Why is it that every so often history demands a bloodbath, a holocaust, an Armageddon? And why is it that every time the time before has taught us nothing?”
Graham Swift – Waterland, 1983.
Looking of cycles of awakening, unraveling and crisis through astrology.
In the book, The Fourth Turning1 the authors discuss how history is made up of around 80-90 year cycles. What is an 80-90 year cycle in astrology? Well, our old friend Uranus who has a cycle of around 84 years. The Neptune cycle is around 165 years, so a half Neptune return would fit. Pluto has a cycle of 248 years so no help there, although as we shall see, Pluto changing signs does have something to say. Saturn has a cycle of around 28 years, so this would be a third Saturn return is between 80-90 years. Jupiter has a cycle of around 12 years so the 7th return would be around 84 years. Chiron has a cycle of around 45 years so again 90 years would be a second Chiron return.
In their book the authors describe there are four phases of this cycle, each around 20 year, a generation in other words.
Our current cycle began after WW2, 1946 and lasts until 2028. They are: 1946-1966 the High phase, 1966-1984 the awakening phase, 1984-2004 the unraveling phase, 2008-2028 the Crisis phase.
Strauss-Howe consider the first phase or block to be a high energy phase , where prophets and trailblazers are born, for example Bill Gates, Bob Dylan. This is the era of the Viet Nam war, when Baby Boomers are born. This phase usually follows some type of collapse at the end of the previous cycle, in this case WW2. In this phase institutions are strong and individualism is weak. There is a collective solidarity, and people support central top-down systems. In the UK this was the ground-breaking NHS, social housing, and other support for the people who were recovering from the devastation of war. Eventually, as this phase nears its end people begin to rebel against the conformity.
What of the astrology? The NHS was founded July 5th 1948 by Aneurin Bevan MP which he described as ‘a great and novel undertaking’.
Picture: Wikipedia public domain.
Uranus went into Cancer 30th August 1948. Saturn went into Virgo September 20th 1948. Jupiter went into Capricorn 16th November 1948. Both Pluto and Neptune were mid sign (Leo and Libra respectively). So, we might argue that caring (Cancer) service (Virgo) and centralised organisations, (Capricorn) could be a flavour for the UK in this cycle.
The next phase, around 1968-1986 Strauss-Howe called the phase of awakening, when the ‘Boomers’ born in the previous phase came into their majority. Boomers threw off the shackles of conformity, they wanted freedom and space, not the safety, peace and security the previous generation desired. Boomers rebelled against the collective and demanded individual freedom and decried the materialistic nature of society. They sought spiritual and ‘alternative’ lifestyles. They rebelled against war, especially the Viet-Nam war in the USA, they preached ‘free-love’ and revolution at Woodstock through their new, loud, rebellious music.
Woodstock, which took place between the 15th and 18th of July in 1968 in upstate New York can be seen as a pivotal moment at that time. Again, Uranus has just changed signs, into Libra- peace and love anyone? Saturn moved into Taurus April 30th 1969, Jupiter moved into Libra on July 16th, echoing Uranus’ sweet (Libra) revolution (Uranus), the catch-phrase was ‘make love not war’ which is a great Libran anthem.
Swami Satchidananda opens Woodstock. Credit: Mark Goff. Public domain. Wikipedia.
Neptune moved into Sagittarius, the sign of the Guru, on January 5th 1970. Boomers went to ‘find themselves’ with Indian gurus such as Maharishi and Bhagwan Shree Rashneesh and yoga teachers including BKS Iyengar and Sri Pattabhi Jois. Another term for this phase is the time of the nomad, and many, many Boomers found their way (and some lost it) to India, on the ‘Hippie Trail’. Pluto went into Libra October 6th 1971, where chickens, as they do, came home to roost in the boomer world and many Gurus turned out to have feet of clay and warped libidos.
The next phase Strauss Howe call the ‘Unraveling’. It occurred between 1984-2004. This is the time when institutions are weakened and safety measures are discarded and people, having been born into safety and abundance now want to be free to express themselves as individuals and do what they want. Thatcher, an icon of this time, declared ‘there is no such thing as society’. She remains a symbol of these hedonistic times. In the USA Reagan carved a similar path. What both Thatcher and Regan began and Clinton and Blair continued was deregulation of the Stock Markets and they oversaw toxic financial instruments, a massive financial boom, which anyone can tell you is always followed by bust. The Greeks had words for this process: hubris (arrogance) is usually followed by nemesis (complete destruction). Thatcher began privatisation of national assets, including British Telecom (1984) British Aerospace (1986) Rolls Royce and British Airways (1987). A fire-sale of public wealth. Pluto changed signs on the 6th November 1983 into Scorpio (other people’s money), and Neptune into Capricorn (delusion in the establishment) 19th January 1984. Both Scorpio and Capricorn are ambitious and usually very interested in making money.
Loadsofmoney was a song released in 1988 about the culture created by Margaret Thatcher. Materialistic and greedy was the watchword at the time, greed was good. It became a catch-phrase which exemplified the economic boom which was based on lies and deception. Notice Uranus and Saturn moving into Capricorn, showing trouble ahead with the institutions like banking. Pluto in tricky Scorpio, the sign of debt forming a T Square opposing Jupiter and Mercury in greedy Taurus and Mars in Aquarius.
Inevitably, a financial crash followed as both governments arrogantly removed financial controls implemented in the last crash in 1929. In late 2007 predatory lending by banks, subprime mortgage and subsequent collapse of the housing market and other toxic financial instruments climaxed with the collapse of Lehman Brothers on September 15th 2008.
This heralded the final phase 2008-2028 the time of crisis. Here, Pluto was ending its transit through profligate and detail averse Sagittarius and heading for the cold shower of Capricorn, better known as ‘austerity’. The collapse of Lehman Brothers is said to be the straw that broke the camels back and led to the international banking crisis. The collapse of Lehmans was due to one rogue trader who lost millions and then lied to cover up his losses trying to double down to get the money back, while those who should have been overseeing trading were asleep at the wheel. Exemplifying Sagittarian over optimism and gambling on their luck to get them out of trouble, only to crash and burn.
Pluto entered into Capricorn and was later followed by Saturn and then Jupiter and Mars giving us the flavour of the recent past. These were grim times for everyone except for the super rich, who have doubled or tripled their wealth. We have seen the consolidation of power in the hands of transnational corporations, politics has become a game show, the voice and well being of the people irrelevant.
And now we have war, first in Ukraine and now in the Middle East which threatens to spread throughout the region. Israel’s recent bombing of the Iranian embassy in Syria intended to galvanise Iran to attack and bring the USA into the conflict. We cannot know at this stage how things will turn out, whether it will be a global conflagration or a localised tragedy.
This completes the circle which began after WW2. Pluto is ready to move into Aquarius for good on the 20th November 2024 and stays there until March 2043. The other two transpersonal planets, Uranus and Neptune also change signs. Uranus goes into Gemini in 2025 and Neptune enters Aries (a far more alarming prospect) on March 31st 2025.
Pluto in Aquarius, Uranus in Gemini and Neptune in Aries, does suggest that after the crisis period and the heavy earth and water signs, these generational planets are moving to communicate (Gemini) and fight (Aries) for universal rights (Aquarius). Certainly, there is an end of empire feel about these times, maybe the era of the ‘big men’ and their wars will finally be over.
We can only hope.
Greek Island Summer School, June 12th-19th Lefkada. Last 2 places, for a week studying Horary Astrology, the Astrology of Questions, details here
Elisabeth Brooke 