2005 — YEAR OF THE GREAT BREAKTHROUGHS
justice, fairness and the restoration of social balance
Another year gone by! What will the planets bring for us this coming year and how will we take advantage of it? Richard Giles, astrologer and Fen Shui expert, looks at some of the main trends that characterise 2005, to see what they'll bring for us to work with. As we head through the divide between 2004/2005, the chart for the year set for midnight at Greenwich (UK) gives us a few insights. It has a Libran Ascendant which means justice, fairness, relationships and the restoration of social balance will be high priorities for the year. With the ruler of the ascendant, Venus, in tight conjunction to Pluto and Mercury in Sagittarius in the Third House (communications), we'll get huge debates and lots of mental and media focus on the rights of others, the return of justice to the social system and intense debate about how this could be done. The Capricorn Sun is in the 4th House, so issues of security and safety are still big in 2005.
Themes from the developments of the last few years continue. Uranus, ruler of radical change and the sign of the genius within continues to move through Pisces, the feminine water sign and Neptune continues its passage through Aquarius, the sign ruled by Uranus. The two share mutual receptivity in that they are in each other's signs; issues of water supply, pollution, technology, spirituality and new inventions continue apace.
Uranus reaches the second decan of Pisces for three months in mid 2005. Each thirty degree sign is divided into three sectors of 10 degrees called decans. The second decan of Pisces (being Water) is ruled by the Moon/Cancer, the soft and sensitive sign and both water supply issues, the role of mothering and national security continue to loom large.
Uranus at Sea
A prediction I made in 2003, writing on Uranus in Pisces, was that new communities will be built on and under the seas. In The Australian newspaper IT section of 16th November 2004, page 2, was a story titled "A City All At Sea" about plans for a Florida based project called 'Freedom Ship' which is 1.3 klms long and 25 stories high, planned to hold 40,000 people which will remain permanently at sea. It will have high-tech solar and wind power as well as an airstrip, an hospital, schools, commercial sites and landscaped gardens — Uranus in Pisces made manifest!
Two other outer planets, Saturn and Jupiter both change signs in 2005. Saturn moves into fiery and creative Leo in July and Jupiter moves into intense, transformative Scorpio in September. Chiron the healer moves to inventive Aquarius in February and as it changes signs there will be positive indications of health reform especially in natural alternatives and big change in fields of technology and the human rights reform of society.
Chiron Makes His Move
It's February 2005 that Chiron makes its first move into Aquarius in 50 years. Aquarius is the sign of humanity, new inventions, electricity, aviation, trade unions, the UN, computers, science, technology, astrology and reform movements. We may begin to see the application of Chironic (innovative) principles in these areas and while corruption in the trade unions, the computer industry and the UN may be become more visible, I suspect we will also see dramatic changes in aviation and air travel, the way we use and operate computers and the electrical supply industries around the world. Astrology is likely to become more mainstream as well.
Chiron briefly moves back into Capricorn from August until December 2005, then goes into Aquarius for the next five years. These will be dramatic times of reform and tremendous change in fields of technology, computers and science and the reform of society with human rights becoming irresistible so as to unseat current dictators and other non-democratic regimes.
Who is in Control?
Saturn is the planet of control and structures, as well as wisdom and maturity. With Saturn's shift into Leo, the demands for personal freedoms, restructuring of old political systems and the right to be one's own person, increase. In particular, government practices and corporate mores are under siege. Of special interest is the Pluto in Leo pivotal generation born between late 1938 and 1958 who are now aged between 46 and 65. Numbers of them are in positions of power and influence in all fields of human endeavour. Many members of this generation will go through big personal shifts in relation to personal power and life purpose. Structures may crash around them to reveal new ways of being alive with that Leo creativity abounding. Much depends on their personal charts, of course.
As Jupiter moves into the deeper Pluto-ruled sign of Scorpio we'll feel the need to expand ourselves into the realms of a personal imperative to find some significant meaning in life.
Mars in the Soil
Another event of considerable astrological importance this year is that Mars (the action planet) moves into Taurus, an Earth sign, in late July and, due to retrograde (backwards) motion from October to December, spends over 6 months in the earthy sign of soils and smells of the land. Taurus rules money, values, livestock, agriculture, farming and property. Big arguments about agricultural practices, genetic engineering, the money system and the state of the Earth's ecosystem will be the focus of much anguish and perhaps even direct action or violence at times.
Decisive community moves will be made to change things. To add to this upheaval, Jupiter in intense Scorpio squares Saturn in Leo at the end of the year. The last time of a major Jupiter/Saturn square was the 1986 explosion at Chernobyl and the subsequent nuclear fallout. Then too, Jupiter was in Water and Saturn in a Fire sign.
Technological Ingenuity
However, Jupiter does trine Uranus in Pisces in November '05 and May '06 and I feel it will be an exciting time of opportunity, technological invention and breakthrough. The pace of technological ingenuity will increase, people will feel they can understand and grasp life in an expansive new way and assistance is there to make big shifts in your spiritual and educational life.
At the same time Jupiter has been trining Neptune in Aquarius (Nov '04, March & Aug '05). All of this momentum means large parts of the human race will pine for a higher purpose and meaning to it all. The terrible machinations of fear, terrorism and war being pushed by both sides of the 'clash of civilisations' conflict will lose its appeal to millions on the planet. We'll get sick of the whole ridiculous fight and demand peace and religious freedom to be ourselves once more.
Eclipses in 2005
Four eclipses happen in 2005. The first are in April 8th (Solar) and 24th (Lunar). The second one is directly opposite the Lunar eclipse point of 28th October last year. The most interesting two are the Solar eclipse on 3rd October and the Lunar one of 17th October with the Sun in Libra. The first squares Australia's national Capricorn Sun exactly (we were born as a nation on 1st January 1901) and the second conjuncts our progressed Sun (our evolving nationhood). Those six months onwards from October 2005 will see some very big challenging shifts in Australia's identity and national development. There'll be a lot of soul-searching about our international and national roles.
Quickly looking at the Mayan calendar some interesting predictions arise that shed more light on 2005. Mayans count in Cycles of Nine with day and night themes for each year. 2004 was considered the Third Night in a nine year cycle. So 2005 will be known as the Fourth Day, and 2006 will be the Fourth Night. As the Fourth Day, its a period of development of light. The year's tap root grows deep to firmly attach itself while the trunk thickens and branches form. Its a period of expansion of any foundations laid.
The year 2005 ahead promises great breakthroughs and big changes in people's aspirations. Be ready for it.....!
FOOTNOTE: Having written a lot of columns on the Years Ahead each year, and with the awful stuff going on in the world that we have day to day (and now giant tsunamis), with fear, wars, bombings and what-not, I decided to concentrate on the better side of this year's transits rather than doing the same old warning stuff...
However, for those who do want warnings, the later part of 2005 is going to be very difficult.
As Saturn passes into Leo, Mars retrograding into Taurus and with Neptune in Aquarius and Jupiter into Scorpio, the last three months of the year promise a really difficult set of transits. As the year finishes we have
- Jupiter square Saturn in December
- Mars retro square Neptune in November
- Mars square Jupiter in December
- Mars square Saturn in November
- and again in December.
The last two months look rough and critical. November 7/8th is the best setup for action, with Sun in Scorpio, Mars in Taurus, Neptune in Aquarius and Saturn in Leo, all in a pretty tight Grand Cross in the fixed signs — a recipe for religious nuts, leaders who want a coup d'état or oil supplies being decimated.
But you can ignore all that or concentrate elsewhere...
