In US in the 1960s, the youth of this country rebelled against “the establishment” with many professing to “drop out.” Fifty years later, the pendulum has swung and now all generations are willing, card-carrying members of the establishment from memberships to large business entities such as Costco and Amazon to numerous identity cards allowing us into corporate (name badge), financial (checking accounts) and health care establishments (health insurance).

The anti-establishment generation was born with evolutionary Pluto in fire-sign Leo which focused on self-expression. They were the first generation in memory to turn away from their parents as role models and instead focus on popular culture from music to television to form identity.

While Pluto was in water-sign Cancer prior to Leo, the family fell apart as we became a “world” which could have “world wars.” For the first time in history, masses of people could process the same information at the same time through the radio (which was developed as Pluto was in air-sign Gemini). When the “world” was created, the family, tribe and clan were threatened.

In other nations, the family structure is more solid than in the US possibly because of our evolutionary lesson as indicated by natal Pluto in Capricorn. When Pluto entered Cancer in 1912-1914, it began its opposition to the US natal Pluto in Capricorn. That opposition culminated in 1936. In other words, we were halfway through our first evolutionary cycle at that time.

In Capricorn, Pluto represents evolutionary lessons about structure and authority. This includes all of society’s establishments including education, banking, government, police and law. Capricorn makes the rules. In 2022, Pluto will return to its initial position representing a “return” and a complete cycle.

When Pluto was in Cancer at the beginning of the 20th century, family structure evolved. One hundred years later, we’ve replaced family with establishment. In the US, many Americans look to the corporation with its 401K programs and to the government with social security to help us in old age, not our family. The days when children had a stay-at-home parent are rapidly decreasing. Because the US does not support family structure, many children are raised by businesses as both parents are needed in as earners.

Amazon

One of the largest US business entities is Amazon. When I read that Amazon was purchasing Whole Foods, I had my usual response – “duh.” Amazon borrowed its name from the second longest river in the world and implies a deep, life-sustaining relationship. As of 2016, Amazon the business had a “warehouse or delivery station within 20 miles of 44% of the US population.” That percent is growing as Amazon continues to build warehouses.

Historically, the Amazons were purportedly a group (race? tribe?) of warlike women. Legend has it that they burnt off their right breasts to better use a bow and arrow – interesting etymology for a brand that was formed in 13 degrees of the mothering sign of Cancer (July 5, 1994). Oh, by the way, the US horoscope has the sun in 13 degrees of Cancer.

Amazon has an interesting place in the establishment. It’s the one-breasted mother to us being within 20 miles and ever-attentive to our needs but is actually a for-profit venture that is Capricorn in nature. During the Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th century (mostly Pluto in Gemini), corporate power was identified as a social problem and corporations that achieved monopoly status were split up (aka “trust busting”). We seem to have lost our fear of large corporations gaining excessive control over our lives.

When Amazon was founded, Neptune and Uranus were conjunct in Capricorn at 22 and 24 degrees respectively. This transit both idealized/spiritualized (Neptune) and advanced/innovated (Uranus) Capricorn. Our current membership into Capricorn is a result of these energies.

Transiting Pluto began its journey through Capricorn in January 2008. The three-dimensional effects of this energy were seen almost immediately with a housing market collapse in the US which led to a global financial crisis. Capricorn saved Capricorn as the government bailed out the banks.

Since 2008 we’ve seen other evolutionary shifts in Capricorn structure and authority, most recently with the US election which placed a businessman into the highest elected office. Now government and business are fully merged.

In 2022, Pluto will return to its original place in the US horoscope symbolizing the entire evolutionary cycle around the Capricorn energy we embody as a nation. A couple years prior in 2020, around the time of the next US presidential election, Pluto will hook up with Saturn (and a few months later Jupiter) which increases both the power and responsibility of these lessons.

For Amazon, Pluto will begin exact conjunction of natal Neptune in February 2019. Saturn will take a while to catch up as it goes retrograde and won’t make an exact hit to Neptune until January 2020. As I’ve noted in a separate blog, Uranus will be moving from Aries to Taurus around this time. Uranus will then focus on the earth, material goods and property.

What occurs at these times of evolutionary change involving structure, authority (Capricorn) and material reality (Taurus) will have a profound impact on Amazon. What happens to the US happens to Amazon.

Astrology is symbolism and it’s certainly an astrologer’s entertainment to imagine how Uranus in Taurus will affect a company building massive and complex national infrastructure. One imagining is that Amazon’s infrastructure will dominate and define all other infrastructures. Or possibly changes in property and monetary values renders the infrastructure too expensive to use. Or more draconian, government owns the infrastructure.

The Amazon horoscope has Mars, moon and Mercury in the mutable air sign Gemini. Gemini speaks to Amazon’s agility, flexibility and diversification. Natal Saturn in Pisces squares the moon causing a bit of damper to that energy – this aspect is often linked to depression. Pisces is water and squaring the moon suggests issues with physical water such as flooding. Depression is also an economic term which threatens all business when consumers have no money to spend.

Amazon’s own Pluto is in the water sign of Scorpio. Scorpio is sex, death, taxes and regeneration. Like the phoenix, Scorpio rises from the ashes so regardless of what may occur in 2019-2020, Amazon is resilient in addition to being flexible.

Scorpio also relates to other people’s money which includes loans. When Uranus in Taurus opposes Pluto in 2024, there may be issues with paying loans or with property taxes. This is where government may step in.

Amazon, United States

It’s quite interesting that Amazon and the US have the sun in the same placement – 13 degrees of Cancer. Amazon’s identity is the US identity which is why we so willingly participate in its takeover of the retail sector. Retail consumption is an estimated two-thirds of the US economy.

The consolidation of wealth and power is becoming a focal point during Pluto’s transit of Capricorn. Amazon is clearly involved in the evolutionary changes we are experiencing with this transit as it consolidates so much business under one brand. Amazon owner Jeff Bezos is the perfect leader for this lesson – he has Mercury (5 degrees), sun (21 degrees) and Mars (29 degrees) in Capricorn.