THE YEAR OF REVOLUTION

The Year of Revolution:  1848.  Uranus and Pluto in Aries, in hard aspect to one another.  Neptune in Pisces. Revolutionary fever swept through Europe, one country after another.  Italy, France, Germany, Prussia, the Austrian Empire—including ethnic factions of Serbs, Croats, Czechs, Hungarians, pushing for their own nations.

Now, here we are again:  2011.  Uranus moving into Aries, in hard aspect to Pluto.  Neptune moving into Pisces.  This time, the fervor seems to be sweeping the Arab nations but, astrologically, the most extreme aspects have yet to arrive.

Freedom-loving Jupiter led the way by going into Aries on January 22^nd and making a  square to Pluto in Capricorn.  Jupiter does things in a big way, but tends to make things easy, thus the relative ease with which the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt gave way.  However, Uranus will follow, entering Aries on March 11^th, also making a square to Pluto.  That’s where the going gets tough—or at least, more volatile and unpredictable.  Such is the nature of Uranus.

In 1848, the aspect between Uranus and Pluto was a conjunction, fusing their energies.  Both were in Aries.  Aries is great at initiating, but not so good at follow-through.  The revolutions of 1848 petered out over the next few years and the autocrats returned.  Back then, Neptune in Pisces seems to have contributed a great deal of spaciness to the efforts of the people.

This time, the aspect is a square, providing much more overt tension.  Squares demand more than action.  They demand change.  And Pluto is in Capricorn.  Because of the serious, steadfast nature of Capricorn, this time should bring about a deep-seated destruction of entrenched powers, forcing an overhaul of society’s institutions.

Why is this happening in the Arab world?  Probably because Europe has, over the years, become more democratic and less oppressive while the Arab countries are primarily in the grips of leaders who insist on absolute power.  The situation is ripe for transformation.

Not that the rest of the world is off the hook.  Anyplace where the privileged continue to gain at the expense of the people is going to experience unrest, protests, revolts.  That certainly includes the United States.  It began with the Tea Party, but that’s not the end.

Hopefully, when Neptune enters Pisces, on April 4^th, the beginnings of a peaceful path will appear.  However, Neptune’s stay in Pisces is brief before it retrogrades back into Aquarius for next fall and winter.  Even though it returns to Pisces in February, 2012, the square between Uranus and Pluto is more powerful than Neptune—and the square remains in place for the next six years.  All this disruption is going to take time to sort itself out and find a constructive direction, but more change—even bigger and more unsettling than we’ve seen so far—is still on the way.