INTRODUCTION:
The general outlook for 2012 is defined by the major alignment of Uranus and Pluto, a square aspect that will continue to shape our lives well on into 2015. This is the first major alignment since their conjunction in the 1960’s…do you remember or know about what happened in the 60’s? Well, then you should know that we are in for a bumpy ride indeed!
The waxing square of these two transformational planets, an influence that has been increasingly felt by the world over the last couple of years, will be the primary driver for personal and social change for the next several years. I will look at their influence generally, which is what is termed their Transit to Transit alignment. Then during this year, and in following years, examine how their alignment with one another also intersects various important charts in the world in what are termed Transit to Natal aspects.
The analysis of the Uranus/Pluto alignment will be split up into several segments or postings.
There are, of course, a number of other “lesser” alignments or phenomena that will take place over the next 12 months and I will briefly note them, saving their actual dates of activity for detailed analysis. Among the most significant of these developments will be the final entry of the planet Neptune into its own sign of Pisces where it will stay until 2026; the planet Saturn moving from Libra into Scorpio in October; the planet Mars going retrograde from late January till mid April; the planet Venus moving retrograde from mid May till the end of June; along with the usual yearly shifts such as the Solar and Lunar eclipses as well as Mercury retrogrades.
I will then turn to the more specific analysis of Transit to Natal alignments focusing upon the United States and Preisdent Obama’s charts.
Uranus Square Pluto (June 24, 2012 & September 19, 2012, then May 20, 2013…)
The Cycles of the Outer Planets — Gifts of the Spirit
The cycles of the 3 outermost planets, (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), their movement around the zodiac individually and their intersecting aspects with one another, create fundamental and long-wave releases of spiritual forces, what I like to think of as transformational Gifts of the Spirit that drive and determine personal and social developments for us on Earth.
When we consider the cycle of each planet through the 12 signs of the zodiac we can see how each planet brings to bear its influence through the meaning of that sign for definite periods. Their cycles are: Uranus approximately 84 years, or 7 years in a sign; Neptune about 164 years, or about 14 years in a sign and Pluto approximately 245 years, which because of its highly eccentric orbit is in a sign for 12 to 32 years. Their orbits form a ratio from Uranus to Pluto of about 1 to 2 to 3.
When we consider the relationship of these 3 planets to one another, that is their intersecting cycles, we have the following cycles of them moving from one conjunction to their next conjunction with one another: Neptune/Pluto about 492 years; Uranus/Neptune about 172 years; and (the one we are currently subject to) Uranus/Pluto about 110–140 years.
These 3 cycles create releases of different forms of spiritual quickening for personal and social developments here on Earth. Each has its own character and role to play and we have been the recipients of all 3 releasing new seeds of development in the last 100+ years. We experienced the longer wave cycle of Neptune conjunct Pluto in 1891–92; we received the second level release of Uranus conjunct Neptune in 1993; and we experienced the third level of Uranus conjunct Pluto in 1965–66.
What we are experiencing now is the next step of that Uranus/Pluto seeding, the unfoldment of that initial release of spiritual energy that we received in 1965–66 has now reached the moment where they are at the point of being one quarter the way around their cycle, and we must face choices and make decisions.
**As a point of interest we should note that the most significant alignment all three planets can have with one another, their triple or Super Conjunction (all 3 being in the same zodiacal space), which should be considered as the most significant seeding of spiritual energies possible, last took place about 580 BC. This was of course the period which witnessed the spiritual teachings that were offered to the world by such great souls as Confucius, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Zoroaster, Pythagoras and many others whose wisdom and influence still guides us today. (If you are curious, the next super conjunctional release of Spirit will take place around 3,368).
But let us turn now to our challenge and our opportunity…
The Roles of Uranus & Pluto
To meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of Uranus square Pluto we need to understand the spiritual nature of what their relationship creates generally, and see what their most recent alignments might provide as insights into our present stage in the ever-unfolding becoming of our spiritual potentials. We especially need to understand what their last conjunction released, and what we need to do to face the challenge presented by the square we meet now.
The three outer planets should be viewed as the spiritual agents of transformation; they are emissaries from the cosmos that create the potential for each and every one of us to move beyond our mere conditioned self, the self defined and delimited by our Saturnian moldings and structures. They do not “cause” our development but serve to elicit, quicken and support our spiritual unfoldment and evolution, which would eventually unfold since all of “That”, our potential to become, is contained within our monadic self, but it would develop at a much slower pace. They are truly Gifts of the Spirit, lifting us up upon that steeper, truer path of fulfillment. Uranus is said to rule higher Mind, Neptune to rule higher Love and Pluto to rule higher Will. Together they are said to represent the 3 aspects of the Divine working in our world; The Mind, The Love and The Will of the Divine for our Solar System.
This is why the cycle alignments of Uranus and Pluto govern the creative, dynamic and cathartic intersections of Mind and Will. It is Uranus’ role to be the instrument for the release of new idea forms, (Seed Ideas), that quicken the development of thought in our world. At its most basic, yet equally most profound level, the entirety of creation can be seen as pure consciousness. That means that the hierarchies of all forms of existence in this cosmos, from the smallest to the greatest, are the countless instances of the universe coming to consciously know itself (“I am THAT, I am!”). But Mind alone is not all…
It is Pluto’s role to be the instrument of forming the boundaries in our Space, the spaces of Space within which each Monad unfolds and develops; Pluto rules the power of the Will which is the power to shape and re-shape (or transform) Space itself. From the highest to the lowest, each monad, each spark of the Divine, unfolds and develops within its space within Space, yet each monad will always be fundamentally part of each and every other monad because they have all come from and continue their existence in and through the One.
The progressive development of each and every monad or spirit, from the lowest forms of existence to forms beyond our present capacity to comprehend, requires the bending and transforming of the spaces of Space for each monad to develop within. This development of Space, and of the boundaries between each and every monad’s sacred space of self, is governed by the Will.
Pluto for us rules this formation and transformation by the will; and in this cycle with Uranus, Pluto reveals the transformational power of the release of new ideas and new forms of thinking upon existing structures or spaces.
This is their dynamic interplay: New ideas lead to new spaces and relationships for spirit to develop through; but those bounded spaces eventually begin to prove limiting to the further development of spirit; and so new idea forms are released to establish new formations of space and relationships; and so all monads, including us, can continue their unfoldment through Life-Consciousness-Spirit.
So let us turn to the question of our time, to see what has been revealed and required by this cycle in the latest series of alignments of Uranus and Pluto, and what might be in store for us in the next several years…
The Uranus/Pluto Cycle
To understand what is before us we must remember, remember that we have been moving through a series of cycles, and turning points within cycles, for a very long time indeed. To truly understand where we are now, and what lies ahead, we do need to consider what we have emerged from.
The Uranus/Pluto square that we face is the next step in a series of seed-forms that was most recently renewed in 1965–66 when Uranus and Pluto formed their last conjunction in the sign of Virgo. Much as in their previous conjunctions of 1710 in Leo and 1850–51 in Aries, this encounter of Mind and Will brought about a transformation of thought-forms and spatial relationships or boundaries. Certainly anyone present during the 1960’s or looking back upon that period can note the extraordinary degree to which change erupted across the planet.
Uranus ruling Mind (as well as Independence, Freedom and Inventiveness) when combined with and catalyzed by Pluto ruling Will (as well as Transformation, Control and Rebirth) together quickened developments in our world in almost every arena. Technological advances then gave birth to our wired world of today along with medical discoveries that have now pushed us to the edge of the power to create life itself. Personal, social and global transformations erupted throughout the social sphere as waves of social progress were released for Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, the Free Speech & Peace Movements and many, many others.
But the combination of Uranus and Pluto releases energies which form reactions that are not unidirectional; as much as new Ideas and new Spaces emerge at such a time they do so within, and often in reaction to, the existing paradigms of thought and structure. The emergent spirit of “the New” challenges the entrenched spirit of “the old ways”, and so a struggle is waged in all spheres. Whether the forces for change bubble up from below, or are imposed from above, equally the push back or resistance to change can come from either realm.
As much as the new ideas create new spaces and new forms of relationships, the old order will seek to exert its Freedom (Uranus) and use existing power (Will/Pluto) to resist and turn back the tides of change. This too is part of the dynamic, spiral evolution of Spirit, part of the “the plan” so to speak, for as much as there may be tremendous gains in doing away with the “old order”, there is much that would be lost and should be preserved as well. And equally, the mere emergence of new ways of thinking does not in fact mean that it is always “better”. So, a struggle ensues between the forces of transformation/revolution and the forces for preservation/reaction.
What was released by the Uranus/Pluto conjunction in the Sixties continued to work itself through the hierarchies of material, personal and social orders, transforming what was, but with ebbs and flows, progress and regressions, until we approach the next turning in their cycle…
This is what we have been feeling now for the last couple of years, we have been drawing closer to the next pivot point and we have experienced a foreshadowing, we have felt the head winds blowing stronger and stronger as we move to the next fork in our journey…
Now we are here and we should meet with great expectancy the next phase of this spiritual drama…We face challenges, choices and decisions and we can no longer postpone the inevitable…
For this is to be the time in which we choose which future we wish to live in.
Uranus in Aries, Pluto in Capricorn
Uranus in Aries will square Pluto in Capricorn from 2012 till 2015. What was released in 1965–66 as a new dispensation, a new dynamic in the relationship of Mind and Will, between the Individual Spirit and the Collective Order, will now reach a crossroads in their dynamic dance of Thought and Space.
The last time Uranus and Pluto squared one another was 1932 to 1934. Remarkably Uranus was in Aries then too, while Pluto was in the opposite sign to now, in Cancer. That was indeed a time of great challenge and change, but it was a waning square of Uranus/Pluto. A waning square is a time for “deconstruction”; it is a time for a crisis of consciousness that exposes the ideas that must be challenged, tested and transcended so that better spaces for spiritual growth may develop.
This time we are experiencing a waxing square, so this is a crisis of formation, a time to make a choice about what to be centered upon, a time to establish deeper, truer foundations… it is a time for action. This turning point will build upon the themes that were released at the conjunction (during the Sixties), but those themes (and counter-themes) have now reached a critical mass. What is put before us, or better, what we have put before ourselves is a crossroads which demands that we choose one path or another. We should look upon it as an opportunity for building a New World more than the deconstruction of an Old World.
To understand the nature of the challenge and choice we must look to the message bearers of this turning, to juxtapose Uranus in Aries with Pluto in Capricorn. By examining each planet’s function as focused through the sign they are in will guide us to the deeper meaning of this moment.
The Two Themes: Uranus in Aries & Pluto in Capricorn
Uranus in Aries
Uranus is squaring Pluto from the sign of Aries, so we must understand what the message of Uranus in Aries means. The general theme for Uranus in Aries is that this is a time for the resurgence of Individualism, Idealism and Inventions. Uranus here acts a catalyst for creativity in the sciences, arts and social organizations. Truly it is a time that we experience the re-emergence of new forms of true Leadership as this time calls out for trail-blazers in all walks of life.
Though the past cannot be a perfect predictor of the future, it still can provide some outline as to the effects of this experience. The last two times for Uranus in Aries were 1843–1851 and 1927–1935. In the 1840’s the US was transformed as individuals and families joined together in a great pilgrimage across the country to the California and Oregon territories, which was then greatly stimulated by the gold rush that began in 1848. The country was being bound together through the proliferation of railroads and the invention of the telegraph. The feeling of a special purpose seized many with the claim of a “Manifest Destiny”.
In the late 1920’s into the 30’s Uranus in Aries accompanied the devastation wrought by the Great Depression; Uranus helped to bring to a society and a culture (that needed it) a whole range of inventive spiritedness, which led to revolutions in technologies, industry and in social organizations and government. Again, bold leadership was needed and rose to meet the challenge.
For us now, we can and should hope that as Uranus moves through Aries from 2010–19 that we too will witness the present paucity of leadership giving way to true leaders who inspire us as our crisis unfolds. Certainly we have already seen numerous examples of new forms of leading/organizing emerging in this time. The dramatic evidence of the intersection of new forms of connecting and the desire for greater individual freedoms have been made manifest around the world, from across the Middle East, through Europe (including Russia now), and on to America with the Tea Party on one side and Occupy Wall Street on the other, and further on across to the rumblings now coming out of China…all across the globe there is a quickening of the Spirit…and much of that we should know is because Uranus is again in Aries…But of course, there is something more, much more at work on us and in our world at this time.
Pluto in Capricorn
Pluto is forming its square with Uranus from the sign of Capricorn, and so just as with Uranus we must seek to understand the experience of what Pluto in Capricorn brings. Pluto rules the Will, the power to shape and re-shape spaces, it rules the power of control; it brings this influence to bear in Capricorn by either serving to maintain or transform the hierarchical worlds of culture, society and institutions.
It would seem by looking at the historical record that whenever Pluto moves through Capricorn there is a profound transformation, a death and a rebirth, of the cultural, economic and political order.
When Pluto moves through Capricorn, which is about every 247 years or so, the institutions and hierarchies of a historical period have reached a turning point where their space and exercise of power has started to fall apart, primarily because new spaces and new powers are emerging. Often this end of an era and the birth of a new, this shift of spirit, forces the old order, in the attempt to preserve that system, to go to ever greater extremes in the exercise of its power…but inevitably the emergence of these new forms of organization and power bring about its transformation or demise.
We can obtain some idea of the historical power of this passage by looking back at the two most recent times Pluto was in Capricorn, 1515–1532 and 1762–1778. In the early 1500’s the European world was in the throes of one of its most historic changes in over 1,000 years, the one church, the Catholic Church, which had been weakened by scandal internally as much as it was challenged by the newly available printed bible externally, was broken apart by the Reformation. The attempt by the Catholic Kingdoms to maintain their power led to devastating wars between them and those who broke away to form Protestant realms. The old order, with its feudal system based on landed power and the one Catholic Church was giving way to the rise of absolute monarchs accompanied by a new economic order empowering a growing mercantile class.
In the 1700’s colonial enterprises of England in America, the growing imbalances between governed and governor were becoming increasingly untenable. New forms of free associations were spreading in the New World, seeded by new ideas about the nature of Power (Will) and Space (New Lands) as well as a new, more dynamic economic way of life. The old order attempted to reinforce its control over the colonies which led to protests, which led to further repression, and even greater protests until a clash between Monarchy and individuals in free associations led to the establishment of a truly new form of government that became the model for our cultural, economic and political world… and that model, that arrangement of Power and Space is what is now coming to its end…
Three years ago, in 2008, Pluto began its next journey through Capricorn and it will remain there now till 2024. And just as in the 1500’s and in the 1700’s a world will pass away and a new one will be born…And even more now, as Uranus and Pluto line up in a series of squares between 2012 and 2015, this deconstruction of an old order and the emergence of a new will most certainly become very, very real.
The winds of change are blowing…and we must choose our path…
Remembering that beaten paths are for beaten people…
This is our time…
And it is time for bright stars and trail blazers again!
Uranus/Pluto Square 2012–2015
So we find ourselves at the intersection of several significant streams of Spiritual forces, influences that will provide the inspiration and articulate the challenges we now encounter. (Though, of course, the form and content of what we now experience which is seemingly “presented” to us, the “facts” of our situation, is the manifested consequence of the choices we made before, of what we have done and so made by our previous steps in this journey in Life-Consciousness-Spirit). What we have are 3 major influences that are combined and catalyzed together by the second of the three: 1) Uranus in Aries which we have not experienced for 75 years, 2) The Uranus/Pluto waxing square which we have not experienced for 135 years and 3) (the “big one”) Pluto in Capricorn which we have not experienced for 247 years.
As before the avatars of Mind (Uranus) and Will (Pluto), the carriers of Seed Ideas and Sacred Space have come to a turning point. As in those previous eras with Pluto in Capricorn, we find within ourselves and in all sectors of our culture and society, that there exists an overwhelming sense that the world is not “right”. In realms both Temporal and Secular, the disconnection between elites and the general populace has widened, and that the yawning gulf between leaders and led is growing ever greater. In fact the feeling amongst many is that leadership, true leadership has somehow “left the planet”.
Whether within any one country or around the world, the incessant, increasing experience of disappointment is felt by almost all…that every structure, institution, standard or value has become compromised; whether that loss of credibility or virtue is encountered in Religion, or Education, or Government, or in the simple promise of a better world for one’s children and their children…all of it seems without hope…and there is a great longing…
And so it is precisely in times such as this, when a great emptiness and loss of hope begins to take hold in the world…it is precisely at such a time that Spirit answers…It moves into our empty spaces and troubled minds…It lifts up our hearts and awakens the spirit within and reminds us all that we can change…and then, as if by “magic”, we do change and renew our world. Spirit does this precisely as we move into and through the crisis because it is that very crisis which catalyzes each and every individual to turn around, to turn and to make the necessary sacrifices which must be made to bring about a New World again.
The signs of the unraveling of the old are more than self-evident…but so too are the signs and portents of the emerging ways that are leading to the New World. As individuals and groups of individuals seek to realize their dreams with new intentions and means, and seek equally to cope with the failures of the systems they are currently circumscribed by, we can discern the outlines of new Ways of Thinking and new Spaces of Being.
And so we must each ask ourselves, what can I do?
First, in order to be guided by the highest influences, in order to follow Spirit and your heart, do not be deceived or confused by the myriad ways that the old order distracts and divides. Remember always that the one true source of power in this Universe is within you…and you, and you. It is not “out there”, it is “in here” and also within anyone beside you.
But that is also and always where the real struggle is met. It is not the fault or failing of a kind of government or politics, it is not the fault of the church or a faith…Do not let fetishism or the projection upon something or someone else confuse you as to where “the problem” is…For everything in this world that seems to be failing, every institution, every structure and way of life…everything is what it is because it is given life by each and every one of us…We must change and we shall change…and so will our world.
We are at a turning. Some have called it “The Fourth Turning”. Some have called it the “End of Times”…but we are at our moment of opportunity to build a New World and offer to those that follow us a better world than we could have imagined.
This is our time to choose, to ask of our self, “What is the greater good for all?”…
And then to simply do that!
This is the time for Heroes and Healers, Doers and Leaders.
This is Our Time to Become the Becoming…
And, it is your time to shine!
Uranus/Pluto Square 2012–2015 — A World Timeline
Though we have been experiencing the influences of the coming alignments for a couple of years now, the greatest effects still lie ahead. The world as a whole will experience each and every phase of this powerful alignment together. Yet at the same time we will, of course, respond or react to the experience differently as determined by our particular conditions in our societies, economies and culture.
There is a possible insight to be gained by observing when the mutual alignments of Uranus and Pluto form intersections with the significant planetary placements of various entities in the world, National and International organizations and such. This would be when for instance Uranus may square a country’s Sun while Pluto is in conjunction to the same. It is a sort of planetary “squeeze play”, a doubling down of the influence that each will bring to one factor in that entity’s experience.
One striking example of this is the fact, created by an “accident” of our calendar that many organizations have as their inception point, (their “birth chart”), on the date at which our calendar begins, January 1. There are quite a number of Corporate, National and International charts that are set at that date. Because our calendar is “irregular”, so that every 4 years we have need to add a day, the actual position of the Sun on January 1st will vary from about 9 to 11 degrees of Capricorn. These degrees and those charts will experience this double-squeeze from Uranus and Pluto from 2013–2014.
More broadly over the time of their exact alignments from 2012–2015, Uranus and Pluto will form direct aspects to any charts which have placements from 7 to 15 degrees of Aries and Capricorn. Besides these signs and degrees, the other two cardinal signs, Libra and Cancer will also experience a significant aspect to these same degree positions as well. It is therefore a virtual certainty that any and all charts will experience some form of direct contact by Uranus and Pluto during some part of this period…
The list below enumerates some of the major countries or entities which will be experiencing this double transit of Uranus and Pluto. I will over the course of this year and onwards take a closer look at these and other charts as conditions warrant:
2012:
China (Pluto square Sun, Uranus opposite Sun)
Saudi Arabia (Pluto conjunct Ascendant, Uranus square Ascendant)
2012–13:
Canada (Pluto oppose Sun, Uranus square Sun)
Cuba (Pluto square Moon, Uranus square Moon 2012, Pluto conjunct Sun, Uranus square Sun 2013)
Germany (Pluto square Sun, Uranus Oppose Sun)
2013:
European Union (Pluto conjunct Sun, Uranus square Sun)
Euro Currency (Pluto conjunct Sun, Uranus square Sun)
Greece (Pluto opposite Saturn, Uranus square Saturn)
Italy (Pluto oppose Sun, Uranus square Sun)
North Korea (Pluto conjunct Moon, Uranus square Moon)
United Kingdom (Pluto conjunct Sun, Uranus square Sun)
2013–2014:
Spain (Pluto opposite Moon, Uranus square Moon)
France (Pluto square Sun, Uranus opposite Sun)
Iran (Pluto square Sun, Uranus opposite Sun)
2014–2015:
USA (Pluto opposite Sun, Uranus square Sun)
This is by no means a complete listing but as conditions unfold I will make further observations and more detailed comments about these and other entities as we move through this historic period.
This grand alignment is certainly the most important feature of this period but it is not the whole story. In the next posting I will turn to the other major alignments and phenomena for 2012, then onto more specific observations for the US chart and other world players…
OTHER MAJOR ALIGNMENTS and PHENOMENA
I will make note of and comment upon the remaining major astrological movements and alignments for this year, saving more extensive analysis for when they actually take place. I will then take a more extensive look into the alignments that are occurring in the chart of the United States and for President Obama, and perhaps one or two other charts, again saving more extensive commentary for later this year.
Mars Retrograde (January 23 till April 13–14)
Whereas Mercury moves retrograde 3 times a year for about 23 days each time, and Venus retrogrades about every 1.5 years for about 40 days, Mars will move retrograde about every 2 years and 2 months for about 80 days or so…it is the planet that goes retrograde the least so you should take advantage of this opportunity.…what opportunity?
Mars rules your actions and desires, it serves your “self” (the Sun) by providing the drive to secure your needs and wants. But when it turns retrograde it signals a time for you to turn inward, and offers you the opportunity (necessity) to re-examine what is “desire” (or what are your desires), and, just as importantly, re-consider how you should obtain them. This time Mars is retrograding through Virgo, so the review of your desires and aims will be upon your need for greater clarity, order and peace of mind…
Neptune Enters Pisces (February 3, 2012 till 2025–26)
Neptune, which has been pausing at the threshold of her home sign during 2011, moves in to stay for over 13 years. My comments when it first began to make this transition, (April 4, 2011) are well worth re-posting here:
Just as with Jupiter and Uranus last year, Neptune dances back and forth between one sign and the next this year. It has been in Aquarius since 1998 and it will stay in Pisces starting next February 2012 until March 2025. This is a coming home event, since Neptune is said to rule Pisces.
The last time Neptune was here was 1848 to 1862 and the pursuit of dreams (and fantasies) grew apace. In the US, the westward expansion was accelerated as the vision of gold sparkled in the eyes of “forty-niners”. In the spiritual world, on the heels of the “Second Great Awakening”, a growing religious fervor spurred the calls for justice as abolitionists struggled to make our country confront the great evil and shame of slavery.
For the next 13 years, a pathway has been offered for a renewal of understanding, compassion and sacrifice. We are moving into a period of spiritual revival and growth. Dreams, romance and the imagination will take flight.
Be prepared to wonder…be ready to embrace… and be able to surrender, so that the gifts of Spirit may enter our hearts and so remind us that we are one. “E Pluribus Unum”
Saturn Retrograde (February 7 till June 25)
Saturn retrogrades every year and provides you with an opportunity to re-examine your social roles, hierarchies and responsibilities. This is its last retrograde in Libra before moving into Scorpio in October, so this will be your chance to once again look at the nature of your relationship agreements or contracts, whether implied or written. When Saturn moves on into Scorpio you will want to have made sure that you have done your best to prepare for matters to get even more serious.
Mercury Retrograde (March 11–12 to April 4)
Mercury retrogrades through the sign of Aries and back into Pisces. You need to go within and reconsider your attitudes and be mindful to think before speaking! Later, when Hermes moves back into Pisces, you will need to confront your fears and restore your faith by re-connecting to the power of your imagination.
Venus Retrograde (May 15 to June 27)
Venus retrogrades in the sign of Gemini. Take this opportunity to go within and consider the nuanced complexity in your hierarchy of values. Venus in Gemini illustrates the multifaceted nature of your aesthetic and social values, but sometimes those flashing facets can become a little disconcerting and/or confusing. The retrograde will offer a period of re-examination so that you can more clearly assess those differing and diverse approaches and so help you to sort the wheat from your chaff.
Solar Eclipse in Gemini (May 20)
The New Moon Solar Eclipse is in Gemini which means that before you can move ahead with this next release or gift of energy you will first have to turn around so as to correct something in your thinking. Gemini rules the lower mind’s most important gift, the agile-adaptable-questioning voice better known as your intelligence. The Moon’s shadow reminds you that some old assumptions may be blocking you so that your categories, labels and whatnot are casting a shadow upon what you perceive. It is time to think “outside of the box”!
Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius (June 4)
The Full Moon Eclipse falls in Sagittarius and is the “answer” to the Solar Eclipse on May 20. Whereas the Solar Eclipse reminds you that your past may obscure or hinder the unfoldment of a new release of energy, the Lunar Eclipse symbolizes the importance of how your current belief system, your “truth”, may be blinding you to a greater Truth. This Eclipse is also World Invocation Day so many, many people will be calling upon universal energies for guidance and support. Join in this spirit of combined awareness so as to rise to a higher understanding in your life.
Jupiter Enters Gemini (June 11)
The biggest planet “hops over the proverbial candlestick” (again and again), as it moves through the sign of nimbleness, intelligence and communication. The overall energy level (thoughts, communications and actions) will expand greatly, but you will need to work on trying to maintain directionality and focus. Advances will be made in all forms of networking, and individuals and groups will have access to more and more information. The question will be: “Do we really have more understanding or are we merely becoming more distracted”?
Jupiter Square Neptune (June 24–25)
Jupiter in Gemini meets up with Neptune in Pisces; you need to see how to better bend your grand ideas to the whispers of your imagination, dreams and spiritual nature. Growth is good, but you need to expand reasonably (and honestly). Be careful of deals or promises that sound too good to be true…they usually are!
Mercury Retrograde (July 14 to August 7–8)
Mercury retrogrades through the sign of Leo. Before you can make a splash with your next “big idea”, you need to go back and review your approach. You need respect, but you have to earn it by leading by example and helping others to believe in themselves too.
Saturn Enters Scorpio (October 5)
The lessons learned about relationship needs, principles and agreements (Saturn in Libra) moves onto the heart of the matter, literally. The test now is to go beyond your formal agreements and forge deeper and ultimately transformational unions. The way forward is through joint ventures, but that means real sacrifices of the lesser so as to honor the greater good for one and all.
Mercury Retrograde (November 6 to November 26)
Uh oh…remember the Presidential Election in 2000, (Florida and those hanging chads, a Supreme decision)? Well, here we are again with Mercury shifting directions…and this time Hermes is going retrograde right on Election Day!
Mercury will start moving backwards in Sagittarius and on into Scorpio. The re-examination of your beliefs will ultimately lead to facing what unites and divides you from one another.
Solar Eclipse in Scorpio (November 13)
Right in the middle of Mercury’s retrograde we experience the second New Moon Eclipse of the year. The theme for the Solar/Lunar eclipses is shifting now, away from the realm of thoughts and ideas (Gemini/Sagittarius) and onto the thorny questions of Value (Taurus/Scorpio). The release of some new understanding about the nature of your unions is being obscured by shadows from the past…time to confront those fears of rejection and loss and take the higher path of showing your strength by creating a better space for mutual sacrifice.
Lunar Eclipse in Gemini (November 28)
The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Gemini interrupts the revelation you were hoping for. You were seeking to bend and stretch your intelligence so as to hold two (or more) approaches to the issue you confront. Again, it is your mental “blind spot”, your unquestioned patterns and assumptions that need to be seen as standing in your way. Real intelligence is not exercised in having the “correct” answer by accepting the conventional paradigm; it is much more important to be able to shift your assumptions so that you can question the question itself!
Transits to the chart of the United States of America
The United States has been experiencing quite a few serious alignments over the past several years, including some Pluto transits which have never been encountered before. In 2009-10 there was the Pluto opposition to Venus combined with Saturn square Venus. Then in 2010-11 there was Neptune conjunct Moon. This past year I analyzed in my 2011 forecast the twin alignments of Pluto opposition Jupiter combined with Uranus square Venus.
Uranus Square Jupiter (April 19 — October 14 — February 21, 2013)
For 2012 the most significant transit the USA will experience is the planet Uranus forming a square to the USA Jupiter. Jupiter is said to rule the principles, beliefs and laws of a nation. By ruling such matters Jupiter provides an understanding as to how any people will relate to one another within their nation and also how that nation will relate to the rest of the world in general. This is because those very Jupiterian principles and beliefs form and guide the attitudes and actions for that country.
During 2011 Pluto was in opposition to the USA Jupiter and brought about fundamental challenges to our “way of relating” to one another and to the world. Pluto, which rules the Will and the exercise of Power, forced a reexamination of and struggle over our truths and our conduct.
This year…it will be different, literally. Uranus is the “Awakener” whose role is to break down the old assumptions and structures so as to bring about wider ranges of self-realization and freedom; it is the planet of individuation, helping to release that which is forever seeking to be more true to itself, of becoming more exceptional, of being “different”. It does this most often through shocks and surprises, bursts of energy that reveal another path and another way of being, that exposes the limits of the old forms (the forms that were once fulfilling but now are limiting), and that leads from the “Uh Oh!” experience to the “Ah Hah!” experience. Whenever Uranus is active it is best to be prepared for the unexpected…
As with previous analyses, it is probably helpful to examine prior Uranus/Jupiter alignments to see what the effects were and so be better able to understand what might be experienced this year. The previous strong aspects of Uranus to Jupiter were the Conjunction of 1950–51, the Square of 1969–70 and the opposition of 1990.
In 1950–51 several Uranus/Jupiter effects were experienced as might be expected from the conjunction which implies a release of new energies and forms. Uranus often manifests in some surprising, even disturbing manner and it is important to note that Jupiter is located in the USA’s house of relationships, so this would especially have even stronger implications for relationships to other entities. In June 1950 North Korea invaded the South starting a war (that really has never really “ended”). The USA responded with a counter-offensive and was “surprised” again when in November 1950 China launched a massive counter-attack that drove allied forces to the edge of defeat.
Internally the rise of Joseph McCarthy, (leading to a new term, “McCarthyism”) and the passage of the McCarran Act inaugurated a type of “Salem witch hunt” fervor of anti-communist laws and actions, leading many to fear for the erosion and loss of individual liberties that are formally protected by the Bill of Rights. The principles of the country (Jupiter) were being fundamentally challenged (Uranus) and/or re-interpreted.
Uranus often manifests in the unfoldment of new technologies that in this instance (through contacting Jupiter) transform the way we relate to one another. 1951 was the year that true nationwide broadcasting of television became a reality and a new way communicating and connecting emerged for the USA (and the world).
1969–70 and Uranus in a waxing square to Jupiter released several social and technical transformations. During the summer of 1969 a number of events changed the way in which American’s (and the world) relate to one another. In June the Stonewall riot led to the birth of the Gay Rights Movement. Later in July, the whole world watched as Neil Armstrong took the first steps upon the Moon. Humans standing upon another celestial body watched the Earth rise over the horizon…and our perceptions about our world would never be the same again. Then a few days later there was a special gathering in upstate New York that defined a generation, Woodstock. Later that fall, the true beginnings of what continues to transform the world today, what will become known as the Internet, is invented called Arpanet.
The growing resistance to the war in Vietnam led to the “March on Washington” with over 250,000 protestors gathering in November 1969. Then in May 1970 the Nation is stunned when 4 students protesting the war’s escalation into Cambodia are shot and killed by National Guard troops at Kent State University.
In 1990 Uranus opposed Jupiter and more shocking events and discoveries changed US relationships and perceptions again. Much like in 1950–51 one of the great shocks in 1990 was the sudden start of a war, this time it was the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq leading to what is now known as the “First Gulf War”. Earlier in the year the division that had defined the post WWII era was healed as East and West Germany were re-united; the “Cold War” had ended and a new chapter in the US relationship with the world was opening.
The beginnings of networking in 1969 had now grown so much that its originating example, Arpanet, is turned off and the true World Wide Web (“www.”) is born. Whereas in 1969 we were able to look back at our own home planet from the Moon, now the Voyager spacecraft took the first ever photograph of our entire solar system as it made its way out into deep space…and we saw our entire home planetary system for the first time. The social progress to eliminate discrimination reached another milestone as sexual orientation was recognized as part of the human experience of self-determination; the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of “diseases”.
2012–13 Uranus Square Jupiter
So what might we look for or expect from Uranus contacting Jupiter this time? What are the changes that might be experienced internally as far as our principles, beliefs and ways of relating to one another? And what might we expect to see with regard for the US relationship to the rest of the world?
This Uranus/Jupiter square follows last year’s Pluto opposition to Jupiter and we should really see this as a somewhat two-step process. Last year, the Plutonian theme of Will and Power manifested in a number of struggles over the path the USA should follow. One major struggle over Truths and Principles (Jupiter) witnessed various groups contending over the correct way in which to restore growth (which Jupiter rules too) and secure the well-being of the country. Pluto (which also rules debts and financing) helped to shape a battle of wills in the struggle over raising the debt ceiling (as well as the overall attempt to forge an agreement on reducing the federal deficit), a battle of wills that led to threats to shut down the government. The end result was a devaluation of US credit worthiness. The gathering and growing threat was evidenced in a world losing faith (Jupiter) in our ability to fully back or fulfill our debts (Pluto).
Whereas Pluto will manifest its energy as a contest or battle of wills, Uranian energies are more exceptional (unique, unusual and very often unexpected) and so that much harder to forecast. Since this is a square aspect like 1969–70 (but waning this time), the effects of the transit should be experienced more internally or within the country. (Whereas both 1950–51 and 1990 evidenced the largest shocks as emanating from “outside” in the form of the Korean and Gulf Wars, the 1969–70 waxing square was more of a struggle within).
The opportunity offered by Uranus Squaring Jupiter is that the USA will be “shocked” or “surprised” by some circumstance or series of events, which will bring about a needed and necessary re-evaluation of the way we understand and then act on our principles, truths and beliefs. The USA has its Jupiter in Cancer in the 7th house and so those beliefs, that generous spirit and the source of her good fortune is expressed by the ever-unfolding quality of our relationships to one another and with the world. But that also means that the experience of Uranus over our Jupiter will most directly impact the nature and quality of these relationships.
Much as Uranus Squaring Venus in 2011 jolted the ever-unfolding understanding about our values, Uranus over Jupiter will act to quicken the development of our beliefs, attitudes and ultimately our laws (which are the objective embodiment of our truths). Uranus in Aries is challenging those Jupiter in Cancer truths, not so as to overturn or deny them as much as to continue their necessary evolution.
USA Jupiter in Cancer
Jupiter in Cancer holds the USA to this essential truth:
That we are bound to one another through honoring the fundamental principle of the dignity, worth and sacred nature of each and every individual as equals. America was founded upon this sacred compact that here anyone could come and seek to fulfill themselves by joining in this truly new form of society based upon free association. Our relationships with one another are founded upon this essential truth; which means that we relate to one another from this central tenet, this experience of honoring the essential spiritual core of each of us, a spiritual core which is sacred and free, beholden to no other power, to no lord, to no master or king. The only “lord” that we acknowledge is what we have together agreed to be bound by, our sacred compact with one another which is embodied in the law.
But as much as each person, (and as much as a people), must unfold, grow and become something more, so too must unfold their understanding of, and the actuality of being in a relationship with one another. Most generally this unfoldment and change occurs slowly, haltingly within and without. The development of our beliefs, principles and truths become reflected in the gradual and unfolding refinement of our covenant and conduct with one another.
Role of Uranus
But there are moments, moments like this year, when a disruptive but liberating energy is released that quickens the pace of spiritual growth. In 2012 Uranus will bring its catalyzing current of electric/eclectic forces to bear upon those understandings and structures which can no longer support, sustain and extend the unfoldment of spirit. As before these disruptive forces will ultimately help to enhance and expand the social framework for spiritual self-realization; Uranus will help to bring about circumstances which advance the cause of freedom, self-unfoldment and the spiritual potential of all.
Uranus does this by revealing which existing forms and frameworks for relating, that in an earlier period were a true advance and allowed for a greater range of self-expression, it reveals which of these very forms of advancement are now restrictive and limiting. To honor the core principle of Jupiter in Cancer, (which is the sacredness for each and every member to be able to realize their potential), Uranus shocks and reveals the now existent divide between a greater “ideal” and the lesser “reality”. It forces a re-adjustment that allows for a fuller realization of spirit so that the Jupiter in Cancer principle is upheld and advanced.
But history also shows us that there will be disruptive, dissonant forces which, though often veiling themselves in those Uranian robes of “liberty and freedom”, will actually seek to perpetuate or expand their privileged powers, (to protect their “freedoms”), at the expense of the greater society. Most often they will champion an unchanging form of the core principle rather than acknowledging the ever-unfolding, vibrantly alive spiritual truth which must of necessity evolve through continually expanding forms of expression.
How could it be otherwise? The original formation of our core spiritual “truth” codified the enslavement of an entire race, denied participation in the right of self-determination to over half of the population, as well as justified the near extermination of the original inhabitants of this land. Any pleas that are made to the so-called sacrosanct “original intent” of our founding documents cannot be met with anything less than absolute repudiation. Yes, it was an “advance”, but it was inherently flawed and limited by the nature of the prevailing state of consciousness at that time.
Ancient Wisdom
One of the Three Fundamental Truths of the Ancient Wisdom is that the core Principle of Spirit, the fundamental Fountain-Source of the Universe, is GROWTH. Spirit will continue to ever unfold because Spirit is ever Self-Becoming, Ever-Unfolding from within…And so too then will our awareness and conduct towards one another…it is the Way of Spirit…it is our way…
We begin as unself-conscious sparks of this Divine and spiral up and out through the endless ages and uncounted forms of self-realization…so that through us and all other forms of existence the Divine seeks the experience of its own Self-Becoming…which is our becoming too.
Listen now to Uranus. The Awakener is calling again, calling upon each and every one of us to do our part to advance our present expression of this core principle (and principles) through which we have come together in this created sacred space.
We must challenge one another to be guided by and conduct ourselves in such a way that the spaces of freedom for each and every spark of the Divine continue to unfold and develop, so that we may become more fully conscious co-creators of this, our wondrous space within Space.
Uranus is calling, calling you to your greater destiny…Arise and Awake!
This is your time to Create a better World of Wonder!
This is your path, your destiny.
