Introduction
Greetings loyal readers! It has been a strange summer, with so many planets retrograde for so long. The good news is that things are finally starting to open up. Pluto, the planet of power through reorganization and restructuring, finally went direct in Sagittarius after being retrograde for a few months. Uranus and Neptune remain retrograde in Aquarius, but Pluto direct has a powerful liberating influence nonetheless. Energies that have been blocked for months are now free to go forward, especially the mutable fire energies of Sagittarius.
The Element of Fire
Fire is the greatest cleansing energy there is. Thus planets are particularly uncomfortable when they are retrograde in fire sings. This is especially true for Pluto, since Plutonian energy is about rebirth, change and reordering. Not only have Pluto's energies been blocked by virtue of being in retrograde motion, but the mutable fire energy of Sagittarius has been totally frustrated by Pluto's backward motion. Fire likes to go up, not down. Fire likes to move forward, not backward.
You can see the practical effects of Pluto's liberation into direct motion by observing how the U.S. Presidential campaign activity has changed and will continue to change since Pluto turned direct on August 21. This year's Presidential conventions were the most unexciting, scripted, predictable (inside the convention halls, at least) conventions this country has ever seen. It is as if this year's Presidential candidates were so assured of their positions they felt no need to even flirt with the trappings of democratic process. The retrograde Plutonian energy did not allow for any change or evolution on the part of the existing power structure.
This attitude was expressed most directly by Texas Senator Phil Gramm outside of the Republican convention in Philadelphia. Anti-corporatist, pro-democracy demonstrators were attempting to block the streets outside the convention when one of them spotted the notoriously racist, sexist, classist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic pro-fascist Republican "statesman" (and man do I use that term loosely). "Senator Gramm," the demonstrator shouted, "the rich aren't going to control this planet forever!" A disgusted-looking Senator Gramm retorted: "The rich have always controlled this planet and they always will." Does that sound like a proponent of democracy and populist principles to you?
This attitude reflects the current workings of one of the two currently remaining retrograde planets -- Neptune. Neptune, the planet of mystery, illusion, delusion and deception, is currently retrograde in Aquarius. Aquarius, the fixed air sign, manifests social consciousness and purposeful striving for the greater good. When Neptune is retrograde in Aquarius, people are living in their own delusions. Individuals such as Senator Gramm are effectively manipulating social forces behind the scenes and deluding the masses into thinking that the existing power structure is working toward the greater good, when in fact it is doing just the opposite.
This posturing, combined with Pluto's recent retrograde position, has effectively deluded the power structure into thinking it can maintain control in perpetuity. The corporate controllers of the mass media have either completely denied coverage to alternative viewpoints, or have so perverted and mis-portrayed their meanings as to completely convince themselves they have effectively censored the truth from the American public and the world at large. Likewise, the theatrical producers of televised presidential candidate debates believe that by excluding coverage of third party candidates such as Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan it is possible to keep the most compelling social and political issues of our day away from the public eye. Watch for this complacency to become seriously eroded in the coming months as Pluto travels forward in Sagittarius and creates opportunities for meaningful social and political change and transformation.
Consumer Power: Green Party Candidate Ralph Nader
As of this writing, national polls show Ralph Nader with a five percent (5%) standing, and as high as twelve percent (12%) in California. In reality, the number is higher than that, and will be even higher in the November election. Why is this significant? Because if Ralph Nader wins five percent (5%) of the popular vote in November, the Green Party will receive $12 million in matching funds. This money would be a serious boon to democracy in the United States. (Currently our so-called democratic system of government is actually a plutocracy, where the rich control everything and think only of themselves, caring nothing for public policy or the needs of the populace as a whole.)
One of the problems with the two-party system is the fact that there are only two parties -- two parties financed by and beholden to the same corporate interests and looking less and less distinguishable from each other with each passing day. For some reason, most Americans are brainwashed into believing that the two party system is superior to any other political system, without bothering to notice that most other countries in the world operate just fine with more than two parties.
I am frankly sick to death of hearing the argument that a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush. Let's face it folks -- a vote for Gore is a vote for Bush. Both candidates are financed by the same corporate and New World Order interest, both candidates give lip service to public policy but in reality ignore it completely, and both candidates are dedicated to the preservation of the status quo with the devotion of a Jack Russell terrier on a fox hunt. Likewise, I am also totally tired of hearing the argument that I should vote for Al Gore because there will be openings on the Supreme Court, and the President makes Supreme Court appointments. This line of reasoning is even more lame than the "a vote for Gore is a vote for Bush" nonstarter. Why? Because Bill Clinton, a supposed liberal (gag me with Bill Clinton's coke spoon!) appointed Steven Breyer to the Supreme Court. Breyer is a pro-death penalty conservative masquerading as a moderate. On the other hand, conservative George Bush Sr. appointed David Souter to the Supreme Court. Souter is a libertarian-minded independent thinker who may well leave a legacy as one of the greatest humanitarian jurists of our time. Besides, conservative Richard Nixon appointed the late Harry Blackmun to the Supreme Court, and Blackmun decidedly was one of the greatest humanitarian jurists of our time.
As we get closer to the November election even the jaded, mind-controlled mainstream journalist community will tire of the likes of Gore and Bush, and will actually interview Ralph Nader from time to time. People are primed to hear Nader's message on globalization, worker's rights, health care entitlement, the environment and other issues that matter greatly to the average person, despite what the mainstream news media chooses to think. So take advantage of Pluto's energy to make those long overdue changes in your own life, and keep your awareness up as to how you as an individual and all of us collectively can improve the lives of all the oppressed people on this planet!
Copyright 2000 Marcy J. Gordon. All rights reserved. The author wants you to know you are free to copy and distribute this article for noncommercial purposes, provided you reproduce it in its entirety and credit the author. For quotation permission, please contact the author at mgordon@pipeline.com.