Any student of Saturn knows that he brings down his big black boot in order to whip us into shape. If he tries a few times and we don’t get the message, he’ll pull out the big guns. It’s not fun or pretty, but it gets the job done in most cases. The savagery of the global agribusiness industry is something that has long needed exposure. Not since Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle have we seen a well-publicized take-down of this industry. Since he called for reforms of the meat-packing industry, it’s gotten far worse. He was in his Saturn Return when he wrote the book, and Saturn was in Pisces, the sign opposite Virgo, where it is right now. This is how astrological cycles work — we face the same issues when the planets go over these critical points. Virgo rules animals, health, and hygiene. Maybe a new Upton Sinclair will rise from the ashes of the Swine Flu fury. We’re getting sick, but perhaps it’s just a wake-up call to treat our animals (and our bodies) the way we should.

It’s the perfect moment to review what we predicted when Saturn first entered Virgo in 2007. Saturn is just doing what he does best — now we have to live up to his wise counsel.

Side note: Pluto, as we’ve mentioned, is now in Capricorn, exactly opposite (to the degree) of where it was in 1918, when the so-called Spanish flu killed millions. In March of that year the flu was first discovered when Pluto hit 3 degrees of Cancer, but it wasn’t a deadly scourge in the first round. What is truly alarming is that when it came back the following fall, the real damage was done. Don’t get panicked by the media’s hype-machine, but do heed the wisdom of the stars.