SATURN IN VIRGO
and
SATURN IN OPPOSITION TO URANUS

Class Warfare and the Peak of Social Inequities

(reprinted from Forecasts for 2008)

Saturn in Virgo

 This 29-year ingress lasts from September 2, 2007 through October 29, 2009. It returns again April 7-July 21, 2010. As Saturn trines Pluto through May 2008, the empire strikes. That means that the big businesses negotiate deals that give the appearance of cooperation between the working force, or middle class, and the leaders of business, industry, and government. However, after this aspect leaves, and Saturn moves towards it opposition to Uranus, the working class just goes on “strike.” They might do this anyway, even before the Saturn-Pluto trine ends, for Saturn in Virgo is all about power to the working forces.

 Virgo rules the working class – labor, service and trades people. These are the people who do the hands-on jobs, the details necessary to accomplish the larger goals of the company or government. These can be skilled positions, but they are labor-intensive nonetheless. They either provide a specific craft, or they work in well-defined roles within well-defined working hours. Since most people work in this manner, it can be assumed that Virgo – and the next two signs of Libra and Scorpio – relate to the middle classes of society – or at least champions of equality and equal rights. Actually Libra is the precise sign of equality and balance, sharing and cooperation. But wherever Saturn is, that is where there is a sense of “not enough.” Something is lacking, according to the sign Saturn is in. The more one becomes aware of something lacking, the more one becomes frustrated with the current condition, for it restricts or limits what one can do.

 Saturn in Virgo therefore relates to the growing frustration of those who do the work – the working class, the middle class. They look around and they see that they do all this work. Yet when the business fails, it is they who suffer, not the management that made the decisions that led to the failure. The workers are the ones who lose their jobs or give up benefits. And oftentimes when those in management make these failed decisions, they leave the company and receive huge financial bonuses, known as “Golden Parachutes.” And even while they are there, if the company prospers, it is these decision-makers who also receive huge end-of-year bonuses – at least huge in comparison to the much smaller bonuses given to those who did the hands-on work. It is not that these conditions have not existed forever between management and labor, between the wealthy and the middle class. It is just that now, in the first decade of this new century, the rate of growth and rewards between management and the work force has widened to its largest distortion ever. Unfortunately I did not save the reports on this, but in the past 20 years, the financial growth between those in management has grown at least ten times faster than the rate of growth of those in the working class, in the United States. This is an inequity that is giving rise to the cry that the middle class is not only shrinking, but disappearing altogether. The gap between the “haves” and “have nots” has never been wider in modern times. And it is likely to continue until Saturn gets into the middle of Virgo, and probably even during the period when Saturn ingresses through Libra (late 2008 through 2012).

 So what will the working force do? They will strike. They will engage in work stoppages in critical industries, and they will engage in organized boycotts of certain products produced by specific companies, that will probably cripple important segments of daily activity, such as public transportation, manufacturing, gasoline, and even essential services. They will demand greater respect and more importantly, greater equality in sharing the wealth that they believe they have helped to create. If these demands are not met, then the economies of the world will fall - and fall hard as the working force stops at critical times and in critical places. This in turn could lead to social revolutions and coordinate mass revolts by the next decade.

 On the positive side, Saturn in the middle of zodiac (Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio) impels humanity towards a greater social consciousness, one that rewards those who exhibit care ands concern for all people, and not just the privileged few. Just as Saturn in Leo (2005-2007) was not a good time to be the leader of government or large company, so Saturn in Virgo-Libra-Scorpio will not be a favorable time to be extremely wealthy and out of touch with the needs of “the common man.” Those who are may become the target of some hostile actions by those who believe these “super-rich” are basically exploiters of other people, and the cause of the disparity between the classes. As such, we may soon see not only strikes, but organized efforts to boycott companies that the “common man” feels is taking advantage of others, especially by rising prices to levels that “the common man” can no longer afford. However, those who are talented at a particular skill may find this to be an excellent period of business growth. Saturn in Virgo is an auspicious period in which to perfect a skill or talent through hard work and commitment to excellence. In time, such commitment and effort may become very rewarding, leading these people to become very well-know or appreciated for what they do. The demand for their work, service, or craft increases greatly.

Saturn in Opposition to Uranus

 This signature unfolds 5 times starting on Election Day (USA), November 4, 2008, and lasting through July 26, 2010. The first four passages unfold while Saturn is in Virgo, and Uranus is in Pisces. This is when the atmosphere of revolution – the demand for changes from the working or middle class – is at its greatest. This is when the forces of change will clash most violently with the forces of the status quo (actually it may continue and even escalate into Uranus square Pluto, 2012-2015). Once again, just as the last time this aspect unfolded in the mid-1960’s, the Establishment (government, big business) is seen as the cause of all the social ills in the world. The Establishment is seen as being “out of touch” with the real world, and the “common man.” Uranus demands change, and Saturn resists it. Uranus wants equality and freedom, and believes Saturn has lost touch with basic ideals of human rights, liberties, and fairness. Uranus wants to throw out the “old,” and usher in a brave new world that is more progressive and more in tune with the needs of the “common man.” Thus we can expect that a major shift in the direction of the masses – the collective – will start now, and will be every bit as effective as an agent of change as was the case when these planets were last in opposition in the mid-1960’s and early 1920’s.

 This will likely be a very exciting time to be alive, but possibly an unstable and dangerous one as well. Saturn rules governments and the boundaries of its nations. Uranus rules new leadership, revolts, and coups. We can anticipate the sudden overthrow of many leaders of nations whose population feel their leaders have lost their ability to lead or even be representative of the needs of that population. Especially vulnerable will be those nations that are led by military leaders. The “Establishment” leaders will more than likely try to sway the public back to their side by claiming these protesters are extremists and radicals. They will try to scare the public back into the fold, for still this is period when “fear sells.” However it is not likely to work as it did earlier in the decade, for this is the last of the “Triple Saturn Oppositions,” and it follows Saturn and Neptune in opposition, which means that there is likely to be a host of revelations about scandals and corruptions attached to those who represent “The Establishment.” This just adds fuel to the fire, and the firestorm of protests just increases with each new revelation of wrong-doing. It becomes like a wild fire. Unless these leaders are truly connected to their populations, and willing to acknowledge these injustices and corruptions, they will likely fall or be removed one way or the other.

 Out of these troubled social times, however, new trends will begin to emerge. These can lead to exceptional investment opportunities for those who can spot them early on, and are willing to take a risk. The Saturn-Uranus opposition ties for 1st place in the ranking of the 68 geocosmic signatures related to long-term cycle culminations in the U.S. stock market. Within an orb of ten months (before the start or after the end) of this signature, the U.S. stock has always made a long-term cycle crest or trough. Its C/S value is a perfect 10.00, out of a possible score of 10.