If we look at the concept of the old paradigm that, in a certain way, still fights to stay alive and that had its peak especially during the 1950s of the last century, we see that the masculine archetype has been molded from the Fire element – the conqueror (Aries) , the king (Leo) and the explorer (Sagittarius), while the female archetype has been recreated from the Water element – the mother (Cancer), the hetaira (Scorpio) and the saint (Pisces).

Fire, along with Air, are elements that represent masculine energy, while Water and Earth are elements that embody receptivity, or feminine energy. It is clear that the feminine and masculine archetypes had been established from a one-dimensional point of view which, of course, has political, psychological and social reasons. These archetypes began to unravel in the 1960s. Beginning in October 1965, there was a rare and powerful conjunction of Uranus and Pluto (which occurs approximately once every 200 years). Uranus opens spaces for the new, creating disruptions in the status quo. It brings sudden changes, replacing outdated attitudes with more innovative and constructive ones. Pluto forces us to transmute what is no longer useful. This planet brings to the surface what is worthless and destroys it. The conjunction occurred in the sign of Virgo. When Pluto is here, what is left is transformed it into something useful. And when we find it next to Uranus, it produces a strong critical attitude towards the establishment. And this is what happened in 1965. The hippie movement, the activists against the wars of the moment, the miniskirt, long hair in men … are examples of this energy.

Also at this time we see the emergence of the personal development movement (or New Age). We can say that it was the Beatles who introduced young people to the concept of mantras, journeying into the unconscious and meditation. Back then, George Harrison along with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and other celebrities traveled to India and joined the Maharishi, popularizing personal development in the West.

Today, the concept that both men and women possess masculine and feminine energies is widely accepted. We can see this clearly in a birth chart, where we see how these energies are distributed in very different ways within an individual, regardless of gender and regardless of sexual preferences. But back then, this was a true revolution. And that was how the dismantling of the feminine archetype as it had been known until then began. It was especially in the 50s when we observe the pressure that women went through and that is palpable in the fashion of that decade. This pressure was the prelude to the revolution that followed. It is as if women needed to become a wedding cake doll so that inside her the need to break with all the patterns that regulated her behavior for centuries could arise. The same happened with men, who went from slicked to long hair, among other things.

And that’s how the compression and release processes work. It is like the moment a chick hatches from the egg. In order to be born, the chick needs to break the shell that surrounds him or her. In the case of social paradigms, the shell is invisible and that is why we need pressure (or oppression) on our own body and mind to perceive what limits us and thus be able to free ourselves from it.

Celestial objects do not condition our behavior, but rather reflect what happens on our reality. We can say that in the 60s, humanity was ready to get out of the old mold. The emergence of hippies, psychedelic drugs, free love, movements for social equality are reflections of what the collective unconscious was going through at that time.

We can add that in 1966, Uranus made a sextile with Neptune, another powerful combination that heralded the need to break free from outdated habits (Uranus in Virgo) to promote transmutation through spiritual growth, artistic creativity, and idealism (Neptune in Scorpio). This shows why the 1960s are remembered as the romantic ideal of “let’s make love, not war.” At that time, drugs were generally used to expand consciousness, connect with universal love, and free the mind from previous conditioning.

The transpersonal planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, speak of generational movements that create progress. These changes happen slowly, but also definitely. While it appears that Uranus creates sudden changes, what really happens is that its energy shows a release of space to open up new possibilities. The process may be perceived as a new reality, but in fact it is Pluto what shows the transformational process. And this starts unfolding once the new spaces created by Uranus are integrated by the collective through the energy of Neptune. This is a long process and requires conscientious work that can last for many years. The real changes can be seen in later generations, who were born in a much lighter reality and consequently can freely develop the qualities that their predecessors have claimed.