Astrology: The Year in Review 2022, Part 2

Since my reviews aren't really general overall reviews of world events, more an informal analysis of major transits, and because being from Canada, they tend to be more Canada-centric, here is an abridged post from Astrology with Andy, 2022 Astrological Progress Report, Oct 13 2022, to round things out, and cover more American events, since the majority of my readers are from the U.S.

Next year, Pluto dips its toes into Aquarius from March 24 to June 13 (and then again from January 20 to September 1 of 2024) before beginning an uninterrupted 20-year visit on November 29, 2024. When Pluto transits through Capricorn, things that seemed “too big to fail” end up failing. The powerful who seemed untouchable topple. Powerful enterprises are forever changed. When Pluto first entered Capricorn, Lehman Brothers — the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States at the time — declared bankruptcy (it was the largest bankruptcy filing in US history and marked the end of the firm’s 161-year history). In addition, the global investment bank Bear Stearns was bought by JP Morgan, and Bernie Madoff’s long-running house of cards toppled over in dramatic fashion. Global economic activity plummeted and the world entered a deep recession when Pluto entered Capricorn.

As Pluto made its way through Capricorn, more transformations took place (these can be positive and beneficial to society; there are no “good” or “bad” planets). There is no pivotal force like Pluto to usher in much-needed change. Consider this: of the 33 nations that have legalized same-sex marriage, 27 did so while Pluto made its way through Capricorn (Andorra will be the 34th — same-sex marriage will become law there in February of 2023, while Pluto is in Capricorn). It was time for the institution of marriage (Capricorn) to evolve and transform (Pluto).

Another institution rocked by Pluto’s travels through Capricorn? The British Royal Family. In January of 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) made the unprecedented decision to step away from their senior roles. And, as Pluto began transiting over the final degrees of Capricorn, Queen Elizabeth II — the longest-reigning British monarch — passed away in September of 2022, and recent polls show that public support for the monarchy is at an all-time low. I do not think the British Royal Family is going to disband any time soon, but it makes sense that after a transit of Pluto through Capricorn, it has undergone a massive internal and public-facing transformation.

I have also found that when Pluto travels through the last few degrees of a sign, that particular sign’s archetypal qualities are temporarily empowered (a “last hurrah” of sort, where Pluto gives that sign one final blast of energy). Capricorn rules conservative ideologies and viewpoints. So, it is no surprise that we are currently seeing an uptick in right-wing politics around the world, including:

• The overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States. 

• Ultra right-wing incumbent Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro vastly outperforming opinion polls for the 2022 presidential election and getting enough votes to prevent opponent — and former president — Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from receiving more than 50 percent of the vote (which would have been enough to win the election). Instead, the two will go to a run-off election that will be held on October 30th. But, that’s not all. As The Washington Post recently noted, “Bolsonarismo performed strongly in Brazil’s congressional elections. Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party gained 66 seats in the proportionally elected Chamber of Deputies, becoming the nation’s largest party. Other ring-wing parties often aligned with Bolsonaro won about 150 seats combined. This ring-wing trend was even more pronounced in the Senate where Liberal Party candidates won eight of the 27 races while other right-wingers won another 10. That means two-thirds of Brazil’s states elected right-leaning senators.” If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Bolsonaro’s ultra right-wing politics, “he has expressed a fondness for the country’s past military dictatorship and also freely spews misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ, and racist statements.” 

• In Sweden, a nationalist and right-wing populist political party known as the Sweden Democrats received the second highest number of votes in the country’s recent presidential election. What was once a fringe party won 20.5% of the vote this time around — and is now Sweden’s second most-popular party. 

• Weeks ago, “Italians elected their country’s most right-wing government since the end of World War II (no small matter in a country that has had 69 governments since 1946.)” 

• Far-right French politician Marine LePen did not win the country’s 2022 presidential election, but lost by the smallest margin yet (in the words of the Associated Press, “the far-right has gone mainstream in France.”).

This combination, by the way, is not a common occurrence (the last time Saturn was in Aquarius while Pluto was in Capricorn was in the year 1286). While Pluto’s entry into Aquarius (see this post for more details) in 2024 does not indicate an overnight change, it does mark the beginning of a substantial and incremental shift away from these ultra right-wing ideologies and governments that are currently enjoying

The United States is feeling this Pluto influence even more significantly because it is currently experiencing its Pluto return (Pluto has returned to where it was when the United States was “born”; I first mentioned this event on my Instagram page in April of 2019). With that in mind:

• In February of 2022, three former officers involved in the murder of George Floyd were found guilty by a federal jury for civil rights violations. That same month, it was first reported that former United States president Donald Trump took classified material from the White House to Florida. While that may have seemed like a blip on the radar at the time, it has now turned into a full-blown legal scandal with no signs of abating. 

• The second Pluto peak occurred just one week after The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade (and the constitutional right to an abortion). In what I can best describe as “a very Pluto thing”, this event shone the light on abortion opponents’ consistent and relentless chipping away of reproductive rights and the fragility of reproductive rights in the United States.

This Pluto return makes one thing very clear: the United States is in a moment of unprecedented astrological crisis. What once worked and functioned no longer does. While this Pluto return is active, it will be difficult to find solutions (I describe Pluto transits as category 5 hurricanes… you can’t begin to rebuild until the hurricane is over; right now, the

I maintain hope that the United States can be “reborn” after this dark period. Pluto’s involvement, though, means this rebirth can only happen after major systemic restructuring. It will also require that career politicians (from both parties) finally retire and pass the torch to a new generation. Many long-standing politicians are part of the Pluto in Leo generation (born between 1937 and 1956), which, due to massive pride and ego, notoriously has a hard time letting go of power and authority. Among them: Joe Biden, Donald J Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, and Chuck Grassley.

Looking further ahead, transiting Saturn will cross his IC from May to August of 2024 and then again in February and March of 2025. Saturn crossing the IC (which happens approximately every 28 years) always corresponds to at least one major significant ending in our life. There is a strong sense that a particular chapter (or book) has reached a permanent conclusion. With all this in mind, I would be very surprised if Joe Biden ends up running for (no less winning) a second presidential election. If (and that’s a huge if) both of those were to happen, then I only see him being in office for one year.