Imagine

 

One of my favorite astrologers, Rob Brezsny, recently wrote about our time, the one we are having right now, in the early summer of 2025.  He titled his newsletter “Wake up, and wake up, and wake up some more.”  In it he explained that there were three other times in our nation's history when the stars overhead were similarly aligned with Uranus in Gemini.  This transit typically lasts about eight years and represents tremendous upheaval, that so far has had lasting results, regarding some important social changes.  

The first was the American Revolutionary War, with Uranus in Gemini from 1774 through 1778.  Uranus is full of chaos and Gemini is swiftly intelligent.  The result was freedom from British rule and self-governance.

The second was the American Civil War with Uranus in Gemini from 1859 through 1866.  At that time we were a “free” nation that enslaved millions of people.  One out of every two people in the south was a slave.  The schizophrenic nature of our split personality, slavery & freedom, came to a reckoning.  As Brezsny said, Uranus in Gemini can be wrathful and necessary.  

The third time was when we entered WWII, with democracy battling fascism.  We had Uranus in Gemini from 1941 through 1948.  In the decades that followed, we had the rebuilding through the Marshall Plan, to help prevent the spread of communism and repair the economies of Europe while bolstering U.S. economy through increased trade.  The GI bill gave veterans good home loans resulting in the rise of suburbia and a strong middle class.  The result was America’s emergence as a world leader and our commitment to global stability.  We also saw the birth of the civil rights movement, well underway by the mid 1950s.  And, as well, by the 1960s, we saw the Women’s Movement advocating for equal pay, women’s reproductive rights and significant movement towards ending gender discrimination.  We also saw the beginning of The American Indian Movement, Gay Liberation and the Environmental Movement.

In all three of these instances: The Revolutionary War, The Civil War and WWII, millions of people perished.  Old ideas became obsolete and innovations stepped up, in a cascading effect.  Big changes.  So, Uranus in Gemini is something to note.  And Brezsny says “Wake up,” because we should expect shake-ups.  (And so far, these have been hitting hard on relationships, information, learning and truth.)  

It is important to think of this time as a beginning, rather than an end.  Birth is always a little rough.  It involves blood and sometimes death.  But, so far, Uranus in Gemini has resulted in new life for our nation, a freer life.  It took some fighting, but we got there.  First, our own sovereignty in self governance, second, the end to slavery, and third, liberation into greater levels of equality, including for the birds and the bees.

Now we have a new view, struggling to be born.  And Blessedly, Gemini is a little mischievous.  And Uranus multiplies that energy.  So, this transit also holds a little cosmic comedy.  It can be full of playfulness, pranks and tricks.  Like the jester in a formal court, it dances around challenges to the status quo.  In the words of Congressman John Lewis, who fought for voting rights, justice and dignity for all, “Make good trouble.” or more acutely, “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”  Good trouble is “the action of coming together to take peaceful, non-violent action to challenge injustice and create meaningful change.”    
And here we stand, entering the door way of profound change.  We are looking down the throat of attacks on voting rights, dis-information campaigns, the loss of the rule of law, violations against truth and science, the gutting of essential services, including health care and public education.  We are seeing the disappearances of our neighbors, the assault on free speech, and physical threats to our judges and representatives in congress.  

I agree with Brezsny, together, it is time for us to wake up.  And I feel we need to wake up to our higher calling as humans, as planetary community members.  And it is also time for us to start dreaming about what we’d like to achieve, with this wake up and shake up.  For me,  I am envisioning the whole world, with America in the lead, tending carefully to social justice on all levels, including an end to poverty world wide, along with equality and freedom for all people everywhere.  I am envisioning the complete cessation of deforestation and a full throttle re-forestation, with the full spectrum of original native plant materials.   I am envisioning a complete shift in attitude and action around climate change, with innovations abounding and all hands on deck for climate stability.  I am envisioning revisions in public education and gun control, and even elimination of all weaponry; these are also in my view, right along with all people creating a world beyond war.  Imagine all the people, sharing the world and living free.

I’m reminded of those pranksters of change who came out of Liverpool, after the last time Gemini rolled through Uranus, The Beatles.  Their songs about peace and love carried us forward as we rebuilt our ideologies into greater compassion and understanding for one another.  And I will leave you today with the lyrics of John Lennon’s superlative song, “Imagine.”  

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No Hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people livin' for today
Ah, ah, ah-ah

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothin' to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people livin' life in peace
Yoo, hoo, oo-oo

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood and sisterhood of man
Imagine all the people sharin' all the world
Yoo, hoo, oo-oo

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Josephine Laing
© 2025