Monday, September 03, 2007

Conspiracy Theories and Astrology.

I'm not sure what led us to watch "The Murder of Princess Diana" on TV, Friday night. I was never much interested in Princess Di and the royal family, but we watched the movie anyway. It's hard not to be affected when a young life comes to such an abrupt end - whether it's that of a princess or a pauper. As a piece of fiction, which the film largely was, making use of the conspiracy theory which grew out of the event, I found it quite an absorbing tale.

The death of Diana was one of those indelible time-markers for many people. JFK's assassination and 9/11 are two others, events which sliced through our communal consciousness like a knife through butter.

It's significant that conspiracy theories have emerged from all three of the events I've mentioned - Princess Di's death, JFK's assassination and 9/11. Conspiracy theories have blossomed (if that's the correct verb) in the past few decades. I guess that throughout history they were around, but in the past only the high and the mighty were privy to them. We, "the great unwashed", only started to hear whispers about these theories as easier communication became widespread. The whispers rose to a crescendo with the advent of the internet.

I wonder what astrological configuration might relate to conspiracy theories?

C.E.O. Carter's Encyclopedia pf Psychological Astrology is of no help in this - there's no entry under "conspiracy" or "conspiracy theory". I doubt that it was a term in common use when this book was first published in 1924. Something in the communal consciousness must have shifted between then and now - in line with the developments in technology and communications.

A generational quirk? Perhaps. A good bet for starters would be the Neptune in Scorpio generation. Did the generation born between 1957 and 1969 (now aged around 38 to 50) pick up the idea of conspiracy theories and, in boardroom-speak "run with them"? Neptune represents imagination and mystery. Scorpio represents secrets and death. This particular generation may well be instrumental in keeping these theories alive and well.

My own natal Neptune in Virgo is not given to believing easily in wild theories without a bit of concrete proof. I have to admit though, that in all three cases mentioned, there is room for doubt about official explanations. It's always good to keep an open mind, but never wise to become paranoid. That is as far as I'll ever be able to travel on the conspiracy bandwagon.

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