“Corporate Power” from Starlight News

Note to Readers: One of the best things about Planet Waves’ investigative journalistic astrology is finding astrologers of kindred spirit here on our website and on the web who are focused on the political astrology of the day. Astrologer Nancy Summers is publisher of Starlight News, a political astrology website. She provides this take on the Supreme Court decision granting personhood to corporations. Given the amount of  seismic activity on earth and its halls of power, its always good to have perspective from all eyes watching. —fb

by Nancy Sommers

One of the central themes of our time in the US and abroad is the uphill struggle by those who fight for the public interest against the increasing and pervasive domination of powerful corporations. The astrological symbol of this is the passage of Pluto through the sign of Capricorn from 2008 through 2023-24.

Image of Pluto and Charon taken by Hubble Space Telescope.
Image of Pluto and Charon taken by Hubble Space Telescope (NASA).

The planet Pluto describes an intensely focused, engulfing power that wants total control. While in Sagittarius, from 1995 through 2008, this battle was largely ideological (Sagittarius) and manifested in the global rise of religious extremism, including the growing power of fundamentalist-fueled terrorism associated with the willingness to commit suicide for an idea. As Pluto moved into Capricorn, the ideological striving of religious extremists morphed into a hunger for a more consolidated, reality-based power, and the spreading terrorist threat has seemed to take on a more political, calculated, and tactical direction.

In addition to its rulership of mass movements based on fanatical teachings, Pluto also rules hidden, manipulative, and potent concentrations of wealth, in other words, the obsessive push of consolidated wealth toward global corporate dominance. This side of Pluto is particularly well-expressed when Pluto is in the sign of political power and government institutions: Capricorn. During this 15-year period, corporate power will strive to expand exponentially through an insidious penetration into government institutions, igniting a growing power struggle of epic proportion with those who attempt to restrict this takeover, and leading to an eventual implosion emanating directly from this fanatical and overreaching grasp for control. The reign of corporate dominance (Pluto in Capricorn) will, at some point in the 2020’s, begin to transform into a far more egalitarian reality (Pluto in Aquarius), which eventually will also push too far, leading into the next phase of the cycle.

The last time Pluto crossed through the sign of Capricorn was from 1762 to 1778, during which time the British aggressively expanded their global dominance. This period began with the Treaty of Paris of 1763 in which the British dramatically extended their foothold in the New World at the expense of the French and the Spanish: the French ceded Canada and all land east of the Mississippi while the Spanish ceded Florida. The increasingly onerous rule of the British over their American colony is well known, as is the growing rebellion of the colonists which culminated in their Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Revolutionary War that followed. The Pluto in Capricorn pattern of increasingly consolidated power overextending itself and attempting to control a backlash of growing rebellion is clear.

The current cycle of Pluto in Capricorn is likely to be particularly striking due to the significant aspects that Pluto makes with other major planets during this period. At present, we are in the midst of the Saturn/Pluto square (November 2009 through August 2010) during which a fierce battle is taking place to restrict, control, or regulate (Saturn) the encroaching and omnivorous power of Pluto, manifesting today primarily in both the threat of terrorism and the growing corporate control over political institutions and governmental policy. This Saturn/Pluto configuration is particularly strong from November 2009 through January 2010. This period was initiated with the Fort Hood shootings, followed by the attempted Christmas bombing, which have brought a renewed vigilance in response to the perceived threat of terrorism in our midst. In addition, corporate money has been pouring in behind the scenes to sabotage the Democrats attempt to restructure the health care industry, the EPA’s attempt to regulate green house gases, and President Obama’s attempt to impose restrictions on the banking industry.

The most dramatic manifestation of the Saturn/Pluto square came on January 21 when the conservative majority on the Supreme Court overturned nearly a century of settled law and announced its decision to allow corporations to lavish unregulated money on the political campaigns of their lackeys. Historically, Republicans have always taken the side of big business against the rights and needs of everyday people. Ironically, they claim to do this in the name of “freedom”, usually either free-market capitalism, which they worship like a deity, or the right of free speech, which Chief Justice Roberts called upon as the basis for his egregious majority opinion.

Unfortunately, the Republicans’ obsession with “freedom” often blinds them to the larger truth of their enslavement to an unjust and rapacious economic system ruled by immoral financial behemoths. The Roberts Court blithely opened the floodgates of corporate money into the political arena in the name of free speech. But it missed the fact that it will be denying political free speech to millions of citizens whose hard-earned dollars are no longer of much value. It also treacherously weakened the voter’s tie to his legislators who will now be more dependent than ever on their corporate sponsors. In short, with their self-deluded fixation on a fantasy freedom in the face of legitimate attempts to rein in the many-headed hydra of corporate power, the Republicans and their Supreme Court stooges have become like the pampered house slaves of antebellum times, rushing to defend their masters against those who would rise up and advocate for real freedom from the oppressors.

Following this year’s Saturn/Pluto square, the next great chapter in the battle against the controlling and manipulative forces (Pluto) of our time will come with the protracted Uranus/Pluto square, which will occur eight times between June 2012 and March 2015. While Pluto represents those who would maneuver and obsessively wield their hidden and vast wealth or their overwhelming power, Uranus represents the spirit of sudden and wild rebellion or revolution in the face of restrictions that have become unbearable. The clashing of these two forces is likely to shake up the power structure of the world in a myriad of ways: political, economic, and military. How this will unfold is yet to be determined. But no matter how the saga continues, the world-wide cries for freedom against the oppressive elements of the status quo will be hard to ignore.

9 thoughts on ““Corporate Power” from Starlight News”

  1. Fe & yeti,

    Based on the info you posted for the address yeti, this might give us a clue:

    USA (Sibley chart) has Neptune at 22 Virgo 25 and Pres. Obama has Mars at 22 Virgo 34. The address has 22 Virgo rising.

    Also, the address has Moon at 7 Cancer. USA has Jupiter at 5 Cancer 56. Might be a long speech. The Prez has Pluto sextile at 6 Virgo 58 and Chiron trine at 5 Pisces 19 rx. He does feel our pain.

    Regarding the Uranus in the 7th house of the address chart, Pres. Obama lives with Uranus in his chart’s 7th house. He will keep an eye on that for sure.

    Some say Chiron rules Virgo, some say it’s Ceres, some even think it’s both and that Mercury isn’t all that relevant to Virgo. If so, it might be worth it to take a look at these two planets also.

    I have some thoughts that might be of interest on the Full Moon but need to wait until Tuesday to post. (if my computer is still alive, that is.)
    be

  2. hey yeti —
    thanks from me as well for the slave-free chocolate list! my chocolate-buying hasn’t been the same since democracy now aired a valentine’s day show (2 or 3 years ago) on the human rights abuses in the three big industries for that holiday: diamonds, flowers, and chocolate.

    my faves: equal exchange, endangered species, green & black’s, & dagoba.

  3. wandering_yeti:

    THANK YOU FOR THE SLAVE-FREE CHOCOLATE LIST.

    My favorite, by the way, is Dagoba’s Xocolatl.

    As for the astrological aspects, my guess is he can’t be soaring and he can’t be dour. I pray he is realistic, and in his own way, like he did in Cairo, signal the green light–as if we needed it to open the doors and let the light in and stop the bullshit. Its going to happen anyway. The revolution is fomenting and it may be hard to stop. But maybe its also a force of energy, if we partner up.

  4. The chart has 22Virgo rising with Mercury at 13 Capricorn, Luna at home at 7 Cancer in the 10th house, Sun conjunct Venus and opposite retro Mars between 8 and 11 Aquarius and 10 Leo respectively. Saturn is in the 1st house and the square with Pluto is only a few minutes out. Obviously he knows a lot of things are fucked up and he has to acknowledge that to be taken seriously. Uranus at 24 Pisces is setting 2 degrees above the descendant which tells me that he’s aware of a simmering revolution. Sol is in the 5th house conjunct Venus. Does the king (the sun, especially considering our president is a Leo) speak out for the people against the military industrial complex, taking a gamble on the side of the velvet revolution? Well, Mercury rules the chart since it has Virgo rising with a 1st house Saturn. Will he be down to Earth, or just prop up belief in the broken system to keep us distracted with politics as the world burns? Obama has a Gemini moon. He’ll probably dance right in between the optimism of the Aquarian Sol/Venus and the grit of Saturn/Pluto. Mars is tickling his sun sign. Will he challenge the Plutocracy that feeds him?

    What catches my attention is the culmination of the waxing moon 3 days later. Sol and Venus are conjunct in Aquarius opposed Luna and Mars in Leo. It’s yin-yang opposed yin-yang. Fire and Metal (Sol/Venus) opposed Fire and Water (Mars/Luna). But the Water is the moon and she’s on fire in Leo. Is that the Republican backlash? Retrograde Mars: war is so 20th century.

    The Wa.D.C. chart for the full moon puts Mars and Luna high in the sky in the 9th house. Scorpio is rising which makes the 11th house Saturn/4th house Venus (mutual reception-Saturn and Venus are the same planet energetically speaking right now) rule the whole chart. There you have it. I can only see the shape of my own mind in it and I want to see the public starting a velvet revolution as the Aquarian Venus can change places with Saturn and get her act together to work for a more egalitarian world.

    Speaking of which:

    http://vision.ucsd.edu/~kbranson/stopchocolateslavery/main.html#Table

    This is a list of companies (believed to be) free of chocolate produced with slave labor. Yes, slave labor is still common practice in Africa and it never really stopped-has been chugging along merrily since well before 19th century colonialism. When Europeans and Americans outlawed slavery the slave providers in Africa like King Ghezo from what is now Ghana switched to other commodities like palm oil and began using slave labor to meet the greedy demands of Americans and Europeans. Those practices continue to this day with most of the chocolate consumed by Westerners (Nestle is among the worst) produced at least in part by slave labor. Obscene tariffs placed on the export of commodities like these are why they have to use slaves to make it profitable. Tariffs are fees placed on a country for the export of their products. Tariff structures are currently designed to screw Africa while making products more expensive for us and funneling most of the profits to people who do little but “own” things.

  5. Gypsi:

    Check out down threads – there’s a great discussion going on in “What the $%^*! is up” about Kitchen Table Revolutions – buying less, cutting back, buy things that last instead of throwing stuff away, and Eric’s thread about the Legal Earthquake from the SCOTUS.

    Be:

    Let me run Ma Kettle by Nancy. It woud be a hoot over at Starlight.

  6. I’m glad ma & pa kettle got cross-posted on Starlight News, because I’ve never been here before. I’ve been doing the diminished purchasing bit for years. The corporations haven’t noticed, but I have survived the downturn.

    On the hcr battle that moved off Starlight News – I started my own blog to move the fight out, give the hcr debate room for positive thought. It seems to have died down there as well.

    So, what world-saving ideas are over here anyway? I’ve got to get my chicken coop built before baby chicks become available…

  7. Fe,

    You know I love this lady, like a few others that frequent PlanetWaves. Have we sent the Ma Kettle piece or any of our other articles (like your own rant) to her blog yet? (Noticed yesterday that the hcr battle had abated somewhat over there due to the political/governmental crisis in recent days . . .yea!)

Leave a Comment