posted January 16, 2015 06:20 PM            

I'm wondering how big a factor is the internet on the way people conduct relationship? It seems like there is much more flux, less continuity, and more variety of expression in relationships than ever before because of the internet.

I think the flux in relationships is a reflection of a heightened flux and uncertainty in the broader culture, the breakdown of institutions that used to provide security in certainty and continuity. This heightened flux and uncertainty in the broader culture is linked I think to the post modern mind and a world view that is subversive of all previous world views. There is little to hang on to, and at the same time, perhaps there's an upside, that the greater flexibility allows for a more multivalent view of reality, where paradigms that can become closed intellectual structures, i.e., which science is prone to as much as religion, can be seen through.

I think this trend is a manifestation of the Uranus-Neptune cycle. A feature of this cycle is a questioning of the nature of reality itself. It's not surprising that the original Matrix movie, in which this theme is raised, came out in the 1990s. There is heightened uncertainty about the nature of reality and that I think plays a role in the heightened uncertainty in relationships as well.

The internet has provided an unprecedented capacity for living out our fantasies, with little or no consequences. People are hooking up online, getting "married" and "divorced," having multiple relationships at the same time, and engaging in all kinds of sexual activity in a virtual world that is unconnected to the "real world."

posted January 16, 2015 10:41 PM            

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Originally posted by Aubyanne:
I don't follow 'current' URA-PLUTO? I know in '67-'69 they were conjunct periodically. Curiously, do you think that one with the conjunction might be more likely to explore polyamory?

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The current Uranus-Pluto square (2008-2020). The dates I go with for these cycles comes from Rick Tarnas, who is a cultural historian and astrologer and has studied this for 30 years. He wrote "The Passion of the Western Mind," for a wider audience, followed by "Cosmos and Psyche," which covers the same ground but from an archetypal, astrological perspective, for a much smaller audience, of course.

The first wave of polyamory was prevalent among Quakers and Shakers. A prime example was the Oneida community, which was a religious commune founded by John Humphrey Noyes in New York in 1848. The reason why I'm mentioning the first wave is because the date 1848 coincides with the Uranus-Pluto cycle of 1848-1856.

The second wave of polyamory occurred in the 1960s, again during a Uranus-Pluto cycle.

The third wave or the current one is where polyamory has proliferated because of the internet.

So, to answer your other question in a round about way, given the correlation between the Uranus-Pluto cycle and polyamory, I think a person with a Uranus-Pluto conjunction or any major aspect would be more likely to explore it, yes.

posted January 18, 2015 06:45 AM            

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Originally posted by Aubyanne:
I don't follow 'current' URA-PLUTO? I know in '67-'69 they were conjunct periodically. Curiously, do you think that one with the conjunction might be more likely to explore polyamory?

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posted January 18, 2015 05:36 PM            

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Originally posted by LucieLemonade:
I'm dating someone with this conj. Polyamory it totally out of the question for him. But he certainly has had LOTS of "girlfriends" as he calls them. Though I wouldn't call them that. Flings. He's has lot of flings.

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The Uranus-Pluto cycle is operative over a decade, so that's a very large number of people. I haven't done any research on the astrology with actual polys, so this is just speculation. I think the personal planets would have to be factored into the equation as to whether a person would be likely to experiment with polyamory. But, within such a large group, I think polyamory would be "out of question" for many people: Venus-Pluto, personal planets or a preponderance of planets in Scorpio or earth and water elements, to name a few.

posted January 18, 2015 06:11 PM            

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Originally posted by LeeLoo2014:
I think the internet is perhaps the greatest discovery of late 20th century and that the existence of variety doesn't diminish the intensity or prevalence of true long-term love. Total freedom of expression and choice ultimately lead to the same truths, I think.

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I agree about the internet, because it's had the most pervasive and greatest impact on people's lives.

"True long-term love" no doubt.

I think freedom of expression and choice is a much healthier approach than repression.