My purpose here is to review the astrological history of past great depressions in order to show why the years 2008 through 2019 are likely to be the most horrendous so far in US history.
What looms ahead in the not-to-distant future is likely to combine the social upheavals of The Sixties with the angst of the 1930s Great Depression and the rebelliousness of the American Revolutionary period. This prognostication is based on the past history of astrological and economic correlations. What is not predictable is how the nation collectively and each individual will respond to the upcoming planetary alignments and the difficult years they portend.
The single economic condition that has coincided with all great depressions in US history is a record gap between rich and poor. The gap today, 2006, has never been greater. This is so both inside the USA and throughout the world.
But isn't it possible to fix this problem and avoid another great depression? Yes. The stars do not compel, the future is not set in stone. Even devout believers in laissez faire capitalism know something must be done to narrow this gap. The problem is that there is no agreement concerning what must be done. That's why we are likely to be well into the coming painful years before circumstances overcome ideology and dictate practical solutions.
I should add that as an unrepentant optimist, I believe we will emerge from the coming hard years better than before. Crisis is opportunity. My aim here is to show, first, astrologically why the years from 2008 through 2019 are likely to be the worst in our history, and second, to stimulate thinking about long-range solutions. I believe astrology is the most accurate forecasting tool known to mankind--but how we deal with indicated future opportunities or difficulties is entirely up to us, individually and collectively. We learn from the past.
Great Depressions Defined
There have been four great depressions in US history: the 1780s, 1840s, 1870s and 1930s. Great depressions are not to be confused with periods of less hardship or shorter periods of hardship, often called depressions or recessions or downturns. There have been many periods called recessions or depressions in US history but only four that qualify as great depressions.
How can we distinguish recessions and depressions from great depressions? Dr. Ravi Batra provided this definition ( The Great Depression of 1990 , Simon and Schuster, 1987, page 106):
"A recession usually lasts for one to three years, during which the rate of unemployment, while rising, is generally below 12 percent. When a recession lasts for more than three years, and/or the rate of unemployment lies between 12 percent and 20 percent, the economy may be said to be suffering from a depression. When unemployment remains high and business stagnates for six or more years, the nation's plight may be called a great depression. Thus, depending on its severity in depth and length, the downswing of the business cycle may be defined as a recession, depression, or great depression."
Astrological Correlations
Every time the USA suffered through a great depression, Saturn § was found in mid-Capricorn forming a 90-degree square angle, as viewed from Earth, to one of the so-called malefic planets in mid-Aries: Uranus ¨ , Neptune © , Pluto À or Mars ¥ . Understand that in the solar community, no planet by itself is good or bad. It's when these planets move into certain angles to each other that their combined influence is experienced by us as good or bad. And malefic angles or aspects formed by the slower-moving Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are notoriously the worst, with Mars a close runner-up. Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are called "the malefics" because their adverse angles coincide with troublesome times.
When reading aspects such as the grand cross, astrologers must take into consideration other simultaneous aspects and the ability of the entity to cope with stress and deal with difficulties. In this regard, Bill Herbst, (1) a master astrologer and author of two excellent books and many articles on the subject, points out that when an entity, individual or collective, is over stressed and immature, hard angles from Uranus foment eccentricity, fanaticism, anarchy. But if an entity is well integrated, a hard angle from Uranus promotes freedom from ignorance. "In most situations, however, whether collective or personal, Uranus rebels to some extent against any authority that would restrict and oppress." You can bet the farm that the global corporate empire backed by the US Pentagon will do everything it can to suppress rebellion.
Two individuals, born at the same time and place will be hit by the same transiting aspects during their lives, but each may respond differently, even if they both come from the same economic class. Why? "Character" is the usual catch-all answer, a term that includes intelligence, self-discipline, an ability to adapt to changed circumstances, and other intangibles which Herbst summarizes as "integration." So we must take into consideration the USA's past history in dealing with this great-depression grand cross, and also keep in mind that "character" is a dynamic, developing quality. The character of the USA today is very different than it was during the first great depression in the 1780s. Different does not necessarily mean more intelligent and adaptable.
Grand Cross in US History
The USA has always fallen into a great depression when hit by the grand cross formed by Saturn in mid-Capricorn square Pluto, Neptune, Uranus or Mars in mid-Aries. But when Saturn has arrived in mid-Capricorn without forming a square aspect to these "malefics" in mid-Aries, no great depression has occurred.
Of all the various geometric patterns the planets form, the most difficult, demanding or malefic is the grand cross. Combining the time of each great depression with the time of the USA's birth depicts the great depression grand cross. The result is called a comparison or biwheel chart: two astrological charts showing two moments in time depicted so they can be compared to one another.
A word about 1893 to 1895, often called "one of the worst depressions in history," and indeed it was extremely difficult. Crop failures were rife and prices were the lowest they'd ever been to that point in US history. But this one was too brief to qualify as a great depression. It was ushered in by what is now called "The Panic of 1893" when the primary economic measurement of that time, The Business Curve, dropped from 10 points above normal to 20 points below normal. Stocks lost 21 percent around September 15 that year. Where were the outermost planets at this time?
Saturn was conjunct the US Saturn in Libra, square the US Sun.
Uranus , however, was at 8 Scorpio, forming an opportune 120-degree trine to the US Sun.
Neptune and Pluto were together at 10 and 13 Gemini, conjunct the US Mars and square the US Neptune. On September 15, Mercury, Mars and the Sun were conjunct the US Neptune. Astrologically, this is the signature of stock market panics. This one, it seems, was extended to impact the overall economy by Saturn's position conjunct the US Saturn.
Another example of a difficult but brief period was the Oil Embargo of the 1970s, when the price of gasoline was driven skyward by the OPEC oil cartel. We had what was dubbed "stagflation," a combination of stagnant activity and inflationary prices. But this didn't qualify as a great depression either.
When the Dow hit a new low December 15, 1974,
Saturn was conjunct the US Sun,
Uranus made no major aspect from 1 Scorpio,
Neptune (the influence of inflation) was opposite the US Uranus (the unpredictable), and
Pluto was conjunct the US Saturn square the US Sun.
The astrological marker that took down the stock markets was the Sun and Mercury opposite the US Mars, and Jupiter opposite the US Neptune--a combination that formed a grand cross to the US Mars-Neptune square. With Saturn conjunct the US Sun square Pluto conjunct the US Saturn, this crash impacted the overall economy causing what was called "stagflation."
My point is that neither the crash of 1893 nor the one in 1974 resulted in a great depression, and the astrological explanation is that there was no great-depression grand cross.
How to Verify
There is nothing superstitious or arcane about the planetary pattern that has repeated with great depressions. Planetary positions and angles are astronomical measurements. They can be verified by checking an Ephemeris (a table of daily planetary positions). Comparison or biwheel charts are best done by acquiring astrological software and erecting two charts: one for the USA's birth, July 4, 1776, Philadelphia, and the other for when a past great depression bottomed. The two charts mapping planetary positions are then combined by putting the US chart on the inner wheel and the other chart on the outer wheel, creating a symbolic freeze-frame of two moments in time.
Until the 1990s, America experienced great depressions in roughly 30- and/or 60-year cycles. It takes Saturn 28 to 30 years to complete an orbit by transiting through each of the 12 constellations or Signs of the Zodiac. When Saturn returns to mid-Capricorn each 28-30 years without squaring Pluto, Neptune, Uranus or Mars in mid-Aries, (for instance, in the 20th Century during the 1900s, 1960s and 1990s) the country has experienced economic or social upheavals but no great depressions. By 2006, the USA had gone 76 years without experiencing a great depressions--and without the US Sun-Saturn square being afflicted by a grand cross from Capricorn and Aries. A 76.6-year cycle is discussed below.
When Uncle Sam was born on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, the Sun was at 12 degrees and 44 minutes of Cancer, forming a 90-degree square aspect to Saturn at 14 degrees and 47 minutes of Libra. We round out to the nearest degree: Sun at 13 Cancer, Saturn at 15 Libra. This Sun-Saturn square has proven to be economically sensitive down through American history.
Endless Argument
As for the precise time of the USA's birth or inception, there is endless argument. The exact time of birth is important because it gives us the degree of the Ascendant or Rising Sign, the moment of dawn, around which the planets are then placed in "houses," signifying areas of activity. The Ascendant indicates how an individual sees his world and is seen by it. Some astrologers make an argument for using Scorpio Rising, which appeals to me personally because it puts my natal Sun conjunct Uncle Sam's Ascendant. The most widely used is the Sibley chart, with Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius Rising. We Americans may see ourselves as a Jupitarian-generous, Sagittarius "sage" philosophical nation but we are definitely not perceived that way by other nations. Rather we are seen as original, unique, even eccentric and unpredictable, by turns genius and outcast--the qualities of Uranus in Gemini Rising. I use the Gemini Rising chart with Uranus on the Ascendant because it gives a more accurate astrological reading of who the USA is in the community of nations. Yes, it's illogical that our Founders would sign the Declaration of Independence around 2 am--they were proper gentlemen and would be home in bed. On the other hand, quite a few were Masons and concerned with the astrology involved, and one could hardly ask for a more prosperous indicator than Sun, Jupiter and Venus together in the 2 nd house, indicating material wealth.
The 12 constellations are important to map our Solar System and thus erect charts. In effect, each constellation denotes a different neighborhood in the vast universe beyond our Solar System, from whence come distinctly different influences. For astrological purposes, the constellations are divided into 30-degree sections. These sections are called Signs in astrology. Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn are called Cardinal Signs. They correspond to spring, summer, autumn and winter--the two Solstices and two Equinoxes. Planets in Cardinal Signs, it is often said, "make things happen."
X in a Box
Uncle Sam was born when the Sun was in Cancer. The constellation Cancer is opposite Capricorn. And Libra (wherein resides Sam's Saturn) is opposite Aries. So by comparing Uncle Sam's birth chart with a second chart for a great depression, a grand cross pattern is found, formed by transiting Saturn in Capricorn 180 degrees opposite the US natal Sun in Cancer, while another malefic planet in Aries is 180 degrees opposite the US natal Saturn in Libra. Since the planets involved are also thus 90-degrees square to each other, a box pattern is also formed. It's this X-in-a-box pattern astrologers call a grand cross. It puts the Earth in the middle of a crisscross of planets.
Another way to approach a biwheel chart is to imagine the US birth chart as a clock face. In a biwheel chart, the clock face depicted as the inner wheel remains stationary. The 12 planets depicted on the second chart, shown on the outer wheel, become the clock's moving hands. The combination tells us what cosmic time it was for a certain event. This is also called "reading the transits."
Most economic or financial astrologers use single charts, not transit-to-natal biwheels. I chanced upon the efficacy of using transits to the USA's birth chart in the early 1980s and found, as I continued to work with this method, that it speaks eloquently about US economic history. Great Depressions have arrived when the cosmic clock shows the x-in-a-box grand cross pattern made by transiting Saturn moving opposite the US natal Sun's position at 14 Cancer, while another "heavy" planet is transiting through Aries opposite the US natal Saturn's position at 15 Libra. The worst wars in US history have occurred when transiting Uranus returns to its natal position in the US chart; other wars have occurred when transiting planets have "hit" the US Uranus from hard angles. Stock market panics become likely when the US Mars-square-Neptune is "hit"--the subject of another paper. The list of such "coincidents" validates the basic principles of astrology.
Am I saying the planets control our economy? Not at all! I am saying astrology enables us to forecast difficult economic times, and also times of opportunity, and thus prepare for them. Another reason the grand cross-anchored by Saturn has brought great depressions is because we humans are creatures of habit. We are not controlled by the stars but we tend to apply solutions that have worked in the past instead of finding new solutions to new problems. I encapsulate this as "Belief trumps evidence." We find the evidence we seek. Economic beliefs rival religious beliefs. Devotees of one economic ideology or another tend to become fanatical. But each moment in cosmic time is unique, so solutions that worked in the past may not solve new problems. "History repeats but does not rhyme," as Mark Twain put it. We can foresee future times that will resemble past times but we cannot predict exactly what specific events will manifest. Planetary cyclical patterns repeat but always in an ever-changing context. No two moments in cosmic time are ever the same.
Another Way to Visualize
Another way to visualize the grand cross pattern is to imagine the Solstice/Equinox chart, which has 0 degrees Aries (spring) Rising at 9 o'clock on the chart, 90 degrees from 0 degrees Cancer (summer) at 6 o'clock, Aries opposite Libra (autumn) at 3 o'clock, with Capricorn (winter) at 12 o'clock. The great depression grand cross would then have Saturn up near noon in Capricorn, square another outer planet around 9 o'clock in Aries, with both opposite and square the US Sun in Cancer (6 o'clock) and Saturn in Libra (3 o'clock). Visualizing this most basic of astrological charts emphasizes the cardinality of the four Signs involved in the great depression grand cross.
These oppositions and squares are measured by longitude only, and need not be precisely exact. They are effective when they are "within orb"--that is, within 5, 7 or 10 degrees of exact. As a rule of thumb, I use a 7 degree orb. So when Saturn reaches 7 degrees of Capricorn, it has come within 7-degree orb of an opposition to the US Sun at 14 Cancer. Planetary aspects have been found to be more powerful when "applying" than when "separating," much as ocean waves have more force when cresting to a breaker.
Keep in mind, also, that the larger, outermost planets orbit slowly as measured in Earth years: Saturn averages 28-30 years, Uranus 84 years, Neptune 165 years, Pluto 248 years. Pluto, the most distant from our Sun, has the most erratic orbit. None of the planets move with the mechanical precision of our earthly clocks. We use our measurement of time to track the planets.
Great Depression of the 1780s
The first great depression in the new nation's history became an undeniable fact around December of 1783. Saturn § , Uranus ¨ , Neptune © and Mars ¥ were all involved in the 1780's grand cross, and this first great depression is viewed by some economic historians as being as severe as any in US history.
Saturn was at 14 degrees Capricorn opposite the US natal Sun at 13 Cancer.
Mars was at 21 Aries within orb or an opposition to Uncle Sam's natal Saturn at 15 degrees of Libra.
Uranus was conjunct the US Sun and thus also opposite transiting Saturn and square the US Saturn.
Neptune was conjunct the US Saturn, and thus also opposite transiting Mars, square the US Sun and transiting Saturn in Capricorn.
Pluto at 8 Aquarius trine the US Gemini Ascendant and Uranus was a very favorable indicator for the new nation in the long run, but at this time, a great depression gripped the original 13 states. What was happening?
"Even more than their civilian neighbors, the former soldiers nursed grievances that they could attribute to incompetent, if not dishonest, government. They had left their farms and shops to fight the hated Redcoats, but they could not even depend on the paltry sums their services had earned for them. Inflation had made their Continental currency almost worthless, and now the government set up by the Articles of Confederation was delaying payment of overdue wages and retracting its promises of lifetime pensions for officers." ("Shay's Rebellion" by Alden T. Vaughan, page 199, Historical Viewpoints .) Thus a record gap between Haves and Have-nots existed.
Great Depression of the 1840s
The second great depression in US history held the nation in its grip two cycles of Saturn or 60 years after the 1780s, during the 1840s when Saturn again arrived in mid-Capricorn, this time square to Pluto in mid-Aries. Again the grand cross pattern was formed with Sam's Sun and Saturn. Mars added to the stress by being at 14 degrees of Libra conjunct Sam's Saturn.
While Saturn has "anchored" all four great depressions from mid-Capricorn, the planets occupying mid-Aries have been Mars (the 1780s), Pluto (the 1840s), Neptune (the 1870s) and Uranus (the 1930s). When Saturn has opposed Sam's Sun without forming a grand cross with Uranus, Neptune, Pluto or Mars, no great depression has happened.
Remember: astrologers speak of planets being "square" when they come within orb of 90 degrees to each other as seen from our perspective here on Earth. Planets are "conjunct" when two or more occupy the same longitude of the heavens, or come within orb of that same degree. They are "opposition" when they are found within orb of 180 degrees from each other, putting Earth between them. If more than two planets are involved in a major aspect like the square, conjunction or opposition, the orb is extended to 10 or more degrees because such a cluster has been repeatedly observed to be effective within 15 degrees.
For the 1840s' great depression depths the grand cross was formed by:
Saturn at 12 Capricorn opposite the US Sun at 13 Cancer.
Pluto at 20 Aries opposite the US Saturn.
Mars conjunct the US Saturn.
Raymond A. Merriman analyzed this crash and depression of the 1840s in terms of it following the Saturn-Pluto opposition of 1834-1835 ("The Implications of Saturn in Opposition to Pluto to World Economies and Financial Markets," The Mountain Astrologer Magazine, November-December 2001 issue.) "When the stock market began to fall, and the land development projects failed to materialize, and banks began to fail...a financial panic ensured in 1837, which resulted in a full-fledged depression by the early 1840s."
(Note that not all financial panics have led to great depressions.)
Merriman continued, "The stock market tumbled approximately 80% off its highs of 1835, and it wasn't until 22 years later--in 1857--that the financial markets began to recover. In short, it was a 22-year economic downturn from the highs of 1835, coinciding with the first and only time the US government was forced to default on its bond (debt) obligations."
Great Depression of the 1870s
Thirty years (or one transit of Saturn) after the 1840s, the nation suffered it's third great depression during the 1870s, following the Civil War in the 1860s. This time:
Saturn at 12 Capricorn formed a square with--
Neptune at 21 Aries to create the grand cross with the US Sun and Saturn.
For this date, we expand the orb between Saturn and Neptune to 9 degrees but keep in mind that it's difficult to pinpoint when the depths of any great depression was reached.
Uranus at 29 Cancer and Pluto at 18 Taurus were both out of harm's way and not part of this grand cross. However, Mars at 12 Aquarius was moving into an opposition with Uranus with the US Moon between them, indicating this one would strongly impact the American public. Strikes, riots and various other social upheavals coincided with this one. From a purely economic perspective, however, it was the Saturn-Neptune square creating the grand cross with the US Sun-Saturn square that marked this period.
Great Depression of the 1930s
Sixty years later, the USA went through what is arguably the worst great depression of its history. I say arguably because historic data salvaged from the Post-American Revolutionary Great Depression of the 1780s suggests it was as bad or worse. We contemporaries are more aware of the 1930s because we have haunting photos of that time, and some still alive to tell us about it.
Although economists are not likely to agree when the bottom of any great depression was reached, by January 1, 1931 it was clear that this crash was not going to rebound quickly. Fear that the whole economy would be impacted had become widespread, despite efforts by important people to propagate optimism.
The biwheel chart for 1931 shows:
Saturn § at 13 Capricorn square
Uranus ¨ at 11 Aries to form the grand cross with the US Sun and Saturn.
Pluto À and Jupiter ¦ both in Cancer conjunct Sam's Sun, opposite transiting Saturn and thus also square transiting Uranus.
So the grand cross to Uncle Sam's Sun-square-Saturn at this time was anchored by Saturn and included Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter. To make matters worse, Mars in Leo was opposite the US Moon (signifying the public) in Aquarius. It's also notable that this great depression followed the Saturn-Pluto opposition that would reoccur to usher in The Sixties, and the one after that with the attack of 9/11/01.
No Grand Cross, No Great Depression
Following the great depression of the 1930s, Saturn next arrived in mid-Capricorn, opposite Sam's Sun, in 1960. But there was no heavy planet in opposition to Saturn from mid-Aries, and thus no great depression. What developed as The Sixties unfolded was a rare combination of the unprecedented (Uranus) and transforming (Pluto). By the mid-1960s, Uranus and Pluto were conjunct in Virgo, with both conjunct the US Neptune, square the US Mars, and for the peak of this aspect, also opposite Saturn traveling through Pisces.
In each of these decades (the 1900s, 1960s and 1990s) when Saturn revisited mid-Capricorn, no other outer planet was found in mid-Aires opposite Sam's Saturn, and no great depression occurred.
The first decade of the 20th Century was a rocky time for stocks. Two stock market panics rattled Wall Street (1903 and 1907), sending Wall Street financiers down to Washington to seek help from government. After much wrangling in the halls of Congress, Wall Streeters got their way and in 1913 the Federal Reserve System was created as America's version of a central bank. In effect, Congress turned control of the nation's monetary system over to private bankers, but by calling it the Federal Reserve, created the impression that the federal government was still in control, as prescribed by the Constitution.
Saturn's return to Capricorn in 1961 was another dicey time economically, but military spending provided an innovative mix of Keynesian stimulus and monetary policy delivered as corporate welfare. As in the early 1950s when the Korean "police action" stimulated the economy, in the 1960s working class American draftees soon found themselves mired in a foreign land, this time Vietnam. Military hardware stocks were robust as millions were killed. The rationale for this war was--as it had been for the Korean "police action"--stopping communism. From the Vietnamese perspective, it was a war for independence, as the American Revolution had been.
The important thing to notice in the following three charts is that although Saturn is found again in mid-Capricorn, no other heavy squares Saturn from Aries. No grand cross, no great depression.
1901
In 1901 when Saturn arrived in Capricorn opposite the US Sun and square the US Saturn--
Uranus was at 16 Sagittarius opposite--
Pluto at 15 Gemini, and thus not positioned to form the grand cross to the US Sun-Saturn square.
Although Neptune was at 26 Cancer conjunct the US Mercury, it was out of orb with an opposition to Saturn.
1960
In 1960 when Saturn returned to 12 Capricorn opposite the US Sun and square the US Saturn--
Uranus was at 19 Leo, out of major aspect
Neptune was at 9 Scorpio, forming an opportunistic trine to the US Sun
Pluto was at 5 Virgo out of major aspect to the US Sun-Saturn square.
Mars , it's worth noting, was conjunct Saturn in Capricorn in January 1960, adding to Saturn's power, and the economy was rocky, but no great depression threatened.
1989
On May 1, 1989 when Saturn arrived at 13 Capricorn opposite the US Sun and square the US Saturn--
Uranus and Neptune were conjunct Saturn, and thus not forming the great depression grand cross.
Pluto was at 13 Scorpio, casting a beneficent 120-degree trine to the US Sun and a very helpful 60-degree sextile aspect to the conjunction of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in Capricorn.
What's most notable about 1989 is that Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are together in Capricorn--a rare conjunction of these three bodies--but with no outer planet in Aries, no great depression occurred. Economists who track the 30- and/or 60-year cycle of great depressions were sure the 1990s would send the USA into another. Dr. Ravi Batra's book The Great Depression of 1990 was a bestseller in the late 1980s. Saturn at 13 Capricorn is within one degree of a conjunction with Neptune at 12 Capricorn, and within 7 degrees of a conjunction with Uranus at 5 Capricorn. As Uranus moves faster than Neptune, they soon came exactly conjunct. But with all three forming a beneficent 60-degree sextile angle to Pluto at 13 Scorpio, which in turn formed a 120-degree harmonious trine aspect to the US Sun in Cancer--
No grand cross, no great depression.
Conjunctions of Uranus and Neptune occur once every 171 years, approximately.
"When a great conjunction like this happens, it means humanity has come to a 'fork in the road.' It is a chance to start over after the slate has been wiped clean--a moment of decision when we must choose a path of destruction or a path or renewal. This is the key to events of the 1990s. The end of the Cold War caused us to shift the direction of our lives and our society. Whether we move toward a peaceful, sustainable way of life that allows us to express our creative potential, or simply allow the destructive, depersonalizing corporate, military-industrial society to continue, is the great issue we confront in the years after this great conjunction." ( Horoscope for the New Millennium by E. Alan Meece, Llewellyn Publications, 1997, page 84).
Uranus-Neptune Crossroads
The 1990 Uranus-Neptune crossroad brought us to the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany. The Berlin Wall came down November 9, 1989. This was not the first time a Uranus-Neptune conjunction had marked a major turning point.
During the Uranus-Neptune conjunction of 1650 at 15 Sagittarius, the Thirty Years War ended, marking an end to a protracted period of religious wars, and beginning another long period of wars between kingdoms and then nation-states. The Uranus-Neptune conjunction of 1821 at 2 Capricorn coincided with the breakup of the Turkish Empire, which had ruled most of the Middle East.
The Uranus-Neptune conjunction of 1989-93 became exact at 18 Capricorn in 1993, and formed a beneficent 60-degree sextile aspect to Pluto in Scorpio, foreshadowing positive changes related to mankind's genius, religious nature and institutions. Nations or religious groupings of humans respond to planetary influences, positive and negative, according to their various beliefs, remember, so positive aspects do not always bring positive changes only. Following this configuration, fundamentalist Christians, Muslims and others demanded adherence to interpretations of scriptural phrases which had changed meanings as languages had evolved. And corporations restructured, downsizing workers and, in many cases, abandoning the USA to invest capital in cheaper labor markets overseas. Out of these developments grew religious fanaticism and the new record disparity between Haves and Have-nots.
Neptunian Speculative Bubble
The end of the Cold War was followed by a record run-up of US stock prices during the 1990s, a second-leg continuation of the bull market of the 1980s. This was not as beneficial as it at first seemed, for it created a Neptunian speculative bubble, coupled with a foggily-perceived, widening gap between rich and poor. This transference of wealth from working class to the rich coincides with speculative bubbles and has never, in the past, failed to lead into another great depression. Would this bubble and gap bring another? Not during the 1990s.
This roughly 20-year period of the '80s and '90s was called "the best economy in American history," but that Neptunian delusion confused the stock market with the overall economy. Only the wealthiest partook of the stock market's fabulous run-up. The media shouted that a new record number of jobs were created during this run-up, but that was another Neptunian delusion. In previous decades, one worker could support a spouse and children, but by the mid-1980s it took both mom and pop wage earners to keep most families afloat. Thus arose "the latchkey kids," children who came home from school to empty houses because both parents were working jobs that didn't pay either enough, in purchasing power, to hold a family together...during this so-called "best economy in American history." Exacerbating the situation for working class Americans, many US-based companies moved overseas to obtain cheaper labor, abandoning workers, latchkey kids and towns. And, with a wink and a nod, the government did not enforce immigration laws, effectively importing cheap labor from south of the border, worsening the struggle of working class Americans.
Economic Indicators
Two primary economic indicators which measure the economy's health--stock prices and unemployment figures--were dramatically good, so few economists noticed the plight of the working class. Nor did many notice the subtle changes over the years in how unemployment statistics were calculated. Also, by the late 1990s, many working class families had adjusted to the new two-job situation, and younger generations were coming of age never having known the single-worker household. Occasionally, someone such as Clinton Administration Secretary of Labor Robert Reich appeared on TV and mentioned the downward trend of working class purchasing power, but such spokespersons were invariably sandwiched between pundits whose net worths were so expanding their prides, they had "no ears" to hear a discouraging word about "the best economy in American history."
This widening gap is ominous. It is a repeat of the imbalance that is inevitably corrected when next great depressions hit. A robust capitalist system must profitably produce goods and services, and also sell these products to willing and able buyers, consumer/employees with enough income to maintain a balance between production and consumption.
"As it gets increasingly difficult for most Americans to make a living, it also becomes increasingly easier for a select handful to make a killing," says Morris Berman in The Twilight of American Culture (Norton, 2000, page 22). "According to the Census Bureau, the bottom 20 percent of US families in 1970 received 5.4 percent of the national income, while the top 5 percent received 15.6 percent. By 1994, the corresponding figures were 4.2 (for the bottom 20 percent) and 20.1 (for the top 5 percent)."
"This is what happens when irrationality shapes economic policy," says Ravi Batra ( The Great American Deception , John Wiley and Sons, NY, 1966). "People suffer because the leaders trust the self-serving theories of established economists, most of whom are engaged in pleasing their affluent patrons," the wealthy few, the government and big companies, throwing the overall economy out of balance.
Monetarists and Keynesians
Monetarist or classical theory versus fiscal or Keynesian theory: this is the overriding contention between economists. Classical theory was called supply-side economics during the Reagan Administration. "Supply creates its own demand" is the belief of supply-siders. The profits from production are distributed throughout the economy in the form of wages, rents, interest incomes and dividends. Stimulate production and the whole economy will prosper--that's the belief of supply-siders.
Against supply-siders are Keynesians or fiscal economists. John Maynard Keynes argued that demand creates its own supply. If demand shrinks, businesses are stuck with unsold goods, and thus layoffs and recession or worse ensues. Keynesians hold that the way to stimulate a contracting economy is to get purchasing power into the hands of consumers.
The evidence corroborates Ravi Batra's complaint that people suffer because establishment economists are busy pleasing their most affluent clients. Supply-side economics is beloved by big business because it means government will favor the wealthy over workers/consumers. Politics is how we decide who gets how much of the collective wealth. When politicians focus on enriching the rich, they sow the seeds of future economic catastrophe.
If great depressions of the past have been brought on by new record disparities between the Haves and Have-nots (coinciding with speculative bubbles) why had we not fallen into another great depression by year 2001? By any reckoning, we had seen a new record speculative bubble in the stock markets, concurrent with a loss of working class purchasing power, and a new record gap between the richest and poorest.
Astrologically, the answer is clear: no grand cross affliction to the US Sun-Saturn square had formed since the one that coincided with the last great depression, the 1930s. By 2001, the economy was in a recession, but by no measurement could it be called a great depression. Not yet.
Good News and Bad
As we moved into the new millennium, Saturn wasn't due to arrive opposite Sam's Sun till January 2019. That's the good news.
The bad news is we are not likely to make it to 2019 without suffering something like a combination of the 1930s, the 1960s and the Revolutionary War. This is because Pluto À , when it next arrives opposite the US Sun in 2014, will simultaneously square Uranus in mid-Aries, forming the next grand cross with the US Sun-Saturn square.
Before Pluto was discovered in 1930, Saturn (associated with Satan in medieval times) was considered the energy that brought death and destruction. Astronomical data makes it possible to recover the history of Pluto's cycles. Tracing Pluto's history has shown it is well named for the god who rules the mystery from which we emerge at birth and into which we disappear at death. Although it is the smallest and most distant of the bodies we call planets, its cyclical history--in both personal charts and world charts--indicates that its effects begin subtlely but manifest as powerful as Saturn's, and are much more long lasting.
The 76.6-Year Cycle
What appears most likely is that the overall economy will not be brought down by one dramatic stock market crash as happened in 1929, but rather that a series of stock market crashes will lead into the next great depression. These stock market crashes will most likely begin in late 2006 and become increasingly severe by the summer and autumn of 2008 when a Saturn-Uranus opposition will hit the US Mars-Neptune square, throwing financial markets into crisis and impacting the world's monetary system.
Ancient Maya astrologers discovered a 76.6-year economic cycle. Calculations depend on what tops or bottoms are used to measure. Measured from 1930 when the economy last began sinking into a great depression, the next great depression is due to begin in the summer of 2006, seventy-six and a half years later. We might, however, measure from 1931 or 1932 or 1933 when the overall economy was bottoming. But cycles are often distorted by the irrational optimism of speculative bubbles, and/or the irrational pessimism of cyclical lows.
It is because the next Uranus-Pluto square is due to come within orb around mid-2008 that I predict the coming great depression will be evident by then. It will begin with trouble in the stock markets and financial system and spread to impact the whole economy. Stock markets can crash without taking down the whole economy--if they recover reasonably soon after a crash. What I look for, based on astrological markers coinciding with past crashes, is a series of crashes beginning in late 2006 and climaxing in the summer and autumn of 2008. This series of crashes is likely to trigger a transformation of the world's monetary system. It is shaky now, with the dollar poised to be replaced by the euro as the world's currency of choice.
Exactly when the resulting economic contraction will be declared a great depression is hard to guess. Panic is likely to have some declaring a great depression before the downturn has bottomed and extended enough to qualify. Die-hard boosters, on the other hand, are likely to cling to unrealistic optimism. The coming hard years may not be officially designated a great depression till after the fact.
Aristotle on Money
We humans have been dealing with economic problems for millennia, of course, and it was Aristotle's words about money that have been most enlightening down through time. Aristotle said, "Money exists not by nature but by law." (Ethics). Of usury, he said, "The most hated sort of (wealth getting), and with the greatest reason, is usury, which makes a gain out of money itself and not from the natural object of it. For money was intended to be used in exchange but not to increase at interest. And this term interest (tokos), which means the birth of money from money, is applied to the breeding of money because the offspring resembles the parent. Wherefore of all modes of getting wealth, this is the most unnatural." (Politics)
"Aristotle is saying that money in principle is sterile. It does not beget more money the way cows beget more cows, or fields grow grain. He says that usury on money is contrary to the purpose of money, created by society as a measure and medium of exchange. He also attacks usurers based on his observations of their bad behavior and character." ( The Lost Science of Money by Stephen Zarlenga, American Monetary Institute, 2002)
What weighed upon Aristotle is that the purpose of money can be so easily perverted. Two trillion dollars a day are now traded in the foreign exchange market--money giving birth to more money. The top 100 corporations now make more from currency trades than from the products they produce. Never before in known history has usury been so glorified and profitable. Historical evidence proclaims that a monetary system that does not benefit all sectors of society is doomed.
I will sidestep the issue of the Winter Solstice 2012, the day the Maya Calendar ends, signifying to some an "end of the world." Since the Spanish priests of the 1500s destroyed as many Mayan records as they could get their hands on, it's possible that the Maya Calendar does not really end at dawn of the Winter Solstice 2012--only their known records end. There have been previous end-of-world predictions but we humans are still very much here. In any case, the Maya were arguably the best astrologers and mathematicians humanity ever produced, and their cyclical economic forecasts have proven accurate beyond the 1500s into the present day. Therefore, we must assume that the Solstice of December 2012 will mark a major turning point in human history. (For more about ancient Mayan economic astrology, see "Maya Time and Money" by Robert Gover at www.stariq.com .)
Uranus-Pluto Squares Past
Uranus-Pluto cyclical conjunctions occur approximately every 127 years. They then move from 0 degrees conjunct into 90-degree waxing squares, 180-degree oppositions, and 270-degree waning squares. When these aspects do not directly impact sensitive points in the USA's natal chart, they've had less impact on American history. But when they have hit sensitive points---either the Sun-Saturn square or the Mars-Neptune square--Uranus-Pluto hard angles have had major impacts, even before the USA was "born". What follows are some examples.
The last conjunction was exact in 1964-65. It was within orb most of the 1960s into the early 1970s, and was conjunct the US Neptune (thus also square the US Mars). During the mid-1960s, Saturn moved opposite this Uranus-Pluto conjunction, square the US Mars. We now refer to this period simply as "The Sixties," meaning social uprisings and burning cities, the civil rights and antiwar movements, the alternative culture movement, women's liberation, Black Panthers, and an amazing rash of assassinations: President John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy as he ran for President, and a long list of less famous people. Although these years can by no means be called a great depression, the long-range effects of the social upheavals are still with us, and will acquire new life as the upcoming Uranus-Pluto square tightens.
The previous Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the first decade of the 1900s was followed by the waning square coinciding with the 1930s great depression. Pluto was in Cancer conjunct the US Sun and then Mercury, roughly opposite where it will be during the 2000-teens. Uranus was where it will be again, in Aries opposite the US Saturn.
The square of the 1750s, coincided with the French and Indian War in the American Colonies and the Seven Years War worldwide. Most Indian nations sided with the French and used "terrorist" tactics. For the two colonizing monarchies, this was another in a series of armed conflicts, with England acquiring most of North America from the French, establishing British language and culture in what became the USA. For native-born Americans of the 1750s, it was a much more devastating time, as it was followed by more British immigrants who drove Indians from their tribal territories. Some historians cite this war as the beginning of the colonists' movement for independence, which culminated with the American Revolutionary War 20 years later. Pluto was in Sagittarius opposite where the US Mars would be when the USA was "born" two decades later. Uranus was in Pisces, opposite where the US Neptune would be.
In 1676, Uranus was in Aries and Pluto in Cancer afflicting points where the US Sun-Saturn square would be a hundred years later. This coincided with an uprising called Bacon's Rebellion in the Virginia Colony. The essence of this uprising--to summarize a complex series of events--was the uniting of African slaves and English indentured servants under the leadership of a planter named Nathaniel Bacon. The aristocracy of Jamestown fled to what is now the Delmarva Peninsula as Bacon's militia burned Jamestown to the ground. The outcome was the seeding of American racism by color-coding of the working class into White and Black. Indentured servants were upgraded while African slaves were scapegoated: "Divide and conquer."
Mixed Effects
What this brief review suggests is that the upcoming period from 2008 to 2019 can be expected to be more tempestuous than any previous--because this Uranus-Pluto square will form a grand cross with the US Sun-Saturn square. Also, this grand cross will be within a degree of exact during the mid-2000-teens. By March 2015, Uranus will be at 15 Aries (opposition the US Saturn at 15 Libra) while Pluto will oppose the US Sun from 15 Capricorn. Its exactness will resemble the Uranus-Pluto square of the French and Indian War, and also the square of the 1930s great depression years. Because it will follow the conjunction of The Sixties, it can be expected to dredge up leftover issues from that decade.
As authors of financial newsletters like to point out, past performance is no guarantee of future performance. And, as scientists like to point out, astrology has a shabby reputation and cannot be scientifically verified--there is no known cause-effect medium. As for correlations, it takes 30 duplications to satisfy science but every repeating planetary cycle occurs in an ever-changing celestial environment. Since every moment in cosmic time is unique, duplication is not possible. The ancient belief is that the planetary influences work invisibly from the causal plane outward, manifesting as ever-changing conditions. This invisible, causal realm is sometimes called "domain of the gods and goddesses." What we have figured out about this realm has been passed down to us in mythologies. Pluto the planet is named for the god of Hades. The most widely known myth about him is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. The planet Pluto "is ruler of all hidden things, including karma, occult knowledge, depth psychology, magic, sex and the procreative urge, healing, kundalini, transformation, and death...it is the energy that fuels all those hidden primordial drives and desires of our human nature, the natural urge to survive...it was discovered in 1930 around the same time we discovered plutonium. This volcanic atomic energy is symbolic of the force that Pluto contains." ( The Saturn Pluto Phenomenon by Jay Michaud and Karen Hilverson, Weiser Books, Inc., 1993.)
Uranus demands freedom. In African Yoruba myth, Uranus is the rebellious son of the Sun god, rejecting convention and tradition, seeking the new, original, untried. When negatively aspected, Uranus foments eccentricity, fanaticism, anarchy. He rebels against any authority that would restrict and oppress. When positively aspected, he seeks freedom from ignorance. Uranus is sometimes seen as amoral, breaking ties to the past anyway possible in order to bring progress, improvement. He is said to rule electricity and his name is a synonym for surprise. He brings the unpredictable, unprecedented. The intensity and ingenuity of the antiwar movement of The Sixties astounded and baffled authorities, and dethroned two Presidents, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. From an astrological perspective, this was the result of Uranus and Pluto conjunct, combining energies, working together.
Upcoming Uranus-Pluto Square
By April 2014, the grand cross will be formed by Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars, all afflicting the US Sun-Saturn square. Most amazing is that this upcoming Uranus-Pluto square is going to be within orb for most of the 11 years from 2008 to 2019. It isn't due to separate till early 2019. This will be the longest lasting Uranus-Pluto square going back to at least year 1.
What does it mean that Saturn will not be part of the grand cross affliction to the US Sun-Saturn square in 2014? Saturn will have done its damage from the summer of 2008 when it moves opposite Uranus in Pisces, with both afflicting the US Mars-Neptune square, bringing down the stock market and financial system, thus preparing the way for the collapse of the overall economy. Saturn's routines and systems will be in conflict with Uranus' demands for freedom, innovation.
The last time Pluto moved through this area of the heavens was during the years leading up to the American Revolution. It was opposite the US Uranus and square transiting Uranus during the French and Indian War. It came exactly opposite the US Sun in Cancer in 1768, as the British Government was oppressing American colonists and favoring global corporations. Now, the American government oppresses working class citizens and favors global corporations. News travels in seconds now, whereas it took months back in the 1760s and 1770s.
During the early 1930s, the grand cross created by Saturn square Uranus square Pluto was most exact in 1931 at the pit of that great depression, and then dissipated as Saturn moved more swiftly through Capricorn. The damage had been done and sustained economic recovery would not come till the 1940s and World War II. Some historical accounts emphasize that Roosevelt's social programs saved the country from a major rebellion. From another ideological perspective, Roosevelt's programs prolonged the great depression. Police and national guard troops were busy during this decade, putting down rebellious demonstrations and protecting property. According to some, the capitalistic system was saved by the enactment of unemployment insurance, social security, and following World War II the GI Bill of Rights, among many other programs to benefit the disadvantaged.
2010
By 2010 , Pluto and Uranus will form a T-square pattern with Saturn , heralding a collapse of the overall economy. Combined with the USA's natal chart, this T-square creates a grand cross with the US Venus and Jupiter , a prelude to the grand cross that will soon hit the US Sun-Saturn square. By this point, we may or may not describe the situation as another great depression, but the overall economy will definitely be in big trouble.
Pluto, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter and Mercury will all be retrograde at this time, indicating an indecisive interlude. Retrograde means these planets will appear, from our perspective here on Earth, to be moving backwards around the Sun. Of course the planets don't really move backwards--it just looks that way from our point of view. Based on both these planetary configurations and what is building up in the international realm of trade--especially the buying and selling of oil--is big changes in the world's monetary system, which in turn will impact overall economies.
2012
The Winter Solstice of 2012 (and thus the famous Maya "end of the world") will feature the New Moon opposition the US Mars and thus also square the US Neptune. But the more long-range impact will be formed by:
Pluto at 8 Capricorn opposition the US Sun
Uranus square Pluto at 4 Aries, applying to an opposition to the US Saturn.
Saturn at 7 Scorpio casting a helpful 120-degree trine to the US Sun, but
Mar s at 20 Sagittarius opposition a point between the US Sun and Mercury, boosting the Pluto opposition US Sun effects.
Jupiter at 9 Gemini will be conjunct the US Uranus, trine the US Saturn. But given the stress that is likely by this time, Jupiter's expansive effects are liable to be more detrimental than helpful.
2014
By 2014 Pluto at 13 Capricorn square Uranus at 14 Aries will tighten the great depression grand cross with the US Sun-Saturn square to nearly exact. Jupiter and Mars are participating in this grand cross, Jupiter being found at 14 Cancer conjunct Sam's Sun, and Mars at 11 Libra conjunct Sam's Saturn.
2015
By December 2015, Saturn will be moving opposite the US Uranus, and square transiting Neptune, as the grand cross pattern formed by transiting Uranus and Pluto continues to hold the US Sun-Saturn square in its grip, indicating a prolonging of economic troubles and the distinct possibility of a second revolution and/or civil strife. Since the influence of the US "corporatized" government now spans the Earth--and because news travels so much faster now--a second revolution would be worldwide as well as national.
2019
By January 2019, when Saturn and Mars form a grand cross to the US Sun-Saturn square, the Uranus-Pluto square will be moving out of orb. Since Mars moves more swiftly around the Zodiac, this Saturn-Mars square will not last long. Mars will move into Taurus by mid February. By this time, the economy will be poised for recovery, and the very long Uranus-Pluto square will probably have revolutionized some economic assumptions. But there is no guarantee that 2019 will mark the end of this time of troubles. There is the danger that the needed practical changes will be thwarted by ideology, or--with Neptune in Pisces --by religious fanaticism. My optimism that we will emerge better than before is based on a belief in the good-natured practicality of the American people. The nation's ruling elite can be counted on to resist changes, but "events will conspire" to create the needed new balance.
Minimizing the Pain
What can be done to minimize the pain of the upcoming decade?
First, I believe it's important to know that astrology can save us from being totally surprised and "sandbagged." When Uranus brings unprecedented events, knowledge of astrology helps us adjust and cope.
Second, it's important to know that great depressions are the outcome of economic imbalance. Every great depression in US history had been preceded by a new record gap between richest and poorest (concurrent with a speculative bubble). Usury (excessive interest charges or making money from money) is now promoted as a kind of holy grail, ignoring its long history as a destroyer of societies. So the sooner we collectively right the current imbalance, the better. If we don't do this voluntarily, "events will conspire" and conditions will force it.
Unfettered capitalism dramatically expands the economy but creates unsustainable imbalance between Haves and Have-nots. Bureaucratized socialism pulls the impoverished up and narrows the unsustainable gap, but frustrates venture capital and economic expansion. Thus, the question hanging is, what will create a system that enables dynamic capitalism without the imbalance between Haves and Have-nots? A successful resolution of this dilemma would not end cycles of good economic times and bad, but by coordinating with those cycles it would minimize the suffering that has come to be associated with great depressions.
By 2019 , as Saturn moves opposite the US Sun and also square the US Saturn, Uranus and Pluto form a T-square with the US Pluto opposite the US Mercury. One way to read this T-square is that the role of American plutocrats will be surprised and revolutionized.
What wealth buys is status. Like other primates, we humans are status-seekers. We cannot change our instinctive nature, but we can change what we perceive status to be. Looking back through history, it is not those who were the wealthiest who are the most revered, but rather those whose personal contributions proved the most beneficial to future generations. During the 20 th Century, foundations were created by the wealthy to enable gifted individuals, but bureaucratic heads of foundations in search of their own status often foiled this goal. During the 21 st Century, perhaps foundations will be redesigned to dethrone self-serving bureaucrats and find gifted individuals throughout all sectors of society, thus fulfilling the original purpose of this form of wealth distribution.
An Individual Example
Each of us will experience the coming hard years differently, depending on our unique relationship to the cosmos, how we are positioned in society, and our ingrained beliefs. In past great depressions, some individuals prospered and a few founded new family dynasties. I would like to end with an individual example: President George W. Bush. If he survives his presidency and lives through the 2008-2019 years, they will be extremely difficult for him personally.
President Bush was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, CT. This date puts his Sun conjunct the USA's natal Sun. Square that Sun position, Bush has a conjunction in Libra of Neptune, Chiron, Moon and Jupiter. This square will be heavily afflicted by 2014 as shown on the biwheel chart above. His natal Mars-Uranus square will also be caught in a T-square formed by Venus, Chiron and Neptune transiting though Pisces. And his natal Venus will be squared by Mars moving through Scorpio. Thus Bush will be hit by Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, and very exactly by the Uranus-Pluto square.
Ironically, much of the economic mess we will be dealing with by 2014 will have been exacerbated by the Bush Administration's policies, which dramatically increased the rich-poor imbalance. As a devotee of the so-called free-market, Bush merely did what his indoctrination had taught him to do. Unfortunately for him--and for the USA and world--his type of capitalism was out of step with the times.
The wealth spread throughout any society is sometimes depicted as pyramid shaped. When the bottom 80 percent base of the pyramid crumbles, the top 20 percent goes down with it. Bush's tax breaks for the richest, corporate welfare programs, curtailment of social services and plundering of the national treasure to make unnecessary wars crumbled the economic base of America. This presented Uranus and Pluto with a red-carpet welcome. That Bush personally stands to be impacted so fiercely by their upcoming square seems a kind of cosmic justice.
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• Books by Bill Herbst: Houses of the Horoscope and The Oracle of Love . See www.billherbst.com . |
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By Robert Gover
© Copyright 2006