Planetary Discoveries and the Age of Discord
When our ancestors observed the night skies they noticed that certain points of light moved over time. These were the travelers, or the planets. Since they moved, our ancestors imagined them to be living entities. They were a constant presence over the ages, thought to be immortal and very powerful. Myths and stories about the sky wanderers emerged. They were modeled partly on human characteristics and with connections to lives on Earth. Our ancestors believed that the course of their lives were at least in part directed by these entities. In time it was noted that the positions of the planets seem to relate to certain events here on Earth. People born at the same time shared many of the same characteristics. These observations got passed on to us through Astrology. In Christianity the Star of Bethlehem is associated with the birth of Jesus.
With our modern education and sensibilities it is much harder to relate to objects in the sky. We know enough Physics and Biology to not see the connection of the sky to our daily lives. However, if one spends some time studying Astrology, the evidence for such connections becomes clearer.
The first known "planets", or objects that seemed to move around the Earth, were the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These were visible by naked eye and were known as early as 8th century B.C.. Uranus, which was discovered in 1781, required the development of the telescope. William Herschel first thought Uranus was a comet, but the circular orbit meant that it was a planet. 1781 was in the midst of the First Industrial Revolution when inventions and mechanized labor greatly increased output. Science flourished with the discovery of electricity, magnetism, and fundamental developments in Chemistry and other fields. It was a triumph of human reason and invention. It was also a time of great revolutions: the French and the American.
It just so happens that astrologically Uranus, and the sign it rules, Aquarius, are associated with sudden radical changes, revolt, independence, insight and invention. The world was radically changed by the social and technological changes of the late 1700's.
The planet Neptune was discovered in 1846, based on calculations of gravitational perturbations in the orbit of Uranus. The mid 1800's saw a shift away from cold reason to the flow of emotions. Hypnotism and anesthesia were discovered. This was also the age of Romanticism. Isaiah Berlin describes Romanticism as "a new restless spirit, seeking violently to burst through old and cramping forms, a nervous preoccupation with perpetually changing inner states of consciousness, a longing for the unbounded and the indefinable, for perpetual movement and change, an effort to return to the forgotten sources of life, a passionate effort at self-assertion both individual and collective, a search after means of expressing an unappeasable yearning for unattainable goals."Astrologically Neptune and its sign Pisces are associated with water which ..."has always represented the flimsy, immaterial side of life; the choppy emotions, the submarine depths of the unconscious mind, the subtle undercurrents that invisibly move us." (Roger Elliot) The late 1800's saw the beginning of psychoanalysis, the probing of the unconscious mind. The famous couch of Sigmund Freud is shown below.
As the 20th Century rolled in technological innovations came fast and furious: the automobile, telephone, radio, airplane, etc. The secrets of the atom were revealed and with them came the knowledge and fear of the tremendous energy that is held within. It was on the scale that could destroy worlds. At the same time the deepest drives and hidden motivations of the human psyche were being exposed. It became possible to transform ourselves psychologically.
Pluto, now technically a dwarf planet, was discovered in 1930, just as the world was gearing up for another, even more destructive world war. Astrologically, Pluto and its sign Scorpio, are associated with the destruction of the old, purging, elimination, regeneration and also conception. Out of death and destruction new life can be born. In the 20th Century humanity experienced unprecedented destruction of two world wars and the tension of the Cold War. We never before had the power to utterly destroy ourselves. In the wrong hands the world could be annihilated.
As the threat of a nuclear war subsided, a new set of problems became apparent. The environment was being damaged by our industries and we became aware that we ourselves needed healing. Movements to protect our environment galvanized. Numerous methods of self-improvement sprang in the 1970's and 1980's. Chiron was discovered in 1977. It is now considered both a minor planet and a comet due to its size and eccentric orbit. Astrologically, Chiron is the wounded healer.
Today, in 2019, we are living in very interesting times. We are presented with new challenges in addition to the old. Again, the demons of White Nationalism are rearing their heads. The economic inequalities are more extreme and we are facing a climate crisis that could make everything worse. When we need to pull together we seem to just be fracturing. In place of unity of purpose there is discord.
The dwarf planet Eris was discovered beyond the Kuiper Belt in 2005. It has the most eccentric and longest orbit (558 years). It is about the same size as Pluto and expected to be significant. The discovery of Eris threw the astronomical community into turmoil. From being considered the 10th planet in our Solar System it is now, with demoted Pluto, considered a dwarf planet. Astronomers named her Eris after the Greek goddess of strife and discord.
What of global significance was happening in 2005? The technological advance was in social media. We saw the rise of Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, My Space, You Tube as well as the rise of Fox News. The stage was being set for manipulation of communication on global scale. Misinformation could be spread by anyone, especially those who could buy exposure, as we have seen in 2016. The key people in this new war on our minds are Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. In my previous blogs "Vladimir Putin: Death of Democracy" and "Election 2020:Forces at Work" I present astrological evidence for this being the case in 2016 and in 2020. Transiting Eris is making exact stressful angles to key natal planets of Trump and Putin. The discord these two create will again consume us.
With our modern education and sensibilities it is much harder to relate to objects in the sky. We know enough Physics and Biology to not see the connection of the sky to our daily lives. However, if one spends some time studying Astrology, the evidence for such connections becomes clearer.
The first known "planets", or objects that seemed to move around the Earth, were the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These were visible by naked eye and were known as early as 8th century B.C.. Uranus, which was discovered in 1781, required the development of the telescope. William Herschel first thought Uranus was a comet, but the circular orbit meant that it was a planet. 1781 was in the midst of the First Industrial Revolution when inventions and mechanized labor greatly increased output. Science flourished with the discovery of electricity, magnetism, and fundamental developments in Chemistry and other fields. It was a triumph of human reason and invention. It was also a time of great revolutions: the French and the American.
It just so happens that astrologically Uranus, and the sign it rules, Aquarius, are associated with sudden radical changes, revolt, independence, insight and invention. The world was radically changed by the social and technological changes of the late 1700's.
The planet Neptune was discovered in 1846, based on calculations of gravitational perturbations in the orbit of Uranus. The mid 1800's saw a shift away from cold reason to the flow of emotions. Hypnotism and anesthesia were discovered. This was also the age of Romanticism. Isaiah Berlin describes Romanticism as "a new restless spirit, seeking violently to burst through old and cramping forms, a nervous preoccupation with perpetually changing inner states of consciousness, a longing for the unbounded and the indefinable, for perpetual movement and change, an effort to return to the forgotten sources of life, a passionate effort at self-assertion both individual and collective, a search after means of expressing an unappeasable yearning for unattainable goals."Astrologically Neptune and its sign Pisces are associated with water which ..."has always represented the flimsy, immaterial side of life; the choppy emotions, the submarine depths of the unconscious mind, the subtle undercurrents that invisibly move us." (Roger Elliot) The late 1800's saw the beginning of psychoanalysis, the probing of the unconscious mind. The famous couch of Sigmund Freud is shown below.
As the 20th Century rolled in technological innovations came fast and furious: the automobile, telephone, radio, airplane, etc. The secrets of the atom were revealed and with them came the knowledge and fear of the tremendous energy that is held within. It was on the scale that could destroy worlds. At the same time the deepest drives and hidden motivations of the human psyche were being exposed. It became possible to transform ourselves psychologically.
Pluto, now technically a dwarf planet, was discovered in 1930, just as the world was gearing up for another, even more destructive world war. Astrologically, Pluto and its sign Scorpio, are associated with the destruction of the old, purging, elimination, regeneration and also conception. Out of death and destruction new life can be born. In the 20th Century humanity experienced unprecedented destruction of two world wars and the tension of the Cold War. We never before had the power to utterly destroy ourselves. In the wrong hands the world could be annihilated.
As the threat of a nuclear war subsided, a new set of problems became apparent. The environment was being damaged by our industries and we became aware that we ourselves needed healing. Movements to protect our environment galvanized. Numerous methods of self-improvement sprang in the 1970's and 1980's. Chiron was discovered in 1977. It is now considered both a minor planet and a comet due to its size and eccentric orbit. Astrologically, Chiron is the wounded healer.
Today, in 2019, we are living in very interesting times. We are presented with new challenges in addition to the old. Again, the demons of White Nationalism are rearing their heads. The economic inequalities are more extreme and we are facing a climate crisis that could make everything worse. When we need to pull together we seem to just be fracturing. In place of unity of purpose there is discord.
The dwarf planet Eris was discovered beyond the Kuiper Belt in 2005. It has the most eccentric and longest orbit (558 years). It is about the same size as Pluto and expected to be significant. The discovery of Eris threw the astronomical community into turmoil. From being considered the 10th planet in our Solar System it is now, with demoted Pluto, considered a dwarf planet. Astronomers named her Eris after the Greek goddess of strife and discord.
What of global significance was happening in 2005? The technological advance was in social media. We saw the rise of Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, My Space, You Tube as well as the rise of Fox News. The stage was being set for manipulation of communication on global scale. Misinformation could be spread by anyone, especially those who could buy exposure, as we have seen in 2016. The key people in this new war on our minds are Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. In my previous blogs "Vladimir Putin: Death of Democracy" and "Election 2020:Forces at Work" I present astrological evidence for this being the case in 2016 and in 2020. Transiting Eris is making exact stressful angles to key natal planets of Trump and Putin. The discord these two create will again consume us.
