In the early days after I started this blog in 2005 I found it interesting to profile people in the news. Primarily this was for my own interest in order to explore the motivations of people who do weird things, but also to illustrate in real life the value of astrological understanding. In attempting to understand the minds of criminals, I would often profile individuals who committed appalling acts of violence. But over the past few years, the number of mass shootings has increased to such a degree that I can no longer bear to analyze the charts of those who commit such heinous acts.
In reflecting with dismay and horror at the synagogue shootings this week I realized that it’s more than just guns that are the problem, at this point. Yes, America has a gun problem as I have written about many times including here. But the real problem is the level of hate that has been unleashed in this country and in other countries as a world that has become too small for the 7.2 billion people that reside here. The globalism and loosening of borders when Pluto was in Sagittarius between 1995 and 2008 encouraged immigration into countries such as Germany and England which needed workers. Under Pluto’s trip through Sagittarius, the sign of travel and embrace of other cultures, globalism brought a rich new tapestry of music, food and culture into nations whose cultures, unlike the US which is famously a “melting pot” of different nationalities, were already well defined and well established. Additionally under the Sagittarian influence the spread of social media (Sagittarius is associated with both media AND social interaction) took a secure foothold in international culture. By 2008 when Pluto moved out of Sagittarius, Facebook was well established as the premier social media outlet, and Twitter had just begun its march towards internet dominance.
Then in 2008 Pluto moved into Capricorn, overseeing the contraction of financial markets and a global economic collapse which left many of the immigrants jobless and without roots, having made a life in their new countries but no longer welcome there. Suddenly the perception of immigrants as freeloaders who live off the fat of the land, keeping native citizens from the wealth and influence that should be theirs, intensified and has been a driver for public policy all over the world as right wing nationalist governments continue to prevail in elections. And the Jews, who have been symbols of the Other for over 2,000 years but who mainly have found a comfortable place in the mainstream of America, are suffering from revived bigotry based on lies and generalized hate.
The victory in Brazil of a far right government demonstrates with alarming clarity that it’s this ever growing epidemic of hatred that is the real problem as countries find themselves sharply divided between the left and the right. But this hatred seems especially potent in the US, with its vicious history of institutionalized racism and forced slavery, the history of which has been whitewashed and virtually rubbed out of existence in some cases. For instance, a recent study found that only eight percent of high school students correctly identified slavery as the cause of the Civil War and an assignment to a middle school class in Charlotte North Carolina asked students to explain why Africans made good slaves.
Sagittarius is also associated with the human search for truth and meaning, and a casualty of Pluto’s sojourn through Sagittarius appears to be any semblance of an accepted truth. Conspiracy theories have given rise to unbridled lies and misinformation that circulate readily through social media and even mainstream media. Under today’s manipulation of the masses, when facts become lies, and lies are treated as facts, it is difficult to imagine how healing can take place.
Pluto’s entry into Capricorn in 2008 also coincided with the election of Barack Obama, an African-American, to the presidency which I think we can all agree released a great deal of hatred which had previously been hidden. The chart of the United States has been challenged by Pluto since it entered Capricorn and began to oppose the four US Planets in the nationalistic sign of Cancer. Cancer is associated with family – a tribal sense of belonging. Under these Pluto cycles the US has started to fracture, and we are heading into the Pluto Return, the time when Pluto in the sky returns to its placement in the US chart which will peak around 2020-2024 (read this article for more information about the US chart).
In the meantime, it is impossible to fight hate with hate, and to fight rage with more rage. All this does is inflame any situation and make it impossible to find resolution. We must focus our energies on supporting the victims of hate, and spreading a message of love and equality. When the President calls us an “angry mob,” we must become a peaceful mob that’s strong in numbers and positive messages. Conversations with college friends convinced Derek Black that his father, a Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard and creator of the Daily Stormer website, was wrong. Stifling communication and telling people they’re wrong will not win hearts and minds – encouraging dialogue and educating might.
We all owe it to the world we live in to do our part to illuminate the conversation.
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Amen. so very well said.
Thank you as always, Weaver. :)
In keeping w the theme, it would be so interesting to mull over a relationship of astrology and David Hawkins’ book, Power vs Force, about the levels of consciousness people demonstrate. I think there could be some significant depth in the discussion.
Sounds interesting Alice – the question of Power vs Force is a very good one for a Pluto cycle.
We are living in an age of insanity, no doubt about it, Lynn. And for those of us who are awake, being here now is incredibly difficult . . You are right. Love is the answer along with the courage to stand up for the greater good !
Thanks Laura – it IS so difficult because we want to stay inspired and hopeful while not falling asleep or failing to as you say stand up for the greater good!
I like that which you say, Lynn. I checked out the news last night and got overwhelmed quickly. I had to climb out of the rabbit hole of helplessness and anger (that my not even be my own). I feel so badly about the refugee crisis, but there’s actually nothing new about it, and more unfortunate and precise, there’s NOTHING I can do about it.
These posts help me contextualize what’s going on and what’s gone on.
Oh I so understand what you are saying, Ryan. I’m glad you find the astrological connections helpful. I think we can all help each other to learn how best to manage what is going on now, to fully engage with our communities without becoming overwhelmed by the helplessness and rage.
thank you – does that mean 2020-2024 we will have a turning point for the better?
Sally, 2020-2024 is the peak of the Pluto cycle in the US. Pluto cycles can certainly be turning points for the better, but they are never easy. I personally believe that things will continue to become more and more intense, but I do feel that this is essential for positive change. As long as the monsters are hidden in the closet they can’t be eradicated; when they emerge into the light the dragons can be slain and the devil made to pay his due.
There is hope then, but more intensity first. I like the your analogy of hidden monsters. Thank you!
Thanks Sally! ❤️