Solunars by Aldebaran Sidereal Academy

Jim Eshelman wrote:I've hesitated doing this because I think it should only be done after exhaustive research into historic periods, as I did before writing my article on Uranus in Libra for American Astrology in the '70s; and I just haven't had the time to do it right for most of the placements since.

But here are a few casual observations.

First, here is what I expected - which sorta kinda not-quite came true. I expected that Pluto in Sagittarius, in particular, would see the overthrow of many cultural institutions, in particular church and some of the more obscure parts of academia, plus particularly a mass-mind revolt against elitism overall. I expected Uranus in Pisces to have more or less the same kind of effect, for the half of Pluto's stay that Uranus is in Pisces, and, again, especially a massive turn against religion. I didn't put a lot of thought into Neptune in Aquarius, other than to note the Uranus-Neptune mutual reception and to think that, just maybe, we'd see idealistic social progressivism get a new surge.

Well, I can find elements of this in what has actually happened - in fact, my expectations weren't too bad - it just didn't look like what I thought it would.

Some of the ways it's come out is that, indeed, participation in organized religion is at an all-time low in this country, with increased disidentification with it. We also have an up-and-coming generations of young adults who has little regard for authority, institutionalism, or even expertise - one effect, for example, has been using the Internet for "crowd sourcing" opinions about restaurants, wine, movies, music, and more, rather than listening to reviewers, instructions, and other established expertise. This is all pretty Pluto in Sagittarius. (And the whole "99%" movement is absolutely anti-elite.)

We even have a Sagittarian pope who isn't exactly prior generations' view of a typical pope.

A couple of forms of this I totally missed: I missed that the Uranus-Pluto square in Sagittarius-Pisces would take the form of anti-institutionalism that is anti-government. This has fed the Tea Party movement in the past. I expected more from Uranus-Pluto in the flavor of the '60s with a powerful rise of liberalism but, apparently, sometime in the years since the '60s, liberals are now seen as the institution! (I've certainly never felt that things had gone a fourth as far toward the left as my Aquarian Moon would desire, but apparently the Left is now seen as The Man, perhaps because the Right has successfully associated it in people's minds with "more government.") So most of the assault on institutions has been a progressive assault on the Left, though not all of it - anti-elitism feelings turn easily to the upper 1% of 1%, to large corporations, etc.

There is also the fact that, besides domestic revolution, there is a very Sagittarius-Pisces identified international radicalism, specifically the growing Islamist threat. Here the desire to overthrow other culture's cultural and religious institutions is combined with out-and-out belifism. Divisions in our own Congress, similarly, have become increasingly belief-driven in their rigidity, each side perceiving itself as the radicals and saviors.

Neptune in Aquarius... I'm still not clear on that. It could have been so promising. I don't think the Mars space program comes close to fulfilling the possibilities of sometimes visionary Neptune in the constellation of space exploration. I do, though, think that this is related to living in a time when it feels to most people like we are living in a science fiction wonderland. Stuff is happening SO fast, technical progress accelerating far beyond any vision prior generations had to the 21st century (provided it doesn't involve transportation!). Perhaps an aspect of this is the complexity, even to the point of cognitive threshold limitation, of life changing faster than neurology can grasp and manage.

As for the future... I dunno, I'd really want to have 3 to 6 months to do nothing but study history in 7-year increments. But the only one in the near future is Uranus in Aries. My expectation is that it will be a time of explosive violence that makes recent years look tame. Fierce efforts at dominion, armament (at the individual and national level), imperialism. Totally unlocking (let us say) the Hitler-esque in humanity. (Look at 1933-1941.)

Jim Eshelman wrote:I have a post elsewhere on this forum where I have made some historic observations on Neptune in Aquarius in the past. Here's a repeat:

Apr 20 1514 to Jun 1 1514
Feb 3 1515 to Sep 7 1515
Dec 1 1515 to Apr 7 1528
Aug 20 1528 to Feb 7 1529

In Christian Europe during these years, the mark of the times was obvious: It was the immediate lead-in to and eruption of the Reformation. Erasmus' double-barreled shotgun in 1514, Leo X's excessive papal indulgences immediately after, and the eruption of Martin Luther were the primary marks in Europe. From 1520-1529, Monks were actually burned alive by the Church for following Luther's teachings. The Reformation was kicked off in Scotland by 1528.

In Persia, though 1514 marked Iran's defeated at the Battle of Chaldiran, this didn't seem to characterize the whole time. I can't see that there was much activity in that part of the world.

Less than a score of years after Columbus landed in the New World, Europe was just starting to wake up to the discovery. Under Neptune in Capricorn, the slave trade had started in Brazil <sigh>, and Ponce de Leon was already over here. Then, Peter Martyr's account of Columbus' discovery was published in 1516.

Another forum member offered the following:

AvshalomBinyamin wrote:A couple of items that seemed to really fit the window of the Neptune in Aquarius

1858 - October 13 and 15 were the last two Lincoln-Douglas debates. Lincoln lost the election afterward (Douglas would be sworn in on January, at the end of Neptune's time in Aquarius!)

1844 - March was when Joseph Smith tried to create a Mormon theocracy by starting the Council of Fifty on March 11. April 11 they select Smith as King. Smith was arrested for treason and murdered in June. This created the Succession crisis of 1844, and on August 8, a conference voted to make the Council of Twelve the leaders of the LDS church.

It doesn't really seem like a very good period for underdogs wishing to start revolutions. Lots of squashed rebellions.

As for the future... I dunno, I'd really want to have 3 to 6 months to do nothing but study history in 7-year increments. But the only one in the near future is Uranus in Aries. My expectation is that it will be a time of explosive violence that makes recent years look tame. Fierce efforts at dominion, armament (at the individual and national level), imperialism. Totally unlocking (let us say) the Hitler-esque in humanity. (Look at 1933-1941.)

Jim Eshelman wrote:Hadn't thought about that: Pisces is thematic for emigration.

And on the flip side, immigration, I think I should have said more under Pluto in Sagittarius. Let me frame that transit differently: When I speak of it as being anti-elitist, that really means that it stirs conflicts between elitism and anti-elitists. One form of elitism is "racial and cultural purity," and the great ongoing battle over immigration is the "national purists" losing ground and striking back. "America is a white country" or "America is a Christian country" or "We speak English here!" are all Sagittarius type of ideas, and Pluto has had these under assault 2005-2021 ... and they are retaliating.

And on the flip side, immigration, I think I should have said more under Pluto in Sagittarius. Let me frame that transit differently: When I speak of it as being anti-elitist, that really means that it stirs conflicts between elitism and anti-elitists. One form of elitism is "racial and cultural purity," and the great ongoing battle over immigration is the "national purists" losing ground and striking back. "America is a white country" or "America is a Christian country" or "We speak English here!" are all Sagittarius type of ideas, and Pluto has had these under assault 2005-2021 ... nd they are retaliating.

Jim Eshelman wrote:

Venus_Daily wrote:I am still intrigued by this topic, how will Jupiter affect Uranus and Pluto in the current context of Pisces/Sagittarius..do these aspects from Jupiter signify big wins for both sides of the political divide?

Do you want a really optimistic point of view? It was Jupiter conjunct Uranus in Pisces that landed us on the Moon, and Jupiter-Uranus-Pluto combinations in Virgo that were behind much of the civil rights gains of the late '60s. (The trends moved somewhat from racial issues to women's rights, gay rights, and other gender identity rights after the planets slid from Leo into androgynous Virgo.)

Could something like these be on the horizon? (I do think, sadly, that we will see even greater energy of the negative sort put on racial equity issues.)

One thing to remember is that the end of 2016 and very beginning of 2017 is one of the most malefic, destructive, hurtful times we've seen come down the pike in many year. Even Jupiter will exist in this context. It will be likely remembered as one of the worst of times.

As well, does the slower moving Pluto staying in Sagittarius after Uranus has moved on signify the reign of the elitists holding strong or just people who are set in their ways?

The ultimate outcome of Pluto in Sagittarius needs to be the overthrow of elitism and some categories of historic elitism and institutionalism. As long as it's there, that battle will be waged mightily.

This might help - summaries of Jupiter-Uranus and Jupiter-Pluto aspects in mundane astrology. These tend to operate per se independent of sign placements (though the sign placements are separate, concurrent considerations).

JUPITER-URANUS. New technology, new technological vision, “good science.” Ideological rebellion and conflict, strong for civil rights progress. (Common for bridge collapses.)

JUPITER-PLUTO. Events challenge or assault existing value systems, ideologies, and the political and other power systems that support them. Attempts at political destabilization may occur. – A stunning blow to economic conditions (even economic ruin or devastation). Also, outlandishly freaky climatological events.

Jim Eshelman wrote:

Venus_Daily wrote:I believe my favorite was Neptune exiting Virgo just as Plessy vs. Furgeson was struck down (Brown vs. The Board of Medications), disolvung Misguided ideals about separating the wheat from the chaff, especially in mercurial and cerebral Virgo, e.g. learning, education, analyzing.

Hmmm, maybe that's an event I need to check via mundane astrology, thanks for reminding me. The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, overthrowing Plessy, was handed down May 17, 1954, about five months before I was born. You are right that Neptune was at 29°46' Virgo, just minutes from leaving the constellation.

One could theoretically argue that there were other powerful expressions of the timeliness of this decision from the outer planet sign transits. Uranus had recently been joined in Gemini with Jupiter, for a decision that permanently changed the face of public education and of division in this country. I also find it fascinating that Saturn was in Libra, a sign connected to jurisprudence and the Supreme Court's historic membership, and the same place it was for the landmark marriage rights decision last June.

Jim Eshelman wrote:

Venus_Daily wrote:I believe my favorite was Neptune exiting Virgo just as Plessy vs. Furgeson was struck down (Brown vs. The Board of Medications), disolvung Misguided ideals about separating the wheat from the chaff, especially in mercurial and cerebral Virgo, e.g. learning, education, analyzing.

Hmmm, maybe that's an event I need to check via mundane astrology, thanks for reminding me. The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, overthrowing Plessy, was handed down May 17, 1954, about five months before I was born. You are right that Neptune was at 29°46' Virgo, just minutes from leaving the constellation.

One could theoretically argue that there were other powerful expressions of the timeliness of this decision from the outer planet sign transits. Uranus had recently been joined in Gemini with Jupiter, for a decision that permanently changed the face of public education and of division in this country. I also find it fascinating that Saturn was in Libra, a sign connected to jurisprudence and the Supreme Court's historic membership, and the same place it was for the landmark marriage rights decision last June.

Jim Eshelman wrote:I was thinking if it's impact on the caretaking of children.

Jim Eshelman wrote:The focus on ethnicity is a purely Jupiter phenomenon. Most of the last few years have had close Moon-Jupiter aspects in the Capsolar, and these have been implicated in most of the belif-driven, religion-driven, ethnicity-assailing, and culture-assailing attacks.

I suspect, in the spirit of this thread on outer planet constellations, that we can attribute this also as part of the long-term transits of Pluto in Sagittarius and Uranus in Pisces - the shadow side of those placements, so to speak. I knew, years before these passages came, that they would mark such things as shaking the foundations of religions and similar cultural institutions and cultural definitions, assaults on elitism, and more. I wasn't as good at thinking through the flip side of all those - the same traits manifest by forces of particular orthodoxies fighting for their lives.

I think the violence itself has been especially mark of "tear it apart, shake the foundations, bring down the house" Uranus square Pluto, which is almost a perfect signature of terrorist events in contrast to non-terrorist events. It has been made especially harsh during the time of Saturn square Neptune over the last year.

Jim Eshelman wrote:Why are you expecting changes on the Uranus side BEFORE the sign change? I wouldn't expect any change at all until after Uranus actually enters Aries

You might have something with your idea about Pisces and the outcast. However, I do tend to think of Sagittarius and Pieces both as Jupiter-elitist.

Jim Eshelman wrote:

Venus_Daily wrote:You make really good points, I was thinking more looking at sign changes before the sign actually changed because of the zodiac being imperfect as in having very nuanced boundaries.

The Sidereal zodiac appears to be precise down to a second of arc.