Reminder of the main cycles
The cycles of the slow planets, from Jupiter to Pluto, illustrate the rhythms of history. These cycles can be associated either with states, political regimes, or major events that mark a period.
The Jupiter-Neptune cycle (duration of 13 years) is clearly linked to the French Republic: in conjunction at the advent of the First Republic, the two stars are in water trine for the IInd, in sextile for the IIIrd and again in conjunction in Scorpio for the V. The only exception is the Fourth Republic, where the distance between them is 24° 30', but, as with the First Republic, Jupiter is always at the beginning of Scorpio and Neptune at the end of Libra.
It seems to be the cycle Jupiter-Uranus (15 years) which presides over the future of Europe as an institution. Indeed, the two stars are linked by trine on 9 May 1950, the official date of birth of Europe in reference to Robert Schuman's famous declaration to the Senate. Moreover, the main dates of European integration highlight this link: square at the time of the signing of the first European Treaty (ECSC, 18 April 1951), broad sextile at the time of the Treaty of Rome (25 March 1957), broad sextile again for the signing of the Single Act (17 February 1986), and finally trine for the Maastricht Treaty (7 February 1992) still in force today.
The cycle Saturn-Uranus (45 years old) is associated with the United States: in trine of air during the declaration of independence of July 4, 1776, we find these same stars in conjunction during the entry of the United States into the war (attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941). Moreover, this cycle is linked to that of the liberal economy: Saturn and Uranus formed an opposition during the crash of September 15, 2008 that led to the collapse of the Lehmann Brothers bank.
The Saturn-Neptune cycle (36 years) follows the history of the Soviet Union, from their conjunction during the October Revolution on November 7, 1917 to that of November 9, 1989, almost exactly 72 years later, which coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The cycle Saturn-Pluto (33 years) marked the birth of new states created after the Second World War, such as India, Pakistan, Israel and China, all of which possess nuclear weapons. This cycle is also associated with events that could upset the balance of the world, such as the attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001: the Saturn-Pluto opposition was superimposed exactly on the axis of the horizon of the United States chart.
The cycle Uranus-Pluto (120-140 years) seems to correspond more to the revolutions that mark the history of a continent: the conjunction of 1848-1849 coincided with the Romantic Revolution, which spread from France to Russia, while the square of 1931-1933 marked the advent of totalitarian regimes all over the world, following the economic crisis of 1929. Finally, the events of May 1968 are to be linked to the last conjunction of the two stars.
As for the cycle Uranus-Neptune (170 years), it seems to accompany the vast movements that redrew the map of the world and gave birth to great powers: that of 1821-1822 presided over the new European order born of the fall of the Napoleonic Empire, while the last conjunction of 1992-1993 can today be compared to globalization, an unprecedented and inevitable phenomenon that abolishes distances and borders. multiplies communication between continents and gives rise to the rise of emerging nations (China, India, Brazil), as well as to the establishment of a new world order – the expression was first used by President George Bush during the Gulf War in 1991.
If it has been possible to attribute a specificity to these different cycles, it is not uncommon for several of them to overlap, or more precisely for the highlights of several cycles to take place simultaneously. Thus, the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, which marked the birth of the Republic at the end of the French Revolution, was accompanied by an exact Uranus-Pluto opposition and a Jupiter-Saturn opposition, which explains the considerable repercussions that the event had in the world of the time. It therefore seems that the more the highlights of these cycles overlap with a given era, the more decisive this period is on the historical level.
Similar configurations
The most eloquent example in this regard is given by the exceptional configuration of the years 1930-1933. Indeed, no less than 6 cycles superimpose major dissonances in cardinal signs during this period: Jupiter opposite Saturn (1930-31), Jupiter square Uranus (1930), Jupiter conjunct Pluto (1931), Saturn square Uranus (1930-31), Saturn opposite Pluto (1931) and Uranus square Pluto (1932-1934), not to mention a sesqui-square Uranus-Neptune (1930-1933). Astrologically, the culmination of this configuration (less than 5° of orb for all aspects) was around June 15, 1931, as shown in the figure below, i.e. halfway between the stock market crash of November 1929 and Hitler's arrival in power in January 1933.
As we know, eight years later, the Second World War broke out: on September 1, 1939 at 5:45 a.m., Uranus entered Taurus, a sign of its fall, and formed a square to Saturn, while Neptune was in exile from Virgo.
We have to go back to 1794-1795 to find an almost similar configuration, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto each occupying the end of three fixed signs, but without dissonance of Jupiter. However, it turns out that the current configurations reproduce more or less exactly the same pattern as that of the 1930s, the same planets being found in the same type of ratio of conjunction, opposition and square in cardinal signs, which we know are the most active: Jupiter opposition Saturn (2010-2011), Jupiter conjunct Uranus (2010-2011), Jupiter square Pluto (2010-2011), Saturn opposition Uranus (2009-2010), Saturn square Pluto (2009-2010), Uranus square Pluto (2012-2015).
One can only be struck by the similarity between the 1931 configuration and that of 2010 (the latter with orbs below 3°), especially since the former occurred 19 months after the crash of November 1929 and the latter 23 months after the September 2008 crash. If we look at the logic of the events of the 1930s, a really worrying period could therefore begin at the beginning of 2012.
The next 10 years
The year 2011 that is beginning is marked by two main configurations: the almost simultaneous entry of Jupiter and Uranus into Aries, respectively on January 22 and March 12, followed by the opposition of Jupiter to Saturn on March 28. The first image that comes to mind is that of a sudden warming, of a sudden acceleration/amplification of the phenomena underway both politically and economically.
As predicted by most astrologers, the economic crisis is far from over and now seems to be focused on the European Union (EU). In fact, it is very likely to be mistreated since, as we have seen, it seems to be governed by the Jupiter-Uranus cycle, which is renewed at the beginning of January 2011 at the end of the sign of Pisces (see map above). However, from March, Uranus will form a sesqui-square to Pluto, ruler of II (the economy) in the EU chart, thus renewing a radical semi-square, a configuration that will be repeated in November-December 2011. In addition, Venus, ruler of the chart by the Libra Ascendant, received a square of Uranus from Cancer. This square will therefore be reactivated when Uranus transits radical Venus between June 2011 and March 2012, especially since at the same time Saturn will transit the Ascendant of the EU between November 2011 and August 2012. All of this could therefore raise fears of serious dissension within the Union and compromise an already weakened unity, notably at the end of 2011.
More generally, it seems that the year 2011 is marked by a form of exasperation with previously existing tensions. Internationally, this could lead to brief but violent conflicts and deepen the world's economic and political imbalances, as if key leaders were showing less restraint.
The next four years, from 2012 to 2015, are the most crucial because the outcome of the decade and, in a way, the future of the world will depend on what will be played out during this period. They correspond of course to the Uranus-Pluto square, which will occur six times from 6° Aries/Capricorn in September 2012 to 15° of these same signs in March 2015. But the most remarkable thing is that, during this period, Uranus and Pluto will also touch the Suns of the two superpowers, the United States and China, in dissonant aspects.
Thus, Pluto will square the Sun of China from January to November 2012, while Uranus will send it an opposition from March 2012 to May 2013, while in the radical chart the Sun was already square Uranus with 2° 48' of orb. As for the United States, Pluto will square the Sun from May 2014 to November 2015 and Uranus will be at opposition from April 2014 to February 2015. It should also be noted secondarily that the same will be true for the United Kingdom from January 2013 to February 2014 and for France (Fifth Republic) from February 2014 to January 2015.
If we refer to the 1930s, the scenario could be as follows: subject to economic pressures (rising commodity prices, devaluation of the dollar while its reserves are largely made up of US Treasury bonds, demands of the middle classes, etc.) and political pressures (human rights, "zone of influence", Korean conflict) that are increasingly strong and complex, China could be the scene of a new internal revolution, as was the case in 1966 during the Uranus-Pluto conjunction with the Cultural Revolution; Or, fearing that it will not be able to control its internal evolution, it could equip itself with a regime that is much more authoritarian than at present.
In response, the United States could once again adopt an ultraconservative regime, as was the case under the George W. Bush administration, but this time evolving towards a much harder, even aggressive, tendency. And it is likely that the same would be true of some other great powers, the threat of a major danger leading them to submit to the instinct of defense and survival symbolized by Pluto, whose influence we saw in our previous article (Pluto News) is already clearly felt.
This is, of course, the worst scenario among others, but unfortunately it must be recognized that it does not seem incompatible with certain current indicators, such as the persistent disagreement of the two superpowers on environmental issues, which are nevertheless pressing, Chinese economic expansionism towards Africa and now certain European countries, or the Tea Party movement in the United States. This is the worst-case scenario because it is the one that leads, in the most likely way, to conflict – that is, to be perfectly clear, to global conflict – with consequences that can easily be imagined.
Another scenario consists of the implosion, almost everywhere in the world, of state and economic structures and their gradual replacement by a new type of globalist society, based on a more enlightened, participatory and responsible citizenship, in which the regions would have a preponderant part. Although such a movement seems to be taking shape in this direction, thanks in particular to the multiple networks that increasingly link the citizens of the world, this would require a sudden acceleration of global consciousness, that is to say, an awareness of all peoples of the urgency in which we find ourselves to transform from top to bottom a world that is running out of steam. The only obstacle to this is time, and, as we will have understood, there is very little left of it (see on this subject "Life on Earth, Reflections on the little future that the time in which we are", Baudoin de Baudinat, Editions de l'Encyclopédie des nuisances). However, this is the only hypothesis that allows the salvation of man by himself, as we will see later.
It is not in 2012, but at the turn of the decade that the risks of deflagration are greatest. From April 2019, Uranus will enter its fall sign, Taurus, while a year later, in March 2020, a triple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto will form at the end of Capricorn. The latter will then approach the square to Uranus in Taurus, admitting an orb of 12°, then Saturn and Jupiter will form exact squares between March 2020 and December 2021.
In addition, there is the cyclical index, which corresponds to the sum of the zodiacal distances between slow planets, which reaches its lowest point of the twenty-first century precisely at the turn of the years 2019-2020. And the same is true of the rhythmic index, calculated according to the waxing and waning phases of the cycles of the slow planets, which has a strong majority of waning cycles at the same time.
It goes without saying that this period corresponds to a major turning point in history, not to say the crucial turning point of humanity, so it is easy to understand why. But only the movements of the stars in the sky are written in advance, and not the future of Man for which he seems to be more than ever entirely responsible. Although, for the believer that I am, this is not entirely certain...
The narrow gauge
In parallel with the above pattern, an alternative path has been emerging since 2007 and will continue until 2015, which seems capable of strengthening itself independently of the upheavals underway. This way is symbolized by the conjunction of Chiron and Neptune.
Chiron is an endangered comet that was captured by the solar system at an undetermined time. Discovered on November 1, 1977, its highly elliptical orbit is placed between those of Saturn, symbol of the ancient world, and Uranus, symbol of the modern and contemporary world. What's more, because of its ellipticity, its orbit alternately overlaps with those of Saturn and Uranus. Chiron's symbolism speaks of healing (the centaur Chiron was a healer and taught heroes medicine, music and hunting), of the "narrow gate", of the alternative path between tradition and progress, between wisdom and freedom. In reference to his glyph, Chiron is associated with a key, a key that could be likened to the solution of an insoluble problem.
The conjunction of Chiron with Neptune for nearly 8 years is in itself an exceptional configuration: Chiron has a duration of revolution of about 51 years while that of Neptune is 164 years, i.e. more than triple. This phenomenon is also linked to the shape of its orbit: Chiron is currently near its aphelion and seems to slow down its course in the zodiac to stay close to Neptune.
Another remarkable phenomenon : during the whole time of its conjunction with Chiron, Neptune does not participate in any way in the entanglement of the 6 cycles related to the current crisis and forms practically no aspect to the other four slow planets. On the contrary, it seems to be continuing its course independently and without any notable dissonance, at least until 2016.
Finally, one last element: unlike in the 1930s, Neptune will temporarily enter its home sign, Pisces, in April 2011, and then for 14 years from January 2012.
Thus the narrow path drawn by Chiron will mingle with the influxes of the dignified Neptune. A narrow path, but oh so hopeful, which invites us to let go of today's models and to let ourselves be awakened to a new form of spirituality; to keep the essential, that is to say, faith, and to get rid of the rest, of everything else. Associated with Pisces and therefore with the Christic energy, Neptune symbolizes the descent of the sacred, redemption and salvation.
From one era to the next
Since the last Uranus-Neptune conjunction less than 20 years ago, the acceleration of history linked to globalization has been part of a very short time. However, these changes are also part of a much broader perspective, established for millennia by different cultures around the world, particularly in India, Greece and pre-Columbian America.
We therefore leave the astrological perspective, whose cycles extend from one month (soli-lunar cycle) to 5 centuries (Neptune-Pluto cycle), to enter the cosmological perspective that covers thousands, even tens of thousands of years, just as one would do with the help of a zoom out allowing a change of time scale.
The theory of the eras, based on the precession of the equinoxes (see Signs of the Zodiac and Constellations), was described by Hipparchus of Nicaea in the second century BC, although it was probably already known in India. As is well known, the precession of the equinoxes is related to the tilt of the Earth's axis at an angle of 23° 30' and the circular displacement of this axis, which gives the Earth a spinning motion. Since it travels at one degree every 72 years, it completes its rotation in 25,920 years (72 x 360). It is on this basis that the Great Year, known as the Platonic Year, is founded, which is found in ancient Greece and Persia and whose duration was equal to half of a complete cycle, i.e. 12,960 years. An era is the time it takes for the Earth's axis to travel 30°, or about 2,160 years, equivalent to the average time it takes for the vernal point to travel through a constellation.
The current Age of Pisces, which began about 2,000 years ago at the time of Christ, has been strongly marked by the values of Christianity that correspond to the symbolism of the sign of the same name: sin, forgiveness, sacrifice, abandonment, salvation, redemption, compassion, unconditional love. Complementary to that of Pisces, the symbolism of the Virgin obviously relates to the Virgin Mary and the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
The previous era of Aries, from 2000 BC to 0, saw the birth of monotheism (the sacrifice of the ram by Abraham, Moses' horns of light) and great empires (Greece, Rome), as well as the development of metallurgy.
The still earlier era of Taurus, from 4,000 BC to 2000 BC, corresponded to the development of agriculture, the birth of city-states in Mesopotamia, writing and astrology, the cult of the Apis ox and the mother goddess.
We are therefore at the end of the third era since the beginnings of our civilization, born about 6,000 years ago on the borders of the Tigris and the Euphrates. But, as René Guénon has shown in "Traditional Forms and Cosmic Cycles" (Gallimard) and Michel de Socoa in "The Great Conjunctions" (Editions Traditionnelles), these three eras are grouped by the Vedantic tradition into an Iron Age, or kali yuga, which constitutes the shortest age of a much larger group called manvantara, lasting 64,800 years.
A manvantara thus consists of a golden age (25,920 years, i.e. the duration of a precessional cycle), a silver age (19,440 years), an iron age (12,960 years, i.e. the duration of the Platonic Great Year) and an iron age (6,480 years). If we consider the whole of a manvantara, we therefore obtain a ratio of 1 to 4 with 4 for the Golden Age, 3 for the Silver Age, 2 for the Bronze Age and 1 for the Iron Age, for a total of 10. The same ratio between the 4 ages is found in the great Platonic year, although it is of four times less duration.
Whatever the model, the theory of the ages states that we are living in the extreme period of a cycle that began well before the beginning of history, somewhere towards the end of the Middle Paleolithic, which saw the disappearance of Neanderthals.
The coming era, of which we are perhaps in the beginning, is therefore that of Aquarius, which logically follows Pisces in the reverse order of the zodiac in the precessional movement. Since this should logically inaugurate the golden age of a new cycle, we must reflect on the symbolism of Aquarius in order to try to perceive its content. The sign of Aquarius is the sign of Man, so we can think of humanist values and the possible transcendence of the human race towards a higher form of being (the superman of Satprem) which would result from a vibrational change. This could then lead to a "horizontal" society (Aquarius evokes a two-dimensional space) where the level of consciousness would be the same for all.
The sign of Aquarius corresponds to space, so we can also think of man in space, but which one? There has often been talk of the transition from one cycle to the next which would be accompanied by a reversal of the poles, but in this case is it a question of the Earth shifting on its axis or of the reversal of the magnetic poles? René Guénon also refers to a stop in time, that is to say to the point of the passage where past, present and future merge, which for us, incarnated beings, is truly inconceivable.
In conclusion
There is a formidable paradox between, on the one hand, the accumulation of crisis factors (financial, economic, political, climatic, ecological, demographic, ethical, religious, spiritual) which compromise, in a (very) short and for the first time in its history, the future of humanity, and, on the other hand, the virtual capacity in which it is to quickly provide a global, effective and sustainable response.
On a collective level, this response remains possible to the following conditions:
- Accepting the fact that the global crisis is an essential reality, that there is absolute need to face it and resolve it, hence a very rapid collective awareness;
- accept that the current model, based on materialism and its consequences, in particular on economic and financial imperialism, is quickly abandoned and transformed;
- Accept the reality of man as an indivisible unity of the body, the soul and the mind;
- Accept the need for a global society, which supposes the disappearance of state structures in favor of "horizontal", therefore not hierarchical organizations;
- Accept the need to abandon, or to say the least to put into perspective the religious models inherited from the past;
– to adopt the values of Aquarius to go in the direction of the natural evolution of humanity, in this case the only possible one.
Only one question therefore arises: can the acceleration of time be applied to the consciousness of humanity?
On an individual level, it is in any case a question of preparing for the passage from one era to another, from one world to another, and to do this it seems to me desirable to:
– to lighten oneself as much as possible of one's possessions, beliefs, habits;
– give up restoring the past or building the future, but be present in the moment;
– to promote the expansion of consciousness, in particular by avoiding passions and fear;
– not to rely on any system, to think for oneself, to use one's free will;
– integrate the values of Aquarius – humanism, "networked consciousness" – and let transcendence take place.
Posted in L'Astrologue n° 172