Pandemic – The Fourth Turning
Change Through Astrological Archetypes:
In 2016 a book called “The Fourth Turning” came to my attention. As I started reading, it talked about 80 year (approximately) cycles of human social change. As an astrologer my mind immediately went to the cycle of Uranus, 84 years. As I read further, these cycles accompany patterns of social/political/economic change, the archetypes that manifest and the generational behaviors associated with each. Each 4th Turnings is instigated by a crisis that disrupts the current paradigm, resulting in new and innovative social systems…doesn’t that sound like Uranus?
The archetypal manifestations during each cycle are the Prophet, Nomad, Hero and Artist generation. A cohort of people is born as a generation into one of these archetypes, then matures through the phases of youth, young adult, adult and elder. What characterizes the 4th Turning or completion of a cycle, is a crisis that initiates the major social shift. It occurs when the Prophet generation is in the elder phase (leadership) and the Hero generation are young adults. In the current cycle the generations are the Boomer (Prophet), Gen X (Nomad), Millennial (Hero) and Gen Z (Artists) generations. Is there any doubt that Millennial’s no longer want to play in the current social/political/economic systems. From a simpler perspective we can see how this unfolds…
- Weak leaders lead to bad times (we are here)
- Bad times lead to strong leaders
- Strong leaders lead to good times
- Good times lead to weak leaders
What characterizes the 4th Turning is an emergent paradigm that is difficult to imagine through the lens of the current paradigm. It begins with a broad social crisis, accompanied by major upheavals which jar the population out of complacency. Each generation responds based on the archetype in which it birthed. What we will see in the United Sates is an alternating pattern of external and internal crisis. In these crises the Hero generation leads the change, in an external crisis, they are the power of the elder, in an internal crisis, they rise against the elders who are attempting to maintain a status quo.
Is there any question about the quality of leadership we are experiencing today? How are the bad times we are experiencing a result? Think about the Boomer generation, born as youth during WWII and the economic boom that followed, the generation which has accumulated the greatest concentration of wealth in history. This is the generation in leadership now, how much of their focus is on trying to relive the past, hold on to what they have, let’s “make America great again.” We are experiencing the 4th Turning now! We can see how the Hero (Millennial) generation, as young adults, realize the current systems is not working for them or others.
Turnings in the United States:
Lets take a step back and examine previous 4th Turnings in the United Status. They provide a powerful lens through which we can consider what is happening now. Using the Sibley birth chart for the United States the cycle starts in 1776, the birth of a new nation. It was shortly after the discovery of the planet Uranus and coincides with the shift away from monarchy to new forms of governance. In the United States we it started with the Declaration of Independence…
“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume the powers of the earth…“
The declaration of independence put the United Status on a trajectory of a system of governance unique in human history. It was something that was difficult for most to imagine while still immersed in the existing paradigm. It is what came out of the Revolutionary War and there were those who would have crowned George Washington king. It shows how deeply entrenched a paradigm can be in the collective psyche. Yet buried in that declaration and fight for independence is a shadow which continues to unravel to this day!
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…“
Was that true? The shadow of that generation was slavery…it was a compromise agreed upon to appease the southern states. The life blood of their economy was based on slavery, it got them to join the revolution. It was necessary at the time, and planted the seed for the crisis of the next 4th Turning.
Fast forward 84 years to 1860 and the shadow of slavery has ripened. It manifested as the Civil War which almost destroyed the nation. It resulted in the assassination of a leader who was taking the nation forward to that founding vision…all men are created equal. The result was one of the bloodiest times in the history of the United States. Yet on the other side were the seeds of a greater freedom. Who could imagine an economy that wasn’t based on slave labor, yet there were still expressions of the shadow…was everyone free?
It’s now 1944 and the world is immersed in World War II. We are fighting against leaders who attempt to marginalize a segment of the population. The “free world” rises to defeat this attempt to regress. It is the bloodiest war in human history. It culminates in the use of a technology (atomic bomb) which has the potential to destroy humanity. Yet how did it impact the United States? It took some time for me to realize what was unraveling during that cycle. After the Civil War there was still a segment of the population which was still not free! What happened during WWII? Women entered the workforce in a way unprecedented in human history. It began with the suffragette movement 20 years earlier, and continued with the feminism of the 60’s…women claiming their equality in the world…going beyond the “all MEN are created equal.” But were we done? Underlying this and all previous turnings was a shadow we had yet to confront!
The Current Turning:
Looking at each of these 4th Turnings a pattern emerges…
- 1776 – Outwards, a confrontation with external forces (Revolutionary War)
- 1860 – Inwards, a confrontation with internal forces (Civil War)
- 1944 – Outwards, a confrontation with external forces (WWII).
If we are in the midst of the next 4th Turning will it be a confrontation with internal forces? Most likely, look at how our politics have become polarized. Look at how we have great economic disparity. What is different is we have a common enemy…instead of fighting each other, will it be the Corona virus which unites us?
I believe the shadow we are facing…is the shadow of value! What is the innate value of each person? Thomas Jefferson saw it…and expressed it in this way…
“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered… I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies… The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.“
In this a prophetic statement did Jefferson foresee the crisis we face 250 years later? Note: This quote was taken from a Forbes magazine article written in 2008, further research indicates its true origins are in question. (see The Jefferson Monticello) and yet it is a important perspective.
What is the role money plays in the world? When we unpack it we see that it is rooted in what we value. Based on the previous 4th Turnings of unaddressed shadow, not everyone is valued equally. We have CEO’s who receive compensation at outrageous levels. We have an industry (Wall Street) who’s sole purpose is the enrichment of those who already have wealth. People focus on how much money they can make from their money. We have legal and accounting systems so complex that we pay outrageous amounts of money for people’s ability to navigate them. Yet these very systems were created by those same individuals, inventing a complexity that is unnecessary. How often do we choose a career based on how much money can be made? It has lead to the greatest concentration of wealth in human history, a politicians that can be bought, and a government that creates money out of thin air without producing any real value. I talked about our crisis of values in a TEDx talk in 2019, Living a Values Based Life.
Welcome to the 4th Turning for the United States.
Through the Lens of Astrology:
Astrologers have foreseen the dance of Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn which is happening at this time. I believe they foretell the crisis which is the initiation of the next 4th Turning. Let’s look at the energies these planets represent:
- Pluto – death, rebirth, transformation
- Saturn – authorities, structures, focus
- Jupiter – abundance, opportunity and risk-taking.
Put it in Capricorn and we come face to face with what we put our focus on and how we, and the systems of control that seek only to perpetuate their power. Astrologers could see these energies aligning in the heavens, the occurrence of a global pandemic fits the manifestation of them. Look at what it has done…facing death at a global level (Pluto), facing the realities of authorities and systems of control (Saturn) and expanding our focus and willingness to take a risk (Jupiter). The response of the leadership in this country has resulted in the United States having been impacted more than any other country. It is showing us the jobs that are really “essential” for a thriving society. Notice how the workers we pay the least are providing the value now. It is bringing to the forefront the role money is playing in our society…Thank you Thomas Jefferson!
We are in midst of the crisis that is initiating the next 4th Turning which will climax for the United States in 2027. What is different from previous turnings is our ability to navigate it in a more conscious way. Out of this time will emerge a new social/political/economic system which will be hard for many to imagine, yet those who are willing to enter this time consciously have an opportunity, not to enrich themselves, but to create a more equitable society. Do we continue to ignore the shadow of value or do we adopt a new set of values that is applied to everyone. What if we built a world based on the statement that “all humans are valued equally.” What would that world look like? What would be the role of money? How would we govern in that world?
In my next blog I will examine the phase transition of Jupiter and Saturn on the winter solstice, December 21st, 2020. Join me in the conscious entry into the next 4th Turning.