Australia met the challenge of the Solar Eclipse by ducking and rejecting the government’s proposal to create a permanent body for indigenous people to advise parliament. Best estimates are that 60% voted no. It was an attempt to improve the lives of the indigenous population and close the enormous gap that persists between them and non-indigenous Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders account for 3.8 per cent of Australia’s population of 26 million people. Opponents gained traction with the public by claiming it would divide Australia by race, bestowing special privileges on one small minority.
The Australia Settlement chart of 26 January 1788 had yesterday’s Eclipse conjunct the Neptune. Jansky remarks that Neptune triggered by an eclipse can be an opportunity for greater spiritual understanding and joy (idealism/caring as well). Misused it leads to self-deceit. Typical Neptunian dither and evasion. Though chickens may come home to roost in coming years as the Solar Arc Venus and significantly Saturn will conjunct the Neptune in 2025/27. Even before then next April’s Aries Eclipse will oppose the Neptune perhaps exposing the insincerity.
New Zealand also rallied voters in an election which saw a sharp swing to the right as the Solar Eclipse opposed the Aries Moon. Jacinda Ardern’s sweeping victory in 2020 was reversed as the country grapples with economic pain.
In a mundane chart the Moon refers to the public though can also indicate an emotional component when it is triggered. The next April Aries Solar Eclipse will conjunct the NZ Moon so the enormous pressures on the NZ chart won’t magically disappear with a new shade of government. Pressures will intensify with tr Pluto continuing to conjunct the NZ Mars in Capricorn till late this year and square the Pluto till late 2024. With two high-tension and deprived/tough conditions Solar Arcs – Saturn opposition Pluto and Pluto opposition Moon – in 2024 as well. With financial disappointments in 2023/24 and upheavals into 2025/26.
There may well be political musical chairs for a while. I will return to NZ and politicians when the new government is sworn in.
3,347 deaths from covid in New Zealand. Pop about 5 million. I wish we never had those.
For me suppression of women’s voices regarding gender issues and govt approved violence to women who tried to protest it caused me to vote Labour out. National are far more balanced about women and the trans issue. I am not a big fan of National but I was relieved to see Labour go. I lived most of my life under a National govt. I survive them. The eraser of my sex is a different matter…and Labour have been leaders in it.
what on earth are you on about Delia? Govt approved violence??? As a strong NZ woman your view is news to me. My voice has never been suppressed. If you are referring strictly to transgender issues, the trans women I have been acquainted with over the years often exhibit more ‘adjustment’ and self esteem issues than simple gender problems, and often dip into victim mode when faced with life’s invariable challenges that everyone faces from time to time.
A lot of Trumpian tactics of fear, misinformation and downright lies were used in the No campaign and it was very effective. The Yes campaign failed to combat this style and their message was never clear enough for the average person to grasp. Relying on positivity doesn’t always work, clearly, in political campaigns.
The indigenous communities voted decisively in favour of the referendum as did Teal seats (previously held prior to Australia’s last election by conservatives). The majority of city seats voted Yes and outer suburban seats and regional seats voted No. Referendums in Australia do not have a great success rate. It’s the price we pay for living in a democracy and although I voted Yes and was disappointed with the result, I’ll happily pay it. The collective have spoken.
Albanese still has tr Pluto conjunct his Venus. In fact it turned stationary direct a few days before the vote. His “values” are indeed having a major shake up.
Thank you Marjorie for commenting on NZ! Not a surprising result given all that has happened in recent years.
Most people in NZ that I know were very thankful for the covid quarantine measures ordered despite the inconvenience. From what I observed here, NZ covid related unrest was directly driven by US linked $$$ funded right wing stirrers promoting political unrest – namely, Bannon supported media types, wealthy US immigrant Trump supporters, and the US evangelical trained and brainwashed acolytes. Classic divide and conquer strategy. The sheer volume of disinformation and conspiracy keyboard warrior narratives during that time was shocking. I think the reason lockdowns dragged on longer than anticipated was because of too many people believing false narratives and deliberately flouting common sense heath advice. Even some people I thought I knew quite well were sucked in to the hatred and lies.
Australian here who voted Yes. I understand why some voted No. Indigenous leaders were split on whether the voice was a good idea or whether it should be a treaty. Some no voters supported the no vote because they agreed with those indigenous leaders who thought the proposal did not go far enough.
What would the treaty spell out?
The voice was advisory only not binding whereas a treaty would have fixed elements that were not been specified that could not be ignored by the Govt of the day.
Thanks Marjorie. I’m horrified at the Australia referendum result. People colonise a continent and push out the indigenous people, and they don’t even have the decency to try to repair the damage done? It seems inhuman, utterly selfish to me (shades of the Brexit vote here in the UK). but I have no experience of the Australian culture.
I can’t help but be drawn to the planets in the Australia natal chart – that Sun on the ‘brave new world’ Aquarian ascendant being met recently by SA Jupiter, that Pluto met by SA South Node and Venus met by SA Mars, also SA MC on Jupiter. these are now all past exact – it feels like a country who have been kidding themselves everything will be fine (supported by all that Aquarius cold airiness), soon to be met by reality, as you say with Saturn etc. Australia has had more of a climate wakeup call than most in recent years, I wonder how this will play out.
“It seems inhuman, utterly selfish to me (shades of the Brexit vote here in the UK)…”
Europeans did it to the Amerindians. Under the guise of “the cross”. Then, under the guise of Manifest Destiny.
Yes. It doesn’t make it right.
As a New Zealanders living in the country during covid, could I correct the statement about sky rocketing numbers of cases once lockdown was lifted. This is incorrect. Initially the country, as was the case world wide, did not have sufficient vaccines for whole the population hence the lockdown. Auckland was locked down more than once but in the South Island we had one lockdown of around four weeks. The lockdowns were extremely effective, although not welcomed by all, as was the vaccination programme for those who chose to be vaccinated. The Guardian newspaper recently estimated that some 20,000 lives were saved here because of the Ardern policies. Deaths from covid in NZ were tiny compared to everywhere else. The majority occured in rest homes before vaccines were available. The angst against the previous government is largely due to the cost of living increases resulting from the pandemic and the global economic woes as well as anxieties about race relations(co-governance).There is an anti-vax segment here but their polling was inconsequential.
Just over 20 years ago I visited Australia. Friends asked me where exactly I went. I replied “I stayed in Melbourne for two days and then went to 1955!” It seems little has changed since my last visit.
‘… stayed in Melbourne for two days and then went to 1955!” LOL literally
Sums up this stacked and rigged referendum.
Hey from Australia. A very difficult day for a lot of folk. One thing I would like to offer is that the no vote is complicated and complex. Having a referendum, however flawed, has maybe allowed white Australia to see the great diversity of opinions within the Indigenous and Torres Island Straits communities towards The Voice and treaty. Not exactly an Albo fan but felt for the guy today.Ironically, coming home, there was an Indigenous man on the bus, angry and abusive. Myself, the Chinese bus driver and indian passenger copped a good verbal hiding from him. Hard for me at least not to empathize with him. We do need to do better but at this point I don’t know what that better is. However ! I think I will start by donating to the Aboriginal literacy foundation.
This is a pretty good analysis.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-15/referendum-result-yes-campaign-political-inferno
Thanks for reading folks.
As a Brit living in Australia, the referendum vote, was completely obscured by the Albanese
government. The Aboriginal people of Australia are already represented in parliament.
The problem with the Referendum, was that the Albanese Government refused to tell the
general public what the vote was all about. They wanted people to vote for the referendum
without telling the population what was involved, & saying we will tell you after you vote!!?? Whois going to vote for something when they don,t know what it involves?
What was worse, was that ,whatever was voted for would be enshrined in the Constitution.
It is almost as if the Aboriginal community, are portrayed as having no voice in parliament,
But this is untrue.
.
Generally speaking, it seems that wherever you live in the world, voters are not happy with their politicians. That seems like one of the effects of the Pluto in Capricorn era – the ‘death’ of leaderships / politics.
A political observer mentioned on X/Twitter that the public seem to be in a mood to vote out governments which imposed Covid lockdowns, or failed to suitably deal with the Covid pandemic.
NZ was hailed as a success with its lockdown policy, but when the lockdown was lifted, without adequate vaccination in place, the infection and death rates sky-rocketed.
To be honest, the result in Australia should have been expected. The Australian public has been very reluctant to amend their constitution, only eight of a proposed 44 amendments actually being approved.
The threshold for amending the Australian constitution is relatively low, compared the US’s; at least half the votes in a referendum AND at least a majority of the votes in half the number of states. Almost all the rejected amendments failed both counts, with only three failed amendments meeting the first, but not the second requirement.
Famously of course, the 1999 referendum for removing the Queen as head of state, failed to meet both requirements.
And as for interpreting “Pluto in” a sign as death of whatever is associated with that sign, imagine what Pluto in Aquarius (the collective, groups of people, etc) will bring about; the death of the collective, of fragmentation of society.
The French Revolution, of guillotining people for who they were or even on just accusation, and thus of not being able to trust your neighbours, happened on the last Pluto in Aquarius cycle.
Forgot to mention that voting in Australia is mandatory, with turnouts being 90%+.
And the “democracy sausage” is not a bad idea either. Perhaps the US should adopt that Australian tradition.
From Wikipedia;
“Democracy sausage” is the colloquial name for a sausage wrapped in a slice of bread, bought from a sausage sizzle operated as a fundraiser at Australian polling places on election day, often in aid of the institutions that house the polling place. In 2016, the BBC reported that just under one-third of the 1,992 polling booths across Australia had a sausage stand by the count of the Election Sausage Sizzles website.
The democracy sausage has become so well recognised in Australian culture, that in the 24 hours leading up to the 2 July 2016 federal election Twitter changed its emoji for #ausvotes from a ballot box to a sausage lying on a slice of white bread topped with sauce.
The French Revolution happened when Uranus was opposing Pluto in Aquarius which made all the difference – creating havoc. There is not one of these during this next Pl in Aqu.
Ecuador is having the 2nd round of its Presidential election today. The eclipse was visible there I believe so could be significant for them too. It was a snap election due to the incumbent invoking a never before used power to call it. Prior to the first vote, candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassintated. In that first round, Daniel Noboa was a surprise runner-up to Luisa Gonzalez.