THE NEPTUNE-PLUTO SYNODIC CYCLE
THE PULSE OF CIVILISATION
PART TWO: DYNAMICS OF ASPECTS
By
Maurice Lavenant
© 2013 Maurice Lavenant – All rights reserved
In part one of this study, we saw that conjunctions coincided with new impulses in the process of
civilisation, with Neptune symbolising the redeeming element (Eros) offered as an antidote to the
terror generated in the face of death (Thanatos) represented by Pluto. We will now turn our
attention to the main aspects formed between these two planets during the course of their cycle.
For the purpose of this study, only the cycle starting at the conjunction of 1398 will be reviewed. The
aspects formed from the conjunction to the waxing sextile will be treated in a separate section as
they are particularly relevant to our current phase of civilisation. But before we begin to explore this
cycle, let’s first briefly review the essential meaning of the main aspects.
SQUARES – DECIDING & REVALUING
In general, squares represent important moments of reorientation. The waxing square – when the
faster planet is between 82 to 98º from the slower one – is meant to represent a time of decision
when the inertia of past patterns – the force of habit – must be overcome. Thus, ideally, this phase
demands a detachment from the past as well as a commitment to the process of individuation, if it is
to unfold. In the case of the Neptune-Pluto cycle, this commitment must be related to a new set of
death denial symbols that emerged around the times of the previous conjunction and to the
discarding of obsolete patterns carried forward from previous cycles. The waning square phase takes
place after the oppositions, when the faster planet is 262 to 278º from the slow one, on its way to
the next conjunction. Like waxing squares, waning squares theoretically also represent a time of
crisis and reorientation. In this case, the challenge is to let go of obsolete forms and patterns at the
level of consciousness. To fail to let go of outdated translations at that point sets up conditions
favourable for repression, decadence and decay to set in, until the situation is renewed, usually
around the time of the next conjunction.
TRINES – EXPRESSING & UNDERSTANDING
Planets in trine form an angle of 112 to 127º in the waxing phase, and 232 to 248º during the waning
part of the cycle. Traditionally, trines are aspects of relative ease when compared to the struggle
associated with squares or the motivated self-expression linked with conjunctions. Waxing trines
usually represent spontaneous creative expressions and outward applications in response to a need
that emerged at the time of the previous conjunction. In the case of waning trines, creativity
depends more on intake and responsiveness – following the realisation experienced during the
opposition – leading to a new kind of understanding of what needs to be gradually discarded during
the phase circumscribed by the forthcoming waning square and the next conjunction. In the case of
the Neptune-Pluto cycle, the waxing trine should theoretically give rise to a fuller expression of
death denying symbols while the waning trine should ideally manifest a new understanding of the
polarising and conflicting elements that emerged during the opposition.
OPPOSITIONS - REALISING
In theory, oppositions are understood to require a repolarisation in functional activities as
symbolised by the planets involved, according to the mode of operation represented by the zodiacal
signs in which the aspect takes place. Generally, oppositions demand a degree of objectivity,
acceptance, and detachment before they can resolve successfully. If this step is missed, oppositions
then frequently manifest as external conflicts in which the qualities associated with one planet are
habitually projected onto a convenient hook. In the context of the Neptune-Pluto cycle, it seems
obvious that, as a symbol for Thanatos, Pluto is likely to be the element disowned and projected on
any real or perceived threat to the life-giving symbols of a dominant culture and, as such, manifests
as significant efforts spent on defence, wars and conflicts.
1398-1576: FROM CONJUNCTION TO WAXING SQUARE: RENAISSANCE; AGE OF DISCOVERY;
COMMERCIAL & SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS; PROTESTANT REFORMATION
As we have seen in part one of this study, the 1398 conjunction in Gemini was soon followed by a
significant period of exploration and expansion. Effectively, the phase from the conjunction to the
series of waxing squares between 1563 and 1576 marked the beginning of the Great Divergence (aka
“The European Miracle”) that overcame pre-modern growth constraints, and gradually established
the Western world as the most powerful and wealthy civilisation by the end of the 19th century,
around the time of the next conjunction. To understand this better, we need to scrutinise the few
decades preceding this conjunction that essentially signalled the breakdown of the medieval order.
Arguably, the most significant event taking place during that period was the second plague
pandemic. The disease originated from China, and began to spread at the time of the series of
waning squares (1317-1332) then, it travelled westward along the Silk Road to reach Europe where it
killed an estimated 75-200 million people – roughly 30-60% of the total population – between 1335
and 1351 when it slowly began to abate under Neptune and Pluto’s series of waning sextiles (13491355). This concluding part of the previous cycle also coincided with the tail end of the Mongol
conquests (1206-1368) that decreased the world population by 17%; with a great famine (13151322) in Western Europe, mostly due to the climatic transition signalling the onset of the Little Ice
Age (ca. 1350-1850); with a commensurate increase in the levels of crime, infanticide and
cannibalism; and with the beginning of the 100 years war (1328-1453), all of which marked a clear
end to the era of growth and prosperity seen during the Medieval Warm Period. Thus, this stage
coincided with a significant breakdown of the death denial symbols that dominated the culture of
the time: translations failed, a transformation ensued, and the quest for salvation was further
sought in the realm of thought, knowledge, and science that was to emerge as the dominant
paradigm over the following centuries.
Gutenberg’s printing press was invented in 1439 under the waxing semi-square (keyword:
dissemination) and became fully operational in 1455 when the Bible was first printed, at the time of
the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Leo, soon followed by the Neptune-Pluto first series of waxing
sextiles (1457-1484) that effectively kicked off the printing revolution. From a single and modest
shop in Mainz, printing had spread to most of Europe by the end of the 15th century. Perhaps worth
noting, the printing press was first put to use during 1454-55 to print thousands of letters of
Indulgence as it was highly profitable for the church. In any case, there is little doubt that the
exponential dissemination of thought afforded by the emergence of printing technology contributed
immensely to such movements as the Protestant Reformation, the Renaissance, and the Scientific
Revolution.
Meanwhile, the commercial undertone suggested by the Gemini conjunction also manifested in the
carving of massive colonial empires initiated first by the Portuguese in 1415, soon followed by the
Spaniards in 1492, and other European nations. Such expansion enabled the gradual rise of
Capitalism in the coming centuries. Notably, after experiencing disastrous hyperinflation, the Ming
dynasty ended the use of printed money in 1455 and returned to silver and gold coins that remained
in use until the end of the Imperial system in 1912 when paper currency was reintroduced. Aside
from the enormous financial benefits obtained from such exploration, some classical scientific
concepts came under strong scrutiny as they no longer fitted with contemporary discoveries. Thus,
the scientific revolution began with the first publication of Euclid’s Elements towards the end of the
first series of sextiles in 1482, although Copernicus’ book “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly
Spheres”, first published in 1543, towards the end of the second series of sextiles - is usually quoted
to signify its official beginning.
As Neptune reached 19º Gemini, it formed a series of waxing squares with Pluto in Pisces between
1563 and 1576 – exact between 1568 and 1573 – and the force of habit of past thought patterns
were challenged by new theoreticians such as Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) who published his
astronomical treatise – “On the New Star” – in 1573; Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626 ) who effectively
established a scientific priesthood by coining the phrase “Knowledge is Power”; Galileo Galilei (15641642) whose trial before the Roman inquisition remains a cornerstone in the history of science, or
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630 ) whose famous astronomical, mathematical, and astrological
contributions require no introduction. Around 1563, Sir Francis Drake established the infamous Slave
Triangle by importing the first cargo of African natives to the West Indies. Uranus in Sagittarius
formed a T-square with Neptune and Pluto from 1566-69, thereby intensifying the religious
dimension of this conflicting period. This series of squares was also marked by the Ottoman Empire’s
maximum expansion, following Suleiman’s death in 1566; by the French Religious Wars (1562-1598);
by the early stages of decline of the Ming dynasty under Emperor Wanli (r. 1572-1620) in China; by
the beginning of the Warring States Period (Sengoku) in Japan; by the establishment of a convoy
system of sailing ships known as the Silver Fleet (1566-1790) designed to transport goods around the
Spanish Empire that effectively kicked off the Age of Sails (1571); by the execution of the last Inca
leader (1572); and by another epidemic of plague (1563) that claimed 80,000 lives in England.
1576-1603: FROM SQUARE TO WAXING TRINE: RELATIVE APPEASEMENT; COLONIAL EXPANSION &
COLONIAL EMPIRES
Shortly before the series of waxing trines, the Iberian Union (1580-1640) was formed through a
dynastic union between the monarchies of Spain and Portugal that oversaw the merging of their
respective colonial Empires. At the same time, Elisabeth I established the First British Empire (15831783) in the early part of the 17th century.
Neptune and Pluto then formed a series of waxing trines between 1590-1603, with Neptune
travelling from 08º Leo to 02º Virgo and Pluto from 12 to 26º Aries. The aspect was exact during
1594-98. The historical climate was marked by a long war between the Ottoman and the Habsburg
(1591-1606); by the birth of René Descartes (1596-1650); by the Edict of Nantes (1598) that put an
end to the French Religious Wars; by the performance in Florence (1598) of the first opera ever
written by Jacopo Peri; by the beginning of the Edo Period (1600) that followed the Warring States
period in Japan; and by the beginning of the British expansion in India (1600). In early 1600, the
Huaynaputina volcano erupted in Peru and caused a great famine (1601-1603) estimated to have
decreased the Russian population by 30%.
1603-1654: FROM TRINE TO OPPOSITION: RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS; ABSOLUTE MONARCHY &
ENLIGHTENMENT
The quincunx took place between 1619 and 1623 and coincided with the Holy Roman Empire
economic crisis, and the subsequent Bohemian Revolt that kicked off the 30 years war. Pluto and
Neptune opposed between 1640 and 1654 with Neptune transiting from 27º Scorpio to 23º
Sagittarius and Pluto moving from 03 to 15º Gemini. The aspect was exact between 1644 and 1648.
In 1650, Uranus conjoined Neptune at 15-16º Sagittarius to oppose Pluto thus, accentuating again
the religious dimension of the constellation. Notably, we see these oppositions echoing the position
of the 1398 conjunction as well as pre-empting the location of the 1891 conjunction.
The 17th century is described by some historians as the “General Crisis”, and the 1640s were indeed
particularly intense as more States broke down and more wars were fought during this decade than
in any previous or subsequent period in recorded history. Amongst other events, this opposition also
oversaw: The English civil war (1642-1651); the tail-end of the 30 years war (1618-1648 ), one of the
longest and most destructive religious conflicts in European history that caused a 15% decrease in
European population; The Fronde in France (1648-1653) that later led to absolute monarchy;
secessions and upheaval in several parts of the Spanish Empire; In China, a combination of political
instability, natural disasters, epidemics and inflation caused a 30% demographic collapse, rebellions,
and invasion that eventually terminated the Ming and launched the Qing Dynasty in 1644. In 1645,
one of the worst massacres in Chinese history took place in Yangzhou where Qing troops
slaughtered around 800,000 residents loyal to the Ming; in 1639, Japan’s shogunate enacted a
“locked country” policy (aka Sakoku) that effectively forbad foreigners to enter or Japanese citizens
to leave the country under the penalty of death. With such contributors as Blaise Pascal (16231662), René Descartes, and Isaac Newton (1642-1727), these oppositions also marked the beginning
of the Age of Enlightenment (1650-1800). Finally, this aspect also signalled the beginning of the
Maunder minimum (1645-1715) – a period of low sunspot count – that coincided with low
temperatures around the world.
1654-1790: FROM OPPOSITION TO WANING TRINE: FIRST INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION; CENTRAL
BANKS & POLITICAL REVOLUTIONS
The climatic changes as well as the preceding years of conflicts had some disastrous consequences:
severe food shortages killed 10% of the population (1692-94) in France and almost 30% in Finland
(1696-97). In 1708, the famine wiped out 30% of the Prussian population and the following year was
recorded as the coldest in 500 years in Europe. Climate change peaked in 1740, a year now
designated as the Little Ice Age Maximum. Meanwhile in Iceland, volcano Laki erupted in 1783 and
decreased the local population by 50%. This volcanic eruption had such a tremendous impact on the
climate of the northern hemisphere that it is considered a major factor in triggering the French
revolution.
Such a severe climatic situation further motivated people to increase their reliance on knowledge
and technology as evidenced by the invention of the first commercial steam pump in 1698. As
Neptune travelled from Aries to Libra and Pluto from Leo to Aquarius from 1700 to 1790, a series of
waning trines formed and coincided with the emergence of a new level of understanding, whether
concerning the shaky social order or our fragile relationship with nature that so often proved
unreliable in sustaining livelihood from around the time of the last conjunction. Thus, it is during that
phase that the first Industrial Revolution kicked off. The movement started in Great Britain around
1770, during the Grand Earth Trine (1769-1771) with Uranus in Taurus. As already mentioned, Earth
signs tend to underscore possessiveness, particularly related to land or money, and demand stable
activities producing concrete results (see the 1073 BCE conjunction in part one). Meanwhile in China,
commitment to knowledge was evidenced by the publication of the enormous encyclopaedia “Gujin
Tushu Jicheng” (1726) that consisted of 100 million characters spread over 800,000 pages. This
gigantic compilation was matched in France by Diderot and d’Alembert’s Great Encyclopaedia
compiled (1751-1772) by such prominent contributors as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu,
amongst others. Notably, the Age of Enlightenment was also embodied in such movements as the
now infamous secularist “Illuminati”, initiated in Germany in 1776.
Central banks also began to emerge under these trines, with the exception of the Sveriges Riskbank
(Bank of Sweden) that was founded in 1668. The Bank of England was established in 1694 and
subsequently served as a model for most other central banks around the world. By 1745, the
Swedish central bank’s paper currency had become inconvertible in specie and depreciated so
rapidly that it had to return to a silver standard by 1776. As we’ve seen in part one, money assumes
a special function as a powerful death denial symbol, and the establishment of a centralised
authority to issue currencies and manage economies represented another step in controlling the
population.
The 7 years War (1754-1763), sometimes also referred to as the First World War by some historians
was essentially a fight over colonial territories – notably in North America – between Great Britain,
Prussia, Russia, France, Spain and Portugal, essentially all the colonialist powers that emerged at the
beginning of the Neptune-Pluto cycle under scrutiny. This resulted in severe economic difficulties for
the defeated nations whose leaders transferred the brunt of the burden to the people in the form of
taxation. Motivated by uncontrollable climate changes, unfair taxation and inspired by
Enlightenment philosophers who promoted such notions as universal equality, the protection of
liberty as well as the safety of citizens against their own government, the people eventually rose up
and challenged the prevalent concepts of absolute monarchy and feudal order. Such mass
movements crystallised around the American War of Independence (1775-1783) and the French
Revolution (1787-1799) that signified a break from a political paradigm established since the dawn
of civilisation although political power still remains concentrated in very few hands to this day.
1790-1822: FROM TRINE TO WANING SQUARE: NAPOLEONIC WARS & COLLAPSE OF EMPIRES
Following the loss of colonial territories in North America, the Second British Empire (1783-1815)
was established towards the end of the series of trines. Meanwhile, the French Revolutionary wars
(1792-1802) raged in continental Europe, soon followed by the Napoleonic wars (1803-1815), as
several coalitions attempted to restore the monarchy in France. Notably, unlike previous mercantile
and territorial conflicts, the Napoleonic Wars were rooted in ideology. In spite of its rapid demise,
the French Empire left a lasting legacy produced by the revolution in many European countries,
notably: democracy, due process in courts, and the abolition of privileges.
Neptune and Pluto formed a series of waning squares between 1809 and 1822 (exact in 1816) with
Neptune travelling from Sagittarius to Capricorn and Pluto from Pisces to Aries. These squares
corresponded with the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806) and the French Empire (18041814), followed by the Portuguese Empire – disbanded in 1821 – a year that incidentally also saw the
abolition of the Portuguese Inquisition (1536-1821). These squares oversaw the second War of
Independence (1812-1815) between the USA and Great-Britain and marked the beginning of the
British Imperial century (1815-1914) marred in a succession of conflicts (aka the Great Game, 18131907) with Imperial Russia fought over the control of Central Asia. In England, the military campaign
against Napoleon adversely impacted economic conditions and energised several radical movements
demanding parliamentary reforms culminating in the Peterloo massacre (1819).
On a global level, the climate was affected by the Dalton minimum (1790-1830) – a phase of lower
than average solar activity – that contributed to lower temperatures during that period. The 1815
eruption of mount Tambora – the largest in historic time – caused several climatic anomalies that
adversely affected the harvest notably in China, Europe, India, and North America and 1816 was
subsequently labelled “the year without a summer”. In 1817, winter temperature reached -34ºC
(-30ºF) and the freeze extended well into June, with up to a foot of snow during August in both
Europe and North America. Such dire circumstances contributed to the first cholera pandemic (18171824) that originated from southern India, and quickly spread throughout Southeast Asia, the
Middle-East, and along the Mediterranean coast.
1822-1891: FROM SQUARE TO CONJUNCTION: COLONIAL IMPERIALISM; SECOND INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION; URBANISATION & POPULATION EXPLOSION
In that last phase of the cycle, Uranus first conjoined Neptune in Capricorn in 1821, towards the end
of the series of waning squares then, conjoined Pluto in Aries in 1850-51 after the series of waning
sextiles. This complex sequence unfolds as follows:
o 1821: Uranus conjunct Neptune in Capricorn (0-2º) square Pluto in Pisces (28-29º)
o 1829-31: Uranus in Aquarius sextile Pluto in Aries
o 1834-36: Uranus in Aquarius semi-square Pluto in Aries
o 1841-48: Neptune in Aquarius sextile Pluto in Aries
o 1850: Uranus conjunct Pluto in Aries (29º)
o 1855-58: Neptune in Pisces semi-square Pluto in Taurus
o 1867-70: Neptune in Aries semi-sextile Pluto in Taurus
As we have seen at the beginning of this study, the last phase of the cycle seems to correspond with
a fairly radical breakdown of death denial symbols that had sustained civilisation from the time of
the previous conjunction. In this case, the presence of Uranus is a clear signal that science and
technology were about to supersede superstitions, religious ideologies, and other associated sociopolitical dogmas such as the alleged innate, god-given superiority of one race, group or individual
over others.
Although Great Britain had established an early form of constitutional monarchy during the Glorious
revolution (1688) under the sesquisquare, it is during this phase that the final transition was made
under queen Victoria, following the Reform Act of 1832 (see, the Peterloo massacre above). While
the monarchy had been successfully restored in France, the country was soon to become a republic
again following the 1848 revolution. After the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Germany
was gradually unified first under the German Confederation (1815-1866), then as an Empire (18711914) following a period of revolution (1848) and war (1870), to finally become a federal republic in
1918. The Spanish Empire (ca. 1492-1833) was also terminated following the Spanish American Wars
of Independence (1808-1833), and the Spanish Inquisition (1472-1834) was finally abolished.
Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire underwent a period of modernisation and decline (1828-1908)
following the Crimean War (1853-1856) that eventually led to its dissolution (1908-1922) and the
establishment of the republic of Turkey in 1923. Struggling against colonisation from Russia and
Great Britain, the Persian Empire lost much territory during the Great Game. In India, the Mughal
Empire (1526-1857) collapsed as a result of internal strife soon exploited by Great Britain that used
the opportunity to impose the British Raj in 1858. Meanwhile in China, the Qing dynasty was coming
to an end following the Opium wars (1839-42 and 1856-60); the Taiping rebellion (1850-64) –
effectively a civil war that killed at least 20 million, mostly civilians, in southern China – the Nien and
Panthay rebellions (1851-73) in northern China and Yunnan; various incursions by foreign powers,
notably: France in Indochina (1840), Japan on the Korean peninsula (1884), Russia, Germany, and
Great Britain (1898) on the mainland; the Boxer rebellion (1900); and the Wuchang uprising (1911)
that catalysed the Xinhai revolution (1911-12) that finally overthrew the Imperial system and
established the first Chinese republic (1912-1916). In 1853, Japan was forced to open its borders to
Western trade by US Commodore Matthew Perry and to terminate the policy that had kept the
country locked up since 1639.
The second Industrial Revolution has already been covered in part one of this study and was
essentially a continuation of the mechanisation of tasks fuelled by the transition from sail to steam
power (1862) that allowed the speedier transportation of people and goods, notably by railway that
grew at an incredible speed during this phase: by the early 1850s, 7,000 miles of rail tracks had been
laid down in Great Britain in just over 20 years. Steam power was subsequently superseded by
electric (1880s) and Diesel engines (1896). Fast transportation soon allowed for major urbanisation
projects that supported an unprecedented exponential population growth that carries on to this day.
1891-NOW: FROM CONJUNCTION TO WAXING SEXTILE
Let’s now examine more closely the period from the last conjunction to the waxing sextile. The
angular values included in this phase are: semi-sextile (30º), decile (36º), novile (40º), semi-square
(45º), septile (51º25’42”), and sextile (60º). The keywords associated with these angles are,
respectively: focus, creation/production, initiation/rebirth, dissemination, fatality/compulsion, and
organisation.
The first major aspects that formed after the conjunction were Uranus’ oppositions to Pluto in
Gemini in 1901, followed by the oppositions to Neptune in Cancer during 1906-10. These series of
oppositions can easily be related to the continuation of large scale socio-political movements
already mentioned such as the end of the Imperial system in China, the Meiji restoration in Japan,
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe, the 1905-07 Russian revolution, the Japanese
invasion of Korea and Manchuria (1904-05) or the suffragette movement in Europe.
Following Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, a precarious balance of power was maintained in Western
Europe. However, this fragile equilibrium was soon upset by a number of factors that led European
powers to increase military spending by 50% in the years 1908-13, and eventually, on the path to
war during the Neptune-Pluto semi-sextiles (1916-17). WWI drove a final nail in the coffin of the old
order and ushered in the radically new way of life heralded by the 1891 conjunction. During these
years, most of the world was undoubtedly focused on giving birth to a new world order amidst an
enormous amount of pain. Meanwhile, the Bolshevik revolution (1917) terminated almost 500 years
of Tsarist autocracy and represented another major expression of the semi-sextile. Also worth noting
are Pluto’s ingress in Cancer (1913-14) and Neptune’s entry in Leo (1914-16) that evoke issues
crystallising around hyper-nationalism as well as the first use of mass media – cinema in particular –
in spreading propaganda as well as the emergence of stardom, glamour, and hysteria around cinema
personalities, a phenomenon that literally exploded during the following decade. Also noteworthy,
the US Federal Reserve System was created in 1913 with Pluto less than 3º from an exact
conjunction with radix Venus in the USA’s horoscope.
The decile and novile aspects took place during 1920-28 and corresponded with the roaring
twenties, a period characterised by heightened cultural dynamism, liberalism, creativity and the
emergence of new popular art forms such as jazz and cartoons, amongst others. With the
introduction of the assembly line, these years also coincided with the mass production of goods and
the emergence of mass consumerism. This period also saw the founding of the Soviet Union (1922)
that represented a daring willingness to experiment with a radically different political system.
Following two dreadful confrontations with Thanatos, first on the battlefields then, through a deadly
pandemic of flu (1918), humankind was indeed longing for a much needed rebirth that initiated
unprecedented changes in lifestyle – a break with traditions – signifying the victorious return of Eros
embodied in a plethora of brand new death denial symbols.
The semi-square took place during 1929-1934 with Neptune entering Virgo (1928-29). While the
connection with the discovery of penicillin can be immediately made with Neptune’s change of sign,
the association with the notion of dissemination of ideas is perhaps more obscure: the politicoeconomic scene was grimly dominated by the Great Depression and by considerable Government
interventions that translated in significant hardship for large segments of the world population.
Nonetheless, this situation also represented a fertile ground for the meteoric rise of totalitarian
movements. These years also saw the proliferation of new technologies notably in intercontinental
aviation, radio, and film that doubtlessly contributed greatly to the propagation of ideas, amongst
other things.
The septile formed during 1936-42 and coincided with Pluto’s ingress in Leo (1937-39). The septile is
not particularly easy to understand as it has been associated with creative art forms, the sublimation
of libido, mysticism, antisocial behaviour, compulsions dictated by collective needs, and the use of
karmic residues to fulfil a fated goal. The synthesising of LSD (1938) seems an obvious manifestation
given the substance frequent associations with a mystic dimension, and its ability to deconstruct the
ego that fits rather well with the essential meaning of Pluto in Leo. This aspect coincided with the
beginning of WWII that was clearly motivated by karmic residues left over from WWI. In turn, this
situation compelled the initiation of the Manhattan Project (1942-46), and the use of atomic
weapons as a solution to end the collective problem of war.
Following this, comes a long series of sextile between 1943 and 1996, a retrocession to the septile
between 1997 and 2016, and another series of sextiles during 2017-37 before the planets finally
move on to the next phase. While it is now obvious that the solution to end all wars conceived by
the designers of atomic weapons has not fulfilled its promise, the threat they represent certainly
forced the world to organise around very different principles since the end of WWII. Indeed,
Thanatos no longer presents under the relatively human guise of a neighbouring country’s invading
armies, but as an impersonal hypersonic atomic missile that could strike anytime, anywhere, and
without prior warning as seen in the developments of the Cold War (1947-91) that left the USA in
charge of a gigantic military apparatus following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the
reorganisation of the financial system between 1944 and 1947 established the US dollar as the main
world reserve currency. This combination concentrated an unprecedented amount of power in just a
few hands, effectively monopolising control over the most potent death dealing and death denial
symbols of civilisation. As Pluto entered Scorpio, Thanatos also manifested in the ongoing AIDS
pandemic and triggered a deep review of our basic erotic behaviour. Together, these developments
greatly intensified the quest for transcendence substitutes manifesting as an unprecedented flight
into the pursuit of money, mass production, mass consumerism, and the accumulation of
knowledge. As we are revisiting the septile, scientists are resuming research on psychedelics while
the spectre of war and economic collapse are threatening the world, once again.
CONCLUSION
Arguably, the main lesson from this study concerns our traditional understanding of astrological
aspects. As we can see, the so-called soft aspects do not necessarily bring harmonious conditions
and the so-called hard aspects do not necessarily signify more hardship. Indeed, the level of
understanding that emerged under the series of waning trines was anything but harmonious. When
a growing number of individuals finally realised their position of subservience to a self-proclaimed
authority, revolutionary movements reached a critical mass and the masters were eliminated. The
same could be said of the semi-sextile that clearly meant a great deal of focusing, the septile that
signified a fated compulsion to master atomic power, or the sextile that oversaw a massive
reorganisation.
Thus, in the final analysis, aspects seem to manifest more meaningfully than qualitatively. Perhaps
this is due to the fact that we are still caught in a dualistic perception of the Eros-Thanatos polarity.
Further research is definitely required to unravel the mystery of this primordial cycle that will
doubtlessly generate much interest in the astrological community for centuries to come.
Maurice
Lavenant
wasreserved
born in 1958 in Aix en
© 2013 Maurice
Lavenant – All rights
Provence, France. He became a student of astrology in
his teens and followed the teachings of André Barbault,
Dane Rudhyar, C.E.O. Carter, Liz Greene, and many
others.
He graduated from the London School of Acupuncture
and Chinese Medicine (Westminster University) in 1992
and again in 1997, after studying Acupuncture and
Chinese Herbal Medicine for five years. He dedicates his
life to Chinese medicine, astrology, writing, and music
creation and production.
He has published articles about Astrology and
Alternative Medicine since 1994. He is a contributor to
the “Mountain Astrologer”.
He can be contacted at:
[email protected]
tp://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=4556080
© 2013 – Maurice Lavenant – Including Artwork – All Rights Reserved