Eclipses + Economics in 2022
This article was originally published in NCGR’s Memberletter, mid-winter edition, 2022
The Saturn-Uranus square was “sooo last year,” right? Not so fast! The Saturn-Uranus square is nowhere near old news. While 2021 takes the cake for all three exact aspects between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus, 2022 features the fated gaze of eclipses along the Taurus-Scorpio axis, thus linking and illuminating this eon-altering aspect into dynamic animation.
The lunar nodes and the eclipses, as we know, are inherently fated – pointing to key areas of development in human consciousness. The energy quickens around eclipse season, intensifying the catalytic power of world events and developments in our personal lives. Eclipses are cosmic course correctors, facilitating important shifts and new angles of awareness. Often these changes are sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, and accompanied by the sense that the hands of fate have played a stronger role in the matter above our own freewill. We have so much free will that it’s uncomfortable for some to fathom the influence of unseen forces upon our life. Suffice to say, there are infinite elements of our existence which are undecided by ourselves. And there are infinite existential questions to accompany the axis of fate and free will. Do we choose the basic conditions of our incarnation before we are born? Astrology might argue that we do.
The birth chart is our road map, describing not only our tastes and desires, but also the timing of significant developments, challenges, and pivotal life events. If this is true, might the eclipses help us adhere to the soul’s primary objectives in this incarnation? In my observations, eclipses help us to get unstuck by rapidly altering course. It’s as if the Gods desire our character’s role to change form. Or is it decided by our higher selves? Or both? One will ultimately never know for sure. However, it is generally agreed upon that eclipses feel more fated by the way they evoke change in our lives beyond our own desires.
Then, the eclipses’ upcoming entanglement with the Saturn-Uranus square in 2022 represent a continuation of the themes presented in 2021, as well as pronounced intensification thereof. There is an older technique valued by Charles Jayne in which he would cast the eclipse charts surrounding the outer planet configuration in question; he would then study the eclipse charts to decipher which eclipse would accentuate the outer-planetary configuration most. These particular charts would then serve as a valuable compass in his predictive work, illuminating when we would see a collective peak in the planetary configuration. Harnessing this technique, then, the boldest effects of the Saturn-Uranus square should arrive in 2022.
By April, Saturn and Uranus share as much as 10° between them, lessening the intensity of their configuration, however, as early as August, the duo reunites within 3° of one another. During September and October, we will see only 1° of separation between them.
Chronologically, here are some notable aspects we will see this year:
· Saturn (and Mars) square the lunar nodes, 4/5/22, ~22° Aquarius
· Partial solar eclipse, 4/30/22, 10°28’ Taurus (widely conjunct Uranus)
· Total lunar eclipse, 5/16/22, 25°18’ Scorpio (partile square Saturn)
· Uranus (and Mars) conjoin north node, 8/1/22, ~18° Taurus
· Total lunar eclipse, 11/8/22, 16°01 Taurus (partile conjunct Uranus)
The new emphasis upon the Taurus-Scorpio axis certainly hints toward a significant theme which arose from the Saturn-Uranus square in 2021: finances, resources and materials, job security, wages, and wealth inequalities.
In the US, 2021 defined a period in history known as the Great Resignation wherein a record number of people quit their jobs – either retiring early, launching their own entrepreneurship, or perhaps prioritizing the needs of homelife. The labor shortage inherently increased the value of the remaining workforce, allowing workers greater leverage in bargaining better wages and benefits. We all know that these issues have been steadily worsening since Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008. The Great Resignation paved the way for “Striketober” – where over 100,000 employees went on strike in October 2021, vying for fair, livable wages. We now see a movement toward unionization across various fields– something I foresaw happening back in 2019 when I first started researching the Saturn-Uranus square with greater interest. Something about the rebellion and push-back of Uranus combined with the group dynamic of organizing with Saturn in Aquarius tipped me off – although I couldn’t quite foresee how these themes would become so important.
While we’ve made some progress in raising minimum wages, and many larger companies (fast-food, for example) have agreed to increase wages, these are mere breadcrumbs. Trickle-down-economics was a farce. While the workers of the world toiled under hazardous conditions, the billionaire elite saw their fortunes increase during the pandemic. The wealthiest people in the world possess more money than they could spend in 100 lifetimes – unless they were to hypothetically invest a generous chunk of change back into the collective infrastructure, potentially solving world hunger, climate crisis, or investing in the bright minds of the future… ah, one can only dream! Many of us agonize over how it’s possible that individuals such as Jeff Bezos get away without paying taxes. It’s no secret that policy is bought. Or that greed is a disease. Pluto in Capricorn has made this very clear!
@PostWook
The wealth gap of today is even broader than it was during the French Revolution, where inflation drove up the cost of basic living necessities to the point where vigilantes began beheading the wealthy. While a guillotine recently made an appearance on Capitol Hill, this clearly isn’t the solution this time around. Taxing the wealthy is not only fair, but it could help solve a lot of infrastructural problems we face. With the north node in Taurus aligning with Uranus, I wonder about the potential allocation of resources into the collective framework (Saturn in Aquarius). With the south node in Scorpio, perhaps we would see an emphasis on repurposing our resources and materials differently. If you were hoping the Saturn-Uranus square of 2021 would have brought even more innovation to the way we live, these upcoming eclipses and nodal activations seem to imply that the party is just getting started.
At the NCGR Fall Symposium, I had the opportunity to share some of my research around the Saturn-Uranus square and its connection to paradigm-altering invention as well as radical socioeconomic reform amongst working class. If there’s one thing the Saturn-Uranus square promises is that change is imminent; and, need begets invention. We find ourselves at a crossroads between the old way of life and what’s possible for us on the other side. I look forward to the new inventions born out of current discomfort (or supply shortages). For many people, there is no better time than now to make the bold leap into the unknown, enticed by the promise of possibility. For others, systemic reform is crucial to survival.
Let’s review some examples of the Saturn-Uranus cycle coinciding with socioeconomic leveling:
1352 features a Saturn-Uranus conjunction in Taurus, as well as the conclusion of bubonic plague which devastated populations of Europe and surrounding nations – particularly so for laborers and lower class. This meant that it was more difficult for the nobility to find laborers to do their “dirty” work. Workers were also less willing to compromise their health for pennies. Similar to today’s Saturn-Uranus square, this scenario armed skilled workers an upper hand in negotiating higher payment and lower rent. Laborers were able to triple their wages, eat better and improve their lifestyle. This led to the creation of guilds, apprenticeships, and the creation of the artisan middle class. In part, this trend contributed to the Renaissance, and the proliferation of art, education and humanitarian ideals which led humanity out of the dark ages. While traumatic and devastating, the Bubonic Plague turned out to catalyze one of the greatest economic levelers of all time.
In 1796, we see the Reign of Terror coupled with the Saturn-Uranus closing square. Saturn is in Gemini; Uranus is in Virgo. While economic inequality wasn’t the only motivation behind the French Revolution, it certainly was a huge component. The wealthy paraded around in fancy wigs, high heels and golden carriages while everyone else struggled to afford bread. Between the economic stranglehold of feudalism, increasing populations, famine and increased taxes to fuel the warring of the elite – there was a general discontent with the quality of life. Enter the guillotine, a coup and sweeping political reform, While the French Revolution was messy and ultimately unsuccessful in many ways, the fight for economic equality and basic human rights (such as voting, land ownership and access to education) were primary ideals. It’s possible that they desired too much change in such a short period of time, overshooting the Uranian component of the square. Alexander Ruperti warns that the reforms of the Saturn-Uranus closing square must still hold a certain degree of respect for the traditional framework from which it evolves. As the old saying goes, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
In 1886, the Saturn-Uranus closing square accompanies a general strike in the USA known as The Great Upheaval. On May 1st, 1886, civilians gather in Chicago to protest harsh working conditions and pay cuts while advocating for an 8-hour workday and fair wages. The police (Saturn) injure several of the protestors, even killing one of them. This leads to a vigilante throwing dynamite at the police, killing, and injuring several of them. The brutality of this event ultimately gathers widespread attention toward the cause and becomes known as the Haymarket affair – noted for inspiring and establishing the 8-hour, 5-day work week we all know today. This event is where International Workers Day, or May Day, originates from. Not surprisingly, at our current Saturn-Uranus juncture, we now see the push for the 4-day workweek!
The following closing square takes us to 1931 (Saturn in Capricorn, Uranus in Aries), toward the beginning of the Great Depression, another major economic turning point in history, wherein many people also felt failed by the system. By 1933, the New Deal programs begin to uncoil, introducing minimum wage, low-income housing subsidies, social security, and union protection.