On February 20, 2026 Saturn will finally conjoin Neptune, the only exact conjunction of these two planets in this cycle; this conjunction is also conjunct the IC of the United States as well as the Aries Point.
Saturn Neptune Conjunction
Saturn-Neptune Conjunction and USA
I don’t know when this triple conjunction of Saturn, Neptune, and the Aries Point happened previously, but consider that the Saturn Neptune conjunction happens every 36 years, and assume every degree gets the conjunction once, then the last time this happened was 36 X 360 or almost 13000 years ago. Perhaps the significant event at that time was what is called the “Neolithic Revolution” where humans developed agriculture and a more settled lifestyle. Of course, some people argue that everything started to go downhill for humanity after the Neolithic Revolution. But in either case, this was a major turning point for humanity.
If we examine a magnified section of a graphical ephemeris we can see just how close this conjunction is to both the Aries Point (solid horizontal black line) and the Midheaven (dashed light grey line) of the United States. It is midway between those two points which are in fact close together. So not only do we have Saturn conjunct Neptune at the Aries point, incredibly significant to the world at large (which is represented by the Aries Point since everyone in the world has the Aries Point in common) but also this conjunction is directly opposite the MC of the US — conjunct the IC — and thus the base or foundation of the United States — which is what is represented by the IC — is directly hit by this conjunction. This will certainly shake up the foundations of the United States, which will affect the whole world, but you already can see that.
Saturn-Neptune Almost Exact Conjunction
In July of 2025 the Saturn and Neptune conjunction got within a quarter of a degree of exact and both went retrograde at the same time and thus the conjunction was never exact. In the magnified view you can see how both planets turned retrograde in unison.
Saturn-Neptune Almost Exact Conjunction
Saturn-Neptune Conjunction 1989
The last time this conjunction happened was in 1989. That year the conjunction happen three times; the most interesting was the third, on November 13, when Jupiter was closely opposite the conjunction. This Jupiter-Saturn opposition marked the midpoint — Full Jupiter so to speak — of the twenty year bi-decade that is the Eighties/Nineties. The fall on the Berlin Wall, which heralded the fall of the Soviet Union and other Communist Countries in Eastern Europe, happened on November 9, 1989. This supposedly marked the end of the Cold War (that had started at the end of the Second World War) and according to some this also marked the End of History (see The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama which was published in 1992). This also involved a big change in the Western powers (see Cold War Triumphalism edited by Ellen Schrecker and published 12 years later). The United States took victory laps after this happened and President Clinton even managed to determine who the leader of the newly-born Russia was, as a cover story entitled “Yanks to the Rescue” shows. One can easily imagine the uproar if the Russian President was accused of helping an American win the Presidency!!
“Yanks to the Rescue”
Let us look at some other examples of hard aspects between Saturn and Neptune:
U.S. Off Gold Standard
An August 15, 1971 speech by United States President Richard Nixon was a big event for the world economy, but most did not realize how big for many years after. This event is considered the end of the Bretton Woods System that was established after World War II, named after the town in New Hampshire where the agreement was reached. After this statement by President Nixon, dollars were no longer convertible to gold. Among the many ramification was that money was made not through making actual things but through financial manipulation. In the long run, this decision by Nixon shifted power from industry to finance, and so what was capitalism of the Sixties and Seventies is not what capitalism is now.
Nixon Shock Speech
When we look at the chart for August 15, 1971 we don’t see anything specific. But looking at the graphical ephemeris around that date reveals something interesting.
Nixon Shock Graphical Ephemeris
Saturn and Neptune made three oppositions — indicated by 2, 3, and 4 — once before and twice after the speech whose date is indicated by the center line. In addition, the Jupiter Saturn opposition (much like the Jupiter-Saturn opposition which occurred almost twenty years later at the fall of the Berlin Wall) occurred twice before the speech and once after.
But there is also Pluto crossing the Cardinal Axis at 0 Libra — indicated by 1 — and also conjoining the MC of the United States. The period of 1972 and 1973 is known in the United States as the Watergate crisis, which ultimately saw the only resignation of a US President in history. That event is certainly appropriate for Pluto on the Midheaven of the US; at the time many expressed disbelief at what was happening to the government of the country.
The “Great Recession” was a meltdown of the financial markets in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Unlike the Great Depression of 1929, which had an exact date — Dark Thursday (October 24, 1929) — when the stock market fell greatly after booming for much of the decade, we don’t have an exact date for the Great Recession. But by looking at the graphical ephemeris for that period we can see what happened.
The Great Recession
Saturn was opposite Neptune three times right before the “Great Recession” at 2, 3, and 4. In addition Pluto crossed the Cardinal Axis as it enters Capricorn, indicated by 1. Thus Pluto is square the MC/IC axis of the United States. This is similar to the Nixon Shock, where there was also Saturn opposite Neptune and Pluto making a hard aspect to the Cardinal Axis and the US MC. The midpoint of these two events was the conjunction of Saturn and Neptune marked by the fall of the Wall.
Notice that the event of note doesn’t always happen at the time of the exact aspect. It did for the fall of the Wall, but for both the Nixon Shock and the Great Recession there was a time delay. Thus whether or not a significant event happens close to February 2026 or is delayed months is something we will see. Stay tuned….
The play that is this decade can be divided into three acts astrologically. While you could also call this decade a novel with three chapters, a play with three acts is much more common than a novel with three chapters, so I’ll use the theater metaphor.
Just as in a play the first act sets up the characters that will drive the plot forward. In this case, as I’ve mentioned previously, there are three main events — Covid, Ukraine, Gaza (with the epiphenomenon of Donald J. Trump, who had appeared in the third act of a previous play) — that developed in the early years of this decade and will drive the plot of this decade forward. The third act is where the outcome is shown, the denouement (unraveling) of the play occurs. The middle act is where the plot develops and the characters/events introduced at the beginning behave in ways that will lead to the final outcomes. We are in Act Two now.
Neptune Demi-Return
The first act has as its highlights the Pluto return and the Neptune demi-return. The Pluto return has never occurred before in American history — the 250th anniversary of America is coming up in 2026 and the cycle of Pluto is approximately 250 years so you do the math. The Neptune demi-return occurred before in 1859. The previous Neptune Return was in 1940. The previous post summarized Act One in more detail.
Neptune Demi-Return 1859
Neptune Return
The second act consists of Uranus square the US Moon, Neptune opposite the U S Midheaven and also on the Aries point. As a special bonus we have Saturn conjunct Neptune when Neptune is at those points. This conjunction happened before in 1989 (without Aries Point involvement) which saw the fall of Communist countries in Europe and then the fall of the Soviet Union. This represented a major change in the Twentieth Century. Uranus made a previous opening square to the US Moon in 1941 and most Americans know what happened at that time. The previous Uranus conjunct the Moon happened in 2003 when the US attacked the country of Iraq in what is called the Second Gulf War. So the most likely scenario is a war starting, but already we have so many wars that is difficult to keep track. There is the most overt war between the United States and Russia since the end of the First World War, when President Wilson (along with many other countries) sent troops into Russia to defeat the Russian Revolution. We have a war, financed by the US, of Israel in Gaza. Other possible wars are with Iran and Venezuela. And of course there is always China. And more soon to come. This is not what were expecting by a “Peace President”.
Uranus Square US Moon
Saturn-Neptune Opposite US Midheaven
Uranus Square US Moon 1941
Uranus Conjunct US Moon 2003
During this act all three other planets change sign: Pluto goes into Aquarius (2023 and 2024) Neptune goes into Aries (2024, 2025, and 2026) and Uranus goes into Gemini (2025 and 2026).
Uranus Enters Gemini 2026
Neptune Enters Aries 2026
Pluto Enters Aquarius Late 2024
The last time these three outer planets changed into those signs was in the period 1523 through 1534, a much longer period than this time. which allowed Uranus to move into Cancer before Neptune went into Aries and Pluto into Aquarius.
Uranus Enters Gemini 1523
Neptune Enters Aries 1535
Pluto Enters Aquarius 1532
To mark the half way point in this 500 year party, we saw Pluto go into Aquarius in 1778, Uranus go into Gemini in 1774, and Neptune go into Libra — the sign opposite Aries– in 1778 and 1779. This was the height of the Enlightenment which also saw the birth of the U.S. Some people have called the period we are entering the “Endarkenment” since the lessons of 250 years ago seem to be forgotten.
Uranus Enters Gemini 1774
Neptune Enters Libra 1778
Pluto Enters Aquarius 1778
The last act is the Uranus Return and Uranus on the Descendant of the US. The previous Uranus Return was 1943, 1944, and 1945. The previous Uranus on the US Descendant was 1944, 1945, and 1946. That period, the last couple of years of the Second World War and the early postwar period saw tremendous changes to the Unites States, the United States government, and the world in general. We are still living in the world created at that time. We also have Pluto conjunct the South Node of the Moon and a trine of Uranus and Pluto, which will be dealt with separately.
US Uranus Return 2028
Uranus Conjunct Descendant 2029
US Uranus Return 1944
Uranus Conjunct Descendant 1945
At the end of the play or novel that is this decade we need to get ready for the sequel: This has been a waxing decade and the waning decade pair (after the Jupiter-Saturn opposition which take place at the end of 2029, end of April 2030, and about Thanksgiving (US) 2030) will come after. Being the second half of a Jupiter-Saturn cycle we will see things developed that were hinted at in the first decade of the cycle, much like sequels often do. For example think of the Seventies as a sequel to the Sixties or the Nineties as a sequel to the Eighties. Spoiler Alert: Even though we’ve seen plenty of Neptune so far in this decade, for the US the first three years of the next decade will see even more Neptune, with Neptune trine the Ascendant and square the Sun.
The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity
I’ve previously talked about all the important astrological events taking place this decade. So far we’ve seen two of them already occur. The first item (#1) is the demi-return of Neptune to the US Neptune in 2021 and 2022. The three previous returns or demi-returns, happening about every 84 years, were in 1938 and 1939, 1857 and 1858, and 1774 and 1775. I think you can see a pattern.
This Decade
The second item was the Pluto Return 2021, 2022, 2023 (#4). This is Pluto returning to the position it had at the birth of the United States in 1776. Of note is the Pluto demi-return in 1936, 1937, and 1938, the “Roosevelt Depression” that followed the height of the New Deal as a response to the Great Depression. The opening square of Pluto corresponded to the Mexican-American War and especially the aftermath, which expanded the United States by adding California, most of Arizona and New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and some of Colorado. This was the biggest expansion of America in history, bigger than the Louisiana Purchase some forty years previously. This will be discussed further at a later time. This was a big expansion of the United States. The closing square of Pluto to its natal position was in 1982 and 1983 and the beginning onslaught of neo-liberalism under Ronald Reagan. One could see this period as the true end of the New Deal. This would change American for decades to come. Also note that there was a midpoint configuration of the three outer planets just before this Pluto square.
And we can already see the early results of this Pluto Return in the reshaping of America that we see now. In 2016 and the election of Donald Trump I described him as a farce. In the type of theater known as a farce, the main character often has a physical characteristic that sets him apart. In a farce everything is exaggerated so we can see what is really happening. Obviously in the first act of the Trump farce people did not pick up on what was happening so we have a rerun that is more farcical than ever — the farce level is turned up to 11. Donald Trump is not sui generis. He is just a continuation of Presidential actions that have gone on at least since Harry Truman right after World War II. As an example, billionaires have always run the government but they were usually wise enough to stay behind the scenes. Now we have a billionaire running the government right out in the open so all can see. All presidents, at least for several decades, have performed unconstitutional acts but they were wise enough to do so in secrecy. But now we have a president who trashes the Constitution out in the open. All government is corrupt, the higher the level the more corrupt, but now with Trump the corruption is so brazen one hardly knows where to begin pointing it out. All subtly is gone, the blatancy knows no bounds. One hopes that the audience figures out the corruption is wide-spread. A problem occurs when people think “my teams is good, they never do anything bad. Everything is the fault of the other team”.
It’s a big club and you ain’t in it
In the last decade we’ve seen the phenomenon know as Trump Derangement Syndrome – TDS. TDS 1.0 was better know as Russiagate – the belief that Donald Trump had been put into office with the nefarious schemes of Vladimer Putin, the evil dictator of Russia. After Trump’s first term there developed TDS 2.0. He was a lead insurrectionist, he was trying to overthrow the election!! He was a multiple felon. I’m sure all those charges made Team Blue members feel good but others might not be so sanguine. Now with his second term we see TDS 3.0 wherein Trump sold out the US to his boss Putin. Unfortunately this covers up the real crimes of Donald Trump. Class War has been practiced for a long time but Mister Trump has found a way to make it acceptable to other classes (not him or his associates). Now that other class believe he is fighting for them when he is actually fighting for his class. What a perfect con. In fact this is the best Presidential Con of all time.
We are also seeing another form of TDS. This is the belief among the supporters that Trump is almost perfect, he can do no wrong. In this case we have Trump Devotion Syndrome. It is if his devoted followers are a parody of the supporters of most other candidates. These followers are so devoted that whatever their leader does they will excuse it, even if it directly conflicts with what he told them before the election. He was going to drain the swamp even though it is clear he is a member of the swamp. He was going to get to the bottom of the Epstein case, even though he now says it is merely a Democrat made-up story. But still, to his supporters, Trump is the Man.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
This reminds one of the terms of President Obama. In 2009 we were impressed by the first African American president who was bringing “Hope and Change”, also known as hopium. One would hope that scenes like the following would disabuse his followers: The Secretary of State under his first term laughed when a leader of a foreign nation was homosexually raped and then killed. I guess rape is funny if it happens to someone we don’t like. Then the most prosperous nation in Africa was reduced by the action of the first AA President to having open air slave markets. And the response of people to this action: crickets. Obama was called the Deporter In Chief because he deported more people than all other presidents including Trump. Obama was going to save the middle class, but after his election he bailed out all the bankers whose rash actions caused the financial crisis of 2007-2009, while many people lost their homes as a result. But no one who voted for him got upset. No one was satisfied with the current state of healthcare so Obama put in place a health care plan that was conceived by the same organization that created Project 2025, and that had been previously used by a Republican governor, but no one seemed to care.
Strong Neptune During First Obama Term
Note the transits during the first Obama term: Neptune was conjunct (#1 below) the Moon of the United States — the people are living under illusion — and also sesquiquadrate the Sun (#2 below) of the US — the government is also suffering from illusion. Note that natally the Sun and the Moon are related by a hard aspect, a sesquiquadrate, suggesting that there is always a conflict between the government (Sun) and the People (Moon).
Eighth Harmonic Graphical Ephemeris First Obama Term
Now we have “Trump and Change” (not to be confused with Chump Change) which is seducing people. Neptune is opposite the Midheaven of the US so again Neptune is strong. Many believe that this time it will be different. People always say that when their favored candidate wins. Many think that since Donald Trump is a maverick he must be better than all those “conventional” presidents. They cheer everything he does. But Trump is basing his crimes on the crimes of previous Presidents that were never called out, but making them more obvious. Hopefully many in the United States will wake up and realize the travesty that recent Presidents have been. Trump 2.0 is a very big wake-up call. If people do not pay attention what will come after Trump will be much more deadly and gruesome.
Neptune Opposite US Midheaven First Time
The difference between the Republicans and the Democrats — simply put — is that the Republicans believe that control of life should be left to the corporations while the Democrats believe the control of life should be left to the government, which is controlled by the corporations, so this is a distinction without a difference. But the two parties can appeal to different groups of people.
Neptune Opposite US Midheaven 2025, 2026
Various radical groups, such as the Black Agenda Report, have long considered the Democrats as the more effective evil. Everyone with intelligence knew the Republican were evil, but the Democrats were smart enough to hide their evilness and pretend they were “for the people”. But the roles are now reversed. Everyone should know that the Democrats support the elite classes, but the Republicans under Donald Trump hide their evilness and pretend they are now “for the people”. The Republicans are now the more effective evil and so are especially dangerous. It’s all a con and Trump now is the biggest con.
Laugh about it, shout about it, When you’ve got to choose, Every way you look at it, you lose
All presidents oversee the transfer of money to corporations who pay for the political parties but Trump has made this transfer of money upward clear for all to see with what he has called (probably lacking irony) a Big Beautiful Bill. Everyone can, or should, be able to see
But the farce of Donald Trump is just one sign that the whole world has jumped on the farce bandwagon. Take for example Israel’s war on Gaza (which still doesn’t have a fixed name). This war is clearly Trumpian. It should be obvious to any living soul that it is a genocide and many major war crimes are being committed, but many many people expend energy trying to pretend it isn’t and looking the other way. So something that is way over the top in evilness is though by many to be just business as usual. And perhaps it is. And if that is so, perhaps we need to examine what normal business really is. Maybe that is the clear lesson of this decade: Everything is being revealed; we can no longer hide from the truth of what has been happening for a long time, it is so in-your-face obvious that you really have to work to not notice it. Even though this is ugly it will prove to be a good thing: The End of Illusion that Neptune is providing. People were shocked when they saw pictures of skeletal figures after the Holocaust during World War II, but by that time it was too late to do anything. Now we see live-streamed pictures of skeletal figures and look the other way. This is progress?
The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn’t exist
But what Trump intends to do is shift even more money from the Uranus Class to the Pluto Class, Everyone wants to do this but Trump convinced people (the Uranus Class) that he is on their side. Another example of a big, beautiful con. And ultimately Trump wants to bring about the Pluto future I mentioned in the previous post. But he has managed to convince people he is the Deep State’s biggest enemy.
Perhaps the shouting by the TDS 3.0 group hides the true evilness of Donald J. Trump, our first billionaire President. To best describe this involves the use of Pluto and Uranus as outlined in the previous post. It appears that there are two things he really wants: To shift power and money, even more than it already is, from the Uranus Class to the Pluto Class. And ultimately to bring about the future that the Pluto Class desires. But he was very clever in convincing parts of the Uranus Class that he was really on their side. Certainly this was a Great Big Beautiful Con.
Sometimes Satan comes as a man of Peace
Note: The author of the first quotation wrote a book (or perhaps it was channeled by his wife) about the twenty-eight phases of the Moon.
This Summer will bring some important astrological formations which among other things illustrates the astrology of the decade. This decade sees the returns or demi-returns of the three outer planets. All in all it is a packed decade.
Grand Trine and More
On August 9, 2025 there will be a beautiful formation of the ten planets in both a world chart and in comparison to the US chart. While it does not suggest that anything will happen on that particular day, it does show graphically an overview of forces that are operative at the time. Of course, so many events of note are happening this year that there will certainly be some this August: it is like shooting fish in a barrel. Lets Look at them.
The Saturn-Neptune conjunction is at the Aries point. A Saturn-Neptune conjunction happens every 36 years; the last one was in 1989 which saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and in the next years the fall of the Soviet Union and related governments; that conjunction was in the middle of Capricorn. The one before that was in 1953 at about 20 Libra. Before that in 1917 in early Leo. I don’t know when previously there was conjunction at 0 Aries but it must have been a very long time ago. If we assume that every degree in the zodiac eventually sees the conjunction, and since the cycle happens every 36 years, then the last time this conjunction happened at 0 Aries was 360 times 36 or about 13,000 years ago
There is a mini-Grand Trine – a trine and two sextiles — between Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, with Neptune at the crux point which is also conjunct Saturn and the Aries point. Neptune is also at the midpoint of Uranus-Pluto. This midpoint configuration (and not part of a Grand Trine of those three planets) happens every 500 years, but the last time they formed an aspect was 2500 years ago — about 576 BCE — and that was a conjunction. Thus there is the midpoint configuration and the aspect configuration. The midpoint last longer than the aspect as can be seen in the two graphical ephemerides below.
Uranus-Neptune-Pluto Mini-Grand Trine
This graphical ephemeris is in the sixth harmonic so sextiles and trine look like conjunctions. You can see how the three planets come together in 2024 and stay together until 2029.
Neptune=Uranus/Pluto
In this graphical ephemeris the midpoint of Uranus and Pluto (slightly darker line) is plotted along with Neptune. You can see how closely the two lines stick together from 2023 through 2028 and are within a couple of degrees of each other from 2021 through 2031.
Saturn-Neptune opposite Mars along the cardinal axis. Mars is opposite that Saturn-Neptune conjunction right along the cardinal axis of 0 Aries/0 Libra. That gives more kick to the conjunction.
Uranus, Pluto, and Mars form a fairly tight Grand Trine.
Moon semisquare Saturn-Neptune and sesquiquadrate Mars. Sun sesquiquadrate Saturn-Neptune and semisquare Mars, so that that Full Moon is a diagonal to the rectangle formed by Sun, Moon, Saturn,Neptune, and Mars.
And a Mercury Pluto opposition reflecting the Mercury Pluto opposition in the natal chart of the US.
And for good measure a Full Moon.
Transits Within US Chart
When we look at this chart within the chart of the United states it gets even more interesting. We see the following: The Saturn-Neptune is on the IC of the United States and thus opposite the Midheaven of the US. That places Mars directly on the MC of the US. Thus the “spine” of the US — the MC/IC axis — is energized by the Mars opposite Saturn Neptune.
Transits to US Chart
Pluto and Uranus trine the US Midheaven.
Jupiter conjunct the US Sun.
` A good graphical representation of how this complex of planets hits the Midheaven of the US chart is to look at a sixth harmonic chart. In the sixth harmonic trines and sextiles appear as conjunctions. If you look at the MC of the US you see quite a pile-up.
Sixth Harmonic Transits To US Chart
But earlier in the Summer there is another set of transits that pictorially are not as pretty but still important. The opening square of Jupiter and Saturn happens three times, the last time in Summer of 2025; this marks the beginning of the second half of this decade. But since Saturn is conjunct Neptune there is also a Jupiter square Neptune at almost the same time and in fact just three days separate the Jupiter Saturn and Jupiter Neptune squares.
Jupiter Square Saturn Last Time
Jupiter Square Neptune
Earlier in the Summer Uranus squares the Moon on May 15, the only time the square is exact this cycle. However on the first of February 2026 Uranus retrogrades to within a quarter degree of an exact square. These two images illustrate the exact square in 2025 and the almost exact square of 2026. Below that is a graphical ephemeris that illustrates the exact (1) and almost exact (2) squares where you can see that Uranus retrogrades and approaches the Moon but turns direct just before it squares the Moon.
In astrology the birth chart of an entity such as a person or country is seen to describe the entity. To see how two entities interact it is valuable to compare the two charts. For example, if the Venus from one chart is conjoined the Venus of the second chart, one could say that the two entities have similar romantic attractions or simply it is love at first sight; they will be sympathetic towards each other.
Both the United States and Israel, having been founded in recent times, have good birth charts. When we compare those two charts we see a number of connections but I only want to talk about the few that I consider the most important. You can see how these connection play out in real life (IRL) by just paying attention to the happenings.
The Core of America at #1
The core of America is symbolized by the Venus tightly conjunct Jupiter and those two planets are loosely conjunct the Sun of the US. This triple conjunction, involving the two benefics and the essential planet the Sun, is important to America. One can imagine an astrologer of the time – -such as Ebenezer Sibly — looking at the chart and predicting very fortunate things happening to the new country.
Venus Conjoined at #1
The Israel Venus is conjunct both the Venus and Jupiter of the US and Israel’s Venus is actually on the midpoint on Venus and Jupiter. Thus Israel is strongly connected to the fundamental part (Sun, Venus, Jupiter) of the US. The US feels a strong affinity and connection to the relatively recent new country of Israel.
Israel Mars in US Chart
Most telling are the Mars (War!) connections with the Sun and Moon of the United States The tightest aspect is a semisquare between the Israel Mars and the US Sun (#1) which is almost exact. This suggests that we supply most of the weapons that Israel uses. This Mars is also opposite the Moon of the US (#2). Thus it appears that the martial quality of Israel is strongly connected with the US government (Sun) and people (Moon). To anyone who is paying attention this is strongly shown daily. America provides many weapons of war to Israel and Israel’s war aims are important for the government of United States.
There is the Important transit of Uranus square the US Moon and square the Israeli Mars for the next couple of years as illustrated below by a graphical ephemeris of both countries. The contact points to both the US Moon and the Israeli Mars are at #1, #3, and #5 during 2024, 2025, 2026. Expect action!
Transits to both US and Israel
Solid Lines – Israel; Dashed Lines -US
The USA Mars is conjunct the Uranus of Israel. This suggests that the Israeli notion of independence and freedom (that was so important to America’s colonials) feels by the US to need American military assistance to maintain the freedom and independence of Israel, which it certainly receives.
Israeli Uranus on US Mars at #1
There is a tight trine between the Israel Pluto and the Ascendant of the US shown at #2 below. For an example of what Pluto and the Ascendant can mean, recall that on 9/11 Pluto (Force Majeur) was conjunct the US Ascendant. Since this is a trine it is not overpowering but the will of Israel will be strongly reflected in the US. Natally the US has a tight semisquare with Pluto so that Pluto-Ascendants make Israel feel “part of the family”.
Israeli Pluto Tine US Ascendant, Saturn Semisquare MC
Another connection is the Saturn of Israel semisquare the MC of the US shown at #1 above. To me this suggest a sense of responsibility (a Saturn word) felt by the US towards Israel. Perhaps this comes because in June of 1939 the US turned away a ship of Jewish refugees from Germany or that during the War the United States refused to bomb railroads heading to death camps.
Israeli Mercury Opposite US Ascendant
Yet another connection: Mercury of Israel is on the Descendant of the US (#1 above) and thus the thinking and publications of Israel become very important to the US; the US identifies strongly with them and takes them as gospel. This you can see by reading or viewing just about any story about Israel in the mainstream media.
The MC/IC axis — one end the most public and the other the foundation or base — can be seen as the spine of the entity represented by the chart. This is a very important axis that does not get the recognition that it should; people often know their Ascendant sign but the Midheaven sign not so much.
Comparison of US and Israel
Mercury is conjunct the Midheaven of Israel (#3 above) so US press and other media, which is something Mercury represents, is closely aligned with the purpose and goals of Israel. But what is more important is the Mercury Pluto opposition of the United States is right along the primary axis of Israel.
The Mercury Pluto opposition of the United States represents the rules based order or more properly it can be stated as “we set the rules and you take our orders”. This potent force is combined with the spine of Israel; this show the cliche “a match made in heaven.”
Israel Sun Square US Moon
Another connection, though wide, is the square (#1) between the Israel Sun at 23 Taurus 40 and the US Moon at 27 Aquarius 10. While this square is wide at three and a half degrees (#2) it obviously plays out in real life and suggests the strong connection between the US and Israel. I’m not saying they should get married (even though some say that Israel is the 51st state) but there are strong connections. In the situation following October 7, the Israel government had a strong impact on the US, so much so that after the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu condemned student protest in the USA, colleges fell over themselves to crack down on protestors, sometimes even calling in local police to do the job.
To summarize and recapitulate there is a strong connection between the United States and Israel which we can see played out daily.
American historians refers to certain periods of American history by the name of the Presidents who served at the beginning of that period. The first such example is the Age of Jackson, roughly from 1829 to 1850. Andrew Jackson introduced a more people oriented democracy and “the spoils system”. Later there was the Age of Roosevelt, from 1933 through perhaps 1975 where concern for people rather than big business took center stage. Then we have the Age of Reagan from 1981 through 2015 when neoliberalism took center stage. When American historians look back at this period they will call it “The Age of Trump”.
Love him or hate him — and there seems to be no middle ground — Donald Trump seems to get the most press coverage and is talked about more than anyone else in this period, whether or not he is occupying the White House. His fans worship him — one described a campaign rally as being “like Woodstock” and many are hoping for his re-election. On the other hand many think he is the most dangerous candidate to ever run for President and swear that his re-election will turn the country to be anti-democratic. (They assume this country is a democracy, a belief that was disabused several years ago by Professors Gilens and Page (for example see https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746)). Very few seem to notice that Donald Trump is the first American President to be born on the day of an eclipse. Eclipses are supposed to be special. He is indeed special. But how did we get here?
Uranus Square Pluto
It all started in 2010 when the opening square of Uranus and Pluto happened. This was the first major hard aspect since the conjunction of those two planets in the Sixties. This square lasted through 2016. There were events like the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street happening at this time. Many people were getting quite upset at the elites that run the country and the world. In addition there was an opposition between Pluto and the US Sun, which meant also that Uranus was square the US Sun. In both the Republican and Democratic parties there were challengers to the established candidate who was running for the nomination of their respective parties. The Republicans had Donald Trump who no one in the party wanted but the people wanted. The Democrats had Bernie Sanders who no one in the party wanted but the people wanted. Turns out that the Republicans are more democratic than the Democrats and the rest is history. Considering the Uranus Pluto square on the US Sun it should be no surprise that the candidate who ran as an outsider and a maverick would win. It seems so obvious as we look at the transits. Perhaps the Democrats should hire an astrology consultant.
It seems recently there has been an uptake of support for Trump. There is an old idea (Lenin mentioned it 100 years ago) called “controlled opposition”. Everyone thinks Trump is an opposition to the “Deep State” (even though for example looking at the connection of his Vice President should negate that view). He vows to shut down the Deep State when elected (we can see how well he did in his first term) and this helped attract supporters. But appearing to be a dissident while secretly helping the Elite is very good for the Elite.
Pluto Opposite U.S. Sun
Graphical Ephemeris of Uranus, Pluto, U.S. Sun
In the above image you can see the square of those two planets starts at 1 in 2012. The Pluto opposite and Uranus square the US Sun is exact at 2 in 2914. By 3 in late 2015 the last exact Pluto opposition takes place.
Trump Assassination Attempt
The assassination attempt on President Trump helped to build this image that he is an outsider that the Deep State either tried to kill or botched the security in a major manner. This assassination attempt is even less transparent than the assassination of Kennedy (either one). The incompetence of those protecting the President was so mammoth to be almost unbelievable. But at least it resulted in a picture so perfect a better job could not have been done in a studio. Here is a chart for that event. The Mars-Uranus conjunction is square Trump’s natal Mars, an astrological cliche for what happened.
Things really started to change with the debate between Presidents Biden and Trump, much earlier than is normal for Presidential debates. Here is a chart for the start of the debate between Biden and Trump on Biden’s natal. The first thing to notice is that Saturn is on his nadir. It has been found that a person’s connection/popularity with the outside world is shown by the position of Saturn in the chart: When it is at the Midheaven the world recognizes you and when it is at the nadir your popularity is also at its nadir. The second thing to notice is that Pluto is square his Moon. Also the Neptune is opposite is natal Neptune so he is facing a Neptune demi-return, just as the United States recently did and as Ted Kazinski — mentioned a few posts ago — did at his death.
Start of Debate
Obviously the Biden decline is very recent. Over the years many many journalists interacted with him and no one mentioned his decline. No journalist would ever cover up such an important development as the mental decline of the leader of the Free World and so there was no decline. I think it must have happened just before the debate. My feeling is that someone slipped him a drug, or neglected to give him a drug, so that his decline would be noticeable. Since there is much debate preparation before the big event it is hard to believe no one noticed Biden’s lack of mental acuity. Perhaps some Democrats just wanted to get him out of the way and they used the debate as a way to do such,
It should also be obvious that the President does not really make the important decision of running the country. He is just a figurehead, a representation of the country for the world. In this case I think Joe Biden is the prefect President of the United States and should be even better for the next four years
USA Election Day
Let us first look at the transits for the day of the election. Mars is opposite Pluto (1) reasonably tightly. This suggests war or upset — both planets are said to rule Scorpio. People might be upset, what a surprise! Whichever side wins the other side will be very angry — remember Russiagate and January 6. The Sun is trine Saturn (3) suggesting a conservative mood for the day. Venus– the lesser benefic — is opposing Jupiter– the Greater Benefic — (2) and that aspect is exact the Sunday before the election. This suggests much — perhaps excessive — good luck. But also remember that Venus and Jupiter conjunct the US Sun natally. Perhaps this is just an echo of that at the time of the US Pluto Return.
Election Day With US
Next let us look at those transit as they impinge the US chart. Saturn is square the US Ascendant (1) and trine the US Sun(2), again suggesting a conservative outcome. But of course what “conservative” means in this situation and which candidate is most conservative is an open question which I will leave up to the reader. I think the election will have “Conservative” results but these only mask the major changes that will develop in the next year.
Next let us look at the transits with the charts of the two main candidates. Of course, who the two main candidates are may change between now and the election, but at least I won’t share the charts for Joe Biden that I had prepared.
It is very interesting that the two major candidates are both Full Moon births, and at the time of the election they both have very definite and strong aspects to both their Sun and Moon. This seems like very rare coincidence.
Trump on Election Day
Donald Trump is the only President of the United States who was born on the day of an eclipse — the eclipse was about five hours after his birth. It is a lunar eclipse, which means a full Moon. This opposition of Venus and Jupiter falls on his Sun-Moon opposition with Jupiter on Sun and Venus on Moon. What are the odds! How great is that? It promises great good luck!! And if Trump is elected this time he will share a unique quality with only one other President — serving two non-consecutive terms. The other President with this uniqueness is Grover Cleveland, one of the few President who had a child (named Ruth) while in office who gave her name to a candy bar.
Note I use a chart for Donald Trump that is about an hour earlier than the “standard” birth time. This does not make a difference to the transits considered here. But this time is from the Trump family astrologer who worked for a local newspaper. It gives him Leo rising rather than the first degree of Virgo rising,
So right now everybody is either freaking out that Trump is shoe-in or preparing to welcome the return of the king. But not so fast; even in the best of time being a President is not a walk in the park, it is definitely not great good luck or even moderate luck. Traditionally when we look at the chart of a to-be president we see Saturn aspects and with Trump there are none. There were some in 2016 which made me think he’d be elected. The next four years may well see the end of the American Empire, or at least it will be more damaged than it has in the last four. Whoever is President during the next four years, and whichever party that President represent, will be damaged by the actions of that period. This will be anything but good luck unless that is said sarcastically.
In recent weeks, especially after the Debate and the attempted assassination of Trump we have seen more talk amongst previous Biden supporters that Trump won’t be so bad, that they can accept him.
While I really have no idea what will happen between now and the election, and there are sure to be many twists and turns and things that are now totally unexpected, here are two possible ideas I have for what those transits to Trump’s chart on election day mean.
Trump casts himself as someone who will battle and defeat the “Deep State”. If he is not elected it will show that the Deep State indeed hates him. If he is elected, either the Deep State is not very powerful (unimaginable) or the Deep State wants him to be elected. In this case the Venus-Jupiter on his Sun-Moon indicate that the way to the Presidency has been paved for him.
America will decline more in the next four years than it has in the preceding eight, and there is nothing that can change that at this late date. Trump will have great luck by not getting elected President, he will have dodged the bullet, to coin a phrase. By staying back he will increase his fame and glory, he will be universally regarded as a hero. Meanwhile the candidate who is elected President will and the party this candidate represent will be universally degraded. Perhaps that party will even die.
Harris on Election Day
If we look at the transits for Kamala Harris (who at time of writing seems to be the Democrats choice) we see a much different picture. Whereas Trump has much luck, Harris has much hard work. Notice that Saturn makes an almost exact semisquare and sesquiquadrate to her Sun and Moon; she has big time Saturn aspects with the orbs to both Sun and Moon very tight.
The whole things reminds me of an old song lyric: “Laugh about it/Shout about it/When you have to choose/Every way you look at it you lose”. Those words are even more true now then when Paul Simon wrote them almost 60 years ago. Perhaps America will re-evaluate the way power and elections are run in the country. That will be great good luck!
Over the last few blog posts we’ve seen the important aspects which signify that the second half of this decade will be quite different than the first half. I discussed previously the Jupiter-Saturn square that signifies the beginning of the second half of the decade. Later I discussed the Saturn-Neptune conjunction that happens shortly after the third Jupiter-Saturn square and then finally in February 2026. This time we will discuss an important transit to the US chart that first occurs in late summer of 2024 (elections season) and will occur finally in early 2026 and that is transiting Uranus square the natal Moon.
Transiting Uranus aspects to the Moon of the United States (which simultaneously makes a hard aspect to the Sun) have shown up as an upset (Uranus) to the body politic of the people of the country (the Moon). Since Uranus has a period of 84 years, the quadrature aspects of Uranus to the natal Moon of the United States should happen every 21 years. Since such an aspect is coming up this decade, let us look at the transits of Uranus conjunct, opposed, or square to the natal moon over this history of the United States as a nation.
There is a question among astrologers whether an aspect manifests before the aspect is exact (called partile) or after the aspect is exact. In the following cases we will see examples of both though it appears that the act — war — happens after the aspect is exact more often than not. But of course remember that the aspects relate to something happening to the populace and in most case war is the concrete result, but that is only the outward externalization of a change to the people in the country.
Uranus in hard aspect — conjunction, square, opposition — to the natal moon of the United States is coming up. The first pass is in August and September of 2024 when it goes stationary retrograde right on the Moon; needless to say this is right before the November presidential election of that country. Then in the middle of May 2025 it makes a direct square to the Moon (and also a trine to Natal Pluto). Finally in February of 2026 it goes stationary direct within a quarter degree of the Moon. The United States will experience three years of Uranus squaring its Moon (along with many other interesting aspects that will be discussed in later posts) so it is instructive to look back at previous hard aspects between these two planets during the history of the country.
2002-2003 invasion of Afghanistan/Iraq after the attacks of 9/11.
There was a conjunction of transiting Uranus and the natal Moon in 2002 and 2003; this was the previous hard aspect between these two planets. The transit was shortly after 9/11 when Americans were braying for blood and it was easy to convince them that an invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan were in their best interests. The invasion of Afghanistan took place on October 7, 2001, less than a month after the attacks on 9/11. The invasion of Iraq, discussed earlier, happened about a year and a half later.
1980-81 start of New Cold War with RR also Iran-Iraq War
At the end of 1980 and 1981 Uranus was square the Moon. This period saw the election of Ronald Reagan and the start of the New Cold War (as one book titled it) and also the beginning of the Iraq-Iran war (the US was helping Iraq and Saddam Hussein! since Iran had held our hostages) and there was ongoing fighting in Central America in the countries of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The USS Honduras (as some wag called it), was a military base set up to allows us to support the Contras, our proxy army in Central America. All three countries saw much violence and the United States was definitely involved, most obviously with the funding an oppositional army called the Contras in Nicaragua. As mentioned previously there was also a Saturn-Pluto conjunction in 1982.
1961-62 start up of Vietnam war
At the beginning of the Sixties – 1961 and 1962 – Uranus was opposite the US Moon. This was the beginning of serious American involvement in Vietnam; many think this did not happen until the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in August 1964, but earlier in the decade Vietnam was a big flash point. Early in 1963 a Buddhist monk burnt himself in protest of the war which had been picking up steam since John Kennedy had been elected. There were already student protests at some college campuses. The book by David Halberstan The Making of a Quagmire describes this period well and shows how the United States got involved in a disaster.
1941-42 World War II
In 1941 and 1942 Uranus squared the Moon in the same type of square that is coming up — this period was 84 years ago — one Uranus cycle before now. In fact the second exact transit of this cycle was on December 20, 1941, less than two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor that got America involved in World War II. The American people weren’t terribly convinced of the need to get involved in a war that seemed mostly in Europe, but after this square (“A date that will live in infamy”) there was much more eagerness to go to war.
1918-19 World War I, Red Summer, Prohibition, Palmer Raids
The effects of this square happened both before and after the square was exact. Uranus was conjunct the U.S. Moon in 1918 — as World War I was ending — and 1919 — as the Versailles peace treaty was worked out which was the official end of the war. America did not want to enter World War I and the President Woodrow Wilson ran for his second term — in 1916 — on the slogan ‘He kept us out of War’. Six months later he asked for a declaration of war. But there was a strong propaganda push to get America into the war, lead by among other people Freud’s nephew Edward Bernays. There was also propaganda about the Huns (Germans) raping Belgium nuns (stories of heathens raping our women have also been a popular ploy to get a nation involved in a war or for a lynching); there were people who would speak of the benefits of war before movies were shown, which though still silent were becoming very popular. After war was declared it suddenly became very popular with the masses, with for example a recruiting station in the shape of a battleship set up in New York City’s Union Square. (Suggested reading American Midnight by Adam Hochschild). But another “war” was coming up, though an internal war. 1920 saw the beginning of Prohibition in the United States which lasted until 1933. Prohibition saw a conflict between those supplying illegal alcohol and the government which was trying to prevent the spread of alcohol. Also unusual was the beginning trine between Uranus and Pluto which will be discussed at a different time. There was also upcoming what is called “Red Summer” which saw a lot of racially motivated attack (cf Tulsa Oklahoma) and the Palmer raids on unorthodox opinions.
There was also an invasion of Russia by the United States and several European countries as well as Japan in summer of 1918. This invasion was an attempt to stop the Bolshevik Revolution as part of the Russian Civil War between the “White” Russians — the Menshevicks (Kerensky) — and the “Red” Russians — the Bolsheviks. American forces remained in the country until 1920. All “good” Americans were already fearful of the Bolsheviks.
In June of 1919 several explosions occurred around the country, one of which was at the Washington, DC home of new attorney General, “Fighting Quaker” A. Mitchell Palmer. After the explosion, which did not injure Palmer, his wife, or their daughter, he was aided by Assistant Secretary of the Navy and neighbor Franklin D. Roosevelt, who discovered a collarbone of the bomber who was the only one killed by the blast. But this brush with death encouraged Palmer to start a war on dissidents since he couldn’t go after the bomber who was thought to be a member of a small Italian anarchist sect. Many people were deported as a result of Palmer’s actions. Palmer was assisted by the new director of the Bureau of Investigation John E. Hoover who probably did more than Palmer to round up suspects.
1896-97 Remember the Maine
All through 1897 transiting Uranus was exactly square the US Moon. The next year the Spanish-America War broke out. At the time Cuba was a colony of Spain and the inhabitants of that island revolted against their Spanish overlords. The US cruiser Maine was in the Havana harbor when an explosion took place on the ship. It is now widely assumed that the explosion occurred on board, but at the time it was believed that the Spanish had exploded a bomb attached to the Maine. That explosion led to America’s involvement in the War against Spain. As a result of the US victory, many of Spain’s colonies, including Cuba, Puerto Rica, and the Philippines, became colonies of America. The US base at Guantanamo Bay is a result of the victory in the Spanish-American War. Empire became a way of life.
1877-78 End of Reconstruction
The Compromise of 1877 was a very important event in American history and one can imagine things being much different if this Compromise had not happened but it is seldom mentioned. The election of 1876 was inconclusive and so votes were taken with the House, Senate, and Supreme Court to determine the winner. Finally the Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner, but the Republican winner withdrew the federal troops from the South (something the Democrats wanted but the Republicans opposed) who had been there since the end of the Civil War; this withdrawal ended Reconstruction and allowed the Democratic politicians of the South to institute what came to be know as Jim Crow laws, as well as countenancing other activities that resulted from the absence of Reconstruction. Lynching of the newly freed people became a popular activity, one that sometimes drew crowds and photographers. The country has still not fully recovered from the effects of the Compromise of 1877.
1857-58 Civil War
In 1857 and 1858 Uranus was in Taurus (two Uranus cycles before now) and square the US Moon. This was the lead up to the Civil War which at the time many people could see coming. Henry Ward Beecher, a prominent preacher (whose sister wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin) in Brooklyn was providing “Beecher’s Bible” (rifles) to abolitionists in Kansas which resulted in “Bleeding Kansas” as pro and anti abolitionists fought it out over who would dominate that state; also John Brown provided his famous raid on Harper’s Ferry in the next year which many consider the tipping point to war.
1835 Remember the Alamo Texas Revolution
The citizens of Texas, which had been part of Mexico, were trying to establish that territory as a new country. The Battle at the Alamo in that region started as a battle to defeat the Mexican authorities and make Texas an independent country. The battle at the Alamo was not successful, and Texas was finally taken in as part of the United States under the Presidency of John Tyler (vote was defeated) and then officially under the next President Polk.
1813 War of 1812
The British attacked America again after they lost the American Revolution, and this was called the War of 1812. During this war the British succeeded in in burning down parts of Washington, D.C. This always results in a strong reaction. The war is best known for Andrew Jackson’s Battle of New Orleans which actually took place after the peace treaty was signed but communications were slower then.
1793-95 Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was the first armed revolt against the new country which was in the first term of the first president. At the time whiskey was very popular (the amount of alcohol consumed in early America is simply astounding!) not only as a beverage, but also as a way of transporting corn. Many farmers in Pennsylvania were angry at the taxes levied on whiskey by the federal government. There was also a Uranus Pluto opposition during the beginning of this rebellion and in 1794 Saturn was square both Pluto and Uranus, making an especially potent conflict. 1794 was the high point and climax of the rebellion. In Europe the French Revolution was going full bore and Jacobins executed the King.
1773-74 Pre-Revolutionary fervor
While the official start of the Revolutionary War took place in 1775 with the Battle of Lexington and Concord, there was much anger leading up to that battle and there was for instance the Boston Tea Party in 1773. In 1774 Britain passed five acts to punish the United States for that party, including the Boston Port Act which closed the port.
Uranus Square Moon First Pass
This year and the next two years will see transiting Uranus square the natal Moon of the United States and also make a semisquare to the US Sun.
Uranus turns stationary retrograde on the US Moon in the last half of 2024, just before the Presidential election. It then makes a clean true pass in early summer of 2025. Finally it goes stationary direct on the natal moon in late winter 2026.
Uranus Square Moon Second Pass
Uranus Square Moon Third Pass
The Three Passes
Here is a graphical ephemeris showing the three passes of Uranus square the Moon happening first in September of this year when Uranus goes stationary retrograde on the US Moon at 1. Then in Summer of 2025 at 2 there is the only direct square. Finally Uranus goes stationary direct on the Moon in February 2026 at 3.
Uranus Semisquare Sun
Finally here is a graphical ephemeris to show Uranus making a semisquare to the Sun at about the same time as it makes a square to the Moon. We see this happens in early June of 2025, December of 2025, and April of 2026.
Previously we looked at the opening Jupiter-Saturn square — first quarter Jupiter — which portends the beginning of the second half of this decade. The second half of a decade is different than the first half, and in this case it will be strongly different. One of the reasons for this is an important aspect happening — or almost happening — a month after the third Jupiter-Saturn square which was discussed previously. It will happen exactly about seven months later. This aspect is a Saturn-Neptune conjunction at the Aries point. (Full disclosure: I have minor aspects between both Saturn and Neptune with the Ascendant and an aspect between Saturn and Neptune.)
The key phrase I use for Saturn and Neptune is “It seemed like a good idea at the time”. As one might guess with the two planets involved, the outlook is not especially upbeat. Saturn is called the “Greater Malefic” and we’ve discussed Neptune before; we’re seeing a lot of Neptune this decade — in the mundane sphere it seems to rule propaganda and deception. While a positive spin on these two planets would be “practical spiritual action” but we are talking about the world here so I don’t expect miracles and the seeing through of myths. But perhaps that is not entirely impossible. One possible positive manifestation would be the seeing through of the incredible propaganda that has saturated the world, especially in the last 10 years. Another possible manifestation, to be very optimistic, is that there will be a “spiritual” realization that we have to consciously change our ways of existing for the first time in history to save our collective butts. That’s a lot more difficult than simply stopping carbon emissions.
Conjunction of 1989
Lets look at previous conjunctions of these two planets which take place about every thirty six years. The most famous one was the previous conjunction in 1989. This saw the fall of the Berlin Wall (shortly after the second conjunction in a series of three) and in the next two years the fall of the Soviet Union and all the Soviet connected Eastern European countries. The Soviet Union broke into several countries, such as Russia and Ukraine. This was also the turn of the decade with a Jupiter Saturn. There were also the Tiananmen Square protests of April May 1989 and he Soviet Union withdrawal from Afghanistan in May 1988 through February 1989 after Geneva Accords signed April 14, 1988. Much happened under this Saturn Neptune conjunction.
But this dissolution of the Soviet block also caused many changes in the Western block. Since 1945 and the start of the Cold War, this conflict with the Soviet Union had served as sort of a raison d’etre for the West. While the West and especially the United States could believe that they had “won” the Cold War after this conjunction and so take victory laps (cf The End of History by Francis Fukuyama) there was also a lost to the West because one of their prime motivator and unifiers — fighting the good cold war fight — was no longer around — see again Francis Fukuyama. It was as if an employee who hates his boss with passion the question becomes what does he do when his boss dies.
Conjunction of 1953
The previous conjunction was in 1953. That year saw the death of Stalin (who had ruled the Soviet Union for one Saturn cycle) and the consequential exposure of Stalin’s crimes. In the Soviet Union Stalin was once considered a great leader by many people, and to this day some older Russians still honor him, but by his death many leaders considered him horrid and Khrushchev, the Soviet leader who followed Stalin’s death, made a famous speech to the Soviet Politburo denouncing Stalin’s crimes. This year also saw the end of the Korean War with an armistice but actually the war has never really been ended in the way most wars end. Joseph McCarthy, who had held the US government under his sway, was losing power and his final downfall would come the next year (Have you no sense of decency, sir?…) and his death by alcoholism followed three years after that. McCarthy seemed like a good idea at the time — the early fifties — but his communists-in-government shtick was getting a little long in the tooth by 1954.
In his last book, Planetary Cycles Mundane Astrology famous French astrologer Andre Barbault gives even more detail on aspects of Saturn and Neptune and the history of the Soviet Union than is considered here.
Conjunction of 1917
The conjunction before that was in 1917 which saw the beginning of the Soviet Revolution that overthrew the czar who ruled Russia. This revolution was partly as a result to Russian losses in World War I. In this case the idea no longer thought of as good was the Russian ruler ship by the czar. The end of World War I, which happened the next year, was followed shortly thereafter by the breakup of four empires: Russian, German, Astro-Hungarian, and Ottoman; the breakup of the latter lead to many new nations including what became Israel. The year 1917 also saw the entrance of the United States into the battles of World War I after a far reaching propaganda campaign. This entrance followed a jingoistic movement in the US, partly brought about by only the second Democratic president since Lincoln. Suggested reading: American Midnight by Adam Hochschild.
Saturn-Neptune close
In July of 2025 both planets come within a quarter degree of an exact conjunction at about 2 degrees Aries and then both go retrograde thus avoiding the exact conjunction. This occurs one month after the final Jupiter square Saturn. At this time not only is Jupiter square Saturn but also Jupiter is square Neptune. This is certainly a good start to the second half of the 2020’s, but one that promises a turn about to what has gone before.
Saturn-Neptune Exact
In February of 2026 there is the only exact conjunction at 45 minutes of Aries. Since the Aries point represents the World, this Saturn Neptune conjunction will effect and be felt by the whole world. Perhaps the “once what was thought a good idea” was having a giant 500 year long party. But it is important to realize how important this is — a conjunction of Saturn, Neptune, and the Aries Point. This is one to remember.
Saturn-Neptune Conjunction in Graphical Ephemeris
The graphical ephemeris (above) shows the first occasion where the two planets are almost conjunct but not quite since they both go retrograde at about the same time, which normally happens when the two outer planets are conjunct and go retrograde at the same time. In the same graphical ephemeris we see the only exact conjunct at the same time in early 2026.
These Saturn-Neptune conjunction of 2025 and 2026 occur at the first degree of Aries so, considering the nature of the Aries point as ruling the whole world (consider that actress Shirley Temple had Moon at zero Cancer, square the Aries point, and she was considered “America’s sweetheart” and almost everyone loved her during the dark days of the Great Depression) that the effects of this conjunction of the two planets should effect and be felt by the whole world.
Close-up of the Near Miss Conjunction
This image above is a magnified part of the close encounter of Saturn and Neptune in July of 2025. You can see how close this is to the Aries point — dark black horizontal line — and the MC of the United States — dashed grey line.
Close -up of Saturn-Neptune Conjunction
This magnification of the only Saturn Neptune conjunction in early 2026 shows that it occurs half-way between the Aries point and the Midheaven of the United States.
As has been indicated the triple conjunction of Saturn, Neptune, and the Cardinal Axis should have repercussions around the world. The previous conjunction saw the fall of the Soviet Union, changing the future development of both the United States and Russia. But this conjunction takes place at the Cardial Axis so the world should feel the change.
But that’s not all for those who live in or are affected by the United States, which means the whole world. The Midheaven of the United States is 1 degree Libra (and of course the IC is at 1 Aries) and so this conjunction is right on the US MC/IC axis and actually closer to that than to the cardinal axis. So we should expect that the effects of the Pluto Return of the United States — discussed previously — should be magnified/modified in ways that can’t be predicted. Perhaps a new political party will be formed when people realize that the Uniparty — a name that is becoming more and more common — that rules in Washington does not serve the interests of people but serves the interests of the corporations quite well. Perhaps we will see the breakup of the United states into several smaller counties so that the US will be like EU. Suggested reading American Nations by Colin Woodard and the Nine Nations of North America by Joel Garreau.
In the magnification you can see how the conjunction is between the Aries point and the US MC — and that both are close which is also an indication why the US has been so successful at controlling the world. The Aries point and the US Midheaven are only one degree apart and that conjunction is at 45 minutes of Aries so it is very tight in both cases, and even tighter to the midpoint of the Cardinal Axis and the US Midheaven. Fireworks of some type are promised, but with Neptune involved it will look like a damp squib.
Full moons are always potent — the culmination of a lunar cycle that started with the preceding New Moon. Dane Rudhyar’s magisterial The Lunation Cycle is an important reference to the cycle of the Moon. And the lunar cycle is a prototype for the other planetary cycles such as the Jupiter-Saturn cycle that has been much discussed here. I now want to point out the Full Moon of 8-19-2024 which occurs just before Labor Day when the US election cycle is reaching a fever pitch. It should be noted in passing that the year 2024 will see many national elections, perhaps even a record for a single year. A Full Moon comes about once a month, and it is obvious the connection between the word “month” and moon. Many calendars, and especially religious calendars, are based on the Moon and not the Sun, and many solutions have been tried to harmonize the Lunar calendar with the Solar calendar. There are thirteen lunar cycles in a solar cycle. This is an example of astrology in everyday life.
A Full Moon To Remember
The first thing to notice is that there are two interlocking T-Squares which involve a total of eight of the ten planets; then there are several other indicators that this chart well represents the start of the second half of this decade.
The first T-square involves the Full Moon, with Mercury Retrograde conjunct Sun; the second T-square consists of the first in a series of the opening squares of Jupiter and Saturn which marks the beginning of the second half of the decade. Saturn is opposed to Venus and Mars is conjunct Jupiter at the apex of this T-square.
The apex of the first T-square is Uranus — Uranus squares both ends of the Full Moon — so that this will definitely be a Uranian Full Moon: expect the unexpected. The Jupiter Saturn square is almost exact.
To add further spice Neptune is almost at 0 Aries. This is its first brush with the Aries point and it goes stationary retrograde about six weeks earlier at four minutes from zero Aries. Pluto is at the first degree of Aquarius and will soon make its last brief foray into Capricorn before returning to Aquarius for the next two decades.
Let’s compare this Full Moon to the US chart. When we do that we find more interesting things. This Full moon is right on the US Moon — the people of the country. But the Full Moon also makes a wide aspect — a semisquare and a sesquiquadrate — to the US Sun — the government. Thus this Full Moon makes hard aspect to the two most important planets in the US natal chart.
Full Moon United States
Neptune is opposite the MC of the United States suggesting there will be some confusion in how the country is perceived by other and (since Neptune is conjunct the US IC) how the people think about themselves. Not a healthy situation but we have seen it playing out over the last ten years with first Neptune making a sesquiquadrate to the US Ascendant.
This occasion also marks the Mars return for the US — which is exact two days later, something that happens every two years. In this case Mars is conjunct Jupiter which in humans can suggest pregnancy but in this case that is unlikely. But use of Martian energy is highlighted, more so than has been shown so far in 2024,
Finally there is the transit of Uranus square the US Moon. This is the first pass and it goes stationary retrograde on the Moon a couple of weeks after this Full Moon, right after the next New Moon. Hard aspects of Uranus to the US Moon is an important topic which will be dealt with at length later but for now suffice it to say that the previous conjunction of Uranus to the US Moon occurred shortly after 9/11 when the US invaded both Afghanistan and Iraq.
When talking about what is called “mundane astrology” — which is what we are doing here — it is necessary to distinguish between events and trends. An event is something that happens in this case right about the time of this chart. With a strong Uranus this could be unexpected and sudden. But it is possible that nothing overt will happen at this time. More important is the trend that this Full Moon presages. This trend is something I’ve discussed before and that is that the second half of this decade will be very different that the first in ways that this chart suggests.
We have talked before about the cycle of Jupiter and Saturn and how each half of the cycle corresponds to a decade (since for several centuries the 20 year Jupiter Saturn cycle started near the beginning of an even decade) but the first and last quarter phases of the Jupiter-Saturn cycle are also important — the first half of a decade is different from the second half. This is most obvious for the decade of the Forties since the first half saw World War Two and the second half became the time after the War, with the rise of both the Anthropocene and the national security state and this period also has what I’ve called a zeitgeist change. In this period of the late Forties the center of the art world moved from Paris to New York City with the rise of such movements as Abstract Expressionism. NYC and America was a special place in that period. In Europe the recovery from the ravages of the war was long and arduous.
Compare the first half and the second half of the Fifties in America: the first half saw the birth of McCarthyism when Joseph McCarthy found a list of 200 or so Communists in the State Department on Lincoln Day of 1950 at a speech he gave in West Virginia until he was finally censured by the Senate in December of 1954 — the end of that half decade. In the second half television became a fixture in the American home (as Pluto transited opposite the US Moon), strengthening the fascination with the flickering image. The Korean war dominated the foreign policy side of things in the first half of the decade not just for the United States but the UN that was officially fighting that war also, while the second half started with the Suez Crisis that set the stage for the dominant powers in the late fifties.
But this is really true of all decades; a brief checking of Wikipedia shows the best movies in the US; the Academy Awards for 1964 — the end of the first half decade — was My Fair Lady, which was based on a Broadway musical which was based on a play by George Bernard Shaw. The winner in 1969 — the last year of the second half — was Midnight Cowboy, the only X-rated movie to ever win an Oscar.
And consider drug movies of the early versus late sixties. From 1962 we have The Days of Wine and Roses. In this movie a business executive and his wife (Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick) descend into alcoholism and then attend Alcoholics Anonymous. This was based on a TV drama from 1958 and is opening on Broadway in 2024. The drug movie for the second half was Easy Rider, about two motorcycle cowboys (Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper) who have sold some cocaine and then take the profits to New Orleans where they consume LSD; during the movie they and a hitchhiker (Jack Nicholson) smoke an awful lot of weed. No AA for them but a sad ending anyway.
The same is true of the Seventies and the Eighties and the other decades. This decade is no different and when we see the opening Jupiter Saturn square we will see the dawning of the second half of the decade, but at the same time or shortly thereafter there will be other important aspects which will be discussed in upcoming posts, thus assuring that the second half of this decade will be very different from the first.
Lets look at those three opening squares of Jupiter and Saturn. The numbers below refer to the graphical ephemeris (below) which allows you to see all three squares at one time as well as other aspects that will be discussed later.
First Opening Square
In the first square in August 2024(1) Jupiter is direct but Saturn retrograde. This is a time in America when the campaign season is in full bloom. For the US Neptune is on the IC (which has been discussed before) and Uranus is square the Moon (which will be discussed later). Should be interesting. There is a Full Moon at this time with Uranus making a T-square with the Full Moon so watch out for change. At the same time there is another T-square with Venus opposite Saturn and square Jupiter. And to make it even more interesting Mercury is retrograde and conjunct the Sun so it fits into that T-square. And this Full Moon falls on the Moon of the United States. With so much going on in the sky and in connections to the US chart it is a great kickoff to the second half of this decade.
Same Square Without U.S.
Second Opening Square
The second square at Christmas time (2) is with Jupiter retrograde and Saturn direct. Jupiter is close to the Descendant of the United States which means that Saturn is square the Ascendant. The new President has been elected but the inauguration won’t happen for a couple of weeks. Judging by the last two national elections there will be a big controversy no matter who wins and who loses. Expect fireworks for Christmas.
Third Opening Square
The third exact square (3) occurs in middle June 2025, shortly before and after other important aspects involving Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune which will be discussed later. This opening square occurs at the same time as the Saturn Neptune conjunction (to be discussed next) which is near the Aries point so Jupiter is also square Neptune. Jupiter is widely conjunct the Sun which is in late Gemini right before the summer solstice — called midsummer even thought it is the official start of summer. The conjunction of Saturn and Neptune is interesting because the exact conjunction never actually happens at the time. Both planets go retrograde shortly after the Fourth of July and since since Saturn is of lesser longitude than Neptune and moves faster it soon leaves Neptune behind.
All Three Opening Squares
To conclude, by 2025 the second half of this decade will have surly started, and as we will show in upcoming posts it will be quite different from the first. Of course whether that is good or bad depends on the individual or more to the point the class. Pluto will interpret this quite differently than Uranus. But it will make for very interesting times.
500 Year Party 