CHAPTER TWO
Planetary Cycles - 5

The "Great Cycle" of Uranus
As already stated, 12 revolutions of Uranus around its orbit last a little over 1000 years — a millennium. Because of this fact, and in analogy with the solar year with its 12 zodiacal signs, one might speak of this millennial period as the "Great Year" of Uranus. The most important turning-points in such a "Great Year" are quite evidently its beginning and mid-point which correspond to the equinoctial points of the solar year. The transforming impulse of the beginning finds its apex and concrete manifestation at the midpoint, somewhat too as the impulse originating at a New Moon finds its fulfillment (or else begins to break down) at the Full Moon.
      But one could also, perhaps even more significantly, compare this Great Cycle of about 1000 years to the transits of Uranus through the twelve Houses of an astrological chart; also, musicologists with a philosophical-occult bend of mind could establish an analogy with the series of twelve intervals of fifths which encompass nearly the entire span of a piano keyboard. Thus in what follows I shall simply refer to twelve "phases" of the Great Cycle.
      The interesting fact is that, if we start around the time of the beginning of Kali Yuga according to the already mentioned Hindu tradition, this Uranian "Great Year" gives us very significant turning points, and leads us to the conclusion that the beginning of the current 84-year cycle of Uranus in 1927 was the start of a millennial "Great Year."
      From 1927, going past-ward, we reach 922 AD which was the real beginning of the great Medieval culture in a Europe spiritually united by the Church, its chain of monasteries, and its "universal" language, Latin. Another 1005 years before, we come to near 84 BC which may be very close to the beginning of what is called the Piscean Age, which we shall presently study. Rome was in civil war and engaged in a bloody war against Mithridates in Asia Minor. Greece was falling to Rome and Caesar was a child.
      The preceding Great Cycle had begun around 1089 BC which seems to be about the start of the archaic Greek culture, of Tyre, and of the process that led to the establishment of the short-lived Hebrew Kingdom. The 2094 BC period is that of the great days of Babylon (Hammurabi) and of the Theban period in Egypt; and another millennium brings us just about the 3102 BC date of the Kali Yuga, and of the early Egyptian dynasties in Memphis.
      The mid-phase of the Great Cycle 1089 to 84 BC comes at the time of Gautama the Buddha, of Lao Tzu, Pythagoras, and other great spiritual leaders. It follows the destruction of the Assyrian Empire by the Medes; it sees the rise of the new Babylon, the captivity of Israel, the rise of a new Persian Empire.
      The mid-phase of the Great Cycle from 84 BC to 1005 AD witnessed in 410 AD the sacking of Rome by the Barbarians, a Greek revival of civilization in Persia and the Near East — and the invasion of Europe by the Huns (defeated in 451 AD at Chalons, France).
      The following cycle's mid-phase brings us to 1424 AD, Joan of Arc and the birth of nationalism, the invention of printing, the beginning of Humanism, prelude to the Renaissance.
      The beginning of the Christian era corresponds very closely to the second phase (i. e. twelfth part) of the Great Cycle which began in 84 BC; the tenth phase witnesses the enormous extension of Islam and the conquest by the Arabs of North Africa, Spain, etc. The eleventh phase sees the rise of the Carolingian Kings in France, Charlemagne who became emperor — and the apex of Arab civilization. The twelfth phase witnesses the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divides Charlemagne's empire and establishes the karmic pattern upon which the West European civilization will develop.
      The third ("Gemini") phase of the following Great Cycle (922 to 1927 AD) begins with the First Crusade, with the earliest development of universities (Abelard in Paris) and of polyphonic music. The sixth ("Virgo") phase witnessed the Hundred Years War between France and England, the "Black Death" which killed a vast amount of people — while Tamerlane revived the Mogol Empire.
      The eighth ("Scorpio") phase began soon after Columbus "discovery" of America. It witnessed the Reformation and religious wars — but also the Renaissance. The ninth phase corresponds to the late Elizabethean Age, with Francis Bacon and Shakespeare. As the tenth phase began in 1676 AD Louis XIV and "classicism" dominated the European stage; but the seed of a new era were sown in England and France. Free Masonry began in London in 1717. Peter the Great modernized Russia, and Frederick the Great built a strong Prussia.
      The eleventh ("Aquarius") phase (1760-1844) witnessed the Seven Years' War and later the Revolutionary era. Uranus was discovered in 1781. The Napoleonic Era and the subsequent political Reaction followed. The new technology and idealistic form of socialism (Fourier, St. Simon, Robert Owen, etc.) were being developed.
      The twelfth phase was indeed karmic, and yet a prelude to our present era of technology and global wars. The Bahai Movement was announced in 1844. The Communist Manifesto and Revolutionary movements began in 1848; and this Great Cycle ended with the rise of Japan, with World War I and the growth of Soviet Communism.
      The Great Cycle starting in 1927 was soon followed by the Great Depression; and in spite of Aristide Briand's and a few other great Europeans' efforts to build a federal Europe, World War II was being prepared. We are living now at the mid-point of the first phase of this new 1005 year period. This phase will end in 2011 AD Uranus has entered the sign Libra — and deep changes are impending as I write these pages, particularly in the United States whose "birth-chart" (I repeat) has Libra 2° as its Mid-Heaven.
      Knowing this may help us to pin-point our position insofar as the processes which refer to the transformation and reorientation of our present-day society are concerned. A new cycle of Uranian changes has already begun; but this cycle must not be confused with the "Aquarian Age" of which we shall soon speak, though in a sense the Uranian cycle is announcing, preparing the way and next century will blend with the twice as long Aquarian Age.