In The Descent of Man, [Charles Darwin] gave some powerful pages to illustrate its proper, wide sense. He pointed out how, in numberless animal societies, the struggle between separate individuals for the means of existence disappears, how struggle is replaced by co-operation, and how that substitution results in the development of intellectual and moral faculties which secure to the species the best conditions for survival. He intimated that in such cases the fittest are not the physically strongest, nor the cunningest, but those who learn to combine so as to mutually support each other, strong and weak alike, for the welfare of the community. “Those communities”, he wrote, “which included the greatest number of the most sympathetic members would flourish best, and rear the greatest number of offspring” (2nd edit., p. 163).
— Peter Kropotkin, Mutual Aid: A Factor In Evolution, 1902.
Greetings Space Cadets,
June was a game changer in a diversity of ways on so many political fronts. Whether it will galvanize a mediated response from larger interests remains to be seen but there are events that occurred that do provide a powerful impetus for a change in policy decisions and the overall climate of world culture.
In June we witnessed the Pulse Shootings in Orlando that took the lives of 49 and injured 53 others. This event will hopefully highlight the issue of gun control in the United States and the need for a concerted effort to address the proliferation of assault rifles in the U.S. populace. Further it will also shine a spotlight on the hypocrisy of elected officials who state publicly that their thoughts and prayers are with the victims, but they continue to support policy that is racist, transphobic and homophobic, including a raft of bathroom bills. It further argues for the fact that some level of gun control is needed in the U.S., especially in light of the proliferation of assault rifles that are designed for combat. It is possible that the strongly organized GLBTQ movement could finally take on the equally flush gun lobby, this of course remains to be seen as there are legion among LGBTQ who support open gun policies. It always seems that the U.S. is the last of the OECD nations to embrace progressive policy initiatives and in these more challenging times, this astrologer would like to see the U.S. be more open to forward momentum on very pressing issues instead of always defaulting to the regular social programming that seems to keep us in a recursive state of historical reiteration.
This was followed by Uprisings in Oaxaca in which heavy handed government responses over the neo-liberalization of education in Mexico claimed the lives of 9 participating in the actions, which echoed the same uprising in 2006 in Chiapas. It seems much like the 2006 event the main teachers union in Mexico is opposing a government policy that would create teacher evaluations which could later be used to justify mass layoffs of teachers (the neo-liberalization of education). The union is assertively resisting this through strikes and other political demonstrations, the likes of which are being violent opposed with repressive responses from the Mexican government and the military who have been sent in to violently crush the dissent being seen in this economically dis-advantaged area of Mexico. It is matter of identity for the protestors and basic fairness. This union has proposed a number of alternative policies all of which have been roundly rejected as it seems that the Enrique Peña Nieto administration has its political ambitions pinned on the more corporate sponsored Neo-liberal version of education. That these teachers are struggling for their lives is hardly surprising in light of of the extreme response coming from their government of already marginalized populations.
This was then followed by the largely unexpected exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, dubbed Brexit, the day of which saw the British Pound drop 8% on the world markets index (the worst in it s entire history) and also triggered a 500 point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a measure of stock market performance. The reverberations of this decision have yet to be felt beyond Britain, they will most assuredly and on many fronts outside of European influence. Further this vote highlights the painfully obvious problems with austerity and neo-liberal politics in that it brings a clearer focus to how banker policies are exacerbating worsening economic inequality. It is a sad day for humanity as well as it is a breakdown in much needed international cooperation. Hopefully over the next two year divestment process another referendum is held that reunifies the UK with the rest of Europe, granted there will need to be a serious re-examination of austerity policies which have only worsened the economies of other (Greece in particular) European nations and have made growing inequality more stark which fuels anti-immigration sentiment. Austerity measures have proven so extreme that even the International Monetary Fund has published a study that clearly shows they are a failure an that neo-liberal policy is failing humanity and working only to enrich a small moneyed elite.
The interesting coincidence to all three of these events is that they reflect a tense aspect between the Symbol planet known as the “Awakener” and correlated to both revolution, eccentricity, humanitarian concern, and natural disasters (Uranus), and the planetary symbol known as the “Transformer” and correlated to evolution, organized crime (which much of our government is these days), atomic energy, petroleum, viruses, and social transformations which have a n air of inevitability, that they both formed and tense T-square to the Sun, the symbol set involved with identity (in this case national identities) sovereignty, self-determination, and the core self-concept in this case as it is with all ethnocentrism the idea that somehow a country loses its native culture with an influx of immigration (while true to a modest extent there is some change, it is not significant enough to suggest that the dominant culture will somehow be swept aside, or that it will entail economic disruption as most immigration usually has a positive influence on economic output, as many newcomers pick up employment and start their own businesses which stimulate the economy of host nations often flagging in any case).
This is further touched off by a Neptune (Dissolution) in Aquarius (human collectives) retrograde which is creating the illusory slippery slope of xenophobia the idea that a national culture is being dissolved by the influx of foreign customs (when in fact the reason people who vote for this aggressive nationalism have been screwed over by short-sighted macroeconomic policy).
Further, they all fell within range of 6 planetary retrogrades (Mars through Libra/Scorpio, Jupiter through Leo, Saturn through Ophiuchus/Scorpio, Pluto through Sagittarius and Neptune through Aquarius). Normally retrograde motion correlates to the symbology of backward motion, and in this case a backsliding into authoritarian politics and the continuing neo-liberal assault on culture through austerity, aggressive nationalism and xenophobia. Perhaps this is the most potent symbol of our times the 21st century crisis in which all the extremisms in the human retinue are becoming painfully apparent which invites the themes of course correction and radical departure once again to come into our international discourse. The time for isolationism passed at the completion of World War II and no longer will this political instrument work in a globalizing and complexifying world. We cannot afford another backsliding into nationalism over fears of being left behind, and we must find a way to balance the concerns of those who feel they are being screwed over with the concerns of those who are benefiting from the technological upheaval and social change that is sweeping the world at an accelerated pace. In a word it means that all human concerns must become an international priority and short-sighted philosophies will simply hold no water going forward. Our entire social construct is up for review and revision under these powerful auspices, and a radical departure is certainly called for. We can begin by abandoning the neo-liberal political philosophies which have triggered our failed attempt at austerity economics and have created the widening gap between financial elites and the rest of us and which have further added explosive fuel to xenophobia (it’s all linked together!).
The star of the show the month of July will be the Uranus-Pluto T-Square formed with the Sun as it finishes its passage through Gemini, the T-Square is a tense aspect that will last until July 18th. With Uranus at the apex of the T-Square being activated by the powerful energies of both symbolic Pluto and the Sun there will be considerable focus on innovation as the pathway to a radical departure. Methodologies that are eccentric, and yet timely with a strong futuristic bent will be the order of the day, in essence never before tried ideas will emerge unexpectedly which may prove very upsetting to established elites, as they will focus on serving the vast majority of humanity rather than irrelevant elites who are only exacerbating existing social tensions. Let this be your inspiration for a much needed breath of fresh air in your own life. The themes will further involve identity, evolution and awakening to alternative realities.
Given that so much in our society is failing us, and so many of our systems are collapsing (perhaps we are seeing the face crack on Capitalism, and this economic model will need to be retired, simply put, humanity won’t survive Capitalism) alternative realities may in fact be a species survival strategy. These are the selective pressures that are acting on humanity to engage in what Joana Macy calls the Great Turning, a radical departure in which the ways of outmoded consumption culture are abandoned in favor of a life affirming alternative, that understands the ecological complexity of planet Earth, and benefits the greatest swath of humanity; and it is the theme for this months’ forecasts, which are as follows:
Aries: April 19th-May 13th: Firebrand
Aries, the sexy, headstrong firebrand of the zodiac. Generally the rams take a great deal of flack for their impulsivity, however in these uncertain times we are living in it might be a trait that is constructive and much needed here’s how. Aries has the daring and courage to do the audacious gesture while others are cowed and hiding out in the crowd. In an age of increasing authoritarianism and borderline fascist ideology, individuals willing to burn it all down to the ground and surrender the white flag are in high demand. Further in a time when civil rights and individual autonomy are being sacrificed on that altar of profit, the anarchists and freedom fighters that Aries represents are the only autonomous agents left to ensure that liberties bright flame is not snuffed out under the jackboot of idiocy masquerading as policy. Aries uniquely understands the concept of “an injury to one is an injury to all” and realizes that the loss of choice, and the ability to act and exercise agency the true meaning of power is suspect precedent. Aries, you need to do it in the area that deals with value, I mean this in the practical sense of questioning the basis of money being central to existence (it’s not, it is only our culture that has made it so) to the fact that our lives are being dictated by an irrational philosophy (neo-liberalism) that seeks to to maintain the dominance of the many by the few. Is there an area in your life that has become oppressive and stagnant and would do well with a little shaking up then please focus on that and shake things up. The world right now needs a completely new set of values, ethics and motivations and only your fresh pioneering spirit and enthusiasm can give the world the kick inside it needs.
Taurus: May 14th-June 19th: Neuromancer
Taurus, you are deeply engaged in a process of changing the overall patterns of your mind. Your on a bit of a bender in which the doors of perception are being cleansed and I mean that in the Aldous Huxley sense. If it seems like thought processes that have dominated your understanding are radically shifting in an eccentric direction and you are entertaining concepts that may seem bizarre and outlandish at first but with a second look begin to make sense then you are on the right track in terms of where your personal evolution is going. I recommend you entertain even the wildest of speculation from seemingly hallucinogenic sci-fi plots to the radical politics of Peter Kropotkin the thinker who gave life to the quote at the beginning of this post, and also the edge theories coming out of Quantum Mechanics from the Multiverse Theory to the Simulation Theory. In a word you are undergoing a radical departure in how your mind operates. At a time when exhausted ideologies are running the world this is a revolutionary act, to change your mind and have the courage to entertain a more critical perspective and see through the downtown bullshit machine of Madison Avenue, Patermoster Row, and the alleged “Jones, Kardashians, and Trumps” of the world. In a word, trust that the radical ideas you are entertaining are a positive development, that are leading you to an intellectual freedom that will allow you to take on ideologues who are using perception management to keep the masses enslaved on a roulette wheel of hyper-consumption and ecological ruin, or the expressway to human extinction. Don’t buy into the bullshit, use your the intellectual firepower you are developing to see through the smokescreen, and like the 1984 Apple ad smash the hammer through the mirror of false representation (reality).
Gemini: June 20th-July 20th: Depth Charge
Gemini, you are spending this July transit going into your personal depths and in particular your point of origin. If that has to do with your ancestral origins or even your cosmic ones than all the better. In particular you are editing the story of your origins. In the course of life it is essential to understand our own backstory and how our personal history ties into the collective history of our species, the story of life’s evolution and the unfolding saga of a Universe defined as sui generis (self-generated). The focus right now for Gemini is to look into the shadow of ancestral and cultural memory and see if certain legacies can be changed and ancient demons exorcised in the process. This work is vital at a time when culture is placing Humanity on a suicide course with destiny, all tying back to the socio-cultural constructs that are the legacy of 500 years of colonization and conquest, a dominator mindset, and a rapacious appetite for turning living tissue into dead matter, useless crap and landfill. Gemini you are essentially unravelling the tangled web of history (the web of lies) both personal and collective. In this search and destroy mission you are finding the aspects worth saving and reinventing to its 21st century analogue and then relegating the rest to the recycling agents of history. It can be a harrowing process as you are facing the ugliness of the human potential and the fact that most of the past has been mired in darkness and value systems that seem wickedly primitive to us today interspersed with bright spots, the more relatively egalitarian and communitarian Stone Age (99.9% of humanity’s history), The Renaissance, the Enlightenment (debated), and other periods of history that saw humanity advance in ways that did not require warfare and exploitation.
Cancer: July 21st-August 8th: Pleasuredome
Cancers tend to be relatively self-contained and generally like to stay home they appreciate the comfort that it offers versus the red hot chaos of the world at large. That said with the Awakener tearing it up in your fifth house for most of the rest of this year and possibly beyond much of what you have found comfortable is up for review and revision, especially with it in retrograde motion. In a word the familiar will actually become extremely alien and you will find yourself experimenting in ways you never thought possible and in this sense it will be all about what brings pleasure. The pleasures sought after will be on the outlandish side and will be very unusual, in a word a sort Lou Reed inspired walk on the wild side. Home will seem a stifling place where there is not much play to be had so it may be you are venturing out more than usual. If home still feels like a haven than it is the dawning of forbidden desires that are entering the cocoon of your psyche and breaking you open a little. I don’t mean the kind of desire that has to do with long walks on the beach, but the kind that makes you face the existential grade questions, I mean the ones that really turn your crank and explore what the squares would call kink. In a world where desire is largely manufactured to get in touch with true desire is revolutionary because it says that you can resist the temptation of consuming useless artifacts, but the desires that inspire action towards a more authentic world. This means the sort of desire that involves social change and community care as self care, real desire, the kind that destroys illegitimate dynasties and sets the world back on course to apotheosis.
Leo: August 9th-September 15th: Workhorse
Leo has no problem with pleasure, leisure or luxury in fact it is the currency they tend to deal in. Which means that work is something that Leo may turn its nose up, and given the current consensus reality we are currently dealing with, this disdain may have revolutionary potential, here’s how. The Protestant work ethic emerged out of a theology of salvation and a vicious separation from the world of flesh seen mostly as the veil of tears (a place where only suffering can be found in abnegation of the considerable pleasures it offers), quite literally our entire cultural work ethic is based on the concept of toiling for your salvation, which has now been replaced with the financial equivalent of earning a salary above poverty wages and subsistence, the late Capitalist version of salvation, leading to the good life of endless consumption. The Situationists of 1968 a counter-cultural group from Paris devoted to radical departure gave us the politics of non-work, or how work was the reification of a Protestant idea of salvation, in a word work mostly sucks and in an age of decreasing scarcity is becoming increasingly useless to real on the ground economic activity. Work has become more expensive as commutes have gotten longer and most jobs do not provide meaningful work as they are mainly in existance to ensure full employment a reality that Capitalism because of its founding assumptions can never achieve to say nothing of the technological unemployment and the need for a guaranteed basic income because of it looming on the evolutionary horizon of human society. Take an act from the Situationist playbook and take an incredibly critical look at work and its meaning in your life, it’s what July is all about, it may be time to go off the rails and do something totally unique, which would be a radical departure, and work is no longer work when it becomes a delirious play.
Virgo: September 16th-October 30th: Nuclear Fusion
Virgo likes to work not the work ethic of too-late Capitalism, more the idea that work is a form of service to the Goddess (the Community). Along these lines Virgo tends to be self-contained much like the lead character in J.G Ballard’s novel “High Rise” or one of Ursula K Le Guin’s character in anything she has ever written. In a word Virgo is the Hermetic face of Hermes, as in Hermit. This self-containment means that Virgo will work tirelessly doing any number of mundane tasks from scrubbing the database to restructuring the World Health Organization. In the case of the modern world of overwork this is effectively killing most of us as we are working for scraps and longer hours at the expense of the relationships in our life. I mention it only because in our age of increased work load, lower staffing, temporary contracts and the “Gig” economy it can be revolutionary to devote time and effort to relationships with our intimates and even with our open enemies. It is the focus for Virgo in July with the T-square activating this sector of your life and compelling you to make some radical choices. The question that comes to the fore is what must I sacrifice for the sake of the links to others? Once answered and the answer is likely to be a black swan, your famous work ethic must then be focused on the work of building resilient communities and partnerships that are capable of weathering the many converging crises that humanity is is store for in the immediate future ahead.
Libra: October 31st-November 22nd: Lust Bomb
Libra is inextricably linked to its sister sign Scorpio as it was largely invented by borrowing from the Southern Claw in the Scorpion, to describe a Libra in a nutshell, it is instinct dressed in designer clothes, it is a swath of silk that covers the erect phallus and engorged clitoris of Scorpio. Libra for the month of July gets to take off the clothes and expose its turgid netherworlds as Uranus is tearing it up in the place of taboo desires. Libra is free to explore every subject that has been put off limits by the needs of alleged civility. Nothing is off limits now and it’s a heady brew. This is not the romance of candlelight and fine wine but instead the impulse that makes you shiver with desire to the point of terror. Libra is playing Pandora and opening her box to explore all the topics that are off limits and have led to deep divisions in society and a need for reconciliation. A few areas up for grabs, Nuclear Power, Genetically Modified Organisms, Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change (yes still a taboo topic in some locales even though its implications are profound) Institutional Racism and Legalizing Sex Work (there are a great deal more), all of which have profound implications for human society, and all which involve allegedly inviolable concepts considered sacrosanct. Don’t be an ounce surprised if you find that you are taking a contrary position on almost every topic up for discussion, a more critical perspective is needed when discussing and on that challenges the popular view on most of these subjects you may end up joining a minority of people holding alternate opinion on the subject but heterodox perspectives is in keeping with the theme of course corrections and departure, and needed to bring refreshment to matters of great collective power and far future implication.
Scorpio: November 23rd-Novemebr 29th: Mother Monster
In Lady Gaga’s music video for the song “Born This Way” a science fiction scene unfolds of Humanity’s future in space. In it we see a secret government project in which an area like Area 51 is cordoned off in Space, named Ongote and Gaga is the character Mother Monster and as she is seen churning and turning in space she gives birth to good and evil. Good is in the form of deeply loving creatures who are without prejudice, judgement or distinction and she states that something so pure needed to be protected so she gave birth to evil to protect good. This is a potent metaphor for Uranus traversing the area of life that has to do with foreign cultures, long distances, religion and philosophy. In a word Scorpio is redefining our religious sensibilities and the framework on which our foreign policy hangs. In this case it is doing what it does best and penetrating past taboos, namely actually talking about the issues that are so pressing. Blowing the lid off religious hypocrisies and exposing political intrigues that deal with international reach. Granted, Scorpios on the ground aren’t doing that kind of high level exposure, that said they are at least doing it locally in their own lives, and not just for the month of July as Uranus will hang out in this sector until possibly 2018. It is a long term process of pointing out problematic relationships. The world is certainly in need of a new ethical framework, the profit motive, and the idea that markets can provide adjudication, and other communitarian needs (neo-liberalism) has certainly proven to be an absolute disaster. In essence Scorpio you are questioning moral frameworks, societies and your own and don’t be surprised if some seemingly outlandish conclusions emerge and the answers come from customs seemingly alien to your own.
Ophiuchus: November 30th-December 17th: Dark Horse
Ophiuchus like her sister Scorpio is also dealing with the same issues as Uranus is found in the same sector. There is however a universe of difference between the approach the two signs take, whereas Scorpio penetrates like caustic acid, Ophiuchus uses shapeshifting. A significant part of the Patriarchy is the religious foundation it is built on one that emerged out of a political shift as humanity moved away from hunting and gathering, and horticulture to agriculture, a system which required categorization and forms of social control as land became contested and the remaining nomads where relegated to marginal areas. It was from these pressures that the first Patriarchal religions emerged, and the Medusan and primordial feminine spark went underground for millennium. In the 21st century we are seeing a significant re-emergence of this powerful catalytic force of the divine feminine, which has had the happy accidental effect of softening masculinity and along with empowering women, expanding the emotional range for men as well, not to mention the emergence of transgendered visibility, all powerful examples of Ophiuchus in essence. Ophiuchus are the Priestesses of these futuristic religions, the ones who will construct the Interstellar Age shamanisms that will usher Humanity into space exploration to divine among the stars. In a word, you are building the post patriarchal world through your lives. July, is a month of reflection on this subject, on how you are personally contributing to a more egalitarian future and the construction of the spirituality and cultural imperatives of an ecologically conscious, post-capitalist, space faring civilization. It is a frustratingly difficult task, with evolutionary implication and massive shifts in human identity to achieve, that is the point of a T-Square to encourage action, the resolution comes in highlighting the eccentric, at this juncture it is the most outlandish concepts that survive the strange light of the future.
Sagittarius: December 18th-January 18th: Vox Populi
David Bowie Unicorn (Perhaps one of the most Uranian Sagittarians in that he is famous for his extraordinary uniqueness and capacity for shapeshifting, as in his time he danced between multiple personas) it is the only symbol that expresses the Sagittarian impulse under the July solar transit and of course the Uranian energy infusing the area of public exposure. In summary the image that Sagittarius is projecting for public consumption is one that is seemingly very strange and unusual. Sagittarius has been on a long strange trip in which every part of their identity has been under immense selective pressures, in a word they are going thermonuclear and it is only in the aftermath that a new identity can form. The archers are in the process of cutting their losses and recognizing that they have nothing to lose any longer, and because of this they experience themselves in a place of terrifying freedom and yet because they no longer are concerned with outward appearances their authenticity can shine through, which for the the public still much mired in over-culture concerns of keeping up with the Kardashians, can make it look like the Sagittarius is talking a walk on the wild side. I proclaim please keep it up the world right now needs people with the bravery to personify that another world, and a new way of being human is possible. Use July as a time to keep shaving the inside of your brain and cutting ties to a publicly acceptable identity and one that more reflects the world emerging.
Capricorn: January 19th-February 15th: Commensal Organism
Capricorns are usually very solitary types, more content to climbing social hierarchies than being overly concerned with the concerns of collective life. That said this is a concept in upheaval and Capricorns may find themselves actually becoming unexpectedly concerned with the state of the world and the fate of humanity as a collective, and in the international sense. There is a concept in Biology in the sub-specialty of systems theory. The theory is called horizontal hierarchy. The concept is relatively simple, in a community, each member has specific roles that they are valued for, at the same time no member is obligated to the other, and so they retain autonomy, there is communication between them but instead of a chain of command coming from the top down, leadership is shifted among the members of the group and there is a system of reciprocal interaction, in a word there is no structure established where any one individual is in charge of the group but leadership cycles through the group and changes hands frequently. This is in essence what Capricorns are spending July doing, establishing a horizontal social arrangement, as this month will be at a maximum of high frequency due to the T-Square, although it will be the background radiation of Capricorns until the transition of Uranus from Pisces to Aries in 2018.
Aquarius: February 16th-March 11th: Difference Engine
Aquarius tends to be at home with the erratic nature of its planetary ruler Uranus, that said the T-Square is slightly disconcerting because the water-bearer can’t see the upheaval, because it is energizing the blind spot. July is a month devoted to plumbing the depths of the psyche and becoming very comfortable with with the parts of self that have been lost for whatever reason. It is a moment of time to explore growing edges, and to touch the things that scare you the most. What is never acknowledged about the shadow side of Aquarius is that this sign holds both the liberation that the future represents and the terror it contains of the unexpected black swan events that could radically change humanity’s place in the cosmological arc. Aquarius is essentially undergoing a soul retrieval where it is hunting down the parts of itself that were not safe for consumption in the cultural matrix they have matured into, and now must make these vast alien unknowns known as it is the only way to construct a viable future as an integrated and truly individuated being no longer subject to unconscious impulse. It means that Aquarius must go to the realm of the “Other” or outlander and find a way to bring the fragments found there back into an integrated whole or re-generate the pieces that have been lost forever. It won’t be done in the course of July, but with the T-Square providing impetus it will be initiated and will start a profound shift, after all you are the denizens of the strange light of the future, that ethereal otherworld.
Pisces: March 12th-April 18th: Sui Generis
Pisces has spent the better part of the last few years gestating in the otherworld preparing itself to be regenerated and emerge transformed. It seems the metamorphosis is complete and the Fishes are ready to emerge from the chrysalis. The emergence though may cause some upheaval and unexpected changes to the social reality. Pisces has become profoundly fused with a cosmic framework that has allowed it to begin living in the concept of a longer now. Pisces is forward thinking 10,000 years into the future, in classical Uranian style (a future oriented consciousness). Pisces is now urging the world to follow course and design technology and policy to support the evolution of civilization over the next ten thousand years of its cultural development. Our current cultural dialectic is one based on short term thinking and uniquely incapable of envisioning beyond five years or less. This is where the upheaval of Pisces shift in its frame of reference is so disruptive. Even so, it is exactly the kind of fresh insight the world needs to be infused with to move beyond the fossil mentality that dominates it now. Pisces is given July to imagine all the uncanny methods it can conceive of to disrupt machines that need interrupting, it is part of a longer term strategy of redesigning civilization to weather the next ten millennia. It begins by first acknowledging the birth of a new aeon within your heart.
May July be the chaotic attractor that moves you all into a new phase state and a higher level of functioning. I will see you all next month at this frequency.
Blessed Be.
Keep your eyes on the skies and your feet on the ground, see you in August Space Cadets.
Be sure to like me on Facebook at Prometheus Jones, the Astrologer. Check out my contributions to the signature site devoted to the 13 sign astrological system, The Siderealist. Join me and my fellow interstellar pilot Hi C Luttmers for Firefly Willows r(E)volution with HiC, the second Sunday of every month at 10:30am Pacific Standard Time, links below.