RETROGRADE YEARS

WHAT AILS US AS SEEN BY MAJOR RETROGRADE YEARS

Method: I use classic Western astrology wheels and associations to the planets and orbs, with the exception of my calculations are in Sidereal Time. I am defining Retrograde Years as years where seven planets and/or orbs are in retrograde most of the year. Most noted is Chiron is involved in all of my presented Retrograde years. I did not specifically figure in Mercury Retrogrades as they are a common occurrence through out the year. As I tried to use software to find similar alignments, to no avail. My next method was to go to similar events that are being repeated. Today just about every negative social problem has been square in our face. My first choices were not fruitful until I stumbled on something provenly so pervasive, it was my later search.

Invitation: to openly discuss “what ails us” and compare the differences and or similarities of the two traditions of Tropical vs Sidereal. Clearly the signs will probably be different bringing some differences in focus. Also, after stumbling on a connection point to these Retrograde year events, I have cross-referenced those years with specific events. I have also only considered what is in our recent history (1866, 1877, 1915) to compare with events happening this year (2018). To follow up with other intense events in our civilization, I have found they had at least 4 major planets in Retrograde at any specific event.

Observance: in astrology you can see pressure points, much like acupuncture on the energetic body of mankind. Planets and zodiac signs give further guidance as to the meaning of each set of Retrograde years. While there is only guidance rather than fated outcomes from these trigger points, we still want to understand.

It is human nature to avoid pain, but at what level of avoidance does it continue “samsara” or pain itself? These Retrogrades are more of return to a serious flaw in rising consciousness. They by nature have pulled our awareness back to the center of our heart, and ask the simple question, do I “do unto others as they do unto me”? The “pain” is when that answer is who is asking the question. If others are feeling pain and fear, can the rest of us continue to be above it? Or do we have to bring them along our rise so that we can enjoy those merits and then face yet another aspect of human development? In simpler terms I am getting at trauma and its healing. Coming from a personal belief that we are all connected and what we do to another, we end up doing to our self. Or rather if you marginalize another, there is a reaction that can end up hurting me also, such as trauma, disenfranchisement, reactions of rebellion and then destabilization to the whole through crime, addictions and violence.

During this year, I think of myself as someone who has done a lot of personal work via associations, discussions, lectures and most importantly my own time spent contemplating my aging navel and what has been me and who I am now. So, in short connection and facing the ugly and yet deep shadow of my soul. Many others are doing the same thing, but there is a stubborn cluster of souls who for what ever reason still follow another’s lead and don’t rise above the karmic cross of influence by others. What I have observed is each time these Retrogrades visit us, more and more rise above our deepest fears and restrictions. It is a known psychological lesson that we will endure great pain because we know the situation, instead of facing the unknown and what it may provide. We don’t exchange one fear for another. That act of looking at the unknown is more painful than the known.

One of my teachers, was gracious enough to explain that as things return on the cosmic circle of time we learn more and more. At some point we master the lesson and it no longer drags us into the failings of the past. That is the upside to this year of Retrogrades. Each era has its own deep flaws to negotiate, so the value of this year’s series presents as something different than maybe early civilized man may have endured. Circumstances and specific situations are just different from today. Our choices determine what we gain by seeing the returning situation.

Now to get to the observation. I need to present this delicately so forgive the disclaimer babble. I am also going to focus on the United States as similar events were happening worldwide. As I started to look at events, I gravitated to the time of the Civil War as we are feeling that divide right now. The actual Civil War didn’t have much in the way of major retrogrades and I look as those times as positive or progressive despite the loss of life and expectations. This was a time of rising above an age-old concept that one life may be more valuable than another, i.e. slavery as a means of building personal wealth. The negativity happened afterwards as if some dark minion tried to raise from the ashes to reinstall its venom. As after all, it had resided in a large part of our collective consciousness. The three years I am going to look at is the founding of the KKK (1866), the Start of Jim Crow (1877) and the start of WWI and what was happening here in 1915. Some alternative events that pressed for facing trauma and opening up a chance for healing.

So here is what seems to be the symptom, racism, nationalism, security via economic supremacy and fear of the other. All due to difficulties in tapping into collective consciousness and increased self-separation or isolation. It is seen as a White Supremacy through many forms. Some of those forms are altruistically paternal, but human kind does not do well if it is kept in perpetual childhood. Since today’s science says, there is no real difference between any of us, and race is a social construct, we have to look deeper at why this has occurred. Each time we addressed a facet of this tribalism or fascism, it went from full bloom to now a de je vous of cries from a not so distant past.

As for economic security, each period has shown that there are a few people who are so tied to money as security, that they subvert everyone else for their own needs. It takes generations to move past these cultural and cultish fervors. Because that is what they are a fervor that does not allow thinking outside of the paradigm. Looking at these things in the present, we see that there is indeed something else outside of that perspective, so choice is possible and, in this case, preferable. Compassion is a key here. This is not soft and emotional, it is straightforward, with real levers to rising even the weakest into healthy realities. But some of the old ideas of what that looks like must be tempered with real social science of how we all work together.

I know that an alternative view is that these things have been with us since humans started living together, and yes that is true. And the development and implementation of what came out of these Retrograde years extends for years. Consider the concept of “harmony through conflict”. We don’t deal with anything until it causes conflict. Trauma scars us internally, genetically and socially. When something is broken, you need to mend it. For what it is worth, humans seem to find the oddest ways to operate while that healing process has time to occur. The next stage of development is “concrete knowledge or science”. This is a time to start bettering ourselves through intellect rather than power manipulations that have fallen into fragments, i.e. we need healing through intellect. After we master that and find the flaws of our nature, yet another lesson of development will present. Some of us are slow learners, so ages will pass as we test every conceivable variation.

Questions: So what impact will this year of Retrogrades mean for us? Where do we want to take it, how do we want to heal this aberration of reason and personality that we have created in life? What would life look like if we cured this throwback in collective consciousness? I propose the we would start to work with everyone doing what they are best designed to do, and no factions would be held back due to convenience, insecurity, paternal authority or fear?

Charts and Associations with Events

The creation of the KKK (1866) and the Jim Crow Laws (1877) all came out of Reconstruction period after the Civil War. I wonder how differently things might have turned out if Lincoln had finished out his term instead of Andrew Johnson commandeering the radical reconstruction of the south and final incorporation of the blacks into citizenship. It is noteworthy that Johnson was impeached due to his ineptitude. Clearly, sensitivity and a sense of human justice was Lincoln’s manifesto, but not Johnson’s perspective.

Each of these periods had counterbalances of social concepts of equality and unity. While the reaction to losses due to the Civil War, the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th Amendments which freed and constructed a reality for enslaved blacks, the negative reaction was to double down with the past repressive behaviors and subtle enslavements of the very people who were federally liberated. Chiron is involved in these two years. with Chiron retrograde in Aquarius in 1866 a true clash of ideals comes to the forefront. Financial restrictions created the tensions in the south as reparations had to be made as well as not having an economic system that was functioning.

Our lesson of this time is that after trauma, you can’t create more hardship and expect people to accept the oppression. They will fall back on old ideas that reminded them of having more personal power. This recognition that blacks were indeed humans, but equal while creating financial hardship simply made little room for healing. Buy the time of the end of Reconstruction, the Jim Crow Laws filled in creating another way to enslave blacks to boost the failing economic situation in the South. This was social restriction as well as economic restriction.

To carry this forward, tariffs were unfair to the Southern farmer trade practices which brought much loss and instability to the south. Much of which started to wane by 1913, which leads to just before the first World War. The south was very much unable to get on its feet. Interestingly enough, the advent of the NAACP rose about 1915 which shows how quickly the Blacks were able to pull together and organize so that they could maintain their new standard of autonomy. At a peak at 1909 statues to the Southern Confederate generals and leaders were being punctuated throughout the south to remind both whites of their once prosperous times, and the subservience of the blacks. So, arises 1915 and the KKK creates a new insurgency but is very much “invisible”.  Like the ghost of past glories making yet one more rise into consciousness. I want to get back to the original premise of our challenge which is as humans there is not difference between us. We are all collectively tied together. The more you struggle against the notion, the greater the boomerang back to facing the reality. The healing has to occur with both economic equalities, but social collective consciousness also.

There are more parallels to that time, which include women’s rights and their struggle to be full citizens and recognized as something more than chatmates. But that is yet another set of dates. What we are seeing is a full review of how the ability to value everyone has been a winning battle as long as we don’t regress. Shifting those perspectives of those still lagging behind will be hard. We can do it.