Dr. Lehman would not approve of my version of astrology, it'd be something akin to a high class concert pianist looking at someone bashing out a popular tune, by ear, on a creaky upright piano with a few keys missing and in need of a good tuning! That doesn't prevent a creaky piano-playing amateur from appreciating true quality when they encounter it though.
I sampled three or four of Dr. Lehman's archived posts, noticed one on the topic of Pluto in Capricorn. We had a brief discussion here on that topic on Tuesday, with added observations about another astrologer and his predictions: Michael Lutin, including his natal chart (or lack of its availability). Dr Lehman's natal chart is up for all to ponder upon at Astro.com. It bears at least one similarity, apart from year of birth, to that suspected to be Michael Lutin's - Virgo Sun, but also with Moon and Mercury in Virgo in her case, and Leo rising.
Dr. Lehman's post titled Hope in the Time of Pluto in Capricorn, is a transcript of a talk she gave at NORWAC (Northwest Astrological Conference ) in 2009. It's a lengthy piece, all interesting. It ends with emphasis on two factors, factors which no other astrologer I've read lately has mentioned:
(a) the fact that what will come after Pluto's Capricorn transit, Pluto in Aquarius, might not be as benign as some modern interpretations of Aquarius would lead us to believe. Aquarius is one of the Fixed signs; being fixed it isn't as open to fundamental change as are Cardinal and Mutable signs. "In the fixed signs, the Old Order strikes back – or at least tries to." said Dr. Lehman after a quick look at some historical evidence. Therefore it would be better for solutions to be found and implimented during Pluto's transit through Capricorn, a Cardinal sign.
And (b) over-population of the planet.
Snips:
What this means is: there is no solution to poverty except population reduction. There is no solution to development except population reduction. And sustainability is a complete joke unless it is coupled to population reduction. Reduction. Limitation. Sound like Pluto in Capricorn?...............
Have you heard President Obama talk about overpopulation when he mentions sustainability? He's danced around this topic one or twice. Have you heard any talk about changing our tax system to stop rewarding large families?.........
Can we develop the will to face the limitations that Pluto in Capricorn will demonstrate for us? I don’t know – but I can guarantee that it won’t happen until we provoke the societal discussion beyond the baby steps of sustainability we have managed to achieve by now. We must bring population to the heart of the discussion – or everything else, as we say, is academic.
.....But if the problems are dire, that doesn't mean there's no hope. It's just that we must create a vision of a different future than I'm describing.
"Which is the greater danger - nuclear warfare or the population explosion? The latter absolutely! To bring about nuclear war, someone has to DO something; someone has to press a button. To bring about destruction by overcrowding, mass starvation, anarchy, the destruction of our most cherished values-there is no need to do anything. We need only do nothing except what comes naturally - and breed. And how easy it is to do nothing."
~ Isaac Asimov
17 comments:
From http://www.world-of-wisdom.com/04_articles/2005/06_pluto.htm
"Of course America itself was born with Pluto at 27 degrees Capricorn, and it has managed to maintain a reasonable democracy since 1771, though this is perhaps more due to its exalted Saturn in Libra. Certainly there are Americans that feel that power is concentrated in the hands of a secretive elite, and the mass of conspiracy theories spawned in America about anything from the assassination of Kennedy to the “demolition” of the World Trade Centre” is a testimony to the Mercury/Pluto opposition in the US chart. Pluto in Capricorn in USA’s 2nd house shows the power of corporate might and finance, and it is an open question today during George W Bush’s government just how much power big business has on the Republican machine.
When Pluto transits a sign it leaves a swathe of destruction, but what is destroyed has often outlived its relevance. Big business elites will not survive the Pluto transit, but will in turn be transformed. The invasive hand of government will not be allowed to stifle individuals, or to reduce those who do not have the privilege of power to slaves in the hierarchy. By the time Pluto enters Aquarius – in 2023 – humanitarian concerns will sweep away autocracy. The price of fanatical ambition will have been too high. The doctrine of the survival of the fittest – or of the most highly qualified – will give way to a violent levelling process.
It is at this time that the Saturn/Jupiter cycle enters air signs for a period of 200 years, and the scourge of materialism will be replaced by lofty social values. The harnessing of light will transform industry, and the burning of fossil fuels will be a quaint and nostalgic tradition. Pluto in Aquarius will transform the power of thought. Keyboards will cease to exist, implanted probably, and screens will be everywhere in a festival of light. The dictatorship of the corporation will give way to the dictatorship of group consciousness; you will be free to do anything, just as long as you don’t try to give up your membership. When Pluto comes into Pisces in 2043, we’ll surely be in need of the resurrection."
Regarding population growth, perhaps someone should have a talk with Pope Francis.
Here is where a comparison to the 1760s-90s might get interesting:
Pluto in Capricorn: 1762-1779
Pluto in Aquarius: 1779-1798
Pluto in Pisces: 1799 - 1724
If we look back, all the various revolutions were percolating in Capricorn, in full war against the Old Order plus writing up constitutions & ideas in Aquarius, and then war and counter-war in Pisces, before a period of peace to head into the industrial revolution in the 1820s.
It is during Pluto in Aquarius and Pisces that many of the foundational inventions that powered the 19th & 20th centuries were invented and refined.
The next 40+ years could get real interesting...
Very sorry the comment at February 20, 2014 11:12 AM should read:
Pluto in Pisces: 1799 - 1824
mike ~ Another good astrologer wrote that piece: Adrian Ross Duncan. He obviously remains confident that Aquarius, when visited by Pluto, will have on its humanitarian hat, while Dr. Lehman worries that its Fixed quality might be a big snag. I can see both sides.
At one time I was quite enamoured of my own Sun sign, Aquarius, and its alleged social reforming, humanitarian traits - until I found out characters such as Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin represent the Water Bearer sign, as well as some more benign natives. As Lee Lehman points out Aquarius is co-ruled by Saturn - something people tend to overlook.
Population explosion, in my opinion, is unlikely to be curbed by man, or Pope, but very likely and tragically, to be curbed by nature.
Anonymous ~ Without a shadow of a doubt the coming years will be even more "interesting" than any we've experienced thus far. :-)
The industrial revolution brought with it a lot of snags, as well as growth and progress. Likewise our technological revolution has brought some snags already, with more in the wings, I feel certain. Reformers helped adjust the worst of injustices brought by the industrial revolution, so will it be for us. Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange could be seen as forerunners, with many more to come, I hope.
It'll turn out to be a mix of good Aquarius and bad Aquarius, good Pisces, bad Pisces when Pluto visits. I'm not sure we've seen a lot of good Capricorn yet though. there's still time.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence
Twilight ~ During Pluto's last transit through Capricorn, the American Revolution was fought and the Declaration of Independence signed.
But it was a revolution based on capitalist principles, one that only offered freedom from abuse and tyranny to those at the top of this new political and social hierarchy.
" . . . because a lot of capitalists and planters made a lot of money from slavery, the revolution compromised with slavery. The Declaration initially contained a condemnation of King George for allowing the slave trade, but Jefferson dropped it following protests from representatives from Georgia and the Carolinas. How could the founding fathers of the U.S.—most of whom owned slaves themselves—reconcile the ideals of liberty for which they were fighting with the existence of a system that represented the exact negation of liberty?" http://www.isreview.org/issues/26/roots_of_racism.shtml
So far, things don't seem to have changed much during this transit of Pluto through Capricorn. As Michael Lutin has pointed out, Democrat or Republican doesn't seem to make much difference.
I agree with you, Twilight - about Aquarius not always being the idealistic, humanitarian energy it's made out to be. Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. I also agree overpopulation poses a significant challenge, as do the various "progress traps" we keep repeating and failing to learn from. Pluto in Aquarius could go either way.
LB ~ "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed......"
That hasn't worked out too well. "Consent of the corporations and elite 1%" is what it has descended to now, "the governed" have little or no say on major issues affecting all of us.
Those capitalist principles embedded, as you pointed out, have evolved. "DNA" of the Declaration of Independence has been inherited in terms more appropriate to the 21st century.
I'm beginning to lean toward the opinion that events attributed to astrological patterns (Pluto transits in this case) discerned from past transits might not hold good this time around, not in any way we can appreciate now, anyway. The way "progress" is hurtling forward in technology makes it unlikely we could translate a future transit into a picture we can understand from this point in 2014. Still, it's interesting to surmise, with what little we know.
One of John Steinbeck's quotes - from "Sweet Thursday" I think:
Man is the only kind of varmint who sets his own trap, baits it, then steps on it.
An individual can't mentally, emotionally, spiritually (psychically) mature and evolve, until that individual has achieved the necessary prerequisites to achieve a solid foundation and then move forward to the next level. The process typically involves interpersonal relationships of various types with pain and joy as motivators with much stumbling and relapses. The same can be said of a society. We are exactly where we should be...no less and no more.
BTW - PBS' Frontline, "Generation Like" aired several days ago. Gasp...what have we created?! Thoughts of "Lord of the Flies" entered my mind watching this. There may be lots of trouble ahead for our culture.
http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2014/02/11/frontlines-generation-like-examines-modern-marketing-culture/17876/
"You think your kid is upstairs expressing his or her personal opinions via “Likes” on Facebook or sharing via Instagram or pushing forward retweets? In fact, what they’re doing is participating in carefully orchestrated marketing efforts, a sort of “serendipity by design,” according to Rushkoff. The craving for fame, the appeal of “fame by association,” the way the currency of “likes” turns into actual currency, and the amazing tale of how one kid drew 3 million subscribers on YouTube by talking about his daily life and likes…it’s all part of packaging and selling of fans in the way companies used to package and sell cereal.
Another example Rushkoff notes, is Fuse, the TV network, which has a real-time video contest that creates a “fluid ecosystem between TV and Twitter, an endless feedback loop” in which consumers create content.
“Your customer is your marketer,” says Jane Buckingham, president of Trendera.
Through it all, “The Hunger Games” is Rushkoff’s metaphor for how kids are being played by the game-makers, competing for attention, fame and a feeling of self-worth."
Link for the PBS program:
http://video.pbs.org/video/2365159545/
Re Frontline "Generation Like"
This is the Pluto in Sagittarius generation.
mike ~ I don't think our OK PBS had that programme - or maybe I missed it - will check the video tomorrow - thanks.
I read an article along similar lines a few days ago. Unsettling stuff, but not exactly unexpected.
The "Like" thing about Facebook has always struck me as simply juvenile. Twitter is pretty silly too - how can anyone read and take in anything from piles of re-tweets and tweets from following dozens of Tweeters and advertising and re-tweets.... I bet a mere fraction of messages actually get read and understood.
It's a gimmick, with potential uses in certain circumstances, and I bet it won't last in the form it's in now.
Future trouble could be the result of the craziness, but I think the current fads will subside once something new comes along to push them aside (as Facebook did with blogs). I guess it could be something even worse though. ;-/
FYI - Another astrologer shares your affection for Brand:
"Jonathan Cook on Brand versus Snow"
http://silverwheelastrology.blogspot.com/2014/02/jonathan-cook-on-brand-versus-snow.html
mike ~ Thanks for the heads-up - I'm off to watch the video now. I remember Barbara at Silverwheel Astrology from my earliest blogging days - used to have her site in my links, but must have decided the blog had lapsed like so many others. I shall now reinstate it and go leave a comment. :-)
Twilight, Barbara had breast cancer and didn't post for quite some time:
http://silverwheelastrology.blogspot.com/search/label/breast%20cancer
mike~ Oh my! I wasn't aware of that.
I'd stopped keeping up with most astrology blogs on a regular basis after I started posting on more general topics. I occasionally sift through my links to make sure they're still live.
Well, Twilight, I was impressed by Russell Brand's interview. He handled a challenging question session with Jon Snow and did so with distinctive style and grace. Interesting that his natal Moon-Mars conj in Aries is being hit by transiting Uranus and sq by transiting Jupiter (and his natal Pluto influencing, too). I hope he can continue defining himself as the anti-politician and as a man-for-the-people influence.
mike (again) ~ Agreed - he's doing something very important, and doing it well. I'm interested to see what effect his efforts will have, over time. I wish we had some counterpart on this side of the pond!
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