Astrology and climate change
We are in crisis. The temperatures and sea levels are rising, the glaciers are retreating, the oceans are heating, the number of natural disasters is increasing, all due to human activity. In other words: the human species is committing ecocide. Although the vast majority of people prefer to hide their heads in the sand, global warming is the biggest threat to human security. Therefore I will examine the correlation between astrology and climate change, assuming what is happening on earth is mirrored by the cosmos, and look the problem in the eye.
Slow moving planets
In order to understand what correlates with climate change, we need to discuss the slow moving planets. The slow moving planets of our solar system are Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. We call them slow moving planets because, in comparison to inner planets like Mercury, Venus and Mars that are closer to the Sun, they take a long time to orbit the Sun.
The first one of the slow moving planets, Uranus, is the planet of unexpected events and accidents. The nature of Uranus is explosive, disruptive, unstable, innovative and anti-authoritarian. Earthquakes and thunderstorms are usually attributed to Uranus. Uranus orbits the Sun once every 84 years and spends approximately 7 years in the same sign.
Neptune, on the other hand, rules the ocean and all that is related to it. Neptune represents the god of the sea and storms in Roman religion. His equivalent in Greek mythology is the god Poseidon. In addition, Neptune is also about dissolving barriers and the collapsing of boundaries. Neptune orbits the Sun once every 165 years and spends approximately 14 years in the same sign.
Pluto, the last one of the outer planets, represents power struggles and deep (painful) transformations and rebirths. Pluto orbits the Sun once every 284 years and spends approximately 24 years in the same sign.
Neptune's Horses (1910) by Walter Crane
The sign of Pisces
The slow moving planets have always had a huge impact on long-standing global social, cultural, political, economic and environmental developments. This century the slow moving planets succeed each other relatively quickly in the sign of Pisces, which emphasizes the importance of the sign of Pisces this century. Pisces is a water sign that is symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions. The modern ruler of Pisces is Neptune, the planet that reigns the ocean.
Uranus could be found in the sign of Pisces from 2003 to 2011. The last time Uranus was in Pisces was from 1919 to 1928. Neptune can be found in the sign of Pisces from 2011 to 2026. The last time Neptune was in Pisces was from 1847 to 1862. Pluto will enter the sign of Pisces in 2043 and will stay there until 2067. The last time Pluto was in the sign of Pisces was between 1797-1823. When the slow moving planets enter the watery sign of Pisces we can expect radical changes concerning the seas and the climate.
It’s hard to tell if the positioning of the slow moving planets in Pisces in the past coincided with an increase of floods or changes in the climate since historical data is often incomplete and natural disasters are often under-reported in the past. However, when we look at data of the past 50 years, we can see very clearly an increase in floods ever since Uranus entered the sign of Pisces at the beginning of this century, even though much of the increase in the number of natural disasters is due to improvements in information access.
Uranus in Pisces
Uranus kicked off in Pisces with the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in 2004. One of the most significant floods at the time of Uranus in Pisces occurred in March 2010: we experienced record rainfall causing the March 2010 Queensland floods in Australia. At that moment there was a Pisces stellium (cluster of planets) with the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus in the last degrees of Pisces. The planets were in opposition with Saturn in the first degrees of Libra. Currently, Uranus is no longer in the sign of Pisces and has been succeeded in the sign of Pisces by Neptune.
Neptune in Pisces
Neptune kicked off in Pisces with hurricane Sandy in 2012. In February 2013, Neptune in Pisces made a conjunction (line-up) with Mercury, Mars and Chiron in Pisces, while forming a square (angle of 90° degrees, a connection of tension) to Jupiter in Gemini. At the same time Winter Storm Nemo, a powerful blizzard, took place in North America. The list of examples goes on.
My expectation is that we will keep on seeing an increase in floods and extreme weather until Neptune moves out of Pisces. Neptune will remain in the sign of Pisces until 2026, but will definitely leave the sign of Pisces with a bang. The reason for this is that Saturn will join Neptune in the sign of Pisces in March 2023 and the North Node will join Neptune and Saturn in the sign of Pisces in January 2025. In 2025, both the North Node and Saturn will form conjunctions with Neptune. We must especially watch out for Pisces season 2025 since there will be a Pisces stellium with the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Saturn, Neptune and the North Node in Pisces. We have never seen this line-up before, so we'll have to wait and see how this focus on the sign of Pisces will develop.
Pluto in Aquarius: climate action
It is likely that we can get some control over the effects of climate change after 2026, when Neptune moves out of Pisces, or that the changes in the climate will become somewhat stable. It is possible that this will be a result of large-scale climate action and technological advancement.
Currently, Jupiter and Saturn can be found in the sign of Aquarius and Pluto will enter Aquarius in 2023. Aquarius is a sign that breathes activism, community and social justice, understands how societal systems are working and is also tech-savvy. With these planets in Aquarius, there will come a greater perspective of what is needed and how to make things work for everyone, which will be necessary in the dismantling of systems and institutions that no longer serves us as a collective and no longer serves the earth.
“Thousands of youth strikers gather in Parliament Square in central London to protest the government's lack of action on climate change” by Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Around the end of 2027 and beginning of 2028 the North Node in Aquarius will be conjunct Pluto in Aquarius. At the same time Pluto in Aquarius will make a trine (an angle of 120°, a connection of harmony) to Uranus in Gemini: a revolutionary combo! My prediction is that around that time, we will come up with solutions for climate change and the world will start to look like the high-tech sci-fi future you know from the movies.
Another great help is that the generation born with Neptune in Aquarius (1998-2012) and Uranus in Aquarius (1995-2003) will grow up. Gen Z is interested in innovation, community and everything related to technology. They are open to new ideas and think outside of the box. They are the ones that will implement radical change that will save our asses.
Pluto in Pisces: power to the ocean
However, I expect that when Pluto will enter the sign of Pisces in 2043, we will no longer be able to tame the forces of nature. Pluto in Aquarius (2023-2043) will bring us revolutions, a period of relief, but Pluto in Pisces (2043-2067) will likely bring us irreversible transformations concerning the oceans and will likely drastically adjust the boundaries on our world map. When Pluto is in Pisces, the ocean will hold all the power.
The last time Pluto was in the sign of Pisces was between 1797-1823. As I’ve said before, a lot of historical data is incomplete, but the extreme cases have not gone unreported. An example: In 1816 there was a climate crisis when Pluto in Pisces was square Neptune in Sagittarius, also known as the Year Without a Summer. That year there were severe climate abnormalities that caused average global temperatures to decrease by 0.4–0.7 °C. Summer temperatures in Europe were the coldest on record between the years of 1766–2000. The first time Pluto and Neptune will square again after the Year Without a Summer will be throughout 2061-2065 when Pluto in Pisces will square Neptune in Sagittarius. It’s very likely that the world will then be surprised by severe climate abnormalities again.
Map of the world in 2086 after a massive sea level rise via Reddit
A closer look at natural disasters
Besides that the positioning of the slow moving planets like Pluto tells us something about long-standing global trends, it also tells us something about the correlation of the cosmos and specific natural disasters. To have a better understanding of this correlation we have to examine natural disasters that have occurred in the past. Since natural disasters most often occur in a specific place and not on a grand scale, we have to look at the birth chart of the country or city in question and relate that to what was happening in the sky the moment the natural disaster occurred. When we have an understanding of the past, we - astrologers - are also able to make predictions about the future with appropriate caution.
The Netherlands and floods
My case study for now is the country where I was born and raised: the Netherlands. The Dutch have a rich history of combating water: water has always been their worst enemy. Roughly one third of the country is below the current sea level and 70% of the people live in flood-prone areas. The lowest point in the Netherlands is even 6.76 meters below sea level. The latest major flood in the Netherlands was the North Sea Flood or “Watersnoodramp” in the night from Saturday January 31 to Sunday February 1, 1953. Other major floods were the February Flood of 1825 or “Stormvloed of 1825” and the Christmas Flood of 1717 or “Kerstvloed”. I will examine the transit charts of the Netherlands for all three floods.
The transit chart of the Netherlands at the night of the North Sea Flood
When we look at the transit chart of 1953, a number of things immediately stand out:
Transiting North Node, Sun and Mercury are in conjunction with natal Saturn
Transiting Neptune forms an exact inconjunction to natal Sun and Mercury
Transiting Uranus is square natal Venus
Transiting Pluto forms an exact inconjunction to natal Pluto
Transiting Saturn forms an exact inconjunction to the natal Moon
Transiting Chiron forms a wide conjunction to natal Mars
The transit chart of the Netherlands at the night of the February Flood
When we look at the transit chart of 1825, a number of things immediately stand out:
Transiting Chiron is in exact conjunction with natal Venus
Transiting Mars is in conjunction with natal Chiron (not exact)
Transiting Mercury and Uranus are in conjunction with natal Mars
Transiting Neptune is in exact conjunction with the natal South Node
Transiting Saturn forms a wide conjunction to the natal Moon
Transiting Pluto is square the natal Ascendant (not exact)
Transiting South Node forms a wide conjunction to the natal Ascendant
The transit chart of the Netherlands at the night of the Christmas Flood
When we look at the transit chart of 1717, a number of things immediately stand out:
Transiting Uranus is in exact opposition with natal Pluto
Transiting Neptune is square natal Uranus and the natal Moon (not exact)
Transiting Saturn is exactly square the natal North Node
Transiting Jupiter is in exact conjunction with the Midheaven
Transiting Jupiter is in opposition with the natal North Node and the Moon (not exact)
Transiting Uranus is in opposition with natal Chiron (not exact)
Transiting Uranus is square natal Jupiter (not exact)
Transiting Saturn is square the natal Sun and Venus (not exact)
Transiting Chiron and Mars are in opposition with natal Mars (not exact)
We see that Neptune, the planet of water and a lack of boundaries, Uranus, the planet of unexpected events, and Saturn, the planet of blockages, are the protagonists in these transit charts. All three planets always made hard aspects to the inner planets, angles, Chiron or the Nodes. In addition, we can also find a connection between Chiron and Venus or Mars.
What the future has in store
Even if all countries keep their promises and manage to limit global warming to 2 degrees, we still run the risk of a 2 meter higher sea level in 2100, according to the KNMI, while the famous Delta Works are only calculated on a sea level rise of 40 centimeters. Dutch environmental scientist Marjolijn Haasnoot states that the Netherlands will get in trouble from 2050. However, my astrological calculations state otherwise: charts that are quite similar to the charts discussed above are the charts for 2024, 2025 and 2029.
The transit chart of the Netherlands for March 2024
When we look at the transit chart of March 2024, a number of things immediately stand out:
Transiting Saturn is in exact conjunction with natal Chiron in Pisces while transiting Neptune in Pisces is still not far away from the natal Sun in Pisces
Transiting Uranus forms an exact inconjunction to natal Neptune
Transiting North Node and Chiron are in conjunction with natal Venus and square natal Mars
The transit chart of the Netherlands for March 2025
When we look at the transit chart of March 2025, a number of things immediately stand out:
Transiting North Node, Sun, Saturn and Neptune in Pisces are all close to the natal Sun, Mercury and Pluto in Pisces
Transiting Mars is in opposition with natal Mars and forms an inconjunction to natal Neptune
Transiting Pluto forms an exact inconjunction to the natal Ascendant
Transiting Uranus is in conjunction with the natal Moon and square the natal IC/MC
Later that year transiting Saturn and Neptune are square the natal Ascendant
The transit chart of the Netherlands for mid 2029
When we look at the transit chart of 2029, a number of things immediately stand out:
Transiting Pluto is in exact conjunction with natal Saturn
Transiting Chiron is square natal Saturn (not exact)
Transiting South Node is in exact conjunction with the natal Ascendant
Transiting Neptune is square the natal Nodes
Transiting Mars is in exact conjunction with natal Jupiter and exactly square the natal ASC/DSC
Given these transits, it is beyond dispute that the coming years will be extremely significant for the Netherlands. I think there’s a good chance that situations will arise that are very similar to the previous floods. However, I believe the most impactful period for the Netherlands will be the years 2058-2061, when the Netherlands will experience its very own Pluto Return in the sign of Pisces.
Now what?
We need to face the fact that we can not escape the effects of climate change. We also need to act now and do as much damage control as possible. The stars are loud and clear, but astrology is not set in stone. The stars possess the magnificent ability to warn us and show us where we should put in our energy, our love, and even our money. There is no fatal necessity in the stars, they rather incline than compel. As Jessica Adams states in her blog Climate Crisis Astrology Predictions: “Astrology is here to motivate you to act so you can prevent worst-case scenarios from coming to pass.” So fix your insurance, buy an emergency kit and fight climate change as much as you can! The stars don’t do the work for us, we need to do the actual work! Start with climate action NOW!
What you can do:
Vote for a political party that takes climate change seriously
Make your voice heard by those in power and hold companies that emit a lot of CO2 accountable
Eat less meat and dairy
Avoid flying
Leave your car at home: try public transport, carpooling or renting a car
Join an environmental organization like Greenpeace or Milieudefensie
Spread the word and inspire others!
Sources and recommendations
The podcast episode “178: Disaster Preparedness + Astrology” at Ghost of a Podcast, hosted by astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo
The letter “Het water komt” by Dutch writer Rutger Bregman
Markus Spiske/Unsplash
Bonus: The exploitation of the Era of Earth
If you would ask me what correlates with the cause of global warming, my answer would be: the Era of Earth. Humans have caused global warming by releasing heat-trapping pollution to power their modern lives, mainly by burning fossil fuels. As I’ve written in my previous blog “The reset of the cosmos: the shift from earth to air” this exploitation of the earth coincided with the Era of Earth: a 200-year cycle with Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions in the element of earth. The Era of Earth started off with the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840) and the introduction of capitalism. The Era of Earth ended on December 21, 2020, the day of the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius, an air sign. This Great Conjunction marked the beginning of a new 200-year cycle: the Era of Air. In this new era we can no longer continue to exploit the earth as we’ve done for two centuries. We are now forced to deal with the mess we created in the Era of Earth: the shortage of sand, overconsumption, overproduction, global warming, the huge surplus of plastic waste and so on. The new Era of Air offers us the opportunity to come up with new insights and start over. All we need to do is seize this opportunity with both hands and fight climate change NOW!