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How quickly
we forget! It wasn’t that long ago that America suffered through an “energy
crisis.” Do you remember waiting forever in long lines to pay outrageous
prices at the gas pumps back in the 70s? Do you remember the confounding
political implications as the oil-producing nations ganged up against
us in a cartel? Fossil fuels create even stranger bedfellows than politics.
We’re still tangled up in those sheets.
For a time,
Americans became energy-conscious. Fuel-efficient, compact cars ruled
the roads, and alternative energy sources were explored enthusiastically.
So how did we end up in the new millenium driving gas-sucking SUVs and
mini-vans? America’s self-destructive addiction to fossil fuels is a bad
habit we just can’t kick.
Now when
I think of obsessive, self-destructive habits, the planet Pluto comes
to mind—compulsively, repeatedly; in fact, I can’t stop thinking about
it! Actually, consider the nature of fossil fuels themselves; they’re
dark and dirty, dug up from deep underground and produce ungodly wealth
and power. Isn’t that the very essence of Pluto, the Dark Lord and God
of the Underworld?
In the current
world economy, oil, like Pluto, is power. It underlies every transaction,
literally greasing the wheels of commerce. Like Pluto, it operates under
the surface of the obvious, an unconscious compulsion, quietly controlling
anything that transpires in the light of day. Well, the detox is on and
the American economy is already experiencing withdrawal symptoms, particularly
in the stock markets.
Transportation
Upheavals
Pluto’s dark
influence has been brought to light over the past two months, as it has
been locked in a revealing opposition to Jupiter, a planet considerably
more honest and open. Currently, Pluto is in Sagittarius, the sign of
long-distance travel, directly opposite Jupiter in Gemini, the sign of
short trips. This opposition heralds major upheavals in the transportation
industry as Pluto and Jupiter pull against each other and struggle for
compromise. Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, first moved
into opposition to Pluto in late August 2000. During that time, Ford
Motors and Firestone,
two giants of the transportation industry, were embroiled in a headline-grabbing
controversy over faulty tires on Ford’s SUVs.
Under the
long-term influence of Pluto in Sagittarius, Americans have grown increasingly
obsessed with driving these massive vehicles. They create the Sagittarian
image of the rugged outdoorsman, free to go anywhere his sense of adventure
takes him. How many of these vehicles actually leave the city is another
question, but they could if they wanted to, and that’s what counts! As
the trend has accelerated, so has the demand for larger vehicles, to the
point where some of these SUVs are getting too big for their own tires.
The problem has proven deadly for consumers, and threatens the future
fortunes of both Ford and Firestone.
Hitting even
closer to home, oil prices shot up under the influence of the Jupiter-Pluto
opposition, creating more problems for both the transportation industry
and the average consumer, while generating heated debate over how to cope
with the current shortage. Truckers staged a dramatic strike in Europe,
where the escalating price of fuel threatens the future of their industry.
Meanwhile, transportation workers in the traffic Mecca of Los Angeles
staged a strike of their own. And now, seemingly with the worst possible
timing, long-simmering conflicts have boiled over yet again in the Middle
East, the one region of the world where our strangest bedfellows in the
oil business could so quickly become our worst nightmare!
Will
it Ever End?
This Jupiter-Pluto
influence will be a lingering one. Jupiter has just recently gone retrograde,
and is now moving backward through Gemini. Jupiter will turn direct in
January, and begin moving forward again, only to oppose Pluto once more
in May of 2001. We should expect to see a resurgence of these and similar
issues throughout this time. Let’s hope that we can make progress in kicking
the fossil fuels habit, and extricating ourselves from the unhealthy alliances
we’ve made with our suppliers.
It is imperative
that the new administration makes the development of alternative energy
technologies a national priority. With the proper focus, America can lead
the world in the development of this new sector. Our leaders will be sorely
tested on this issue, for following in the wake of Jupiter in Gemini is
the planet Saturn. That’s right, Saturn, the ringed planet of restrictions
and limits, will be entering Gemini in April, 2001 and making its own
series of oppositions to Pluto in Sagittarius from August 2001 through
May 2002.
Saturn is
not a fun planet, and the upcoming Saturn-Pluto oppositions could make
these current Jupiter-Pluto oppositions seem like a holiday picnic in
comparison. It could be a time of profound transformation in many sectors,
and it will take careful planning to avert a crisis and keep things running
smoothly. Great discipline and self-control will be necessary to achieve
true transformation, and to avoid the costly path of destruction. This
series of oppositions will affect all of us in ways unique to our own
individual situations, driving us to find revolutionary solutions to old
problems. Above all, they will change our economy and our world forever.
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