It’s strange that the phenomenal growth of social
networking in 2009 and what I term “anti-social networking” in the form of the
Swine Flu Virus should be linked. The key astrological condition for both
phenomena is the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius [♃ CH ♆ ♒]
in 2009.
The effects of the Triple Conjunction
These 3 planets Jupiter ♃ , Neptune ♆ and Chiron
have been fuelling the remarkable expansion of social networking. The sign of
Aquarius ♒ is associated with social connections and friendships. Neptune has
lowered boundaries and allowed people to merge and share intimate parts of their lives. So now,
activities, interests, moods, personal photographs, history and taste that would
normally be kept to family and close friends are revealed to a much wider community.
Facebook was founded Feb 4, 2004 when the Sun was conjunct Neptune in
Aquarius [☉☌♆♒].
Twitter was launched Mar 1, 2006 when the Sun was conjunct Uranus
in Pisces [☉☌♅♓].
MySpace was set up in August 2004 (date uncertain) though the
first half of August points to Sun in Leo opposite Neptune in Aquarius [☉♌☍♆♒] and the
second half to Sun in Virgo opposite Uranus in Pisces [☉♍☍♅♓.] I am not including MySpace here as its popularity is waning, though some claim it is still pursued by teenagers and musicians.
Why are
FaceBook and Twitter so similar?
Neptune in Aquarius [♆♒] is in mutual reception to
Uranus in Pisces [♅♓]. This means that they are very similar energies. Why?
Neptune is the ruler of Pisces ♓ and Uranus the ruler of Aquarius ♒. Both describe
social merging, sharing of news and the quest for a utopian community.
However, for some this virtual world is a dystopia with no
physical face-to-face interaction and potential abuse of privacy. For others
especially those who work from home or don’t live in communities, it is a
life-blood of emotional interaction in a fragmented world and a way of sharing
with kindred spirits at a distance. It can easily become an addiction resulting
in the term Social NOTworking.
But there is a big cultural difference between Twitter and Facebook.
The key is that the planet conjuncting the Sun is stronger than the Sun sign. So Twitter is essentially Uranian and Facebook is essentially Neptunian. So what does this mean:
Twitter ♅
Facebook ♆
Brief, Limited space
Spacious, Convoluted.
Simple
Complex with many options.
Instant tweets then discarded
News lasts. Photos stay.
Spontaneous
Orchestrated
Public
Illusion of privacy (Leaky!)
Outrageous, Sharp, Controversial
Caring, Sensitive
Honest
Diplomatic, Supportive
Controversial views, Sharp Wit
Sentimental (Kids, Pets, Plants etc)
More commercial scope.
More personal and intimate
Words + Data
Rich Imagery: Photos, videos etc.
Suited to wide audience
Suited to close audience
Open to developers
Opening to developers
Giving credit to others [Retweets & Quotes]
Receiving credit for creativity. (kids, acheivements, art, photos, life story, childhood photos, accolades)
So Twitter is brief [140 characters], immediate, encourages a wide audience, outrageous, liberated and wide open to third party developers in a true Uranian style. FaceBook is more gentle and richer with images. There's more scope for compassion and empathy when a friend shares feelings. On a small scale, Facebook is a wonderful medium for keeping in contact with family, friends and getting to know people. However, the Facebook concept has a fundamental design fault in its present format. This is a problem and being a Sun Neptune, Facebook is not sure who it is and tries to emulate a much smaller rival, Twitter. Each redesign has caused great upset among the 200 million FB users and many defect to micro-blogging 'Twitter' or complain loudly.
Twitter, has also had a similar backlash when it was forced to limit who can see replies to posts. [See Explanation] Maybe both networks have an ambivalent following that want futurstic technology (Aquarius/Uranus) and yet have a sentimental attachment to the past (Neptune/Pisces).
Sentimental attachment to the present format versus upgrading the technology
Twitter may have a clearer idea who it is. Certainly users are reminded how many followers they have and how many follow them. This results in 5 categories of users. Uranian types hate to be typical of anything but Uranus maps out patterns of crowd and group behaviour.
What is the prognosis?
Uranus finally leaves Pisces ♓ in March 2011 and Neptune leaves Aquarius ♒
in Feb 2012. It is likely that from 2012 social networking will be more settled
in terms of format, number of users and the key providers. It is likely that
with Pluto in Capricorn [♇♑] that the commercial aspects of the social network
providers will start to be exploited to the fullest extent. While this will
alienate private users, it will attract commercial users. However, if social
networkers are aware of this development the dangers of over-commercialization
can be avoided. We have the choice to shape this so networks can be both
commercially viable and socially attractive.
Influenza n. highly contagious virus infection [from medieval Latin influentia
‘influence’ as the disease was thought to be caused by a bad influence from the
heavens.]
Fertile conditions for a social disease
While these three planets (Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron) enable a
merging of human resources, understanding and interaction, other organisms are
flourishing through social interaction. The new strain H1N1 flu virus referred
to, as Swine Flu was first identified in 30 March 2009*
from a Canadian who returned from Mexico on March 22. (I would expect Mars in
Aquarius [♂♒] Feb 6 to Mar 14 increased the aggressive spread of the virus.) However, news of the Virus broke after the New Moon in Taurus ♉ on 25 April.
This
virus has flourished under the Aquarian stellium. Neptune in Aquarius reduced
social boundaries enabling the virus to spread easily and Jupiter allowed
rampant expansion. Chiron which is associated with health and healing, may have
exploited vulnerabilities in human immune systems especially those with poor
hygiene, poor diet or living psychologically fragmented lives.
What happened last time [1843] Jupiter crossed Neptune in Aquarius?
Astrologer, Kathryn Cassidy 'tweeted' that the last time Jupiter and Neptune conjoined in Aquarius was in 1843. So what was symbolic of the spread of social interaction and friendship? Kathryn mentions that Krug Champagne and MacMillan Publishing was founded then. Champagne is wonderfully symbolic of Jupiter [hosptiality, indulgence] and Neptune [alcohol, refinement] in Aquarius [groups, gatherings]. Though, Champagne should not be confined to social gatherings see Lilly Bollinger's thoughts. In 1843, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol which helped to restore the spirit of hope, charity, generosity and hospitality to Christmas. In this same year, the world's first Christmas Cards were printed in London*. Here is an early medium of social networking that is now being being replaced by other media.
Confronting history & assassination attempt in Turkey
Your Personal Year Forecast gets you the inside track. This booklet is like a map, but set out with dates, that you can use to make the coming year successful and fulfilling.
that the last time Jupiter and Neptune conjoined in Aquarius was in 1843. So what was symbolic of the spread of social interaction and friendship? Kathryn mentions that Krug Champagne and MacMillan Publishing was founded then. Champagne is wonderfully symbolic of Jupiter [hosptiality, indulgence] and Neptune [alcohol, refinement] in Aquarius [groups, gatherings]. Though, Champagne should not be confined to social gatherings see 
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![Chart Wheel for founding of Facebook [Time unknown]](http://www.astrologer.com/pics/wheels/FBwh.gif)
