The New Year – Part 1 (January 2018)
Whence – Where – Whither
Part 1 – Whence
As we look ahead to 2018, we seek to find in our fading footsteps some indication as to what we might encounter. So, let us look ahead by first glancing back at the major Astrological factors that modulated our lives last year.
Through much of last year we felt the push and pull of two interrelated aspects, Jupiter was Opposite Uranus while Jupiter Squared Pluto. The fact that these two alignments overlapped one another wonderfully illustrated that we were still experiencing the major influence that has dominated our world of late, the ongoing Square of Uranus and Pluto.
The relationship between Uranus and Pluto articulates the dynamic interplay between Freedom and Will, or Mind and Control. Through their series of alignments, (from Conjunction, to Square, to Opposition, to Square and onto the next Conjunction) we witness the challenge that plays out in human affairs between our need to be Free and our need for Order. Many commentators have noted the similarity of the challenges and upheavals we are experiencing in our own period to those of the 1960’s, (their prior Conjunction) and to the 1930’s, (their previous Square).
In our time, this struggle has been modulated and exaggerated by the 245-year cycle of Pluto which has once again brought it into the Sign of Capricorn, (from 2008 until 2024); once again we are here to bear witness to and bear the responsibility for bringing this Age to a meaningful end as we help to give birth to another. Just like our ancestors who went through similar “Endings of an Age/Beginnings of an Age”, (1762–1778 and 1516–1532) our Institutions and Norms are being shattered by Agents of Destruction.
Yet, many, many more will seek to preserve what was so dearly bought by the Love and Sacrifice of those who came before. And, there are those who are the Seers and Builders of the next New Age. But know this, that one and all will serve in their own way to be part of a Greater Story, the never-ending Journey of Life-Spirit-Consciousness which is leading one and all homeward to the Everlasting Light.
The “Destroyers” serve as much as those who seek to Preserve, Heal and Build. Wise Ones know that we can never judge another spiritually, for that is fulfilled by greater powers than held in human understanding, will and laws. And, it most certainly true, that no one person is all one or the other. Just as Light and the Dark most certainly contend “out there”, always and forever the real struggle of spirit is to be faced within, by each individual in any life, and in life after life, as they walk the Spiritual Razor’s Edge between Love and Fear, between Faith and Fate.
Each of us must find our way, to do our part in this world that is passing away. For those who stand for the Eternal Values of the Ancient Wisdom, for those who are guided by and seek to preserve the Treasures of Truth that all your forbears endeavored to pass down to you, the way ahead is straight and true. You need only need remember from whence you came, and you will steer your life by the everlasting values that stand behind all Creation.
Behind each culture, in the Diamond Heart of every Civilization, in the heart of all Religions, in the Philosophies and Sciences of every age, the Shining Ones hold the Archetypes of Eternity. In the end, it will always be your Joy and Duty to stand in the Light, and to hold to the path of Freer Thought, Unconditional Love and Centered Will.
You happen to be here, at this crucial hour. What a privilege this is; what a responsibility you bear. You have earned this; you are here to be the torch-bearers of Light. It is no accident; you are part of a greater plan, and all those choices you made long ago have brought you and I to this moment now. And now, there is no more precious moment than the next step you will take in this Journey of Light and Love.
The world holds its breath; the Story of Light and Shadows arcs across your world.
It has always been so; and you have been here before.
Will you Stand for Truth?
Will you Stand Together?
Will you Stand for Love?
There is only One answer…
Stand in the Light; Be the Light.
Follow your Heart home.
Be guided by the Wise Ones, who know there is no religion higher than Truth.
Walk the path of the Great-Souls, who practice the Wisdom of Love.
Find inspiration in the Lonely Ones, their Willing-Sacrifice honored by
the Angels and Devas above.
Listen for the Voice of the Silence, attend the gentle whispers in your Heart,
And you will find “The Way”.
Next, “Where are we now?”
The New Year – Part 2 (January 2018)
Whence – Where – Whither
Part 2 – Where
Astrologically, 2018 will be like many years. We will have three periods of Mercury in Retrograde, (March 22—April 15, July 25—August 18, November 16—December 6), and Mars will turn Retrograde too, (June 26—August 27). There will be New Moons and Full Moons and many of the other typical phenomena that form the warp and weave of Energy-Forms that thrill through your world year after year.
But there are some significant changes coming to you in 2018. As the last year ended, Saturn entered Capricorn, (until December 2020). And, another major Sign shift lies ahead in 2018; Uranus will enter Taurus in May and remain there until 2026. We are moving into a new modulation of energies, (both planetary moves will shift the balance of energy, from Fire Signs to Earth Signs), and the dominant sensibilities and themes in your life will change accordingly.
These two Sign shifts will combine with a critical phase in another planetary pairing of outer planets, (Uranus Semisquare Neptune). This Planetary Pair articulates the ever-shifting integral evolution and balance between Individualizing Energies (Uranus), and Communalizing Energies (Neptune). It is here, through these starry Avatars, it is here you will see play out our Spiritual Journey in the weaving/warping of our Greater Awareness; it is here that the story of your awakening will unfold in the dynamic interplay (and oftentimes struggle) between Mind and Intuition, between Reason and Faith, between Science and Religion.
Yes, what lies ahead for you is quite a “seismic shift” in The Circle of the Living Ones, (The Zodiac), that form and inform your life here on Earth. The Winds of Spirit are blowing now, the Planetary Tides are sweeping away the old, as they bring glad tidings of a New Age to you and your world.
Saturn in Capricorn – The Test of Responsibility
I have already written a piece on this shift of Saturn into Capricorn, and I would refer you to that blog entry for a deeper analysis of this most important passage here: Saturn in Capricorn. But I did not then note the significance of Saturn (or any planet) moving from a Fire Sign into an Earth Sign. Whereas you are to experience the Ideals and Inspirations of Spiritual Truths when planets move through Fire Signs, it is in the element of Earth that you bring these Shining Truths into the manifested forms of your world. As Saturn now, (and Uranus soon), move into Earth, it is time to make real what you know and hold to be dear and true; for after all that is thought, written and spoken, you are here to be this Truth, you are here to make the Dream of Spirit shine in all that you make and do.
But from a more Mundane or Worldly perspective, Saturn in Capricorn has been associated with challenging periods in US History, (this is probably because the USA is a Cancer, the opposite Sign to Capricorn), and more especially because both Venus and Jupiter, the lesser and greater benefics, are in Cancer too. The last three times Saturn went through Capricorn, (1988–91, 1959–1962 and 1929–32), the USA experienced economic and financial challenges. Recessions and worse led to cultural and political upheavals, reminding us once again that what drives all markets is the one thing common to all of them, human nature. Though many factors must be integrated to understand the ups and downs of economic life, it all comes down to Faith and Fear. Now the past is no certain indicator of our future, patterns never repeat exactly, but they do carry remarkable resonances, and so it would be wise or prudent to prepare for some challenging times ahead.
Uranus in Taurus – Transformation of Value
Uranus in Taurus, (2018–2026) will bring startling transformations to the realm of Values. The previous times for Uranus in Taurus were 1935–1942, 1851–59 and 1768–75. Those periods were characterized by upheavals and rapid changes in Society and Culture, and brought about new orderings of Economic and Political structures. These Uranian shocks and turnings break old identifications, leading to revolutionary breakthroughs in Ideas and Technology, in Society and Culture. Uranus leads us beyond our self-created Saturnian boundaries, and in Taurus it creates a new Fabric of Meaning. Uranus in Taurus will usher in a new Value Hierarchy, and a so new kind of Human too. The self-limiting attachments to outworn ways and values are broken, and a new way of being emerges.
Uranus & Neptune – Individuality vs Community
The more consequential (yet more hidden or obscure) energy-form of 2018 is the next significant cycle moment in the relationship between Uranus and Neptune. The interplay of Uranus and Neptune articulate the dynamic and integral development of Individuality versus Community. Their relationship inspires our spiritual journey and reminds us to hold together the development of ever Freer Minds with a commensurate deepening of our Unconditional Love. Their cycle from Conjunction to Conjunction is about 170 years and the last one happened in 1993. The most recent previous conjunctions were 1821 and 1650, and each time a new ordering of the integral relationship between the Individual and their Community was articulated.
When either of these energy-forms becomes imbalanced with the other, we either move towards extreme forms of independence, (and break our bonds of fellowship), or we bind ourselves into individuality-denying forms of communalism, (and break the integrity of each member of the group). There is a need for Life, for Spirit to find itself by being One and True, but it also can only do this by being part of something greater, of belonging and being formed by something larger too. We all want to be One of a Kind; but we also can only find our Meanings and Values by being part of some Kind.
The release of a new ordering of these two principles in 1993 has now reached a critical moment, (the similar period before was 1845–47). Clearly, throughout the world the tension between Freedom and Communal life-ways is ripping cultures into ever more fragmented sub-cultures and groupings; the Centripetal force of Freedom has become severely unbalanced in its integral relationship with the Centrifugal force of Love. Each is seemingly devolving into a warped version of its higher nature. Freedom becomes ripped from shared affections, becoming selfish and nihilistic; Love becomes bounded by fear of the unfamiliar, affections narrow and retreat inwardly to anachronistic anchors of “blood and soil”. The spiritually true communal foundations founder and break, the Center that is Love cannot hold, and societies devolve into disassociated groups, made of tribes formed upon fear.
But just as in the same cyclic moment of the 1840’s, new notions and patterns are emerging for us now, and there is hope that the bonds formed by our affections for one another’s restored and shared core values will equally be matched by our support for one another’s essential need to be a unique expression of those shared affections and values.
There is much to give one hope, but there is need on the part of one and all to re-establish trust in one another; we need to build our greater faith on kindliness and loving deeds. These small and greater acts of individuals and their communities are happening all around us too…and we must do everything we can to hold ourselves to our origins and original intent, to honor and remember the compact we have formed freely, and as inscribed upon the Great Seal of our national motto:
E Pluribus Unum—Out of Many One
As the great drama of “Light and Shadows” unfolds in this troubled time of an Age that is Ending, when you feel the need to re-center yourself and one another, remember the Great Invocation and be assured that you are not alone and the Dawn of and New Age is all around you too:
THE GREAT INVOCATION
From the point of light within the Mind of God
Let Light stream forth into our minds
Let LIGHT descend on Earth.
From the point of love within the Heart of God
Let Love stream forth into our hearts
May LOVE increase on Earth.
From the center where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide our wills
The PURPOSE which the masters know and serve.
From the center which we call Humanity
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door
where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
Next, “Whither are we going?”
The New Year – Part 3 (January 2018)
Whence – Where – Whither
Part 3 – Whither
As I noted in the previous postings, certain planetary influences that have been in place are giving way to new ones; but other starry modulations will remain in effect for some time to come as well.
Saturn has moved into Capricorn where it will remain until 2020, and Uranus will be in Taurus starting in May 2018, (though it will retrograde back into Aries for a few months, from November 2018 until March 2019), and then move into Gemini in 2026. With Pluto still in Capricorn too, this means that we will have shifted to a much more “Earthly Elemental” period for the next few years. The days of making real are upon us now; from the personal to the worldly, the time for Theorizing-Temporizing is over. What matters now is what works, what is more useful or necessary, or in Spiritual terms, what is more Integral, Integrative and Holistic.
Pluto:
Looking at the Hierarchy of planetary Lords we find that Pluto will be in Capricorn until 2024, and with it the end of an age continues to unwind around us all. The very structures we depend upon to uphold and maintain our way of life are undergoing the greatest challenge they have ever faced in 240 years. Though it would seem to many (if not most), that the problems we face are “out there” in these Institutions, (cultural, economic, political), as always, the real spiritual challenge is laid before each of us, in our minds, hearts and wills. What we seek to preserve and what we must change cannot happen “out there”; it will not, it cannot happen until it happens in each of us as individuals; and then we must join together in meaning-filled lives, forming one another into ever greater wholes or spaces of self-realization. We will be the change that is coming, we will individually and collectively transform and restore our communities, cultures and institutions.
Neptune:
Neptune remains in its own sign of Pisces until 2026, (2011–2026), bringing to bear the most extraordinary influences of Inspiration and Spirituality, stirring Faith and Dreams, and providing a renewed fountain-source for Art and Imagination just as it did during its previous Piscean sojourn from 1848–1862. But because of this, the Veil between the Hierarchies or Planes of Existence are much thinner now, and we need to be more careful to remain centered so as not be swept away by enchantments; we need to be wise and centered, or risk being swept into the swirl of false visions and the false promises of those claiming to be inspired. You must not stumble through the self-delusional hall of mirrors that are part of the lower Astral Plane. Neptune is Inspirational and trans-Dimensional, it is the way you move from one level of consciousness to another, moving beyond the boundaries and borders of an old Reality-Structure into a more encompassing experience of the Greater Reality. But that means it can also lead those who may lack enough understanding, love or will into Astral Fantasies that may well turn into Nightmares. Remember, Psychic abilities and phenomena do not equate to nor indicate Spiritual development whatsoever. The path of Light is paved with Wisdom, Love and a Centered Will.
Uranus:
Uranus by May will have moved into Taurus, and will remain there until 2026, bringing upheavals and revelations to the hierarchy of values in your world. As in any planet moving from Fire to Earth will indicate, the elicitation of New Ideas for the past 7 years will now give way to the necessity of folding these reformed or new ideas into ever-more resilient Reality Structures. Old value-forms will be challenged, but the essence or truth of what is good or what is beautiful, well you know, that never really changes. The old forms and formulations must change to free the truth within, the everlasting Values must be freed from these worn-out bodies. Beauty and Love are found in motion, in Life that is Spirit, and that is why these forms must pass so that Spirit may enter new ones.
Saturn:
Saturn in Capricorn means that we have three major planets moving through Earth now, with Neptune providing a (probably very useful) counterpoint/counterbalance from that most watery Water Sign, Pisces. The tests of the world have move on to the Earth plane; for one and all we have moved into the Test of Responsibility, the Test of Self-Fulfillment.
Jupiter:
Jupiter is in Water too now, but will enter Sagittarius in November 2018, then Capricorn in 2019. At the end of 2020, as Saturn moves into Aquarius for the next few years, so will Jupiter enter Aquarius too, and we will experience something we have not had since 1842.
The 20-year cycle of conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn will “transition” from Earth into Air Signs. This is called the Great Mutation, one of the principal “time-keeping” cycles of Astrology, and is another marker of our moving into a brand-new age, (in fact some are looking to this as signaling our definitive entrance into the “Age of Aquarius”).
We have been in a 20-year series of conjunctions in Earth signs since 1842, and we enter this next series of Air conjunctions in 2020, and that will continue until 2219. The last time we were in these Air Conjunctions was 1226–1425, which brought about what is now known as the Renaissance…may it be so once again.
Next, The Chart of the USA
The New Year – Part 4 – The USA (January 2018)
The USA
In my three previous postings we examined the near past, present and future of what are known as “Transits to Transits”, the Astrological Energy-Forms that are Universal and resonate for one and for all. Now we will turn our attention to specific charts, and the conditions articulated there by what are known as “Transits to Natal”. Like last year, I will first take into consideration the chart of the United States of America; in the next posting, I will use the same methodology to look at the conditions in Donald Trump’s chart.
In 2017 the USA was under the influence of Uranus Squaring Pluto, which posed the challenge of holding together in an integral, mutually supportive way the principle of Freer Minds (Uranus) and Centered Wills (Pluto). Given the close opposition of the USA Mercury to Pluto, this extended into a two-year theme from 2016 through 2017. We experienced an anxiety-filled and exhausting battle over thoughts/truths and the violations (trespassing) of Sacred Space that had been at play through 2016, and continued through 2017.
For 2018, there are two significant transits to the chart of the USA: 1) Saturn moving into Capricorn will oppose both the USA Venus and Jupiter; and 2) Neptune will align with the USA Saturn in a manner not seen since 1854–55.
Saturn in Capricorn
Historically, the movement of Saturn into Capricorn, which is the Sign opposite to the USA Sun in Cancer, has seemed to elicit challenges and difficulties. The three previous periods were 1988–1991, 1959–1962 and 1929–32. In each of these periods there were market disruptions which led to recessions (and, of course, to the Great Depression), and which also brought about significant shifts in the balance of political power, (1992, Bill Clinton won with, “It’s the economy, stupid!”, as the excesses of the Reagan years caught up with Bush the elder; 1960, JFK defeated Nixon as the later period after the Korean War and the Presidency of Eisenhower brought on a recession; and 1932, FDR came to power with his New Deal after Herbert Hoover’s programs failed to alleviate the agonies of the Great Depression).
While no transit will repeat exactly as it was, (as every other planet and planetary patterns have moved into new positions), there are certainly resonances and rhymes from one passage to another. This transit of Saturn over Jupiter and Venus, (the Greater and Lesser Benefics in Astrology), and then over the Sun in 2019, will most likely lead to similar challenges to what was encountered in these previous periods. We may expect to experience a period of economic challenges leading to political re-alignments just like we have before.
Neptune Inconjunct Saturn
The other major planetary aspect for the USA in 2018 is brought about by the Planet Neptune moving through Pisces, forming an Inconjunct (150° aspect) to Saturn in the USA chart. Given the orbit of Neptune is about 164 years, this exact aspect has only occurred once before, in 1854–55.
Saturn in Libra, and in the USA 10th House is said to be emblematic of our Foundational Principle, which is that the USA is a country formed by a covenant of equals. We agreed in breaking from a Kingdom to form a “self-government”. To do so our principles, patterns and rules of interrelationship would be inscribed and protected by Law, (in the USA, the Law would be King). Our abiding principle would always be that we are all equal to one another, and no one is above the Law.
But our very foundational document, the Constitution, which is based upon and formulated into the most cherished ideals, the long-hard efforts of human spiritual awakening, also encoded some of the most pernicious, vile and anti-spiritual beliefs and legal principles too. The most horrible of these was the legalization of slavery for a particular racial type, and for the purposes of maintaining economic and political power for slave-owning states, counting those slaves as 2/3 of a person for purposes of representation for those states.
During the prior passage of Neptune over Saturn in 1854–55, the struggle over the question as to whether or not any newly admitted states would be “slave or free” was bringing a spiritual/political crisis to a climax. The “Kansas-Nebraska Act” was passed declaring that henceforth each territory forming itself into a state would be able to choose whether to be “slave” or “free”. It led to advocates of both sides rushing in and battling one another for control, giving us the horrors of “bloody Kansas” and violent militia movements on both sides (as in John Brown). The political leaders of that time could not, would not, bring themselves to do the only morally/spiritually honorable thing to do, end Slavery. This lack of courage to do what spirit (and history) demanded became one of the final failures that led inevitably to the Civil War that followed.
It is not unexpected by those who study the great cycles of history, but seemingly for some quite alarming, that the “Original Sin” of America, Racism, (primarily as slavery for Africans, yet we will never forget the genocide of Native Americans, and the series of injustices faced by many, many immigrants, who came with the dream of a better world only to face the nightmare of being made scapegoats for another’s sin), that this evil that is racism is once again the leading story of our day. And, we are most painfully reminded of this every day by the words and deeds of the present occupant of the Presidency.
Just as in the 1850’s, we now in America are being reminded that there is a cost to dividing ourselves from our spiritual moral center which is fundamentally founded in the Ancient Wisdom and perennial teachings, whether Spiritual, Religious or Philosophical. That fundamental truth is this:
That every one of us is a spark of the Divine, equally of and made by love, here to be loving and loved no matter what. And to the extent that any one of us is denied their human dignity and essential value, then not one of us is truly human or free. The objectification and diminishment of any one person or group diminishes every single one of us.
There is no “freedom” for any one of us when any other, or so many, are not held as equal in spirit, equal as human to one and all. This Neptune alignment to Saturn once again reminds us that the work of Spiritual development and Human Awakening is ever-unfolding, and we are at another critical moment for our country, and for our world.
The question is will we stand for each person as our equal, whether by gender, sexual orientation, ethnic and cultural heritage, national origin, or any other individualizing determinant…will we abide and follow our great motto that is on the Seal of the United States of America:
That we are made of many, we are beautiful, diverse radiant beings who are here to hold each other as one, so that we are indeed formed as we claim to be…
“Out of Many, we are One”
The laws of Spiritual Justice are perfect; what you give is what you get.
Let us heal our wounds for one another; let us forgive but never forget.
May we love and be loved; may we sing and laugh and cry together.
Let us look one another in the eye,
Let us see the truth shining there.
We are one.
Next, The Chart of Donald Trump
The New Year – Part 5 – Donald Trump (January 2018)
Donald Trump
In considering the influences in any individual’s chart, there is a hierarchy or degree of opportunity and/or challenge that will be elicited by the unfolding planetary positions in the solar system. What is often more consequential is when any significant transiting planet aligns with a particularly important planet in that chart; and, even more significant is when that planetary influence “triggers” a planetary pattern within the chart.
In 2017, the principle transits to Trump’s chart were, 1) Pluto square his Jupiter; and, 2) Uranus square his Saturn.
For the Pluto transit, I wrote that 2017 would be one of the greatest tests of power in his life. The exercise of power is, of course, one of the most sacred and challenging tests for we humans. Power, of any type or level, is held in trust by those who are to wield it, whether as the head of a family, corporation or country. The “Test of Power” will remind the wielder that the such power is never “yours” to use as you will; the exercise of power must be aligned to its source and serve it’s ends. If you bend the power that was given in trust to you, and you instead make it serve you, you will fail, and you will fall eventually.
The transit of Uranus over Saturn in 2017 elicited/excited the fundamental root of Trump’s persona, which is his Uranian nature, which propels him into his role as an iconoclast and shatter of Institutions and Norms. But given its doubled influence in his chart, (on his Sun and opposite his Moon), Trump is by nature unstable, unpredictable and incapable of focus. Looking back on this past year, there would be ample evidence that he was most certainly an agent of change, but also someone whose consistent inconsistency sabotaged, and will continue to sabotage, his own agenda.
In 2018, Trump will experience a double-transit of, 1) Saturn squaring his Neptune, 2) while Saturn opposes his Mercury. This is because one of the most revealing aspects in Trump’s chart, (and which I analyzed as one of his three principal challenges when I examined his chart for the 2017 forecast, which you can read here), is that he was born with Mercury square Neptune. I characterized Trump as someone who could literally say one thing and then say the total opposite without any problem (for him). As I wrote then, “Trump will say anything, and mean nothing”. He will be a fabulist, who will tell stories, make up stories and basically lie to anyone, (and perhaps even to himself).
This toxic relationship, or non-relationship, to the truth is what will be put to the test in 2018. Trump’s mind (Mercury) will feel the opposition of Saturn as his thoughts and words are tested by agents of Reality (Saturn). Meanwhile, the dreams and visions that dance through his head, (Neptune) will also be brought into confrontation with these same agents of Reality (Saturn).
The last time this exact aspect occurred in Trump’s chart was 1989, and this was period when Trump’s bluffing and self-promotional debt bubble began to burst. He bought the Eastern Airlines Shuttle, re-branding it the Trump Shuttle, only to have it go bankrupt. It was a period when the excesses of the “go-go 80’s” was catching up for many individuals and corporations, especially those whose empires were built on easy money and lots of debt, and many of them would now experience their very own “reversal of fortune”.
Trump’s empire of casinos and real estate went through bankruptcies, and only by massive infusions of monies was he able to avoid total collapse. This is indeed the time that reports point to Trump receiving unusual and very questionable loans from the very banks he owed his debt to, (such as Deutsche Bank, and when bankers were asked is this normal, to give money to a person who is a bad credit risk, they emphatically answered “No!”). And, so began the whispers of sweetheart deals and foreign (Russian) monies being funneled by various shell corporations to prop up the Trump brand. Then as now, there is only one central consideration to focus upon; as in any scandal of the modern era, the prosecutorial mantra will always be, “Follow the Money”.
Spiritually however, the question will forever be, “Did you learn from your mistakes, did you make your amends”? Given the on-going investigations into Trump’s presidential campaign, and the many indications that investigators are “following the money”, it would not be far-fetched to imagine that the wheel of karma is turning once again, and Reality/Saturn is coming once more to pop the web of lies and illusions spun by Trump’s Mercury/Neptune square.
It is more than likely that the various congressional and FBI investigations will reveal not only streams of “dark monies” coming into the 2016 campaign, (both for the Presidential and other campaigns), but that these shadow money flows and sweetheart deals have long been part of Trump, the corrupt core of brand “Trump” from the very beginning.