Where is the Compassion – More on Uranus

“Compassion is the radicalism of our time.”

-The Dalai Lama

It has become common knowledge around the world that the times in which we live are difficult and are possibly getting worse. The newest set of problems seem to be coming in Europe as the debts of Italy and Spain could create huge problems for the entire world. In addition we face growing problems here in the United States as well. The subject of this article will focus on the particular political and social divisions we are seeing right now that are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I will also take a look at what I believe is at the heart of this conflict, which I regard as a major paradigm or belief system problem.

One of the chief features of today’s atmosphere is the lack of compassion or concern for others or the collective needs of our society. We saw this phenomenon during the Tea Party debate this last week when Ron Paul was asked how he would handle a situation of a 30 year old person without insurance needing an expensive surgery for which he could not pay. Before Rep. Paul could answer, many in the audience yelled out ‘Let him die.’ While Ron Paul did not overtly disagree with this notion, he did suggest that in the past religious charities took up the slack for people in this man’s plight. There are many other examples of the growing hatred of all government services and a lack of compassion. The nation’s infrastructure breaks down more and more each day and the only solution conservatives offer is to build private toll roads. Would we have ever built the interstate highway system we take for granted today without the federal government financing it? How many successful economies in the world depend on private companies to do everything a government used to do? The answer is none. The answer offered by conservatives is to have everything privatized which must also mean that they also want the profit motive to rule all public policy.

This article is not meant to give tons of examples of this phenomenon that I regard as a growing lack of compassion and concern for our fellow man/woman. Some of the reforms conservatives seek are worthy of consideration. But I’m asking why there is such enormous rigidity and such a commitment to a belief system that all other viewpoints are seen as flat-out wrong. What I seek is to understand what is happening and how astrology can both assist us as well as to discover what might be done about it. Let’s start with the notion that these are times of great extremes. Whenever people cannot find a way to resolve disputes, we can assume that each side is coming from some degree of extreme ideation. Each side justifies why their view is right and must be advocated without any concern for what the other side thinks. To me, this indicates a high degree of imbalance. This is where astrology can reveal important things to us that will aid us greatly in our understanding.

The Polarity of Uranus and Neptune

Both of these planets are considered to be ‘outer planets’ in astrology. This means that they function at a different level of ‘being’ than the ones from the Sun to Saturn. The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are concerned with the development of our personal and social life within a family and societal context. These planets govern our ability to make our way in life and to function successfully in society as well as to get our own personal needs met. Interestingly, astrology worked quite well hundreds of years ago, long before the outer planets were discovered. This is because Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are of a different order or paradigm. You don’t need to know about them in order to understand what’s happening in daily life, at least for the most part. These outer planets have been called ‘transcendent’ planets which rule the transformational process and give us insights of a non-ordinary nature. They push us into new territory, a paradigm shift or a leap in consciousness which often takes us outside our everyday world. But can you guess where a problem could develop? To this author, a problem occurs if an individual is unable to understand the nature of the ‘pull’ of one or more of the transpersonal planets. Those planets are there whether or not we are able to relate to them the way they are intended. And many people may not be able to do so. This is what sets up the possibility of dysfunction in that field of our consciousness.

Another factor I will be showing is that Uranus and Neptune are actually part of an important POLARITY and that if one side dominates over the other, great imbalance and harm can be done to a person, society or an entire nation. So, let’s take a look at what each of these archetypes represent in the best sense and then we’ll examine what can happen if they remain dormant and therefore inactive in our unconscious.

If you care to learn more about either Uranus or Neptune, please feel free to use the ‘tag cloud’ or do a search for articles about them. I have written extensively on them in past issues of this newsletter.

Uranus

This archetypal energy represents the principle of awakening into true personhood or individuality. Uranus is the first planet that follows Saturn. With Saturn we learn how to live successfully in our everyday world. By nature, this is where we must play by the rules, conform, and work well with others, unless otherwise indicated. When Uranus is active, the message changes and we must now work toward being a unique person. This is where we must think for ourselves and not blindly listen to what others say. We must follow the dictates of our own inner knowing whether that concerns our purpose or our ability to make a unique contribution to the world. Sometimes, however, we must eschew the society and find our own path, which includes ignoring what we are told by others or by the mainstream. This is where we must find our separate self and hold to no outer authority. Joseph Campbell put this so clearly with his famous maxim “Don’t follow me, I’m following my Bliss.”

Neptune

This archetypal energy is the one that balances Uranus. It is the opposite side of the set. With Uranus we develop our own unique self, unfettered by anyone else. With Neptune, we begin to ‘see’ and more importantly ‘feel’ our connectedness with all others. This is where we are asked to develop compassion and understanding as we recognize that we are not alone, not isolated ‘selves,’ but in fact are a part of a holistic reality. Another way to see this principle is the idea that we actually are the other person and that as we treat them, we are treated. Neptune is unconditional Love, the love that keeps the universe together in a mystical, but real sense.

What is important to realize is that both of these principles are new to the consciousness of human beings and often fail to be used in the way they need to be if negative effects are to be avoided. It also makes it more difficult to stay in balance with each other.

The Negative Side

Because most people are not yet sensitive to the vibrations and tones of the higher planets, we usually see more of the negative expression than the positive, unfortunately. Of course, this is how we learn most of the time and there is a pretty simple cause: the function of these planets is still new to humanity. They have not been absorbed into the consciousness of the people on this planet, although they are indeed emerging.

With Uranus, we see the rebel (sometimes without a cause), the person who demands freedom to do what they want to do no matter what anyone else thinks, and someone who believes that everyone should make it on their own and if they don’t, it’s their fault. We can read about the philosophies of Ayn Rand to get an idea of Uranus in its effects. By the way, Rep. Paul Ryan regards Rand as one of his favorite authors and Rep. Ron Paul named his son after her as well. It will be helpful for those of you who want to understand the philosophy of the Tea Party to know of her work.

In the case of Neptune, there can be an unrealistic idealism that can lead to self and other deception, goals that are too idealistic to achieve and a sacrificial nature that gives over personal power to someone or something else. And, if one is emphasized over the other, you can expect to see all sorts of issues developing that can have very negative consequences.

The value of knowing about this set, about concepts that have opposites contained within them, is that when we are conscious of these sets, we can recognize if we are straying way out of balance on one side or the other. Without this kind of knowing, we are blind to so many things in the real world, as our ‘belief systems’ take over and we then see only that which we want to see.

The State of Our Society

Right now, with the transit of Uranus about to square Pluto, the archetypal potentials of Neptune are being completely washed out. Compassion is often considered to be a weakness, something only the ‘bleeding hearts’ waste their energy on. Instead, what matters most now is complete reliance on self alone. With this belief system, government is seen only as a waste of resources and anything that the government historically has been expected to do, must now be ‘privatized.’ So, the nation’s infrastructure begins to fall apart, the possibility of global warming is denied, and even the concept of evolution is attacked freely by religious fundamentalists who have the right to believe whatever they want to believe, even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

To the author, this shows an out of balance emphasis on Uranus that is very likely to grow to greater extremes as we move into the coming square between Uranus and Pluto. Any reliance on others seems to be regarded negatively. Personally, I was shocked when Gov. Perry said he has never lost sleep over the death of an inmate sentenced to die. What makes this so strange to me is the fact that we do know that there are cases of innocent people going to jail for crimes they did not commit. Where is the compassion, not just for that single person, but for all of us who might suffer the terrible fate of being condemned to death for something we did not do? How can a governor completely ignore this? No one in his position should sleep like a baby about such important things. This is one of the few times that one would hope for a case of restless sleep.

Summary

In the long run, humanity learns about these archetypal principles from all that happens to it collectively and to each of its individauls. We discover more about what is best for us as much or more from our excesses than we do when everything is working well. However, this doesn’t mean that people will not suffer while this learning process takes place. The pain we do to ourselves will ultimately bring about the awareness we need for growth.

But frankly, there is one caveat to this. The ignoring of the environmental issues the entire planet faces may not be fixable by the time humanity recognizes the enormity of the problem it faces. It is possible we are under a ‘sword of Damocles’ problem and refuse to realize it to be true. The price of hubris can be very high indeed, and deliberately ignoring the facts is perhaps the very height of that hubris. True compassion to ourselves and to the world must include taking care of the place in which we live and have our Being.

The Coming Square Between Uranus and Pluto

Hello Everyone,

I want to spend a little more time looking at what is happening in the U.S. as it is the precursor for the coming transit of Uranus square to Pluto. Right now, they are only 1° apart from being in exact square although it will still be another year before the first aspect is made. This will happen for the first time on June 24, 2012, when Pluto will be at 8° Capricorn and square Uranus at 8° Aries. They will square each other 7 times over the following three years so this transit will be in effect for a long time.

While it will affect the world as a whole, the U.S. will be affected a great deal since in 2014, this transit will link up to the Sun/Saturn square of the U.S. chart. This article cannot go into all of this, but what I want to look at is the question of how what is happening in the political environment might be a prelude to the possible issues emerging in the next few years.

This article is intended to both make observations and ask questions. So, I hope some of you might want to reply with your own thoughts one the matters I will be bringing up.

One of the biggest biases on my part is that the political environment of today is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Even in the ‘radical’ sixties, the two parties didn’t fight like they do now and were not as extreme either. Let me give some examples:

• Filibusters were very rare as there was a general belief that in a democracy the party that won the election had the right to govern and that to block it simply because one could do so, was anti-democracy. Now, filibusters are used as a constant threat and are frequently a part of the political process.
• Governmental and judicial appointments by the President were normally approved since to not do so was to render the government ineffective and unable to carry out it legislated mandates. Now, there are an historic number of blocked appointments which prevent the various governmental agencies from running as they should. Sometimes it seems that the anti-government party wants to make sure that government won’t work by blocking every appointment it can.
• Many pundits and even some politicians openly state that they want to do as much as they can to prevent the President from succeeding even if it means that the country will suffer accordingly. This would have been conceived of as near treason in the past, since it undermines the very promise of democracy. I used to enjoy the Sunday news programs where Republicans (Nixon, Kissinger, Rockefeller, Lindsay, etc.) debated Democrats (McGovern, Symington, Jackson, etc.). There were hostilities too, at times, but no one questioned the importance of coming to a solution that would serve the American people. In fact, there was a belief that the debate itself would assure that end by making sure that whatever was decided would indeed be the best outcome of that time period.
• Facts were considered important. When I listened to politicians from both sides of the aisle, most of the facts were not disputed. How they were interpreted was what the debate was about. Today, if one listens to any political discussion, one will not be able to leave the program or article without feeling confused about what is and is not true. It seems that people will say anything.

This is just a partial list, but given all of this, how can any consensus ever be formed? In fact, it is fair to ask the following simple question. Is the present climate one in which the actual intention is to block any effort to achieve a consensus? Is the coming to consensus even a desired goal anymore? What I see is that for many consensus is now something to be fought against with all of its might.

So, how can a nation or its government stand when this is the case? So, let me ask the bigger question. Is there a ‘Will’ to remain one nation?

This has been an issue for the U.S. throughout its history. Witness the Civil War. And the truth is that many in the South have not gotten over that loss. We are 50 states and though there has been the ‘Will’ to be a nation, there has always been tension between how much power the Federal and State governments should have.

The growing transiting square between Uranus and Pluto will certainly test the ‘Will’ of the citizenry to remain one nation in a way that has not happened since the Civil War. And we are beginning to see it now.

We hear rumors that the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, will run for President. This is the same man who not long ago publicly wondered aloud whether the great State of Texas should secede from the union. What can this tell us about the momentum of things? And if he and other Tea Party members lose and Obama wins the general election, how will they feel about it? What will they do? Will they do what used to be done and congratulate the winner and do all they can to serve their nation to support the ‘Will’ of the people? I see no evidence of that at all. What is more likely is that it will further enrage and radicalize these forces.

So, as we go into the revolutionary and passionate transit of Uranus square to Pluto, this is what we are seeing. This transit will amplify everything we now see, and it will likely become even more extreme than it is now. And the biggest question of all will be whether or not this plays out as the need for major reform and improvement (such as the creation of a national commission to review and modernize the Constitution), or will there be a movement towards overt revolution that could cause the States to break up into regions composed of ‘sympathetic’ States from the old union.

It may seem to many of my readers that my take on recent events is exaggerated. I hope you are right. I would offer simply this. Watch and see if there is a ‘Will’ to make government work for the people. After all, in an ideal world, the people are the government. And if this is no longer true, then why not reform the government rather than destroy it? Why not seek solutions to the problems rather than blindly condemn each other constantly. Ask yourself, what is the natural end if there is no federal government and the States rule everything. What will that look like?

ADDENDUM:

For fun, I’d like to say a little about the history of the debt ceiling. To me, it ought to be something that each person with an opinion about the recent debt ceiling debacle would need to understand.

How many countries in the World have a debt ceiling? Two, the U.S. and Denmark. But Denmark has set an impossibly high number so it never comes into play, which leaves only the U.S. as having a real debt ceiling.

Why don’t other countries have one? Because other countries recognize that if a Legislature approves bills that result in the government bringing in less money than is going out, that it will have to borrow money to do so. If that government decides to change its approach to debt, it must take action to do so, but this would not mean that it no longer owes the money that previous Legislatures approved. The fact is that our present Congress has behaved like a deadbeat, refusing to pay the bills on what it owes. It’s sort of like going to the store and buying a nice stereo, then using it a while, and then saying you don’t want it anymore so you announce to the people you owe the money to that you’ve decided not to pay the debt. Gee, that sure does breed confidence in the person who is owed the money, doesn’t it?

When did the debt ceiling begin? It began in 1917 during WWI and was called the Second Liberty Bond Act. It was put into place so that Congress did not have to authorize every new issue of debt. But it was always assumed to be a mere formality for the same reasons as what I’ve written above.

How many times has the debt ceiling been raised? Since 1960, it has been raised 78 times and done so as a formality.

All of this means that the ‘crisis’ was made out of whole cloth. It was invented and to me, was an act of shooting oneself in the foot. It was not caused by debt. Yes, we have a debt problem that must be dealt with, so why would I make such a declaration? Because right now, the World is loaning money to the U.S. more cheaply than ever before. It was considered to be the ‘gold standard’ in the world’s currency. UNTIL NOW, that is. It is still considered to be in much better shape than the Euro and other European currencies.

We don’t know all the effects of the debt ceiling ‘crisis’, other than the fact that S&P has downgraded the nation from its highest designation of AAA to AA+. There is some controversy about S&P itself given the fact that other countries who they still give their highest rating to are more suspect than we are. Also, there is the fact that they completely blew it in 2008 as they had no idea about the state of the economy that was about to enter the huge crisis we all know about now.

But China has already issued warnings to the U.S. about its debt and has even questioned whether or not the U.S. dollar should remain the world’s currency. Few people know how many benefits come to the nation that is the recipient of this blessing. But if you are interested in learning more about this, look at history and read what happens to countries that lose this status. In every case, it meant a significant downward turn in the lives of their citizens as that nation ceases to be a world power.

Today, the Federal Reserve announced that they would not consider raising interest rates until 2013. This was done to try to create a climate of certainty in this turbulent marketplace. This action is itself highly unusual as actually the Fed is handcuffing itself by doing this. What if economic conditions change and there is pressure to raise interest rates? These are times of great uncertainty made even greater by the poltical system in this country seemingly being committed to chaos and disorder.

Next week the newsletter will return to its usual astrological focus. We will be looking at the Mercury retrograde cycle and the fact that there will be a very rare conjunction between the Sun, Mercury AND Venus bringing together two different cycles all at once.

As always I would love to hear the thoughts about this article. One question I will leave you with as we enter this revolutionary period of the nation’s history is this. Do you think that the majority of citizens of the U.S. have the desire and ‘Will’ to remain together as a true democratic nation with all that this means? Can we find a way to come through this turbulent period with respect for the promise that this nation represents which includes tolerance for those of us with different views or fall victim to the pressures of greed, disorder, and vitriolic passions? What do you see coming for us?

Uranus in Aries and the “Democracy Virus”

Uranus entered Aries for the first time in this cycle on May 29, 2010, but it only visited for a few months before returning into Pisces. This gave us a brief glimpse of what was in store for us but when Uranus entered Aries fully on March 13, 2011 the game changed for good. Uranus will be in Aries for about 7 years or until 2018 and during much of that time it will be squaring Pluto, so it’s really time to take a look at what all this means as we are now able to extrapolate on what we have begun to see.

Uranus is the archetypal symbol of independence, of acting and thinking for oneself instead of blind acceptance of what authority figures may tell us. It is the iconoclast, the person who must challenge the prevalent beliefs and even attempt to destroy old, outworn structures, institutions, and symbols. This, of course, will be resisted by the structures in charge at the time, but especially if those structures are seen as dominating the people of that nation by dictators, autocrats, and monarchs. Uranus in Aries, amplifies this much further as Aries needs to be able to roam free, unfettered by outside figures who seek to control, limit or curtail the Aries spirit that seeks to act in a way that the individual Aries feels it must do. Together, Uranus in Aries will not tolerate restrictions from totalitarian authorities who the Aries will regard as corrupt.

However, it is important to make a distinction between how an individual responds to a potent transit versus how the masses do. In fact, they can act in very different ways. For an individual, the person will be inspired to break free from the past programming and desire to take risks one might not have even considered at other times. One may decide to pursue a path that they could not envision doing in the past, but now, it’s different. Now, one sees that to keep oneself in the status quo is a kind of soul-death. To feel alive, one must grow at all costs, leave the past behind and follow one’s Bliss, as Joseph Campbell (an Aries) put it. But when this type of transit is experienced by the people of an entire nation or continent, Uranus often becomes the chaos maker, seeking revolutionary change at all costs. People mobilize for social causes and for more than just governmental reform. Instead, it may seek revolution. The more severe the oppression, the more severe the response to that oppression will be. I have often wondered why dictators so often refuse to understand this. Mubarak is only the first major leader of an Arab country to ignore this truth and has fallen as a result.

The Arab World

What we are witnessing in the Arab world is truly historic. It is likely that we are seeing a fundamental paradigm shift in that area of the world. Admittedly, as is typical of Uranus, there is always great uncertainty about where things will go. All one knows is that there is a demand for change. No doubt some changes will be constructive, while others will be worse than what existed before. Unfortunately though that is the way of things, is it not?

We have seen revolution in Egypt and Tunisia. Libya seems to be on course to the overthrow of Qaddafi. Of potentially much greater significance, Syria is seeing mass killings by a dictator seeking only to stay in power, which of course, means that his power is likely to be on the way out. We see unrest in Bahrain, Yemen and other countries. Every citizen in the Arab world is watching developments closely resulting in the development of a spiral towards more and more countries falling to this growing desire for change. Each successful revolution motivates the citizens of other countries, emboldening them, and makes them more willing to die for their cause. Is this not a revolutionary spiral we’re seeing? How can we know where events will go? The truth is that no one knows where it will lead or when it will stop. The huge royal family of Saudi Arabia has got to be very concerned as their dominance is certain to be increasingly questioned and even attacked. We haven’t even had the first square of Uranus to Pluto, meaning that what is happening now is just a run up to what will be emerging in the next year.

Where is this going?

Many journalists are using the term I have chosen for the title of this article. The Arab leaders, in power for many decades and longer, are accustomed to having their form of dictatorship go unquestioned. It was assumed that it would never end. And, of course, the idea of democracy being introduced was unthinkable not long ago. But these assumptions are no longer true. So, the term ‘democracy virus’ is being used to describe what is growing exponentially in the Arab world. It is radically new and to the leaders at least, it is regarded as an aberration, a virus that must be destroyed and a threat to their idea of what their life is supposed to be. But it is growing more each day and is not likely to end.

As most of the readers of this blog know already, we can attribute this to the internet and the emergence of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. Both of these are ruled by the planet Uranus and the sign of Aquarius. And of course, the smart phone, which is transforming our world yet again, bringing us closer together in some ways, but, in my view, farther apart in other ways. (But that’s for another time.) There seem to be two strategies to deal with democracy virus – the carrot and the stick. The dictators are using violence and payoffs as their only alternative. But how can this work for long if the real need of this part of the world is the kind of participation that can only be found in democracy or at least some degree of it.

The Paradox

Here is what I find the most interesting. On one hand, we see that Aries is a sign of individualism. One of the chief ways this is emerging in the U.S. is the revolutionary spirit that regards government in the same way that many citizens in the Arab world think of their autocratic leadership. Does anyone find this odd? Is it the same? Is the U.S. system a monolithic, dictatorial system?

In Egypt, what really angered the people the most? The answer is clear. It was the corruption in the Mubarak government. I don’t know if he would have been ousted if it weren’t for this. Is this not where the anger really comes from when there is revolutionary talk? So, in the Arab world democracy is seen as the answer to corruption, but what about in the U.S.? Are the people of the U.S. asking for more democracy? Well, in some ways we are seeing this. In a very unusual move, the people of southern Arizona want to form their own state. They’ve named it Baja Arizona. Why? Because the people of Tucson feel they have no power in their very conservative state. These are the liberal and moderate people of Arizona who do not feel their voice will be heard no matter how loud they scream. But will the rest of Arizona permit it? Will the state allow their southern counterparts to have two liberal officials suddenly appearing in the U.S. Senate? Obviously, the greater number of conservative voters are not going to give permission for this to happen as it would totally nullify the conservative influence the state of Arizona now has in the Senate. And there are other states where a similar theme exists and is occurring from both sides of the aisle.

So, what does this tell us? As I mentioned Uranus brings in new paradigms, new ways of seeing problems and even more new ways of solving them. If we focus on events only, the coming 3-4 years may bring about much talk within states that can change the structure of the U.S. It could be like what we are seeing in Arizona where one state splits into two or there may be secession talk. Already we are seeing states refuse money from the ‘evil’ federal government. Is the U.S. government truly the same as Mubarak in Egypt or Assad in Syria? But we need to look at more than just events. We also must value the coming opportunities for new thinking and new approaches that are outside the present political two-party system.

Let’s see how astrology might help us. The fact is that no sign exists alone. In fact, I do not believe that it is possible to fully understand one sign if you do not also understand it’s opposite. So, to understand Aries, one must know about Libra as well. By definition, a ‘set’ is composed of two sides, each of which depends on the other in order to exist. When this is seen thoroughly, it can help us move forward. When a set of opposing forces is seen, we recognize that the first step is to realize the limitation of approaching any problem that is posed in a dualistic manner. So, if Aries is the archetype of individualism, then Libra as its opposite sees how important social equality and harmony is for a society. Libra knows that the social contract is important. This means that a society must find a balance between the forces of individualism and social harmony, which is naturally a state of tension. Each of these archetypal needs must be validated as necessary. Tension can either break us down or it can motivate us to find creative solutions.

To apply this to politics in the U.S., I am suggesting that to label people as either conservative or liberal is itself an underestimated problem as it prevents our present form of government from being able to solve problems. Instead, let’s suppose that two things were added to our approach to government. First, suppose the citizens of the U.S. found a way wherein they could approach solving specific problems on an individual basis and secondly, found a way to debate those issues in a way that was truly informative before the decisions were made. What would happen? I believe consensus could be developed about many issues, because despite the seeming rancor constantly bombarding us by the 24-hour news cycle, most reasonable people would agree on many things if the issues were broken down into manageable problems. But this would mean the destruction of both parties as they exist now. It would also mean the destruction of the incredibly powerful lobbying groups who have so much influence over the decision-making process. Is this even possible given the fact that these forces dominate the entire process? Must we not either find real solutions to the significant problems we face or be bogged down into immobility?

My purpose here is not to propose or predict a possible future as much as it is to suggest a truly different paradigm for how decisions could be made in a democracy. In fact, I am suggesting we become more of a democracy than we are now, where money rules all decisions. Is this our definition of democracy? Or is this the definition of corruption? I think it is the latter. These ideas are not inconsistent with Uranus in Aries because Aries can be bold and give more weight to the individual while Libra, as its opposing force, reminds us that we also must have a relationship with our fellow citizens.

So, will Uranus in Aries be simply a revolt against ‘big government’, which we are seeing now, or will it become the introduction of a new paradigm about how a people can have influence over the problem-solving process that affects us all? Will Uranus further democracy and seek to oust or minimize corruption, or will it do the opposite and give even more control to the powerful influences controlling the entire decision-making process? By the way, since when do we really believe that a corporation is a person? What is the effect of the Supreme Court deciding that it is? And more importantly, how is this view actually promoting or valuing true individuality? Isn’t that what Aries wants and needs?

Summary

Whenever Uranus is in play, and especially when it squares Pluto, there are opportunities for very significant change. But by change I do not mean revolutions that simply oust one group in favor of another group who have the same basic values and way of operating. This is the time when new kinds of structures can be created, where new values replace the outworn ones and when those who really have the power lose it in favor of a true spirit of democracy. Is this too idealistic? Perhaps it is. But at least in the true spirit of Uranus, the ideas are being expressed. What will happen with these idealistic ideas is unknown, but the coming transits will likely bring forward very unusual and out-of-the-box approaches for consideration.

Here’s a really fun website that you might enjoy about the imaginary debate between the economists John Maynard Keynes and F.A. Hayek that goes into the two opposing ideas of how an economy should be run. It’s called the Economic Fight of the Century.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts. May they come from both sides of the aisle and also from the true iconoclasts among you.

Is Our Economy Recovering and Where are We Going?

 

This week’s article is different than most. I am going to focus on what’s going on in the economy and what astrology has to say about it. Also, since we are in the midst of the Venus retrograde, which in part does rule money and finances, we indeed are in a period where it is important to try to understand the true nature of things and by implication, where things might be going. We are in the midst of another important transit that can easily be overlooked. I am referring to the opposition between Jupiter and Saturn. To put this into perspective, this is a very important 20 year cycle that has a lot to do with the general shifts in one’s personal as well as the national economy. That cycle began at the conjunction in May of 2000, which means we are now at the mid-point of that same cycle. A conjunction is like a New Moon in that it sparks the beginning of a new phase of developments that is often fundamentally different from the previous one. The opposition, which is where we are now, is like a Full Moon in that it brings to full fruition the ‘essence’ or ‘seed’ of what was born at the conjunction. In other words it takes some time for the new impulse to begin to manifest as the nature of the previous cycle slowly gives way so that something new can be born. The Jupiter/Saturn conjunction occurred in the sign of Taurus, which is a fixed earth sign. In economics terms it asks us to pay as we go, to focus on what is of ‘real’ value, not just created value and to create a foundation that we can really trust. If this is not done, then sooner or later, there will be severe consequences. If we examine the first 8 years of this cycle (2000-2008) we see that the exact opposite of Taurus was occurring. Debt was rising, values had become distorted and very few people were yelling at us to stop the coming train wreck. For example, no longer were people buying homes to live in. They were buying investments to be turned over. No longer were people motivated to pay down their debt, but were instead financing major remodels thereby increasing their debt. And all of this was due to the popular belief that the price of real estate was going to rise forever or at least for a very long time. Now, when in the history of mankind did everything go up forever? Answer: NEVER. Yet, this was overlooked and the result was that this new ‘Taurus” demand for focusing on REAL value was ignored and we have been just waiting for the crash that MUST inevitably come. It came in 2008 and is still with us today.

In our society, so much is politicized that at times we, as a people, may not be able to see straight. Economics is one of those areas of life. So to take a look that is as objective as possible, I often turn to Fareed Zakaria. He makes an effort to bring on guests that he feels are smart and very well-informed; he asks great questions and follows up in ways that truly clarify the matters being discussed. If a guest can’t handle that, they don’t come on his show. This Sunday he had a special show called “Restoring the American Dream.” His guests were CEO’s of Alcoa, Google, Coca-Cola and an Executive who had been CEO of both IBM and American Express. By the way, did you know that Coca-Cola is manufacturing its drinks in 260 countries? That’s more than the number of countries in the United Nations. To some of my readers this may seem like a group of men (and yes they were all men) who are biased. Yes, they are. But none of them could get anywhere if they were not grounded in reality and all of them are quite familiar with how the global economy is affecting this country, so they are worth hearing out. For example how will we deal with unemployment when most experts believe that due to tremendous improvements in technologies, when the economy does improve, that 30-40% of the old jobs will not come back? Those jobs will NEVER come back. A huge transition is happening in the world and we are only now beginning to become aware of its nature.

I will summarize as succinctly as I can what their main points were:

• About the role of government – since the early 1950′s, government financing of research and development of new technologies (primarily but not exclusively through the Dept. of Defense) totally fueled the growth of our economy. Recently, China publicized its achievement of having developed the fastest computer in the world which was funded by its government. For the past few decades, the U.S. government has been spending less and less on R&D, especially on new technologies as well as ‘green’ technologies, which has resulted in the fact that now the U.S. is ranked #6 in the world. China is #1 in the development of new ‘green’ technologies. Most of us believed that certainly the U.S. would want to be the leader in this newly emerging field. This does not bode well for our economy since more and more future jobs will be in this field. To the executives on this show, we need to become #1 again, especially since we no longer have an economy based on manufacturing.
• Education – Believe it or not, 40% of the doctorates (PhD’s) awarded last year were given to foreign-born students, the majority of whom were forced by our immigration laws to leave the country after receiving their degree. That’s a lot of brain drain leaving a country that is quickly losing ground to the rest of the world. The percentage of PhD’s that are given to foreign-born students is a severe condemnation of our present school system, but at least they had to come here to get advanced degrees. Why not encourage them to remain here? By the way, the U.S. ranks #52 in the world in the quality of science and math education, slightly behind Viet Nam.
• Training and Retraining employees – Many countries work hard to retrain employees as they realize that their national economic security and interest depends on this. In Germany, for example, unemployment has been DROPPING the last several years while ours has been steadily increasing. Most feel that this is due to their strong emphasis on retraining workers as they regard this as an investment rather than as just an expense.
• How we regard teachers – for a long time now, teachers and teacher unions have been the whipping boys and girls of politicians, but that’s not how the executives see it. If you look historically at teachers, it has never been regarded as a profession. During and after World War II, teachers were women who wanted to make a little ‘extra income.’ Fortunately many of them were very good. But since then, teaching has not been given nearly as important status as it needs to be. If it were regarded seriously as a profession two things would have to occur. Salaries would have to rise significantly and the quality of teachers would also have to rise with that. At this point, how will this be paid for?

The group of CEO’s made four general recommendations:

1. All were concerned about the high degree of divisiveness in our political discourse. It has gotten so bad that we cannot agree on anything which, of course, prevents us from doing anything. Finding a way to come together as a nation on a commitment to national goals was the first recommendation they made. This includes politicians ceasing to have a mentality of ‘my district first.’
2. Find ways to encourage startup businesses knowing that many will fail, but that some will not and may then become real forces in the creation of a new economy.
3. Revive manufacturing to some degree, even if it does not reach levels it used to be in the past.
4. Changing the nature of our economy – for the past 30 years we have bought into the idea that we could have a sustainable economy based solely on consumption. This means borrowing money is seen as a way to fuel the economy. But it cannot be sustained forever. The economy must change to the focusing on creating either things or new ideas and information. Fareed recommended we create a value added tax (a national sales tax) for the sole purpose of funding new innovation, just like we did in the 1950′s and for decades after that.

All of this is actually what the Jupiter opposition to Saturn is encouraging us to look at. Here are some ideas that Fareed suggested we might do as individuals:

1. Do something unique (remember that we are in a Jupiter conjunction with Uranus ruling uniqueness?). Find a field you enjoy and become an expert in it. Bring back artisanship, craftsmanship and focus on customizing rather than on just making commodities. China can make commodities, but no one country can compete with people who create unique or customized things.

2. Go local – do something within your community that cannot be outsourced.

3. Make yourself indispensable by becoming an expert. Such things are learning a new craft that is difficult (like astrology?); or learn a new language since the global economy is here to stay, etc.

These are just some of the things we can do, but all of them and many more depend on one thing. We must recognize the fact that things have changed forever. The old economy has died. It is not dying, it is dead. For many of my readers who are already in varying degrees alternative, some of this is not new. Many of you have been doing this for some time and will continue to do so. Because Jupiter and Uranus have begun a new cycle, what I’ve written here is likely to be the wave of the future. Innovation will be accelerating in importance and hopefully many of us will be either on board with it or founders of something that is unique.

As always, I look forward to your responses, but especially to this article. Tell us what you are doing to yourself to make these things happen in your life. If the difficult times we are clearly in result in a resurgence of innovation and creativity, we can use these harder times and put them to good use.

More on Venus Retrograde

 

The retrograde period has fully begun and we may find ourselves having to face the challenges that it may be bringing. It can be helpful to conceive of these matters as areas that have been present for some time, but is only now something we are able to recognize and therefore something we have to handle. Thus, we do benefit from examining them more deeply.

Because Venus rules values, one of the most significant aspects of this 6-week period has to do with the priorities we have consciously or unconsciously set for ourselves. Life always has its limitations, so we can never do it all or be all things to all people. So the question of what really matters to us is important. And along with that is the issue of why one thing matters more to us than another. Venus rules our likes and dislikes, but during its retrograde cycle, we get the chance to look closely at them to determine why they are important to us or not. This is especially true right now with Jupiter also being retrograde. Jupiter rules our philosophies and belief systems, so together we need to really get to the ‘essence’ of what is important to us.

Our relationship to others and to things/objects – the Venus retrograde affects our relationships certainly. But I would suggest that we go a bit further to look at the nature of our relationship to a person or object in our life. In the negative sense, Venus is known to rule greed, narcissism, possessiveness, jealousy and so on. But it is when Venus is retrograde that that we have an opportunity to discover what is really motivating us in that relationship. What is really going on inside us? We say and feel that we love someone, but do we really? And, if so, why? What are the underlying or real motives behind the relationship? And do we like what we see? If not, the Venus retrograde period is the time to become open to a new way of loving, a way that is real and genuine and which takes into the account not just our needs, but the needs of the other person as well. Venus can be selfish in its needs, so now we get a chance to shift. And, on the other hand, if there is an imbalance in the opposite direction, that is that we do not take our own needs into account sufficiently, we have a chance now to shift in that direction as well. This is a time to examine and re-balance.

Jupiter conjuncting Uranus Revisited

I haven’t written recently about this on-going transit, but it is with us until early February of 2011, so I’d like to revisit it. History records that this transit corresponds significantly with important technological discoveries, quantum leaps of all kinds, political rebellions and awakenings and peak experiences. Let me list just a few:

1.  The Apollo Moon Landing
2.  The report by Arthur Eddington in 1919 that confirmed Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
3.  The construction of the first computer by Jobs and Wozniak in 1976
4.  The completion of Michelangelo’s ‘Sistine Chapel’ in 1512.
5.  The invention of the electric light bulb (1879), the telegraph (1844), the first radio broadcast (1920), the first Internet transmission (1969), and much more.

Sometimes we won’t know until after the transit has completed what is being discovered at this very moment, but one of the most obvious developments affecting the planet is the rise of the smart phone and its exponentially expanding use in the social media world of Facebook, Twitter, etc. The desire for immediate connection to friends and the whole world is changing our world in ways we cannot yet being to fathom. It has become easy for a person to create a website and there is tremendous growth of the Internet newsletter services, such as the one I’m using for this School and its programs.

Of even greater importance perhaps are the paradigm shifts that this transit is bringing about. Any sociologist/astrologer must look at the Tea Party movement (and it is undeniably a movement) and try to determine what it’s all about. Here, I think the astrologer has an edge, because it is easy to see that this movement has all the earmarks of Jupiter conjunct Uranus. Sure, it is disorganized and lacks a center, but that itself is very consistent with the nature of this conjunction, especially when it is in Aries. The movement seems to have the general theme of advocating reliance on oneself and much less on a government. There is anger that is sometimes hard to understand, but which conceives of the government as a hostile force that destroys freedoms. It has already gone so far that many are advocating the privatization of public services such as fire departments that in the past were an unquestioned responsibility of local governmental bodies. Where will it lead and how far it will go is not knowable right now, but it is clearly operating strongly and is likely to grow even more as both Jupiter and Uranus re-enter Aries in the late winter and early spring.

What I also want to emphasize is that for each of us there is the great possibility of starting something new, both externally and internally. Patterns from our past can be released or loosened now and we can both imagine and act on the demand for new approaches to our life, our goals and our sense of purpose.

Although there are no direct aspects between the Venus retrograde and the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction since they are operating at the same time, it suggests that we are freer than ever to find new ways of being in relationship, learning to be free and independent while at the same time, discovering ways to have warm, loving relationships. It’s new territory, perhaps even a little scary, but it is possible, if we are willing to take some risks and venture out onto the tightrope to see what we are made of and what is possible.

 Now that we have fully moved into the Venus retrograde, I want to invite my readers to write in and describe how you are experiencing these interesting times. If you do not want your name attached, please email me and ask me to post it for you and I’ll do it.

Thanks for reading.

Jupiter Conjuncts Uranus #2 and the Full Moon

Transits are always important, but when one occurs at the same time as a new or full Moon that transit takes on extra importance. That’s what is happening right now, so let’s take a look. Last Saturday, September 18, 2010, Jupiter conjuncted Uranus at 28° of Pisces. This is the second time they have come together so the transit is in play for about a year. The conjunction however is much more ‘present’ in our lives right now because of its proximity to the Full Moon which takes place on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010 at 2:17am. The Moon will be at 0° of Aries, less than a degree away from the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction activating it strongly. By the way, another important consideration that strengthens the potency of this transit is the fact that the Sun enters Libra (the Fall equinox) only a few hours earlier at 8:09pm on Wednesday, Sept. 22. This makes this Full Moon a potentially very inportant one.

Jupiter expands whatever it touches. This expansion can include exaggeration and over-optimism, but also the desire to learn and experience so that our understanding and vision is expanded. This is how this energy is best used. Uranus in itself represents the out-of-the-box outlook and the desire for unfettered freedom to be our own unique self. The Uranian energy needs independence and fosters the sense that no one and no thing should be able to block ones freedom to do whatever one wants. In the best sense, it does enable us to think beyond the constraints of normal everyday consciousness and opens things up for us so that we can break the bonds holding us back fro the fullest expression of our own personal genius. But if it is not balanced by both Saturn and Neptune, it can create a ‘me-first’ attitude that shuts out concern for other people. One ceases to consider others at all, if it becomes extreme enough. In a society this can result in a breakdown of the social fabric. Many astrologers believe that when Jupiter and Uranus dance together that it brings about an increase of tolerance and respect for others. Often it does, but not if these two archetypes move to the negative side of its potentiality. Preachiness, wanting others to abide by our own sense of morality, even if it does not harm another person such as a criminal act begins to dominate the social landscape.

Together, Jupiter and Uranus really push us towards total freedom from constraint and can produce revolutionary conditions. ‘Expect the unexpected’ is the watchword of the day when theses two archetypal energies are in play as they are now. It is obvious to any astrologer that the Tea Party movement is one way in which this transit is playing out. The election of Tea Party candidates in this week’s primary against the more mainstream candidates certainly speaks to this. What is interesting to me is that since Saturn, the restrictor is moving away from its opposition to the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction, it is allowing the energy of freedom from restriction (by government) and independence (take back our country like the Tea Party proclaims) to grow as it is no longer balanced by Saturn. The desire for unfettered freedom is exposed for what it is and has been, the view that government is bad. Whether you are in favor of this movement or not, its presence is evidence of something important and which will be growing, not receding.  

As is always true in life, if an extreme side of things appears it will immediately evoke its opposite side. So, just as Christine O’Donnell wins the GOP nomination in the state of Delaware (ex-Senator Joe Biden’s seat) and Jerome Corsi, a conservative author, asks President Obama to renounce Lucifer, Jon Stewart is organizing the “Rally to Restore Sanity” at the Washington mall. It is always like this in life. To understand more of this, read about the basic principles of the I Ching, one of the wisest books in the world and encompasses thousands of years of ancient wisdom. It is pure Taoism. It basically postulates the idea that the two fundamental opposites (Yin and Yang) are always dancing back and forth, moving from one extreme to the other, and seeking balance between the two extremes. This dance excites and moves through each of us, and makes life on planet Earth what it is.

However, this dance is also never stable, at least not in a society. It is constantly in flux. For individuals, however, something more is possible. The finding of an inner stability or equanimity is possible for a person. It is a higher state of consciousness and would have to include the understanding of the existence of both sides of a set, but does it seem possible? I think I need to create a website to discuss that, don’t you? Hmmm! Sounds like a good idea to me. But… I digress.

For now, what we are apt to see is more and more inflamed passions and the move toward greater extremes. Dialogue has been missing for the past several years, but I’m afraid it is going to get worse, not better. That’s what the present transits are suggesting. As I’ve said in the past, the biggest transit of all is nearing and is going to look very much like the 60′s. I’m referring to the square between Uranus and Pluto. Because it is a square rather than a conjunction, and because it will be in Aries and Capricorn rather than more modest and peaceful Virgo, this square is likely to really polarize and divide this country. Another interesting indicator of how things work in the overall scheme of things is that the 60′s were a rebellion from the left or liberal side. The coming square, however, is clearly coming from the right wing or conservative side of the populace. It will be as extreme as the 60′s were, and probably even moreseo.

By the way, this is why I can already pick Obama as being re-elected in 2012. Why? I don’t need astrology to do it. If things continue to become more and more extreme from the right, it must evoke its opposite force. So, the more extreme the right becomes and the more power it can garner, the more likely it will be that the other side, which will be represented by Obama will have to exist. The more the hatred, the more the self-balancing side of things must emerge. His presidency will become the necessary opposing force. It’s just ‘philosophical physics.’ I just made that term up. (And, by the way, Jupiter and Uranus are squaring my Moon, so I get to make all sorts of new terminology up. The problem I have personally is that some wise person said a long time ago that ‘there’s nothing new under the Sun.’ Then there’s the guy who even said that we don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. Sheesh! Where’s my chance to be totally unique? Oh well, that’s ‘philosophical physics’ for you. All these dualities haunting us all the time. What are we to do?)

One of the wonderful aspects of astrology is in the exploration of the philosophical implications that becomes necessary when we study it. Each planet contains an underlying set of philosophical viewpoints that can widen our understanding of ourselves and the world. There can be faith in astrology, but what is much better in my view is that by using astrology to test out the way in which these forces manifest in our world, we get the chance to formulate our own educated thoughts about what it all means and whether or not astrology works at all. I hope this article will in some way reflect what is happening in your world.

As always, I want to encourage my readers to reply to this article and describe how this Full Moon is affecting you and those you know. Enjoy!!

The Inferior Conjunction between the Sun and Mercury

As many of my readers may be aware, the basic meaning of the 3-week Mercury retrograde period that occurs every 4 months or so is that it asks us to review matters that have either been ignored or which are moving towards further development. The midpoint of the retrograde period is known as the Inferior conjunction and it occurs this Friday, September 3, 2010 at 10° of Virgo. Ever since Mercury began its retrograde motion, we have been thinking about important issues in our life, but especially those which require introspection. It is a time for self-reflection, a period where we can examine our thought patterns and discover whether or not they serve us and, if they do not, what ways of thinking would be better for us.

In my discussions with friends and students, what is being expressed most of all is the sense that whatever I am focusing on now is quite important. There doesn’t seem to be time for ‘casual’ or ‘insignificant’ matters to be considered. We may not want to waste time on areas of our life that do not require our attention. And, if we do engage in such things, we may be more peeved about it than usual. The meetings we have with others seem to be necessary now and we may sense that they are likely to have deeper implications towards our future. We spend time thinking about the best approach rather than to just ‘dive in’ nonchalantly. If so, this is a good thing to do, because whatever we do set into motion now is indeed significant. Yes, more review may be inevitable, but that need not be thought of as a problem. What is developing actually is the possibility of a new ‘intention’ or ‘direction.’ We may find ourselves considering turning towards a new set of potentialities and while we cannot know if they will bear fruit or what kind of fruit they will produce, we do sense the need for a new direction to either be taken or at least be considered.

The meaning of the upcoming conjunction of the Sun and Mercury is that a new ‘seed idea’ is being born which simultaneously is being created by something old that is finally coming to a head. There is an odd sense that it is partially like a New Moon (the beginning of a new cycle) and partially like a Full Moon (the culmination of an already developing cycle). I know it may feel strange but you might like to reflect on what is developing for you right now to see if something from the past is coming together as well as something new being considered. Whatever you find out, it is likely that this is a very potent time, full of newly emerging opportunities. Of course, often we find that before something new can be born, something old must either die or change form significantly, but that’s just the way of things.

Two Ongoing Conjunctions As Well

Right now, due to the combination of faster moving planets slowing down or retrograding, we are in the midst of a ‘dance’ of two conjunctions that usually last for only a short time. This time they are dancing together for a considerable amount of time.

Venus dancing with Mars – usually Venus moves quickly past Mars in its normal transit since it is a very fast moving planet, but right now, because Venus is slowing down in advance of its coming change of direction (turning retrograde) on October 8, 2010, Venus is in a two-month conjunction with Mars. It began in mid-August and continues through mid-October. Although Venus and Mars are associated with love, romance and sexuality, it goes deeper than that. Venus is the symbol that rules the law of attraction, which can be defined as what we want to bring toward us and what we want to push away. Mars is the principle of self-assertion and how we go after what we want. Right now we are becoming clearer about both what we want and how we must approach getting it, if we are to be successful. Combined with the Mercury retrograde cycle we may be determining what these strategies need to be.

Jupiter dancing with Uranus – this dance is lasting many months. Specifically, it is in effect from mid-May 2010 to late January of 2011. This is due to the fact that they have conjuncted and are now retrograding together moving back and forth between early Aries and late Pisces. I have written extensively about this exciting combo. It is bringing forth all sorts of new paradigms, ideas, and insights. Because it is lasting so long, though, my sense is that it will deepen the profound possibilities that can come forth now. While it brings with it a lot of instability and uncertainty, it is going to be well worth it. One friend said that she is living hour by hour right now, as anything can happen and she can’t tell where things are going at all. This level of uncertainty is good for us though, however scary it can be. Learning to live in the moment is so important for us. Why?

Because the only ‘real’ life we can ever have is in the eternal moment of the now. The present transit between Jupiter and Uranus can be exposing us to this, whether we like it or not, and if we go with it, we may discover that we actually like it. It is where we can be so open that we ‘Feel’ the Life force so vividly that we find that we are in a state of constant inspiration. Anything can happen and sure enough, it does. It is where we can do the impossible or, more accurately, what we had thought was impossible.

Finally I would like to mention that this is a good time to be open to not only learning something new, but perhaps more significantly being open to a new paradigm. One helpful definition of the term paradigm is this – “A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the person and group/community of which they are a part.” A paradigm shift is meant to be a fundamental one and can lead to a ‘new way of Being-in-the-World.’ Because the conjunction is in Aries, some people will be only focused on themselves, what they want and desire, etc. Others will be concerned with the importance of personal rights and freedoms which we can already see developing with the growth of anti-government sentiments. But to me, the highest way this transit can manifest is for each of us to find ways to become more connected to what we know in our heart is what we are here are earth to do. We can claim the right to be ourselves in the fullest sense while also understanding that no person is an island and that we are a part of a larger Whole that gives us life and sustains us. These can be very exciting times with loads of new opportunities, but before this can show itself, we may have to prepare for the death of the old cycle. I believe that this is what the retrograde back into Pisces between Jupiter and Uranus actually signifies.

As always, I and the readers love to hear your thoughts about this article and anything on your minds that is in some relevant to what’s happening now. So, please feel free to write in.

The Cardinal Climax is Here

If there is just one day when it could be said that this is the true day of the Cardinal Climax, it would have to be this Friday, August 6, 2010. When so many slow moving planets (like Saturn, Uranus and Pluto) are involved in a configuration (a group of 3 or more planets in aspect to each other), it isn’t really possible to pinpoint just one day where we can regard the transit as being the most potent. In fact, the truth is that this type of cycle is one that actually lasts for several years or more. They create long-term trends and paradigm shifts that will influence all the areas of life for many years.

Nevertheless, even a novice can take a casual look at the chart to the right and you will see that 7 planets are either conjunct, square or in opposition to each other. This is not going to be seen more than once in a lifetime for it is that rare. In a few words, this configuration creates dynamic tension. It can be a very creative period, but it also has built into it a great deal of resistance. It is common sense to know that the greater the desire and/or need for change, the greater is the likelihood of there being resistance to that very change. We can take our hints from looking at the news and even now we see that Sen. John Kyle (R-Ariz.) has come out for the repeal of the 14th amendment, which allows children of undocumented immigrants to be automatically granted U.S. citizenship. The repeal of an amendment to the constitution is a radical change . So, we can be certain that the seeing of this now means that the sentiments behind it are very significant and will be affecting the political life in this country for a long time.  Most things that happen in the news right now are apt to be important. How we are affected personally depends on where this is happening in one’s chart and also what has been building on one’s life. It can affect one psychologically, emotionally, physically and spiritually or in all of the mentioned ways. On the physical plane, it could manifest as one moving to a new city or home. It could mean that one gives birth or its opposite that one is dealing with the death or possibly death of someone dear to the person. Psychologically, it can manifest as the need to confront something or someone, to face what has been important for some time but which must now be handled. Finally, while it can create events, it may not do so immediately.

The Planets Involved

In this particular chart, the fast moving the Moon, Venus and Mars are acting as triggers which stimulate whatever is in the works and this is why events could occur at this time. The stress for action is very strong. Some people have expressed their feeling that an earthquake here in L.A. is coming or is likely. Such a severe event is not impossible, but that’s not necessarily the way this energetic tension could express itself. What it does signify is the feeling that whatever is happening now is going to be experienced as shocking, intense and extreme. Part of the tension is due to the geometric angles in which the planets find themselves but it is also due to the nature of those planets. Jupiter, the principle of expansion, philosophy, religion and spirituality is opposing Saturn, which is the archetype of restriction, delay, but also manifestation. Saturn is slow because it asks us to bring something into reality, to master something and to avoid missing any steps. This can produce frustration, but only if we try to rush something and do not accept the necessity that things must develop naturally. And with Uranus also involved in its conjunction with Jupiter, we see that the desire for radical change of something can also bring about fear of that change just as quickly.

The Best Strategies to Deal With This Transit

Here are some general ideas of how we might handle what is coming forward right now:

Openness to the New – a new paradigm or structure is emerging for us right now. With it come new challenges, but most of all it signifies some type of  new set of circumstances that we must either adapt to or with which we must work. The famous astrologer, Dane Rudhyar, regarded this type of moment in time as one in which a new seed is planted which will ultimately create an entirely new plant or new cycle. (By the way, this cycle will emerge must more clearly in the late winter and early spring of 2011 when Jupiter and Uranus enter Aries completely).

Intention – Once we understand or can feel what the new seed is about for us, we must then do what we can to embrace it fully, to own it, so to speak. Whatever it is, it is coming about as a necessity, so it is best to intend to work with it, to cooperate with its demands of us and see it as beneficial in the long run. For some this will be easy as the new seed is welcome, but for others, it can be resisted or even fought against. To do so is not helpful, since the coming changes are inevitable. We must learn to hold and even nurture the new seed, so that as it sprouts, we do all we can to help it grow into the new structure that is promised.

Patience – for a variety of reasons, the changes being signaled right now are just emerging and have a ways to go before becoming solid and clear enough to be acted upon fully. What is more likely is that we need to approach whatever we find ourselves being moved toward with openness, but also without any rush. It is too big to be something that can be handled quickly. Saturn is part of this process which means that we must not miss any steps and must go slow enough to build a solid foundation. Saturn provides the rules for all that develops, so respect for that process is so important.

Awareness – In any process that is truly new, there is an inevitable arousal of fears since we are always more familiar with the past that we can be with the future. The future is unknown and different, so if we find ourselves confronting fear as the new approaches, we do not need to be surprised or ashamed. Our job in that situation is to make the effort to continue moving forward.

Mercury Entering the Shadow

I will speak more about this in the next newsletter article, but I’m mentioning it here because it could cause delays in manifesting what the present intense transits are bringing about. Mercury will retrograde at 19° of Virgo on August 19, 2010, but is now in the area in which it will retrograde back towards, so whatever you are considering you can be certain that there will be a review process about it. More on this in future articles.

The Cardinal T-Square Continues

The last several articles have been covering the potentially eventful period between July 15 and August 15, 2010 which I am calling the cardinal T-square. Other astrologers have referred to it as the cardinal climax. It can be thought of that way because this series of transits actually lasts for several years but is right now reaching a climax since so many of the aspects being made are exact. It can be helpful to think of this period of time as not just likely to create events, though it can. Instead, it signals that many things are up in the air and/or changing directions. This is a time when people leave jobs for new ones, decide to do something that they feel is not just better for them but also more appropriate, and in so doing many people are deciding to downsize so that they will have more freedom to do what they want or need to do. Today’s article is going to look at some of the specific transits that are the most intense right now and how they may be affecting us.

Saturn enters Libra

This transit actually began in late 2009, but since Saturn went retrograde and went back into Virgo, it is only now entering Libra completely. When Saturn is in Virgo, we find that we can be very picky, critical and fault-finding. The ‘feel’ of Saturn in Libra, however, is very different. This important planet is exalted in Libra and is concerned with justice, fairness, and balance. Also, Libra is much more people-oriented than Virgo and this suggests that this is an especially good time to pay close attention to how we operate in relationships. Wherever Saturn is in our charts, this is where we will need to watch, observe and take care for this is the territory where we will be held to account and also where we will benefit if we take care of what needs our attention. While Saturn can be restrictive, in Libra it doesn’t ‘hurt’ so much, so to speak, because we may want to cooperate and collaborate at this time. By the way, a student with special sensitivity about Libra observed that Libra does the best not when it compromises. To her, compromise meant that each side or each person was losing in some way. Instead, she suggested that people make the effort to reach a level of understanding that resulted in a successful collaboration which would mean that both sides can find a way to win. Her observations about this are worth considering.

Jupiter and Uranus are now Retrograde

As I have written, the entrance of both Jupiter and Uranus into Aries give a great spark to the initiating of new behaviors, projects, enterprises, etc. It is the archetype of excitement and risk-taking. Suddenly almost before we had time to get started both of these planets have gone into retrograde. Not only that, but both will return into Pisces. Uranus enters Pisces on August 14, 2010 and Jupiter does the same on September 9. This is likely to dampen our enthusiasm about what was just about to emerge, but if we understand the astrological meaning of this it might not feel so bad. After all, by late winter and early spring of 2011, they will both reenter Aries and this time for good.

What this all suggests is that there is something to review, or even something or someone to go back and pickup. I know that retrograde periods can be frustrating, especially this one. But if we go back and look at what actually happened during any retrograde cycle, we will discover that something happened that was helpful to us. We will find that something important was missing without which we could not have succeeded. So, there is still something to do. One need not give up on whatever has emerged in the last 3-60 days. Aries is a time for vision, expansion and exciting new challenges. It’s time will come. So, instead of giving up on the vision, take a good look to see what is still needed before the new cycle can be born. You will likely find that there is indeed something important to consider or accomplish in order for the new to be as successful as it can be.

Mars Joining the Fray

Mars transits are triggers for events and are therefore often found in event charts. Mars can really stir things up and create events. Transiting Mars is already very close to conjuncting Saturn, but on July 30th, this Friday, it will enter Libra and conjunct Saturn, oppose Jupiter and Uranus and square Pluto. Watch the news during this period and you may see a lot of pressures meeting each other. Some astrologers will predict an earthquake or volcanic event, but whether that happens or not, for many people, it could feel like one is happening inside us. Is this a time for action? No, not necessarily. There may be great pressure to act, but it should be considered carefully, if possible. The implications of whatever this transit triggers is going to be substantial, so great care may be needed even if one feels a lot of pressure to just do something. If you have considered it, then fine. And if you simply have to act, then fine also. One must do what is necessary. But if there is no reason to rush, one should wait before acting and just note what you are feeling and what is coming your way. This is the beginning of a very significant period that will become even more intense in the first 10 days of August when Venus and the Moon enter the critical degrees where these transits are playing out.

By the way, if you have planets or your Ascendant or Mid-heaven in early cardinal (0°-3° of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) or the middle (14° – 17°) of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius), it means that you are especially affected by these transits. All in all, this is a period of change and most people will be feeling it. This also means that people can be especially irritable, worried, and even unstable. So, be extra alert when driving or whenever you are in an especially tense situation. Avoid as much negativity as possible. If things escalate, you don’t want to be in the middle of the action. And if you are the Mayor of Bell, CA or an unusually wealthy City Councilman of that fair city, you might want to resign as soon as possible. We’re not in Dodge City and Wyatt Earp isn’t the sheriff, but I think your days are done and the expression “I think it’s time to get outa Dodge” really does come to mind.

For the readers of this blog, as always, I hope you will write comments on how you are experiencing this time period. I will answer as many questions as possible. Thanks for listening.

 

The Coming Cardinal T-Square of 2010

We are now in the beginning of the most interesting period of transits we’ve had in a very long time. It will combine many of the specific transits I’ve been writing about for the past year, but now, all of them are in play at the same time. I intend to write shorter, but more frequent articles in the next few weeks to paint a picture of how things are emerging.

There are four sub-periods worth noting and we are in the first period right now. The second period occurs between July 29-31 and the third period happens about a week later on August 6-7, 2010.

What is happening right now is that Saturn is at the end of its transit in Virgo and will enter Libra on Wednesday, July 21 at 8:09am PDST. As it does so, it immediately moves into an opposition with Jupiter and Uranus in Aries. This is what is being felt right now and will be for the next week or so, when more will develop as well.

I want to quickly summarize what I’ve presented concerning Jupiter and Uranus in Aries. It is the perfect expression of an exuberant embracing of change and, further, the desire and need for a new birth. It is a bright shining star of hope, optimism, technological advancements and unexpected appearances of things we can hardly imagine. However, as strong as this is, and it will actually weaken before it gets going again in 2011, Saturn is opposing it and has been for a year. Saturn is holding us back more now than ever right now. Saturn has us being cautious, tentative, and reluctant to risk too much. We feel the need to hold onto reserves. For example, many corporations have lots of cash to invest with, but are not doing so because of a general pessimism that investment will lead to a sufficient return. Will consumers open up their pocketbook and spend money, especially while unemployment and the uncertainty it brings is still growing? When they don’t do so, the corporations hold back on investing even more and things get even tighter. All of us see the downward spiral this set of considerations is creating.

So, let me ask you. Are you holding back? Not just about money, but about everything? Are you in some way feeling like you are on hold, waiting for something to happen or to receive some signal that you can move forward? I do know some people who are moving forward, but those who are, have been moving slowly toward something in particular for many months now. They are the ones who are now finally getting moving, albeit slowly. In other words, even the ones who are moving forward are doing so pretty slowly and only after a great deal of effort, hard work and patience. This is how we succeed when it comes to Saturn.

An example in the news today is that finally after a great deal of argument and delay, the Senate broke the filibuster and approved aid for 2.5 million unemployed Americans. This is a classic example of the Saturn opposition to Uranus. Change finally arrives after much thought, delay and arguing.

This can be a period of great frustration since we might want to move forward so badly that we can become angry that we are not able to do so. But, more often, we are apt to just feel tired and some people are telling me that they are feeling a bit hopeless. Actually, this is one of the reasons why I write this Blog. If we understand the cycle we are under and that it will end, we are more able to go with the flow, or lack thereof, and wait it out patiently. Or we adjust to the times and work patiently and do what we can do. This is what this period of time does allow us to do. Do what you can, be patient, and take what comes and work with it. The rest will have to wait until the times allow more movement. AND the good news is that…..

Very big changes are in store for us in the coming year. Its tone will be very different from what we are feeling now, such that we will hardly remember this time. But, for now, we have to deal with what we feel right now, and that can be difficult.

I’ll be writing more soon, but would love to hear from you. If you would like for me to post something anonymously, please send it to my email address and I will do so.

Hope you write in.