How it all ends - When Mad Max?
Multiple disciplines agree the United States superpower status is in decline. Here is what astrology and and others have to say.
Mundane astrology is the branch of astrology that interprets celestial influences on world affairs, countries, and political events—rather than individuals. Among the tools employed by medieval astrology are Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions (“JSC”), used to predict the rise and fall of religions and dynasties (see Abu Ma’shar’s On Historical Astrology), and the Greatest Years of the Planets. It is the latter that is most relevant here.
The Greatest, or Maximum, Years of the planets are computed as the least common multiple of a planet’s synodic and sidereal orbital periods. They are:
Saturn: 265 years
Jupiter: 426 years
Mars: 284 years
Sun: 1461 years
Venus: 1151 years
Mercury: 461 years
Moon: 520 years
All are measured in calendar years.
In theory, if a ruling planet can be assigned to a dynasty, then the duration of that planet’s Greatest Years predicts how long the dynasty will last. Given the long time periods involved, it is nearly impossible to test this theory directly. I have come across only two retrospective applications of this technique:
A fleeting reference by Abu Ma’shar to China’s Han Dynasty lasting Jupiter’s 426 Greatest Years (206 BCE to 220 CE).
Robert Zoller’s observation that the combined duration of the Roman Empire and its Byzantine successor closely matches the Sun’s 1461 Greatest Years (27 BCE to 1453 CE = 1480 years).
These examples are rare and, to my knowledge, there are no recorded advance predictions of the end of an empire based on this method by contemporary astrologers.
The Saturn Clock for the United States
In my Regulus USA National Horoscope (published 2008; chart data: July 4, 1776, 6:17:37 PM, LMT +5:00:40, Philadelphia, PA, 75°09′51″W, 39°57′08″N, ASC = 26° Sagittarius 54′40″), I assert that Saturn in Libra is the Victor of the Horoscope. Its significations include the rule of law and the U.S. Dollar.
Since the fall of empire and currency depreciation often go hand in hand, the value of the U.S. Dollar provides a way to test the application of the Greatest Years technique for the United States.
To do so, simply add Saturn’s 265 Greatest Years to 1776 CE, the USA’s birth year. The result is:
2041 CE
In plain terms: if Saturn is the ruling planet of the USA, and its 265 Greatest Years predict the nation's duration, then the United States should cease to exist after 2041. At or shortly before that time, the value of the U.S. Dollar and the rule of law should disintegrate.
This is the Mad Max scenario.
Four Theories for Mundane Astrologers to Know
My teacher Robert Zoller exhorted his students to read widely. Here are four additional theories that mundane astrologers should be aware of:
1. Thucydides Trap
Named for the Greek historian Thucydides, the “Thucydides Trap” refers to the pattern in which a rising power challenges an established hegemon, often leading to war. The concept comes from The History of the Peloponnesian War, which chronicles the conflict between Athens and Sparta.
The term was popularized by Harvard scholar Graham Allison in his 2017 book Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap?
2. The Changing World Order
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, presents a quantitative model for the rise and fall of empires in his 2018 book The Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail.
He tracks 15 key metrics—military strength, education, debt burden, reserve currency status, social civility, and more. Most of these indicators are declining for the USA and rising for China. Dalio warns that conflict over Taiwan could trigger a Thucydidean confrontation.
Dalio’s related book, Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises (2018), is a three-volume study of sovereign debt burdens, offering crucial background for his broader civilizational model.
3. The Fourth Turning
This demographic model of social change was developed by William Strauss and Neil Howe in their 1991 book Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584–2069. In 2023, Howe expanded on the concept in The Fourth Turning Is Here.
The theory is based on four generational cycles of ~21 years each, forming an 84-year cycle. While not explicitly astrological, this mirrors the 84-year synodic cycle of Uranus.
According to Canadian astrologer Nick Dagan Best, past Uranus in Gemini periods align with transformative American crises:
1775–1781: American Revolution
1858–1866: Civil War
1941–1949: World War II & Postwar Reordering
The next Uranus Gemini ingress occurs 2025–2033, which may again signal major systemic disruption.
4. Economic Confidence Model (ECM)
Martin Armstrong is an economic historian, investor, and forecaster. His ECM is based on a fixed time cycle of 8.6 years, or ~3,141 days—derived from π × 1000, sometimes called the Pi Model.
The ECM is fractal and scalable:
Major Wave: 51.6 years (8.6 × 6)
Civilization Wave: 309.6 years (51.6 × 6)
Armstrong’s model forecasts a civilizational peak at 2032.95 (December 12, 2032). He also links the ECM retrospectively to the peak of the Roman Empire under Marcus Aurelius in 175 CE.
Mad Max Timeline: 2032 to 2041
Here’s what’s striking:
2032.95 (Dec 12, 2032): Armstrong’s ECM peak
July 20, 2041: Advances the ECM peak by another 8.6 year ECM increment. This is a relevant projection given episodes of significant currency debasement lasting 8.6 years during the fall of Rome according to Armstrong’s research.
July 4, 2041: Saturn’s 265-year cycle completes from 1776
That places the adjusted ECM peak and the astrological end of the USA within less than three weeks of each other.
If Armstrong is correct, the years 2032–2041 are the most likely window for systemic collapse—a true Mad Max era for the United States.