George Orwell: 1984

While doing research for a lecture on the American Election – I happened accross an article on how information on Wikipedia concerning the company Diebold had been changed. Diebold you might recall is the group that produces the voting machines most people in the US will be using for voting in november’s election. I felt suddenly aware of the parallel that exists between the internet and George Orwell’s book: 1984. In that prophetic novel you may recall, our hero Winston Smith worked in the record department of the Ministry of Truth. His job was to constantly re-write history by changing the references to it. Everything would be altered – until the past had been completely re-defined to conform with the dominant narrative of the time. The book was published in the UK on 8 june 1949.

The chart itself is fascinating. The Sun is in the dualistic sign Gemini and really there are two leader figures in the book. On the side we have Winston – the freedom fighter (echoes of George Orwell’s own character) and of course the anonymous head of the party Big Brother. Air – as an element – has a quality of all being-ness. Air is everywhere – we all inhale it and share it – yet we cannot hold it. It is I believe the lightest of all elements and also the most humane. As John Frawley once said: “The only sweet water in the zodiac is in the urn on the shoulder of the Aquarian: this is the sweet water of reason”. Yet air is also abstract, idealogical, rational and thinking. 1984 as George Orwell perceives is – is a world devoid of positive human emotion. Relationships – certainly amongst those in the upper echelons of power – are totally forbidden. Only the masses, the proles, the ignorants, may “indulge” in the warmth of true human contact.

Power, supression and fear, in all its many guises play a central role in the book. Not surprisingly then the Moon in Scorpio squares Pluto. When walking amongst men Pluto dons the helmet of invisibility. He is a sneak. Who can forget the part in the book where the mirror in the room where Winston and Julia have slept together is shown to hide a screen. BIG BROTHER has been watching all the time. The trusted O’ Brien is a party member. The lovers have been betrayed. Scorpio. Moon. Pluto.

The above chart is a bi-wheel with the horoscope for midnight 1984 location Greenwch on the outer wheel and the horoscope for the publication date of the book on the inner wheel. The book dominated the year actually. Remember Annie Lennox’s hit… Here the North Node conjuncts the dualistic Sun of the book and Saturn conjuncts the book’s Moon – making it in square to Pluto. I think many people in the UK were relieved to see the back of 1984 – we lived in the shadow of it for a few years that’s for sure.

Returning to Diebold and the internet as medium. Perhaps there is a subtle link between the Ministry of Truth and the internet. We can but be aware of it. I mean I love blogging…but thank Goodness we also print stuff.