Astrology and The Hunger Games Part Three: The Age Of Aquarius.

  As I read Mockingjay, my excitement that Katniss had escaped to District 13 diminished rather quickly as the realization dawned that District 13 was actually kind of terrible. Sure, it's a far cry from the hedonistic detachment of the dying Capitol, (Age of Pisces) But it's pretty unpleasant all the same. Their whole regimented all-are-equal-but-none-are free vibe has an unfortunate Orwellian feel to it. To some Astrologers, this dystopian future bears the hallmark of the darker possibilities of the Age of Aquarius. 

  Last week, we talked a little bit about the Astrological Ages. For the past 2,000 years or so, we've been experiencing the Age of Pisces, and now we're transitioning into the Age of Aquarius. Our current reality has elements of both. Reality television, extreme plastic surgery, prescription painkiller abuse and religious fundamentalism are all symptomatic of The Age of Pisces. Smart phones, online dating, The Occupy Movement, the  LGBTQ civil rights advancements, and the evolution of marriage are all indicators that The Age of Aquarius is dawning.

  What is The Age of Aquarius, and what will it bring? Aquarius is the sign of the Individual and also the Rebel. The early years of the Age of Aquarius will see many revolutions and people fighting for collective and individual freedoms. Aquarius also rules computers, so our dependence on them won't be going away anytime soon. Aquarius is opposite Leo, the sign that rules Ego, so as we evolve as a people we always need to make sure we're balancing our collective needs (Aquarius rules Communities, Political Parties and other Large Groups) against the needs of the Self. (Katniss runs afoul of this in District 13 when all she wants is to go hunting by herself to clear her head. She's granted permission, but is only allowed to hunt at scheduled hours, for prescribed lengths of time.)

  We can glean further insights about what The Age of Aquarius holds for our future by meditating on the qualities of the Astrological Sign Aquarius. Aquarius is a communicative Air Sign, so communication and information gathering will continue to be part of our day to day existence. Aquarius is a fixed, idealistic sign, so as a culture we'll hold on tightly to our collective values about equality and personal freedom. I mentioned before that Aquarius rules computers. This explains our culture's ongoing fascination with with speculative fiction about a dark, dangerous future where computers have acquired consciousness and are waging war on humans. (Personally, my spirituality does not allow for this possibility, but I do love Battlestar Galactica!) Aquarius is symbolized by the Water Bearer, and The Age of Aquarius will allow opposing beliefs to flow together like never before. This is evidenced by the Lutheran Church in my neighborhood offering Meditation classes that are welcome to all, not to mention all the Protestant Churches that now offer Yoga classes. It won't happen in our lifetime, but I do believe that eventually Religious Fundamentalism will crumble under the influence of the Age of Aquarius because it's an institution that limits personal freedom and no longer serves us.

  So how does all this relate to The Hunger Games? Well, The Age of Aquarius is Humanity's future, and at the Beginning of Mockingjay, District 13 represents the future of Panem.  I already mentioned some of the Aquarian qualities of District 13,  but there are more. Aquarius' Ruler Uranus, rules Nuclear Power, the industry of District 13. District 13 had an uneasy alliance with the Capitol for decades because of the Nuclear Warheads in their possession. Aquarians are the Revolutionaries of the Zodiac as we've mentioned before, so it's no surprise that they were never fully under the thumb of the Capitol and were the first to rebel. Aquarius is the least emotional sign, and a typical District 13 wedding involves two people signing papers, and then being reassigned to shared living quarters. President Coin of District 13 exhibits many lower vibration Aquarian qualities. She views her people as pawns, a means to a (bloody, violent) end, and their happiness is not her concern. During her time in District 13,Katniss rescues her former stylist from a prison cell. Her crime is taking an extra piece of bread. Katniss is horrified, but none of the District 13 natives think the punishment is too extreme. Which has the reader thinking, "I guess this life is better than a miserable hand-to-mouth existence where children are regularly forced to fight each other to the death, but it's not that much better, right?"

  Fortunately, for the people of Panem and the human race in general, we can all do better than that. The stress and the strife of District 13, represents the very beginning of a a shift into a beautiful New Age. We actually have a lot to look forward to! We've already talked about how Freedom will continue to be an important concept in the Aquarian Age, and while world politics are shifting faster than we can keep up with, I think another form of Freedom that this Age will bring is a liberation of the Highest Self. Self-Esteem is another Aquarian keyword and more people are acknowledging their self-worth and have less need for external validation than ever before, and these numbers will continue to increase. My belief is that the Age of Aquarius will continue to present us with opportunities to develop our collective and individual character. We'll all have opportunities to develop our Light Within, and we can choose to allow that Light to be our guide.

  The epilogue to Mockingjay shows us a much more peaceful, balanced way of life. Katniss and Peeta's relationship is a partnership. (The Age of Aquarius is already redefining/questioning marriage and will continue to do so.The energy of Aquarius demands equality.) Their decision to become parents was mutual. The citizens of Panem have returned to and rebuilt their Districts. Some people like Gale, ended up in a different district than the one of their origin. (Aquarius celebrates freedom of choice!)  Panem has evolved into a Global Village of sorts, with the people of the various Districts trading and sharing goods and services fairly. Small Communities that stay connected through the miracle of technology is a commonly predicted scenario for the Age of Aquarius. Katniss' voice tells us that she knows she will someday have to tell her children about her brutal experiences with The Games. Let that be a message to all of us who have the privilege of being alive for this exciting shift: To not discard the lessons of the past 2,000 years in The Age of Pisces, but instead to remember and honor our collective past as we move into this exciting New Age. 

Astrology and The Hunger Games Part Two: The Age of Pisces.

  In Book One of The Hunger Games Trilogy, Katniss introduces us to her world. In many ways, this world does not resemble our world, it more closely resembles our collective past. (Gathering herbs, hunting for food.) But in other ways, it does resemble our reality. (Bad reality television, extreme and artificial looking beauty procedures, amazing achievements in modern medicine that are only available to a select few...) To me, the world that's presented to us in the beginning of the Hunger Games looks a lot like our Age Of Pisces.

  What Is An Astrological Age? Our Earth has to wobble a little bit on it's axis to maintain it's position in space. So when all of us on Spaceship Earth make our annual trip around the Sun, we're actually returning to a slightly different place every year. This is called "Equinox Procession". This is a backwards moving process and it happens very slowly. It takes around 2,000 years for Earth to travel through each sign. These are what Astrologers call "The World Ages". The whole process takes around 26,000 years and Astrologers call that "The Grand Year".

  What Is The Age Of  Pisces?  The Age of Pisces has been called the Age of Religion, and also the Age of Deception. A few Age of Pisces keywords are: Fantasy, Secret, Mystery, Decadence, Addiction, and Confusion, but also Kindness, and Gentleness. The Age of Pisces is most commonly associated with the birth of Christ and and Monotheistic religions sweeping the world. The chaos of  Rome falling (Age of Aries) and the rise of European Empires is generally attributed to the Age of Pisces. Gifts of the Age of Pisces include: modern medicine, the Renaissance, the Romantic Age, the concept of Universal Love, (and Universal Love's ugly twin, Fear of the other) and the discovery of the Planet Neptune. The Age of Pisces also brought us the separate sciences of Astronomy from Astrology which had previously been the same thing. (Not a good thing IMHO, but that's another post for another day.) When it officially began is as strongly debated as when it will end. Some Astrologers associate The Age of Pisces with the earliest beginnings of Buddhism (300 BC) others say it didn't truly start until 900 AD. Some Astrologers believe we are currently in the Age of Pisces and will be for a couple hundred more years or so. Others argue that the Age of Aquarius is clearly upon us. My opinion is that the New Age (Age of Aquarius) is here, but we're just on the cusp, which is why we are still muddling through a lot of Old Energy/Age of Pisces residue.

  So how does all this relate to The Hunger Games? The Capitol of Panem, seems to me to be really entrenched in that Old Energy, Piscean worldview. The Age of Pisces brought us many cultural and scientific riches, but they were never for everyone, always just a select few. The people of the Capitol having access to Medical Care the rest of Panem has never experienced has a very Age of Pisces feel to me. The Capitol's obsession with outlandish Fashion and facial and body modifications is a symptomatic of the Age of Pisces. Pisces is ruled by Neptune, and Neptune, the Planet of Illusion, rules Fashion. Excessive consumption is an Age of Pisces symptom as well. and Katniss and Peeta are horrified  to learn Capitol Citizens have a special drink that makes them throw up, so they can eat more rich food than their bodies would ordinarily be able to hold. Peeta is almost as disgusted by this practice as he is by the actual Games.

  Pisceans are notoriously loving and giving to a fault. Until they aren't. Lower Vibration Pisceans prefer to not feel anything at all. Which is how during the Age of Pisces, we have collectively learned to become desensitized to worldwide human and animal suffering. In The Hunger Games, this is illustrated by the people of the Capitol have no qualms about watching children fight to the death in the Games, and how they are able to in general not concern themselves with the abject misery of the Outer Districts, despite their total dependence on them. (I find it interesting that despite everything she's been through, Katniss doesn't really resent the people of the Capitol very much, even musing that she herself might be like that  if she'd grown up there.)

  Unfortunately for One Percenters here and in Panem, The Age of Pisces is crumbling all around us. In our world, the push for Universal Healthcare and Civil Rights for all people, (Right now the rights and freedoms of transgender and genderqueer  people are being talked about like it's the final battle of the civil rights movement. This relates to The Age of Aquarius in an beautiful way because Aquarius is ruled by the planet Uranus. In Ancient Greece, trans people were said to be ruled by Uranus, and were sometimes referred to as "Uranian" as a term of respect. Full circle y'all.) and a growing interest worldwide in alternative forms of healing are all hallmarks of the Aquarian Age. This shift is being felt in The Hunger Games as well. In Book One, the team of stylists that prep Katniss gossip among themselves and seem pretty detached from the fact that they're delivering a young woman to her death. In Catching Fire, the same stylists are overcome with emotion, the brutality of the Games now affects them personally. In Mockingjay, we learn of other "friends of the Rebellion" hidden throughout the Capitol. Party's over President Snow!

  Interestingly, District 8 is the first to rebel. I've written before about how District 8 corresponds to Virgo and the Sixth House of Work. Virgo is the polar opposite of Pisces and the challenge of the Age of Pisces is to balance it's watery excesses with the stability and predictability of hardworking Virgo, the sign of the Servant. Clearly, Panem was never able to achieve this balance, and this set the stage for the Rebellion. Back in our world, revolutions great and small are taking place here and abroad. In 2011, Time Magazine named 'The Protester' the person of the year, and now we know that was just the beginning. Panem required a bloody revolution to transition out of the Age of Pisces, and it seems like the same may be asked of us. Will the Age of Aquarius usher in a peaceful New Age, or is our world's paradigm shifting in a darker, more dystopian direction, bringing us ever closer to a world that  resembles....District 13?

   ...To be continued.





 

Astrology and The Hunger Games Part One: 12 Districts, 12 Houses.

   Katniss, the Girl who was on Fire, is your typical Sagittarius in a lot of ways. Free-spirited, adventurous, athletic and high minded, wanting  freedom not just for herself and her loved ones, but for all of the oppressed people of Panem. And like the Centaurs of Mythology, she could point the arrow at anyone except herself. Girl had a real blind spot when it came to relationships! I mean, she could shoot an arrow into a squirrel's eyeball, but she never noticed two dudes she'd known all her life were in love with her? Anyhoo, luckily for us, the powerful Archer archetype is only a  fragment of the Astrological picture The Hunger Games Paints for us. For instance, did you ever notice there are twelve Districts of Panem, and also there are twelve signs of the Zodiac? I sure did! Read on to learn more, but be warned, spoilers abound so if you haven't read The Hunger Games Trilogy, why are you reading this? Go read The Hunger Games!

  FULL DISCLOSURE: I have no idea how Suzanne Collins feels about Astrology. I don't know whether or not she's ever spoken about Astrology publicly and I don't want to know until after I'm done writing about the Astrological symbolism that I've interpreted from her writings, because I don't want her thoughts on the subject to compromise what I perceive. My hope is that all the Astrological symbolism in this trilogy just flowed effortlessly into the riveting story she created because Astrology is all around us, affecting us constantly, whether we believe in it or not.

  DISTRICT ONE, LUXURY corresponds to LIBRA and the SEVENTH HOUSE ruled by VENUS.
  "District 1 makes the luxury goods that decorate the and beautify the great Capitol. It's excellent taste and craftsmanship keep the Capitol residents bejeweled and bedazzled year round." -Description from The Hunger Games: A Tribute's Guide. Sounds like a powerful Venus influence to me! The District One professions of perfumer, jeweler, goldsmith and hair stylist are all jobs commonly associated with Air Sign Libra and the planet Venus. When not under the duress of living in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, Librans tend to be attractive, charming and fun to be around. They love to bring beauty and balance to their surroundings. Their natural appreciation for nice things can bring out a competitive streak in some... The tributes from District One are called "careers", children who train all of their lives to compete in the Hunger Games. These tributes tend to exhibit the unpleasant, lower vibration qualities of Libra; well dressed but cocky, overconfident, sneering, severely lacking empathy. Venus also rules relationships and the District One careers tend to team up at least temporarily with careers from other districts. The books also repeatedly mention the cozy relationship between District One and the Capitol. BUT when the tide began to turn, District One was one of the first to rebel. "Open Enemies" is considered a relationship by Astrological standards, and Venus is in charge of those too!

  DISTRICT TWO, MASONRY corresponds to ARIES and the FIRST HOUSE ruled by MARS.
  The careers from District Two are always front and center whenever the Hunger Games are discussed around Panem. They are the fierce, warlike celebrities of the Hunger Games. District Two is also where weapons are manufactured (Mars rules metal and weapons) and Peacekeepers are trained (Mars/Aries rules soldiers and militias. Fiery Areans aren't always violent but they tend to be competitive, assertive, powerful, prideful, and (can be) quick to anger. (Like when Cato broke that poor boy's neck!) Cato and Clove are textbook lower vibration Areans, bloodthirsty, with ego to spare and totally lacking compassion. Gale, who seems to have the soul of a soldier, later relocates to District Two.

  DISTRICT THREE, TECHNOLOGY corresponds to GEMINI and the THIRD HOUSE ruled by        
  MERCURY.
  District Three Specializes in computers, televisions, and other electronics that people use for communication as well as entertainment. Mercury rules all forms of communication and electronics, and Airy Gemini is the great communicator of the Zodiac. What the tributes of District Three lack in brawn, they make up for in brainpower, as evidenced by the tribute from the first book who booby trapped the cornucopia with landmines. In Catching Fire, Katniss observes that the members of District Three actually seem happy to see her on her victory tour. It's implied that this is because they're ready for a change. Mercury, the trickster of the Zodiac is a restless soul who craves discord, and many citizens of District Three aided in the Rebellion. A Mutable Sign, Gemini tends to embrace change better than most. Gemini and the Third House also rule sibling relationships. While non-biologically related, Wiress and Beetee's bond in Catching Fire had a touching, familial quality and they shared a better than average ability to understand each other's thoughts and feelings. Wiress's later involvement in smart weapon design illustrates that Mercury is by nature amoral and that a strongly placed Mercury can make anyone a little too emotionless.

  DISTRICT FOUR, FISHING corresponds to PISCES and the TWELFTH HOUSE ruled by NEPTUNE
  District 4 supplies seafood to the capital. They are agile swimmers and gifted with the use of nets and tridents. District Four is one of the wealthier districts of Panem which just goes to show money can't buy sanity, AMIRITE? District Four clearly CLEARLY corresponds to the planet Neptune and the Watery sign Pisces. Neptune rules dreams, intuition, madness, and institutions, but also healing and recovery. The Twelfth house rules hidden enemies which is why Finnick O'Dair was able to spend so much time with Capitol folk, despite his secret hatred of them. Pisceans are notoriously attractive as evidenced by super handsome Finnick and his lovely lady soul Annie Cresta with the long flying hair. The duress of the Games and the revolution took their toll on the psyches of these two,  but their love and devotion to the other never wavered. All Pisces are born romantics. One of the Gifts of Neptune is empathy which means 'to suffer with' so it's no surprise that Annie votes against a potential Hunger Games between children of the Capitol, and said that Finnick would agree.

  DISTRICT FIVE, POWER corresponds to AQUARIUS and the ELEVENTH HOUSE ruled by
  URANUS.
  From The Hunger Games: A Tribute's Guide: "Electric, solar and nuclear- District 5 harnesses the energy of the the earth and sky to power our great nation." That sounds like Uranus to me! Less is known about District Five, but what we do know sounds very Aquarian.  District Five is the smallest district and I've written before that Airy Aquarius is the least common sign. (Maybe. I Googled it.) "Foxface" from the first book hailed from District Five and she had that intelligent, lone wolf quality that may Aquarians possess. In Catching Fire, the tributes don't even bother to show up to training. A another approach to the Aquarian "Go your own way" sensibility. But that's the thing about Aquarians, they're full of surprises!

  DISTRICT SIX, TRANSPORTATION corresponds to CAPRICORN and the TENTH HOUSE ruled
  by SATURN,
  Not much is written about District Six, but there seems to be a district wide morphling addiction epidemic. Even by Panem standards, it seems like a really miserable place. That's why I placed them in the Earth Sign Capricorn, making Saturn, the planet of pain, fear and discipline their natural ruler. It's also been said that Capricorns are born with the hardest path ahead of them. It's also said that Capricorns are capable of the highest achievement. Maybe if the regime they suffered under wasn't so oppressive, the people of District Six could have risen up together and been great. Unable to live with the knowledge that their highest potential (Tenth House) could ever be reached, many if not all, of the citizens of District Six chose to numb their pain with opiates. But lets's not forget the female tribute from District Six in the Seventy Fifth Games who sacrificed her own life to spare Peeta, and by extension, the Rebellion.  Capricorn rules sacrifice and hard decisions, and Saturn helps us see the big picture.

  DISTRICT SEVEN, LUMBER corresponds to LEO and the FIFTH HOUSE ruled by THE SUN.
  Little is known about District Seven, but we do know that Johanna Mason, the diva of the Hunger Games hails from there. Feisty, Fiery Johanna has many Leonine qualities. She won her first Games by spending the first half pretending to be weak, afraid and fatigued, when in reality she was incredibly proficient with an ax.(Fifth House rules theater and acting.) When her fellow players least expected it, a deadly lioness emerged, and she went on to win. We first meet Johanna in Catching Fire when she strips down to her green slippers in the elevator with Katniss and Peeta, a bold, sassy move that I'm sure fellow Leo Madonna would approve of. We later learn Johanna is impervious to the Jabberjay torture (birds imitating the sound of tributes' loved ones) because everyone she loves is dead. Fifth house rules love and the Sun controls the Heart, so we know Johanna has suffered indeed. In Mockingjay, we learn that the death of all of Johanna's loved ones was a cruel punishment meted out by President Snow because she wouldn't agree to prostitute herself to the highest bidders of the Capitol. Her refusal to sell her body demonstrates the uncompromising inner nobility known to Leos.(The sign of royalty.) The fact that she voted in favor of a Hunger Games between the children of the Capitol shows that Leos (especially Leo women) sure know how to hold a grudge!

  DISTRICT EIGHT, TEXTILES corresponds to VIRGO and the SIXTH HOUSE ruled by MERCURY.
  District Eight is one the poorest, Districts of Panem. Even Katniss, from District Twelve is taken aback by the squalor of  District Eight on her victory tour. Down to Earth Sixth House emphasizes a simple way of life,and hard work, but jeez. Detail oriented Virgo is said to rule the Fiber Arts, because of it's meticulous, detail oriented nature. Virgo rules obedience, so it's no surprise that Peacekeeper uniforms are also manufactured here. Dutiful as they are, Virgos are also they moral compass of the Zodiac and have a keen sense of fairness, which is probably why they were one of the first districts to rebel. Their life is a pretty stark contrast to the hedonism of the Capitol. Comrade Paylor  is the efficient leader of District Eight, and later a good soldier during the Rebellion. In Mockingjay, she grants Katniss an audience with President Snow because she feels like Katniss earned it. As we know, Comrade Paylor eventually becomes President of all of Panem. The story line about a leader of a very poor district becoming the leader of all the districts as a result of hard work and general decency is a true Virgoan parable.

  DISTRICT NINE, GRAIN corresponds to CANCER and the FOURTH HOUSE ruled by THE MOON.
  District Nine is probably the most mysterious district of the Hunger Games books.Watery Cancer is the sign of the Mother, and District Nine reminds me of  Demeter, the Goddess of Motherhood and the Harvest who went into a mourning that left the Earth barren when her daughter was taken from her. Cancers tend to be non-aggressive, gentle souls which is probably why their tributes fair so poorly in the games. It is also speculated in the books that the tributes of District Nine are out of their element in the Games because they have very little access to nature where they live. The Moon/Fourth House rules home and family of origin, So it is probably particularly poignant and painful  for the parents of District Nine to lose their children to the reapings year after year, knowing there is very  little hope for their return.

  DISTRICT TEN, LIVESTOCK corresponds to TAURUS and the SECOND HOUSE ruled by VENUS.
  "The gentle lowing of cattle is the first thing a visitor to District 10 hears. The region raises strong, healthy livestock, which becomes the meat that helps us raise strong, healthy children of Panem." -Description from The Hunger Games: A Tribute Guide. We don't know much about District Ten either, but we do know that it's considered to be a poorer district. Earthly Taurus rules Agriculture.  Many of the jobs of District Ten, rancher, breeder, and farmer are all professions ruled by Taurus. No mention is made of District Ten celebrities from any of the past Games, which goes to show most sensual Taureans are lovers, not fighters.

  DISTRICT ELEVEN, AGRICULTURE corresponds to SAGITTARIUS and the NINTH HOUSE ruled
  BY JUPITER.
  District Eleven specializes in Agriculture, and their day to day life sounds pretty grueling, up at dawn harvesting food for the people of the Capitol while their own children did without. The workers of District Eleven were able to communicate with each other in the orchards by singing tones that the Jabberjays would imitate. Part of why I assigned  Fiery Sagittarius to the Eleventh house is that spending all day in the forest communicating with birds was a pretty typical activity for the Centaurs of Greek Mythology. Rue's climbing and Thresh's strength illustrate the athleticism that Sagittarians are known for. Rue's knowledge of herbs falls into the Ninth House realm of Healing Wisdom. Rue and Katniss form an alliance that Thresh later honors. Jupiter and the Ninth House Rule Law, so of course noble Sag would take an agreement like that seriously. Sagittarians tend to have a childlike, imaginative sweetness that allows them to easily identify with and interact with children. So it's no surprise that the people of District Eleven were one of the first to rebel when they realized they couldn't live with the pain of losing more children.

  DISTRICT TWELVE, MINING ( LATER) MEDICINE    corresponds to SCORPIO and the EIGHTH
  HOUSE ruled by PLUTO.
  District Twelve the is the most remote district have Panem, and also the poorest. So it makes perfect sense (to me) that Pluto the smallest and most remote Planet in our system would be their Ruling Planet. Scorpio/Eighth House rules transformation and coal falls into that category because it's a rock that can be transformed into heat/energy. Coal mining is actually a very Scorpionic profession because it is inherently dangerous/ deadly and Pluto/ Scorpio also rules death, the biggest transformation of all.
  After the Second Rebellion, the industry of District Twelve becomes medicine. This illustrates the Shamanic path of the Scorpio. Scorpios are born with the ability to transcend the darkest depths of their origin, rising up, healing themselves and then others.
  The Eighth House also rules Secrets and Sexuality. Specifically secrets of a sexual nature and repressed sexuality. Katniss and Gale have a secret attraction to the other that neither acknowledges verbally. By the time they're ready to act on those urges, they can't because of Katniss' "engagement" to Peeta. The two eventually share a kiss because we all know sexual energy can only be repressed for so long. Peeta's slow burning crush on Katniss and his father's secret love of Katniss' mom also fall into this category. Scorpios are the survivors of the Zodiac which explains why Gale tells Peeta that Katniss will eventually choose the one of them that she "can't live without". Scorpios don't hide from the truth!

  Now Katniss is in many ways your typical Sagittarius, but she hails from Plutonian District Twelve. And she is definitely a survivor. It seems worth mentioning that many "young adults" right now (The target audience for the Hunger Games series) were born when Pluto was in Sagittarius. (1995-2008) Pluto in our chart shows where/how we are meant to transform ourselves,  and since Pluto stays in each sign for so long Astrologers like to speculate about the ways the various "Pluto Generations" will transform the world. Pluto in Sagittarius is considered to be "The Visionary Generation" likely to question everything, be risk takers, but also natural humanitarians. Astrologers are also speculating that this generation will challenge or even possibly remove the infrastructures of agencies and industries that no longer serve us. A generation of Katnisses? One can only hope!