It has obviously been a ghastly time in the world for the past six months, especially in the United States where the pandemic has taken over 100,000 lives. These difficult months were exacerbated by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
It is sad to say, as an American of African descent, that George’s killing was business as usual in the Black community. I grew up in West Philadelphia. The police used to come to the playground where we played basketball and train rookies by putting us against a wall, patting us down, etc. — completely illegally, I came to find out. I cannot count the number of times I was pulled over while driving for no reason, and with no reason given. These kinds of actions have been going on since the inception of the country. I am hoping that the strong, turbulent reaction to Floyd’s murder will mark a major turning point in the racial divide that has come to partially define America.
While it would be easy to try to define this social unrest through astrology (after the fact, as usual), the cause — racial prejudice — has been a part of the foundation of America from the beginning. Perhaps both the pandemic and the social unrest are events that are preparing the world for the social, humanitarian changes that we astrologers assume will be a part of Pluto’s upcoming transit through Aquarius.
I had the privilege of teaching astrology in South Africa for the late Noel Tyl, so my frame of reference for the social and human rights concerns of minorities has a little more perspective than most. I spent a lot of time with Black Africans who were raised in Apartheid, none of whom were my students, but people I met socially. When you are a minority, George Floyd-types of events are nothing new. That’s terrible to say, but that’s how it is. There is a LOT of work to be done.
Even in the astrology world, I’ve been fortunate to be invited to speak at UAC a couple of times over the years. I’ve been published in this magazine and others many times, have had a book published, and enjoy a fair-sized clientele, including international students. That said, you’d have to admit that the minority presence in astrology isn’t what it could be. As astrologers, we should be checking all racial and political opinions at the door; nothing should get in the way of helping a client. It is unfortunate that there are some I’ve seen who do not check their negativity at the door. I’ve had minority clients whose first experience with an astrologer ended with them being called a “Libtard” and worse. We are better than that! No clients should ever walk away feeling worse about life than they did when they called us or walked through our door.
There’s not much to say about all of this through astrology. Prior to 2020, no one in the astrology world predicted deep potentials for a pandemic and tremendous social unrest in America this year. Although we do not have a data-proven horoscope of the United States, our consciousness resonates with July 4th, 1776. Any horoscope for that date has transiting Saturn conjoining Pluto in 2020. The most difficult contact in astrology is the transit or solar arc of Pluto to Saturn. Saturn transits to Pluto aren’t quite equal in their potential to suggest an extremely challenging time, but with both aspects, whether natal or mundane, we would expect severe challenges and losses. Some have talked about the presence of transiting Eris and other factors, but only after these problems were already a reality. To be impressive to a largely non-believing public, consistent prediction of events before they happen is needed, as opposed to astrological ambulance- chasing.
I have high hopes that the Floyd incident will be the turning point in race relations, but it is a cautious hope because I remember thinking similarly after the Trayvon Martin incident and nothing changed. Whatever the case may be, as astrologers, we need to be among those who set an example for all that is right and correct, and not be a reflection of the things in society that need to be eradicated.
Bio: Basil Fearrington is the author of The New Way to Learn Astrology, published by Llewelyn Publications. Born and raised in Philadelphia (now living in Delaware), he has been a professional astrologer since 1980, and has spoken at UAC and many other seminars and conferences. Basil manages his late mentor’s site at NoelTyl.com, teaches the Masters Degree Certification Course, and maintains a full load of clients. He has also taught astrology in South Africa. He is also a professional musician who released his first CD in 2019. He has played with, and/or recorded for, a long list of Grammy-caliber artists that include Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Roberta Flack, and Mary J. Blige. Basil’s astrology blog is at newwayastrology.tumblr.com (New Ways Astrology). He can also be contacted at 460 Sweetman Drive, Bear, Delaware 19701.