Sisyphus by Titian (1490-1576)
Just ten days ago now, Uranus entered Aries. For some, this has brought feelings of freedom. For some, this has only meant edginess – even provocation. And are those times when we like that sense of guidance – and if if isn’t there, we really miss it!
Plus there are some people who don’t do all that well without someone to chew at (or chewing on them). You know them…the bad attention is better than no attention types? Or how about those people who get so used to fighting that if there’s no one to fight with, well by gum – they’ll just go out and pick a fight!
So Uranus bounded into Aries (as much as a planet bounds...), making everything feel vital and personal. Then (among other things), Ixion went retrograde.
That stirred up a whole new bumble of bees!
Ixion’s station stirred up the sense of possible loss. And annoyance with limitations.
Yet with that came the need to question those feelings of personal entitled. Why do we think we’re entitled to whatever it is we think we’re entitled to?
Then the Sun also entered Aries, not only bringing the planet/dwarf planet count in Aries up to five (Uranus, Sun, Jupiter, Mercury and Eris) but by adding the Sun to the list…well, that just made us our very own focus!
Which….could be good…
…Then again, it could be bad.
With all this energy in the “I Am” sign of Aries there are a whole lot of ways we can get….over-involved? Incredibly focused? Fabulously motivated? Totally neurotic? Famously self-conscious?
In short, any and all may now apply. All this energy in Aries may give you a rockin’ case of ‘Who or What am I?
Or maybe you’ll start scratching that ‘What Can I Make of Myself’ itch.
Some of us will get into a very ‘What’s Going to Become of Me?’ mood – which is first Aries cousin to ‘What Is the Meaning of Life?’
With all this Aries energy, “I don’t know” can be a total disaster of a distress zone.
All this may well get really ‘ignited’ now as the Sun conjuncts Uranus, a conjunction which becomes exact at 12:19 (UT/+0) on March 21st. Remember the energy of the Japan earthquake? That kind of ‘release’ is typical of Uranus – though don’t expect everyone to have their own personal shaker!
No – Uranus is about a ‘change of status’ which in the process releases energy. As scientists explained with regards to a subduction zone, when one of Earth’s tectonic plates ‘slides’ under the other, earthquakes happen. Why? Well, to put it roughly (all puns intended!) the Earth’s plates don’t have neat, well filed edges… (that’s what Earth needs – a manicurist!)…so the overriding plate tends to get its leading edge ‘bent’ under by subducted plate. And so tension grows and grows until the pent up energy becomes a force greater than the friction holding it back.
Then everything ‘snaps’ back into place – and the energy and movement thus released – that’s the earthquake.
Quakes are commonly known in astrological circles as a Pluto event. Why? Because they transform our surroundings. They literally ‘change’ our world. In doing so, they also tap into truly instinctive, primitive instincts – the instinct to survive being the most obvious. Life and death as transitional states – they’re 8th house and associated with Scorpio…thus the Pluto reference.
But when you have a quake, the moment of the release? That ‘breaking through’ the wall of tension? That’s Uranus.
Associated with Aquarius, Uranus is about the shift, the change, the energy. And yes, what with the incoming astrological age having all being ‘filtered’ through an Aquarian lens…we can expect much of life to have this Saturn/Uranus flavor as the years move forward.
Saturn holds us back. Saturn requires slow development. Then Uranus releases the energy and we either make some great advance in life or get shot down.
And what do we get shot down by ? Usually by one or two things: our impatience (not enough Saturn preparation) or our having failed to take some form of the Aquarian ‘universality’ precept into account.
And yes, that may be a different blog.
Then again, considering Sisyphus is about to go retrograde, maybe this is just Ye Olde Perfect Place to have mentioned that!
So with a flirtatious reminder about Neptune still a-linger at 29 Aquarius (meaning, things still aren’t clear and that we simply have to allow ourselves not to know and instead deal with the moment on faith)…with that little bit of axel grease applied to the soles of your mental shoes…
…Thus we slide into the slippery world of Sisyphus.
The myth of Sisyphus concerns a well raised (i.e., privileged) young man who is as the expression goes, probably too bright for his britches. He’s got the life, he’s got the home, he’s living in a city which was not only founded by his family but which is situated along one of the really important trade routes. So anybody doing any real kind of business wanders by.
And there they find a charming young man who offers to host them in his home. Take a load off! Have an olive and a glass of wine…!
But once in his home, such travelers are also in Sisyphus’ power. See…he’s really smart – but his brain isn’t being put to good use. And he has no real challenges in life, seeing as he’s rich and needs not work.
It’s a bad combination. Sisyphus takes to toying with his guests. Then tormenting them. Then torturing them. Then….
...Well, you get the message.
And when the Olympians decide they need to teach this boy a lesson, Sisyphus even barters his way out of Tartarus – the Greek version of Hell.
Of course it doesn’t last long – such offenders cannot help but reoffend. And once Zeus (Jupiter) gets into the fray, Sisyphus is duly doomed to rolling (some say carrying) a large rock up a hill, only to have it escape from his grasp when he’s almost at his goal – compelling him to go back and try again.
It’s a heck of a way to go through eternity, right?
So Sisyphus is going retrograde at 6 Sagittarius on the 24th. That makes this a moment when we can either fritter away our talents and live to regret having frittered…or we can get hold of whatever it is about ourselves…our abilities? Our self discipline? Our lack of will? Whatever it is…this is also a really good moment when some will decide they don’t want to fritter ad infinitum and get to work.
Those who take on the Great Task will find all that Aries energy plus the Sisyphus ‘untapped ability to toil’ work for them going forward. Whatever your goal is – Cleaning the closet? Getting a college degree? Starting a business? – whatever it is, Sisyphus going retrograde combined with Aries will get you through a lot of work.
And for those who don’t tackle whatever it is they know they should be getting to? For you, Jupiter (knowledge) works. And that rock isn’t going to get any lighter.
It never does – particularly as we grow more tired of avoiding the simple truth of who we should be and what we should be doing.
And yes, that would be our rock to bear until there comes a day when we trade it for taking on the work of becoming our better Self.
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