Astrology & the Millennium – Executive Summary

The Millennium ...

• Is sensationalized. It promotes both our worst fears and our fondest hopes. No one knows what will happen, but there is already a flood of wild speculation.
• Is a mass-psychological event. Astrology is a means of anticipating the "archetypal shape" (broad underlying psychological pattern) of events.
• Demands an astrological perspective to help us to "imagine forward," to rehearse for coming events, and to focus on a practical and rational response.
• Is preceded by specific occurrences in the near past (the "Precursors," see below) that offer a clue to what is coming and how to understand it.
• Is informed by particular astrological patterns in the near term that support a re-envisioning of the future and an empowering of ourselves as actors in that future.

The Astrological Precursors

• 1993 (but still affecting ongoing events). Uranus conjunct Neptune is a current "revolutionizing" cycle, seen, for example, in the cultural paradigm shifts of the Italian Renaissance (1470's) and the Romantic Movement of the 1800’s. (This is also connected to 1968 Uranus/Pluto conjunction and is profoundly affecting those born in the last half of the 1960’s.)
• January 1996 - March 2003. Uranus in Aquarius signals a seven-year cycle of "Mental Quickening," with an acceleration of information flow and an escalation of
  new discoveries in science and technology (the ubiquitous microchip is only the beginning).
• November 1998 - April 2011. Neptune enters Aquarius for a fourteen-year cycle of "Spiritual Awakening," during which we collectively address the issue of how best to treat the wounded Body-Mind-Soul. (The use of alternative health treatments has exploded in 90's, and it is estimated that alternative care will be a 10 to 15 billion dollar industry in the next decade. This trend will increase, fueled by the increase in supportive scientific findings on alternative methods.)
• On the personal level, Neptune in Aquarius asks, "What is the condition of your internal universe?" Our minds are opening to subtle levels of perception, and becoming more receptive to both external and internal input. We are all undergoing a psychic-emotional "digestion" of an ever-increasing flow of information.
• Consciousness of what we are trying to digest is imperative. (Media researchers at the University of Sussex "found that 71% of network news time was devoted to stories that showed their central characters as having little or no control over their fate." David Jacobson. Health, November-December, p. 66.)
• Recommendation: Treat information-intake as occasional fine dining, rather than a Big Mac break. Try a "Media Fast." Increase meditation, silence, contemplation, study. Substitute exercise for information consumption. Walk off TV "mind-fat"!

Critical Events for ’99 to ’00:

"Y2K," much-anticipated computer foul-ups on 1/1/2000, seem to be absorbing much of the public preoccupation for millennial fantasies (much better than apocalyptic mass-suicide). Y2K seems to be functioning as an "archetype" – a collective psychological idea that shapes both individual and collective responses to the Millennium.

Computer hi-jinks (in your desktop as well as the ones you don’t even know you depend on) are indeed likely, especially from July 13 to May of 2000, and we should have practical contingency plans just in case. Back up your hard drive! Consider having a bit of extra cash, a few candles, and some nonperishable groceries on hand.

• March 1, 1999. Saturn moves into the sign of Taurus,offering an opportunity to "get grounded," reestablish what counts most, and get back to basics – survival, simplicity, and preparedness. Start or reinforce a spiritual practice to counter coming times of unpredictability and confusion.
• June, 1999-May 2000 (exact dates July 17, November 14, 1999 and May 12, 2000). Saturn is in challenging aspect to Uranus. This is the most likely times for systemic disruptions of technology – computer glitches, and power outages. Be adaptable and flexible. (Our unexplained power outage last weekend.)
• July 13-Aug 9-Mercury is "Retrograde," adding to computer and communication confusion. Did I mention backing up your hard drive? You should have done it by now!
• August 11. (Chart) Breakdown/breakthrough. This Solar Eclipse is a mysterious turning point for transforming toxic conditions (spiritual, mental, emotional, physical) into healthy ones, both in ourselves and in our immediate communities. Most karmic degrees. Pulled in opposite directions.
• Mars opposite Saturn (We usually experience one Mars-Saturn opposition every two years. From 1997-1999 we will have six!) Changes fixed structures. Leads to a breakdown of old value structures. Mars cuts out dead wood.
• Saturn over Washington. The issue is self-reliance vs. dependence on culture and its institutions. There is a new opportunity to heal old family, as well as cultural wounds.

Suggestions using the energy of the Millennium:

• Create a ritual: intention, invocation, enactment, completion, integration.
• Involve yourself in a creative project.
• Dispense with outworn patterns.
• Consider Bodywork, shamanic journeying (no drugs), healing.
• Dedicate yourself to creating a future worth living for yourself and others.

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