In the beginning of 1989, sensitive souls noticed that "change was in the air," and the astrological savvy could point to a symbolic counterpoint—the triple conjunction of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in Capricorn. With Uranus's drive for political revolutions and independence given form by Saturn and injected with a sense of zealous idealism by Neptune, astrologer's knew that the events of 1989 and 1990 were to be momentous, but rare was the astrologer who could intuit just how widespread and deep the effects would be. The character of Tianammen Square—thoroughly invoking Uranus in its remarkable demonstration of the irrepressible face of the human spirit—invoked the prototype of all Uranian revolutions, the French Revolution, as leaflets distributed in the Square read, "Storm this 20th Century Bastille." ² The sudden, nearly inexplicable fall of the Berlin Wall and Nelson Mandela's sudden release from prison were also both thoroughly Uranian in their unexpectedness and in the new world of freedom brought to millions of people.

However, to ignore Neptune's role in these revolutions would be a severe omission. The very nature of the deconstruction of the Eastern Bloc, the fall of the Soviet Empire, and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall—relatively peaceful, benign, and harmonious in scope—could only occur in the wave of Neptune's influence. The repercussions of the "velvet revolution"—so named because of the nonviolent, almost passive nature of the destabilizing—was more the result of political surrender to systemic economic forces and pressures than the result of discontent from within the Eastern Bloc or Soviet Union. The incredible impact visual arts, music, and poetry made on the revolutions throughout Europe—from Vaclev Havel's poetry to the several artistic installations—cannot be discounted. Usually revolutions of this nature rely on a significant dosage of Plutonic aggression, however, it was Neptune's inspired creativity that was the force to be reckoned with in Europe at this time. In a similar vein, Neptune's presence could be seen in relation to South Africa's forty-year-plus policy of apartheid. Literally meaning "apartness," the dividing nature of apartheid was dissolved overnight as the Neptunian tendency toward merger and liquefying of boundaries could not be overcome.

With the remarkable events of 1989 and 1990, the canals of political libido, so to speak, were re-routed and something new was to emerge to take its place. As Saturn moved on its course and as Neptune and Uranus came closer to form a conjunction, outworn structures were eliminated and in its place came the arrival of an original political vision—the "New World Order." Uranus served to open the political sphere of life to the particularly Neptunian dimension of the earth's ecology, and major strides toward a universal homogeneous state were achieved during the era.

Environmentalism, formerly reserved for scientists and zealous activists far away from mainstream consciousness, moved into the game of big-time politics. Finally, environmentalism became a bargaining chip for policy makers and governments worldwide. Green parties in Europe, many established in the early 1970's, gained their first access to national parliaments throughout the Continent in the late 1980's and early 1990's. In the United States, the rise of green parties was arguably even more astonishing. Non-existent prior to 1985, green parties went from having the first delegated national congress in 1989 to holding office in twenty states by the end of the Uranus-Neptune conjunction. ³ U.S. senator Al Gore brought environmentalism further into the political majority with his move up into the White House in 1992 and with the publication of his ecological manifesto, Earth in Balance the following year.

The Neptunian value of compassion—normally held out of the typically Pluto game of power politics—somehow found it's way into the American partisan fray. This was the era of George Bush's "kinder, gentler nation." Even during the 1996 presidential election, Bob Dole thought it would behoove the Republican Party to soften its callous and hard-lined image, as he stated, "We have feelings, and we care about people." ⁴

Although the 1960's was the era in which political consciousness of female equality broke through into the majority, the Neptune-Uranus conjunction brought with it previously undreamed of political power for women across the globe. With Uranus and Neptune, activism met the divine feminine, and the results were staggering. The ascendancy of female political power was evident across the globe, from Corazon Aquino of the Philippines, Madeleine Albright of the United States, to Sweden's female-dominated political ministry. By the end of the 1990's, over thirty-five nations would have had a female political leader as head of state and several countries created governmental and party quota systems, ensuring more egalitarian representation for women. ⁵