“Down from the gardens of Asia descending radiating,
Adam and Eve appear, then their myriad progeny after
them,
Wandering, yearning, curious, with restless explorations…..
Ah who shall soothe these feverish children
Who justify those restless explorations?”
from “Passage to India” by Walt Whitman
Introduction
I love this quote: standing back and looking at world history in the large scale, it becomes clear that those ‘restless explorations’ are not in any way random: they are shaped by the large cycles of history as described by the planets in their orbits.
Furthermore, individuals who are ‘plugged in’ via their natal horoscopes to the degrees at which key planetary cycles end and begin – eg the 13 degrees Leo conjunction of Saturn and Pluto which occurred in the middle of August 1947, or the Jupiter Uranus conjunction of 5/6 degrees Aquarius in February 1997, are challenged to live out those ‘chips’ of planetary energy as major contributors to their lives’ stories.
Also, the cycles belonging to those planetary combinations, eg the 33-38 year cycle of Saturn/Pluto or the 14-year cycle of Jupiter/Uranus, become of great significance in the unfolding pattern of their individual lives, as well as the human collective of which they are part.
In these notes, whilst briefly mentioning the larger overarching planetary cycles, I am focusing mainly on the cycles which are of immediate concern to us now, as we sit in the eye of a circling series of collective storms, contemplating an increasing threat to the long-term survival of planet Earth, our Mother as the biggest one. My aim is to provide those of you who are just beginning to get to grips with the larger, more complex – and fascinating! – dimensions of astrology beyond the merely personal with some initial perspectives hopefully to whet your appetites.
To read the whole of this article, which I’m happy to say was published on Astrodienst yesterday, please click HERE:
2500 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2019
Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see About Page
Very interesting article thanks Anne, and great to have you back again☺
And very nice to hear from you again, eremophila…must drop by and visit! Yes, this article has attracted a lot of attention on my Facebook Pages and one or two other places I post…I may well share some of the comments on this actual post when I have time.
I had been planning to re-hab this site anyway as part of the preparation for promoting my next book…but Facebook in its wisdom (?) having blocked my Astrology: Questions and Answers site on the grounds that it ‘breaches community standards’ – I am one of the many people inappropriately blocked by this outburst of retrospective morality on Facebook’s part – I had to find an alternative way to post my material. Still, It’s quite something to know that my site has so much power to corrupt the entire known world that it has to be stopped …
Via Facebook:
19.9.19:
Christina Rodenbeck:
This is such an excellent piece, Anne. You put things in perspective beautifully.I shall be referring to it often!
Many thanks, Christina. It started off as some notes for my tutorial group, but grew arms and legs…
I especially loved the Hallowe’en coincidences!
Via Facebook:
19.9.19:
Elspeth MacLean Gibb:
This is so interesting Anne !
Thanks, Elspeth – well, most people do not realise that there is so much more to astrology than the popular sun sign material – we can use it to track the great cycles of Time, which may not take the pain away from the immediacy of human turmoil here on planet Earth, but at least it offers us an opportunity to stand back and gain some kind of perspective thereby developing a little bit of philosophical detachment…
Via Facebook:
19.9.19:
Janet Bowman Johnson:
Interesting! Merc going retrograde that day says to me there may be a reversal of decision later on…
Quite, Janet! It made me laugh, actually – I think if we don’t laugh at it all we are liable to go totally round the bend… Bring back William Gladstone and his ilk, I say! There were once politicians in this world who actually knew how to run countries constructively. There aren’t any in the UK at present…
Few in the U.S either… 🥺
Via Facebook:
19.9.19:
Tim Burness:
Great stuff, Anne, and very nice to see it on astro.com too!
Many thanks, Tim, much appreciated – at least we have the planetary cycles to offer us some kind of explanation of why the world seems to be going bonkers at the moment!
Via Facebook:
19.9.19:
Jennifer Rhind:
Fabulous article – just what I was wanting to read 🙂
Thanks so much, Jennifer. Yes, I think there’s quite an appetite for finding perspectives on the current turmoil – that’s why I wrote the article, as well as to inform my students…
Via Facebook:
19.9.19:
Jeanette Henderson Han:
Great article, and great research!
Many thanks, Jeanette! I’ve always loved the insights the larger cycles have to offer…