On January 1st 1848 and January 1st 2011, the planet Neptune was on the threshold of entering Pisces. This coming year – as in 1848 – Neptune will briefly enter Pisces before re-entering Aquarius, where it will remain until its final ingres on 3 February 2012. In the light of the current spate of uprisings in the Middle East – what does this similar position of Neptune have to tell us?
In an attempt to bring about social, economic, liberal and national change, in 1848 a wave of revolutions swept accross Europe . The aims of the revolutionaries were broad and attracted members of both the middle and the lower classes. A spirit of acute dissatisfaction with the established order spread like wildfire through France, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, Belgium and Slovakia.
Aquarius and Pisces are both social signs and the passage of Neptune from the one, to the other is clearly significant. Neptune’s urge is to merge, to dissolve the individual identity (Aquarius) , to surrender the ”I” to the massa “We” (Pisces). Neptune has the capacity to unite under a common flag, for a shared ideal. This is where the concept of socialism is born. There is a greater strength in numbers which has the potential to undermine Saturnian structures.
However, looking back on 1848 – historians consider the revolutions that took place to be a failiure. This is because, without exception within a short time the old or very similar power structures were re-instated. As the historian A.J.P. Taylor noted “history reached a turning point, and failed to turn’. However not all historians are so negative. During a lecture in 1948 to commemorate the centennial of the 1848 European Revolutions, Lewis Namier (1888-1960) concluded: “1848 remains a seed-plot of history. It crystallized ideas and projected the pattern of things to come; it determined the course of the following century.“
Neptune can raise us up and allow us to touch the stars – which is what makes the fall from grace so painful. Disillusionment is part and parcel of Neptune’s currency.
So… are the revolutions in the Middle East doomed to follow the same route ? The road to democracy- if Europe is to serve as an example – is a long and painful one. Whether we like the EEC and its rules and regulations or not, the fact that we have enjoyed such a long period of peace and prosperity in Europe and that leaders can sit and talk around a table, is quite an achievement. However, we have reached this point only after many hard and painful lessons.
The Middle East is a complex region – and there are those whose interest lies in maintaining the existing power structures. A case of ‘better the devil you know…’. However, quite regardless of how events pan out – it is clear that the current wave of revolutions are hugely significant. Both Pisces and Neptune are nebulous signs – seeped in mystery and deep in understanding. The ways and waves of such energies are difficult to understand and only take a clear shape when viewed through the eyes of Saturn, the ruler of time.
Though we might not see it during our lifetime, we must surely trust in the knowledge that the future history of the region is taking on a new form, concealed behind Neptune‘s veil, yet right before us.
For a unique Neptune experience, “Memories, Dreams, Reflections”…. Faye Cossar, Zelda Hall and Elizabeth Hathway in Amsterdam, 6 march 2011: