In the global collective as well as our personal lives, there are ongoing significant processes of change that must be navigated. The effects of the fractious, rebellious square between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn, which peaked 2012 through 2015, are still tumbling out of the ethers demanding our attention, not just to the physical material reality of matters at hand, but to the underlying operating mechanisms that ultimately determine whether our world rocks from resistance or gently rolls down the stream of conscious choices. During this period, the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Mars all make aspects to Uranus and Pluto that may correlate to jolting experiences on earth in the form of power struggles, declarations of independence and other forms of turmoil. As we move through these experiences it may be helpful to evoke Albert Einstein: “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”
Mercury enters Libra on October 7th representing a swing in archetypal modes and elements to cardinal air. Mercury here correlates to a shift towards intellectual initiative expressed through speaking, writing and thinking about issues of concern to the individual’s part in the whole of society. With Mercury in Libra until October 24th, we may notice an effort within or in others to calibrate and recalibrate in order to achieve total balance in the give and take, the ups and downs, the ins and outs of relating. Making others at “ease” is the gift of Libra according to Dane Rudhyar, so as the bumpy planetary energies over the next couple of weeks correlate to significant shifts on earth, may we tune into Mercury in Libra and allow this planetary assistance to bring an easy balance to our relationships.
October 7th through 15th, the Sun in Libra brings to light extremes in issues of power and freedom when he segues from a square to Pluto in Capricorn to an opposition to retrograde Uranus in Aries, creating a T-square configuration ripe with tension as well as the possibility for breakthroughs or breakdowns. Bringing ease and balance into a volatile situation will be a challenge to say the least. If the mind that created the problem attempts to solve it, then one side of the equation may be overpowered into submission or the other side may be left with no choice but to blow up limiting structures in order to freely express. Profound change is possible if we utilize the powerful Sun/Pluto square to align with our soul’s destiny at the expense of our ego, and allow the shock waves of the radical Sun/Uranus opposition to finally liberate us from the ego altogether and experience the most satisfying freedom of all.
A window for compassionate action occurs on October 11th when Mars in Capricorn sextiles Neptune in Pisces. Ruler of Pisces, Neptune is strong here and archetypally represents an attunement with the origin of all creation. Mars in Capricorn correlates to a self-oriented, business-like way of assertion. The Mars/Neptune planetary pair connects the act of self-determination with cosmic awareness. It has the grace and fluidity of a martial artist subtly maneuvering around even the most fortified defenses with extrasensory ability.
We may be performing the equivalent of shuttle diplomacy as Mercury in Libra makes a series of aspects to five planets October 11th through 20th. This quick succession from one planetary pair to another featuring the archetype of Mercury in Libra as the dominant voice may infuse our interactions with a singular concern for easing each encounter into a state of true relatedness. As Mercury moves through the middle degrees of Libra, the orbs of influence of each planetary pair merge into an amalgamated archetype that resembles the equivalent of the United Nations tasked with respecting and understanding the concerns of all. The correlation for us may be a greater emphasis on being able to relate with ease to widely divergent points of view, holding space for each one. We’ll have the opportunity to bring Jupiter in Libra inspired justice in relating into the Mars in Capricorn generated need for a plan to get what we want. Perhaps we will employ the Saturn in Sagittarius teaching that stability and integrity is required to be able to focus on matters at hand without distraction, and this would be invaluable as we bring the imperative for respect and understanding to bear on the Pluto in Capricorn initiated demand for empowerment and the Uranus in Aries imperative for freedom to innovate as a basic right of existence.
The Full Moon on October 15th emphasizes the Aries/Libra polarity between self and other. The Moon in Aries represents the need for independence, the unfettered freedom to sow the seeds of creation. The Sun in Libra represents the core purpose of achieving balance in society. The gift of Aries, according to Dane Rudhyar, is “adaptability.” The Moon here represents the basic need to sow the seeds of creation as a necessary part to play within the societal matrix. If the person operating through the archetype of Aries seems selfish, explains Rudhyar, it is not because that person is acting just to reap rewards for self only or at the expense of others, “it is simply that what matters most to him is to be able to act again and again.” He must become aware of, however, and adapt to others in the whole who have equally important roles. In turn, the purpose of the Sun in Libra is to allow each individual to express as they are destined to do from whatever role they were born into. As Rudhyar writes on the gift of Libra, “Ease is an expression of totally accepted relatedness.” It may help to recall this lunar cycle’s theme of “total relatedness” at this culminating moment, to meet whatever resistance we encounter in self or other with the adaptability and ease that comes when we willingly take part in the greater whole of the cosmos.
When Venus enters Sagittarius on October 18th, we should experience a significant shift in our approach to relationships from the deep and intense Scorpionic style, towards a broad and high-minded focus at the level of humanity. As Venus travels through the sign of the Archer through November 11th, we’ll have the opportunity to express its gift of “Comradeship – the Art of Living Together.” This gift according to Rudhyar, is “to radiate in our every day lives the love, the great love of the comrades; for however far man’s mind may soar, it is the heart and the love of humans that is the indestructible foundation of creative tomorrows. Comradeship is the living substance of all civilization true to the spirit. It is the Divine singing at the core of human relationships.”
The art of living together will be challenged when Mars makes an exact conjunction to Pluto in Capricorn on October 19th. The energy of the Mars/Pluto planetary pair often feels volcanic, like an atomic storm surge from deep within that is willing to fight any battle for love or war no matter the cost. It will take skilled presence of mind to find healthy outlets to channel this alchemical, potentially volatile energy that develops as Mercury makes equally challenging aspects to both Mars and Pluto, then segues into the opposition to Uranus. The confrontational force of Mercury/Mars/Pluto followed by the perceptual lightening bolt of Mercury/Uranus has the potential to literally shake things up as we seek the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Here’s the data (using Pacific Time and planetary positions rounded to the nearest whole degree, unless otherwise noted):
October 7 – Mercury at 0° Libra at 12:56 a.m.
October 7 – Sun square Pluto at 15° Libra/Capricorn at 12:31 p.m.
October 11 – Mercury conjunct Jupiter at 7° Libra at 2:46 a.m.
October 11 – Mars sextile Neptune at 10° Capricorn/Pisces at 10:04 a.m.
October 13 – Mercury square Mars at 11° Libra/Capricorn at 2:00 p.m.
October 14 – Mercury sextile Saturn at 13° Libra/Sagittarius at 11:47 a.m.
October 15 – Sun opposite Uranus at 23° Libra/Aries at 3:43 a.m.
October 15 – Mercury square Pluto at 15° Libra/Capricorn at 7:28 p.m.
October 15 – Moon opposite Sun (Full Moon) at 23° Aries/Libra at 9:23 p.m.
October 18 – Venus at 0° Sagittarius at 12:01 a.m.
October 19 – Mars conjunct Pluto at 15° Capricorn at 4:18 a.m.
October 20 – Mercury opposite Uranus 22° Libra/Aries at 12:48 a.m.
Nice job! Tough and exciting times.