We now have at least a general idea of the devastation that was once Big Easy, New Orleans. And of the hundreds of thousands of people displaced, and families separated because of random evacuation and death. We also know that it was a harsh act of nature, yes, and also of a government heavily prejudiced against poor and against black people.

What will we do to create more workable ways of living with nature, including building for global warming, which is in the process of raising sea levels? And how can we create a more egalitarian society, where everyone has equal opportunity for education, a job, decent housing, and a livable neighborhood?

New Orleans was a showcase of the underside of U.S. society. But throughout the nation, we have similar problems. And now is the time to begin to address them in our own communities.

Eclipses are big catalysts for change, with long-lasting effects. Eclipses this year, and into April 2006 are in the Libra-Aries polarity. These are the signs on the 4th and 10th houses of the U.S. chart, and those are the houses of foundations and of goals. The foundation, 4th house, shows what we use to get where we’re going, 10th house. This is the crux, the core, of our earth incarnation. These are the houses that are now going through major changes.

So NOW is an unparalleled time, indeed, to make changes. So who is making changes? So far as I can see, it is not us, it is not the people whose lives are on the line and whose homes were in New Orleans, it is not the Democrats, it is not advocates for the poor.

Involved in the action as we speak are the Shaw Group, Fluor, Bechtel, Halliburton, KBR, like pigs at the trough of the $62 billion in federal contracts, many (perhaps all) given on a no-bid basis. (FEMA refuses to release details on how these contracts have been negotiated.) These are the same corporations who sucked up—and disappeared—billions in Iraq, with very little to show for it. Yes, Alex, Black Hole Tiamat is doing her stuff. We can call it looting of the public till.

To add to the corporate coffers, not those of the workers, Bush has cut wages in the hurricane disaster area by suspending Davis-Bacon. In 1931 Davis-Bacon was enacted to prevent big contractors from bringing in their cheap labor force after disasters, and undercutting the locals. Davis-Bacon says that wages cannot be below prevailing wages in the area. (Prevailing wages in the New Orleans area are already very low.)

At the same time, Bush made no proposal for contractors to control costs by keeping their profits under prevailing profit margins. Nor did he use the national emergency—as he could have—to declare a limit on CEO salaries.

This Administration’s policies are a great contrast to how we saw the American people reach out to help hurricane survivors, regardless of color. We really need the good hearts of the people, and their desire for fairness and for caring for the environment reflected in government policy. But it does not look like we will have it for the rebuilding of New Orleans. If the status quo continues, we will continue to have government by corporations, who can exploit ruthlessly.

However, it is likely that at some point there will be public reaction to our corrupt government, and that the very outer planets which are associated with the hurricane are changing the consciousness of all of us.

Life is unpredictable now—because of the aspects, because of the outer planet dominance, and in the U.S., because we have progressed Sun in Pisces for the first time. This is a sign which can dissolve the past.

All of the three outer planets are very active now. The three outer planets are those which change our consciousness at deep levels. Pluto with birth and death, Neptune through dissolving boundaries, and Uranus through waking us up to new circumstances.

Powerful Pluto was stationing direct during the week of the hurricane. This is an example of the power of a stationing planet. Pluto is now opposing the U.S. Mars and squaring the U.S. Neptune. It is very related to the Iraq situation, and we saw how expenditures in Iraq drained resources needed to cope with disaster.

Watery Neptune was at 16 Aquarius, squared by energetic Mars. And squared as well by Black Hole Eurydice, who was conjoining Mars. Black Holes suck energy, and can turn things topsy-turvy and bring new realities. Black Hole Eurydice’s action was notable on November 8, 1994, when she exactly opposed the election Sun. That was when Republicans upset the balance in Congress by winning big majorities. Again, now we have a balance upset.

And finally, Uranus in the watery sign of Pisces is a very big player right now. Uranus wakes us up.

At the time of the hurricane, Uranus exactly squared the U.S. Uranus, to the minute. Such an exact aspect is like a trigger being pulled. There is no denying its action. A Uranus square represents a huge release of energy. At the same time, Juno conjoined the U.S. Uranus and thus squared the transiting Uranus. Whenever Juno is active in a mundane chart, there are always victims. So we can see that victims would be part of this release action.

Transiting Uranus, in Pisces, was also exactly, to the minute, conjoining New Orleans’s Pluto! This shows the death and rebirth of New Orleans by a sudden maritime event. New Orleans was predisposed to flooding, for its natal Sun closely squared natal Neptune, God of the Seas.

There was another, even greater flood of the Mississippi, in April 1927. It had huge repercussions. Pluto conjoined the U.S. Sun at that time—for the first time ever. Now we have it making a first quarter square with the U.S. Neptune—for the first time ever. Yes, Pluto is about birth and death.

The incorporation chart of New Orleans is set for February 17, 1805, although it was founded years before. This chart has interesting connections to the U.S. chart. I’ve already mentioned its Pluto square the U.S. Uranus. It wakes this country’s genius up in a very big way, and transforms it. New Orleans’ Sun conjoins the U.S. Moon, giving it a special place in the hearts of the U.S. people. New Orleans’ Uranus conjoins the U.S. Juno, waking up the nation to abuse.

New Orleans’ Saturn and Moon conjoin the U.S. Saturn. We have a special responsibility in New Orleans to fulfill our national ideal of equality. New Orleans' South Node conjoins the U.S. Mercury. The U.S. as a nation is very intertwined with the history of New Orleans.

Transiting Uranus, who set off this flood, has about seven more years to go to complete this 84-year cycle. It will be just about square the U.S. progressed Sun by then. More surprises.

The current Uranus cycle started in 1943-44, when the tide had turned and the allies were winning WWII. Generals Eisenhower and MacArthur were pushing forward rapidly. I would call this the beginning of the current U.S. military power cycle. Usually in the final quarter of a cycle, much is released, or falls apart. We are entering that phase. And I believe it is especially in terms of U.S. militarism, for Uranus transits generally relate to military actions by the U.S.