Storm Warnings: Election Day in a Uranus-Pluto Square Era

As many of you are aware, 2012 marked the beginning of a three-year era defined by a Uranus-Pluto square. History does not always repeat itself, but it often rhymes; therefore, especially for a nation as willfully amnesiac as the United States, it is crucial to look back about 80 years, when the last Uranus-Pluto square was in effect. The early 1930s was the Uranian "crash" of the stock market and the end of the decade-long party known as the Jazz Age; throwing Pluto into the mix ensured extreme measures would steer the economy (a Plutonian domain).

On this Election Day (or what may turn out to be Election Week or Election Month), America stands at a crucial crossroads that will seal our collective fate and global reputation. The path taken will reverebate for the next three decades, until the next Uranus conjunction occurs. (Keep in mind that the last Uranus conjunction defined the 1960s.) Mercury has not even turned Retrograde yet (that happens at 6:04pm ET), and already frustration, confusion, long lines, and malfuctioning machines are occurring at the polls.

If Barack Obama retains the keys to the presidency, America will have the chance to flower into a new "New Deal," the seeds of which have been sown over the past four years despite the constant obstruction, bad-mouthing, and downright hysteria from the opposing party. If President Obama prevails and presides for another term, he will represent the changing face of America, and its future (represented by forward-thinking Uranus). Echoes of FDR's dictum, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," will become so strong and so present that it will cease to become an echo. For Americans, the five remaining Uranus-Pluto squares between now and March 2015 may feel more like growing pains and less like an extended death knell -- unless ever more extreme weather patterns become the norm.

If you have not yet cast your ballot and are not in love or even in like with Obama, consider the alternative. If the election goes the other way -- whether it is stolen or not -- America could come to resemble 1930s Germany minus the death camps, which are probably too extreme a "Final Solution" even for the most irrational, cold-blooded members of the RepubliCons. However, friendly little expulsions of various groups could occur. Debtors' prisons and workhouses could enjoy a renaissance as gated communities turn into steel-armored fiefdoms with toxic moats. The United States may remain a democracy on paper, but a plutocracy in reality. Its most lasting effect on the government will be on the judicial branch: a Supreme Court dominated by the Farthest of the Far Right. An entire nation will be ruled by fear, suppression of countless freedoms, wholesale censorship, irrationality (the downside of Uranus), propaganda (the downside of Pluto), and scapegoating of groups that are not white, well-off, and wishing for a return to the 1950s (minus the financial security that many Americans were able to achieve during that postwar decade). If you are a woman -- even a white, well-off woman who wants to be a housewife and mother -- you may eventually lose not only the right to control your own reproductive system, but your right to vote. The five remaining Uranus-Pluto squares between now and March 2015 could be marked by socially sanctioned violence. Citizens may first be gently encouraged, then not so gently ordered, to report "suspicious" individuals, even family members and friends. New forms of taxation and unnecessary rationing will all rise in the name of "patriotism" while serving their true function: to keep the populace scared stiff, stirred up, and in line.

I realize the above paragraph is quite extreme in its predictions, but it is an informed point of view (i.e., not gleaned from Faux 5 News). It is also not just about America having the choice to take the "New Deal" path or to spiral down into the cesspool of a fascistic 1984 scenario. Thanks to technology as well as various contracts, nations are connected to one another as never before, so we are more affected by the actions and policies of one another. This means that there needs to be a far greater sense of accountability across the globe, which I also realize is easier said than done -- without such necessities as food, clean water, shelter, and other supplies, as well as access to education and technology, there is only so much an impoverished nation can do to shake off the shackles of a plutocracy or an insane, abusive tyrant. Deep-rooted dysfunction cannot be cured by lectures, sanctions, or Band-Aids. The United States cannot keep on being the world's policeman . . . especially if we are showing definite signs of being unable to police ourselves in a just, rational manner.

Harvest Moon: Thunder, Lightning...Apocalypse Now?

The Harvest Moon is exact tomorrow, Saturday 9/29, at 11:19 p.m. ET. (Please note that all times given are ET.) Under more normal conditions this would merely be an important Full Moon, for this stage of the lunar cycle always marks the culmination or climax of something. And the Full Moon in Aries always has something important to say about our relationship to ourselves as well as to our significant others. Under our current planetary conditions, hold on to your seats and take a deep breath: we are all in for a dark, stormy night.

The Full Moon will begin to be felt as early as 3:19 a.m. on Saturday, when the Sun opposes Uranus. Ego clashes and relationship troubles are very likely -- as are electrical fires and bizarre technical malfunctions. Individuals who have heart conditions or are accident prone are particularly vulnerable under this aspect.

We will barely have time to recover from the fallout of this explosive opposition before the Sun squares Pluto (exact 1:54 p.m.). Control issues and resentment over being controlled or exploited will come to a head. The balance of power is unbalanced, and the square indicates a real tug-of-war is likely. On the bright side, real healing can begin at this time -- but it is not going to tickle, because it involves letting go (an anathema to Pluto). Oh, and they also just ran out of anesthesia. You may feel compelled to transform at the same time that someone or something is holding you back; before you lash out at any jailors in your life, first look within to determine whether that holder-backer is, in fact, you.

The Moon in Aries conjuncts Uranus and squares Pluto shortly before the Full Moon, at 9:40 p.m. and 10:34 p.m., respectively. While the Solar aspects earlier in the day concentrated on crises of self-identity and ego clashes, the lunar aspects will home in on your emotional well-being -- how you really, truly feel, and what you really, truly need. With the conjunction between the Moon and Uranus, you may feel hotheaded, headstrong, and determined at all costs to have it your way. You may even run a literal fever. Even the most steady, levelheaded individuals may wind up doing something totally impulsive and out of character. If it is illegal or dangerous, arrest or death may result, as the Moon squares Pluto less than an hour after the conjunction.

This Harvest Moon will bring the notorious Uranus-Pluto square of 2012-15 (which was exact for the second time on 9/19) to everyone's attention in a deeply personal manner, via crises concerning self-identity, relationships, and emotional health. If you have up until now considered the Uranus-Pluto square a collective aspect that is "out there" and does not really affect you, this Full Moon may very well make you start singing a different tune.