The evolution of power

Aquarius 2024

Way back in 2011, I wrote a post called ‘the unsurprising order of being‘, where I discussed time and order. I was reminded of this when contemplating my Aquarius post for this year, what with Pluto going into our sign of the month, ready to spend a long time there later this year. One of the comparisons I made was to relate Lance Secretan’s book, ‘The Spark, the Flame and the Torch’ to the progressions of fire signs. This started me thinking about the other elements. Here’s part of that earlier post:

Secretan’s title seems to be a good example of how the fire element progresses through the zodiac sequence, so I was curious whether other elements could be used this way. It was an interesting exercise in considering how the world works. Below is my first attempt.

Phase 1 personal	Phase 2 passing it on to another	Phase 3 the legacy to the world
Fire Aries The Spark Inspire yourself	Fire Leo The Flame Inspire others	Fire Sagittarius The Torch Inspire the world
Earth Taurus The Garden Feed yourself	Earth Virgo The Field Feed others	Earth Capricorn The Earth Feed the world
Air Gemini The Idea Think for yourself	Air Libra The Dialogue Discuss  with others	Air Aquarius The Conference Insight for the world
Water Cancer The Egg Own creativity	Water Scorpio Fertilisation Joint creativity	Water Pisces Gestation Preparing world creations

Development of air signs

So I decided to take a deeper look at Aquarius in this light. And as usual, when you focus on something, relevant things, such as videos, show up! When we receive information (Gemini) that we find interesting, we like to share (Libra) and maybe discuss it. There is then a process that occurs which gives this piece of information a place. We accept it to be true, we find it interesting, we reject it, or we just let it go. I think this is an Aquarian process, an attempt to find our own truth, our own knowledge. It can give insight and wonderment and perhaps we find it so important that we have to share it – wanting to awaken others. Sometimes if it goes too far, this can become that Aquarian phenomenon of dogmatic-know-it-all-ness.

Sharing knowledge

However at its heart, Aquarius is a sign that wants to gain knowledge and share it. A sign that offers insight. With Pluto now settling into Aquarius, one relevant idea is definitely ‘knowledge is power’. The phrase ‘I know’ is often used as shorthand for Aquarius. I think the process of getting to the place where we do ‘know’, is Aquarian. So reflecting on how we know what we know, is a valuable exercise. Where are we getting our information? (Gemini) Where are we discussing this information and with whom? (Libra) – beware filter bubbles!! See my Gemini 2015 post. And do we ‘truth check’? (Aquarius). And does it really seem right?

We are here to learn and heal

I believe we are here to learn and to become more conscious. The more we know ourselves, the more we can heal and the more valuable we can be to an evolving world. We all put energy into a connected whole. But if the process of true ‘knowing’ is being disrupted, it is having an effect on the purity of our own knowledge. With Pluto now in Aquarius, we really need to understand this process and cut out the noise. By this I mean, particular narratives, propaganda, conformation bias and being ‘persuaded’ in particular directions by governments or anyone else.

The power of knowledge

If you follow my blogs, you will know I am a fan of Bruce Lipton’s work. His ideas influenced my thoughts on connecting Ceres to epigenetics. As an example of the power that knowledge can have, his video below relates to the fact that understanding epigenetics is vital in dealing with health issues. It empowers us to heal. His very clear video explains why this knowledge is so powerful for transforming your life.

The other video, made together with his nephew, is also very interesting. Apart from the fact that they mention drugs for gaining knowledge, and religion’s repression of this, they mention the Eleusinian mysteries, which is Ceres terrain! However, the thing that was more relevant for this post was that Bruce refers to the evolution of power.

The evolution of power

When I was studying for my MA, I looked at the evolution of authority through the ages by discussing the Sun as a symbol of authority. The evolution of power and who has it, has had a similar journey – from pharaohs, to priests, to kings, to politicians, to fathers to … ?  Perhaps following Pluto’s journey through the signs could help us to participate in the evolution of power to create a more positive outcome. Let’s face it – the way power works now is scary. The death of Navalny in Russia, as I write, is a case in point. More on that later. But the power we have now is thought, knowledge and understanding. We need to use it.

Lipton’s video walks us through the evolution of power from the caveman wielding a club. Power then passes to landowners or those with resources, then to the church who own ‘infallible knowledge’. The ‘follow us and you will survive’ type of power. Then there is the power of fear – and those in power, of course, claim to have the antidote.

Evolution through the zodiac

Pluto can easily be related to evolution. He is a transformer, a destroyer and then a rebirther. He breaks things down so something new can be created. So the current breakdown in society is right on time, as we are at the start of a new evolutionary period in Aquarius. Each time Pluto enters a sign he doesn’t repeat his last visit but builds on it, so we get an evolution of consciousness. I discussed the last time he was in Aquarius in my post ‘Will Pluto in Aquarius really mean ‘We the people’? ‘

The elements

Pluto in Aries would relate to the power of the caveman’s club, and in earth signs it would certainly relate to the power of resources. Pluto in water signs could relate to emotional blackmail and a need to be saved. Pluto in air signs sounds like the infallible knowledge type, the ‘we know best and our knowledge is not to be questioned’ sort. Sound familiar?

Air evolution

Since looking at the process and sequence of air signs – Gemini to Libra to Aquarius – I found it interesting to look at how evolution may have worked the last time Pluto was in Gemini and Libra. What ideas were coming into focus between 1882 and 1914 when Pluto was in Gemini? And what was being discussed between 1971 and 1984 when Pluto was in Libra? And how will we take the step to process this into knowledge and learn from it in the coming period? Or are we going to stay with a ‘Science with a capital S’ and the authorities know best philosophy?

Pluto in Gemini – 1882-1914

Communication is power. In this period the power of radio became clear. Ideas could be spread. The London Underground came into being in 1890 – a symbol of literally connecting, networking and moving to different areas. In 1893, the powerful idea of women obtaining the vote and having a say became a reality in New Zealand. And in other countries, women’s suffrage was in full swing. A dangerous idea for many! By 1903, more powerful ‘connecting ideas’ were pioneered. Ford started mass production of cars in 1903, the same year that the Wright brothers managed controlled flight. These were all world changing innovations which would be used to effect after the outbreak of war at the end of this period in 1914.

Pluto in Libra – 1971-1984

The power of peace. During this period peace was certainly a focus. John Lennon’s activism for peace is well-known and the equal rights movement was fully embraced, building on the suffrage movement. The US pulled out of Vietnam during this period after many demonstrations and attempts from the public to stop the war. We can see that the balance of power in relationships was being challenged, both personally and globally.

In politics the power of diplomacy was obvious, with figures such as US president Jimmy Carter operating at high levels to try to get peace agreements. The Camp David Accords, the Geneva Conference and the Egypt Israel Peace Treaty all attest to this. Without the inventive ideas of the Pluto in Gemini period, getting together and communicating would not have been possible. And without the idea that everyone should have a say (e.g. women and in this case different groups) the idea of global diplomacy might not have happened. These agreements were an attempt to solve Arab-Israeli conflicts. But judging by the more than tragic Gaza situation today, did anyone learn from this? It’s time to integrate this knowledge, starting with getting people in the same place to discuss issues.

Pluto in Aquarius

If we follow the positive steps from Gemini, communicating through technology and literally getting together, we should learn from the things that worked to create peace in Libra time. By discussing and listening to differing groups with different values, we could arrive back again at the values espoused the last time Pluto was in Aquarius. where equality, freedom and brotherhood were part of the French and American revolutions. What happened to that? We all need to have access to knowledge and information so we can make up our own minds and live from our own truths. Equality and freedom are impossible with this.

An example of bad Pluto in Aquarius

Dumbing down the masses. Bad Pluto keeps knowledge. People in power are hiding the truth. Putin controls with this method. The death of Alexei Navalny on February 16th is a tragic example. His body is being withheld from family and lies have been told as to where it is. Flowers left in memory of Alexei are quickly cleared away, perhaps to hide the truth about the huge number of followers Navalny had. And any form of dedication is met with arrests.

I am currently reading a book by David R Hawkins, called Force vs Power. Hawkins maintains force repels, where power attracts. Force is arrogant, power is humble. Force uses rhetoric and propaganda to garner support. Power comes from truth which needs no defence. And power always wins. A bad Pluto is force, the method used by Putin.

Navalny’s chart and what was triggered

The timing of events is always of interest to astrologers so I include Navalny’s chart, together with the time of his reported death, for those interested.

A few comments on Navalny and his death. Interestingly, Navalny was a Gemini, born when Pluto was in Libra. His chart shows a love of information, communication, humour and dialogue, together with having the power to be a very persuasive speaker. He was a passionate idealist who never gave up hope and asked others not to either. His calling was to challenge power, we can say he lived his vocation to the full. In death he will still have global power to raise opposition to Putin’s regime of force.

At the time of his death, politicians (Jupiter) were judging his incredibly brave Mars-Pluto aspect, which represented strong passionate leadership. His Moon at zero of Virgo – a strong need to serve others – was being stomped on by a powerful Pluto Mars in Aquarius in the sky. This feels like a poisonous handling. Saturn, representing the authorities, was quashing his power to connect with others (Pluto in Libra). And lastly the authoritative, totalitarian regime shown as one way Ceres in Capricorn can operate, was blocking his passionate Uranian (in Scorpio) spark. He was just too dangerous as an opposition figure. May he rest in peace and know that his life made a huge difference to many.

How it could work – an example of good Pluto in Aquarius

As opposed to Pluto as force, in Hawkins’ definition a positive use of Pluto would be power, where force is self-serving and power is truth and serves others. Many, including myself, have written on the dangers of technology and AI. We need to be careful about what we allow to be controlled. However, another video I watched, pointed out the benefits of AI in a very clear way (only in Dutch below). I agree with the premise.

The doctor in this video gives the example of AI in healthcare. Why wouldn’t we let AI do the donkey work of tests, and diagnoses? That would leave doctors free to get back to what AI can’t do. Human contact. Time to really listen to patients, and to make sense of the tests. To not have to waste time on repetitive tasks, but to focus on how real knowledge, intuition and care help patients heal. Time to notice and learn from equal dialogue with patients and for doctors to assimilate real knowledge. That’s a great use of Pluto in Aquarius. Everyone is more empowered with more knowledge.

Using our astrological knowledge

This, of course, applies to many fields, astrology included. We now have great technology for doing boring calculations and even for writing text, but the real benefit of an astrology session is again human contact. Intuition plays a large part in astrology, and this is something AI can never achieve. I know I pick up things in sessions that are not logical but are valuable to my clients, because I take time to tune in. I don’t know how that works but I trust it! I have gained more knowledge from my clients than from any book or blog. Information, dialogue, knowledge.

Connecting back to ourselves

So back to the evolution in Aquarius. Many spiritual traditions and practices tell us to connect back to our ‘source’ or inner knowledge. Pluto going through Aquarius suggests that evolution could come through the power of our own consciousness. By polishing up our inner knowledge we can change the world. Pluto is a transformer, a radical cleanser, a planet that destroys ‘rubbish’.  Our minds need a radical detox!

Faye Blake

This month’s videos

 

 

Quote of the month

‘We are powerful creators’  – Bruce Lipton, although, of course, many others have said this.