Category Archives: current events in the sky

Pluto Transforms Us All

01 Thursday May 2008

Posted by in aspects and placements, astrology, current events in the sky, Pluto

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

It seems that tremendous change, if not disaster, has come to everyone in one form or another. What gives? Weren’t all these Grand Trines supposed to bring earthly nirvana, wonderful bounty, and make it really easy to get what we want? Apparently not. Of course, I read trines as an ease in expression; I don’t necessarily see this as positive. So, I’m not surprised by the many traumas and major life developments all around me; I am surprised, shocked, even, by the extremity of the manifestations, by the sheer magnitude of the events. We’re not just seeing death in the vicinity, we’re seeing the life-altering death of parents or siblings or spouses; we’re not just seeing the loss of a job or position, we’re seeing the security and income of entire families wiped out; we’re not just seeing the disintegration or severing of relationships, we’re in the midst of bruising alterations of vital relationships, the kind we use as an emotional refuge, now gone from the face of the earth with a tsunami-like influx of change–but what’s really driving this?

The nature of the change shouts Pluto, and with it sitting at 00 Capricorn we may be seeing Pluto’s blunt introduction of what its time in Cap will really be like: paring everything it touches to the bone. Why didn’t this happen when it first entered Capricorn last winter? Possibly the effect was downgraded somewhat, particularly by the encounter of Pluto and Jupiter in December; that set up the origins of what’s occurring now, but so subtly that we didn’t take those tiny tremors for anything we couldn’t handle, and didn’t already have figured out. We met what came, adjusted, and felt we’d weathered the storm, patting ourselves on the back and thinking we’d come out of that with barely a nick–silly mortals!

As I mentioned in writing about this pairing at the time, this conjunction has the habit of triggering major changes that take some time to surface. Look back twelve years, and tell me there wasn’t a similar, irretrievable shift in your world then, too. The unfortunate part is that currently we are both extremely capable of handling these crises and even making the most of them, but we are also simultaneously incapable of discerning exactly where the correct path lies, and fear is a major factor here (Neptune, North Node, Chiron conjunct; Saturn conjunct the South Node; Mars quincunx Neptune/ North Node, Mars opposed Jupiter, for a touch of exaggeration!)

It reminds me of what was my basic theory of the situation on the show ‘Lost,’ before the story shot off in a thousand different directions: I thought each character was in a netherworld where they encountered their deepest, most secret fear; a fear of not being able to step up to the task or the challenge or the responsibility, to be honest, to walk away from the addiction, to keep someone important to you alive and safe, to love. I suspect that’s the mechanism here; we’re meeting a form of our worst fear, and we must call up from our best selves all that the situation requires. 

What can we do to cope? Hang tight, and even if you’re a born pessimist, become both a realist and an optimist; the combination of clear seeing and faith in the positive is in my opinion the ticket out of this. I’m not talking about hope–that’s something we offer when we are able to, or intend to, do nothing–I’m talking about an attitude that trusts the Universal wisdom and the rightness of all things and pairs this with a willingness to do, to be inventive, to allow inspiration, quite literally, welcoming the Universal spirit, and  continuing to dream, to live, to become.

Leaping Into the Hand of God

03 Thursday Apr 2008

Posted by in Chiron, current events in the sky, Neptune, North Node

≈ 9 Comments

In the dream I am riding a motorcycle, very very fast, racing with another rider who is on my left, but he is unable to catch me. The road is little more than a blacktop path; there are trees on either side, small pines and brush, and it’s as if I can hear people talking, like I’m wearing a headset or bluetooth. I’m flying along and realize there is a river that crosses my path. It runs through the bottom of a very deep canyon, and I know that I have to try and jump, even though as I approach I can see that there is literally no way to land on the other side; the ground is much higher there, with a sheer rock face. I know I must jump, not because I can’t stop (though that would be hard), but because I realize that I want very much to know what will happen. I drive at full speed toward the gorge, and the voices are telling me that there is a way to land successfully; there is a rock extension that juts into the gorge and is invisible until you are practically on it. They say that it’s known as ‘The Hand of God’ and they show me (as only dream voices can!) that it looks like a giant hand, palm up. I think that I will make the leap of faith, just like Indiana Jones when he steps over the abyss and finds a rock bridge. I soar into the air and am able to hang there, searching for the hand, but can’t find it. I somehow seem able to land, though, just short of the other side, without falling into the water, but I’m aware that I don’t really know what happened. The man I’m racing doesn’t fly very far before he tumbles into the river.

I woke up thinking of Neptune, and a quick inspection shows it currently at the midpoint of Chiron and the North Node. It could certainly represent my dream ‘flight,’ perhaps as the inspiration to attempt something that calls for both unique skills (Chiron) and that is part of the destiny, literally the river of life. When I check my own chart for current transits, I find indications that this is about bringing something forward within myself, with Chiron, Neptune, the North Node, the Moon, Uranus, Vesta, and Venus all within my 1st House at present. I also noted, all within one degree orb, Vesta exactly conjunct my natal Moon (the sacred and the emotions/ intuition, perhaps applying to the work, as the Moon rules my 6th); transiting Earth conjunct my Sun (a reverse of my natal axis, offering a Soul and Material Purpose assessment as to how well each is serving the other); Saturn conjunct Pluto (and this is echoed by the transiting trine–best encapsulated by the phrase ‘inevitable change,’ and brings together my 12th and my 9th, the broadcasting of the unconscious, bringing that material out where I can deal with it); Mars square Jupiter (action urge and ego needs conflicting with the requirements of the social arena–this combo also marries my 2nd, 10th, and 11th, bringing together Self-image, income, career, and what I offer the world, with the square suggesting these are at odds); and Ceres opposed the Midheaven, perhaps pitting the internal authority against the public Self.

What does this spell for me? It suggests a rough road in terms of reconciling particular needs, wants, and functions, but I’m thinking the dream is pointing the way out, through the inspired use of skills that move me forward (Neptune, Chiron, NN). Finding new expression that is both personally satisfying and furthers my work or career seems to be the paramount challenge, with some reconciling of the Ceres authority with the public persona–balancing the internal nature goddess with role I play here, on the internet. But what might this dream mean for everyone else? My sense is that taking the inspired course is what a lot of us need right now, trusting that both guidance and the loving hand of God will be there to catch us. It’s not so much that we need to take a leap of faith, as it is that we need a leap of faith centered in our own ability to rise to and meet the challenges presented, that will bring a new level of fulfillment to one personally and publicly. Has anyone else taken a ‘leap’ lately? What special skill did you call forward in taking the ‘leap’? What inspired you? And how did you reconcile the requirements for private, ego, and personal needs with what your public role or career demands of you?