The Coming Pushback Against Astrology
I was listening to Chris Brennan and Austin Coppack discussing the November horoscope for this year. Hellenistic Astrology in particular deals with events in the world hencecmy thoughts today.
Coppack and Brennan mentioned a place called the 'Serpent's Claw' in Hannover in Pennsylvania where the local police chief had visited the shop and made them aware of an 1861 law still on the statute book against divination. It seems that many laws in the USA like this still exist but are not enforced . In the UK the abolition of the anti witchcraft laws of 1735 were repealled in 1951 and replaced with the Fraudulent Mediums Act of the same year. Its now only 70 years since the last Witchcraft trial occurred in March of 1944 where Helen Duncan received a sentence of nine months in prison. In the USA raids by police on metaphysical and occult shops gave occurred as little as twenty years ago and anti astrology laws have been applied in that time. Usually in the USA appeals to the First amendment and freedom if religion have prevailed and the precedent established has been most valuable to those of us who practice and study Astrology. However as the culture wars are fought out both in the US and the USA it can no longer be certain that the existing Supreme with its cultural and religious attitudes and ethos would uphold this precedent. The growing culture wars in the UK offer potential for a pushback here to and must be watched.
Astrologicallly we know that the coming Saturn Neptune conjunction in Pisces of 2026 and as it is Saturn has now turned stationary direct and I have noticed also a Saturn Pluto conjunction prior to this. I also have observed that the third Uranian return is occurring in the USA Sibley chart. The first return came during the American Civil War, the second during World War 2 and the third occurs amongst the build up to the American Presidential election and the culture wars between rival groupings and ideologies. When Neptune leaves Pisces in 2025 and goes into Aries I fear more of direct attacks and criticism of astrology and its practitioners. Astrology is prone to attacks by secular humanists arguing that astrology is a product of scammers and con artists and fundamental Christians who believe that we are in league with demons and Satanic forces. Its always struck me as bizarre considering that according to the Gospel of Matthew Christ's birth was foretold by comjuction and he was visited by three astrologers. His death occurred under an eclipse as well and so an astrological role rests as a basis for Christianity. Astrology has always existed within the history of both Islam and Christianity for much of the last two thousand years and we know that the translation, movement, ancient Bagdad and the multi culturalism between Jewish, Islamic and Christian Spain (Al Andulasia) was rich in Astronomical and Astrological knowledge and learning. The last time Neptune entered Aries we found the USA trapped between Civil War and Gilded age I fear that the ease with which Astrology has grown since 2018 will lessen from the period beginning 2025 to 2026
I have been a Jungian Psychotherapist for close on thirty years now and I have never experienced a period of greater confidence and validity for its value. I have completed Brennan's course on Hellenistic Astology and have nearly finished his course with Robert Bailey on Horary and Chris' own course on electional. I completed the Centre for Psychological Astrology Certificate two years ago and am just about to begin the Diploma. We need rigorous standards to resist the coming pushback against us. We can't afford to be flaky, woolly and too New Age in our approach. I am afraid I spit blood at the name 'astrologist' and wretch when I hear conspiracy theories. We must understand our role, our history and the values we offer to generations of astrologers to come. Its not going to be as easy as the last few years have been for astrology and astrologers. One particular very close friend in the USA shows with my examination of her Zodiacal Releasing and Annual Perfections concerns that might be interpreted in the Lots of both Fortune and Spirit of disruptions in the US in the next few years. I know that I now sound like a conspiracy theorist myself with that statement but perhaps let's put it down to the tensions between Pluto in Capricorn and Pluto in Aquarius .
It's quite clear that we are period where Astrology os at it most vigorous since William Lilly and Guido Bernardi . We cannot let flaky and wolly thinking and standards slip. In fact they must get stronger and more rigorous.
I am am elected representative for my community. I designed the campaign and its approach using Horary and Electional Astrology. I checked with Tarot and I Ching but above all I used it in the world as a means of being and doing in the here and now. I use astrology to ubderstand Council meetings and resistance to my proposals and suggestions. I have declared on my list of interests membership of Astroligical groups and associations I belong too.
So please I was delighted to hear the nature of the discussion between Coppack and Brennan it inspired me to write this piece this morning as speculation, concern and warning of what Astrologers and Astrology might face in the next thirty years. In the 20s and the 30s of the last century we found a preceeding 'new age' where authoritarian politics and policies fed into a nightmare of world war and genocide. This time it must be different and I suggest that Naomi klein's new book ' Doppelganger should be essential reading for all those interested in Astologyvas we move from Pluto in Capricorn to Pluto in Aquarius . Time for me to have a Capuccino I think....I finish with links to the concerning story from Hannover in Pennsylvania about the shop the ' Serpent's Claw'.. as Gaza explodes under a Mars Pluto square I see the validity of Astrology both psychologically and in a mundane way. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/14/us/pennsylvania-witchcraft-tarot-law-police.html and finally this link..https://www.facebook.com/groups/139161801394881/permalink/717500570227665/
