Norse astrology in history: the role of Loki
One of the most enlightening aspects of Nordic astrology is studying how the planets affect human history. We see this most vividly on slow-moving planets. Loki, represented by the planet Uranus, brought revolution and turmoil to Asia in the 20th century.
In a personal horoscope, Loki represents how we create problems both for ourselves and for others. Unlike Odin (Moon), who stirs up conflict to serve a higher goal, Loki breeds conflict for his own good. Loki shows how we cause trouble for others. He is the maverick within us, the side that is ready to fight anyone and everyone. Loki indicates how we rebel against people, institutions and life itself. He reveals how we ignore or challenge social roles and customs. He represents our desire to tear down suffocating organizations and structures. Sometimes Loki represents the revolutionary breakthrough we need to achieve something greater. Loki is the catalyst for change, be it good or bad. He makes everything unpredictable.
Both Norse Loki and Greco-Roman Uranus are shocking and disturbing and often a destructive force. In the life of an individual person, they are almost always negative. But their influence on society is more than double-edged. Naturally, both are disruptive and threatening to the established order. However, both of these archetypes encourage discovery and enlightenment. Although they can promote dissatisfaction, they also break us out of our routines.
Loki is at his greatest power in Dagaz, the rune of sudden conversion, enlightenment, cataclysmic change, and transformation into the opposite. Dagaz takes us to the greatest heights, but it can also mean a jump from this summit.
On October 1, 1949, while Loki was in Dagaz, the Chinese civil war ended when the People’s Liberation Army proclaimed the People’s Republic of China. China is the most populous nation on earth. This was a drastic change for half a billion people, who went from a backward feudalistic society to a modern socialist nation. Judging by the population, this was the biggest revolution in the world. In Dagaz we see Loki’s power to overthrow the social order.
However, his influence was restricted in some respects. At the same time, the Norns (Neptune) were on Gebo and Tyr (Saturn) on Raidho. The Norns in Gebo emphasize the restrictions of formal contracts and personal relationships between people. Tyr in Raidho emphasizes orderly and well-defined movement in our social duties. Therefore, Norns and Tyr provided a means by which traditional Chinese society could be sustained in the face of a socialist revolution.
The other major historical event that accompanied Loki in Dagaz was the partition of India and Pakistan in August 1947. British colonial rule had become untenable in South Asia after World War II, and the British government attempted to create nations. separate Muslims and Hindus when they left. The national borders they drew were not up to the task, and the antagonistic nations of India and Pakistan were formed amidst bloodshed and mass migration. Once again, Loki overthrew the social order, regardless of the consequences. The Norns, as in China, were also in Gebo, but here their position emphasized the insufficiency of formal contracts and agreements. Nationality and religion overwhelmed attempts at a peaceful settlement.
We see the difference between Norse and Greco-Roman astrology by studying the position of Loki/Uranus. The Dagaz rune straddles the end of Gemini and the beginning of Cancer. There is nothing in these two Greco-Roman signs that indicates a violent revolution for a third of the world’s population. The mutable air of Gemini is hardly conducive to the radical overthrow of the social order, and the traditional, domestic and peaceful Cancer can be one of the worst possible channels for the energy of Uranus. The Norse runes provide a better historical perspective.
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