Pluto in Capricorn/Penn State Scandal; Uranus in Aries/Leave Your Bank Day

I circulate through four main news sites (Google News, Yahoo Finance, Alternet, and Al-Jazeera) and receive financial commentary from Patrick.net, John Mauldin, and Graham Summers.  Today, I read an article from a man my age who is a Penn State grad who said he "had lost all faith in the leadership of my parent's generation."  I can relate.  I have written and spoken about the fact that my generation (born in the midst of the Civil Rights movement) does not have any Elders to guide us; our society has turned our would be Elders into second life teenagers, telling them to forgo responsibility to family and society in favor or vacations and extravagant consumption whenever possible.  Many people I talk to who are within 10 years of me (33 to 53) feel lost or unguided at this time in their lives.  Predictably this period coincides with a Saturn square, opposition, and second square; Pluto squaring Pluto, Neptune squaring Neptune, and Uranus opposing Uranus.  These transits all represent transitions from adulthood to Elderhood and can prove devastating without guidance or enlightening with support.

The Penn State scandal is probably the model we astrologers could use to precisely show how Pluto transiting Capricorn transforms large institutions by revealing the "deep secrets" in such a way that we understand how the very institution is complicit in the secret and the crime.  The tendrils of the situation are just beginning to spread outward and have already consumed individuals who probably thought they were the highest of the high, living without a worry about their safety or security.  The most venerated and successful (Capricornian) coach in college football history was fired just days after the story broke and it was clear that the structure designed to help protect young people (through chain of command reporting and assumed action), supported the powerful and "loved" member of the football team coaching staff over the children abused.  Other similar blow back has happened in other arenas, politics especially.  The Occupy Wall Street movement is rather similar to the Civil Rights movement with all the same tropes and themes that were used at the start of that movement to discredit the protesters.  Keep in mind that Pluto is still in the first decan (the first 10 degrees of the sign).  When it squares with Uranus next year and starts moving into the second decan, watch for the European Union debt can to find the end of the road, no more kicking available.

Once you say something is too big to fail, Pluto says ... "really?"

Uranus in Aries will represent "Awakening to Survival and Independence."  The "Leave Your Bank Day" proved dramatically effective as people leveraged the real vote left in our pseudo-capitalist society ... taking their money elsewhere.  Corporations may have bought and sold our government, but banks are not the only game in town ... at least, not yet.  Each sign interacts with each energy point in different ways, sometimes enhancing, sometimes neutral, and sometimes diminishing.  Believe me when I say that Uranus in Aries is like putting a booster pack on lightening.  The previous Uranian journey through Pisces was about the Awakening of Spirit and Spirituality, largely taking shape through rapid communication technology and the maturation of the Internet.  Social Networking emerged while Uranus was in Pisces.  Keep in mind that Pisces is probably the most fluid and ambiguous sign, especially since it reflects dreams and the mass consciousness (one giant Amoeba).  Aries is the Warrior image, so imagine Zeus hurling thunderbolts and you have some idea of what Uranus will be like moving through Aries.  The journey has just begun and the peak, several years out, will likely see the mass consciousness realize that voting as it currently stands is a choice between a pile of dog crap and a pile of cat crap ... and no REAL choice at all.

Monumental change is on the horizon and likely to emerge and explode between 2012 and 2015.  2012 is not only an ending, but also a beginning.  And like all beginnings involving a movement from the status quo to a new status quo, the transition will be chaotic at times, but Pluto is moving through the sign ruled by Saturn to force transformation from the old ways into new ways.  That will be done by unveiling the systemic corruption present in government and corporate business, by design ... but not before the current players go all in.  Make no mistake that the wealthy will destroy themselves before they give up any of their possessions ... and they will eat their own, just ask Lehman Brothers employees.

The easy to miss and forget transit is Neptune in Pisces; it is watery, ambiguous, delusional, dreamy, and spiritual ... and entering its own sign while Pluto and Uranus do their work.  I think we can expect to see issues with liquids, the two most important being water and oil, constantly entangled with one another as more deep sea drilling must be done to locate new sources of oil and millions of gallons of water must be used to separate oil from the "miracle" tar sands in North Dakota.  And lastly, expect more gas in the water system as Fracking continues to develop with minimal regulation and maximum greed for alternative energy that is just like or just as good as oil.

Uranus square Pluto, Occupy Wall Street, and Karl Marx

I've written quite a bit about the upcoming Uranus/Pluto square, as have many, many other astrologers.  The situation has had me thinking about Karl Marx.  Most people who denigrate Marx or claim Communism is a failed system have not read a page of Marx.  In graduate school I took the opportunity to read not only the Communist Manifesto, but also Das Capital.  Neither of these books are "light" reading.  It's not surprising that Marx would be vilified by the elites and all those in the West who hope to one day be members of the elite group (meaning the vast majority) since he promotes a communal system, a more egalitarian sharing of resources, and the idea that resources are limited and must be managed properly.

Marx not only wrote about a complex problem in a complex way, but he accurately predicted various outcomes and his most important one is coming to pass right now.  Marx argued that capitalism would have to be global before socialism and communism could be viable alternatives because capitalism has to reach the limits of the system in order to show its destructive process to the masses and essentially override any and all propaganda.  He also argued that there was a short cut, violent revolution.  But he provided a caveat, those who overthrew an existing dictatorship or oligarchy would have to give up the power it seized in the revolution, which has not ever happened.  No "communist" country, especially Russia, has implemented Marx's principles; they have just traded one kind of top down power for another and clothed it in the word communism.  In essence, Marx is on the side of the 99 percent.

Occupy Wall Street is in its infancy and will likely sputter along until the European debt crisis matures and wipes out bond holder wealth to a staggering degree.  Look for that event to happen some time between now and the first Uranus/Pluto square in June of 2012.  What Marx wisely predicted was the inherent problem with capitalism, which chugs along just fine so long as there are new frontiers and cheap labor to exploit.  But once the system goes global, then inequalities become more and more apparent.  Western workers are finding that their value is coming in line with the value of Eastern workers, and now that global commerce has taken hold Eastern workers are seeing a rise in their value because there really are no more labor markets to exploit.  As John Mauldin, a very smart economist, entitled his book Endgame, we are beginning to see the Endgame of capitalism as predicted by Marx.  

Many different layers will emerge during this transition period as we begin to reach the limits of our closed system.  Not the least of which is the collusion of technology and population growth.  As technology makes the need for workers decrease and population continues to increase the disparity between those who have and those who do not will continue to grow.  Oddly enough an energy crisis could prove to be a saving grace (in the long run) for the human population.  Watch for problems with liquids (oil and water) as Neptune traverses through Pisces.  And, when energy and jobs become scarce, watch spirituality increase, from the infantile (fundamentalism) to the sophisticated (Hopi and Mayan).

In essence, the world has borrowed about three lifetimes of wealth which cannot be paid back.  We could move towards this future consciously by engaging in some very radical changes, which would include conscious population management, rethinking private and public resources, eliminating corporate charters and the stock market.  But, I suspect and expect the Plutonian/Capricorn elites to resist to the full measure of their greed and wealth, requiring a violent revolution to dislodge them and redistribute resources to the larger civilization.  Nothing new under the sun ...  Don't be surprised if they figure out that they need to shut down the Internet or close it down restrictively if the movement grows and thus dodges the mainstream media.  Once the larger system collapses on itself (debt default), there will be the opportunity for people to come together and look for new, more mature solutions and Marx's prediction of a natural evolution to socialism and communism will prove to be true.

2012 to 2015 - The Coming Storm

In his book on Lunation Cycles Dane Rhudyar emphasizes the cyclic nature of all energy points, not just the Sun and Moon.  To understand the ebb and flow of energy using Astrology, one must understand the current cycle of the energy relationship between two points in the chart.  The one to watch from 2012 to 2015 is the upcoming square between Uranus and Pluto.  Since Uranus is the faster moving of the two, it passes Pluto approximately every 115 years (1850 to 1852 they were conjunct in Aries and 1965 to 1967 they were conjunct in Virgo).  So, looking at the most recent conjunction, the 1960s represented the end of the cycle and the beginning of a new cycle.  In America this transition played out significantly moving the country out of a stratified mind set and into changes that brought new and better opportunities for minorities and women.  The whole period around 1958 to 1972 experienced the combination of Awakening/Transformation in the energy of Virgo, affecting skills, day-to-day work, and health.  Not surprising, the 1960s represent a fairly clear shift from America of 1850 to 1960.

As part of the whole cycle, the energy points will square twice and oppose once.  Significantly the first half of the movement towards the opposition is considered waxing (or increasing in intensity) and the movement towards the conjunction from the opposition is considered waning (or decreasing and preparing for the next cycle).  So, as the full on square approaches in July of 2012, we can expect more volatility that will intensify through 2015 and leave lasting impact on the way to the opposition.  Since the two signs involved are Capricorn (Pluto's transit) and Aries (Uranus' transit), there will be antagonism between big systems going through necessary change and people's survival needs.  The Occupy Wall Street movement will grow as the large systems crumble and people realize that the war is between the 1% and the 99%.  

Greece will default, and even if the European Union provides a bailout now, they will be trapped by all the other countries in need of defaulting or bailing out (Ireland, Portugal, Italy, and Spain).  Sort of, well if Greece gets to cut as much as 50% or more from its bondholder responsibility (or 100% through default), why shouldn't the other countries get the same deal or make the same move.  Basically the EU is backed into a corner.  Iceland has been kept as far out of the news as possible because they gave the finger to British and Scottish banks, defaulted, were froze out of the international credit markets, suffered an economic fall off a cliff, and now (9 months later) are stabilizing and rebuilding their economy in more realistic terms for what the country can produce and sustain.  They are, in fact, living within their means.  The fact that Greece, which probably represents no more than .04% of the world economy, can threaten to bring the whole financial system to its knees helps you can understand how out of control credit lending became while Pluto was transiting through Sagittarius.

I also find it ironically interesting that the "birthplace of Western Civilization" is likely to lead to the "end of Western Civilization" as we have known it pretty much since the last Uranus/Pluto conjunction (during the time of the industrial revolution).  Since the upcoming square involves Cardinal energy, the tension is more likely to be explosive than collaborative.  Jeff Green, in his book on Uranus, points out that Aries represents, at its most primal, the need to survive.  More broadly Aries rules the pioneering spirit, independence, arrogance, and selfishness.  As more and more people see the big systems fail and the corporate and banking ruling class no longer hide as effectively behind both parties, it will become clear that the political system is rigged on both sides of the isle.  Both parties are now, more clearly than ever, the tools of corporate greed, especially now that corporations are people too!  We are also seeing how fully controlled the mainstream media is by the same powers, as they do their best to denigrate the protesters, put as the lead story the release of some woman accused of murder in Italy 2 years ago, and make claims (thank you Hermann Cain) that this protest against greed is Un-American.  I wonder if Mr. Cain would feel the same about Civil Rights protests that helped put him into a position where his "work hard" did allow him to become wealthy.  Obviously he did everything on his own.

Everything will be done to avoid taxing the wealthy since they have so clearly paid to put people in office to protect their interests.  While 2012 may not be the year to throw out everyone from both parties, it will likely be the catalyst year when people finally realize that neither party is interested in protecting the larger populations interest for the common good.  How radical could Pluto become with the antagonism from Uranus?  How about the end of private/corporate donor money to politicians?  Term limits for Congress?  A line item veto or better yet, one item per bill?  The stripping away of corporate charters and the elimination of the stock market and the privatization of all companies?  Maybe at the end of the Plutonic transit.  Right now I expect more the cutting of services and the end of Social Security, Medicare, and other entitlements, even though they will not be nearly enough to cover the debt and the most "essential" service, the military.

Unemployment will continue to increase and power will continue to consolidate.  In the US only 4 banks own all the remaining banks and Bank of America is on its too big way to failing, leaving the other three to gobble it up (the rich eat their own, just ask Lehman Brothers employees).  How many phone carriers remain; the magic number of 4 again (Verizon, ATT, Sprint, and T-Moble) with a merger underway.  And keep in mind that, on the whole, advances in technology always eliminate more jobs than they create, which does not help when the population keeps increasing.  The number they do not talk about in the monthly job report is the 65,000 jobs you need to create just to handle population growth (all those 17 year olds that become 18 year olds each month).  So when you read about 103,000 new jobs in September, make sure to subtract 65,000 from that number to get a more correct number.  Now consider all the months in which there was no job growth.  And keep in mind that every time a Republican suggest cutting the deficit by cutting the budget he or she is really saying "let's put more people out of work."

The sad, difficult truth is that private companies cannot do all the hiring and that the government is a massive employer.  Unemployment benefits keep the peace.  Sports won't be enough to keep the masses distracted when they have to cut off their cable to have extra money to buy food.  2012 will be a big year, but 2013 and 2015 will contain all the real action.  If the wealthy successfully block tax increases and new technology continues to displace people and we keep increasing the overall population, we will begin to see the survival instinct/awareness so basic to Aries begin to grow more restless.  For the first time in human history we are actually reaching the boundaries of our closed system; there is no such thing as limitless growth on a sphere.  And unless we develop a warp drive in the near future, we are likely to meet the boundaries in this century.

The Transitioning of America (Part 3) - Pluto

Pluto just went direct two days ago (9/17), roughly at the time that President Obama presented a budget solution that finally includes raising taxes on the wealthy and the corporations.  All of the other outer planets continue to be retrograde at this time and mostly what we see in the news are ongoing attempts to "return to normal" and avoid the day of reckoning for as long as possible, even though the event is likely just on the horizon.  As he put it today, "we can't just cut our way out of this hole."  Tax increases represent part of the Capricorn energy.  Most people do not know that tax rates on the rich were once 91% (in the 1950's) and cut down to 70% in 1965 and much further (into the 28 to 35%) during the Reagan/Bush I presidencies.

Looming on the horizon is a Greek default, describes not as "if, but when" by economist John Mauldin.  October looks to be the trigger month unless the European politicians "kick the can further down the road," which is always possible.  In November, Chiron (11/11/11) and Neptune (11/10/11) will go direct, creating more "forward moving energy."  If the can is kicked down the road, November may then become the move forward month.  If not then, the end of December and the beginning of January 2012, could provide the final  energetic push when all the outer planets (and Jupiter) will be direct.  Expect fits and starts from now until the end of the year and never underestimate the power of denial.  In the end, 2012 will likely be the explosive year many predict, but probably not because of natural disasters, though they may be part of the picture.  The larger disaster ,considered in terms of human consciousness, is this mess with the global economy.

Basically, Pluto in Capricorn is showing us that we have borrowed our future away and returning to equilibrium is likely to be a very painful process without some very serious and significant changes ... and probably forgiveness of debt obligations.  Many of the "rich" will find themselves in a "former employee of Lehman Brothers" situation if they cannot bring  in the money on the debt they purchased through credit default swaps and they cannot "steal" through another TARP.  Hard choices are coming and the best way to face them will be through local community connection and support.  Clear whatever debt you can and network with friends and family in case you could get caught in the tidal wave looming on the horizon.  The real tests will come between 2012 and 2015 when Uranus and Pluto square.  It is not so much massive earthquakes or tsunamis that we face, but a massive upheaval socially that is already being played out microcosmically in the Middle East through various revolutions.  These near future times will certainly be "interesting" to a degree not experienced since, really, the 1960s.

Pluto's continuing work in Capricorn

America's Foreclosure Wasteland

Macro EU - DOA

The Lost Generation and Merging Credit Bubbles

The first square with Pluto and Uranus is still a year away! Systems are failing to be restructured. Or written another way, "Systems are failing, to be restructured."

Pluto Working Hard In Capricorn

Hello all, instead of an audio blog today, I thought I would provide real world examples of Pluto doing its work in Capricorn. Keep in mind that it is only 7 degrees into the sign and currently "backing up" (retrograde) until September, when it will get all the way back to 4 degrees before moving forward, which will allow Uranus to "catch up" and form an exact square in June of 2012, the first of 7 until March of 2015.

The US Housing Market and the Shadow (Plutonian) Inventory

Nuclear Fallout from Japan (Youtube video of Helen Caldicott) - don't be surprised if this video disappears.

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid now in the discussion of cuts, but not the Military (article about the US All-Volunteer Military)

Education on the Ropes (see the movie Waiting for Superman)

Another Big System in Turmoil - the NFL Lockout and a sample of its potential impact

European Debt Crisis

As you can surmise, the list can keep going: US states bankrupt, Middle East unrest (over the whole region), rising Energy Costs, increased Severe Weather (storms of the centuries), Class Warfare worldwide, and on and on. Like a Hurricane building strength, we are only at category 3 and will reach category 5 during the 2012 to 2015 years. The very last remnants of the Pluto/Capricorn storm will not come until November of 2024. So, in the meantime, what to do?

Build your social support network; you may find you need to rely on people in ways you never thought you would (like moving in with them, carpooling, and bartering).

Accumulate assets where you can when you can; so long as the Government prints money, your savings account dwindles. If your retirement is a forced gamble in the casino of the stock market, consider long-term conservative investments. Pay off your mortgage if you can, own everything you can outright (cars, appliances, and so on).

Downsize, learn about your local community, figure out how things work (look under the hood of your car, know where your electrical box is inside your home, and how to repair or build something ... anything).

Take care of your health! Exercise regularly, eat organically, get regular check-ups. Take care of your eyes and teeth.

And most of all, work on your spirituality. What is the meaning of your life in the cosmic drama; why are you here now. What is your responsibility as a human being among human beings living on a living planet that provides for your needs. Wake up and if you are awake, help others wake up. Intervene in life, teach and share.

Regress, Progress, and Ingress

In my previous entry I talked about some big decisions coming up in the US this week, possible Black Swans. The NFL labor contract was set to expire last night at midnight and the US Federal Government was set to shut down two days ago. Both situations reached the "11th" hour because two opposing groups could not agree. So what has been decided; in both instances the groups have agreed to allow themselves more time to disagree in the hopes that one side will eventually give up or give in and the other side will get what it wants. In the meantime nothing actually changes. Welcome to the "not" results of energy points ingressing. An energy point is in a state of ingress when it moves from one sign to the next. Pluto completed its ingress in Capricorn at the beginning of 2009. Neptune and Uranus are set to ingress this year into Pisces and Aries respectively. This blog entry is about the behavior we are likely to experience during these transitions.

Below is the US Chart for 3/4/2011, which is the chart I was looking at while recording this entry. Click on the chart to open it in a new tab or window and see it enlarged.

Book Recommendation - Soul Sick Nation by Jessica Murray

It is rather easy to find a essential books for Astrologers to read, such as Horoscope Symbols by Robert Hand or Astrology and the Four Elements by Stephen Arroyo.  It is much harder to find essential books for both Astrologers and non-Astrologers to read, and so far, I have only found two.  Perhaps readers of this blog will have some other suggestions; if so, I hope you will share them.  Up until two weeks ago, I had only one book on this rarefied list, Cosmos and Psyche by Richard Tarnas.  Today, I want to add Soul Sick Nation by Jessica Murray.

Why should you ... no, no, why MUST you read this book?  Ms. Murray eloquently captures the true State of the Union for America and why it matters to the rest of the world.  Like it or not, as she says, so goes America, so goes the World.  And America is rotting from the inside and spreading that rot out to the rest of the world.  Condemn us though they may, most people and most countries would like to have America's level of overindulgence.  The problem, as Ms. Murray so astutely points out, is America's arrested spiritual development.  We are a nation that has devolved into a country run by adolescent behavior.  Spiritually speaking 13 year olds are at the helm of the ship, driving the car, and piloting the plane.  And she gets at the root of the problem with Astrological incisiveness; America is living the shadow of its Pluto in the 2nd House, where "getting mine" is taken to a dark level in the pursuit of control of resources.

From a Super Size Me philosophy to a Wag the Dog war, America has pushed self-interest to darkly divine status, where "Greed is Good" and acting immaturely is revered.  Murray chooses the Sibley Astrological chart for the Birth of the Nation and shows both America's potential and how the shadow side has erupted into the behavior of the common way.  The Bush presidency is the purest, unadulterated expression of America's dark side, where all the world is either "with us or against us."  No attempt was made to hide the fact that the rich have completely dismantled the safeguards that created a better country than had existed world wide, on the whole, for the benefits of its citizens.  And from an Astrological perspective, we need more blatant disregard to wake up the world.  I often joke that no one will really believe in Global Warming until the subways of New York are filled with ocean water and even then a large number of people in America will still believe it is a terrorist plot.  People in this country, generally, have embraced an i"gnorance is best" policy that is shamefully astounding.

If you want to see the deep power of Astrology, not only to point out how and why things are F'ed up, but also the answer that is the way out, then go buy Ms. Murray's book RIGHT NOW!  Really, no kidding, ALL CAPS.  And if you do and you do read it, I want to talk with you about it.  She has her pulse on a America and it's pretty erratic and headed towards cardiac arrest (can we say "implosion" of entitlement programs - Social Security and Medicare).  But she also has a very fundamental solution that calls of us to action at a level we can all manage if we choose to take up the call.  I am trying and I hope you will too.

Mid-Life Transits (Pluto square Pluto - 34 to 37)

I've been trying to find my stride with this blog and have decided I want to take a new, more personal direction.  Other astrologers do an outstanding job looking at global events, namely Jamie Darkstar and Richard Tarnas come to mind.  I've taken a look at the US chart and have enjoyed writing about what I found there, which is mostly a lot of turmoil over the next 10 years.  The world is definitely going through some growing pains.  I've also started some posts on beginning astrology and how to get started.  I hope to continue those posts intermittently over the course of my writing time, hopefully another 40 or so years :-).  Maybe after I've posted on all 79 cards of the Osho Zen deck, I'll be ready to pick another deck and work my way through.  Another writing project to unfold over the long hall.

But for right now and the foreseeable future, I'd like to pick up a new thread and write more personally about the series of mid-life transits that are currently kicking my spiritual rear end.  I am currently 42 and if you are as well, then you should know my kind of struggle as well.  In fact, the full range of mid-life transits essentially run from 37 to 45, peaking at different times for different people based on the year of birth.  If you were born between 1965 and 1973, then you are at the beginning, in the thick of, or wrapping up four major energy transits involving the transiting energy point and the identical natal energy point.  These are: tPluto square nPluto, tUranus opposite nUranus, tNeptune square nNeptune, and tSaturn opposite nSaturn.  The severity and intensity of these transits will vary based on other birth chart aspects and transiting aspects.  Those of us lucky to be born in the 1968 to 1970 range of the time period got our Uranus opposition as part of a t-square involving tSaturn opposite tUranus square tPluto!

On a personal note I began the journey to my spiritual awakening/shift in mid-March 2002 when I could begin to be influenced by tPluto on my nPluto (allowing for a 3 degree Orb of influence).  In mid-March tPluto was at 17D44M of Sagittarius and the work of this transit began in earnest.  During this year I finally decided to ask my wife for a separation and divorce.  I had met my birth mother at the beginning of the year (we had been corresponding for almost a year, and we finally met in 2002).  tPluto's work was pretty dramatic in the year  plus leading up to the first exact opposition in January of 2004.  One year to the day after my separation papers were filed (August 13, 2003), I met Betsy, my life partner and soul mate and change rapidly followed suit.  We moved into together three weeks after meeting, we discussed having children and got pregnant in May of 2004, and bought a house (the one we currently live in) in October of 2004.  Maya, our daughter, was born in January 2005.

Perhaps what I remember as most profound for me during the time of my separation was a sudden desire to have a child or be involved in a child's life (Big Brother or even foster care).  That feeling was the most "out of the blue" experience for me, as I would have easily been voted by my high school and college classes as the person least likely to have children.  Somewhere in my heart I guess I knew I should not have children with my wife and once free of that relationship the idea had some room to percolate.  It would certainly take a book worth of writing to describe all the changes that occurred after a fairly stable period of life between 1994 and 2000.  Granted that period of time had some big events, earning my PhD, getting my career job, an affair, but over a longer stretch of time and associated with other key transits (namely my Saturn Return).  But nothing like the level and multiplicity of changes brought on by Pluto activating itself!

Throughout 2004 tPluto went square with itself three times (January <direct>, June <retrograde>, and November <direct>) before finally moving on out of  Orb (3 degrees) in November of 2005. So the full range of impact lasted from March of 2002 until November of 2005 (from the ages of 34 to 37).  tPluto was doing its work in my 2nd House of Values and Resources and, without a doubt, my values and resources shifted tremendously.  I went from being married and owning a home to giving that home to my ex-wife and paying support to living in a one bedroom apartment (I loved that apartment) to owning a home again (but instead of me paying for it, my partner Betsy did).  I got out of a failing and mutually unhealthy relationship, dated around, and entered back into a long-term relationship that, so far, has proven deeply healing and extremely healthy (and is not a marriage).  I did not realize that this period was just the beginning of a period that will span another three to five years.

At the heart of the transition was the squaring energy of nPluto in Virgo in my 11th House with tPluto moving through Sagittarius my 2nd House.  My community went through a radical change as I left my marriage behind and entered into a new, more spiritually invested relationship.  One of our first dates was to the Body, Mind, and Spirit Expo in Raleigh, NC where we had our aura photos taken.  We would visit the expo twice a year and soon after our first year of visits, I had gotten a booth to do tarot readings.  My previous community, largely made up of friendships around my marriage and my relationships with my co-workers dissolved and reformed in a community of spiritually minded practitioners, ranging from psychics to massage therapists to henna artists and fellow tarot readers.  I also completed the tattoo back mural of Pegasus flying over the ruins of the Temple at Tholos, a site for the Delphic Oracle.

Now that I write about these transformations, I really see the power of this transit and its broad and deep impact on my life.  If you are between 30 and 33 and feeling some calm after your Saturn return, fasten your seat belt for the first of the four mid-life transits because, change will be a-coming!

A Great Time of Transition: 2008 to 2015

The most powerful constant in the universe is change.  The second most powerful constants are various cycles. Some are large, like the 25,800 year cycle of the Earth's "wobble" (on its axis) that causes the precession of signs, which has lead to the split between Tropical and Sidereal astrology.  In Tropical astrology, if you are born between March 21 and April 21, you have an Aries Sun sign.  Thanks to precession (since 600BCE), when Tropical astrology was calculated on the 0 point of Aries, if you were born between March 11 and April 18 (in 2007), your Sun Sign would actually be Pisces.  Some are small, like your birthday.  All occur in linear, forward moving time in a constant state of change.  There is no permanence, just change ... in various shapes and sizes and intensities.  We are currently living in a period of intense change.  Human and planetary history is filled with easily identifiable intense periods of change, whether we are looking at World War I or the Ice Age, the Discovery of Penicillin or Volcanic Eruptions and Earthquakes, or a host of other significant events.

Human history has entered another period of significant change and transition, beginning with the Great Recession at the start of 2008.  In recent history, the 20th Century, we can mark the great periods of transition with inventions (cars, planes, space flight, the Internet), wars, social upheavals (the 1960s), and so on.  In all those cases we can find key transitions occurring between Energy Points in the sky as part of large and small recurring cycles.  One of the most profound relationships in astrology occurs when Uranus and Pluto transition at significant angles with one another.  The last such significant transition occurred in the 1960s when they were conjunct and their energies merged in the sign of Virgo (Tropical) and Leo (Sidereal).  Today they are in a square relationship, which will be exact 7 times between 2012 and 2015 and involve the signs of Capricorn/Aries (Tropical) and Sagittarius/Pisces (Sidereal).  As with all situations involving large and complex energy, the impact of the energy can be felt and active outside the "ground zero" time frame.

For this reason, we are still "heading towards" the reckoning of and repercussions of the exact squaring that will occur between 2012 and 2015.  The "aftermath" will likely last well into 2020, when Pluto begins to end its travels through Capricorn (T)/Sagittarius (S).  For most of the world, this will continue to be a time of great instability, which is not particularly comfortable, but very necessary for growth and/or readjustment.  In fact, spiritually, humanity is likely to experience spiritual growth through a readjustment to physical limitations.  The lesson of cycles is the lesson of living within a closed system.  Closed System thinking is radically different from Frontier/Constant Growth thinking.  A Closed System reality can appear to be a Frontier System if the participants in the system are unable to see the boundaries of the system as a whole.  In the current vernacular a phrase that is gaining ground is "the End Game."   And a word is growing in use: Austerity. Within a large closed system, small skirmishes occur that reveal to various members of the system the closed nature of the system (species extinction, contamination of water supplies, destruction of usable land, global warming).  But in all of human history, the overall boundaries of the system has not been reached or breached at the whole level.  We are living the age when we can finally begin to see the boundaries of the whole system and how close we are getting to them.

Breaching the whole boundary system would be catastrophic for humanity, no so much for insects.  The breach may occur without human activity in an Ice Age way, but even with Global Warming reaching high levels, its unlikely that we are yet in a position to break the ecosystem in an apocalyptic way.  Though it is certainly within our power and ability (think Wall-E).  During this next major transition we are very likely to have to face readjustment to consumption/resource uses as more of the world wants between 70 and 80 degree homes in the winter and summer.  The financial crisis is a "shot across the bow" of the ship, and let's hope its not the one named Titanic!  Though, that story is an apt metaphor.  People did survive the sinking of the ship ... a much smaller number than would have survived if precautions had been taken, warnings heeded, and safety protocols followed.

Big transitions have a common earmark; they reach into the common levels of human experience.  Not just one group feels the impact, but members of all groups while certain groups especially feel the impact  across almost all members (usually the poor or lower classes).  While many of the rich are getting richer during this process, quite a few have also lost everything and quite a few are experiencing economic decline.  Granted their total assets may now be worth 900 Million instead of 2 Billion, but loss is loss.  I went to a job interview recently and one of the other people interviewing said something interesting, "being early is the new on time."  I have to wonder if this transition will be the one that nakedly reveals that we do have limited resources that we are using as if they are unlimited, which is really the behavior bugaboo we need desperately to overcome and reverse.  Its fine to think of solar power as unlimited energy, wind and water as renewable, but not oil and gas.  This transition period is likely to be marked by the outside world exerting pressure on behavior change internally at a mass scale.  Much in the same way the Great Depression or American/French Revolution time periods exerted change.

We are all, definitely, in it together.

Jupiter in Station, Turning to Go Direct

Did anyone else begin to feel it today ... the energy of Jupiter stopping its retrograde motion to begin moving forward again tomorrow?  I certainly did.  Yesterday, I was talking to Betsy, my partner, about feeling a shift, a positive one.  And today the feeling just grew stronger.  Astrology is all about motion - cycles, approaching and separating energies, Lunation phases, ingress from sign to sign, and retrograde/stationary/direct.  What has made this time in life so very profound and interesting is convergence of many kinds of motion.  Alone any one of these patterns holds significance, but when they converge, big shifts happen.

This December will hold especial power as all the energy points, at two different spans of time, will be direct.  Unfortunately no major legislation or meaningful global/state/local decisions will be made.  But we should have some very positive feelings around the holidays.  It will be a good time to think out "next steps."  What do you want your next steps to be and can you chart a positive route to achieving them.  There's still a number of big cosmic storms on the horizon and the largest of all will be Pluto in Capricorn squaring Uranus in Aries for 3 years between 2012 and 2015.  From every level, it will be good for all us to use 2011 as a time to save, rest, and prepare ... not only in terms of the most obvious financial crisis, but in terms of spiritual development.  We have not seen the last of the Tea Party negativity or protectionist thinking.  These energies will be amassing for the 2012 election cycle.

They must be challenged, but not in the same vein as they present.  We must challenge them in our daily lives by being caring, helpful, and supportive of our community, family, and fellow human beings.  We must show by example that we understand the kinds of fundamental changes in behavior that we all need to make with regard to our use of resources and what each of us rightfully deserves to take from the earth to meet our needs.  I encourage everyone to fully enjoy the tremendous amount of positive energy that will flow once Chiron and Neptune (the last two energy points still retrograde) go direct (even in the face of a Mercury retrograde through the middle of December).  Mercury will retrograde in December, but it is always the same meaning ... slow down, reassess, review, and rest.  

I urge all of us to spend deep time thinking of New Year's resolutions to put forth on January 1 and to reassert on March 21, the first day of Spring.  2012 will be tumultuous and how we prepare in 2011 will be essential.

Knowing Really Is Only Half the Battle

This morning I had a very important chance encounter with my Astrology mentor and instructor Randy Wasserstram.  I am gradually working my way into colleague status and certainly felt a great thankfulness to have the chance to talk to him today.  The conversation ranged, but a large portion of it dealt with my Spiritual Awakening, which I am still deep in the middle of and, on some days, like today, just trying to survive.  Randy knows my chart and he knows what it means when I say I have a good road of hoeing still in front of me thanks to tPluto squaring the Stellium of nEnergy Points in Aries while tUranus opposes nUranus and prepares to conjunct the very same Stellium during the same duration of time.  Mercilessly tSaturn is 5d approaching nSaturn in opposition, which means, it, too, is lighting up my Aries Stellium.  And last and certainly not least, tNeptune and tChiron (Aquarius) both square my nNeptune in an exact (0d separating) aspect.  Oh, and just for shits and giggles, they are both Retrograde, which means they will form an exact square with Neptune yet again before moving on to form an exact square with my Ascendant!  There are no atheists in foxholes!

Thanks to Retrograde motion, my Uranus opposition is also in a tight approaching degree (less than 2).  Approaching and separating energy are very important and an element in beginning astrology often ignored.  When you have aspects approaching, energy is building, and when you have aspects separating the energy is releasing.  Retrograde motion can make certain transits particularly wearing because you get a 3/3 experience, 3 approaches and 3 separations, a really good "driving the point home" experience.  I want to share my story because we all get some dose of what I'm getting.  Hopefully most of you will not have the kinds of transits I'm having, but if you happened to have been born in 1968, then the outer planet to outer planet aspects are something we're all getting (such as the Uranus opposition along with the Neptune square and the Saturn opposition).  How much it affects you depends on other Energy Points in your chart.  I happen to have Neptune 2d separating from my Ascendant, so any aspect to my nNeptune have a profound effect on my Ascendant (my presentation of self and the perception people have of me).  To say both are going through tremendous change would be putting things lightly!

So what happens when you look into your chart or a client's chart and you can see years of turmoil and struggle?  Lots of choices abound and most of mine involve metaphors about "treading water", "holding on by my fingernails", and "battening down my hatches."  You may be feeling some of those same feelings as well if you were born between 1967 and 1969.  The lesson here, I believe, is perseverance and a deep appreciation for the mundane.  My breakfast this morning, both company wise, food wise, and location wise was wonderful and deeply valued.  I am happy to make it through another day, knowing that eventually the pressure from Neptune, Chiron, and Saturn will relent even if Pluto and Uranus have plenty in store for me for a while yet.  2012, when the first exact square between these two occurs, will mean my Stellium gets the double whammy.  By then Jupiter will be helping me out and I should get some positive energy by conjunction.  

In truth, Astrology has helped me immensely.  Without it and the narrative it provides for the energy I am feeling day in and day out, I'm not sure I would be able to manifest a positive response.  I am also thankful for the support I have in my life from my partner, Betsy, my parents, our new family living with us, and my wonderful friends and professional colleagues.  Knowing is half the battle, the other half is the doing and learning.  Hopefully as I write about the doing and learning, I will be helpful to others.

Saturn Aspecting Pluto, Times of Major Change

Well, we recently finished the triple square of Saturn and Pluto 11/15-16/2009 (both direct at 1 degree 43 minutes), 2/1/2010 (Saturn Retrograde, Pluto Direct at 4 degrees 21 minutes), and 8/21-22/2010 (Saturn Direct, Pluto Retrograde at 2 degrees 55 minutes).  Robert Hand says of this transit, "you may find it very difficult to make the changes in the world you would like to make. [...] Sometimes the experience of this transit is much like struggling against chains that hold you down." (Hand, Planets In Transit, 360).  At the level of the United States chart I think we clearly saw this problem in the very poor legislation that passed for Health Care and Financial Reform.  Change was certainly needed, but resisted, so our nation came away with a half-hearted attempt at reform.  Hand continues to say, "Of all the Saturn squares, this one most requires that  you get rid of the dead and useless structures." (360)  Well, that didn't happen; at least not in any controlled, higher vibration way.  We certainly saw a number of banks fail and social programs snuffed out.  Businesses restructured by going out of business, but these were handled by the forceful nature of Pluto and not the conscious choice of leadership.  The shrinking that was done did not alter the fundamental structure of banking or business, which is what this transit really wanted to activate.

On a personal level, during this time, in the areas active in your chart, you should have felt the same kind of energy.  For myself and my partner Betsy, we decided to look seriously into intentional communities and even put our house up for sale.  We were definitely ready to "chuck it all" and go with the Pluto transformation., but as you can guess, it was the worst time to try to make a move of this kind.  The binding chain was actually our mortgage, now even more restrictive in a plunging real estate market.  In the end, the universe had a different plan, which we were both open to and happy to accept.  To put the house on the market we cleaned it out and had three entirely empty rooms, just enough space for a friend from high school and her 3 daughters to move in with us this past June.  Now our home (and the structure of our life) is getting its "full use" and we could not be happier.

Saturn and Pluto, to put it bluntly, kick us in the ass when they join forces.  That is most apparent when the two transiting energy points are conjunct, a transit approaching all of us January 13, 2020 at 22 degrees 45 minutes of Capricorn.  This transiting conjunction will be quickly followed by tSaturn conjunct nPluto on February 24, 2020.  Both energies will be direct and will only conjunct once.  Again, quoting Hand, "this transit often causes financial problems or other kinds of shortages." (359).  In the section on this transit, he talks about restrictions from government (police state, increased taxation, fewer services).  Whatever the particular results, the transformation will come through restriction or limits, and it will apply, if using the Sibley US chart, in the area of Values, Needs, and Personal Resources (2nd House).  The belt tightening will peak or hit bottom, depending on your metaphor during the years before and after the exact conjunction.  In a materialistic society, this information probably does not sound very good, but it is so very necessary and offers a real opportunity to look past material concerns and into the hearts of our spirituality and connections with others.  This transit will provide a great shake down.

On a personal level, I can attest to the massive change this combination brings about.  In my life I have had two Saturn transits over my Natal Pluto.  Both times the transit occurred three times thanks to Retrograde motion that threw tSaturn across my nPluto on 10/8/1979, 4/27/1980, 6/17/1980, 11/28/2008, 2/4/2009, and 8/14/2009.  In each span of time I experienced fundamental and massive changes, the most recent a spiritual awakening that really forced me to come to a nearly dead stop in my life (anxiety strong enough to simulate a heart attack and send me to the hospital in September of 2009).  The 1979 to 1980 period brought me from Massachusetts to North Carolina in the fall of 1980 at the age of 12.  Below are the three charts of that period of time (click to enlarge):

The other energy points playing strong roles during this time included  tJupiter conjunct nJupiter (1st Jupiter Return), tPluto conjunct nMoon, tChiron conjunct nMars, and pMoon moving over my Aries Stellium.  I remember the significance of this move because it brought us back to the state where our family lived (both sets of grandparents lived in Winston-Salem, NC) and (though, not known at this time) I entered a Junior High School and High School (Southeast Guilford) that I would attend from 7th grade until 12th grade, the first time I stayed in a school for more than 1 or 2 years.  The Jupiter Return meant the end of a cycle of expansion and the beginning of a new cycle of expansion.  In short, it was a BIG year for me.

In 2008 and 2009, the seeds were being sown for a mental breakdown, which finally occurred on August 28, 2009, just 14 days after the last tSaturn conjunct nPluto.  During this time the powerful energy connections running parallel included my Uranus Opposition, described by Barbara Hand Clow as the natural time of Kundalini Rising.  Since I was ill-prepared for the energies of this time, I was basically "struck down" (Uranus) and reduced to a small, confined space (basically my home), as I was unable to get out much without overwhelming anxiety.  As I have worked through the energy, I have now come to label my experience as a Spiritual Awakening instead of a mental breakdown, even though breaking down was what I need to wake up spiritually.  Below are the three charts for the three conjunctions (click image to enlarge):

As you can see my pMoon is once again traveling through all of Aries, entering Taurus just before my shift.  tJupiter, tChiron, and tNeptune are all conjunct in my house of Family and the Deep Self (4th).  tPluto and pAscendant are conjunct in my 2nd House, reshaping my Values and Needs.  The journey to explore intentional communities became intense as I felt the strong urge to get away.  I think I was also feeling the tremendous shift worldwide as the economic crisis began a tremendous awakening process.  If you want to know about a time of powerful change in your life, and the life of nations, look to the times of the tSaturn over nPluto to see what they were.

In the US chart, the conjunction previously occurred in January of 1991, generally considered the year the Cold War ended (click image to enlarge).

As you can see from the chart, the other key energy in play included tSaturn conjunct tNorth Node and tChiron conjunct nPart of Fortune.  This time was one of the recorded recessions in the US, occurring: "After the lengthy peacetime expansion of the 1980s, inflation began to increase and the Federal Reserve responded by raising interest rates from 1986 to 1989. This weakened but did not stop growth, but some combination of the subsequent 1990 oil price shock, the debt accumulation of the 1980s, new banking regulations following the S&L Crisis and growing consumer pessimism combined with the weakened economy to produce a brief recession." (Wiki List of US Recessions).  Pressures from other energies did not and will not match the kinds of pressure we will see in January and February of 2020, when tSaturn, tPluto, tJupiter, and pMoon will all be approaching or conjunct nPluto that year!  Progressed Ceres, tLilith, and tChiron will be conjunct in Aries in the 5th House and pSun, pVesta, and tNeptune will be conjunct in Pisces in the 4th! Much ado about something in 2020.

Making Sense of Aspecting Transits - Saturn and Pluto

Your birth chart represents a snapshot of the energy points in the sky at the time of your birth.  When you took your first breath, you initiated a new consciousness into the drama of the universe, carrying that snapshot energy with you throughout your life time. As the universe continues to unfold the cycles of energy impact your birth story through moments of energetic impact when the energy points of today align by certain angles (aspects) with the energy points of your birth chart.  When you are around the age of 7, Saturn in the sky would have been approximately 90 degrees from your birth Saturn position.  So, if you had Saturn at 5 degrees of Aries when you were born, then at 7 Saturn would be at 5 degrees of Cancer.  It would have transitioned from your birth to the current location at the time of 7 years of age.  An astrologer would say, "Transiting Saturn is square your Natal Saturn."  Transits are extremely important because they alert us to key moments in life when energy is spiking for us and how we can face the particulars of the energy spike.

At times, two transiting energy points can form their own aspect, as happened recently when Saturn in Libra was square (90 degrees from) Pluto in Capricorn.  Saturn is the energy of restriction, the past, and rules.  Pluto is the energy of transformation.  So its not hard to imagine that when these two energy points align by aspect there is some serious energy spikes occurring.  Saturn resists change and Pluto brings about change.  And Pluto is STRONGER.  Change, as the paradox goes, is the one constant in the universe.  When Pluto initiates a change by entering a new house and sign, the world and the individual are forced to take notice.  Pluto entered Capricorn in January of 2008 ... notice anything?  And in the US chart that meant that Pluto entered the 2nd house, the home of personal wealth, needs, and values.  Capricorn is about paying dues, and guess which energy point rules Capricorn ... Saturn!  With Pluto in Saturn's sign we can expect fundamental changes to our most long standing and long lasting structures.  The claim that anything in this world is "too big to fail" is hubris in the face of life's ever changing and evolving energy.

So what can happen when Saturn and Pluto connect energy via the energy cord of an aspect?  Old structures begin to crumble in order for new structures to emerge.  However, as with any process involving these or any other energy points, there is always a continuum of negative to positive expression.  Saturn's positive expression is "the right structure or rule at the right time."  Its negative expression is "to resist change at all costs."  Pluto's positive expression is to embrace necessary change and help facilitate it.  Its negative expression is to manipulate change for subversive or selfish gain.  The change, however, is going to happen.  Keeping in mind the positive/negative expression of energy, let's look at three aspects between these two energy points that started in November 2009 (with Saturn/Libra square Pluto Capricorn) and that will end March 2020 (with Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn).  During this transit period, both energy points will oppose the US Venus, Jupiter, Sun, and Mercury.  As a nation we will be facing some of the most fundamental and structural changes of our history.

From November 2009 to October of 2010, we have felt the influence of Saturn and Pluto squaring one another.  Squaring energy is highly conflicted and difficult to manage because the two players involve very different kinds of energy.  In this case, the air energy of Libra and the earth energy of Capricorn are both trying to take the lead and have control.  As I stated earlier, Pluto is stronger, so the Plutonian drive has the greater impact on reality.  Consider the financial crisis; the government and private sector attempted Librian solutions (tax credits, bailouts, new financial rules); however, they did not do so in the spirit of the deep change brought on by Pluto in Capricorn.  They have tried to save the system that caused the problem and hope to revive it in the nearly same form as it was leading up to the problem.  They have played a language game (Air, communication), calling this shift a recession instead of a depression, and talking about slow growth instead of steady contraction and shrinkage.  They are trying to use laws to keep the existing system in place (bonuses for CEOs, increasing the size of the few remaining big banks, transferring tax money to debt institutions).  The square provided an opportunity and, I think, we saw essentially the negative expression of both Saturn and Pluto in our leadership.

The positive expression would have possibly looked something like this: only fixed loans would be available for new home purchases and new buyers would have to come with 20% to closing.  Bad loans would fail and properties seized and transitioned onto the market, causing a nearly 50% drop in home values (or a return to basically the tax value of a home).  Derivative markets would be closed; the stock market would be closed and only private investment would be allowed.  Banks would no longer be usury institutions.  Lobbyists would be removed from contact with political leaders.  That's the kind of radical change in structure that is possible with this energy in play.  We are a nation overburdened with debt and it is beginning to unwind and piling more debt on top will not bring about fiscal health.

Up next will be a sextile or 60 degree relationship between Saturn and Pluto beginning in December of 2012 until October of 2013.  This relationship is more harmonious than the square and will involve an interesting situation called mutual reception.  Saturn will be at 9 degrees of Scorpio when Pluto is at 9 degrees of Capricorn.  The energy points will mutually receive each other because they will be in the ruling sign of the other: Saturn rules Capricorn where Pluto will be and Pluto rules Scorpio where Saturn will be.  They will each receive energy from the sign placement of the other that will amp up their energies.  Pluto in this case will be even stronger than during the square when it was connecting with Librian energy instead of Scorpionic energy.  Now again there will be a chance to express positive or negative energy in helping to use structure to facilitate change.  Now we have Saturn in the sign of deep truth, emotional commitment, and transformation.  Pluto will still be chugging along with the unwinding of our world and US economy, but now Saturn will show and see the New Normal for what it is and will be.  Major institutions will again face a chance to make significant changes in line with the Plutonian transformation or ... bury our heads even deeper in the sand and grab what power we can in our respective roles and lives.

Note that this transit aspect will be in full swing after the next US Presidential election.  The first 6 months of the new President will either show great courage or intense fear.  We will get either Churchill/FDR/Lincoln or Mussolini/Hitler/Stalin.  This time will set the tone for the biggest transit aspect of them all, the conjunction, when the energies actually merge and show us the new structures for the next 35 to 40 years.  Saturn/Pluto were conjunct in 1947 and 1982.  Consider the shifts of American power for both of those times shortly after (our rise to power as one of the superpowers and then our move to become the lone superpower).  With these two energies conjuncting nearly opposite the US Sun, those of us living in this country can expect a full reckoning of our nation's activities.  If we arrive at that time as a nation in deep debt, we may find ourselves "bankrupt" and out of options.  If we arrive having made significant changes asked of us by Pluto that require new structures and, in all likelihood, new frugality and humility, then we will continue to be a nation that leads in this world.  We have a lot of work to do between now and 2020.  Some of the work will be foisted upon us by newly emerging realities (resource shortages, deflation of assets, limited work opportunities, a large aging population, overpopulation), which will require some very honest assessments and innovative problem solving (fortunately, Uranus will be in Aries and again we will have an opportunity to express/leverage the positive energy of this transit).  And, as it so happens, Uranus and Pluto will be square from 2012 to 2015.

If you are alive now, then you have chose to be born in one of the most dramatic and exciting times in human history.  We may easily surpass both World Wars, The Great Depression, and the Revolutions of the 60s in this next 10 years alone.  We could make a massive leap forward or backwards; it will all depend on our intentions, our thoughts, and our actions.  I am glad you are all here sharing the journey with me. 

Cycles and Patterns in Astrology

Astrology is filled with cycles and patterns.  Every energy point makes its way around the circle of the horoscope.  A birth chart, whether a person's birth or the birth of an event (the day you got married, opened your business, the US declared its independence), marks a starting point in the infinite cycles of the universe.  When I was born, my Sun began its journey at 23 degrees of the sign of Aries.  And every year, though not exactly at the same time on the same day (the universe is circular, but not precise), the Sun will return to 23 degrees Aries and I will have experienced one solar cycle.  At the time of this writing, I have experienced 42 solar cycles.  Other energy points move more slowly.  Saturn, for example, does not completely cycle from my birth until 28 to 30 and I will not live to see my Pluto cycle (247ish years).  The US, on the other hand, will and in fact, right now, is experience its first Pluto cycle, referred to in astrological terms as a Return.  Every energy point Returns to its original degree and restarts the cycle anew.   My Solar Return occurred last year (April 12, 2009) on the same day as my birth (April 12) at 8:48PM (pretty close to my birth time of 9:39PM).  My first Saturn Return (hopefully I'll live past 60 and have two Saturn Returns in my life) occurred in May of 1997 when I was 29.

Returns are very important because they represent "renewal with knowledge."  Every year of my Solar Return I add new knowledge and experience, which, hopefully, I convert to wisdom.  Each energy point is a source of certain kinds of wisdom.  The Sun is the energy of our Life Path and it make sense for this energy to re-cycle yearly while the rest of the energies of the chart take longer.  Saturn teaches us about restrictions and limitations and the first Return often requires us to evaluate our lives to see if all the key elements are on track or not (work, relationship, health, and so on).  Saturn likes to follow the conservative path; so in the first cycle we can often find ourselves living lives handed down by our family and our culture instead of ones we chose from our inner guidance.  If those two "realities" clash, we will either begin the unwinding process (divorce if a marriage is involved, moving if living in the wrong place is involved, a change of career if we're doing the wrong work) or we will do our best to keep the square peg going into the round hole, but we will now forever know that the peg and the hole do not match.  If you want to get a good measure of Astrology and its usefulness for yourself, then consider getting or casting your charts ahead of the cycles of your energy points:

• Sun - Yearly
• Moon (if you want to keep a Moon journal) - approximately every 28 days (13 times a year)
• Mercury - Yearly (more or less; it has an erratic orbit)
• Venus - Yearly
• Mars - every 2 years
• Jupiter - 12 years
• Saturn - 29 1/2 years
• Chiron - 50 years
• Uranus - 84 years
• Neptune - 166 years
• Pluto - 247 years

Not everyone will make it to a Uranus Return and no one will see their Neptune or Pluto Returns.  It is, however, well worth it to cast charts looking back (if certain returns have already past, say a couple of Jupiter Returns) or forward to key Returns.  If you want to delve deeper into your chart, you can look at key angular relationships that occur between the start and conclusion of a Return - 2 squares and 1 opposition.  These angular relationships are important markers in the journey of the Return, when the energy point conjuncts itself and Returns to its origin degree.  In the case of my Saturn, the Return or 0 point of the 360 degree cycle is 16 degrees Aries.  Along the way around, Saturn will be at 90 degrees, then 180 degrees, then 270 degrees from the 0 point and exert serious energy on itself at those times.  In our life times that means roughly 7 to 8 years old, 14 to 15 years old, and 21 to 22 years old.  See any significant pattern in your own life with those times in terms of your personal and our cultural development?  How about 3, 6, and 9 (the square, opposition, square of Jupiter)?  Chiron ignites itself at 12 to 13, 24 to 25, and 35 to 36?

For each of us, these returns and other connects are significant and for many of us certain of these energy returns and connections are extremely important depending on the configuration of the energies in our charts.  Saturn is a massive player in my chart because it is right next to my North Node which is right next to my Sun and (on the other side) right next to my Mercury which is right next to my Venus.  As you can imagine any time Saturn squares, opposes, and squares again I get a big energetic hit on my chart.  My next super infusion of energy from Saturn will occur in September of 2011 when it will oppose from Libra at 16 degrees.  The meaning of that energetic relationship will be defined by the nature of a opposition, which is to find balance, and its placement by Sign (Libra) and House (12th - Spirituality).  I will be working to balance my Spiritual (12th House) affairs with my Work and Service (6th House) affairs using the energy of Analysis and Decision-Making (Libra) and my birth energy of Action (Aries).  When squares occur, you face energy of challenge and disruption from the energy point.  Your Jupiter challenges itself at the ages of 3 and 9, 15 and 21.  And so on with the energy points that Return throughout your life time.

Since Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto have such large cycles and you may not (Uranus) and will not (Neptune/Pluto) experience the Returns, the squares and oppositions become important.  As you begin to get a feel for the 1st Square, Opposition, 2nd Square, Return pattern, you will also begin to see overlap at key times.  Take the age of 21 for example.  You get both the 2nd Saturn Square and 2nd 2nd Jupiter Square (that's not a typo ... Jupiter is in its second Return cycle so the 2nd Square of that 2nd cycle falls in the same year as the 1st 2nd Square of your Saturn cycle).  For this reason, certain ages in our lives are "amplified" astrologically speaking.  With Uranus, you get your 1st Square at, yes, 21.  21 one is a big deal!!  The Opposition occurs at 40 to 42 and the 2nd Square at 61 to 63 (just on the heels of your 2nd Saturn Return).  Your 1st Neptune Square is around 42 ... yes, look out for 42, its a barn burner! and the Opposition occurs in the mid-80s of life.  The one major Pluto on Pluto relationship is the 1st Square somewhere between 47 and 55 (a wide range because of its elongated orbit).  It will fall for some right at the same time as your Chiron Return; make sure your seat belt is fastened if that's the case.

Astrology is a tool for use and reuse in  your life.  If you want to understand your story, looking back if you are well into life (say past 35) or looking forward (perhaps a teenager who has found astrology or a parent looking in on your child), then there are predictable key times to have charts cast (or cast forward for those times).  Below is the timing list worth casting (approximate time ranges 1 to 2 years around the time listed):

• 12 years old (1st Jupiter Return, 1st Chiron Square)
• 14/15 years old (2nd 1st Jupiter Square, Saturn Opposition)
• 21 years old (2nd Saturn Square, 1st Uranus Square, 2nd 2nd Jupiter Square)
• 25 (Chiron Opposition)
• 28/29 (Saturn Return)
• 35/36 (2nd 1st Saturn Square, 3rd Jupiter Return)
• 37/38 (2nd Chiron Square)
• 41/42 (Uranus Opposition, 1st Neptune Square, 3rd 1st Jupiter Square)
• 48 (4th Jupiter Return)
• 50 (Chiron Return, 1st Pluto Square)
• 60 (2nd Saturn Return, 5th Jupiter Return)
• 62/63 (2nd Uranus Square)

A professional Astrologer can look at your birth chart and identify other key hot spots in the story of your life as well as tell you which energy points play the more significant role.  For some of us, it may be Saturn is at the top of the list, for others it may be Neptune.  Some people may have charts where several energy points vie for positions of dominance.  Astrology really is your personal story unfolding.

Big Shifts - Ingress of Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto

While the news media and the politicians are desperately trying to tell us we are returning to normal or will return to normal, most people, I think, feel a fundamental shift has taken place and even more dramatic change is in our not so distance future.  In astrology, individuals will feel significant change when an energy point ingresses from one sign to another.  The first ingress we felt was Pluto leaving Sagittarius at the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008 and entering Capricorn.  Not surprisingly the financial meltdown occurred during that ingress.  When an ingress occurs it is not a one and done cross over; the ingressing energy point will pass over the ingress point at least 3 times thanks to retrograde motion.  Pluto in Sagittarius was all about the transformation of religions, higher learning, and authority mainly through expansion, which, when the bill came due and Pluto entered Capricorn we learned that the entire world (except for China) overextended and expanded not through savings, but debt.  The 8.5 million jobs lost in America and the deflation (instead of inflation) of wages and property values reflect false or fake employment and expansion.  The jobs and homes were built on the debt supercycle and Pluto entering Capricorn forced the pendulum swing back and will continue to do so for the next 15 years!

It is not that we're "not out of the woods yet," it's that we're not fully into the woods yet.  Now this one ingress is enough to gut punch us, but right now, today, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, and Neptune are ingressing; all of the outer planets!  Saturn is dancing over Virgo/Libra.  Chiron and Neptune, which are conjunct, are crossing back and forth over Aquarius/Pisces, and Uranus is dancing over Pisces/Aries.  Saturn is currently opposing Uranus and squaring Pluto (by orb ... or "allowed range"; the square between Uranus and Pluto will be exact for the first time June 2012).  This configuration of Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto creates what is known as a T-Square (or 90 degree triangle), with the "missing" point over in Cancer (the family).  With Saturn entering Libra there will be a desire to hold onto the rules and use the same judgments (old ways of thinking will persist).  Think of Einstein's comment: “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”  Which is what Saturn in Libra will encourage, hence weak Health Care and Financial Reform legislation in this country and Financial Reform worldwide.  Uranus is leaving the dreamy innovation for pioneering Aries, where getting it done will be part of the drive.  But Aries is also warlike, so revolution is part and parcel of its energy.  Small snippets have appeared in the form of one man bulldozing his house before the bank could repossess it and another man flying a plane into and IRS building.


At the personal level, you need to have your chart in front of you to know where this ingress energy is affecting you.  Neptune and Chiron are moving from idealistic Aquarius into dreamy Pisces (and the ruling sign for Neptune).  Demetra George has suggested on Find an Astrologer .com that we can expect scarcity around liquids (read oil and fresh water).  Couple that with Chiron's role as our energetic wound and we will likely see more disillusionment and safety recalls (Toyota, Johnson and Johnson, Kelloggs).   This energy will likely play out in beliefs, especially spiritual ones (Catholic church scandal).  Wherever Aquarius/Pisces is in your chart, you can expect illusion/wounding to energize you to see more clearly.  We're in a hell of a cosmic storm and the full impacts of these ingresses will not be felt until we are well into 2011.