by Lynn HayesThe recent death of John Travolta's son Jett has brought the discussion of autism back into the news. It has long been rumored that Jett was autistic and John Travolta's brother Joey, founder of the organization Actors for Autism, had long argued the case. However, autism is not recognized by the Church of Scientology of which the Travoltas are members, so Jett was never tested for autism and therefore not diagnosed and treated.
I am certainly sympathetic to the Travolta's desire to keep their child free of psychiatric drugs, and I have long believed that the autism phenomenon, rather than a disorder to be treated, marks a significant shift in genetic patterning of the human race. The statistics are staggering: 1 in 150 American children are now diagnosed to be somewhere on the autism spectrum.
There appear to be many different statistical correlations that suggest connections to possible causes: mercury in vaccines, genetic history of families, and even the self-selection of geeks to other geeks. All provide reasonable arguments, yet no single cause stands out. After mercury was removed from vaccines in 1999, he autism rate continued to climb making this a less convincing cause. There is no doubt that autism spectrum disorders (ADS) are diagnosed more frequently now than in years past, but this increase in diagnosis does not reasonably explain the 800% and more increase in autism rates.
I have long felt that there is a Uranian component to the autism spectrum of disorders. Astrological Uranus rules technology and all things geeky - it is the planet of innovation, of invention, of reason and new ways of thinking. It is Uranus which opens the doorway to "Eureka" type experiences, that seem to come from nowhere in a blinding flash of insight. Uranus is not concerned with emotion - it remains detached and focused on order.
The astonishing rise of the prevalence of autism since the early 1990s suggests a link to the Uranus-Neptune conjunction that began in 1991 and continued through 1994. The combination of Uranus to Neptune opened all kinds of doorways and dissolved the boundaries of reason and old paradigms of thinking. The children that were born during this period carry this archetype within them, and they are a new breed entirely. It is during this time that the concept of the "Indigo Children" began, as it was apparent that these new children were very different than the generations that preceded them, and it is in these children that we see the dramatic increase in autism rates.
But the astrological connection actually goes further and is closely tied to the Saturn/Uranus cycle. Saturn rules order and structure and Uranus is the rebel and radical influence that destroys the status quo, so the cycle of Saturn and Uranus is often found during periods of radical change. Many of the baby boomers who were active during the cultural upheaval of the 1960s have Saturn squared to Uranus in their charts. Autism was first described in 1910 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugene Bleuler as he was defining symptoms of schizophrenia. At the time, Saturn in Aries was exactly square to Uranus in Capricorn.
The term "autism" was first used in its modern sense in 1943 by a child psychiatrist named Leo Kanner at Johns Hopkins Institute, and one year later by Hans Asperger in Vienna. During this time Saturn and Uranus had both just entered and conjoined in Gemini, the sign that rules communication and the mental process.
Despite this early discovery of the autism phenomenon, it wasn't until 1985-1987 that the autism rate began to increase dramatically. During this time, Saturn and Uranus were conjunct in Sagittarius and both planets were opposed by Chiron, the wounded healer, which was in Gemini at the time.
Ever since the conjunction of Uranus and Neptune in the early 1990s Uranus and Aquarius has been very active astrologically. Uranus entered its own sign of Aquarius in 1995, marking the explosion of the technological revolution. Neptune followed shortly thereafter, entering Aquarius (ruled by Uranus) in 1999 and blurring the boundaries (Neptune) between technology and reality in an explosion of virtual reality software and games such as SimWorld in which participants create an online world of their own.
Wired Magazine has a fascinating article about "The Geek Syndrome," postulating that what we call Aspergers is closely tied to the Geek personality found in Silicon Valley, home to one of the fastest increasing rates of autism spectrum diagnoses, and perhaps due to the self-selection of geeks who marry other geeks which intensifies the geeky qualities in their offspring. In this article Hans Asperger, one of the first to diagnose the autism phenomenon, writes that one of his subjects:
"came to be preoccupied with fantastic inventions, such as spaceships and the like." Here he added, "one observes how remote from reality autistic interests really are" - a comment he qualified years later, when spaceships were no longer remote or fantastic, by joking that the inventors of spaceships might themselves be autistic.
So are these children autistic, or are they a new breed of human with a mind that operates differently? I have a strong Uranian component in my chart (most astrologers do - Uranus rules astrology and any kind of thinking that breaks free of the "normal" paradigms), and Saturn squares Uranus in my chart as well. I have long noticed that I exhibit some of the common traits attributed to the autistic spectrum such as a discomfort with being touched. I also have a memory for phone numbers that puts me in the idiot savant category. So I was very interested in the "Autism Quotient" test offered by Wired Magazine, and my score was 24 (normal is 16, with autistism beginning at 32).
At the current time, Chiron is approaching a conjunction to Neptune in Aquarius, and Jupiter has just entered Aquarius making this an extremely Uranian time (because Uranus rules Aquarius). We are on the threshold of the Age of Aquarius and I have written often in these pages about the transformation of the human being into what is now being called "transhuman" in the mainstream press.
If the autism rate continues to increase beyond the current rate of 1 in 150, we will need to change our thinking about what we are now calling a psychiatric disorder and expand our minds to accommodate the possibility that as humans we are entering a new age where technology and humanity are merging into a new life form. This possibility is a frightening one for many of us, but it is quite likely that the trend cannot be stopped in which case we would be better off learning to adapt our civilizations to accommodate the new breed of human rather than continue to try to sequester them away from the mainstream.
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This si such an amazing post, and it really hits close to ome. My 11 year old son[Gemini sun-Moon in Aries, Uranus/Neptune in aqaurius in the 4th] was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old. I always knew my son was different from the moment he was born, Therfore I was not suprised when The doctors told me his diagnoses. He has a tremendous amount of planets in hi 9th house too. My daughter who is 15 months old, has pallas/Uranus/Moon/N.node in Pisces in her 9th house. She doesn't seem to be displaying any autistic behavoir yet.
As a teen with aspergers syndrome i think that i would try almost anything as many what you may call "harsh Chemicals" i call medicine and the meds i take do help me alot. with out the medicines i dont think i could survive. and remeber einstein and bill gates have/had aspergers or display many traits
I feel so fortunate to have come across this thread... Lynn your article was most provocative and assistive, and everyones' comments have been so rich!
I scored 26 on the AQ test- though I wasn't surprised.
I've recently relocated to North Carolina (under the Venus retrograde) and am in the process of being hired by the Autism Society of North Carolina to work with a family in Asheville in a support capacity.
As some one who is throughly fascinated by neurodivergence, astrology, outliers, and humanity I am enthusiastic to deepen my understanding of how these topics overlap and inform one another.
I agree about the plausibility of a Uranus connection, and suspect Saturn and Pluto may be players too; but I've found precious little documented on the subject. A few articles on some obscure harmonic chart beyond my comprehension and a brief outline of TNOs and their correlations to natal charts of those diagnosed within the spectrum. I'm interested in this topic on myriad levels:
how is the Autism Spectrum represented in the natal chart?
and how do transits and secondary progressions (since these are the only progressions I am currently educated to employ) affect the Indicator Planets/Aspects and manifest in behavior?
any thoughts?
My middle son, Alex has Asperger's Syndrome. I wrote a report on it for my Sociology Class. Although it is written in a Sociological View, I am hoping it can help answer at least some questions you may have about Aspergers. Please pass this link on to anyone who may benefit.
If you want to use any of the information in my report on a website or blog, a link back to my website is required
My report on Asperger’s Syndrome. http://www.savings-for-you.com/aspergers-syndrome.html
Hi! I knw it's been awhile since this thread was started, but I wanted to comment :) My son Logan was diagnosed with auism at age 2 1/2. His birth date is 5/9/03 Homestead, FL US @ 11:11 am. I am very interested if anyone who looks up his chart has any insight! I had gone to see a psychic (not one of those flashy sign ones, a true seer who you found out about word of mouth) years ago, and had brought Logan with me. At the time he was only three months old. As soon as she greeted me she smiled and layed a hand on Logan and said "This is a very scientific child (she spoke very broken english, so I'm repeating what she said kinda word for word) he has a diffrent mind. He is going to do something important in the science world and he will be well known but maybe not till he is dead." I was shocked for a sec, I mean I had just walked in the door! Well needless to say, what she told me about myself was pretty significant, down to my now ex-husband leaving us. (It happened 2 years later, right after Logans diagnosis wouldn't ya know?)
Anyway, Logan is starting to verbalize more, it is difficult to understand him. He does seem to have a gusto for sci fi, lol, and he is loves anything that has to do with animals. He is amazing with puzzles as well as taking things apart and putting them back together. I have read that is typical with most children with autism. It's funny, I always thought that my daughter Sydney (13 with ADHD, honor student, started talking at 9 mo's and walking at 8 mo's!) is an Indigo Child and Logan as a Crystal Child. Indigo's are the ones who pave the way for the Crystal's right? They are the ones who are supposed to start change in our world to make it an easier transition for the Crystal's? I heard Crystal children described as "pure love" and that they don't need to communicate verbaly. This is how I would describe Logan. He is the most affection, loving, unassuming human being at only six years old.
Lol, sorry, I didn't mean to go on and on, I just find what everyone has to say facinating and would love to hear their experiences and thoughts as well.
By the way, mercury is STILL present in some vaccines (especially the flu and chicken pox shots). They are STOCKPILED in doctors offices, clinics, and health departments. They have an ENORMOUS SHELF LIFE DUE TO THAT LOVELY PRESERVATIVE THAT IS CHOCK FULL OF MERCURY. You have to tell the nurse/Dr. that you want a MERCURY-FREE shot in order to avoid getting one with htat bastarding toxin. Which I'm not totaly convinced that is the only thing to worry about. My kids are now religiously exempted and the one I have in the oven (she is due March) will have NONE until she is older and they will be very well spaced apart and thirmosol free. There is no such thing as a "lower dosage" of mercury. IT IS POISONOUS AT MINISCULAR AMOUNTS!!! Logan went from saying three word sentences at 18 months to ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING, and NO EYE CONTACT in just 48 hours after six vaccinations in one dr visit. Two of them were the flu and chicken pox. He had terrible fever the night of and was listless and had no appatite, before he "went away" It was the scariest and most heart breaking thing to witness. So for those of you who havent had the pleasure of experiencing your baby slip away from life, don't preach to those of us who know damn well what the cause was. I love my son, and therapies, patients, and lots of love are helping him grow and function in this world, but because of the governments absurd immunization schedual, my boy may never have a typical grown up life of his own. I have hope and I have the drive to do what I can to help him along to reach for his dreams that I am starting to pick up on by listening to all of him, not just his words.
Ok, I went off again. That's all for now folks.
Thank you for "listening"!
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