2022 Pluto strikes the US

Capricorn 2022

I know – you all want predictions for 2022. But if you have followed my blog for a while you’ll know I don’t give those. What I can do is highlight the opportunities we have in 2022 – ones where the planets could help us in a positive way, if only we will work with them.

Same old

In 2021 the main theme for the year was Saturn in the ring with Uranus. They have finished their actual boxing match. However the repercussions and wound-licking goes on for pretty much all of 2022 as they are still not far away from another match – almost making it a rematch in September after which they call it a day. So these themes mentioned in my Capricorn 2021 post are still relevant.

We haven’t made the most of it

Sadly, although they are there, the opportunities for a balance between these energies have been difficult to see in the world. Responsible innovation, serious thought, breakthroughs in economic systems and new ideas for governments are still possible. And keeping the best of the old and combining it with the new is still the way to go. Unfortunately the need to hang on to the old, and stay with traditional authority figures is very much alive and well. The division into two camps of a sort of ‘for and against’ is very visible on many fronts – this needs to change if we are ever to make life joyful again. We need to get over ourselves and listen to others. Nobody is always right!

One of the main events of 2022

Although it is not a global event, because it affects only the US in a major way, the transit to the chart many use for the US, known as the Sibly chart, is relevant for the entire world. Pluto will return to the position he was in on July 4th 1776. This chart represents the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is a major transit that only occurs approximately every 250 years. It’s the first time for the US.

A cycle of around 250 years

Because people don’t experience this transit, known as a Pluto return, (we would have to live to be about 250!) I think we don’t understand it as well as we do other transits. Take the Saturn return, which occurs about every 29 years. We are pretty familiar with how these times can bring about major decisions. It is a time to plant seeds for the next 29 years, and deciding to marry, have children or buy a house are not unheard of when Saturn revisits Saturn in your chart. It is a time where responsibility can be embraced.

Pluto returns

We can extrapolate meaning for a Pluto return using the same principles we use for shorter cycles. So Pluto on Pluto will be times that require deep analysis of what needs to be transformed. Pluto kills off anything that needs to go. He radically cleanses areas associated with the sign that he is in. And the house he is in will show us ‘life’ areas in which he will be ruthless. Pluto takes no prisoners. If power is being abused, he will not be happy.

Drain the swamp

Trump was by no means the first to use this expression. And although Ronald Reagan used it, he too was not the first. However perhaps they were both too early! The upcoming Pluto return in the 2nd house of this US chart, is a very fitting time for swamp draining. In 1913 in his book “Broadsides, Victor Berger uses this phrase to refer to changes needed to the capitalist system. One of the themes of the 2nd house is financial systems, so if ever there was a time for economic systems reform in the US, it is NOW! The question is: will the current system go down kicking and screaming? Or will we embrace the opportunity to radically change a system that is totally out of whack. The gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is getting bigger daily.

First Capricorn

Pluto is still in our sign of the month, Capricorn, where he has been bringing abuses of power to justice since 2008. Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew are cases in point, as well as priests far and wide. And we are just starting to see the police and politicians being jailed for criminal acts. So Pluto is doing his job, as Capricorn represents people who have authority, and therefore responsibility. However, Pluto has reached the last few degrees of Capricorn and these degrees are known as the dictator degrees. So what is happening world-wide is an attempt by people in authority, to hold on to power by any means, before Pluto hits Aquarius. Will this mean power to the people? More on that next month.

Root out corruption

What Pluto in Capricorn is trying to do, is find people who are willing to assume positions of authority, such as in governments and as business leaders, who use their power to transform our world for the better. So the fact that challenges are beginning for leaders who are not doing so is positive. The amount of corruption being uncovered, particularly in governments, is eye-watering. May we use the hard-working, goal-oriented side of Capricorn, and our people-power, to place responsibility for this abuse of position squarely where it lies. And demand consequences.

Back to the US

Pluto being in Capricorn in the US chart always represents the power of governments and corporate enterprises. Working well, it could represent a very responsible ruling class. However, with Pluto being in the 2nd house, it means that the mighty dollar is worshipped, and therefore has the power to corrupt. One of the ways I look at the 2nd house for people, when looking at vocation, is to show how planets placed there can give hints as to our talents and assets. Or how we can become secure, including financially.

Pluto in the second house

So using this idea, the US’s ‘vocation’ is to become secure in the world by using Pluto talents. This could mean a country that analyses global problems and employs their powerful resources to solve them. The talent is research and getting to the kernel of any issue, to fundamentally solve a problem – not just by treating the symptom, but by addressing the cause.

Sadly, the US uses its power to maintain control and to dominate many other countries, often by being involved in wars, and by using powerful economic resources. There is a huge talent for spying and subterfuge too. Being able to get detailed information is a huge asset, but using it to control others is a very negative use of Pluto’s powers. Trust is a big issue, especially when it comes to money. The way it is now is rich people have most of the power. We need to change this by valuing something other than money.

Two methods to interpret meaning

There are two techniques I use to see how Pluto might be working for the US and for how it could work more positively. One is the clock system know as Huber Age Progression that I have often discussed. This is a sort of unfolding of, in this case, a nation, and it shows periods when the Pluto function has the opportunity for an upgrade. Or when this archetype is very active. With Pluto these are times when a nation should do ‘therapy’. A time for massive changes for the better, if consciousness is brought to the process.

The Clock

The one-handed clock starts on July 4th 1776 at the ascendant (birth) and ticks around a full cycle in 72 years, spending 6 years in each phase. The second phase for the US starts in 1782, and the hand reaches Pluto for the first time in September 1785. For me, this year sets the scene for how Pluto will be utilised. Every time this point is triggered by any astrological technique it will reawaken these themes.

72-year cycle

The dates triggered every 72 years with this method – i.e. every time the clock ticks around to this point – are very telling!  I wrote a post about this called Will the real USA please stand up? when Trump was running for president. This also included points that are at the quarter and halfway points, which also act as triggers. However the dates when the hand falls exactly on the point are the strongest.

Important years

The years are: 1785, 1857, 1929, 2001. All in September. Most of you will recognise 9/11 and of course 1929 is well known as ‘The Great Wall Street crash’. What might be less well known is that ‘the panic of 1857’ was a sudden downturn in the economy. In my post mentioned above I wrote this about 1857:

The Panic of 1857 – 1st world-wide economic crisis after discovery of gold declining. Dred Scott v. Sanford: The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Blacks were not citizens and slaves couldn’t sue for freedom. This set the scene for the American Civil War.

Pluto and control are obviously associated with slavery as well as financial institutions. Clearly Wall Street is affected by these triggers. But what happened in 1785? What set the scene for how Pluto would operate?

The dollar!

In 1785, the dollar was chosen as the monetary unit of the US. Interesting! It was later formalised when coins and notes were defined. The dollar replaced Spanish currency and became the first decimal system worldwide.

This text is from Wikipedia covering the free trade agreement agreed between the US and Prussia. The September date that year is also interesting!

• September 10 – The Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the Kingdom of Prussia and the U.S. is signed, promoting free trade and demanding unconditionally humane custody for prisoners of war, a novelty at this time.

I’m not sure that last agreement has always been adhered to!

Also in 1785 – land

Also in this year from another site relating to the US: A Federal land law put up for sale government holdings in lots of 640 acres. Although the price was only $1 per acre, this was too much for common people and the land was grabbed up by speculators who made huge profits by subdividing the land and reselling it.

Hmm, we can see what’s starting here! Jefferson was hoping that competitive bidding for land would bring the Confederation lots of funds. Land ownership as a concept has always been a sensitive issue for indigenous people worldwide. But the capitalist system of competition, and who has the most money is a winner, is clear to see here.

And trade agreements with Europe were made. So back to the dollar. In 1929, another of those dates, the current size and format of the dollar note was changed and has remained the same since.

Main themes

So we have our themes. This clock is not affecting Pluto at the moment as it was when Trump became president in 2017. But it does highlight these themes: the dollar, land ownership, financial competition and growth, trade agreements, the setting up of economic systems, misuse of power, including slavery and gross inequality. And plutocrats!

Pluto on Pluto – the transit technique

Where the clock is a kind of internal unfolding, a transit represents more of a trigger from the outside, but of course that affects internal issues for the US as well. For people, Pluto transits make us really take a look at how we are using power or trying to keep in control. This often starts by facing what can be a life-threatening problem. We can lose power temporarily while we work through what we need to face.

China comes to mind as a powerful force that could trigger a decline in financial power in the US. Perhaps the US mighty dollar will fall. Banks and Wall Street need to be very careful. Trying to keep control and hold on to power by any means possible might be fatal!

A challenge to the powerful

China is not the only threat. Pluto can stir up such outrage among adversaries and underdogs that (civil) war may ensue. We can also look at important points in this transit cycle to gain some insight into how the triggers have worked so far.

US 1848-1850

This period coincided with the presidency of Zachary Taylor, from his nomination for the presidency in 1848 to his death in 1850. After purchasing a plantation to add to the family fortunes, which included nearly 100 slaves, he died of cholera during a cholera epidemic. Should we worry about President Biden and corona?

1848 was also a year that saw mass immigration to the US, especially from Ireland, as many sought to escape the British and the potato famine. European rebels fighting for democracy also fled the harsh measures in Europe to take up citizenship in the US. This year also saw the end of the Mexican war. An article (link below) states:  “… its impact on the United States was undeniable. Nearly half of Mexico was now part of the United States. And the competition over whether the new states formed from the conquered territory would be free or slave states accelerated the onrush to civil war.”

Gold was discovered in California, also bringing many Chinese to US shores. These were very important years that changed the fabric of US society.

1936-1937

These years were during President Roosevelt’s long presidency. He won a record four terms and was therefore extremely influential on the world stage as well as at home. After the worst economic crisis in US history, he introduced the ‘New Deal’, which was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and new regulations. Interesting that the Green New Deal has been on the table for a few years. Perhaps it will really take off in 2022, as some of its ideas are taken from the original New Deal.

A warning for employers

A warning for companies that mistreat staff is that during these years, a strike brought a major car manufacturer to its knees. At General Motors’ body plant in Flint, Michigan, 36,000 staff went on strike. Unlike the usual walk-out strikes, which were dangerous because of picket lines, the workers sat down and refused to leave. In the links below there is an interesting article, so here I will just say that this led to the setting up of unions for fairer treatment. Advice for us today? Sitting still and refusing to move might be a good strategy!

War worries

Roosevelt was worried about war in these years and the ones that followed, because of the dictatorships in the world. His presidency was in trouble at this time because of the general wish to stay out of any wars. Roosevelt saw that there might be a need to cooperate with Europe, which set him on a tricky path.

These years were important for shaping labour laws which made abuse of power by business leaders more difficult, and in attempting fairer economic reform. However they were also years just prior to a world war.

1982-1983

Ronald Reagan was president during these years. Although it wasn’t the worst economic situation in history, there was definitely a recession in 1982, with high bankruptcy numbers and unemployment. In 1983 a recovery of the economy began. The protests at the time were about nuclear weapons, another of Pluto’s domains.

What is of interest here because of COVID-19, is that 1982 and 1983 were the first years that vaccine-associated polio was identified in the US. From the CDC website: The first years that all reported cases of paralytic poliomyelitis appeared vaccine-associated, either epidemiologically or by laboratory characterization of poliovirus isolates, were 1982 and 1983. Although vaccines had helped earlier, yes – that means vaccines caused it.

Confirms our themes

So to summarise, triggers in both these systems highlight the themes of massive upheavals in economic systems, investments, pensions, mortgages, race relations, land ownership, abuses of power anywhere and nuclear weapons (although this has never really been off the table, but it might be a hotter topic this year). And the authoritarian nature of COVID-19 measures, including censorship to try to keep control.

A last fly in the ointment

Because Ceres, a goddess I often discuss, has links with Pluto, I want to mention that she is messing with him again in July of 2022. Right in the middle of Pluto on Pluto in the US chart, she is opposing Pluto.

I wrote about the separate Ceres-Pluto cycle and COVID-19, giving important dates. The opposition on July 17, 2022, I treat as a ‘fruition’ date in this cycle. At the first square in April 2021, evidence of blood clots caused by the vaccine came to light. I think the opposition will bring out more evidence regarding the consequences of vaccination policy and the opposition to this. Ceres will definitely help in making sure decision makers are called to take responsibility for all of their actions. And Ceres will try to uncover the truth. It will be an interesting year, which I think may get worse, before it gets better. The powers that be will try to hold on with whatever they have left!

Also interesting, is the fact that Biden’s chart has strong links to these transits as well. I wonder what choices he will make. More Plutonic control? Or will he listen to that nature goddess Ceres?

What can we do?

People in the US have the opportunity to make use of this transit, but we can all participate. Together we do have power, and we need to take responsibility for anything that we can do to stop abuses by people in authority. This means doing your own research. Don’t just listen to the controlling narrative but really question what you are being told. Look at how you are treating others and really think deeply about whether this is right. We can feel impotent to change anything, but if we have done our research and become passionate about what sort of future we want to see, we can be unstoppable. It requires holding our nerve and finding people to do that with us.

Venus – love and values

Darwin initially thought that evolution occurred by survival of the fittest, that everything was about competing and winning. But even he changed his ideas on that. The financial system is very ‘Mars’ based on winning and growth through competition. There is plenty of research around now showing that societies do better when there is cooperation. Venus! The US has Venus in Cancer, a love of belonging and creating families. A value of protecting everyone. Basing economic systems on these values would be much more successful! And if that could be extended globally with US resources being focused on protection, housing and food for all, what a different world we would inhabit.

I have spent more time than usual on this post as it is a really important year for the US particularly. However economic system changes in the US affect us all and are relevant on a global scale. If we could all help to alter our values, this could be our ‘Great Reset!’

Faye Blake

And in case you missed it … Happy 2022

Faye Blake

Interesting websites

An article about the strike at General Motors

And although this is not strictly about the material I have used, it is a very interesting discussion on these times with Gregg Braden, including Darwin’s ideas. He gives ideas as to how to deal with today’s stresses.

Quotes of the month