Skip ahead half a century to the ghettoes outside Paris, theoretically a housing solution for Algerian and other North African immigrants begun in the 1960s. Called the Cités, these prison like housing projects were created as low- and moderate-income housing for the immigrants, but in reality also as a way to get them out of the inner city.

These Cités were the communities that erupted in flames in late October, set off by the electrocution deaths of two teenage boys who feared they were being chased by police—a typical scene. Every night for weeks, up to 1,500 cars were burned, there were hundreds of arrests, and thousands of police were commandeered in an attempt to hold down the outrage of young men born in France but never included in French society.

France's tough-guy interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, referred to the youth of the Cités as racaille, which translates to rabble or human scum, and said he would eliminate them with Kärcher, a German air-pressure powered cleaning system, akin to sand blasting. This is the system one would rent if faced with the need to clean a few decades of pigeon shit off of one's house. Sarko's comments had the expected results of firing up anger, sparking more riots, and polarizing the country. (Note: He is expected to run for president next year.)

While these words may seem like so much nasty rhetoric, there is a subtext. As Village Voice writer Doug Ireland pointed out in his blog, the people to whom the words referred are for the most part Muslims, who are considered ethnic outsiders in France. So by Kärcherize, was Sarkozy making a reference to ethnic cleansing? It's not a big stretch. As he becomes more prominent in French politics, we shall see whether he's just a talented publicist for hatred (who apparently meets with politicians in the United States for refresher courses), or a kleinhitler—a true miniature of the original.

France does need to ponder this possibility. The apartment I am writing this article in was once Nazi-occupied territory, and all over Paris are memorials to Jews who were arrested, deported, and killed for nothing other than being born.

Here's what's interesting: Despite this degree of animosity, the French youth riots have largely been a revolt against property, not life. There is no way to classify the burning of cars with a suicide bomber like the one who blew up a wedding in Jordan last month. As of mid-November, only one shot had been fired in the course of the entire situation.

As a result of the prolonged protests, the government has restored budgets for social programs in the Cités. This is a minor conciliatory gesture; in many ways, it is beyond the power of French society to heal the deep wounds of the Cités.

That these events are a throwback to the Algerian War of Independence has astrological significance. The planet with a half-century cycle is Chiron, which at the time the Algerian war broke out was in late Capricorn, and soon changed signs to Aquarius. This month, Chiron again changes signs from Capricorn to Aquarius, a transition that has been developing all year and is in many ways an indicator of the highly unusual times we're living through.

Chiron, for those unfamiliar with the name, is a small planet discovered by an American astronomer in 1977: It tends to push things to awareness and is often prominent in times of major transition of both individuals and history. It is typically strong in the charts of healers. Chiron has a long orbit and acts with the intensity of Pluto, affecting all of society and entire generations of people, as well as manifesting powerfully in the charts of certain individuals.

Chiron is kind of like Planet Gestalt, drawing one's attention in a clear way to what needs to be addressed here and now. Note that Capricorn is the sign of governments, corporate structures, and the institution of the church. To get a sense of how distinct the Chiron-in-Capricorn era has been, consider that it began shortly after the September 11 attacks and within days of Enron declaring bankruptcy. Since then, we have seen scandal after scandal rock government, corporations, and the Catholic Church. Chiron in Capricorn has had a way of lighting up the dark halls of power and exposing more dirty secrets than we've seen in all of American history combined.

In addition to changing signs, throughout this year Chiron has been in a rare conjunction with another newly discovered planet, called Nessus (discovered in 1993). Nessus is a little like Chiron from the dark side, and is often prominent in charts of situations and people where psychological or sexual abuse is a key factor. I have also noticed that Nessus has a theme of "the return of karma." My colleague Melanie Reinhart gives it the key phrase, "The buck stops here."

The Chiron-Nessus conjunction has been walking across the Capricorn-Aquarius border all year. This movement toward Aquarius is a shift of focus. The energy moves from a kind of interior, dense, and earthy sign associated with structure (Capricorn), to an open, highly energetic sign associated with people, groups, communities, and society (Aquarius). The conjunction will help define the current generation and the phase of history much like the Uranus-Pluto conjunction defined the 1960s. You're not likely to read about Chiron-Nessus today, just like you were not likely to read about Uranus-Pluto 40 years ago; Pluto was still ignored. But the parallel is striking, with Chiron often resembling Uranus and Nessus having the properties of Pluto. The two ignite each other.

The result will be a distinct Power to the People phase of history, with on-the-ground uprisings and a sense of awakening spreading through our communities. The last time Chiron was in Aquarius, in the late 1950s, was a momentous time for the civil rights movement, and in literature, and there were many waves of revelation that prepared the way for the social consciousness of the 1960s.

And this is what we are seeing the stirrings of in France at the moment. Why are there riots? For the people who live in the Cités, there is no other way to express themselves. For those of us who do have access to technology, community, or organizations, we can have the experience of Aquarian reality on what actually feels like a productive level that begins to restore some of what has been taken from us.

But whatever the mode of rebellion, we are all the racaille, reclaiming what is rightfully ours, namely, the awareness that there is strength not just in numbers, but in sticking together and doing what we must to get the message across.