Introduction: This article was written in September 1988 inspired by the writings of Charles Jayne in the March 1948 Dell Horoscope magazine. I did my own research for the numbers. However, history is often a matter of opinion.

The cycles of civilization followed by man can be measured in short time spans like months or years, and especially in areas of fashion or farming or trade. The longer cycles of man lie in the human activities that result in a society, which grows and expands, ages and dies over hundreds of years. Inside the larger cycle are smaller cycles that contribute to the dynamism of civilizations even in their positive and negative movements. Over several great cycles comes a pattern of the smaller cycles fitting into the cycles of the greater ones. Wheels within wheels like some ancient device showing the geocentric positions of the planets. We know to some extent the cycles of our lives, but how do we fit in the greater context of time?

Each planet has its length of time for circling the heavens, a synodic period. In a broader context of time we can look beyond the individual planets and their cycles in the heavens, called sidereal cycles, to the cycles of planets as a group as they conjoin, pass through various phases and aspects to each other, and come around to meet again in what is called synodic cycles. These greater group cycles are what help shape the wave of humanity in its rise to civilization. Astrology talks about the Ages and the precession of the equinox, but few can agree on when any age begins or ends, or what the identifying marks of the age might be. Also, our thought processes may approach the concept of time in the form of centuries and millenniums with its arbitrary numbering of years, and this approach may preclude seeing other patterns in time. The recorded history of man extends only a few thousand years at best, so it becomes the basis of any answer. The planetary cycles within that time could encompass an "Age", but without knowing when to start counting, it is not possible to say when it ends. However, planetary cycles have several turns in this span of time, which may help us give definition to the cycle of civilization.

The major planetary cycle within man's recorded span of time on this earth is the periodic triple conjunction of the three outer planets, Pluto, Neptune and Uranus. Taking place over a span of five centuries, first Neptune conjoins Pluto and passes by, and then Uranus conjoins Pluto and passes by, and then Uranus conjoins Neptune and passes by to mark the end of the dance. The pattern has been repeated every 510 years (approximately) for the past three thousand years according to my calculations. Within the drama of this triangle of energies, Uranus and Neptune also have a polarized relationship that recurs every 171 years. For every one triple meeting of the outer three planets, there are three approximate meetings of Uranus and Neptune, since Uranus has a synodic period of 83 3/4 years and Neptune has a synodic period of 163 3/4 years. Forming a template of the patterns, with the Uranus/Neptune/Pluto cycle of 510 years at the top, the three Uranus/Neptune cycles of 171 years equal 513 years. Over a number of repetitions, the gap of time between the different conjunctions widens to the point where this latest one takes over a century to complete. Neptune was conjunct Pluto 1892, and Uranus conjoined Pluto in 1965. Uranus conjoined Neptune 1993. I propose to call this 510-year cycle the cycle of Empire, because it encompasses the start, rise and fall of empires in its time span. In terms of Ages, four cycles of Empire make one Age.

The Uranus/Neptune cycle of 171 years recurs three times in the cycle of Empire, marking three steps; 1) the beginning step, year 0-171, is the start of the culture on the leavings of the previous empire. 2) The rise to the peak of empire in years 172-342 is a time of cultural enrichment. 3) The ageing and corruption of the power structure and disintegration of the culture as the original purpose of the empire is lost, years 343-513 in the Empire cycle. The Uranus/Neptune cycle might be called the National or Nation Cycle, because the forces of association and culture through proximity and common language and arts are what make for people to identify themselves as a nation. In more primitive times, it may be what gave rise to the sense of tribal identity. The first two Nation cycles mark the start, development and rise of the Empire, while the third marks a transition period. We, today, are at the end of the third Nation cycle in a cycle of Empire. We are about to begin a new cycle of Empire. This means that what we have been seeing for the last 171 years is the disintegration and end of Empire, but whose?

Uranus conjuncts Neptune in the heavens every 171 years from our earthly view, and major changes are seen among the people and nations of the world as individualism seeks greater expression from submersion in the pervading culture. While civil structure is built and reformed along lines of the current culture, nations, empires and religions build and fall over time. The times and nature of the cultures are indicated by the dates of the conjunctions and the signs in which they occur. Any cultural, musical or language associating people together as an expression of unity may have had its start at the beginning of this cycle, after the conjunction and after the mutual reception and continues as a theme and variation of the. If we consider the sign of each conjunction as indicative of the nature of the coming 171-year cycle, then what is due for the next 171 years from now is similar to what has occurred in the last 171 years, namely, Capricorn's agricultural, industrial and banking revolution, and the rise of nationalist states. Although we may be at the beginning of a 500-year Aquarian Empire; it is only starting after the end of the mutual reception of Uranus and Neptune in 2011. The Aquarian Age culture may not become the world culture until 2165 AD, when Uranus and Neptune conjoin in Aquarius. In that time, world democracy may be the common reality for nations based on a completed industrial, financial and agricultural revolution, an abundance of electronics, and recognition of the worth of the individual. These are the goals for mankind to work toward in this coming cycle of national formation.

The conjunction of Uranus and Neptune mark a time when the bonds of the government upon the people are loose, and the people can respond to their natural cultural attractions in forming social groups. The bonds are loosened because of the deterioration of the structure of the government from old age, insensitivity and civil war. After the conjunction, the new government coalesces and grows for about 85 years. When Uranus opposes Neptune, nations may try to invade and takeover their neighbors in a fit of nationalist pride and empire building. Eventually, the cultures reform at the next Uranus/Neptune conjunction. The conjunction is not a time to look for great leadership in government; rather, it is time for people at a grass-roots level to establish their own societies, goals and priorities, and to lead them.

Another view of the greater pattern of the Uranus/Neptune cycle is of the sign placement of the successive conjunctions. The sign in which the conjunction takes place gives a good indication of the trend of nations for the next 171 years. For example, the conjunctions of 1479 and 1650 AD were both in Sagittarius. The reflection in man's society may be seen in the great explorations made overseas at that time. The last conjunction took place in 1821 at zero degrees of Capricorn. With the latest conjunction at 19 degrees Capricorn, maybe we can see trends for the next 171 years based on the last 171 years. We have seen the growth of large government and the industrial revolution fueled by electricity and oil, which are ruled by Uranus and Neptune, respectively. I speculate that machines developed so far will gain even more intelligence. Our cars will become in effect robots, which can contain us. Also, household robots of all sizes will become common. Large business corporations in radio, electronics, computers and oil, chemicals and film will continue to flourish. A worldwide government may develop. Everything will be solar energized.

The pattern of the Nation cycle shows a polarity with the two sides centered either on the conjunction or the opposition of Uranus and Neptune in their 171-year cycle. Each length of time lasts about 85.5 years. Today, we are in the middle of the 85.5-year stretch that has Uranus conjunct Neptune at its center. The two sides of the cycle reflect in the nation building activity in mankind. The half with the conjunction starts about 43 years before the actual conjunction and continues for as many years after. The historic tendency has been for conflicts in the conjunction half to be internal civil wars and revolutions. Power goes to the people. Any invasions by one nation on another are not likely to succeed and little empire building is likely to occur. Social changes come when old ideas no longer work, and the cultural bonds that might hold people together disintegrate. The greater sense of nationalism that acts to unify tribes is lost. The other half of the Nation Cycle centers on the time when Uranus is in opposition to Neptune. In this time, people usually have a strong, firm sense of national identity with a well-defined culture within established national boundaries. Power is held by the few. Superiority complexes within a culture may at this time tend to make it invade and dominate other nations. At these times, empire building activity takes place.

The points of crisis for societal change among nations center around the points of the 1st, 2nd and 4th harmonic, which are the conjunction, the opposition and the square aspects of the Uranus/Neptune cycle. These points of the four quarters of the Nation cycle mark the time when conflicts are less liable to reasonable resolution. The influence of Jupiter and Saturn may aggravate or alleviate the conflict in accordance with their aspects; they have 8 1/2 synodic cycles within one Uranus/Neptune synodic cycle. Business and Trade may often seem part of the reason of the conflicts, and the crisis is often because business and trade act out of line and out of balance with the greater social development of man marked by the Uranus/Neptune cycle. In our recent history, the opposition aspect began the third quarter in 1906 at 10 degrees Cancer; the square began the fourth quarter July 15, 1954. The end of the conjunction begins the first quarter of the cycle on February 2, 1993 at 19 degrees of Capricorn. The last quarter includes the conjunction and the time of mutual reception occurring immediately afterward for Uranus and Neptune. In this last quarter of the cycle appear the innovators, iconoclasts and revolutionaries, bringing insurrection, social convulsions, secession and the tearing down and destruction of the old and stultified forms. Looking at the fourth quarter before the last conjunction occurred in 1821, from 1784 until 1788 there was a hard square between the two planets marking a time of the American Revolution, the Haitian revolution and the French Revolution. In South America, Simon Bolivar arose. The end of the first quarter in the last cycle was with Uranus and Neptune in square exact from 1868 to 1872. The two prominent apparent exceptions to this trend are the USSR and Mexico, both of which were formed in the second decade of this century shortly after Uranus opposed Neptune. Their structure of national government is monolithic, not democratic. Even those structures reform under the influence of the Nation cycle.

          A special condition of the first harmonic is repeated when there is a mutual reception between Uranus and Neptune. When Uranus is in the sign Pisces ruled by Neptune, and Neptune is in the sign Aquarius ruled by Uranus, there is a condition of mutual reception for as long as it lasts. The first harmonic is not the beginning of a new, but a time of endings before anything new. Consider the point not as one, but as zero or a null point. In the greater cycle, growth begins at the 30 degree relationship after the conjunction. That which occurred as a function of Uranus conjunct Neptune in Capricorn in 1992 recurred as a function of the mutual reception of Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius from March 2003 to March 2011. For all these planetary signatures the original statement finds close support and reinforcement in the restatement of the theme with slight variation.

          Historically, the times of Uranus and Neptune in Mutual Reception are marked by displacement and refugees, genocide, religious bigotry and partisan tribalism. For example, after the 1479 conjunction, the mutual reception lasted 1506 to 1509. In Spain, after the establishment of an exclusive white Catholic culture with the expulsion of the Moors and the Jews, the natives of the Americas were the victims of Spanish genocidal policies. After the 1650 conjunction, the mutual reception lasted from 1671 to 1675. In the Americas, Henry Morgan sacked Panama in 1671, and in 1675 King Phillips War saw an Indian Confederation rise against the invading Europeans in a genocidal war. After the 1821 conjunction, mutual reception between Uranus and Neptune lasted 1836 to 1844. During this time, England had its industrial revolution the people were forced off the land and into the cities to labor. In the Americas, Indians were forced off their lands under President Andrew Jackson’s refusal to honor the law, during the conjunction. During the mutual reception, Andrew Jackson led fight against the Seminole Indians in Florida. [Note added 2004: With the conjunction in 1992, President Bush I conducted the First Iraq War. On the day of the beginning of mutual reception between Uranus and Neptune, President Bush II started the Second Iraq War.] There are at the same, millions of refugees and illegal immigrants around the world. There is prominence of religious and racial bigotry at a partisan tribal level around the world.

This cyclic theory includes the third and sixth harmonics, which are the trine and sextile aspects, or the 120 degree and 60 degree aspects. The time for flourishing and growth is at these points of the cycle of phases between Uranus and Neptune. The third harmonic marks the power point in a cycle, any cycle. Electronic theory supports this contention, as does history. In history, the time of the rise of Alexander the Great marked the power point in the Greek cycle of Empire. If the cycle began in 576 BC, the first conjunction in the cycle happened 406 BC and marks the beginning of the middle of the Empire cycle, a power boundary when the Empire grows to about half the power it eventually gains. The other side of the boundary is 232 BC when the Greek Empire was one-half the power from its height of power. By the time of the third conjunction in the cycle of Empire, all power was lost.

In seamless time, we could say the Roman Empire started at the conjunction in 61 BC. The first conjunction in the Roman Empire cycle would be 111 AD, and the second at 282 AD. In between that time, according to the theory, would be the peak power of the culture that was Rome. By the third conjunction in the cycle, Rome was sacked and the western empire overrun. The next cycle of Empire to start from 453 AD to go to 965 AD could be said to be the time of the Arab Empire. From 965 to 1479 AD, I would call it the Holy Roman Empire, established by King Otto of Germany in 962. From 1479 to a half power point at 1650, the first conjunction of the European Empire cycle began. Whoops! How do we place the Renaissance? It is within the power points of the first cycle and taking time to spread. The other side of the empire power is at 1821 AD, after which time, history shows, the colonial European Empires dwindled. In theory, the end of the cycle is 1993. A real example is England getting out of Hong Kong in 1997. Good timing.

The future starts now, and the half-power point is at the conjunction in Aquarius in 2165 AD. After 2165 comes the cultural height of Empire to extend to 2337 AD, a second conjunction in Aquarius for the half power point in the decline. Perhaps, by the measure of the sign of the Uranus/Neptune conjunction, we can speak of a coming "Age of Aquarius". Over the next couple of decades and the whole next Cycle of Nation, matters of culture, science and civil law around the globe resound to the conjunctions of the outer planets happening now and soon to come.

The Uranus/Neptune conjunction is a first harmonic vibration, which is part of the second and 4th harmonic structure, so conflicts are likely to arise in society. The conflict is between the old status quo from the ending of the cycle who don't want to let go, and the new generation with the new technology and new dreams. The difference is in the boundaries seen for social and cultural behavior. If the status quo in any country mount a forceful campaign of cultural genocide to ensure the maintenance of their position, little help is likely to come from outside countries, because as the Uranus/Neptune conjunction is also part of the 2nd harmonic, the conjunction side is not fruitful for foreign invasion. The opposition aspect is the time for foreign invasion to succeed. If forces of change expect to survive, they need to avoid the confusion of disorganization, and they need the latest technology and a system to get advance intelligence from the status quo as to intents and purposes. The forces of the political status quo may tend to ally themselves with the spiritual structure and the business structure to wage war, pollution and death by epidemic, but only over a few years. Then possibilities from new technology take over and leave the old cycle behind. Where there is no easy resolution for some problems, some may fight a civil war. If the reasons to fight can be let go to work on evolving the resolution into the social structure over the next 45 years, then at that time the choice to fight about it again can arise, when Uranus and Neptune are square to each other, in 2039 to 2042. Positive social structure may tend to build even in the midst of irrational conflict, because then Saturn is in sextile aspect.

The time for social progress is when Uranus is sextile Neptune, 2027. Now, Neptune is separating from Pluto, and is heading for the square aspect, which is 2059 to 2069. At that time, fundamental energy, chemicals and oil are likely to be in short supply. A bad aspect from Saturn at the time would show the world some cruelty and destruction of culture, as it may in 2061. At this time a dictator is likely to arise in those countries where the military-industrial economic complex was built on the back of the middle class and which ate up the housing of the middle Class. As long as there is bread and circus, the mobs will be happy, and will not mind that the country is being looted. And there will be no other leadership for them other than the super-rich and their front men; for the middle-class gets squeezed enough to depend on the super-rich, but not enough that they get alienated and start siding with the poor. It is delicate social control but can be done through media manipulation, whose ownership is also falling into the hands of the few.

When working with the outer planets, their undertones provide the base upon which the melodies of the inner planets play.

The following is a table of the years of the phases of the Uranus and Neptune cycle over 3000 years.