I have not written since the end of January and some of you have asked me "why"? I have always been hesitant in writing about the upcoming eclipse season or the next dreaded Pluto/Uranus square, as no matter what is said the interpretation always brings a sense of fear and dread, which I abhor promoting. Even in picking a topic a writer inadvertently sends a message that "something is happening" and therefore the reader's defenses go up.
The focus on this column has been in Marcus Aurelius' words "seeing the whole world as one living being" which brings to the fore seeing the correspondences in world events and viewpoints that connect with the planetary cycles. One such correspondence came to my attention, enough to write about it after over 4 months, in last Sunday's Times, in an article in the News in Review section entitled "Fixing the Digital Economy", by Jaron Lanier a computer scientist, researcher for Microsoft and author of the book, "Who Owns the Future".
In essence, Lanier is saying that there are two big trends occuring in the world, which seem to contradict one another. One is that computer networks are disrupting centralized power all over the globe and putting it into the hands of the individual ( e.g. Wikileaks, the Arab Spring and most recently Edward Snowden's leaking the news of the extensive surveillance by the National Security Agency-another blog about that soon); the other trend is the acceleration of the disparity between the rich and poor in rich countries around the world.
Both trends are real and related Lanier says-the disruption and decentralization of power and the "seemingly unbounded concentration of power" at the same time. As a planetary cycles scientist, there can be no better manifestation of the ongoing Uranus/Pluto waxing square (opening right angle turning point) than this seemingly stark contrast between 2 very different perspectives. The disruption and decentralization of power into the hands of the individual corresponds to Uranus, the planet of revolutionary upheaval and rights of the individual versus Pluto and the concentration of wealth and power into the hands of the "plutocrats". We are in this struggle between these 2 planets and differing points of view between 2012 and 2015
But we can go further. Lanier suggests that by losing the middle class as customers, we put both our economy and our democracies at risk. Markets need customers and democracies crumble when wealth is overly concentrated. In today's digital world more and more people will not be paid for what they are doing, even if what they are doing is needed. As technological automation increases in the years to come, these robots depend on data that comes from people, people "behind the scenes"supplying the computers with the data needed to perform the action.
The article goes on, but the point Lanier is making is that in order to keep the middle class strong we ought to be thinking about instituting a "universal micropayment system". This system would keep track of where information comes from and pay people when information that exists, because they exist, turns out to be valuable. This is where another future planetary cycle pattern is manifesting, that is the next Jupiter/Saturn conjunction at 0 degrees of Aquarius on the winter solstice 2020, which is being previewed here and now.
Jupiter and Saturn conjunctions (marriages) come around every 20 years and start new social, cultural, political and economic developments for those 20 years. The last conjunction was May 22nd 2000 in Taurus and in square aspect to the planet Uranus (jolting unexpected movements-that was the first time the market dropped 500 plus points in a day). The conjunctions occur for 240 years in one element; since Jan 26 1842 that element has been earth-with its emphasis on material resources and productivity.
When the next Jupiter/ Saturn marriage occurs at the winter solstice 2020 it will be in Aquarius, an air sign. Relinquishing the material side of life where wealth comes from the earth and her resources, the emphasis that we are walking into, will be on global social developments, ideas, information, community and relationships. Mr. Lanier is prescient in his prediction that an idea for keeping the middle class going in the future, is to pay people for their ideas, no matter if they intended to provide them or not.
