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Making Mundane
Predictions
Neptune and Pluto in
Social, Economic and
Cultural Trends
published in NCGR
Summer 2008 Journal
written May, 2008
Nassim Nicholas
Taleb's book The
Black Swan, The
Impact of the Highly
Improbable
represents the
latest buzz in
financial and
intellectual
circles. Taleb
postulates that "A
black swan is a
highly improbable
event with three
principle
characteristics: It
is unpredictable; it
carries a massive
impact; and, after
the fact, we concoct
an explanation that
makes it seem less
random, more
predictable than it
was. The
astonishing success
of Google was a
black swan, so was
9/11."1
While
we as astrologers
may never be able to
predict everything
(in order to predict
something, you have
to be able to think
of it), the transits
of the outer
planets,
particularly Neptune
and Pluto, show us
how social,
political, and
economic trends are
likely to change
over the years.
Neptune has a 168
year orbit, spending
14 years in each
sign. Pluto has a
248 year orbit,
spending between 12
and 32 years in each
sign. Together
these planets form
the Zeitgeist.
Neptune is the
planet of idealism,
universal love,
creativity, and
spirituality on the
positive side. It
has to do with
beauty, psychic
ability, and
dreams. Drugs,
illusion, escapism,
and victimization
reflect Neptune's
not-so-positive
side. On the level
of spirituality,
Neptune has to do
with direct
communion with God,
as distinguished
from Jupiter, which
has more to do with
a belief system, or
ideas about God.
Some might see
Neptune's
spirituality as an
attempt to
circumvent Saturn's
laws on the earth
plane—better to
meditate and focus
on the beauty of
life than to face
the practical
realities of paying
the mortgage and
putting bread on the
table.
To
me, Neptune rules
heaven, and
Neptune's ideals are
the way the world
would be if
everything was
perfect. Neptune
rules vision, and
without a vision for
what's possible, no
new inventions would
ever occur. When
President John F.
Kennedy had a vision
of putting a man on
the Moon, many
thought it
impossible. What
was once thought to
be impossible
happens every day.
Yet, books like the
Secret overly
simplify what it
takes to translate a
vision into
reality. While we
need to see
possibilities to
move forward, seeing
situations as overly
rosy creates blind
spots; and unseen
obstacles cannot be
overcome.
The
sign that Neptune
transits portrays
the ideals during
the time of
Neptune's transit.
These ideals shift
every 14 years. In
contrast, Pluto
brings out the dark
side of the sign it
transits.
Pluto
is the planet that
represents death,
rebirth, and
transformation. It
rules unconscious
energies, inner
drive and
compulsion, and the
power of will and
focused attention.
Its positive
expression is
concentrated effort,
understanding
through knowledge
and seeking wisdom.
Its negative
expression has to do
with death and
annihilation, the
destructive use of
power. Pluto's
urges are
unconscious. Under
its power we know
what we want, yet
may not have the
faintest clue as why
we want it.
Unconscious urges
drive us forward.
During Pluto's
transits we come to
examine those urges.
Pluto
reminds us of the
natural cycles of
nature. Crops are
planted (born),
grow, decay, and die
and are then born
again. Much in life
is impermanent, and
we must be able to
accept the
inevitability of
change. This
impermanence is as
true for prevailing
social trends and
the fate of nations
as it is for the
fate of
individuals.
As
Pluto transits each
sign, the dark side
of that sign comes
to the surface. It
also reflects where
power, and the
likely misuse of
power, lies.
Societal problems
that arise are not
necessarily new
ones; but those
which it is now time
to transform.
So we
have a significant
contrast in cultural
trends. The sign
Neptune transits
represents what is
idealized for 14
years. The sign
Pluto transits
represents the dark
side, conditions
that existed beneath
the surface that
were not faced or
talked about. Based
on the transits of
these two planets,
we can project major
changes in cultural
trends.
Right
now Pluto is
transiting between
Sagittarius and
Capricorn. Neptune
is in Aquarius.
I
wrote the following
in my book A
Beginner's Guide to
Astrological
Interpretation,
(written in 1992):
"With Pluto
transiting
Sagittarius from
1995 until 2009,
religion,
philosophy, higher
education, and even
long-distance travel
take their turn
being regenerated.
Since Pluto brings
out the dark side of
a sign before
regenerating it,
scandals involving
financial
misappropriations
and sexual
misconduct in
religious
organizations and
colleges will be
even more prevalent
than they are today.
Increased terrorist
activity on airlines
is another likely
manifestation before
the world changes
its current
religious and
philosophical
tenets. "2
Not
being psychic, how
was it possible to
make such an
assessment long
before Pluto entered
Sagittarius? The
answer lies in
combining the
meaning of Pluto
with the areas ruled
by Sagittarius.
Pluto rules sex as
well as the dark
side of a sign and
Sagittarius rules
religion.
Past
Pluto transits in
Sagittarius coincide
with events that
have not been
favorable for the
Catholic Church.
During its transit
there from
1502-1516, Martin
Luther was ordained
and Copernicus
challenged Church
authority by
proclaiming that the
earth and planets
revolve around the
sun. Christianity
has its roots in the
26-42 AD transit,
during which time
Christ was
crucified. The
current Pluto
transit coincided
with the Catholic
Church being
unmasked as a haven
for pedophiles and
having to pay out
millions of dollars
to victims of sexual
abuse by priests.
In
much the same way,
events such as
September 11 can be
seen as part of
Pluto in
Sagittarius. Pluto
rules death and
intensity;
Sagittarius rules
religion, airplanes,
and long-distance
travel. Hence, the
idea of religious
extremists causing
death and
destruction on
airplane can be
extrapolated.
Interestingly
enough, as of this
writing with Pluto
in Capricorn and
about to return into
Sagittarius, the
tie-ins with higher
education are
showing up. The
Boston Globe
reported on May 8,
2008, that
legislators in
Commonwealth of
Massachusetts have
"asked state
officials to study a
plan that would
impose a 2.5% annual
assessment on
colleges with
endowments over $1
billion"3
Nine Massachusetts
institutions have
endowments over this
amount. The
proposal, which is
believed to be the
first of its kind
across the country,
drew support at a
debate on the State
House budget.
Contrast Pluto's
transit of
Sagittarius with
that of Neptune's
from 1971 to 1985.
Pluto's transit from
1998 to 2009 has
been fraught with
religious extremism
and terrorism.
Religion and travel
became linked with
death.
In
contrast, the sign
Neptune transits
represents what is
idealized.
Neptune's transit
through Sagittarius
was a timeframe of
spiritual
searching. Belief
systems were
idealized. Some
flocked to EST and
Esalen to find the
answers. Others
flocked to Christian
television
evangelists. The
ideal of the day was
a four-day work week
and more leisure
time. Travel and
adventure were
extolled. And drugs
were seen as
engendering
communion with God.
Looking back even
further, Neptune
transited Scorpio
from 1957 to 1970.
Scorpio rules, among
other things, sex.
The Sixties were the
time of the sexual
and social
revolution. The
younger generation
rebelled against
conservatism.
Instead of
respecting one's
elders, the mantra
was: "Don't trust
anyone over 30."
The Peace Movement
was founded as a
protest against the
war in Vietnam.
"Free love" and
drugs were in.
Hippies congregated
at places like the
Woodstock Festival
in New York and
Haight-Ashbury in
San Francisco.
Timothy Leary
espoused LSD, and
sharing included sex
and drugs.
Contrast this with
the years 1984 to
1996 when Pluto was
in Scorpio. This
was the era of the
proliferation of the
AIDS virus. Instead
of sex and drugs
being the ideal and
fun, sex and drugs
were dangers that
could kill. The
dark side of sex
also manifested as
issues of child
abuse and spousal
abuse made
headlines.
Pluto's transits
seem to kill the
virtues that Neptune
idealized. Yet the
dark side of these
issues led to
societal
transformation
concerning them.
Domestic violence
came to be seen as a
crime and was no
longer ignored or
sanctioned by the
law. Women's
shelters were
created, and rape
victims began to be
treated as victims
rather than as loose
women who enticed
men into
misbehaving.
Movies very much
symbolize changes in
cultural mores.
Jodie Foster's 1998
Academy Award
winning performance
in The Accused
epitomized the
change in attitude
during Pluto in
Scorpio.
Foster played a
real life rape
victim. Sarah
Tobias was gang
raped in a
Massachusetts bar
while onlookers
cheered her
rapists. The female
district attorney
prosecuting the case
allowed the rapists
to plead guilty to
reckless
endangerment, with a
sentence that
allowed for parole
in less than one
year. Tobias was
outraged by the
light punishment,
and furious that she
did not get to tell
her story in court.
She prevailed upon
the district
attorney to
prosecute the men
who cheered the
rape. Ultimately
these men were
charged with, and
found guilty of, of
criminal
solicitation.
While
the dark side of
Pluto in Scorpio
brought issues not
typically talked
about to the
surface, it provided
a turning point in
attitudes toward
women, children, and
domestic violence.
Neptune was in
Capricorn from 1984
to 1998. During
this timeframe big
business,
conservatism, and
money were
idealized. The 1987
movie Wall Street
with Michael
Douglas (for which
he won an Oscar) and
Charlie Sheen
epitomized the
time. Greed was
good. This is in
stark contrast with
the previous 14
years with Neptune
in Sagittarius,
during which a
four-day work week
and leisure time
were the ideals.
The
timeframe of Neptune
in Capricorn
overlapped the term
of Ronald Reagan's
presidency from 1981
to 1989. Reagan's
policies tilted
politics to the
right. Workers'
rights diminished
and CEOs gained more
power until Pluto's
recent entrance into
Capricorn. The
Elliot Wave
International
Newsletter has
reported "In 1970 a
CEO's pay was
approximately 30
times that of an
average worker. By
2007 that multiple
had increased to
about 100 times that
of the average
worker, without
including
compensation for
benefits and stock
options. In 2006
the highest one
percent of income
earners in the U.S.
accounted for nearly
25% of total
income."4
Now
enter Pluto into
Capricorn. As was
seen in the past,
what Neptune has
idealized, Pluto is
likely to destroy.
Capricorn is
associated with
authority,
professionalism,
business
(particularly big
business),
government,
leadership,
conservatism, and
status.
Looking back at the
past helps us to
look ahead to see
what's likely to
happen during the
current transit.
The American
Revolution, which
began in 1775,
occurred during
Pluto's last trek
through Capricorn
from 1762 to 1777.
Prior to the
Revolution,
Britain's rule of
the colonies became
more and more
repressive.
The
Stamp Act of 1765,
which required all
official documents,
newspapers,
almanacs, and
pamphlets to have
stamps, was the
first direct tax
levied by Parliament
on the colonies. In
response a secret
group called the
Sons of Liberty was
formed. In Boston
the group burned
records of the
vice-admiralty court
and looted the home
of a chief justice.
A Declaration of
Rights and
Grievances was drawn
up stating that
taxes passed without
representation
violated the Rights
of Enlightenment.
British merchandise
was boycotted.
Not
wanting to send an
army to enforce the
law, the British
Parliament repealed
the Stamp Act, but
passed the
Declaratory Act of
March 1766,
declaring the
Parliament had the
power to make laws
for the colonies.
This was followed by
the Townshend Act of
1767, which taxed
goods such as paper,
glass, and tea. The
colonists boycotted
British goods.
Next
came the Boston
Massacre on March 5,
1770, during which
British soldiers
fired at a crowd
throwing rocks and
snowballs. Britain
passed the
Intolerable Acts of
1774 restricting
town meetings in
Massachusetts;
ordering all British
soldiers who were to
be tried to be
arraigned in
Britain; closing the
port of Boston until
Britain was
compensated for the
tea; and allowing
British troops to be
housed in unoccupied
buildings. The
First Continental
Congress was called
in response and
militias were
formed.5
So a
clear theme here is
government
overstepping its
power and overtaxing
its people. The
idea that people had
a right to object at
all was
revolutionary in the
late 1700s. Thomas
Jefferson's
Declaration of
Independence
proclaiming equal
rights for all men
was radical at the
time. What was
considered freedom
in the then forming
United States was
considered treason
by Britain.
Adam
Smith's An
Inquiry into the
Nature and Causes of
Wealth of Nations
was published in
1776. This was
considered the first
modern work in
economics and the
first comprehensive
defense of free
markets. The main
thrust of Smith's
ideas was that the
pursuit of
self-interest would
benefit society as
it would encourage
advancement based
upon the will to
better oneself.
Free trade was
extolled as that
free competition
stopped monopolies
from setting unfair
high prices.
Smith
attacked special
interest groups,
which included
international
bankers, corporate
conglomerations, and
trade unions. He
warned against
governments that
borrow "without
check." "If
governments can
borrow without
check, then they are
more likely to wage
war without check,
and the costs of war
spending will burden
future generations,
since the war debts
are almost never
repaid by the
generations that
incurred them."6
So
looking at this
history, what can we
expect now? So far,
we've seen business
executives being
grilled by Congress
about excessive
executive pay, the
Bear Stearns
meltdown and its
subsequent
government bailout,
and job layoffs on
Wall Street.
By
combining the
meanings of Pluto
and Capricorn, we
derive what we can
expect now. Pluto
brings out power and
control issues.
Heretofore hidden
problems arise to
the surface.
Capricorn represents
big business, CEOs,
the status quo, the
power structure, and
governments. We can
expect breakdowns in
government, big
business, and the
banking system.
Worldwide economic
difficulties and
conflict over
natural resources
are likely.
If
the past is any
indication of the
future, we can
expect increased
government controls
and authoritarian
rule, followed by
uprisings against
repressive
governments
throughout the
world. As
multinational
corporations now
have as much or more
power than many
governments, local
workers in emerging
markets are likely
to strike against
these corporate
leaders. Newly
formed companies in
emerging markets
will provide
increased
competition to the
establishment.
Deregulation of
business began in
the Reagan era with
Neptune in Capricorn
and has continued
since then.
President Reagan's
handling of the
air-traffic
controllers' strike
was the beginning of
breaking the backs
of unions. Since
then, laws favoring
Wall Street over
Main Street have
been passed by both
Democratic and
Republican
administrations.
During President
Clinton's
administration banks
were allowed to
become brokerage
houses. This change
shifted the burden
of risky investments
from financial
institutions to
taxpayers since it's
unlikely that the
federal government
will allow banks to
fail.
During President
Bush's
administration, the
uptick rule (Rule
10a-1 under the
Securities Exchange
Act of 1934) was
abolished. This
rule stated "short
selling is only
permitted following
a trade where the
traded price was
higher than the
previously traded
price (uptick)."7
This change allows
for "bear raids"
whereby large short
sellers can push
down a stock's value
by selling it short
and buying it back
at a lower price,
making themselves
rich at the expense
of the company and
the public at
large. The
preceding laws were
enacted after the
Depression of the
1930s to protect the
public.
With
Pluto in Capricorn,
we can expect
problems with
government and
financial
institutions. So
far, we've seen the
beginning of the
meltdown of subprime
mortgages. Subprime
is a type of loan
offered at a rate
above prime to
individuals who do
not qualify for
prime rate loans.
Borrowers typically
have low credit
ratings that suggest
that they have a
reasonable chance of
defaulting on the
debt repayment.
This
problem extends far
beyond housing
foreclosures. It
goes right into the
heart of the
economic system as
these mortgages were
transmogrified and
sold as Triple A
bonds to
unsuspecting
buyers. Barrons
reported that of the
6,431 subprime
residential mortgage
backed securities
issued in 2006, more
than half suffered
downgrades within
one year. That was
40 times the
historical norm
based on the record
for 1998 through
2006. "All of this
has landed
credit-rating
agencies (Moody and
Standard & Poor) in
the crosshairs of
Congress, the
Securities and
Exchange Commission
and several states
attorneys general,
just five years
after the industry
was taken to the
woodshed for its
failure to suss out
the impending
collapse of
companies like Enron
and Worldcom.8
The
collapse of Enron
and Worldcom came
before Pluto entered
Capricorn. With
Pluto's entrance
here, we can expect
more financial and
government
scandals. This time
government will
enact regulations
that rein in
financial
institutions.
Borrowing and
lending practices
will be made to be
more transparent
(after more problems
arise).
The
economy is likely to
be on a downhill
slope for many
years, with the
worst case scenario
being a 1930s type
depression.
Taxpayers will once
again revolt against
paying higher
taxes. Corporate
welfare will be
challenged. The
duties and
responsibilities of
the Federal Reserve
Bank will be
changed. And very
likely, emerging
markets and
developing countries
will take back their
power and their
resources from the
developed
countries.
1. Nassim
Nicholas Taleb, 2007
The Black Swan.
Random House
2.
Joyce Levine, 1992,
A Beginner's
Guide to
Astrological
Interpretation.
Vizualizations
3
Boston Globe, May 8,
2009
4
Elliot Wave
International
Newsletter, "Wealth
Disparity: The
Coming Political
Storm" April 25,
2008
5
American Revolution,
Wikipedia
6
The
Wealth of Nations,
Wikipedia.
7
Uptick Rule,
Wikipedia
8
Jonathan R. Laing,
Failing Grade,
Barron's Online,
December 24, 2007
Joyce Levine is a
full-time
professional
consulting
astrologer with 30
years experience.
She serves as a
catalyst for her
clients to overcome
astro/psychological
obstacles so that
they can achieve
their full
potential. Joyce is
available for
consulting work with
individuals,
couples, families,
and businesses.
Joyce is the Clerk
of NCGR, the Clerk
of NCGR Professional
Astrologers'
Association,
President of NCGR's
Boston Chapter, and
Level IV Certified
in Consulting. She
has been a certified
professional member
of the AFA since
1979.
Joyce
is the author of
Breakthrough
Astrology, Transform
Yourself and Your
World, A Beginner's
Guide to
Astrological
Interpretation.
Transformational
CDs: Self-Help
Series: Meditation,
Creative
Visualization,
Releasing Anger,
and Contacting
Your Guardian Angel;
and Integrating
Astrological Cycles
Series: Pluto,
Neptune, Uranus, and
Saturn, and
Jupiter. Along
with Grace Morris
and Georgia Stathis,
Joyce is the author
of the Apollon
Report, a report
that explores
social, economic,
and planetary trends
for coming years.
Want to find out how
all of this effects
you? You can set up
an appointment with
Joyce by calling
617-354-7075 or
email
joycel@joycelevine.com.
Or Order Joyce's
lecture on
Mundane Cycles–How
We Can Predict
What’s Likely to
Happen in the World
Transits of outer
planets,
particularly Neptune
and Pluto, reflect
long-term social and
economic trends.
World events unfold
as these planets
change signs,
interact with one
another, and form
aspects to the
charts of countries
and their leaders.
This talk looks
backward in history
to see the
correlations and
then looks forward
to project what’s
likely to happen
next.
Of particular note
is the Pluto in
Capricorn cycle from
2008-2024.
This transit affects
the underpinnings of
the world economy.
See how the Federal
Reserve, World Bank,
and World Trade
Association are
affected.
To order
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