The Gemini micro-age (Jan 1687 – Dec 1701) contains a Libra MAD&OF (Jan 1692 – Jan 1697 – Dec 1701) and mimics to a certain extent the early 21st-century configuration – the Libra micro-age decan and overflow (Dec 2019 – Nov 2029). The major influence of the late 17th century was the Leo sub-age decan overflow (1672 – 1731) which appropriately restored the English monarchy and all the opulent embellishments made taboo during the grim years of Cromwell’s Puritans. This period called The Restoration commenced prior to this Libra period in 1660 when the pendulum of English morality swung from repression to license more or less overnight. This small Libra period was therefore rejoicing in its newly returned frivolity of all types.
The First Global War
Once again, a major conflict was in place though it had already commenced prior to this Libra period, but it was mostly within the Libra period that the fiercest fighting occurred in 1692-3. The Nine Years’ War (1688–1697) was a conflict between France and an opposing European coalition which included England, Spain and Portugal with theatres also in North America and India. Its importance in association with this Libra period is that this war is not only considered to be the first global war – but also is considered a precursor to the two world wars of the 20th century.
The Nine Years’ War encompassed Ireland and Jacobite risings in Scotland (with some later elements of the Jacobite risings partly portrayed in the TV series Outlander), and North America between French and English settlers and their respective Indigenous allies. England was once again threatened by invasion, this time by the new European bully – France (which had replaced Spain as the key European power to be reckoned with, but this imminent invasion was thwarted by the destruction of the French navy in 1692. The last year of this Libra period saw the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) due to unresolved issues of the Nine Years’ War with a focus on maintaining the (Libra) balance of power between different European countries.[1]
Politics
In 1693, William Penn’s (the founder of Pennsylvania) growing concern about the devastation of perennial (Aries) war in Europe resulted in his observation that a “European dyet, or parliament”,[2] was necessary to prevent further war, without going into details. This is why the Libra world that is coming our way will probably include an international government as even in 1693, people recognized that without an overarching government, such as maintained in the heyday of Ancient Rome, the Mongol Empire and so on, peace is otherwise difficult if not impossible. Genghis Khan is believed to have boasted that a virgin carrying a bag of gold could traverse his empire by foot without fear. Those regions such as Ancient Greece that never unified were always at war with each other. Indian and Chinese states were regularly at war with each other except when united under one ruler.
In 1692 the Chinese emperor issued the Edict of Toleration of Christianity followed in 1698 with a similar statement of Islam stating:
“Even if you pacify the Hui people and then impede their religious practice, would it be possible to convert them to Buddhism, and have them bow and pray before the lamas? Now that the empire is at peace, make things run the way they are. Forcing them to assimilate is definitely not practical.”[3]
USA & Australia
This period saw the first known publication of an anti-slavery text in the future USA by Samuel Sewall in 1700. In The Selling of Joseph (1700), he came out strongly against slavery, making him one of the earliest colonial abolitionists. Sewell argued, “Liberty is in real value next unto Life: None ought to part with it themselves, or deprive others of it, but upon the most mature Consideration.”[4] The first permanent European settlement of Louisiana occurred in 1699 (now in Mississippi) but the first European explorers had arrived in 1528 in a previous Libra period – the Libra micro-age decan and overflow (December 1527 – November 1537).
Some major discoveries of Australia’s western coastline during this Libra period was made by William Dampier (c.1651 – 1715). In 1699 Dampier voyaged to New Holland (Australia) and though he was commissioned to explore the east coast, he actually arrived on the west coast (Western Australia) and then travel north, ending up in Timor and also explored the north coast of New Guinea. His navigational prowess aided later voyages by James Cook and Horatio Nelson and his notes of the flora and fauna was read by Joseph Banks who later became the naturalists on some of Cook’s voyages. Dampier’s’ voyages influenced a number of novels including Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and he believed to be the first to write in English the words “barbecue”, “avocado”, “chopsticks” and “sub-species” plus first recorded the recipes for guacamole and mango chutney.[5]
Females & Witches
With Libra’s female focus, the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials (1692 – 1693) accused more than 200 people of witchcraft with 30 found guilty, 19 were executed by hanging (14 women and five men). One other man was pressed to death for refusing to plead, and at least five people died in jail. It was the deadliest witch hunt in the history of colonial North America. Only fourteen other women and two men had been executed in Massachusetts and Connecticut during the 17th century. The after effects of these trials at least produced the pertinent insight that:
“it were better that one hundred Witches should live, than that one person be put to death for a witch, which is not a Witch” [6]
This shattered the ideal of theocracy in North America based on governments supposedly having God at its head – similar to the aims of ISIS (ISIL) in the early 21st century. Samuel Sewall was one of the judges of the Salem witch trials but later retracted his position and publicly acknowledged his guilt and expressed contrition for condemning the witches on trial.
The Scottish Paisley witches were tried in 1697 after the young daughter of the Laird of Bargarran, complained of being tormented by some local witches – which included one of her family’s servants, whom she had reported after witnessing her steal a drink of milk. Seven people were found guilty of having bewitched Shaw and were condemned to death – the last mass execution for witchcraft in Western Europe. Shortly afterwards the former Scottish Secretary of State stated that:
“the parliaments of France and other judicatories who are persuaded of the being of witches never try them now because of the experience they have had that it’s impossible to distinguish possession from nature in disorder”.[7]
These witchcraft trials represent the ending phase of the persecution of mainly (Libra) females as witches, and any Libra period will promote positive or negative events associated with women.
The Arts
The Relapse, (also known as Virtue in Danger) was a Restoration comedy from 1696. This play is a sequel to Colley Cibber’s Love’s Last Shift where a free-living Restoration rake is brought to repentance and reform by the ruses of his wife, while in The Relapse, the rake succumbs again to temptation and has a new love affair while his virtuous wife is also subjected to a determined seduction attempt, and resists with difficulty. In the 18th century, the prevailing tolerant attitude towards actual and attempted adultery gradually became unacceptable, and the original play was for a century replaced on the stage by a moralized version A Trip to Scarborough. On the modern stage, The Relapse has been established as one of the most popular Restoration comedies. The Libra connection is obvious.
William Congreve’s comedy The Way of the World was first performed in London in 1700. It is widely regarded as one of the best Restoration comedies, initially however, the play struck many audience members as continuing the immorality of the previous decades, and was not well received. In 1700, the world of London theatre-going had changed significantly because Charles II jubilant court, that had reveled in its licentiousness and opulence, had been replaced by the far more dour and utilitarian Dutch-inspired court of William of Orange – a military king who was reported to be hostile to drama.
One of the features of a Restoration comedy is the (Libra) opposition of the witty and courtly (and Cavalier) rake and the dull-witted man of business or the country bumpkin, who is understood to be not only unsophisticated but often either Puritan or another form of dissenter. In 1685, the courtly and Cavalier side was in power, and Restoration comedies belittled the bland and foolish losers of the Restoration. However, by 1700, the other side was ascendant.
The Way of the World’s recreation of the older Restoration comedy’s patterns is only one of the things that made the play unusual. The 1688 revolution concerning the overthrow of James II created a new set of social codes primarily amongst the bourgeoisie – their rise can be attributed to the newly arrived Sagittarius sub-age (1612 – 1791) bringing wealth and a growing middle class. The new capitalist system meant an increasing emphasis on property and property law. Thus, the play is packed with (Libra) legal jargon and financial and (Libra) marital contracts. These new (Libra) legal aspects allowed some female characters to secure their freedom through an equitable trust and for equality in marriage through a prenuptial agreement.[8]
Also appropriately for this Libra period, The Fairy-Queen was first produced in 1692 by Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695), a semi-opera and a “Restoration spectacular”. The libretto is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Purcell works were a uniquely English form of Baroque music and he is considered to be the greatest English composer up until the 20th century. Five of his most notable seven works were composed during this Libra period. Though not commonly known, his music has been widely applied in the 20th century. He composed an anthem and two elegies for Queen Mary II’s funeral which provided the title music of the 1971 film by Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange. Pete Townsend of The Who states that Purcell was an influence in their music including the introduction to Pinball Wizard as was the case with the Pet Shop Boys. Purcell’s compositions also found their way into the movie Kramer vs. Kramer, the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice, and the German-language 2004 movie, Downfall to name a few. He died in 1695 during this Libra period at the height of his fame.[9]
Some eponymous female characters appeared in this Libra period when in 1697 the French writer Charles Perrault published Mother Goose tales, a collection of popular fairy tales, including Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and The Sleeping Beauty. Libra’s aesthetic side was on display in 1693 when the first known form of eau de Cologne was created. In 1700, an inventory made for the Medici family of Florence contains the first documented evidence of a piano, invented by their instrument keeper Bartolomeo Cristofori.
The precursor of the two 20th century world wars but with France the protagonist against most other European powers indicates that Libra is not shy when it comes to major conflicts. Such was the atmosphere of conflict that William Penn introduced the concept of a united Europe which had to wait until the arrival of the Libra sub-age (1970 – 2149) to see this dream manifest as a partial reality with the creation of the European Union. On the other side of the world, China was turning towards religious toleration for its Muslim subjects and newly arrived Christians. The earliest anti-slavery text in North America highlights a very early example of the precursor to the Black Lives Matter movement but the author was complicit at the infamous Salem witch trials again demonstrate the active persecution of mainly women and this same period saw the last mass execution for witchcraft in Western Europe following the Scottish Paisley witch trials. The turning point for the persecution of witches seems to have occurred with this Libra period. Australia also continued getting attention under Libra with much of the remaining uncharted coastline of north west of Australia mapped by William Dampier while in North America, Louisiana was first settled.
Marital comedies with relevant social issues were the rage with The Relapse and William Congreve’s comedy The Way of the World.The Fairy-Queen was first produced in 1692 and the first appearances of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty brought the world these very famous female characters. The appearance of eau de Cologne and the first known piano cements this period to archetypes belonging to Libra.
[2] Palmer, Alan; Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 198–200. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
[3] ‘Towards an Understanding of Qianlong’s Conception of Islam. A Study of the Dedication Inscriptions of the Fragrant Concubine’s Mosque in the Imperial Capital’, Journal of Chinese Studies 中國文化研究所學報, 53 (2011): 139.
December 2019 witnessed the arrival of the Libra micro-age decan (Dec 2019 – Nov 2024), and it is now making itself felt in Australia – and some would say with a vengeance, as Libra rules justice and women amongst other archetypes. Historical research shows that when Libra is strong, that there is a greater than average focus upon women, for better or worse, and a push for justice.
The female focus is not always positive, as the examination of previous similar Libra periods, since the arrival of the Age of Aquarius in the 15th century, indicates that the level of persecution against females reached new heights – especially in the early centuries of the Age of Aquarius when many governments passed laws against witches who were usually just mature intelligent women. This mainly occurred under the dark auspices of the Capricorn sub-age and overflow (1433 – 1612 – 1791) when Satan allegorically took control or highly influenced many institutions including religions. In the following centuries, the obstruction of women shifted from witches to preventing females from being able to vote, and a whole host of laws persecuting women such as the criminalization of abortion, lack of property rights, and so on. Even in ‘modern’ Australia, women are prejudiced in their income level compared to men doing the same job not to mention the glass ceiling.
Of course, the environment for females has also seen exponential improvement since the arrival of the first age-decan in the Age of Aquarius – the Libra age-decan (1433 – 2149), more so in western nations and less so in less developed nations. But what most astrologers do not know is that we are approaching the business end of the Libra age-decan (1433 – 2149) further emphasized by the final sub-age – which is of the same zodiacal sign. Currently the world is in the Libra sub-age (1970 – 2149), and this combined with the Libra age-decan indicates the heat is being turned up for all Libra archetypes. Furthermore, the current Libra micro-age decan is the first appearance of a Libra micro-age decan in the current Libra sub-age, and this Libra micro-age decan can be called the baptism of the Libra sub-age (but not the baptism of the massive Libra age-decan). Baptisms get the ball rolling – or moving in a new direction!
Since February 2021, the Australian government commenced getting overwhelmed by charges of sexual assault by female government staffers, commencing with claims by Brittany Higgins that:
“she was raped by a colleague in the offices of the defence minister in 2019 just before the election and that she felt she was told a police report would affect her future employment as a staffer.”
A string of claims have subsequently come to light including against Christian Porter, a federal cabinet minister who is alleged he viciously raped a fellow student when he was 17 and she was 16. Due to the woman recently committing suicide, any alleged offense cannot easily or readily be taken before a law court due to her death. The alleged cover up of sexual assaults has revealed the injustice applied to women who find themselves embroiled in issues of sexual assault by their ‘superiors’. It seems that every few days, another woman comes forward with more accusations of sexual assault against them involving the Australian government.
The 2021 Australian of the year and sexual assault survivor Grace Tame recently stated:
‘we are on the precipice of a revolution’
…. and the astrology agrees with her. Her address to the (Australian) National Press Club covered a number of issues including:
“The upshot of allowing predators a voice but not survivors encourages the criminal behaviour.”
2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame addresses the National Press Club on 3 March 2021. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Grace was fairly scathing of the Australian (federal) government’s handling of the recent sexual assault allegations.
It appears that the new generation of younger Australian women or not ‘behaving’ and instead creating a commotion against sexual assault. This does coincide with the current Libra micro-age decan (Dec 2019 – Nov 2024) which is the latest vertebrae to appear in the backbone of the massive Libra age-decan and overflow (1413 – 2149 – 2865). In thousands of years’ time, the current millennium will probably be known as the Millennium of Women!
Independent of sexual assault, Libra promotes justice and female equality, and the case of Kathleen Folbigg, who has been in prison for 17 years following the death of four of her babies, again raises the issue of injustice applied to females. Leading scientific experts are now arguing that all four of her children had rare genetic conditions that could explain their deaths. This case possibly harks back to the imprisonment of Lindy Chamberlain following the death of her baby by a dingo – this was clearly nothing else other than a modern witch persecution.
Australian sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins, appointed to lead a review into parliament’s workplace culture, believes Australia is at a “turning point” on sexual harassment and assault. “I’ve never seen any moment like this,” she said.
Libra will not affect every country or region equally, as it depends upon the specific astrological signature. In Australia’s case, it appears that Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aries are in Australia’s astrological signature, and despite Libra being opposite in nature to Aries, there is a good case to include Libra at some place on Australia’s totem pole. This is supported by the fact that Abel Tasman virtually discovered Australia (for Europeans) in an earlier Libra period:
“The discovery of Tasmania (an island south of the Australian mainland) and New Zealand in 1642 by Abel Tasman (1603 – 1659) followed by the charting of northern and western Australia (New Holland) two years later suggests a Libra connection to Australia and New Zealand especially as these voyages occurred at the pinnacle of this Libra period.”
For most people outside of Australia, the above sexual assault issue is something they either are unaware of, or perhaps have heard some brief news in the media, one way or another. This begs the question, how many other countries or regions are experiencing Libra’s lash but unknown internationally? We don’t usually think that Libra has a hard side, but many ancient cultures oftentimes associated Venus, the ruler of Libra, with war or conflict. It would be interesting to learn all the areas internationally where Libra is currently making its mark? The election of Kamala Harris as the first female vice president in the USA is part of Libra’s machinations – and the BIG question is – will she become president? The Black Lives Matter is certainly another example of Libra making its presence felt. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has increasingly been demonized.
Currently, the world is in the weakest quarter of the Libra micro-age decan and overflow (Dec 2019 – Nov 2024 – Nov 2029) and the temperature should be significantly turned up around 2024 – 2027 when Libra is in its most powerful quarter. There are many unanswered questions about what we should expect in the rest of the current Libra period – but the one thing is certain, Libra archetypes will be promoted. One of the most interesting aspects of the zodiacal signs is they can reinvent and produce new twists on established archetypes. We have to look for any new twists to Libra. For example, Libra is guilty of the obesity epidemic that has only really appeared in the world since the arrival of the Libra sub-age in 1970. It is possible that the relative inaction of the majority of countries around the world in their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic can be attributed to Libra – the sign of inaction!
Virtually no one alive today has experienced the current level of Libra that arrived in December 2019, as the last Libra period of similar strength occurred from December 1910 to October 1920 – a stressful period known for the First World War and Spanish Flu. To keep up to date with my research on Libra periods since the arrival of the Age of Aquarius, please see The Backbone of the Libra Age-Decan (1433 – 2149).
POSTSCRIPT
Not only does the Libra micro-age decan (Dec 2019 – Nov 2024) promote issues associated with females, but even the timing of this confrontation between the changing expectations of young Australian women and the Australian government can be determined by further sub-divisions of the Libra micro-age decan. The Libra MAD is one third of the Gemini micro-age (Dec 2014 – Nov 2029) which also contains 12 nano-ages (approx. 15 months each). The nano-age in effect for February and March 2021 is the Capricorn nano-age (Dec 2019 – Mar 2021).
Each nano-age also has three nano-age decans, and the period October 2020 to March 2021 is within the Capricorn nano-age decan (Oct 2020 – Mar 2021) thus further promoting the influence of Capricorn – a key sign for governments. Governments are usually downstream from society which means they are usually more conservative than the average person, and conservatism is ruled by Capricorn.
Drilling down even further, each 15 month nano-age has 12 five week pica ages, and the Capricorn pica age covers most of the months of February and March 2021. Thus Capricorn has reached its penultimate force at the same time as the sexual assault issue hit the Australian government. Combining Capricorn with Libra provides the astrological smoking gun for this situation.
This is a ‘full size’ 30 year Libra period being the Libra MA&OF (April 1627 – May 1642 – April 1657) and is the second of this size in the Libra age-decan (1433 – 2149). The most significant influence for this Libra period was dour old Capricorn, and its negative influence upon gay Libra is readily identifiable in many of the historical events of this period – especially the absence of notable women. This Libra period fell under the shadow of the Capricorn sub-age overflow (1612 – 1791).
As to be expected, some major conflicts affected this Libra period and the major conflict of note is the British Civil Wars (1639 – 1653) and therefore closely shadowing the Libra MA&OF (1627 – 1657). The wars included rebellions, civil wars and invasions with the most important being the English Civil War which ended when the English parliamentarian army won followed by the execution of the king, the abolition of the monarchy, and the founding of the Commonwealth of England which lasted until 1660 – only a few years past the end of this Libra period. [1] No English king had ever been previously executed. The English Civil War, similar to the American Civil War, was a major event in the history of the UK. Family was against family, and in all regions of Great Britain, the population was fairly evenly split in their loyalties to the crown or parliament.
Some historians claim that this civil war was the result of the arrival of the Renaissance into England which changed the balance of power, but governments tend to lag behind such changes at their peril. The Puritans played a decisive role, and the Puritans were energized Protestants, and Protestants do represent the arrival of the Age of Aquarius into Europe as many of Protestant features invoke Aquarius such as anti the pope (anti the magnificent Leo leader), and the fact that the Protestant cults usually had strong democratic features as opposed to the hierarchical structure of the Roman Catholic Church modelled after the government of Ancient Rome.
Oliver Cromwell (1599 – 1658) was the head of state (Lord Protector) under the new commonwealth. However his approach quickly fell out of favor after his death and his corpse was subsequently dug up, hung in chains, and beheaded. Cromwell is one of the most controversial figures in British and Irish history, considered a regicidal dictator by some, and a military dictator by Winston Churchill, a class revolutionary by Leon Trotsky, and a hero of liberty by John Milton. Cromwell was a Puritan who used his political power to actively promote the suppression of vice and encouraged virtue.[2] Cromwell’s main generational sign was Aquarius, and his more fine-tuned generation was an Aquarius-Capricorn generation with Aquarius providing the revolutionary spirit and Capricorn the conservative Puritanism.
People today just do not understand the excitement unleashed by the Protestant revolution and arrival of the Age of Science early in the Age of Aquarius. These excited people were able to seize the government of England for a while, and stamp out the monarchy like it was a cigarette which provided the first Aquarius revolution in the new age. However, Aquarius is always detrimental to the UK as the UK has Leo high in its astrological signature. It did not take long for the monarchy to return and Aquarius’ revolutionary zeal headed to North America!
A number of developments occurred due to the English Civil War with close ties to Libra. In 1641 English law made witchcraft a capital crime (Capricorn and Libra) and a few years later in 1644 the first witch-hunter made his career in the eastern counties of England. In 1642 the English Parliament ordered the closure of all theatres in London, effectively ending the era of English Renaissance theatre established in the previous Libra period and followed by the banning of all stage plays in theatres anywhere in the country due to the stern approach to life adopted by the Puritans. The Taliban, ISIS and ISIL were merely following in the footsteps of European fascism from earlier centuries.
Libra the balance may have archetypally influenced the appearance of the Levellers, a political movement during the English Civil War (1642–1651) with (Libra) justice strongly represented in its manifesto – popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller philosophy was its emphasis on equal natural rights. They were not the only ones going down this path.
The Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers was formed in 1648 from ‘divine insight’ and as a Protestant Christian cult, its relevance to this Libra period is its opposition to (Aries) war and elevation of women. In the 1650s, individual Quaker women prophesied and preached publicly, developed charismatic personae and spread the word. This practice was bolstered by the movement’s firm concept of spiritual equality for men and women. Thus the Quakers were unwittingly in service to Libra (and the spirit of Aquarius). Interestingly, early Quakers disliked paganism so they refused to use the usual names of the days of the week, since they were derived from the names of pagan deities (planetary gods) and they refused to celebrate Christmas because they believed it was based on pagan festivities – which is true as the early Christian church borrowed Saturnalia from the Romans and rebadged it as Christmas (the general consensus of historians is that Jesus was not born in December).[3] Only a few years past this Libra period in 1662 Quakers were persecuted for a time in the UK and American persecution commenced in 1656, only a year before the end of this Libra period, and four Quakers were actually hanged in 1660 in Boston.[4]
Libra’s connection to jurisprudence is again clearly demonstrated with the publication of a series of legal treatises The Institutes of the Lawes of England which were written and published between 1628 and 1644. Widely recognized as a foundational document for English common law, they have been cited in over 70 cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States, including several landmark cases including Roe v. Wade (1973), where The Institutes were cited as evidence that under old English common law, an abortion performed before quickening was not an indictable offence. An earlier case in 1895 referred to The Institutes for their definition of monopolies.[5]
The publication in 1644 of Areopagitica; A speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England by the English poet John Milton who strongly opposed censorship is amongst history’s most influential and impassioned philosophical defenses of the principle of a right to freedom of speech and expression. Many of its expressed principles have formed the basis for modern justifications. Milton has been acclaimed as the “greatest English author”, and he is regarded “as one of the preeminent writers in the English language”. John Milton also promoted the legitimacy of divorce publishing The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce in 1643 which was considered heretical at the time. Libra’s quest for justice is again displayed.
Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679) was an English philosopher who is considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. He is best known for his 1651 book Leviathan, in which he expounds an influential formulation of social contract theory. Social contract definitely has a Libran tinge and the main argument is that individuals have consented, one way or another, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority (of the ruler, or to the decision of a majority) in exchange for protection of their remaining rights or maintenance of the social order. Hobbes was an early exponent of this balanced argument.[6]
Colonial America contributed to Libra even at this extremely early stage. In 1628 Puritans settled Salem, which later became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1629 around 350 English Puritans sailed from England to Salem, to settle in the Massachusetts Bay Colony which was granted a Royal Charter in the following year and it became a self-governing entity. The following year brought another 700 passengers including Anne Bradstreet, America’s first poet of significance and who in 1646, became a founding mother of Andover Parish (modern-day North Andover), Massachusetts.
1630 saw the settling of Boston and a group of emigrants arrived at Southampton Hundred, on the James River in Virginia. The first governor was appointed to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1631 with the first English settlement in Maryland and in the following year Charles I of England issued a charter for the colony of Maryland. Also in 1631, the Dutch West India Company started a settlement of the Delaware River. In 1634 a group from the Plymouth Colony settled in Windsor, Connecticut, making it the first settlement in the state. In 1635 Roger Williams (theologian) founded Rhode Island. And such was the rush to the colonies, in 1637 King Charles I of England issued a proclamation, attempting to stem emigration to the North American colonies.
In 1637 Elizabeth Poole became the first woman to found a town in the Americas – Taunton, Massachusetts. In the following year, Anne Hutchinson was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for heresy, and moved to Rhode Island. In 1643 the New England Confederation (also known as the United Colonies of New England) was formed as a military alliance comprising the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Saybrook (Connecticut), and New Haven. Its primary purpose was to unite the Puritan colonies in support of the church, and for defense against the American Indians and the Dutch colony of New Netherland. It was the first milestone on the long road to colonial unity. Interestingly, even at this early stage, the nascent American psyche was on display as John Quincy Adams remarked two centuries later:
“Its history, like that of other confederacies, presents a record of incessant discord – of encroachments by the most powerful party upon the weaker members, and of disregard, by all the separate members, of the conclusions adopted by the whole body. Still the main purpose of the union was accomplished.”[7]
The Pisces American psyche is aptly demonstrated in the above statement.
In 1652, Rhode Island passed the first law in North America making slavery illegal.[8] In 1655 John Casor, became the first legally recognized slave, as a result of a civil case. He was the first person of African descent in the Thirteen Colonies to be declared as a slave for life. His master was perversely a freed African-American and the Virginian court sustained the right of free blacks to own slaves. Laws racializing slavery hardened during Casor’s lifetime and after this Libra period in 1662, the Virginia Colony made a ruling that children of enslaved mothers would be born into slavery, regardless of their father’s race or status. This was in contradiction to English common law for English subjects, which based a child’s status on that of their father.[9] However, this does shift the emphasis to Libra even if it is perverse!
One of the earliest voices for modern democratic ideals in the USA was pioneered by Roger Williams (1603 – 1683), the founder of what would become the Colony of Rhode Island. Though he was a Puritan minister, he was also a staunch advocate for religious freedom, separation of church and state, and fair dealings with Native Americans, and he was one of the first abolitionists as he organized the first attempt to prohibit slavery in any of England’s North American colonies. His views were far too liberal for the conservative Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay authorities and in 1635, he was convicted of sedition and heresy. They declared that he was spreading “diverse, new, and dangerous opinions”. He was considered an important historical figure of religious liberty at the time of American independence, and he was a key influence on the thinking of the Founding Fathers.[10] Even at this early formative time, with Roger Williams we see the divergence of American culture between modern and medieval in line with Pisces, represented by two fish swimming in opposite directions. Pisces is the number one sign for the USA and this Pisces-divergent culture remains in place and recently demonstrated by the presidency of Donald Trump.
The discovery of Tasmania (an island south of the Australian mainland) and New Zealand in 1642 by Abel Tasman (1603 – 1659) followed by the charting of northern and western Australia (New Holland) two years later suggests a Libra connection to Australia and New Zealand especially as these voyages occurred at the pinnacle of this Libra period.
China was also a major focus within this Libra period. In 1627 the Manchus took advantage of Korea’s war-weakened state due to the unsuccessful Japanese invasion in the previous Libra period and invaded in 1627 and 1637, and this was even before the Manchus had taken over China. In 1637 a Chinese encyclopedist published Exploitation of the Works of Nature which is considered one of the most valuable encyclopedias of classical China. In 1641 a massive epidemic struck in northern and central China with some local areas and towns having 90% of the local populace wiped out, which may have contributed to the fall of the Ming Dynasty just three years later. In 1644 the invading Qing army captured Beijing marking the beginning of Manchu rule over China proper. The Ming dynasty had ruled over China from 1368 to 1644 while the Qing dynasty survived until 1912 (also in a Libra period). This major and highly significant political development in China supports a close connection between Libra and China. However, the 1368 commencement of the Qing dynasty occurred in a Cancer sub-age decan (1314 – 1373) and Cancer appears to be the most powerful sign associated with China.
On the artistic level, in 1642, Rembrandt finished his painting, The Night Watch – the most substantial of the important group portrait commissions which he received in this period. In the decade following the Night Watch, Rembrandt’s paintings gave way to the use of frontal lighting and larger and more saturated areas of color. At the same time, there was a marked decrease in painted works in favor of etchings and drawings of landscapes. In these graphic works natural drama eventually made way for quiet Dutch rural scenes. Libra’s rulership of parks and gardens is coming into play!
Rubens’s (1557 – 1640) later period coincided with the first part of this Libra period. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Between 1627 and 1630, Rubens’s diplomatic career was particularly active, and he moved between the courts of Spain and England in an attempt to bring (Libra) peace between the Spanish Netherlands and the United Provinces. Rubens was knighted by Charles I of England in 1630. In 1628 He began a renewed study of Titian’s paintings, copying numerous works. By 1629 he completed one of his most important works – the Allegory of Peace and War which illustrates the artist’s lively concern for peace. His international reputation with collectors and nobility abroad continued to grow during this decade, and one prominent example was The Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1625–6) for the Cathedral of Antwerp. In 1630, four years after the death of his first wife, 53-year-old Rubens married his deceased wife’s 16-year-old niece, who inspired the voluptuous figures in many of his paintings from the 1630s, including The Feast of Venus, The Three Graces and The Judgement of Paris with his wife the model for various depictions of Venus including sculptures.[11]
Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599 – 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in his homeland and Italy. He is best known for his portraits of the aristocracy, most notably Charles I (before he was beheaded), and his family and associates. Van Dyck became the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next 150 years. King Charles I was the keenest collector of art among the Stuart kings, and saw painting as a way of promoting his elevated view of the monarchy (this was the time of Capricorn). In 1628, just inside this Libra period, he purchased the fabulous collection that the Duke of Mantua was forced to sell. Van Dyck remained in contact with the English court and helped King Charles’s search for paintings. In England he developed a version of his style which combined a relaxed elegance and ease with an understated authority in his subjects which was to dominate English portrait-painting to the end of the 18th century. Many of these portraits have a lush (Libran) landscape background.[12]
Claudio Monteverdi (1567 – 1643) was an Italian musician and priest who composed both secular and sacred music, and was a pioneer in the development of opera – he is considered a crucial transitional figure between the Renaissance and Baroque periods of music history. This Libra period mainly coincided with Monteverdi’s late flowering period (1637 – 1643) commencing with the opening of the first public opera house in Europe at San Cassiano in 1637, which stimulated the city’s musical life and coincided with a new burst of the composer’s activity. By 1656, the first opera house opened in London. Monteverdi’s contribution to opera at this period is notable and is credited for the rebirth of theatrical music and that “he will be sighed for in later ages, for his compositions will surely outlive the ravages of time.”[13] Monteverdi’s drive may have come from the fact he was born of an Aries-Aries or Aries-Pisces generation.
Molière (a stage name) (1621/2 – 1673), was a French playwright, actor and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world literature. He turned to acting in 1643 only one year past the peak of this Libra period. His extant works include comedies, farces, tragicomedies, comédie-ballets, and more. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed at the Comédie-Française more often than those of any other playwright today. His influence is such that the French language is often referred to as the “language of Molière”. Despite his own preference for tragedy, Molière became famous for his farces. He began to write full, five-act comedies in verse in 1654 [14] towards the end of this Libra period which he outlived. His attraction to farce may be explained by the fact he was born in a Scorpio-Scorpio generation and his troupe did go bankrupt at one stage.
Though highly notable females seem absent in this period, an abstract focus did prevail. In 1629 a Chinese emperor of the Ming dynasty reiterated the state prohibition against female infanticide. However, as perhaps an example of oriental yin yang, the same year actresses were banned from the stage in Japan.
In 1631, the death in childbirth of the Mughal emperor’s wife caused the emperor to commission the Taj Mahal at Agra, as a mausoleum for her. Constructed from 1632 to 1653 – it also became the emperor’s tomb (at a cost of about $US956 million in today’s money). The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage” and it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.[15] It could be dedicated to Libra both as a work of art and beauty plus an expression of love in marriage!
One of the 7 wonders of world and one of the major tourist attraction of India. Agra is synonymous with that monument of love, which is the stunning Taj Mahal and it is surrounded by beautiful lush green gardens and a river in backward Yamuna.By Kristian Bertel – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99288433
The elevation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Queen of Genoa in 1637 is again in the Libra camp. And finally, Libra’s ruling planet Venus gets some attention in 1639 when the English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks made the first successful prediction and observation of a transit of Venus.
Cafes breed (Libra) socializing, and the appearance of cafes in Europe coincided with this Libra period with the first café in Europe opened in Venice in 1640. Coffee drinking became popular in Paris by 1643 and England saw its first coffeehouse open in 1651 and such were their popularity, by 1675, there were more than 3,000 coffeehouses in England.
Finally, Libra’s connection to all things beautiful naturally must include flowers, and so it is fitting that in 1637 saw the collapse of Tulip mania in the Dutch Republic. At the peak of tulip mania, in February 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled crafts worker. Another example suggests that one tulip bulb was bartered for 12 acres (5 hectares) of land. It is believed to have been the first recorded speculative bubble and bust in history but it did not create an economic crisis for the Dutch Republic, which at the time was the world’s leading economic and financial power.[16]
Finally, the 1656 invention of the pendulum clock by Christiaan Huygens is interesting because 1656 is heavily influenced by the Capricorn sub-age overflow, Capricorn sub-age decan overflow as well as the Capricorn quasi sub-age – in other words, Capricorn the sign of time and clocks, was incredibly strong when the pendulum clock was invented. However, the swing motion of the pendulum invokes Libra! Pendulum clocks were the most precise timekeeper, accounting for its widespread use until the 1930s and 40s when they were overshadowed by less-expensive, synchronous, electric clocks[17] in the Capricorn micro-age and overflow (1925 – 1940 – 1955). In my youth I can remember when I stayed at my grandparents’ house, I used to go to sleep every night listening to the half hour and hour chimes of their mantelpiece pendulum clock which they wound up every day.
The most notable aspect of this Libra MA&OF (April 1627 – May 1642 – April 1657) is the lack of notable women. There would have been some notable women that fail to register with us today, but there is a plausible astrological reason why highly placed notable women are largely absent in this larger than average Libra period. The following list displays the Libra periods since the start of the Age of Aquarius in 1433 that have been investigated to date in this Libra series:
Pisces-Capricorn sub-age (1433 – 1612)
Libra micro-age and overflow (March 1463 – March 1478 – March 1493)
Libra micro-age decan and overflow (December 1527 – November 1537)
Libra micro-age decan and overflow (August 1582 – July 1592)
Capricorn-Sagittarius sub-age (1612 – 1791)
Libra micro-age and overflow (April 1627 – May 1642 – April 1657)
With the first three Libra periods located in Pisces-Capricorn sub-age (1433 – 1612), Pisces overshadows Capricorn. The current Libra period however is located in the Capricorn- Sagittarius sub-age (1612 – 1791) where Capricorn is the major player. The current Libra period is the first in the Capricorn-Sagittarius sub-age overflow and is buffeted by the strongest Capricorn influence of all the Libra periods investigated to date. Capricorn is naturally anti-feminine due to Cancer being the opposite sign to Capricorn – and Cancer shares with Libra a strong association to females. Furthermore, the first sub-age decan in the Capricorn- Sagittarius sub-age (1612 – 1791) is the Leo sub-age decan (1612 – 1672) and Leo is male-orientated. Naturally, the darkness of Capricorn did not limit the accusation of witchcraft against women, if anything, it magnified this horror.
The major conflict of note was the English Civil War resulting in the execution of the king and the establishment of a commonwealth in England that also banned anything frivolous or fun, as Capricorn promotes a stern authoritarian lifestyle. This is why all theatres were closed in London in 1642. Nevertheless Libra inspires justice, and this can be seen with the Levellers promoting modern liberal ideals – well ahead of their time. The Quakers also promoted equality of the sexes. The publication of The Institutes of the Lawes of England clarified many aspects of English common law that spread to the USA and other countries. Other legal perspectives from John Milton and Thomas Hobbes pushed the boundaries of English medieval laws towards modernity.
This Libra period saw great activity in North America, especially New England or what would become the hub of the northern states in the USA and suggests that in Pisces USA, one of the fish has strong Libran qualities of justice and equality. These new settlements include: Salem, Boston, Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island. The creation of the United Colonies of New England was a forerunner for the creation of the revolution USA. The seeds of the American Civil War were put in place in this Libra period when Rhode Island passed the first law in North America making slavery illegal.
The first extensive European exploration of Australia and New Zealand in this period also suggests that inclusion of Libra into the astrological signatures for these countries (and Canada whose name was coined in the previous Libra period) provided future Libra periods confirm this assessment.
China had an exceptional development with the fall the Ming dynasty replaced by the Manchu dynasty in 1644. The publication of the Exploitation of the Works of Nature in 1637 provides an invaluable insight into the Chinese world of this period. However, before the Ming collapsed they did reiterate the state prohibition against female infanticide
Probably the most notable development in this period was on the artistic side. This Libra period captured key periods in the life of extremely famous artists and musicians such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Monteverdi, and Molière with Rubens the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition and Van Dyck dictating portraiture for the next 150 years. Monteverdi virtually created opera and Molière as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world literature.
Appropriately one of the most famous marriages in history occurred in this Libra period with the death in India of the Mughal emperor’s wife and his construction of one of the most beautiful buildings in the world – the Taj Mahal. As a temple (ceremonial structure), ruled by Capricorn, it is better known than his wife to whom the temple is dedicated. Though this period is bereft of famous females, the elevation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Queen of Genoa in 1637 does make an attempt. Venus (the ruler of Libra) gets a focus when the English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks made the first successful prediction and observation of a transit of Venus
Coffee promotes (Libra) social interaction and coffee made its move in this Libra period with the first European café in 1640. Libra’s association with flowers does see its manifestation with the boom of the tulip market in the Dutch Republic, followed by its bust and setting the precedent for economic cycles over the following centuries including the 21st century. Finally the invention in 1656 of the pendulum clock aligned with Capricorn, the ruler of time, is a fitting end to this review.
[7]Quincy Adams, John, ed. (1843). The New England Confederacy A Discourse delivered before the Massachusetts Historical Society, at Boston, on the 29th of May 1843; In Celebration of the Second Centennial of that Event. Charles C. Little and James Brown.
[8]“Time and Place”, . Slavery and the Making of America. Thirteen. 2004. Retrieved 2018-02-24. Rhode Island passes laws restricting slavery and forbidding enslavement for more than 10 years.
Demystifying the Aquarian Age 
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