Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Reports of the death of globalisation have been greatly exaggerated

Appropriately for the end of Pluto in Sagittarius, the UK government has just released a load more files of UFO sightings, this time from 1986-1992.

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. Reports of the death of globalisation have been greatly exaggerated, at least by me. My reasoning, just over a week ago, was that the globalising impulse of Pluto in Sagittarius was coming to an end, and with Pluto entering Capricorn, with its emphasis on boundaries, and with each country having to save its own banking system, we might see a withdrawal into separateness, at least for now.

But I think there are more possibilities than this. And globalisation has been taking place on many levels – economic, cultural, political and technological. In some ways it has been helpful, in other ways it has been unfortunate. If you see life as occurring in cycles, like I tend to do (and like astrology does), then globalisation looks like a phase we are passing through for now, and eventually we will do so again. If you believe that humanity is engaged in a sort of collective evolution, that we have a kind of destiny, then globalisation looks like the point at which humanity finally began to come together as one. This looks like a fundamentally good thing, being a collective evolutionary stage. Just because you believe one or the other viewpoint strongly doesn’t make it truer. It’s a good one to argue over a few bottles of wine.

Another possibility for Pluto in Capricorn, on an economic level, is that proper form is given to the globalisation that has been taking place in recent decades. An attempt is being made at this, in the wake of the near-meltdown of the global banking system. George Bush, in the final months of his Presidency, is hosting a series of summits to try and come up with some new rules and institutions for international finance. Meanwhile South Korea is going to guarantee loans made to its own institutions by foreign banks. So people are looking to the future again, even though a recession seems certain. And it does seem that economically there is a lot of political will behind maintaining the level of globalisation we have achieved.

So this is how Pluto in Capricorn looks to be shaping up, on one level. Rather than a retreat into national boundaries, it looks like economic globalisation is going to get even stronger by being given firmer foundations. Another meaning of Pluto in Capricorn is World Government, and this might be a direction we go in over the next 16 years. Pluto in Sag has been a bit like the Wild West, and now we have proper government coming in.

There is also the issue of resources. It is becoming clearer that we can only consume so much oil, water, commodities, food etc, and the world seems to be getting towards that point of maximum consumption. So whatever improvements are made to the world financial system, Pluto in Capricorn will be increasingly marked by a struggle for resources. Towards the end of this transit, for example, we will see the Neptune Return of the first oil strike of 1859, and Neptune rules oil. So there will be a tension between the increased trade and prosperity that economic globalisation, with an improved set of international laws (Pluto in Cap) gives, and the withdrawal into national boundaries (also Pluto in Cap) that a struggle for resources will tend to lead to. Pluto will reach its mid-way point of 15 Capricorn in about 7 years time, while it is still square to Uranus, so it may be then that the really defining issues of Pluto in Capricorn become clear.

The trouble with globalisation so far is that it hasn’t been so much about interconnectedness and the realisation of our common humanity etc, but about American culture and values and business practices becoming the world’s culture and values and business practices. Globalisation has to a large extent been about domination.

But that is the nature of countries. It became very clear at the Olympics, for example, that China has huge ambitions to occupy the top spot. Personally, I’d rather have America there. What seems almost inevitable, however, is a return to the old system of competing superpowers.

The internet is a result of the globalising process we have recently been through. That seems likely to develop rather than disappear. But it has also had its Wild West, Pluto in Sag, aspect. Pluto in Cap will inevitably bring in more regulation which is sorely needed, for it has become a haven for thieves and paedophiles. But there is always a price to pay for that. Like with Glastonbury Festival when, during its Saturn Return, a wall was built around the site. It kept out much of the criminal element, but also a lot of the free spirits.


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7 comments:

kerstin said...

I wonder also whether Pluto in Capricorn will transform attitudes towards old age, something needed in the West considering that the population is ageing.
China in the top spot? What a horrible idea. Nobody can relate to the Chinese, they seem quite alien. There is little in Chinese culture to aspire to, although I'm happy to be corrected on this point. (At least the Americans are gutsy and dynamic.) Having read Wild Swans, I was horrified and repelled by their bizarre and inhuman behaviour towards each other.

Anonymous said...

And if Obama becomes the American President, wont that take the heat out of this whole stupid black/white/khaki/honey/yellow/whatever skin colour? Or does that have to wait until Pluto hits Aquarius when I shall be too old to care probably! Sans teeth sans... as Will Shakespeare puts it!

Barry Goddard said...

No, they'll probably shoot him...sorry, that sounds callous, but a lot of Americans apparently think that.

Anonymous said...

It's interesting how this pernicious assassination meme has become so prevalent.
Something to do with the Christ mythos and the need that society has for someone to die for our sins. The purer of heart they seem to be, the more people seem to savour the idea of their death.

Obama, as the thinking goes needs to die for the racial sins of America, so we can all weep and wail and be emotionally traumatised and somehow his death will purify us all.

All the bigots will regret their racist thoughts and feel justly chastened and those of us who are liberal will feel his loss even more greatly and be inspired to become even holier than we already are.

WAKE UP PEOPLE! This is all age of pisces gumph and it's coming to an end.
Who better to call in the age of aquarius than a former community organiser whose motto is 'Change' with an aquarius rising, and a rather protective 12th house jupiter (rather conveniently there in case anyone still stuck in sacrificial pisces mode gets any ideas).

Anonymous said...

marmitelover.. I guess you're not Chinese?

I once knew a Vietnamese girl who told me about bizarre and inhuman behaviour in her country, by Americans. In fact it was the first time I understood that I shouldn't believe that 'we are best' propaganda that every country forcefeeds to it's children.

China's political system isn't good. The west isn't innocent either.. far from it.

Thanks for the article Dharmaruci.. it's pretty much what I think.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this article.It has at least taken some weight from my shoulders because as you said, you have been a little out of hope for the future.

Barry Goddard said...

Hi. Glad it cheered you up! But actually, I wouldn't necessarily view a retreat from globalisation as a bad thing, because there is a lot about it that I don't think is helpful.