), abandoning a crumbling edifice in one’s life, or being hurled into a radically new life circumstance. As the alignment of 2010 draws near, the mid-sixties generation will be going through significant and important life alterations that “stacks the deck,” so to speak, for the collective transformations of 2010 and beyond.

But what about the later 1960’s—what about that part of the decade that was even more radically countercultural in expression and tone? As the mid-1960’s saw the height of the great tensions between old and new, the final moments of the 1960’s saw the experimentation, new freedoms, and creativity of the generation reach great heights (and in some cases, new lows). To traditionalists and conservatives, 1968 and 1969 were a tarnishing moment in global history, with many commentators claiming that 1968 was the annus horribilis—the “horrible year”—of American history. To those embracing the new freedoms, this brief period was a celebratory triumph of individuality, creativity, and spirit. 1968 and 1969 were marked by a highly significant triple conjunction of the planets Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto. With Jupiter coming to conjoin Pluto and Uranus, it released, exalted, celebrated, and exaggerated the radical and creative potentials of the outer planet conjunction that characterized the 1960’s.

Interestingly, this triple conjunction of Uranus, Pluto, and Jupiter that occurred in the late 1960’s falls underneath the axis of the upcoming T-square between Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. If the mid-sixties babies will need to need to come to terms with the structures and security patterns that they have created thus far in their lives, then these late 1960’s babies will be challenged to take on greater social roles. This period could either coincide with an intense feeling of restlessness with their current roles in their communities or a sudden stepping into a much larger sense of self within their community. Regardless of the case, this certainly will be a dramatic time for these people, and the energy they will be participating within will catalyze major changes in their belief structures and lives.

A Saturn Return Like No Other

The Saturn Return is one of the more notorious generational transits that occurs for everyone around the ages of 28 through 30. The Saturn Return is the great rite of passage that transforms adulthood-as-experimentation into adulthood-as-commitment. If the early twenties is increasingly becoming a time of postponed adolescence where different adult behaviors and roles are taken on, the period of the Saturn Return is the period where greater responsibility and accountability enter into one’s life. Usually through a period of tests and challenges, the Saturn Return makes one acutely aware of the limitations of adult life and the necessity of making informed choices for the sake of structure.
The Saturn Return is often a difficult transition period as it is, but what happens when you add the archetypal energies of Uranus and Pluto to the equation? For those individuals born in 1980 and 1981 (when Saturn was in late Virgo and early Libra) the T-Square of Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto will be transiting your Saturn at the time of your Saturn Return. This will be a time of having to negotiating some very powerful energies relative to the meaning of Saturn: personal definition, career ambitions and goals, commitments, one’s accountability for the larger collective, hard work, and acceptance of one’s limitations.

Although the symbolism present during these Saturn Returns is complex, one likely pitfall that could occur with this mini-generation is an over-identification with the Saturn archetype. With Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto all transiting and inflecting Saturn in these individuals, there is the likely tendency of being in the grip or possession of all things Saturnine. That is, there may be a tendency of “over doing” things which are affiliated with Saturn: becoming identified with one’s work, turning cynical or bitter, growing old before one’s time, living life in a routinized or habituated fashion, and closing one’s self off from the environment. It may be true that real circumstances demand a tremendous amount of responsible action from those going through the Saturn Return at this time, however, a wise policy is to not become overly attached or identified with the cold, dark, harsh, embittering facets of life that Saturn symbolizes.
The Awakening of the Indigo Children

A particularly creative, self-determining, and restless bunch of children were born in the last several years of the twentieth century. Known by various metaphysicians, healers, and educators as “Indigo Children” (for their high vibration like the color indigo they purportedly carry in their personality), this generation is supposedly gifted in their intuitive and creative capacities while having a difficult time submitting to traditions and authorities.

Many of these Indigo Children will be coming of age just as the Saturn, Uranus, Pluto T-Square aligns. What is most fascinating about this is that the T-Square alignment will be lining up with the Uranus-Neptune conjunction that these children were born under. The high amounts of creativity, imagination, intuition, and rebelliousness that these children display are certainly attributes of the Uranus-Neptune combination. With the Saturn, Uranus, Pluto T-Square aligning over the Uranus-Neptune conjunction these children were born under, the creativity, sensitivity, and rebelliousness should be activated in all its potential glory. In particular, children born between 1988 and 1992 will be most sensitive and susceptible to the potency of the alignments in and around 2010.

Certainly, this generation will begin to make their mark right at this time and the creativity and rebelliousness these indigo children showed in their early childhood should begin to fully develop. Extraordinary gifts of intuition, insight, and inspired imagination should begin to fully materialize from these children around the 2010 alignment. Specifically, we should witness highly imaginative and brilliant work in music, film, and literature; rebelliousness in traditional academic institutions; a more refined environmental ethic; and gifts in healing, intuition, and religious matters. If we look to the members of the generation born under the last previous Uranus-Neptune conjunction—far back in the 1810’s and 1820’s—we witness luminaries in spirituality, literature, and radical politics: Karl Marx, Mary Baker Eddy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Herman Melville, and Bahá'u'lláh (founder of the Baha’i faith). Members of the generation of the last Uranus-Neptune conjunction should certainly produce contributions as powerful as their predecessors, and the T-Square alignment of 2010 should catalyze their creative and intuitive powers.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

To those who hold that objects in space have no influence upon us, let me remind them that we actually are in space.

Straw man argument. That's all you have.

[TMinthePM]

Thank you for the download Bossaroo. I never expected to travel down this road this weekend, but it is developing into a bit of an adventure.

[TMinthePM]

Bossaroo - This article is excellent!

So - Brian benefits from Jupiter's influence upon his Venus point every 12 years:

1966 - Pet Sounds

1978 - Love You

1990 - BW 88

2000 - Imagination

2012 - TWGMTR

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Bossaroo - This article is excellent!

So - Brian benefits from Jupiter's influence upon his Venus point every 12 years:

1966 - Pet Sounds

1978 - Love You

1990 - BW 88

2000 - Imagination

2012 - TWGMTR

Love the way you've blatantly put BW 88 as being released in 1990 just so it can fit your theory. That's far better than any argument I could have made against it.

And what about all the other marvelous albums that didn't fit these dates?