American history is replete with era names that evoke strong impressions of the times: The Era of Good Feeling, the Era of Reform, the Progressive Era, etc. Each era is referring to a shift in the national consciousness, typically brought on by unexpected innovations in art, technology, politics, and wealth. A good illustrative example is the Progressive Era, from about 1900-1920, which brought us the FDA, monopoly breakups, the 19th Amendment codifying women's right to vote, and the National Park Service. Before 1900 such innovations would have been unthinkable. By the 1920s, they were woven into the fabric of the country.

We might also include eras of Industrial Revolution, such as the Third Industrial Revolution that began after World War II, with large scale investments by the government into technologies that eventually gave us the microchip, the PC, the internet, and the smartphone. These technologies would have seemed like miracles a few decades ago but are commonplace today.

As we enter the middle of the 2020s we are entering another era that will bring changes that today we can scarcely imagine, let alone believe could come to pass. I'm calling this period the Radical Era, partly in reference to political radicalism that has historically advocated for suffrage and equal rights for all, but also to evoke the radical changes that will be brought about by technology, politics, and culture between now and 2030.

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What will drive these changes? Partly it is the latent and pent up urges roiling in the soul of humanity for a world that is caring and forward looking. Years of clinging to a mythologized past that must be saved, no matter how violently, is losing grip as the rage against the real violence it creates grows in the hearts of the people. But also, there are likely to be great technological innovations that buttress our confidence in a better possible future, in forms of energy, environmental sustainability, and space travel. When we see real hope for a future that promises a balanced climate, unlimited energy, and exploration beyond our planet, we will turn away from the divisive battles that have poisoned the collective discourse for years. Clinging to the past will seem increasingly ridiculous, even detrimental to our collective survival. Simultaneous and corresponding shifts in cultural values will drive political changes that will not be friendly to the right-wing establishment, which will continue to rot from within.

For the astrological correlations, we start with the advent of Pluto entering Aquarius in March of 2023, a sign Pluto has not touched since 1798. It will soon regress back into Capricorn for a while, but this initial toe-dip into Aquarius is the start of a two decades long transformation of some core social ideals. Humanity will struggle with its fears of and desires for inclusion, wrestling with the need for social change while afraid of its inevitable uncertainties. Will we further polarize into concentrated enemy camps or will we find acceptance for each other beyond ideologies and political allegiances? Fear of aliens and fear of alienation are two sides of the same coin. When this truth is made conscious then we can empathize with and embrace each other. Pluto's transit through Aquarius puts this test of consciousness onto our front doorstep.

Pluto's regress into Capricorn in the summer of 2023 and Uranus's last months in Taurus will pull us back into the energies of more recent years, a feeling like an arrow pulled back on a bow waiting to let fly. The tension releases when Jupiter, ruler of the cosmic archer, makes a conjunction to Uranus in April 2024. Jupiter-Uranus contacts typically bring sudden insights and innovations from realms such as technology, medicine, politics, and art. Some great boon is gifted to humanity after years of dealing with a particular struggle, like a reward for graduating a school of hard knocks.

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This brings us to the war in Ukraine. While Ukraine has been toiling through a difficult phase since Saturn entered Pisces and opposed the country’s Sun, by the Spring of 2024 we will likely see real signs of victory on the Ukrainian side. It is worth noting that Ukraine's prior revolutions — the Orange Revolution and Maidan Revolution — both of which were political successes, occurred during strong alignments between Jupiter and Uranus. Indeed, the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction of 2024 occurs at square (90º) to Ukraine's Aquarius Moon (a sign of enduring democracy, and also the Moon sign of the United States), indicating not only that this alignment will bring a powerful boon to the country, but that, due to the nature of the square, it comes at a difficult cost.

 

Looking ahead to 2025, we see a much different story unfolding for Russia. During the summer of that year, a conjunction of Saturn and Neptune begins to take shape at the first degrees of Aries. The Saturn-Neptune cycle is deeply connected to the fate of Russia, which is illustrated by looking at the last few conjunctions of Saturn and Neptune:

• 1848: Communist Manifesto written and published.
• 1917: Bolshevik Revolution.
• 1953: Death of Stalin.
• 1991: Dissolution of the Soviet Union.

And that is only a cursory look. Many events from Russia's history can be traced by the cycles of Saturn and Neptune, and there are symbolic reasons why these planets are meaningfully linked to this somber and idealistic country. Suffice it to say, a conjunction of Saturn and Neptune, which historically is linked to major changes in Russian leadership, occurring just after a boon moment for Ukraine, suggests an outcome that is not friendly to Putin.

For the United States, the year 2024 is a presidential election year. The astrological story for this election is solemn with an unexpected upset while carrying us into a more progressively democratic future. We could speculate on a number of possible outcomes, but I'd like to just highlight that there's a peculiar emphasis on Venus for this election cycle, which could bode well for a female presidential candidate. In any event, the Solar Return of the United States for July 4, 2025, occurring at the same time as its Jupiter Return, looks like a time of major celebration for boons recently received.

Progressive politics are likely to dominate over the years until at least 2028. Gun control, LGBTQ+ rights, antitrust, political dark money, and climate change are all issues that are related to the alignments between Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto over these years. Add in the Saturn-Neptune cycle and we see a confluence of harmonized planetary energy unseen in centuries. Taken on their own, any pair of planets in this lineup would be enough to suggest a major shakeup in the world, but taken all together it is reasonable to presume a radical shift in consciousness. We are heading towards a complex of harmonized planetary energy that evokes a new Renaissance, a cultural rebirth, a Radical Era.

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