Nuance, complex thinking and the capacity to embrace paradox all seem to have got lost in a febrile mood of tribal identity and entrenched beliefs whether political, religious or other that now damps down intelligent debate. Disagreement ends in howl round. Maybe ‘twas always this or blame it on the can-be-fanatical and not-open-to-evidence Uranus Neptune conjunction that launched the world wide web in 1991. Religion, various, rearing its head does not help either.
We are now moving into Pluto in (broadly) tolerant Aquarius which reaped the fruits of the Enlightenment and the liberte, eqalite, fraternite French Revolution last time round. Side by side at the moment we have Saturn Neptune at its best fighting for the underdog (women and workers). We should be hopeful, yet there seems little sign of progress towards the ideal. Paradoxes are rife in Gaza (poor Palestinians, brutal Hamas and a misogynistic, anti-gay culture) and the Iran situation (ditto on attitudes and appalling regime but downtrodden civilians are collateral damage in illegal US-Israel assault); and in the toxic debate about immigration in the UK including new laws against anti-Muslim hostility.
Trump is the banner carrier for intolerance yet as philosopher Karl Popper pointed out in his book The Open Society and Its Enemies – “Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant … then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.”
Keir Starmer and his cohorts are the opposite as the (admittedly right wing) Telegraph opines: “The legal immigration systems of western democracies have been described as “welcoming” and “liberal”, but in the name of freedom and tolerance we have opened our doors to those who hate these values and wish to destroy them.”
In between are the bewildered electorate who are “as repulsed by Trumpism as by the hyper-liberalism to which it was the putative remedy.” “What this moment demands is not — the sentimentalism that mistakes weakness for virtue, nor the strongman theatrics that mistake vengeance for strength.” (Matthew Syed).
Looking back on the influential thinkers who were around pre and post the last Pluto in Aquarius a constant theme is that religion should be kept separate from political and cultural life.
Philosopher Baruch Spinoza, 24 November 1632 2pm Amsterdam, a forerunner of the Age of Enlightenment, thought that ecclesiastic authority should have no role in a secular, democratic state. He argued for a pantheistic view of God and explored the place of human freedom in a world devoid of theological, cosmological, and political moorings.
John Locke, 29 August 1632, an English philosopher, one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers, known as the “father of liberalism” contended that religion is a matter for the individual, ruling out religious coercion and argued for the separation of church and state. His Two Treatises on Government argues for government based on the consent of the governed and the right to revolt against tyrannous government, which has lost consent. The Two Treatises had a direct influence on the language that Thomas Jefferson chose in his drafting the July 1776 Declaration of Independence during the American Revolution.
Later on, John Stuart Mill, 20 May 1808, an English philosopher, conceived of liberty as justifying the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state and social control and advocated political and social reforms such as proportional representation, the emancipation of women, and the development of labour organisations.
Karl Popper, 28 July 1902 Austria, known for his Enlightenment rationalism and humanism, vigorously defended liberal democracy. He was a dogged opponent of totalitarianism, communism, nationalism, fascism.
Just as Europe has moved away from religion as a central facet of life (less so the USA) the entry of Islam via immigration has posed a thorny question. Allison Pearson in the Telegraph has let loose a howl of outrage against the UK Government’s new social cohesion strategy Protecting What Matters which tackles “hostility and hatred directed at Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim”.
She writes: “(If) you make a perfectly valid criticism, reflecting a concern that is shared by millions of people – for instance viewing the burka as a hideous, life-limiting garment that has no place in an equal society – before you can say “Islamophobia”, you are the problem.” “Don’t they realise their great-grandmothers fought so that women in this country didn’t have to cover themselves, stay inside the house or be marched to a polling station by a controlling patriarch who tells them how to vote?”
Oddly enough the Islamic Calendar of 622, Saudi Arabia 1902, the Iran Islamic Republic 1979, Al Quaeda 1988/92 all have either Uranus Neptune conjunctions (622) or Uranus Neptune Opposition (1902), a complicated Uranus midway between Neptune Pluto and Uranus Neptune conjunction (1979), and Uranus Neptune conjunction (1992) – so all share the fairly dogmatic Uranus Neptune stamp which brooks no argument or deviation from its world view.
Not sure I am any clearer about how to encapsulate what comes next.
Assuming Nate Hagens/Norman Cohn are correct and the upsurge of Messiahs (religion will save us) comes in a period of social upheaval and uncertainty, there may be hope that the scope for complex thinking will return. During tumultuous times the pendulum of cultural attitudes swings from one extreme to the other. The middle way when it settles would allow for less rigid attitudes. Except that fundamentalist Islam has been at full throttle over most of the 20th Century, though only really visible in the UK since 1989. So it cannot be put down to this particular celestial gear change. Though maybe this transition is what is needed to nudge the pendulum over.
More thinking-in-process than astrology I am afraid.
this piece goes to what has been so on my mind as an American. How do we heal the divide when everyone is so entrenched in their own epistemic bubble?
It’s not just liberal v conservative, but e.g., MAGA is infighting with increasingly disturbing results re conspiracy thinking and the left refuse to make any compromise on a presidential candidate even while claiming to prioritize getting rid of the current occupant.
it’s also difficult to have conversations with people who’ve have (unknowingly) been exposed to foreign disinfo campaigns. AI can be used and we see in Iran war is being used to amplify and seed disinformation as well (embarrassingly by our own president here).
I’m hoping Aquarius will bring some measure of cooling down from cult fever thinking that is so destructive to civility and begin to bring a shared understanding of reality.
I read an article in The Guardian recently where the judiciary in Belgium sounded the alarm saying that the country is at risk of becoming a narco-state because of the flood of drugs into its ports from S America. As a result, these crimes are now posing a risk to the country’s social stability and cohesion. Apparently, extensive mafia structures have become a parallel force that challenges their own police forces with pervasive violence, shootings, kidnappings, torture, and money laundering. Port employees who hesitate or refuse to help the gangs face threats and bombings while children as young as 13 were being exploited by these gangs. Many judges now live in safe houses and/or are under permanent protection, while others will conjure up procedural errors to avoid convicting these criminals since doing so would put themselves at risk. The naivete of of idealistic, progressive politicians that refused to clamp down on this issue in its infancy has led to the current state of chaos and now things are out of control. Sad state of affairs for both Belgium and the Netherlands
Many thanks for this Marjorie.
In my mind there’s a couple of things here. One is the level of tribal, you’re-with-us-or-you’re-against-us approach that has become so prevalent in recent times, to the detriment of nuance and tolerance. Sadly, outright racism plays very easily into this way of looking at the world – and there is a lot more outright racism about these days, largely as a result of the surge of the neoliberal-funded, Putin-and-Trump supported far right and their ‘normalisation’ in the media and social media in various countries.
However there is also AI, which perhaps fits with these transits. Constantly asking chat-bots to give us answers is rducing human capacity for critical thinking, and removing human agency for making decisions. It’s easily open to manipulation by unscrupulous, authoritarian, capitalist types to drive the world to even more extremes, whilst at the same time removing power and agency from ordinary humans. A real dumbing-down.
It’s not looking too good at the moment with the outer planets tbh. Fire and Air – a dangerous combo without the other two elements to balance them.
Thanks for this Marjorie and for comment from Gnarly on the BBC piece- all very interesting reading as we try and make sense of this chaotic time.
Who was it who said: “When we think a thing, the thing we think is not the thing we think we think, but the thing we think we think we think.
Sounds a bit like:
“There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don’t know we don’t know.” Donald Rumsfeld, February 2002 – on Iraq’s supposed ‘weapons of mass destruction’…..
@Jane, I think of his comments frequently, especially since they encapsulate so much of the current US government action.
I m still trying to find what caused Islam as problem for world astrologically since it’s older than Pluto in last 40yrs.
I am also uranus Neptune with uranus between Pluto though I am not seen as dogmatic, rather people call me for evidence, might be some other planet as key ruler.
I am coming to observe that retro n planet in hidden house r more powerful than direct or visible to others as whatever is done hideously has no obstruction from others.
Religion in any field is harmful and empowers when sanctimonius upheld.
Yet,pluto in Aquarius is shocking (typical uranus, ruler of Aquarius) uniting taxpayers, working class liberals to change govts as of repeatedly telling world,” enough is enough” in liberalism and though it looks Islamophobia in developed world,it’s sectarian in developing countries, gender in Japanese kind cultures where women weren’t made leaders and surprisingly the most introvert japanese r protesting against immigrants 🙂
shocks giving laughter, Pluto in Aquarius begins
Thinking! My head is in my hands for the lack of a basic It, that’s at the root of any one Neuron that’s the start, an influence; and its continuum! Not a pretty mess World is in, right now. And much to do with the lack of coherent Thinking in its history., lrd is in, no
Thank you Marjorie, love reading your nuanced view on our culture and world politics
Coincidentally there was a BBC article by Nicky Campbell yesterday where he writes about how TV and radio shows have become increasingly polarised and people now won’t even listen to each other. In the past they would disagree but be able to listen and sometimes even persuaded.
“https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1w5z1d447lo”
This is an excellent, thoughtful article, Marjorie. Many thanks.
What a marvellous opening line – sums up so much very eloquently –
I always associate Rodin’s sculpture with Descartes! “I think therefore I am”. it is said that the Universe is built on Young/Yang, Feminine/Masculine, Positive/Negative and the Binary rule. Pluto rules of Scorpio Water/Underworld. Aquarius Uranus/ Groups , friends and friendships associations – country’s alliances? Each of these planets have a positive and negative. Therefore, Pluto transiting Uranus, may bring another form of enlightenment by breaking down old alliances a negative , in order to rebuild a positive? America is coming up to its 250th year Independence Anniversary. Uranus was discovered just before or just after the America /French Revolutions. According to google AI on Uranus was discovered. On 13th March 1871? This Friday is the 13th March! Interestingly enough it takes Pluto approximately 248 years to transit the entire 360 degree chart. Given this number, maybe now is a very auspicious time for the country’s who underwent Revolutions, as they are feeling Pluto and Aquarius. Trump is like marmite in this world – many on the left of politics hold him in utter disdain and the right appear to tolerate him? However, to the Universe he may be here for a reason. A messenger? I have trouble with Philosophical thinkers, as it is their thoughts which others hold on too. Like I have written – I much prefer Descartes as he give us all a chance to think!
I wonder about Chiron in Aries and a wound to individual identity (real or perceived). Granted, it has only been there since 2018, but to me, the hyperfocus on identities has stepped up since then. Last visits 1968-77, 1918-26, if someone smarter than me can draw any parallels.
Uranus moved into Taurus in 2018 – I’ve read elsewhere that is the culprit – Taurus isn’t changing for anyone else and as ruler of Throat (which is linked to ears and nose) has an opinion to voice but isn’t listening.
Aforementioned reading stated that once Uranus moves into Gemini we should find a better chance for debate with exchange of views.
How thought-provoking. Emmeline Plankhurst has Uranus in the 3rd house at 2 degrees of Gemini.
It will be interesting to see what technological advances will emerge under Uranus in Gemini. Of course Uranus’s last ingress into Gemini saw America enter WW2 after the attack on Pearl Harbour. Through necessity there were advancements in areas such as communications, aviation, radar and also medicine – treating the wounded bought forth all kinds of medical advances, for example U.S. surgeon Charles Drew standardized the production of blood plasma, enabling its use on the battlefield. Bletchley Park and its Colussus computers. The synthesis of Plutonium. The importance of mass media, particularly radio and in America the first commercial TV.
I hope we can move away from the entrenched and stubborn Uranus in Taurus. And I think we need to educate young people on how to conduct a debate or discussion without resorting to aggressive insults and tribalism. As children we were encouraged by our parent to discuss and share our individual views and opinions round the table at meal times. It’s a pity families don’t do that so much now. There’s been times, when I’ve been shocked at the aggressive responses one gets when posting a reasonable view or an opinion and the explosive attacks which leaves one feeling shattered and reluctant to post again.