Uranus in Pisces [part three]
The Way Ahead
Neil Giles concludes an insightful discussion of Uranus in Pisces by outlining the dark gods and hidden enemies so characteristic of the transit, including the idea of robots, expressionism, fantasy and other Piscean traits. He also looks at the way ahead in this current transit (which begins in earnest now in 2004).
Even though the talkies changed the world of film forever, it's important not to underestimate the power that has flowed from the developments of twenties and Uranus in Pisces. From the moment we were first able to see ourselves, we have tried, Valentino style, to make 'Stars' and then remodel ourselves into the likeness of that which pleases us, courtesy of the mysteries of image-making technology. But where once only the camera lied, now we have a cosmetic industry that literally refashions us in the name of 'liking ourselves' without ever truly wondering why we hate so much seeing ourselves as we are in the first place.
Dark Gods and Hidden Enemies
The sign of Pisces finds one of its more powerful expressions through the creative arts, especially where fantasy is involved. Apart from producing the distant gods of cinema, the creative revolution of the nineteen twenties took us down some dangerous Piscean corridors, into a shadowy world of dark gods and hidden enemies. The horrors we have always loved to scare ourselves with took on certain archetypal forms. The German Expressionist movement produced a cinematic revolution of horror and fantasy films that remain classics in the modern era. THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI was the tale of a mesmerist whose powers of hypnotic control and persuasion sent a somnambulist servant, Cesare, into the night on missions of evil on behalf of his powerful master. The year of 1922 gave birth to NOSFERATU, the vampire tale that has remained a classic for generations of fans of the fang. DR MABUSE THE GAMBLER came in that same year, made by German director, Fritz Lang. This powerful film painted a dark portrait of its eponymous villain, a mesmerist, crime lord and decadent whose chilling touch extended from an underworld of crime into the daytime world of normalcy, an elusive demonic figure ruling a hell on earth from his throne of evil. Even brought to justice in his prison cell, the power of this arch villain stretched out across the city to bring helpless victims within reach. These are Piscean fantasies, filled with shadows, seductive glamour and helpless suffering. They captured the fears of a respectable world, haunted by the spectres of crime, depravity and hidden forces. Perhaps Uranus in Pisces now will bring revelations about the underworld of our society, images of the forces cunningly concealed that will be cruelly exposed in the art and imagery of this new era. Through Uranus in Pisces, we may have to face the deepest fears that undermine our faith.
Metropolis Now
And, as Lang began this era of Uranus in Pisces with a powerful film, so he was to end it. In collaboration with his wife, Thea Von Harbou, he created Metropolis, the cinematic masterpiece for which he is best remembered. In Metropolis, the world is divided into caverns of workers enslaved to the machines that serve the needs of the powerful but decadent rich who live above the ground in luxury. The hero of this story, Freder Frederson, son of a wealthy man, is awoken from a dream of indolence to discover not only the existence of this underworld and its enslaved underclass but also that his father, Joh, is the master of Metropolis, a cruel and ruthless slave driver. After a struggle involving a beautiful woman, a robotic doppelganger, betrayal, deception and violent revolt, the hero brings the hands (the workers) and the head (bosses) of Metropolis together through the heart (the ideal of beauty and love). While this simplistic philosophy suited the Nazi Party who suborned Lang's services, is there something in the image of enslavement to a heartless Metropolis that we can learn from? For us, mega-cities multiply on the face of the planet like beehives, angry busy kingdoms in service to the corporations that, like a feudal aristocracy, run our world. Will we, like Freder Frederson, find the compassionate heart that brings us together and ends the divisions that have been created through economic inequality? Do we have to accept the machinations of the hidden forces that want the entire globe as their marketing plaything, co-opting, castrating and subsuming into the megalithic army of marching morons anything that dares to be different or stand in their way?
We are the Robots
In 1920, a Czech playwright called Karel Kapek wrote a play called RUR or ROSSUM'S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS. His work gave us the English word 'robot'. This comes from a Czech word which can mean either 'work' or 'slavery' and is originally derived from a term referring to days of forced labour Czech peasants were bound to give on the farms of the aristocracy, unremunerated. Despite its modernist trappings, the story is a simple mythic parable.
On an imaginary island, a brilliant scientist has created a race of robotic creatures. They are made from human tissue, not metal like their modern counterparts, and are sold as a cheap labour force around the world. However, under the influence of a woman who is part of the scientific team, they are given a soul on creation and thus begin to develop human feelings and consciousness. The new robots then rebel against their masters. They destroy the human race and return to the island of their creation to meet their maker (a popular spiritual quest) who has by now, in despair, destroyed the formula for their creation. They beg him to recreate it as the robots have no reproductive system and will die out in twenty years. He refuses, sending them away. He then falls asleep, but is later awakened by two of the new robots who now display the best of human feeling and awareness. He is overjoyed and, in a change of heart, sends them into the world as a new Adam and Eve.
In reality, this is a play about the reawakening of the human spirit after generations of war and enslavement to the upper classes. However, the image of the robot, the automaton whose drudgery frees the human race for pleasure and higher pursuits is ingrained in the psyche of the modern era. With Uranus in Pisces now, we could ask if the machineries of the new era have freed us for pleasure and higher pursuits or enslaved us to the will of those in control. In a time when the heads of corporations are given 'packages' that dwarf the income of Third World countries while workers have no lunch breaks, no overtime and superannuation that can be cancelled at a moment's notice or lost in bad investments, perhaps we know the answer. In both Metropolis and RUR, it is a spirited and beautiful woman who sets in motion that change that liberates the downtrodden from drudgery through ideals of love, beauty and compassion. Perhaps Uranus and Pisces will somehow enshrine a new creative and spiritual ideal, one that embodies the female mysteries and can free us from the machineries of enslavement of the modern soulless Metropolis.
If these are a few of the echoes of a bygone era, what can we learn from them? And, what do we see before us? It is always the task of Uranus to look forward to visions of the future so what things of moment are there now that reveal the pathways that lie ahead?
Uranus in Pisces – 2004 and Beyond
An extraordinary era is unfolding, one where we may see ourselves at our best and worst. Uranus in Pisces now will bring upliftment of the spirit through the call of new paths and beliefs. The spiritual or creative search will be paramount for some as surges of energy and enthusiasm explode outward into our daily lives. Individuals and groups will break from the mainstream and find their destiny in new climes, both inner and outer. But, the mix of Uranus and Pisces is an odd one. As Uranus urges revelation, change and the future, Pisces internalizes, keeps secrets and remembers the past. Thus, there will be an interchange of alternating current between the hidden and the known, with acceleration and nostalgia, shock and then flow, start and then stop as the rhythms unexpectedly cross. New organizations and communities will spring to life, but keep their activities hidden from view. Groups will form to either pursue some spiritual purpose or exert a hidden influence. In contrast, the masked intent of other forces may come to light in public life. There will be losses of a startling or dramatic nature as the unexpected and the unknown overtake us. Much of this will come from turbulence with water and air. Stress levels will be high as changes come thick and fast. Some may be called down a path with a new surge of strength, while upheaval will sweep the ground from beneath the feet of others. For some, a new global or universal picture will emerge. Others will lose their way or find themselves immersed in sorrow or loss. Forces at work behind the scenes will reveal themselves with startling consequences. Solutions we thought were impossible will come into our grasp. All this will unfold in the years to come as Uranus dances his wild, mad dance in the sign of the Fishes.
Saturn, Measurer of Effort
In June of 2003, Saturn, measurer of effort, moved into the fourth sign of the Zodiac, that of Cancer, the cardinal water sign that rules home, family and the nurturing process. Saturn will travel there until 2005. The sign of the Crab gives a feeling of belonging in the personal sense as well as in the broader sense of tribe or nation. Both Saturn and Cancer express the power of tradition and customary practices or patterns, so the feelings and concerns that surface during this transit will be about where and with whom we belong. As Saturn entered Cancer in harmony with Uranus, such feelings may surface suddenly, erupting from beneath the fabric of society. They will have deep roots and their history will need to be explored. We will need to review where the bonds of love and deep connection actually lie.
Land and its rights, customs and usage will be high on the list. Who owns the land? For what reason and purpose do they own it? As more and more of what once belonged to the peoples of any nation is sold off to the highest bidder, we will have to ask if money is the defining power in the search for the security that comes with a sense of place? Or is the almost forgotten spiritual motif of 'belonging to the land' still there to be rediscovered and renewed? These may be the years in which the religion of greed has to recognize that there is a difference between ownership and customary usage. We all may have to come to terms with the fact that in buying land we take on an obligation to the land. However, the land's obligation remains the same, a matter of spirit in which the land serves the wider need of a community and not just the desires of the 'so-called' owner. In this era, land and housing may prove not to be the cash cows that investors both large and small have believed them to be. We may be returned, forcibly, to the practice of seeking shelter from the land, not profit.
Saturn in Cancer calls us to consider our boundaries, both personal and global. We will have to ask what we're doing within our own borders and why we cross them to intervene in the destiny of other lands and nations. In 2004 and beyond, we may find our sense of compassion is challenged by rising tides of fear and xenophobia, leaving us to reset the parameters we have that maintain the balance between inclusiveness and security. The small community, either functioning as part of a larger one or as a completely separate entity may prove to be a better solution to our troubles than the mythic global village. The era before us may see not only many old boundaries being dissolved but also the closing of many new doors we thought we had opened. There may be an uneasy line between the flowering of a new compassion and a growing intransigence built on fear and rejection of the foreigner and the outsider. We may find ourselves in the middle of struggles and wars over borders and boundaries as traditional rights and usage clash with modern 'global' commerce.
Jupiter, Monarch of the Heavens
Jupiter is the planet of growth, expansion and the higher mind. He is now in practical and discerning Virgo where he remains till the last week of September 2004. Our focus here is on analysis of situations, skills, methods, negotiation and healthcare. The behest is to learn, to recognize deficiencies and improve what we do and the way we do it. Seek the right way and the right action rather than giving in to declamatory statements and extreme beliefs. Teachers and leaders bringing practical wisdom and new methods may come to the fore. The more specific we make things, the clearer will the way ahead become. Jupiter opposed Uranus in Pisces as he entered Virgo so we may be on a rocky road. There may be health scares that emerge suddenly or dramatically. New methods and treatments will be required, as will good healthcare systems. The lack of such may be a bone of contention. However, this opposition of Jupiter and Uranus may bring the skills and arts of intuition and psychic work into the public domain in a new and different way. There may be startling success with such things, but dramatic failures as well. People in positions of prominence or leadership may find they are subject to fluctuations of popularity, rising to the heights or falling from grace with dramatic speed. Both Jupiter and Uranus inspire big dreams, idealism and enthusiastic action. But, in a state of tension, intent and practical action can be mismatched with these two, creating a 'stop/start' affect that brings noise and bluster but little reward. There may be extremes of feeling that cause instability. Excitability will bring eruptions rather than effective change. We must ensure we have the skills and methods we need before we set out to change things. A tide of feeling is not enough! There must be a 'right way' as well. The current climate of conflict over ideals, religious and political, will intensify. The wars of fundamentalist belief are yet to come to a climax.
The Way Ahead
When Uranus first entered Pisces in 2003, he formed a square with Lunar Nodes (conflict, separation and unexpected losses) just as the Sun squared Pluto the transformer (explosive situations, clashes, testing of authority). These aspects set themes for the events and changes that will unfold over the next seven years. They will bring stress and tension in the short term while effecting great change to the nature of our various communities and to the role of leaders and leadership in the long term. There will be challenges to authority and dramatic or violent changes for those who take the role of leadership. There will be splits, breaks and separations from within the community of friends, associates, alliances and nations. These will come with sudden or blinding speed, often as past secrets or dishonest practices come to light.
There may be revelations, scandals and unrest in the first nine months of 2004. Sudden or dramatic revelations, especially about truths from the past may mark the month of May. Eruptions or powerful impacts will come in the month of August. In 2004 and beyond, some of us will come closer to what we seek while others will begin to feel themselves lost or drifting. The rudder of true belief is the only guide on a journey through the waters of Pisces. We will need to ask if our new 'globalism' is a actually communion of spirit or a mask for the hidden machineries of the corporate and political beasts that wish to feed in the widest waters with no cost to themselves. The answers and the solutions can only come through our conduct. If we want a 'new world', we will have to behave in a new way. Now!
Here endeth the Lesson...
 Return to the start of Uranus in Pisces
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