CURRENT PLUTO PERIHELION:

Renaissance or Perish

by Bill Hansen

Page 1 of 16 Pages

We are in the throes of an economic, socio-political renaissance. 1989 marks the two-and-a-half-century journey of Pluto around the Sun. In this year, Pluto was closer to the Sun than its nearest neighbor, the planet Neptune. Historically, the Pluto perihelion (closest solar approach) has been associated with rapid cultural changes. Advancements tend to be made in science, medicine, and the arts during such times. Wealth radically redistributes. Wars and migrations of people increase. Nations retool to meet the demands of more sophisticated markets. People adopt new principles of business and philosophy. A revolution of bold new ideas sweeps through institutions.

Once Pluto crosses the orbit of Neptune, it remains closer to the Sun for approximately 22 years. The last time this occurred was from 1730 to 1750 (perihelion in 1742) during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). Caused by the death of the last male descendant of the Habsburg family, the war was instrumental in changing 600 years of Habsburg hegemony in Europe. A struggle for power engulfed most of Europe's great powers during the 1740's. The Treaty of Vienna ended the War of the Polish Succession in 1738. The Silesian War ended with the Treaty of Breslau and the Treaty of Berlin in 1742. In 1739, Persian forces shattered the Mongul Empire. That same year, the War of Jenkin's Ear between Britain and Spain started. Prussia's Frederick II started a Second Silesian War in 1744; and King George's War broke out in the Caribbean and in North America between Britain and France.

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