Begonias. © Pat Paquette, 2015.
We’re still in the glow of the Venus-Jupiter conjunction, which is fortunate, because there is some heaviness this week, especially on the world stage.
The Sun’s opposition to Pluto on Monday and square to Uranus on Sunday (July 12) activates the Uranus-Pluto square, which is still very much with us, even though we’re on the downside of the curve – “downside” meaning that it’s just a matter of time before there’s nothing left to prop up an unsustainable global economic system stacked in favor of a privileged few at the expense of everyone else and the Earth’s ecosystem.
The scaffolding just got a major kick when voters in Greece overwhelming rejected a referendum on whether the government should agree to a multi-billion-dollar bailout deal with the European Union that essentially would keep the country in poverty conditions in exchange for rescue loans. The voting results also represent a major victory for Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s recently elected prime minister and leader of the left-wing Syriza party. Tsipras won the election in January on promises to end five years of austerity measures demanded by European banks. His election was seen by many as a major challenge to the ruling elite and a potential threat to the EU itself.
It has been interesting to track public opinion. Comments on The Guardian are overwhelmingly harsh, arguing that the Greek people are essentially lazy and want someone else to pay for their irresponsible financial decisions. Where have we heard that before? The thing is, The Guardian is a left-leaning news site (sort of, depending on the issue) where one would expect to find support for democratic movements. It just goes to show how much power the plutocrats have in shaping public opinion and dividing people so that they’re too busy fighting over the crumbs to see the man behind the curtain. Fortunately, enough people are seeing, and they are spreading the word via the social media.
Click on image for larger view.
I cast a chart for the Greek referendum (right), using the time in The Guardian’s live coverage feed when it was announced that there were enough “no” votes to win. As you can see, the Moon in Pisces is just rising, with Neptune in the first house. In mundane astrology (the astrology of world events), Neptune represents leftwing political ideas, as it pertains to the collective – and all the more so with Neptune in his own sign of Pisces. The Moon represents the general public, especially everyday people, as opposed to the rulers. It’s certainly true that public attention in Greece was focused on the results of the referendum, but they weren’t the only ones. People around the world are watching to see what happens in Greece. Will the people prevail, or will the plutocrats crush the rebellion? And that’s what it is.
It’s not a revolution in the sense of the storming the Bastille, but it is a revolution nonetheless, and the financial elites fear that it might be contagious, thus the need to show anyone with similar ideas how catastrophic it would be for them. With the banks shut down, the government can’t pay its workers, people can’t get their money, can’t feed their kids or buy basic necessities.
Another interesting feature in this chart is the opposition of the Sun and Mars in the fifth house to Pluto in the eleventh house, with Saturn and Pluto in mutual reception. This is perfect astrological “shorthand” for the conflict between various factions of the plutocracy over what to do next. Contrary to NWO conspiracy theory, the plutocracy isn’t monolithic. The players are competing with each other to get the lion’s share of the wealth (for you wordsmiths out there, “lion’s share” typically is used to mean “the larger part,” but in the fable from which the expression came, the lion gets it all).
There’s little doubt that that Greece is in for tough times, whether it meets the terms of the EU and the lending institutions, or whether it goes its own way. The question is how long the suffering will persist. I see it as similar to a healing crisis, in which the symptoms get worse for several days and maybe even a few weeks, until the body is totally detoxified. For a country, it happens on a larger scale, for years instead of days. Anyone who has been through a healing crisis knows how painful it is. It happens to me every time I eliminate caffeine and sugar from my diet. The headaches are unbearable, and no amount of painkillers will knock them out. The only thing that helps a little is lying in a dark room with an ice pack. Many people who experience detox symptoms conclude that the new diet is making them sick, and so they immediately go back to their old eating habits. They continue to limp along in a weakened state, convinced that eventually they will find the magic remedy that will be easy and painless.
Anyone who has experienced a healing crisis knows that the only “magic remedy” is on the other side of the pain. If the Greeks decide to bite the bullet and go through the “healing crisis,” they deserve to have our support, because our turn will come – that is, if we are also prepared to endure the hardship of transitioning to a new, more sustainable social system.
In the United States, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders drew record crowds in his campaign for president. Sanders emerged a few weeks ago as the unlikely challenger to Hillary Clinton’s coronation as the Democratic nominee in 2016. Last week, 10,000 people in Madison, Wis., showed up to hear Bernie speak. And speaking of media control, The New York Times, NPR, and other “liberal” news media are doing mental contortions trying to downplay his success. The simple truth is that he appeals to voters because he’s willing to tell them what they already know: that the system is broken and unsustainable.
What I find most remarkable about Bernie’s campaign is that people actually are coming together, and it’s not just talk. Around the country, groups are springing up on a local level, without any campaign organizers coming in and giving directions. It’s a true grassroots movement, which is what makes it different from Obama’s “hope and change” message that turned out to be empty promises. People aren’t looking to Bernie to save them. They are doing their own saving. This is as good a time as any to announce that I’m part of one of those grassroots groups and am now officially campaigning for Bernie. For the first time in my entire life, I sent a donation – very small, but as much as I could afford. I encourage all of you to do the same. Part of Bernie’s message is to get the big money out of politics, so he’s not taking corporate contributions. For once, the people have a chance to buy the White House.
It’s hard to look at these two developments and not think there could be a pattern, and that it could be a major theme to emerge as the Uranus-Pluto square ripples outward. The approaching square from Saturn to Neptune is adding to the pattern in the form of a big reality check. If we weren’t clear before, we know now that voting for one big-money party over another big-money party isn’t enough to fix the serious mess we’re in. We have to be more engaged and to seize opportunities to have a larger say in our government.
Looking at the rest of the week, Mercury forms an inconjunct (quincunx) with Saturn on Tuesday, his last aspect before entering Cancer on Wednesday. Messages can be jarring, and we may not know why at first. Often anger is a first indication that new information is striking a chord in our hearts, but it threatens our belief system. With Mercury in Cancer, communication is not just an intellectual exercise; there has to be an emotional connection.
Also on Wednesday, Mars trines Neptune, an ideal aspect for working with others to create a better world. Mars is about looking out for number one, but in a harmonious aspect with Neptune, there’s recognition that purely selfish interests aren’t really in your self-interest. Magic happens when people realize that working together for the betterment of all is the best way to ensure their own well-being.
The Moon in Taurus on Friday and Saturday allows for some relaxation and enjoyment of life’s pleasures. There’s no denying that material things do matter. It just can’t be all that matters.
Events are moving very quickly for many now. Trust, and just go with it.
Wishing much love and courage to all,
Pat
© Pat Paquette, RealAstrologers.com, 2015.
RealAstrologers 
Comments, debates and flamewars elsewhere bear this out, that events are moving quickly. On some discussions, we’re exploring whether this planetary existence really is an illusion, and if so, who’s controlling it, and how to win free of the controllers, and so forth. I’ve been re-examining everything I thought I knew, so that tells me I’m probably doing all right. :) BTW, if Neptune represents left-wing political ideas, then does Saturn correspond to right-wing ones? And Uranus the wild card? Not trying to start a political debate, just wanting to add to my knowledge base. :)
Re: Sanders… it bothers me that he’s said to be a dual national Israeli, per an interview just a few weeks ago where he got snippy with the interviewer when she asked him directly. Always America seems to have this fatal attraction and song-and-dance thing going on with Israel. It never ends. Personally I won’t have any part of him, but I am glad he’s getting people to organize, learn, debate, and awaken to the mess we’ve allowed to grow through collective inattention called the American Dream.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Joe, you surprise me. I would have thought you’d be a Bernie kind of guy. It’s fine, of course, if you’re not. But don’t let it be due to dual citizenship rumors. Bernie does not have dual Israeli citizenship. The interview you’re referring to was with Diane Rehm on NPR. If he got a little “snippy,” it was because the question came totally out of left field, and she stated it as fact rather than asking him if it was true (although if her staff had done its job, they would have known it wasn’t true and the question never would have come up). She later issued a public apology and said she got the information from a “list” on Facebook. Here’s the account, written by NPR’s ombudsman:
http://www.npr.org/sections/ombudsman/2015/06/12/413981429/diane-rehm-and-a-bungled-interview-with-senator-bernie-sanders
I haven’t yet listened to the entire interview, but I listened to that particular exchange. Right after that, she asked him about his views on Israel. He said that Palestine deserves its own state and economy, and that the U.S. should support it. He also was the first senator to announce that he wouldn’t attend Netanyahu’s speech in Congress. In the above article, there’s a link to the interview, with short video clips with his views on all the issues and a complete transcript of the interview.
I agree with you, though, that I’d like to hear a stronger stand from him. Do you know if any other candidates have done so?
Regarding the mundane questions, oddly enough, right-wing ideas are ascribed to Uranus. When I first read this several years ago, I brushed it off as nonsense. But after observing hundreds of charts, I think it does make some kind of sense. I’ve written about it a few times on my blog. You can find the mundane “rules” on Skyscript. The article is about interpreting ingresses, but it applies to other charts as well:
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/ingresses.html
Hope that’s a good addition to your knowledge base. :-)
LikeLike
Hi, Pat,
Interesting information about Greece. I wonder why no one looks at Iceland as a model for cleaning this mess up? Forgive the debt, jail the bankers, get rid of the politicians who made the mess. Iceland’s economy is thriving because they DID NOT choose to go the austere route. And because they held the idiots who made the mess, responsible. I wonder if we will ever have the political will to challenge the elites whose greed and blindness are turning our world into a hell hole.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Shavawn, there were comparisons back in 2011, when Iceland voted to reject austerity in return for bailing out the banks. But there were major differences that made Greece’s position far more vulnerable. For one thing, Iceland is a tiny country of 400,000 people who are pretty much on the same page. More importantly, they weren’t yet in the Eurozone and were still using their own currency. In fact, that was part of the deal; they had to accept austerity measures in return for being allowed into the Eurozone. They refused, and threw the crooked bankers in jail!
Greece chose to join the Eurozone and gave up its own currency. It also had to agree to some harsh privatization terms, all of which were written to benefit the banks. At this point, they are so deeply in debt that it’s too late to go the way of Iceland. You can research it on Google if you’re interested. I did a quick search and found this:
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/05/michael-hudson-breakup-of-the-euro-is-iceland%E2%80%99s-rejection-of-financial-bullying-a-model-for-greece-and-ireland.html
The thing is, it’s all very complicated, which makes it easy for the financiers to spin it as “lazy Greeks” versus hardworking northern Europeans.
LikeLike
route. Wow. I am still asleep. LOL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fixed. :-)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so on edge about this Greece topic being German. No doubt Greek people are not lazy, they are good people, but the Germans had to make cuts too to be able to provide for countries that needed support. The citizens of Finland upped their retirement age, health coverage got really bad. I think this is what nobody is seeing. People are tired to bail out Greece for the third time, and Spain and Portugal. The money has to come from somewhere. Life quality in Europe has really changed for the worse. Merkel has promised the Germans this last money that went to Greece is a loan, not a gift. Well, she has to stand up for that too. I am a bit perplexed how Germany is portrayed as evil in the news. That is just not fair. I wonder how any citizen would respond if you would need to make huge personal sacrifices so another country can be supported. I think this is where it ends. Look at Puerto Rice, the US really left it to die and is doing nothing to help them back on it’s feet. What if the US would take $ away from our taxes to help them with so many families here struggling already?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Barb, I am absolutely appalled that your government is telling you that the reason you are enduring austerity measures is to pay for the financially irresponsible Greeks. I don’t believe that the German people are evil (and sorry if it sounded like that), anymore than other countries think all Americans are evil because of the aggressive actions of Bush/Cheney; at least, I hope they don’t. But I do believe that it is worse than evil for a government to lie to its people and blame their economic woes on foreigners. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Everyone in the world is suffering from austerity measures in one way or another. In the United States, too. And the reason is the same everywhere. It is due to predatory banks and the corrupt officials who clear their path and cover for them, no doubt in exchange for a bit of the spoils. People need to realize that we are being divided so that we won’t see the truth. Yes, someone is taking from us, but it’s not the middle-class and poor people of the world.
Here are a couple of articles that explain how Greece got backed into a corner it can’t get out of, at least not without a big fight. Two of them date back to 2011, when Iceland passed its referendum. Already, the handwriting was on the wall for those who could see it:
Greece – What You are not Being Told by the Media (Nation of Change)
Lazy Ouzo-Swilling, Olive-Pit Spitting Greeks, Or, How Goldman Sacked Greece (Greg Palast. 2011)
Breakup of the euro? Is Iceland’s rejection of financial bullying a model for Greece and Ireland? (Michael Hudson, Naked Capitalism, 2011)
I’m sure that if you Google it, you will find a lot more.
All the best to you. We do know how it feels.
LikeLike
Hi Pat,
I do agree with you that Bernie Sanders probably represents the best opportunity for real progressive/liberal political change that we in the US have seen in a very long time. I have known about him for years. Back when I was in the corporate world, whenever I had the chance, I would stream Thom Hartmann’s show through my headphones while I was mindlessly analyzing files in my workflow. Every Friday, Hartmann would do a “Brunch with Bernie” segment where he would talk live with Bernie and have listeners call in and ask him questions.
I have followed Bernie since then, and I will attest that Bernie has consistently been one of the most consistently sensible legislators over time. If we had many more people like him in government, well, you know, things would undoubtedly be very different both in the US and the world. It’s clear to me that the corporate-financial “oligarchy” wants Hillary or Jeb though, as they are representatives of the status quo, whereas Bernie would be a real departure from that.
I do think as you suggest, that we are in for a major breakdown and “detox” phase here in the US in a short while, between the Pluto-Sun opposition/square to Saturn now, and our Pluto Return in 2022. I just don’t see how the US can continue to survive with such thoroughly corrupt banking practices, a military with well over a thousand bases stationed all over the planet, decaying infrastructure, and billionaires like the Koch brothers who have flushed and thoroughly corrupted our political system with rampant bribery. One way or another, sooner or later, it all has to come tumbling down, and it will be a real mess for us to clean up. At the same time, we’ve gotta start somewhere, and there’s no time like now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
John, you know more about him than I do, then. I’ve followed him intermittently, with amazement that he managed to stay in office as long as he did, given his “radical” views (isn’t it telling that the right to healthcare and a living wage is “radical”). I am more than a little concerned that, since he’s not part of the oligarchy’s plan, they will do something sneaky and underhanded to ensure that if Hillary falls behind, she’ll be resurrected at the last minute, and all of Bernie’s supporters will be faced with an awful dilemma.
But one never knows, and as you point out, the U.S. has got some heavy duty, game-changing transits coming up in the next ten years. Given that Pluto’s functions include high finance and the deep state, it’s possible that another economic crash could be the trigger. I’ve read a little in the past few days about how Greece’s default and exit from the Eurozone could throw the global banking system into chaos, so maybe that’s a key part of the path we’re on. I also read that Athens got a “friendly” visit in mid-March from Victoria “F- the E.U.” Nuland, Why is this not a surprise?
http://johnhelmer.net/?p=13712
Remember, the biggest disruptions from the Uranus-Pluto square in 1965-66 came in 1968 and 1969, and those events are still with us.
LikeLike
This week I decided to cause a ripple in my family structure that hasn’t been working for me for a long time. My thought was “I have to save myself, no one is going to save me.”
I guess I’m more aligned with the collective wave than I thought.
Thank you Pat for all you do. Often this post is the only part of my week that actually makes sense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gretchen, that’s exactly the kind of thing that we can do now. And I’ve always believed that the Universe rewards courage. Hoping you have that breakthrough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am reading a book titled “Natural Born Heroes” by Christopher McDougall about the Greek Resistance in WWII. I cannot help but wonder how the chart for some of the major events in that story compare with the chart for the Greek Referendum. The book is fascinating, filled with facts, dates, and quotes should you be intrigued enough to look into it. Thank you so much for your work!
LikeLiked by 1 person