The Imprisoner’s Dilemma

There are 2.3 million Americans in prison or jail. The U.S. has 5 percent of the world’s population but 25 percent of its prisoners. One in three black men can expect to spend time in prison. There are 2.7 million minors with an incarcerated parent. The imprisonment rate has grown by more than 400 percent since 1970.

Recent research suggests that incarceration has lost its potency. A report released this week from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law finds that increased incarceration has had a very limited effect on crime over the past two and a half decades. Feb. 12;  http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-imprisoners-dilemma/

The most popular US chart is the US Sibly [1]. About the current transit of Pluto in the US chart, Liz Green writes:

In the horoscope of the United States, Pluto, as it moves through Capricorn, is opposing the Sun in the natal chart, reflecting major and irrevocable changes on many levels. This aspect has occurred only once before in American history, during the period of the Revolutionary War. Although it is not intrinsically an aspect of war, it challenges the deepest definitions of what constitutes nationhood, and raises many issues of autonomy and the way in which the government is structured and how much authority it may or may not exercise.The deeper issues underlying the Revolutionary War concerned not only human rights, but also the autonomy of the individual states comprising the nation, and these issues may once again rise to the surface as new ways of defining the national identity are proposed [2].

The Pluto transit to the Sibly Sun takes several years considering an orb of +/- 3 degrees but  it is brought to the forefront in those years when it is significantly placed in the solar return charts and more specifically on those days when it is highlighted by the progression of the return charts. Shown here is the current Sibly solar return (relocated to Washington,DC). Notice the powerful placement of the Sun on the Ascendant opposite Pluto in Capricorn as part of a Grand Cross.  If we now progress this chart using the solar quotidian method to February 12, the date of the news, we find that the Ascendant has moved a 180 degrees and now conjoins Pluto thereby triggering the Sun-Pluto opposition in a big way. But the more relevant and interesting thing here is the  progressed MC [8sc] and Poseidon [11sc]. Both these are conjunct the Chinese asterism T’ien Lao, the Celestial Prison [3]. Eta Corona Borealis [7sc] was the door of the prison while Alphecca, alpha Corona Borealis [12sc] was the jailer. Ancient Chinese astrologers maintained that when all the stars of the asterism were clearly seen the prisons of the empire would be full. Especially if Alphecca was bright there would be many prisoners, but if it was faint, many would be released.

The news article presents a graph showing the growth of US prison incarceration since 1880. Notice that there is a prominent spike that begins around 1970. In that period the progressed Sibly Sun was conjunct Pluto [27cp] in Capricorn. Pluto’s visit to Capricorn almost invariably brings about the decay of structures: governments, economic standards, and infrastructures like bridges and roads and even prisons. And going a step further Pluto’s transit through Capricorn is  also deconstructing the very hierarchy of power, itself so that misuse of power is brought to an end. 

[1] http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Nation:_USA_No.1

[2] http://www.astro.com/nat/natus2_e.htm

[3] Secrets of the Ancient Skies; Diana K. Rosenberg (v.1, p.726-27)