The Dying Uranus/Pluto aspect

In this article I am giving some thought to the recent aspect between Uranus and Pluto as we reach its dying gasps.  Between 2012 and 2015 these two planets made seven exact squares (conflicting/clashing energies) to each other.   In astrological terms seven exact hits is a real biggie.   Just to illustrate how big, the last time we saw seven passes between Uranus and Pluto was between 1496 and 1500! 

Pluto and Uranus tend to bring revolution, social upheaval, breakdowns in society and general turmoil, as well as new ground-breaking discoveries.  Ultimately, the basic meaning of the energy is a breaking down and exposure of what is repressed, no longer required or just plain rotten in a bid for liberation, freedom, new ideas and new ways of thinking. 

As we reach the dying breaths of the aspect, the energy will now have permeated into the universal psyche or, as Jung described it, the collective unconscious.  For those whose charts were specifically connecting personal planets to the aspects of Pluto and Uranus, the energy is likely to have also manifested within their personal unconscious. 

According to Jung, the personal unconscious stems from personal experiences, whereas the collective unconscious manifests almost on the level of a ‘world soul’ and, through this, individuals will instinctively share collective ideas according to the influence of culture.  Collective views and ideas, in Jung’s opinion, are also inborn within individuals.  As an example, lets take flying saucers.   The rational personal unconscious may reject their existence but Jung believed that sitting within the collective unconscious lay repressed images of circular shapes and their connection symbolically with a divinity.   (Jung, Collected Works vol. 10 (1964) Jung The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious 1968) 

Whether we like it or not we are all affected by the dominant set of beliefs held by society, but if, additionally, the individual chart has taken a hit from these two planets then the individual is really going to be plugged into the energy and be asked to be part of the collective unconscious that implements the requirements of the aspect.  This may involve an existential crisis in terms of changing beliefs within the individual and consequently these people may be perceived as acting out of character or having taken leave of their senses.  But, if we consider that we are a reflection of universal energies, so we are the actors within the drama of making it all real.

The collective unconscious can also indicate mass change in the psyche of a nation once individuals become players in the narrative.     In this respect we see man representing the microcosm of the macrocosm, or man as representing the universe in miniature. 

Pluto desires control and power and his energy is slow, deep and subtle.  Uranus, and particularly Uranus in Aries, is quite the opposite.  Uranian energy comes in fast, stirring up the proverbial hornet’s nest in a bid for freedom, independence, liberation, equality, self-reliance and independence.   Uranus wants to be the savior of the individual’s rights whilst Pluto often represents the old guard, the corporates, the 0.1% of society that serves itself rather than the plebeian classes – in other words the greedy fat cats. 

Pluto is King of the Underworld and, with that, our deep unconscious. Pluto represents the power of survival and transformation, but in order to transform Pluto has to first purge whatever is rotten and hidden within.   But then Pluto also demands that something must die before the new can come in and transformation can occur.   In this way Pluto can empower us, heal us and enrich us, even though we don’t enjoy the actual process.

With Uranus, actions are swift and often shocking – an energy where we must expect the unexpected.  Uranus says lets have a revolution, while Pluto at first wants to keep his control and grimly hold on to what he has.   Uranus stirs up so that it is possible for Pluto to get to the bottom of things, to eliminate and destroy. So one thing we have seen is the uncovering of what is rotten within governments, fat corporates and banking, as well as the rise of the Deep State and the desire to put more and more controls on the masses whilst generally portraying this as good for our safety and welfare.   So, whilst both Uranus and Pluto advocate a free and fair society, they are ruthless markers of times of crisis

So let’s look back to the beginning of this particular cycle – i.e. when Uranus and Pluto were in conjunction (together in the sky).   This takes us back to 1965/66 – the time of a new dynamic generation and unprecedented change.   I can personally remember this period and it was like life was on steroids – very exciting and stimulating for the young but, with hindsight, it must have been very difficult for the older generation of the time to deal with.   This was the period of the counter culture revolution which really showed itself within the music world with groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and many many more who changed the face of music.   In 1965 the Beatles performed the first stadium concert in the history of music in front of 55,600 people in New York.  It was the time of flower power and unprecedented sexual freedom thanks to the free availability of the birth control pill (and the morning after pill), giving women for the first time real choice and control over their futures and their bodies.   John F. Kennedy had been assassinated in 1963 and the Vietnam war peaked as the US ground war began in 1965.   Exploration of space was peaking and Martin Luther King brought black rights to the forefront.  (Uranus in particular is concerned with human rights and freedom from oppression).   Inroads in health were also made as the first artificial heart was successfully pioneered. 

Going back to the beginning of the previous cycle takes us to 1851 when we were in the grips of the Industrial Revolution, the expansion of the British Empire, the gold rush and inventions such as the zip, steam power, the washing machine and the sewing machine.   The Great Exhibition of the Works of All Nations of 1851 in London showcased a gigantic tradeshow displaying the latest inventions from steam engines to new technologies, machines and surgical instruments.   The building it was held in – Crystal Palace – was also a pioneering structure.  In five months six million visitors passed through the show.

And if we go back to the last square we arrive at the 1930’s – a time of the Wall Street crash, the great depression, World War 2 And Mao Tse Tung as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party.   We also hailed the launch of penicillin as the first true antibiotic and pioneering air travel, which had actually begun at the time of the planets’ opposition in 1901, a time that also saw the rise of modern cars. 

The Muslim Brotherhood was formed in 1928 and expanded during the 1930’s in part thanks to a collaboration with the Nazis.   Whilst the Brotherhood claims to be a peaceful organization it is interesting to link today’s forces for Muslim rights as having their roots back in the 1930’s. 

So this illustrates how these cycles really do mark time as we see how revolutions and pioneering discoveries had huge impacts on the lives of ordinary people. 

So what have we seen in this current square?  Bearing in mind that the energy is very strong before exactness, we must in reality look back as far as 2008/9 for the beginnings.

2008  saw a huge banking collapse and recession, from which some might say we have never truly recovered.  Northern Rock had to be nationalized and suddenly, our trust in banks and bankers was eroded and our money seemed as though it could be potentially unsafe, just as in the 1930’s.    In 2009 quantitative easing was introduced into the UK to ward off recession, whilst the current UK debt stands at £1.7 trillion.  One questions what problems are being stored up. 

2008 also saw the creation of Bitcoin.   Now this may not be on everyone’s radars but I think we should expect in the not too distant future a radical overhaul in the manner we pay for goods.

The Arab Spring of 2010 and its resulting unrest led on to civil war in Syria which began in 2012 and has continued relentlessly at the expense of its population.   The rise of IS and terrorism during this period has also had a huge effect.  In 2011 Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi rebranded Al Qaeda in Iraq (AI) as Islamic State and then Islamic State of Iraq (ISI),  which later became Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) when they took Mosul in 2014.   Back in 2011 who thought there was a terror group worse than Al Qaeda?

And stemming from these events we have seen a huge increase in migration into Europe by both true refugees as well as economic migrants seeking a better life.   However, this level of migration has caused chaos in the initial countries of entry and led to political difficulties within other EU countries. 

Political and financial difficulties have not escaped Europe with the financial crisis in Greece and the resulting bailouts and instability in countries such as Spain and Italy.

The instability in Europe and the migrant crisis could perhaps be to blame for the shock decision of the UK to leave the EU as many in the UK desired closer controls over our border, real independence and the ability to run our own show free of the EU.  Brexit has polarized the young versus the old.   The older generation see the erosion of their rights under an EU government whilst the young, many of whom see only a hopeless future, consider themselves more European than British and value their ability to move freely around Europe.  The repercussion of this appears to be that the young are beginning to take more of an interest in politics and turned out in record numbers for the 2017 snap general election.

2011 also saw the Fukushima nuclear disaster which according to some media reports is still causing problems with leakages into the ocean.   With the Olympic Games set to take place in Tokyo in three years’ time I’m not sure I would like to be a sailor or competitor on water!

The sexual freedom and feminine liberation of the 60’s has perhaps now resulted in women leaving it much later than ever before to have babies, resulting in a rise in IVF intervention.   Gay rights are also an issue that has been at the forefront and The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 legalised full same-sex marriage in England and Wales starting from March 2014.   However we are also seeing a trend where gender issues have been in the news, with certain parts of society seeming to raise question marks over gender assignment.

And, of course, we must not forget the shock election of Mr. Trump in America.   Six months on he continues to polarize opinions.    But it remains to be said that he epitomized the Uranus/Pluto candidate so he may be just what America needs right now, although a big proportion are definitely not enjoying the situation. 

Forays into space are also in the news but, unlike the ‘60’s, now it is private enterprise that is blazing the trail, possibly with an eye to colonizing Mars and certainly with an aim to make space travel normal and affordable.    Transport also is on the verge of being revolutionized.   Train lines are being more and more electrified and the UK is set ready for electric cars in the next 20 years, replacing diesel and petrol.

Society also appears to be moving towards robotics and artificial intelligence.  Whilst it can be seen how this might benefit industry, with the TV series Westworld and Humans, can we be sure it’s really in our best interests in the future?   In warfare drones are being increasingly used, but Facebook recently shut down chatbots after they began to talk to each other in a language only they understood!

So we can see how events in this square continue to echo previous Uranus Pluto aspects although, whilst we may say that history repeats itself, it is never quite the same because the world has changed in the meantime.   We see turmoil in the US with Trump’s election, turmoil in Europe, turmoil with Russia and the Ukraine, turmoil in the Middle East and turmoil in the Far East as Kim Jong Un looks increasingly and threateningly unstable with his finger on the red button.   We also see the rise of China as a world power with the world’s largest military force.

Racial and religious intolerance is also very apparent and we can also sense a rise in fascist attitudes similar to the 1930’s but different.  This time we see fascism where entities such as the deep state, big corporates and big banks dictate to the masses.  We also see a decline of the US petrodollar world reserve. 

But as the themes, which underpinned the ‘60’s rise again, we must remember that the planets don’t cause the situation – events merely reflect the situation within the universe.

As the planets came into alignment so tensions rose and what we see now resembles the aftershocks of an earthquake.  Globally debt levels are so high they seem irrecoverable now that foundations have been weakened.   Can they really be patched up or are we waiting for the house of cards to fall?   The U.S. debt has more than doubled since 2007 and currently stands at almost $20 trillion.  Eye watering.  In the UK food banks were almost unheard of in 2004 but in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008 demand grew and now there are at least 2,000 food banks in the UK supplying much needed basic food. 

Uranus signifies humanity and equality that needs radical change.   At the conjunction society became both empowered and liberated.   Everyone now has a sense of entitlement to their rights and now changes must inevitably take place as moral and ethical boundaries continue to shift.   It’s interesting to note that Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World was published at the last square in the 1930’s.

Uranus is always about upheaval and revolution from which can come major transformation.  So, whilst the energy is indeed in the collective psyche, we may not quite know yet exactly how to deal with it or what it will represent for us.   For sure society will need to challenge the status quo and think outside the box.

The Uranus/Pluto aspects and 2017 seem as though they will be the warming up period for dynamic historical changes which we will likely see during the 2020’s.   In the UK we have seen some awful terrorist attacks and the fire at Grenfell Tower in London during 2017.   Grenfell’s charred carcass on the London skyline symbolizes the gulf between rich and poor in one of London’s richest boroughs.  It epitomizes the rights of the underdog (Uranus) and how big fat corporates are perceived to have taken advantage of the poorer classes in order to save money (Pluto).   That’s why Grenfell epitomizes the Uranus Pluto dynamic – it’s a political hot potato and it’s not going to go away.

So if you feel like life’s gone crazy then you’re probably right.  We and the world have to wake up and undergo changes.   The pressures of the Uranus/Pluto aspect will see phenomenal changes in society and the task of the individual will be to understand how to adapt to the change and where his position in the world lies.  But change we must, and we must open our eyes to see which parts of our life no longer serve us and the parts of our lives that we need to concentrate on.  Ultimately, a global force greater than the individual is at work here that we need to adapt to, but never underestimate the part that you play.  Awareness of what is happening enables the individual to be pro-active and part of the necessary revolution as opposed to being a passive, whining bystander.   So make your choice and choose your options.