Gold and the Sun

In not so distant past there was a time when an ounce of gold was… $35. Just compare that to 2020’s gold price tag reaching $2,000. Mind boggles! Did something go wrong and if so, can astrology blame it all on the Saturn–Pluto conjunction?

It’s been observed that important world changes happen every time Saturn aligns with Pluto in the sky. Modern world history can be expressively mapped to the cycles of Saturn–Pluto conjunction, beginning from the onset of the First World War in 1914. “The timeline of Saturn – Pluto conjunction” covers the timeline of major world events.

Each Saturn–Pluto cycle lasts about 33–38 years and tends to project a strong shaping influence on the world economy and politics. Economy is the beating “heart” of the world, it creates things and makes them move. Symbolically the heart or the “core” corresponds to the energy of the Sun — the very center around which everything spins. It’s the Sun that makes the world go round… and so does gold.

Everybody is crazy about Gold

Gold has always been the “alpha” metal. Certainly, there are metals that are more rare and perhaps more valuable than gold. Take for example rhodium, it’s super rare, super reflective and extremely resistant to corrosion while having a high melting point. It’s a “specialist” metal that is used in a number of industries and products, perhaps most well known for its jewellery use as a shiny protective coating for silver.

Yet gold beats them all thanks to a sheer variety of its applications. Gold can be used everywhere. It’s super malleable and easy to work with. Technology, beauty and health all benefit from gold. Gold is extremely friendly to human body, even more so that silver. In medicine, fine injections of gold stimulate flow of blood from the center to periphery and alleviate age-related illnesses, for example rheumatoid arthritis.

The unique feature of gold is its “liquidity” in many meanings of the word. Gold is a perfect storage of “value”. If one wants to freeze their assets in time, one often buys gold. Gold may not bring dividends but its anti-corrosive qualities preserve initial value and thus anchor wealth to a more stable reference point.

The Sun is gold

Gold has always been seen as the metal of the Sun. Its looks, its warmth, its powerful attraction — all its qualities speak of the “king” of all planets, the source that holds and spins all bodies of the Solar System.

Gold, platinum and most other precious metals weren’t born on Earth. They arrived with 20 billion billion tonnes of asteroidal material that endlessly bombarded proto-Earth.

Gold can only be born as a result of a star going supernova, meaning collapsing onto itself and exploding. The process powerful enough to squeeze hydrogen atoms into heavier elements like gold and beyond.

Symbolically and physically gold belongs to the Sun, it’s the star material, hence its incredible allure and value. All mined gold on this planet came from that ancient asteroidal bombardment.

The Sun is gravity

One may think that Mercury is the symbolical driver of economy. Yet the true force that moves the world’s production and innovation is in the Sun. Mercury is the agent facilitating communication and exchange, while the Sun is the powerhouse behind any large scale economical activity.

Just as the gravity of the Sun spins the planets, the value of gold moves world economies. Gold is a relatively heavy metal, it speaks solidity and endurance. Gold speaks “investment” and gold attracts investment.

Gold standard impacted by Saturn–Pluto

Out of all planetary combinations, Saturn and Pluto is the most dense, frozen and “underworldly” of all. Saturn is the celestial taxman and Pluto is the king of underground riches.

The underworlds over which Pluto/Hades rules is a magical kingdom deep down in the interior of the Earth. That kingdom is richer than anything one can imagine. Geologically speaking, gold and other precious metals that were originallypart of the Earth eventually sank into the planet’s core taken deep down by its molten iron. The amount of precious metals in the core is such that it can cover the entire surface of the Earth with a four metre layer. But it’s very-very hard to get! That’s the domain of Pluto.

Gold bullion on red background
Meeting of Saturn and Pluto is always the moment of reevaluation of currencies. The current economical order was established just before the 1947 Saturn–Pluto conjunction. The value of US dollar has been pegged to the gold standard at the rate of $35 per ounce.

In 1971 the dollar has been unlinked from gold and the following “lost decade” of economical turmoil and financial tightening brought us to the next Saturn–Pluto conjunction of 1982 marked by the so-called “Reagan recession” and other painful events like Mexico’s default.

Debt cycle of 1982–2020

The most recent 38-year long Saturn-Pluto cycle of 1982–2020 brought about globalisation, digital economy and investment boom… all vigorously fuelled by debt. Never before the world encountered the mountain of debt that high.

As the result the value of dollar has been continuously sinking against gold. By 1982 gold price moved up to $447, the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 raised the bar to just below $1,000. By 2012 gold reached $1,500. In 2020 gold price was just slightly shy of $2,000. Decrease of value of US dollar was accompanied by increase in property prices while the wages mostly stayed the same.

By the year of 2020 the dollar became extremely diluted in its “real value”. The world is increasingly finding itself in the situation when a need for economical reforms outweighs perceived comfort of the old ways.

Saturn–Pluto conjunctions bring reevaluation

Reevaluation and establishing a new economic model is the cosmic function of pretty much every Saturn–Pluto conjunction. The old ways have to be let go and the new ways need to be agreed by all major world actors.

Graph of USA net investment position for years 1900-2020
Superimposing Saturn–Pluto cycles over the graph of the USA net international investment position helps to see the big picture. Net international investment position reflects how much foreign assets the country holds as opposed to what it owes to foreign entities. One can think of that as a reflection of country‘s reserves and savings. The US is in negative zone since about 1990.

The pattern so far has been clear. The World Wars 1 and 2 brought a lot of money during 1914–1947 which resulted in a stable and prosperous post-war period of 1947–1982 (the last decade of that period was on decline). Aggressive economical reforms during 70s and 80s produced modern financial industry that was pretty much running the last cycle of 1982–2020 by the means of speculative investment and globalisation.

What will 2020–2053 cycle look like? Place your bets!

Original graph source: Ray Dalio, The Changing World Order. Saturn–Pluto cycles added by Time Nomad.

A good example was 1944 when the world has prepared itself by agreeing on a new monetary system during talks in Bretton Woods, Hampshire. The dollar was pegged to the gold standard at $35 per ounce price mark. Then closely following Saturn–Pluto conjunction of 1947 ushered the world into the new era of prosperity.

The last decade of that era witnessed a breakdown of dollar-gold relationship in 1971 that followed by an economically rough decade that took us to the 1982 Saturn–Pluto conjunction.

Years around 1982 gradually shaped the new economical methodology with its overreliance on paper fiat money that can be easily created in any amount out of thin air. Thus the period of 1982–2020 is characterised by the investment boom and further departure from the stabilising value of gold.

The advent of electronic money like Bitcoin and Ethereum is another step forward towards creating an “imaginary” measure of value that may or may not correspond to something real in the world. Yet there’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies. The wrongness is mostly due to the current crisis of capitalism that has notoriously mistaken greed for creativity.

Back to the Sun and gold

Future success or failure of the unfolding 2020–2053 Saturn–Pluto cycle hinges on healthy policies that will utilise the power of both gold standard and electronic money.

Each Saturn–Pluto conjunction usually unfolds during a 1-3 year period and that’s the most impactful period in terms of future decision making. Once the power of conjunction recedes, stabilising influence of the Sun begins to activate principles on which the world has agreed (or disagreed) on. Will that process be productive or painful depends on our decisions around each Saturn–Pluto conjunction.