Quincunx Astrology - Pluto in Sagittarius

Part I - Pluto, Sagittarius and the Reformation

Sagittarius

This is a brief summation of historical events that took place during the period 1503 through 1516 when Pluto was in Sagittarius (time before last). This is not at all a comprehensive list as the selection of events is quite subjective. Not all the events I list may be pertinent to Sagittarian or Plutonic activities (or maybe they will and I'm just not recognizing it), but I'll present them anyway for discussion. I'm not drawing any fixed conclusions, just throwing them out for consideration. I do believe that we may glean some clues about our current Pluto in Sagittarius transit by considering what has happened before. A study for the period 1749 - 1762, the last time Pluto was in Sagittarius, appears in another article.

The period 1503 through 1516 was during the height of the Renaissance, when some of the classic painters like Raphael, Da Vinci (Mona Lisa, 1503) and Michelangelo (Sistine Chapel, 1508) were most active. Portuguese sailors were exploring the world (Africa, the Americas, the Orient) building on Columbus's discoveries of ten years earlier. This of course led to an influx into Western Europe of new peoples, ideas and religions, new trades and new foods (spice trade from America in 1506; slave trade in 1509; pineapples in Europe in 1514).

Most importantly though, this period covers Martin Luther's education in theology, his exposure to the Roman Catholic Church tradition (he was ordained in 1507), his growing dissatisfaction with the Church (precipitated by a visit to Rome in 1510) and immediately precedes his posting of his 95 theses on October 31, 1517 (Pluto at 0 Capricorn - a direct challenge to the political, moral and spiritual world power of the Catholic Church; Sun/Mars in Scorpio opposing Uranus in Taurus; Saturn in late degrees of Sagittarius). Martin Luther

This was the beginning of the German Reformation, which led to the formation of Lutheranism and ultimately the foundation of the Protestant Movement. Eventual effects included the weakening of the all-powerful Roman Catholic Church leading to the philosophy of separation of Church and State (embodied in the American Constitution following the next Pluto transit of Sagittarius during the middle 1700s).

Pope Leo X (natal Sun in Sagittarius square Pluto in Virgo; Saturn in Leo opposing Jupiter in Aquarius), Luther's papal antagonist, was elected in 1513. He is considered one of the most lavish and immoderate (there's that Sag!) of popes. In fact his excesses indirectly contributed to the establishment of the Reformation movements in Europe. For example, he patronized Raphael and supported many artistic programs. While this contributed to a rich artistic history, it also put great financial strains on the Church. Many of these financial needs were met through the practice of indulgences - punishment for wrongdoing being absolved by the payment of a fine. He was responsible for the Papacy becoming a dominant political force in Italy, promoted book censorship (therefore attempting to suppress the spread of ideas and learning), condemned Luther and his heresies and eventually excommunicated Luther.

Many of the major protagonists of the Reformation Movement were born during the period 1503-1516 when Pluto was in Sagittarius. They include:

John Knox, born in 1505 - leader of the Scottish Reformation and founder of Presbyterianism;
George Buchanan, born in 1506 - Scottish humanist, who wrote satires against the Roman Catholic Church - "Kings exist by the will of the people.";
John Calvin, born July 10, 1509 (Jupiter conjunct Pluto conjunct North Node) - Swiss Reformer, considered a fundamental
architect of Protestant beliefs, who believed the Catholic Church should return to its integral origins;
Michael Servetus, born 1511 - Spanish theologian and physician, a Unitarian who opposed the doctrines of the Trinity and baptism (therefore alienating both Catholics and Protestants) and was ultimately executed (burned) by Calvin. He was also the first physician to describe the pulmonary circulatory system (for those medical astrologers out there, does this have any relevancy?);
Saint Filippo Neri, born 1516 (Moon/Pluto conjunction; Saturn in Sagittarius; Mars in Leo opposing Neptune in Aquarius) - an Italian Counter-Reformationist and religious mystic who promoted the Roman Catholic Church extensively and established the oratorio tradition. He was known for his charisma and his good-natured friendliness and instigated a religious revival of sorts.

Other figures born with Pluto in Sagittarius during this period include:

Nostradamus, born December 14, 1503 - Sagittarius, French astrologer, mystic, prophet and physician;
Ambroise Pare, born in 1510 - one of the greatest French surgeons noted for his skill and human mercy, introduced the binding of arteries during surgery, improved medical care for broken bones and pushed for the use of artificial limbs;

Other events include:

1503 - Slavery is instituted by Spain in the Americas. At first Indians were used as slaves, but they died too easily, so the superpowers (Spain and Portugal) turned to Africa for a slave source. Slavery has existed for millennia - the original Sumerian symbol for slave means "foreign".
1504 - Columbus's last voyage;
1506 - Dunbar, Scottish poet, writes "Dance of the Sevin Deidly Synnes", as well as other pieces discussing subjects such as ribald love and thoughts on death;
1506 - Machiavelli establishes the first Italian national army, the Florentine militia (now where have I heard that term before?);
1507 - America formally named;
1509 - Jews persecuted in Germany with many Jewish religious books destroyed;
1509 - Practice of medicine begun to be restricted to licensed and qualified doctors;
1509 - Earthquake destroys Constantinople;
1512 - Immortality of the soul pronounced a dogma of the Catholic Church;
1512 - Copernicus puts forth the radical notion that the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun;
1515 - Printed books are restricted to those approved by the Roman Catholic Church only.

So, during this period we have the gestation of the Reformation Movement - a major turning point in history that began when Pluto moved into Capricorn and on through Aquarius. The Reformation was a great struggle for the control of knowledge and group thought. On the one hand the Catholic Church had a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, which it tried to do through book censorship, attended by the destruction of opposing ideas. On the other hand, reformers such as Luther and Calvin, aided by the invention of the printing press in the previous century found it easier than ever before to disseminate their ideas. Yet even the reformers themselves sought to suppress dissenting thought - witness Calvin's execution of Michael Servetus. We also have the literal births of the generation that went on to play major roles in the Reformation. And we have major advances in the field of medicine - the first attempts to establish the qualifications of physicians, Pare's advances in surgery, even Nostradamus' realization that plague resulted from unsanitary conditions.

Interestingly enough, the next time Pluto was in Sagittarius (during 1749-1762) there was another gestation of a freedom and independence movement - this period precedes the American and French revolutions, and again many of the major players in these world-changing events were born when Pluto transited Sagittarius.

As Pluto is currently in the early degrees of Sagittarius it would be interesting to speculate what movement is now gestating and to consider the children currently being born as the leaders of a world-changing movement (or am I being too bombastic? There's that Sag again!). It seems likely that during the next century there will be a struggle for the control of thought and information. Entrenched establishments will defend the status quo, using their power to promote a conservative viewpoint and appealing to patriotic or pseudo-patriotic, nationalist sentiments. Progressive thinkers will use any means at their disposal (the computer, the Internet, perhaps) to get their message out, and ultimately be quite effective. And we need to remember the lesson of Michael Servetus and Nostradamus - that even the progressive thinkers will have their tolerance limits - which the truly radical thinkers will exceed.

Part II - Pluto in Sagittarius, 1749-1762

Sources:

The Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia, Copyright 1994
The Timetables of History, A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events, by Bernard Grun, Copyright 1946, 1963, 1975, 1979, 1982
The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, Release 6, Copyright 1993

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