The Perinatal Generation of Our Time
“The archetypal gestalt associated with Uranus-Neptune especially could be discerned during this era in the nearly ubiquitous urge to overcome old separations and dualisms––between the human being and nature, spirit and matter, mind and body, subject and object, masculine and feminine, intellect and soul, cosmos and psyche––and to discover a deeper integral reality and unitive consciousness. All these tendencies can be understood as expressions of the archetypal impulse associated with the coniunctio oppositorum, the conjunction of opposites, and the hieros gamos, the sacred marriage.
––Richard Tarnas, Cosmos & Psyche
“In the Saturn-Pluto cycle specifically, the combination of this powerful Plutonic archetype with the Saturn principle of hard contraction, critical endings, mortal finality, and grave turning points consistently marked what appeared to be the death contractions of history. Yet paradoxically, at another level less obvious to the empirical eye of the moment, this complex also seemed to bring about the inexpressibly hard labor of the birth contractions of history: the throes and travails of deep transformation, the destruction of an old order, and the forging of what became the enduring foundation and structure of a new evolutionary development.
––Richard Tarnas, Cosmos & Psyche
“It is as if by connecting with the fetus struggling to be born, one reaches an intimate, almost mystical connection with other sentient beings who are in a similar difficult predicament.”
––Stainslav Grof, Psychology of the Future
In his revolutionary contribution to the fields of psychiatry and psychology, Stainslav Grof brought the transpersonal dimension to the forefront of our understanding of the psyche. Grof has shown that the cartography of the psyche is shaped like a fractal, in which three realms co-exist: biographical, perinatal and transpersonal. The biographical domain includes our memories from infancy, childhood, and later life. The perinatal level, which was widely ignored up until the 21st century, has been bountiful in its insightful offerings–– providing us with a lens into our supposedly unconscious experience as a fetus struggling to be born. Undeniably, the trauma of birth is an experience that every human being shares, which then leads us to the final domain: the transpersonal realm. The word describes itself––literally meaning to “transcend the personal (Grof, 2000).” And with the entrance of archetypal cosmology, the transpersonal becomes mysteriously magical, as the dynamic symphony of psyche and cosmos unfolds.
It was synchronicity that led Grof and Richard Tarnas, cultural historian and archetypal astrologer, to the realization that the basic perinatal matrices (BPM I, BPM II, BPM III, and BPM IV) had an intimate correlation with the four outer-planet archetypes (Neptune, Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus). The first movement unfolds with BPM I / Neptune, as the fetus floats in the amniotic fluid of undivided oneness. Tension rises in the second movement with BPM II / Saturn, as uterine contractions occur and the fetus experiences a sense of constriction. The third movement reaches a crescendo with BPM III / Pluto, as the fetus and mother enter into a battle with life and death. The fourth and final movement ends with an allegro of BPM IV / Uranus, as the fetus emerges out of the birth canal, takes its first breath, and realizes liberation as an autonomous being (Grof & Tarnas, 2019). From womb to tomb, the music of the spheres plays its melody in the key of Earth, and resonates in a higher octave with the starry heavens.
This elegant pattern and movement of psyche and cosmos that Grof and Tarnas discovered has been providing the fields of psychology and cosmology with immense epistemological depth. This knowledge is enabling individuals to heal themselves by reliving their birth trauma, and deepen into the archetypal realm. As I began to investigate my own planetary transits, I realized that I currently have four major conjunctions: Saturn-Uranus, Saturn-Neptune, Pluto-Uranus, and Pluto-Neptune. Alongside the Saturn-Pluto world transit that we are all collectively experiencing, I am also deeply feeling the Saturn-Pluto on my natal Uranus-Neptune. Looking at this cluster of planets on my natal chart brought me to the realization that I am in my own way moving through a valence of the perinatal matrices. However, I am not alone–– astrological calculations show that those born between 1991–1995 have all four planets within a 10°–15° orb, and are in a perinatal experience together. Although there might very well be individuals who have all these four planets transiting in some aspect, I believe it is quite a unique experience to have all these four planets in a tight conjunction (all within a 1°–4° orb for me personally). “The fact that the conjunction is the easiest aspect to spot in the horoscope,” writes Sue Tompkins “immediately gives us a clue as to how obvious its effects are. Because so much energy is being concentrated into a small area of the chart (2002).”
Although the conjunction is associated with the idea of unity, the diagram I have drawn above depicts the intricate geometry of this (trans) personal experience. The Saturn-Pluto world transit is cocooning the personal transits of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction on the natal Uranus-Neptune conjunction. Within the cocoon, the four planets are relating to each other in the shape of an hourglass––almost as though symbolizing the time-developmental aspect of birth. But what is birthing through these archetypal energies? And how will this birthing process manifest among these individuals? Well, let’s take a deeper look at the four transiting conjunctions, as well as the current Saturn-Pluto world transit and the natal Uranus-Neptune complex to understand the multidimensional and multivalent process of this archetypal unfolding:
Saturn ☌ Uranus –– This transit is considered to be quite a potent one, as it represents powerful internal forces that are striving for change, but colliding with resistance from the external world. There can be a sudden urge to break free from mundane aspects of life, but if one manages to hold the tension between these two archetypal forces they can make Herculean efforts that would otherwise be impossible (Hand, 2001).
Saturn ☌ Neptune –– This can be quite a difficult transit, as one may have the tendency to look at life from the worst possible point of view. Saturnian reality is being contrasted with Neptunian ideality. If one is attuned to this contrast, it can become harmonious in the form of self-sacrifice for the sake of spiritual development (Hand, 2001).
Pluto ☌ Uranus –– This transit carries a revolutionary spirit, and therefore one may feel the urge to rebel against all restrictions. Patience and discipline are not particularly resonant during this period, but the capacity to enable profound change is ripe (Hand, 2001).
Pluto ☌ Neptune –– This can be a transformative transit, as one has the capacity to deeply reflect on their worldview. The inward journey will be fruitful, but does accompany spiritual hardship. While one may accomplish a lot, ego-reinforcement should not be expected (Hand, 2001).
Saturn ☌ Pluto –– This world transit carries the energy of World War I, the Cold War, apartheid, the Iran-Iraq war, India’s independence and partition, and the Black Death. Saturn-Pluto alignments are generally “cycles of crisis and contraction (Tarnas, 2006).”
Uranus ☌ Neptune –– This generational alignment from 1985–2001 embodies the essence of the “World Wide Web,” electronic trance music, the Burning Man Festival, globalization, and postmodernism. The Uranus-Neptune complex characteristically upholds: emancipation, unity, and innovation (Tarnas, 2006).
Thus, the hourglass relationship between the four planets is distilling and integrating the following ideas: self-sacrificing, colliding, transforming, and revolutionizing. Applying the perinatal matrices to these characteristics, we can come to see that: Saturn-Neptune can embody BPM I in the form of self-sacrifice, as the Neptunian ocean meets the Saturnian ground; Saturn-Uranus can reflect BPM II in the feeling of collision, and a strong desire to hold the paradox of life; Pluto-Neptune can honor BPM III as the process of deep transformation, and the journey through the depths of cosmos and psyche; and Pluto-Uranus can embrace BPM IV as the revolutionary movement, in which spirit and matter merge to create evolutionary change. And while these personal transits are in full force, the Saturn-Pluto world transit acts as a container for this archetypal process to unfold––enabling the archetypal complexes and figures of the Saturn-Pluto field to midwife this new birth of the Uranus-Neptune baby.
As I personally move through these matrices, and experience the coalescing dynamic of the four planetary archetypes, I am witnessing the slow brewing of a conservative soul who aspires to create integral change. I have been on an evolutionary pathway––from demonizing capitalism to embracing its inherent value; from glorifying absolute freedom to appreciating the restrictive hardships that life provides; and from technologically addictive behavior to nature-loving lifestyle. And thus, this perinatal transit is giving birth to a pragmatic utopian. Embodying the spirit and soul of my natal Uranus-Neptune, while enabling the determinism and moral courage of the Saturn-Pluto transit to manifest itself in the form of an alchemical journey of integral realism. In honor of multidimensionality and multivalence, I look forward to the diverse encounters with my fellow perinatal generation beings. Let the symphony begin!
A Note on the Diagram
After I created the diagram, I investigated the symbolism of a triangular hourglass, and unsurprisingly I came across the Extinction Rebellion logo. The extinction symbol represents the existential threat that the Earth is facing, and the hourglass signifies that time is running out. The symbol has been called “this generation’s peace sign.” While I couldn’t find details on the artist Goldfrog ESP, I was able to analyze the natal chart of Roger Hallam, Extinction Rebellion’s founder. Born in 1966, Hallam has all four outer planets in aspect to each other. I felt ripples of synchronistic vibration move through my body, as I looked at the diagram I created and the Extinction Rebellion logo. What else could it be, other than divine cosmic play? The only thing I would suggest is: we’re not running out of time, we’re just in a time-developmental process of contraction and elevation.
References
Grof, S. (2000) Psychology of the Future. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
Grof, S. & Tarnas, R. (2019). The Way of the Psychonaut Volume 2. Santa Cruz, CA: MAPS
Hand, R. (2001). Planets in Transit. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing.
Tarnas, R. (2006). Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View. New York, NY:
Penguin Group.
Tompkins, S. (2002). Aspects in Astrology. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books.
