You Were Searching ... (the Saturn-Neptune Edition)

(left) Saturn (Kronos) by Ivan Akimov (1802, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)

(right) Neptune by Angelo Bronzino

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This post is in response to someone searching for the term ‘Saturn conjunct Neptune’ - which is not just a subject well deserving of a search (whoever typed this one gets applause) ... it’s something I’ve done a lot of research on firstly because of that most human and obvious of reasons (Neptune and Saturn are very prominent in my chart) and secondly, because as I’ve said before, time and cycles of time have always fascinated me - and Saturn/Neptune is a known synodic cycle, said cycle being the time it takes for a pair of objects (in this case, Saturn and Neptune) to conjunct and then conjunct yet again.

Synodic cycles are interesting: they seem to mark chapters in human development, whether that pertains to us as an individual, or society in its own right. And since over the years I have looked into this particular planetary twosome, this is going to thus become the post I put all of that into - which is one of the other purposes for this blog: to record information for freely searchable future reference ... and in this case it’s my hope I get it all written down.

After all, if I don’t, there may have to be a Saturn conjunct Neptune II: Return to Impossible Possibilities.

Also: considering the many nuances to go through here, this is the only search term for today. (See what happens when you hit something I’ve studied in particular?)

And if by chance you’re thinking ‘this isn’t about me or MY chart,’ think again. Sure, you may not have Saturn conjunct Neptune natally. And you may indeed have a Saturn positioned somewhere which Neptune’s current 164-year orbit isn’t going to get to during your life span.

But you DO have a Neptune in your natal chart ... and Saturn only takes 29.46 years to toddle once around the Sun, during which time, transiting Saturn will conjunct your natal Neptune. For instance, if you were born between the years 1970 and 1984, give or take a couple of weeks at either end of this period when Neptune was either coming out of Scorpio or going into Capricorn, your Neptune is in Sagittarius. And since Saturn arrived in Sagittarius as of December 2014, at some point between December 2014 and December 2017 when Saturn moves its ringed self into Capricorn your Neptune is going to get conjuncted.

So I’m just sayin’ ... you might want to read.

Besides, 2026 will eventually get here.

That date aside for the moment (I’ll get back to it), most astrologers (or astrologists, as some prefer) would agree that to put Saturn and Neptune into the same astrological breath, sentence or conjunction is very much akin to be connecting that which is tangible with something which is intangible in real time ... which if you think about it is just a tad hard. Saturn defines everything which ... well, everything which can be defined. It represents realities and facts as things we can depend on and structure our life around (Saturn) or on.

So this conjunction is connecting the highly definite with that which is Neptune and thus quintessentially nebulous...? Yes, it is. We’re talking about conjuncting Saturn with that which not only can never be defined but which always ends up revealing some vulnerability in US when we go to rely on it ... at which point we suddenly discover what we thought was so real is actually an illusion.

OUR illusion.

That would be very Saturn-Neptune, a quotient in which the Neptunian side of the thing can never be proven - it can only be trusted or relied on in faith.

Sometimes the Saturn in this pairing represents the strength with which we deal with some Neptunian weakness or vulnerability. Sometimes Neptune represents the softening of Saturn's exacting edge, allowing for a bit of humanity all around. With Neptune around, all can be wonderful if you don’t have to depend on it, which is why Things Neptunian include the lovely dream, the inspirational moment and that universal if ill-defined moment when on the brink of slipping into slumber all is released without prejudice, care or conscious effort.

Neptune's rings (photo credit: NASA-JPL)

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And yes, Neptune can be the very essence of the haunted personality which manifests in any number of maladaptive and generally repetitive cycles even when someone knows full well that things are just fine.

If a human could be said to be spooked by their own shadow, that shadow would be their astrological Neptune. Neptunian things exist and often flourish so long as you trust them ... and Saturn represents that state of being which exists in reality. Granting that from sign to sign and house to house any set of symbols manifest differently, people with a natal Saturn-Neptune conjunction may excel in one area of their life and yet have substantial issues in another such as in the case of someone who is able to survive a lot of rough-and-tumble in their career with barely a break in stride but who at the same time is hugely sensitive. Or maybe they’d be sensitive to their own insecurities, but still perfectly capable of being hugely insensitive to insecurities in others. Seeing that on some level Saturn always refers to our ‘career’ in life, Saturn-Neptune can also indicate a Saturn career in any typically Neptunian field such as the arts, pharmaceuticals, the oil industry, charity work - or any of the helping professions which help those unable to help themselves in some regard.

Because this conjunction is going to get transited (over and over again) in any natal chart, which planet numerically comes first will also have some bearing on how the person experiences life: Saturn is all about clarity - sometimes even to the point of chilling clarity, and Neptune is a shifting, ever-present and ever-changing fog. With Saturn first and Neptune numerically second, barriers, facts and limits (the Saturn part of life) will tend to get ‘fuzzier’ or melted away as the planet which transits Saturn moves on to Neptune. So maybe everything is tough until you try it and then (much to your relief) things turn out not to be as bad as you thought they would be. Or maybe you’re someone who is diligent and uber-determined until something bursts your Neptune bubble, dream or illusion. Can you reassemble yourself? And if Neptune is transited first, will you learn to trust the process and to try as hard as you can on faith - a quality Saturn generally honors unless we’re trying to do something which is utterly Neptunian and unrealistic to begin with?

Saturn-Neptune by conjunction asks whether reality, whether or not we conceive of that as our reality or not, is worth trusting. This isn't easy; the natal square between these two symbols is known for all sorts of 'coping mechanisms' which either mimic or are out-and-out personal addictions. The conjunction isn't known for such manifestations, but the fact that the square is tells us that this intersecting of the "Is Factor" and "Maybe, if..." quotients are something natives either (Saturn) work to learn to harness responsibly (taking their 'medicine' along the way) or which they (Neptune) accept should be offered on faith but never insisted on, as insistence is a manifestation of ego (i.e., 'my way is the right way') and therefore contrary to core Neptunian values, which in conjunction to Saturn would indicate a 'dissolving' of what gets built, despite best intentions.

So this conjunction usefully asks whether we are willing to ‘see’ clearly and see beyond today. And yesterday, too - which could sometimes be even harder what with all Neptune's inbuilt-wistfulness (read: insecurity in and about time) and Saturn’s time-bound preference for the timely, the real, the proven, the status quo and certainly that which is blatantly proven by history.

Yes, even if given Neptune's presence Saturn's version of history could be include a little 'fuzzy calculus' and preferential editing in the mix.

This conjunction occurs every 37 years or so - over this past century there was one Saturn-Neptune conjunction in early Leo back in 1917, a second Saturn-Neptune conjunction in 1952-1953 in Libra, and a third Saturn-Neptune meeting in 1989 (into the earliest part of 1990) in Capricorn.

Furthermore, each one of these conjunctions came with its own special quirk. The Leo conjunction was in trine to dwarf planet Eris (discord), which on one hand marks this as a time when these planets by transit would indicate WWI ... and on the other (as a natal indicator) would speak to those who ‘came out of this period’ able to see challenges as motivation, as negatives - or as opportunities, any part of which could be used to benefit All (and therefore the Self as part of that All) ... or no one but the Self as part of a search for achievement and personal success.

-link to post-

Eris Discordant: Mastering

Our Own Weakest Moments

Those with a Libra Saturn/Neptune conjunction have been faced with a substantially different dynamic. Currently in their early 60s, these people haven’t faced the internal yea-or-nay of the Saturn/Neptune-conjunct-in-Leo group, but then their general Saturn mission didn’t include the (Saturn) long-term Leo lesson in development of Self. Instead, this Libra Saturn/Neptune group has been getting a life doctorate on the subject of how to get along (and not get along) with others ... (nicely folded into) .... how to get them to get along (or not get along) with you. This conjunction in Libra differs from the Leo version also in that Saturn in Leo is Saturn in a sign (of detriment) where Saturn tends to act pushy (even arrogant), where Saturn in Libra aims for the noble and good thing and has to hone the Self along the way to getting there.

The problem is simple - and quite understandable, actually. Ultimately Saturn asks what we are willing to make of our Self and its promise is that others (and life, and the world) will reward us for what we’ve earned. So since Leo is all about developing that Self, that leaves us to applaud ourselves - which is not only not much fun, but which when done with a bit of Leo drama sounds a bit odd.

And yes, sometimes a touch arrogant - sometimes when all that a Saturn/Neptune in Leo person is doing is having a bit of personal fun.

(And yes, therein lies the problem, on occasion.)

Saturn in Libra is entirely different. Libra being the sign all about our relationship to others (and this world) and how the world (and others) react to us depending on who we really (Saturn) are and who we have (Saturn) worked to become ... Saturn in Libra becomes the hallmark and essence of what you put out comes back to you - which underlies why Saturn in Libra is a positive if the native is honest with themselves about who they are and what they are doing with the understanding that they are only going to get back what they put out there.

'Shadow of Demarcation' - In this photograph, Saturn's upper hemisphere is tinted

in green and blue and its lower hemisphere appears in

more creamy, warm-hued tones

(photo credit NASA JPL)

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And then we factor in Neptune, which in Libra - a sign ruled by Venus - emphases the ‘hands off’ side of relationship, namely that which is platonic in the highest humanistic sense of the term. With Saturn, such a Neptune can indicate a negative blindness or a positive willingness to (Saturn) work interactively on (Neptune) faith - of some sort.

The tendency with Libra involved is to think that we need to have faith in them ... where the reality is that we need to have faith in our ability to be our Self in spite of whoever ‘they’ are - or in spite of whatever happens.

We don’t want to think that.

It’s true anyway.

As for what interesting modifier this conjunction is connected to, that would be Ixion.

Yes, Ixion the Plutino.

 

- link to post-

Ixion: Our Conflict of Self

The thing about saying Ixion is a Plutino (for those who don’t want to go read the whole Ixion saga at the moment) is that while yes, the term ‘Plutinos’ is a reference to Pluto, what it means in terms of our current conversation is how like dwarf planet Pluto, Ixion’s orbit around the Sun is controlled and modified by Planet Neptune’s magnetic resonance.

So it’s back to Neptune.

Also unlike the Eris-to-Neptune/Saturn connection: that was a trine. Ixion to Saturn/Neptune is by conjunction, and that’s a whole other animal. Trines are about things already in motion where conjunctions refer to embodiment or being so directly confronted with something as to be either ‘saddled’ with it, unable to see it for what it truly is (good or bad), or so much in sync with/part of it that it is easy to (Neptune) assume that (Saturn) you’re the only party (Saturn) responsible for anything. Or maybe even everything ... (Neptune) imagine that.

This ‘Neptunian loop’ (or ‘echo,’ if you prefer) may  seem to make it harder to recognize some (Saturn)  realities as the realities they are - a situation which can simultaneously lead to insecurity on the inside and difficulties on the outside even while the ‘double helping’ of Neptune may well lend an ability to endure a lot even while you’re (as they say...) crying on the inside, knowing there’s nothing to do but surrender to the reality of whatever is going to (Saturn) be/become the (Saturn) reality you’re going to be (Neptune) inspired by next.

Probably more than either the other two conjunctions during the 1900-1999 period, this Ixion - Saturn - Neptune conglomeration is probably ripe to be affected more by house placement as well. The strong houses for Saturn will be the 7th, 10th and 11th, meaning effort is easy to summon up and/or maintain as required. The difficult houses for Saturn will be those in opposition to the above - namely the 1st, the 4th and/or the 5th, reflecting a Saturn placement which will tend to test the boundaries of any personal (1st house) agreement, long (4th house) term responsibilities and sort of as we discussed with regards to Leo (Leo being the natural sign of the 5th house) issues with frustration and often enough, rates of gratification.

But strength isn’t always a good thing. If we equate strength to loudness, there is a point at which your ears hurt, after all. So where Saturn may trend towards ‘overdoing’ either through action, insistence or restriction when positioned in the 10th or 11th (its  houses of natural rulership, challenging us to set limits as a measure of discipline on the Self), Neptune in the 12th represents a tendency to be very hard on one’s self with regards to ‘measuring up’ if  simultaneously unrealistic when it comes to the distinct probability that the dreams being held so dear would not be so wonderful in reality ... or that they are merely ill-conceived or unfeasible, all of which is a variation on the Neptune in 12 tendency to place faith in ideals to a greater degree than others in such a way to risk (and incite) greater disappointments and a greater sense of overall vulnerability which in Leo would be about the Self, in Libra would be about the validity of the relationship (whether it’s based on anything real) and/or whether others can be trusted.

And all that is without Saturn even being part of the picture.

As for the 1989 Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Capricorn, that one occurred in conjunction with Facies, a nebula long referred to in astrology as a ‘fixed star’ simply because astrological names come from a time long before telescopes could differentiate between a distant single star and the sort of distant star cluster known to us as a nebula.

Whatever name used, Facies has a reputation for presenting ‘complications’ and complicated scenarios, which in a sign about achievement and worldly standing (Capricorn) speaks to challenges neither easily dismissed nor easily worked through.

Two of Saturn's moons, Rhea in the foreground and tiny Epimetheus in the background

orbit with Saturn in the background and Saturn's rings all around.

(photo credit: Cassini Spacecraft - ISS, JPL, ESA, NASA)

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With Neptune in Capricorn evoking everything from powerful illusions to illusions of power amidst a general questioning of what ‘world standing’ means ... with all this cast against Saturn in Capricorn’s strictly structural (and structurally strict) standards for achievement, most of the ‘fallback’ positions became all about holding into (or reverting to) some a status quo, sometimes even when said status quo was plainly outmoded. And all of which has ... and is likely to continue playing out in the lives of those born during this time as experiences which are as introspective (Saturn-Neptune) as speculative (Neptune-Saturn) ... with plenty of questioning between.

And then, about the time these people reached twenty-two (which for the record would be just after their first Chiron square), along came 2011 ... and Pluto’s conjunction of Facies - which would also be Pluto conjuncting the Saturn/Moon in the chart of any person or other entity (businesses, products, nations, organizations, etc.) ‘born’ during this time.

- link to post -

Pluto Station/Retrograde in the Face of Facies

If you’re one of these people (or you own or are part of some company or whatnot founded during this 1989 time) you’ve probably noticed how messy these past couple of years have been. The worst of it would have been in 2011 through January 2013, but Pluto has only exited the orb of conjunction to this Saturn-Neptune conjunction as of November 2014.

And now Scheat is going to get eclipsed - which means anyone with this conjunction is going to have their Saturn-Neptune eclipsed, a three-year process which is bound to strip away many built-up walls (physical, emotional and otherwise) as we all learn that though life may not be what we want it to be, it still can be good. Productive. Worth being part of.

We just have to get past our Self ... and ourselves.

In conjuncting Facies, Pluto would also be conjuncting the Saturn/Neptune conjunction in these charts at a time when the young adults living those lives were just realizing some things (Chiron) can’t be learned in advance: you have to live through them and work with them in order to learn from them - or about them.

Some members of this natively Pluto-in-Scorpio generation will have reacted well enough. Others will have reacted by running scared (fear being the negative side of Saturn’s energetic) and still others will have felt discouraged or confounded by something unexpected altering their plans. Whichever group they belong to, much of their positions on things and overall priorities will begin to change as we move through 2017 into 2018 - the period during which this group will arrive at their first Saturn return and become (as we all do) more real, realistic and practical about life as a whole.

As for the next Saturn-Neptune conjunction, Saturn will begin catching up to Neptune (i.e., it will enter the five-degree orb of conjunction) during April of 2025  with Saturn and Neptune perfecting their conjunction (initiating another 37 year Saturn-Neptune synodic cycle) on February 20, 2026 - which I told you I would get back to (and now I have). Since this conjunction occurs in Aries, this will have Saturn in the sign opposite that (Libra) in which Saturn is exalted and where Saturn’s ability to ‘require’ standards manifests as a need for integrity of thought, in one’s words and with regards to agreements, lest all one does come (in time, time being Saturn’s byline) to nothing.

Or at least nothing you intended it to be.

Furthermore, in occurring at 0 Aries this conjunction is accompanied by not one, but two fixed stars: orange star Deneb Katos (Beta Ceti) in constellation Cetus and famously fixed red star Scheat - which in being at 29 Pisces is in line to be hit by this March’s 29 Pisces Solar Eclipse with exacting exactitude.

Said to bring a harshness and qualities of restraint and limitation, the first of these stars (Deneb Katos) isn’t written about much. But its constellation (Cetus) though popularly depicted today as a whale, originated with the idea of a classic ‘sea monster.’ And yet, this is the first star in the zodiac lists (by degree order). So is this star about the process of ‘being born,’ or ‘giving birth’ to something in one’s life, making the ‘whale’ more of a ‘whale of a job’ and the ‘sea monster’ the oceanic depths of Pisces just ‘behind’ and our instinctive desire to avoid and (if possible) deny our own vulnerabilities?

As for Scheat, Scheat is a star which in most general terms is about being denied or denying something ... generally to, or about others. And for good or ill, that fits certain modes of both Saturn and Neptune. Neptune effects are often said to ‘veil’ us - or the truth, depending on how willing we are to face our own feelings (and where they come from), particularly with regards to lingering feelings of vulnerability, that being what often sets Scheat dynamics off, whether in us or on the part of those we are interacting with - which is a good part of Scheat’s Piscean, critical degree presence.

When Scheat is triggered, nobody responds as you think they will - or as you think they should, or as you would hope they would because right is right and facts are facts and all that. That doesn’t mean things will work out badly, but it does virtually ensure that we will feel badly. And since Pisces as a sign is all about getting us to feel, and in particular about getting us to explore our most human and problematic human, mortal feelings, that’s about reality.

And reality is symbolized by Saturn.

Also to consider with any such conjunction: the state of the planet ruling the sign. Obviously the Sun (ruler of Leo) never goes retrograde, but Venus (ruler of Leo) does, Saturn (ruler of Capricorn and co-ruler of Aquarius) does and so does that spicy little ruling planet associated with Aries named Mars.

If the planetary ruler of this conjunction is retrograde in the nativity, in the return chart for that planet (anywhere along the lifeline) or a solar return chart, this conjunction will be turned inward ... or at least need to function/be functional 'internally' before anything which is going to (Neptune) satisfy the native is going to be (Saturn) done. Matters which pertain to this conjunction will also tend to be somewhat delayed or require/be in the process of getting a restructuring, some 'reconceiving' or some 'reinventing' during periods when that planetary ruler of the conjunction goes retrograde. 

Also ... as touched on earlier, transits to Saturn conjunct Neptune depend in part on which planet numerically comes first, as that’s the planet which is going to be transited first, sort of ‘setting the scene’ for that which follows. conjunction can be problematic. Currently in Sagittarius, Saturn itself will be entering Capricorn in late 2017 - just as Saturn comes into orb to sextile Neptune, representing an opportunity.

Will we take advantage of that opportunity when it comes along? Or will we not realize that the reality we’re resisting is meant to be our own?

That’s an answer well worth searching out - which in this case would mean searching within.

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To the Person who searched for "Saturn conjunct Neptune,"

Are you still glad you asked?

Seriously, I hope this is of some help to you ... and others. It's not the world's easiest configuration, but some very accomplished people have this conjunction in their chart (which among other things proves that we can get past the Saturn-Neptune habit of creating some 'reality' in our mind which turns out to be OUR reality ... but not that of anyone else!).

But some people with this conjunction do find ways to use it well. In fact, it may be that very separation - that of success (which is a Saturn quotient) from satisfaction (which is far more Neptunian) which lies at the heart of many of the challenges you (assuming this is your configuration) will experience. So if you can keep those two things separate as you utilize the strength and grace of this configuration while doing each to your level best within the astrological boundaries provided (no running afoul, please), there is much to be (Saturn) learned and gained - which whether you (Neptunian) know it or not will (Saturn) earn a satisfaction few who do not spend a lifetime wrestling with the finer points of (Neptune) infinite (Saturn) finality will ever know. 

All the Best,

Boots

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In our Facies: Upton Sinclair

Upton Sinclair in 1906

(photo originally published by the New York World Telegram

and Sun Newspaper Photo - courtesy of the Library of Congress collection)

If you don’t know who Upton Sinclair is, I’m not sure if I’m sorry…or if I think you’re lucky. I met up with his name in middle school, and have been flinching ever since.

The man Upton Sinclair was born on February 20, 1878 – which makes his birthday the same day as that when Pluto will go station/direct here in 2013.

Here’s his chart:

Upton Sinclair

born September 20 1878 - 9:00 a.m. (+5-06-27) - Baltimore MD

With the South Node in Leo, this would be an opinionated man. In fact, with that South Node conjunct the Midheaven in Leo, and with Leo’s rulership by the Sun pointing us to a Sun conjunct Mars in the 11th house, having his say in a big way was Upton’s forte.

Which indeed it was. Author, political activist and general rabble rouser of his time, Upton Sinclair had a way of getting under people’s skin. He was roundly hated by many (including a couple of Presidents of the United States) for his inability to stay quiet whenever he found something going on he thought was terribly wrong.

And seeing how back in Upton’s day, Facies was at 6 Capricorn – that puts Facies, a snarky little nebula if there ever was one – conjunct his 3rd house cusp.

Upton Sinclair - natal chart detail

 

And since the 3rd house is always the house of mentality and communication, and since Facies is known to torment us as much as we torment others because we feel so tormented, we can bet that Upton Sinclair felt tormented by what he saw going on in his world – and hence why he tormented others.

A friend of mine refers to this as ‘sharing’…which only goes to show that sharing is not always about sharing the good stuff. When we feel tormented or upset or hurt or maltreated, we share our displeasure. We share our anger. We share our negativity.

In the metaphysical sense, we’re stirring the pot. At the very least we’re trying to let someone else know that their right to swing their arms ends about the time they punch us in the nose (or some other place which is equally if not more painful).

Sinclair was a man who wanted to get things done. Sun conjunct Mars in the 3rd ten degrees of Virgo said he saw things being (Virgo) done wrong and the placement in the 11th house says this was on a societal level.

The opposition to Saturn at 29 Pisces just helped things along. Yes, he felt it ‘critical’ to do something about it. Any time we see anything at 29 degrees of any sign there’s an emphasis, a focus, a ‘need’ to attend to whatever that symbolism speaks to. In Upton’s case, there were three modifiers – besides the opposition, I mean. His Saturn (an indication of career and business) was conjunct Agamemnon, indicating a stubborn tenacity…conjunct fixed star Scheat, a quotient which is always all about what we or others don’t want to look at or accept as the truth…and our not-so-good, good friend Sedna, the emblem of ‘take your blinders off, and stop thinking in those rose petal terms. If you keep on like you’re doing, in the end the person you’re going to hurt worse is going to be yourself or someone you love.’

-link to-

The Sedna Conflict

There are lots of other things we could say about Upton Sinclair as a man who wanted to get the word out. Certainly his Moon at 7 Cancer in the 9th house was all about how society functions and letting his feelings be known. Conjunct Vesta, he was all about the cost of what we do…and what we don’t do.

Chiron at 7 Taurus sitting atop the Descendant and conjunct Neptune and Ceres would basically describe Upton Sinclair as someone who didn’t have any ‘plan’ about how he was going to take others on, he just knew when he had to say something…and when we flip this around, he was pretty much saying ‘you may not have thought about having a plan about dealing with what’s wrong about what’s going on, but you probably should get one.’

Like I say, he was a real sharing kind of guy.

So why did knowing who Upton Sinclair queeze me out back when I was in middle school? That’s because my class was required to read one of his many (many) books – a rather notorious book called “The Jungle.”

"The Jungle" - 1st edition cover

 

I thought it a pretty horrifying book. Why? Well, “The Jungle” is all about big business of its day and is focused on the meat slaughtering business. And maybe it’s because I read this book as an early-mid teen, or maybe it’s because I went through a deal of violence as a child…but were author Jack London (“Call of the Wild,” “Valley of the Moon,” “White Fang,” etc.) thought “The Jungle” was about the corruption of people in power sort of on that ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’ sort of level and the evils of what he referred to as ‘wage slavery,’ I thought of “The Jungle” as a litany of mankind’s inhumanity not just to man, but to the creatures of this earth.

To me, “The Jungle” was all about just how callous and uncaring we can be as people. It was about how easy it is to wrap ourselves in the righteous garb of institutional processes and ‘that’s just the way we do it’ without regard to the fact that real lives – and life – is at stake.

“The Jungle” was released on February 26, 1906. Here’s the chart:

Publication chart for "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair

Release date: February 26, 1906 

28 degrees of Gemini rising puts Betelgeuse (then at 27 Gemini) right behind the Ascendant. The book is thus all about that Betelgeuse thing of doing what comes easily.

And plainly, writing about societal ills came pretty easily to Sinclair. I’ve recently begun studying asteroid Lucifer, and after a first round of examination, the point seems not to be about “Satan” per se, but how ‘bedeviled’ we can be, or how ‘devilish’ we can be with regards to others…and in a greater sense how ‘the devil is in the details.’

With Upton Sinclair, the devil was plainly in the details and with his Lucifer conjunct Betelgeuse in his ‘let’s discuss this’ Gemini 8th house of power and how we negotiate, clearly Upton Sinclair saw his ability to write a way to force people’s hands.

Which he did. When “The Jungle” came out, many – including President Roosevelt – called Sinclair a crackpot. But after reading it, Roosevelt moderated his stance, saying that the book had a lot of valid points.

Apparently so. After publication of “The Jungle” a lot of ‘sanitizing efforts’ went towards the meat packing business from top to bottom. Corruption in the business also got taken on – and spread to other businesses.

Looking at the book publication chart, it’s Midheaven (it’s “public point,” if you will) is at 4 Pisces – which at the time was the position of Hidalgo (protocols or the manner in which something is done) and Eurydike – the emblem of understanding the cost. With the Sun plus dispassionate Pallas united at 7 Pisces it’s not surprising that “The Jungle” would be something which dispassionately…some might say even coolly…discussed something so vital, so venial, so…whether you’re talking about how people or animals were treated…so very emotionally disturbing.

Today Fomalhaut, the royal fixed star which warns us that success comes only when our ‘dreams’ (aims) are not corrupted – whether by means dark or rose colored – Fomalhaut is sitting at 4 Pisces. 

And Neptune is conjuncting it.

- link to -

The Royal Stars of Persia (Part Four): Fomalhaut

A lot of us are dealing with dreams which are coming to nothing and our desire to ignore or not feel feelings which are difficult to manage.
But we need to.

Meanwhile, Pluto is going direct as this post hits the blog, and it’s doing so at 8 Capricorn, conjunct the Uranus end of the book’s Uranus-Neptune and conjunct Sinclair’s 3rd house cusp, setting off his Facies/Moon opposition.

We are all of us facing various forms of wanting to ignore and wanting to simply ‘go along to get along’ and feeling like victims while ‘sharing’ our hurts. Escapism is bigger than ever and so is the wholesale abuse of power. “Wage slavery” as Jack London termed it, is back in vogue and again crushing the life out of countless lives, thus undermining the riches of all for the purpose of a few who think their domination can last.

Life simply doesn’t work that way. When that which ‘nourishes’ us – be it food or income or the ‘milk of human kindness’ is tainted, so our world becomes tainted too.

That was Upton Sinclair’s ultimate message in much of what he wrote.

Metaphysically, the timing of his birthday would seem to suggest we need to ‘clean up our act.’ We need to care less about the end product and more about the process. The idea of Pluto going station-direct atop Facies is shown ably by this combination of charts. But in our lives…in our individual lives, it has more to do with where early Capricorn is in your natal chart by house – and whether anything is pictured there. It has to do with where your Pluto is located natally, and the distance from there to early Capricorn.

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For those born under Pluto in Cancer (roughly 1914 – 1938), this is an opposition. It’s time to let go of the old and face what is yet left to do. Take it easy…fighting won’t help and by now you have the wisdom to know better.

For Baby Boomers born under Pluto in Leo (roughly 1939 – 1958), this is an inconjunct. It’s time to do what you need to do in order to become the person you know you should be…not the person its necessarily easy to be. Try to share judiciously, but don’t shut up. Where wrong is wrong, you need to make it right, whether that’s in your own life or in the greater world around you.

For Yuppies born under Pluto in Virgo (roughly 1958 – 1972) this station activates trine energy. Quality, not quantity is the byword. The focus should not be on what you can’t have, but what you can be. Look within.

For Gen X’ers born under Pluto in Libra (roughly 1972 – 1983), this energetic is a square. To see life as ‘us and them’ is to undermine your own interests. Being the bigger better version of yourself – the person you would be in awe of if you met you – requires big-time effort but is worth it.

For the Gen Y / Pluto in Scorpio generation (roughly 1983 – 1995) this energetic is a sextile. You have the opportunity now to see the flaws in your thinking. Change those and you will free yourself of much grief down the line. You’re likely to feel ‘no, this way is the right way’ and where that’s integrative, fine. But where it’s about power and personal gain…not so much.

For the Millennials – the Pluto in Sagittarius tribe (roughly 1995 through early 2008) you’re in for some trying times as this station represents the sort of semi-sextile energetic which gets you to see a really useful (and bigger) perspective by delivering a series of hard knocks. Don’t be offended, consider what you have to gain by expanding your vision and you’ll be fine. Well…more or less fine, and yes, it will take a while. But you can get there!

The little tykes among us – the Pluto in Capricorn group – are fighting battles with themselves at the moment, battles which have to do with learning how to be secure in themselves as individuals. This is all about a balance of being secured without being hovered over: parents beware!

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One of the strangest-seeming facts about astrology is the fact that our charts live on after we die. Just as JRR Tolkien's chart reflected the release of Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' films (I didn't check 'The Hobbit') and just as things have happened since the passing of first my father and then my mother which reflects on their charts, so this Pluto turn atop Facies echoes Upton Sinclair's chart - and the 'natal chart' for the release of his book "The Jungle."

The cycle is coming around again. But then, they always do.
 
Whoever you are, and however you think of your life or the lives of those who have gone before us, hopefully you recognize the patterns in your own life. Hopefully you are able to see your life as a part of the greater world and the cycles of the greater world as operative in your own life.

Not to mention those cycles which are individual and important to our lives as individuals. Humans, like the society they live in are as driven as manifestations of a point in the vastness of time and space which is every bit as evolutionary the cycle of the dinosaurs, creatures which started as little amphibian things and evolved to become astonishing behemoths.

We just don't have a gazillion-million years to get our cycles straight in. But then, it's likely that dinosaurs weren't great thinkers. And no...(yes, I'm laughing)...some of us humans aren't such great thinkers either.

But we have the option to think, and that's what really counts.

It's our choice. 

Wherever you are on your journey, here’s to living a life as filled with conviction as that of Upton Sinclair.

And here’s to remembering some of the lessons he worked so hard and spent his life trying to make us aware of, lest we go through life blinded by the sheer desire to not see.
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A New Moon in Leo

 

 Moonrise at Sunset (Jessie Eastland January 2012)

Every New Moon represents the beginning of a new cycle. During each lunar cycle we will see – and experience – events which fit into the ‘theme’ of the sign of that New Moon, with the sign of the Full Moon (which is generally the New Moon’s polarity sign) as the ‘thematic’ indicator of the nature of the fulfillment which we will meet up with.

On the mundane level of life in the Big World around us, that’s pretty much it. But when we get down to our lives as individuals…or even the ‘life’ of a nation or a company or a product – or anything else in specific, where those signs of the New and Full Moon fall in that chart further ‘color’ the nature of the monthly experience.

Still, that’s really what lunar cycles are about. Yes, they may contribute or even represent high points or low points in our yearly cycle…or in our life (as may be indicated by transits and eclipses to your personal chart). But on a purely theoretical level, the New Moon is simply life chiming the newest hour of the yearly day in the life of our solar system – which is itself but one small cell in the incredible vastness which is the universe of life, time and Existence.

This month’s New Moon is in Leo, a sign all about the idea of bringing things into being, what it is we want to bring into our world, our hopes for whatever it is we attempt or create and all those new moments of experiencing along the way.

The obvious strength of Leo is its dynamic power to create. The equally evident pitfall with Leo is its tendency to be blind to external elements – be those the people around you whose opinions are going to matter to you at some point, the realistic feasibility of our goals, dreams and ideas, or the effort it’s going to take to bring our dream into reality.

Leo is an intrinsic sign of vision. Pisces may dream and Scorpio may intuit, Sagittarius may comprehend strengths and weaknesses and Aries may sense capacity. But nothing sees what could be like Leo does.

And because of that very thing, the greatest Leo defeats are often not defeats in reality, but in the mind. Leo energies are defeated not by the impractical and not by the impossible, but rather by the difference between the expectation seeded by vision and the reality – be that what it will take to get the idea off the ground or the fact that not everybody is as delighted with our Leo vision. Or a Leo’s vision, in the case of a Sun sign Leo.

Many a Leo (and person with a Leo idea) has felt that cold douse of water being thrown in their face and, after a bit of roaring and snarling, said ‘I’ll show you!’ and gone on to be successful in spite of the wet blankets.

And therein lies the essential Leo lesson: while it’s important to have a dream, learning to require of yourself that you recognize the realistic parameters of that dream is your best Leo armor.

Thus we come to this year’s Leo New Moon, a New Moon which will occur on August 6th at 9:52 p.m., UT/+0 time at 14 Leo, a degree which by definition is ‘emotional’ – which in the case of fiery Leo is more akin to fervency. Or excitability. Or conviction.

But remember…our lion Leo as a zodiac sign has delicate paws. You remember that story about the thorn in the lion’s paw, right? That’s an interesting reference on the zodiacal level, seeing as feet (and therefore paws!) are Piscean in nature – which may be why foot rubs are so soothing (come to think of it). Pisces is the 8th sign from Leo – that we call in astrological terms ‘the 8th harmonic’ – which means that it is in, and through the Pisces challenge to be willing to accept feeling one’s feelings that Leo finds its power personal and worldly.

Perhaps that helps you understand the Leo challenge. We all have them, obviously – and whatever sign is the 8th harmonic from your Sun or Moon sign is where you (personally) are likely to find your sticking points.

You know, those thorns in your paw.

So we’re starting with a New Moon loaded with vibrant, evocative energy which is ‘seeding’ 14 Leo, a degree which is strong on spirit and the spiritual, but less integrated with life’s realities than other Leo degrees.

Which, considering we are talking about Leo, may say a good deal.

Looking at this more abstractly, 14 Leo is about isolation versus integration with pluses and minuses on both sides. There is a need to focus (isolate)… and a definite challenge in the area of integrating – whether that’s you integrating yourself into a group, getting your schedule prioritized (an integrating of theoretical goals, realities of necessity and real world time) or any other combination of disparate, differentiated factors.

And as soon as we say that, there is the fact that this particular New Moon comes to us as part of a grandly designed grand square.

There are several basic ‘conflicts’ described in this figure as a construct. The first is that grand squares (whatever they may be composed of) are sort of like a tablecloth you optimally want to pick up by all four corners so that everything is “contained.” That suggests that this month is going to be full of things which have many sides which need to be considered…and contended with.

The next idea is that this grand square is being presented to us in fixed signs. Fixed signs always present us with a challenge. We tend to see fixed sign challenges in terms of others or the world around us, but the real challenge is to our willingness to take on a new phase of growth or effort which goes beyond our current norm.

The other thing about fixed signs is that they’re each and every one of them about the road to personal satisfaction and that yearned for sense of personal security with one’s Self.

So to have a New Moon poised as a grand square in fixed signs suggests that for some, this ‘lunar month’ is going to be crucial. Or filled with critical moments. It is to be expected that we’re going to hear the word ‘no’ several times this month, and that we’re not going to love hearing it.

Will you be defeated? Or will you admit (at least to yourself) that you’ve stubbed your ego’s toe and move on to try, try, trying again?

That would be one of the very good questions to ask ourselves this month, replete with the obvious corollary of why is it sometimes so hard to get past our own ego?

Oh yeah…that would be that Leo ‘vision versus reality’ thing again.

(Sigh.)

There’s another basic challenge implied by the grand square which comes with this lunation, namely that the Moon (as part of the Sun/Moon conjunction which is the New Moon) is in square to the Moon’s own Lunar Nodes.

What are those node things, you ask?

The Nodes are where the orbit of the Moon around Earth intersects the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. They’re the ‘intersection’ of the whole of life (the Sun) with our daily doings (the Moon) – which in common terms would be our relationship to the world around us or society at large. They’re also the image of our personal ‘encounter (intersecting) with people in our personal world – relationships, in other words.

One of the nodes (the North Node) is the ‘uphill’ climb – it’s all effort with great reward to be had. The other node (the South Node) is like coasting downhill on a bike – all ease and fun, with an implied ‘expenditure’ of resources, which could be emotional, monetary, physical, relational or just simply involving time.

Everybody likes their South Node ‘stuff,’ nobody likes their North Node ‘stuff.’ That’s just the way it goes. And since the South Node is conjunct Menkar and Amor, the diagram of this New Moon strongly indicates that we will be tempted to take the easy way out.

- link to -

Menkar: Soul, Searching

Or at least the way through which is easiest (which is to say, best known or most comfortable) for us. With Amor in this mix this isn’t about animosity or drive, this is simply about the known, the non-risky-feeling, the thing or person which seems “friendly” or who is already a friend.

Beneath this, with Menkar in the mix, we would have to think that there is some measure of not wanting to face emotional challenges – which fits with Leo’s emotional outlook, but apparently not with this month’s drive to get things done or achieve some aim.

On the other side of this coin we have the North Node conjunct House, which might be best read as needing to become comfortable with…or the effort required to become facile with, familiar with, willing to reconcile with – any means, method or dynamic which is about opening yourself to ‘other’ possibilities, and/or those who embody that which isn’t ‘native’ to you. With Deucalion involved, there is an implication that something needs to be let go of and something new brought into being – which is the second ‘creationist’ notice we’re getting with this New Moon. (Yes, we keep score in astrology – most repeated theme gets top billing.)

In the most esoteric sense, Scorpio is about the opportunity to grow ourselves at a deep seated, experiential level. With Scorpio however, we always have to be prepared to risk. We may be risking our feelings of stability, we may be risking our money, we may simply be risking being wrong…particularly in that Leo sense of ‘my vision isn’t reality – REALITY is reality. Drat!’.

Wherever Scorpio resides in your chart (look for the house with Scorpio on the cusp) that will be the arena and dynamic through you will experience All Things Scorpio throughout your life – for better and for worse (and with Scorpio, both apply!). Scorpio tends to magnify our sense of things, as in the physical intimacy we associate with Scorpio-as-sex being the magnification of encounters of others. 

The reason to bring this up is because with Psyche in this stellium of Scorpio objects we are particularly mentally apt this month – and apt to be mentally challenged. Psyche always represents some mental challenge. Or a challenge met on a mental level. So whether the issue is getting something through your head or ‘learning to mind’ (ahem!) or even how to teach someone else something (helping them be more comfortable in their mind or even in a relationship) it’s all there to do – and it’s both part of our New Moon cycle this month…and defined as being a bit in our way.

- link to -

Eros and Psyche: Falling in Love

With our Minds

In the way of what? That’s probably best defined by the New Moon itself and its opposition. That first part is Moon-Vesta-Sun with a dash of Charybdis (the need to keep trying) and Pappos (the shape of the situation you’re in).

Vesta is alternately a protector symbol and an emblem of ‘what something could cost’ …which could be seen as protecting ourselves against loss….or accepting the cost of getting something done safely, securely and to our greatest benefit - often with a 'group (or societal) benefit'  implied.

Whatever it is and however this ‘Vesta Vibe’ shows up during your lunar month (which will vary), being aware that at some level you’re starting from zero and you’re supposed to be starting from zero (or “starting anew”) is key. Yes, you can build on what you know, what you have, with what you’ve learned and through those relationships you have already established in this world.

But you’re also – at some level – at square one. And that’s where Leo’s powerful ‘vision’ is a gigantic plus. There’s nothing like Leo to serve as motivation, so we’re likely to see all sorts of people launching new whatevers over the next few weeks.

That’s not to say they’ll all be good, mind you. But the effort is likely to be there….and we’ll just hope that the arrogance sometimes associated with Leo gets left at home.

Then we get to the oppostion: Vaticana and Juno retrograde, an indication that at some level we’re either looking to build a power base (or base of power) OR we’re having to contend with someone or something which already has a base of power. Coming from Aquarius, this opposition asks that we integrate ourselves and not ‘explode’ or ‘implode’ in some way. Juno in retrograde is a symbol of management, sometimes of resources but often of information or methods which have already been proven successful.

Put simply, you can go up against it, or ally yourself with it – take your pick.

One other figure which goes with this New Moon is this one…

Yes, it’s a t-square. (I know you’ll be happy to see that.) The idea that Uranus is the ‘t’ in this t-square is likely to make a few folks nervous. And yes, this is all about change – and not necessarily the kind of change, or change at the pace or in the area of life you’d necessarily like to change, but what’s the choice?

Are you in charge of this universe?

In a sense, that’s the underlying question. With this 12 Aries Uranus in trine to the New Moon’s 14 Leo there is an ongoing process of change which is under way. The only real question is whether you’re on board with that change or not. Those who will embrace ‘the new’ which is entering their life stand to gain much – represented here by Jupiter (growth), Pallas (knowing wisdom), Alhena (understanding the/your purpose or purposeful understanding) and Phaethon (headstrong self confidence). This totality images conviction. And maybe more to the point, the desire to manifest that which will be good for your life – and for the rest of the world as well.

With Facies/Pluto in this mix as our ‘starting’ or ‘continuing challenge’ point, nothing is simple. We’re all likely to trip over a stumbling block (or two). That Uranus is still at the degree it went retrograde at in mid-July has us ‘hovering’ on some point – and lest we miss the point, this is an energy which can manifest emotionally as rebellion or a fear-of-self which forces us to act because we don’t know quite how to react constructively. Such actions are likely to be in some ‘old mold’ which may or may not serve you well – and where things don’t go well, they’re likely to be destructive.

But remember…this is a Leo New Moon. So while things may indeed get damaged in real world terms, the most ‘danger’ is the destruction which may now occur to some dream, some ideal, some vision – or your investment in that vision, idea or image.

The issue here is change. So that which you are invested in which comes from your past is more likely to be problematic than what you are attempting to build, learn or master in present time. And both may now be operative, giving us an implication that at the very least, ‘updating’ is needed.

By the time this New Moon reaches its Full phase it will be in Aquarius. And since Aquarius is the polarity sign to Leo the question becomes whether we have ‘found our way’ or ‘our place’ our the way that our efforts, our being, our sensibilities can be appreciated by others.

To the extent that they have, we’ll feel gratified – and like as not have built ourselves a springboard, a platform, at least a temporary ‘safe haven’ from which to plan our next step.

For those who fail to take their surroundings and the needs, priorities or preferences of others into account, the measure becomes whether you’ve been so innovative that you inspire others to follow you, or if you’re so out-of-touch that efforts fall flat and ideas melt away into deflation and dejection from which yes, we can learn better.

But will we want to?

One other smidge-of-a-note to add on here is that this Leo lunation we’re just embarking on will carry us into the eight week ‘break down’ period which precedes the November Solar Eclipse. Because any eclipse is also a matter of Sun, Moon and lunar nodes, the fact that these cycles overlap may well indicate what will be afoot (or on the table) during the incoming eclipse period, which makes taking note of what happens now not merely sensible, but educational.

November’s eclipse will be in Scorpio. In other words, the eclipse is beginning to form up…slowly but ever so surely…right now.

So…! What do you want to bring into being in your life or this world? What do you want – or need to change? Undertaking those challenges now is a good way to harness the natural inclination towards evolution and revolutions personal and societal which in turn and in time will lead to transformations whether we like it or not.

Our only question is whether we are willing to create or re-create without falling into the Uranus t-square ‘trap’ which would have us be irresponsible, unresponsive and ultimately so self indulgent or self protective that we undermine our own ability to flex, adapt and thrive.
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Pluto Direct (With a Uranus Twist)

 NASA artist Pat Rawling's concept of Pluto as it might be seen from

its moon and partner, Charon (NASA, October 1992)

 

Pluto will go direct on Tuesday, September 18th at 5:06 in the morning (+0/UT). This station is being taken at 6 Capricorn, a degree the Sabian Symbols image as ‘A VEILED PROPHET SPEAKS, SEIZED BY THE POWER OF A GOD.’

Please note: that’s “A” god, not “THE” God. The idea here is about passion. About conviction. About motivation. And that all is not clear…or yet available (maybe to be presented?) in fullest form is denoted by the idea of a ‘veiled prophet.’

While we’re here, a few notes on the word ‘prophet.’ Modern parlance has come to think of the term as allied to prognostication….along the lines of the word ‘prophesize’ which means to see and speak accurately of a future yet to be experienced.

That’s not, however, what the word started out being. The Hebrew concept of ‘prophet’ (which is probably the earliest we have) merely denotes ‘one who speaks for another.’ If there’s a CEO who has laryngitis, for instance, the person who reads their speech for them and who helps interpret the whispers and gestures said CEO uses to try to answer questions – that “interpreter” is, in ancient Hebrew terms, ‘a prophet.’

Think of it…it could have been a job description.

Moving on to ancient Greece, the prophet (or prophetess) of Delphi for instance…s/he was charged with telling the truth as interpreted from ‘a god,’ which in the case of Delphi, was Apollo. Apollo being the god of truth and enlightenment, this fits particularly well with the rest of the Sabian Symbol, giving us to know that this degree – 6 Capricorn – is about recognizing the truth. Or maybe some ‘aha’ moment.

From the stories you hear about the Temple of Delphi, it isn't all

that apparent that Delphi s a tiny town clinging to the side

of a rather steep mountain. But it is. And the view is - as shown

above, often rather spectacular. Who said those Greek gods

didn't know the old 'location, location, location' maxim?

(photo credit: Antonio DeLorenzo and

Marina Ventayol, June 2007)

Well, maybe not a moment. With Pluto, truths tend to ‘dawn’ in our consciousness. Though with this current indicator being a retrograde-to-direct station, there may well be a ‘moment of truth’ when things shift or change.

As always, being that this is a station, we give it an ‘allowance.’ The two-to-three days prior and the two-to-three days after the station (yes, I’m beginning to expand these parameters a bit, simply because of observational effects)…these seem to be telling times in terms of the object taking station.

With Pluto, the effect is emotional or emotionally provocative – which would be why Pluto is associated with all the things which tend to provoke us most easily: rejection, money, sex, war, death, birth, taxes, surgery, investments…

And since through the thousands of years prior to Pluto’s discovery Mars-the-initiator was considered ruler of Scorpio, we understand why this pairing…Mars as first ruler, Pluto as outcome ruler…is so descriptive of Scorpio dynamics.

Put simply, Mars is about the choice to get involved in some interactive venue – the investment, the intimate relationship, the having of children, the agreeing to have surgery. And Pluto denotes the emotional effects – the emotionally ‘transformative’ process we experience as a result of having made that choice.

And that emotional part? That explains why when in areas of life Scorpionic we try so hard to ‘control’ the outcome.

Or deny our responsibility – that we knew any such thing. No, no…it couldn’t have been our fault!

Scorpio is the home of two very important sayings. The Mars part of Scorpio says ‘try, try, again’ and the Pluto part of Scorpio says ‘the burned hand teaches best.’ Yes – there are spectacular successes which are a result of Scorpio involvements, but most of us have a few burned fingers, to be sure!

Okay…so Pluto, this secondary/outcome ruler of Scorpio…is currently in Capricorn.

And what is Capricorn?

Capricorn is:

1. The sign of commerce

2. The sign of rules, laws,regulations and all the penalties/life setbacks we incur when we don’t color inside the social/societal (ethical, legal, regulatory, moral) boundaries. Or even inside the lines of our own personal standards…which yes, sometimes extends to family or cultural standards.

3. The sign of management and structural integrity. Neither building nor company nor country nor family nor life stands where there is a lack of firm foundation or responsible loadbearing cohesion.

4. The sign of where our world intersects the ‘big world’ whether through our efforts (career, marriage) or through how others regard us for whatever reason (social standing, reputation).

5. The sign of durability and all things tangible, factual and established, lasting and ongoing – particularly those things we ‘hang our hat on’ personally, nationally or otherwise in the support of or structuring of ongoing efforts.

So we combine the Pluto/Scorpio “things evocative” quality with the Capricorn structural-commerce-morals/regulations quantities and its no wonder we’re hearing the public and political fracas we’re hearing going on around the world. It’s no wonder that we’re passionately involved in trying to clarify our direction and the path to our goal. Or goals.

Or even some shelter from the storm.

That just all of this would denote an emotional or unstable or provocative time is rather well told by two things. And then we add in Uranus.

  A false color image of Uranus taken by Voyager 2

during the month of January 1986

(photo credit: NASA)

The reason to add Uranus in with our thinking in this moment is because September 19th (at 6:55 am, UT/+0) is when Pluto in Capricorn will perfect a square to Uranus in Aries.

In astrology, squares are pesky things. They tend to denote our focusing so hard on one thing that we don’t balance out our efforts. Long vilified (square aspects have long been thought of as things which twirl handlebar mustaches)…a square in our charts – and therefore in transit – is an opportunity to achieve through being challenged.

Just as in architecture, square angles are “building blocks.” So sigh all you want to about the loveliness of trines, but when it comes to getting what you want out of life, look to those moments when life hits you with the challenge.

Or when you realize you’ve insisted on plowing straight ahead when you should have taken a hard turn.

Or when all comes tumbling down because you haven’t built on a firm foundation.

Uranus committed to its transit of Aries back in March, 2011. You may remember this time as being when the Earth’s crust gave way near Japan, setting off a huge earthquake and accompanying tsunami.

Lives were changed – and not just in Japan. We all became more aware of what it meant to be alive, and what we can or cannot do to ‘master’ Mother Nature.

Uranus entering Aries signified that force. I know of nothing else which could have demonstrated this idea that we should be aware of life and the precious opportunities we have…and which maybe won’t have tomorrow…than Uranus in Aries.

Uranus in Aries says ‘make something of your life.’ Uranus in Aries urges us to not squander our lives on the silly stuff, but to make each moment matter. To consider the ramifications of what we do…and leave undone. To think about how today’s action in one place can upset someone’s plans tomorrow.

Or maybe damage our world…THE world…for many.

That’s just what Uranus in Aries is. And considering that Uranus moves about four degrees a year, Uranus is going to be transiting Aries for yet a while. Currently it’s still in the first ten degrees of Aries – the first decanate (“deca” meaning ‘ten’ in Latin). These ten degrees of any sign are where that sign manifests through our physical being and in our actions. So this is a time when we can disrupt our own lives through what we do…or what we don’t do. Or when, through our awareness, or lack thereof, or determination to ignore certain factors, when we can either put ourselves on a path to personal achievement or trip ourselves up.

Or to varying degrees, both.

Obviously Uranus is all about…well, distance. Wherever you are, Uranus is the urge which, consciously or unconsciously motivates (or provokes) you to try out that ‘other thing’ and thus…in experiencing the whole, be afforded greater choice. So if you’re a ‘part of the group’ person, Uranus is all that provokes or evokes the urge to separate from the group (or distinguish yourself) in whatever manner. And if you’re a ‘I go my own way’ person, Uranus cycles are that which make it necessary to experience and focus yourself about working with others and being part of ‘the process.'

Thus the reason why we experience Uranus as ‘change’ or instability is precisely because human beings are stability-loving creatures. We love the idea of change, but the experience of it? That's is quiver-inducing...especially when we're not in control of the situation.

And guess what planet is associated with control? That's right...Pluto.

As secondary (outcome) ruler of Aquarius, Uranus denotes where we succeed or fail in our world and in the world through our willingness, un-willingness, ability or ineptitude when it comes to connecting to others WITHOUT violating all those Capricorn concepts we just talked about.

Aquarius and Capricorn as constellations pictured on the

Mercator celestial globe which dates from 1551

(Harvard Map Collection)

And that is why Aquarius, sign of economics, is always a dicey issue to tinker with. Whether we’re talking about personal income, corporate income, gross national product (GNP) income or anything else, the ‘free flowing inclusiveness of opportunity’ which sounds optimal and which might well be optimal if it could be a ‘status quo’ is a lovely thought. But the Saturn-Uranus quotient which represents the ‘two sides’ of the Aquarian coin (and therefore, any set of economic considerations) inevitable runs into problems with all of the above.

But that doesn’t mean people don’t try, which accounts for a lot of societal Saturn-Uranus ‘change it versus don’t change it’ arguments.

And here’s the astrological deal…Aquarius is ruled first by Saturn and then by Uranus. Those who ‘leap’ to the Uranus part…the freedom, self-empowerment, the income…those who grab the Uranian brass ring without doing the Saturn work to prepare AND who don’t honor needs implied by the general Capricorn standards regarding structure inevitably find that ring to be too hot to handle.

So! Ask yourself…now, as we are coming into the height of this Pluto square Uranus and therefore finding ourselves in the midst of a stretch of time which mixes the impetus of necessity, the requirements on static/ongoing structures and unpredictability, instability and a general need to change…how’s that working in your life?

Since we paused for the Sabian Symbol with Pluto, it seems only fair to do the same for Uranus. Said symbol is as follows: ‘A MAN SUCCEEDS IN EXPRESSING HIMSELF SIMULTANEOUSLY IN TWO REALMS.’

The most obvious interpretation of this would be the connection or expression of our personal life and our business life. Or perhaps our individual life with that of some ‘group’ (social, societal, cultural, professional, personal, etc.) we belong to. Or even it’s a question of our expressing ourselves as an individual in conjunction with a relationship partner or our family.

Then we come to Uranus. Where we try to contain ourselves the most, where we are not free to express ourselves, that’s where Uranian energies tend to be most potent. Especially in Aries, Uranus wants us to break through the preconceptions and false fronts (societal masks and otherwise) which we all tend to adopt in order to get along better.

 You think Earth - or even Earth's Moon has it rough?

Above is a photo of Miranda, one of the moons of Uranus.

(photo credit: Keele Astrohysics Group/NASA)

Of course…you may be one of those rock solid rebels. You may be someone who doesn’t care two hoots about getting along with others. You speak your mind, you do your thing and to heck with everybody else. If you’re such a person, Uranus in Aries will remind you that you’re not alone on the planet – and that lesson may come hard, notably by making you feel very alone.

Like everything else in astrology, the question is where we are along the continuum. We all tend to get polarized. And we may be very social in one way and very individualistic in another.

At this time we’re all likely to be hitting a check point about what’s working and what’s not. With that will come an opportunity to capitalize on what does work and correct what doesn’t. Considering that Pluto is not just involved but highlighted at the moment, we can guess that there is a strong emotional quotient of whatever kind in the mix.

At a guess, I’ll go with a lot of ‘but why CAN’T I do it this way?’

Whether what’s at stake is some status quo we’ve been living with which isn’t working for us any more, some fallacy we’ve believed in which has been proven incorrect…whatever gathers you to the core of your own being now is what you need to face the construction – and perhaps the need for reconstruction – of.

Having said all that, there are a couple of other notes we should take into consideration here. The first is that Pluto is not done conjuncting Facies.

(Ah yes…I hear you moan…)

For those who are late to the Facies party, here’s a link to the original post on same (LINK). which not shockingly coincides with Pluto having gone retrograde last April.

And yes, there have been a smattering of posts touching on Facies since then, all of which can be found using the word cloud in the sidebar.

In short however, Facies is a globular cluster – a ‘messier’ known in astronomy as M22.

M22 - Facies by Hewholooks (June 2009)

As a mass of stars which looks from a distance to be one thing, Facies doesn’t have that fabulous a reputation. Known as a ‘fixed star’ (which it’s technically not), Facies’ multi-star composition denotes ‘many factors’ and thus often a situation or problem which ‘many things have gone into’ or which cannot be created, mastered, executed, changed, reorganized, built, improved …or whatever…very simply.

Beyond that, Facies is known to denote a difficult moment, a difficulty in life, a bad attitude, a bad debt, a bad outlook – something which is frustrating, maybe even nasty.

Facies is currently positioned at 8 Capricorn. The first thing that says it that Pluto isn’t going to finish it’s primary conjunction to Facies until mid-December (2012).

On the other hand, Facies/Pluto IS being set off now.

Since this seems to be a post full of Sabian Symbols, there’s no reason to stop at this point. Thus the symbol for 8 Capricorn (Facies’ position) is: ‘A Crystal Gazer.’

Astrological philosopher Dane Rudhyar considers this Sabian symbol to be all about inner awareness. To that I think it’s sensible (maybe even wise) to add the idea that those who gaze into crystals are looking for answers. There’s also a question of ‘how clear is that crystal?’…which reminds us that our ability to find answers is no better than the clarity of our vision.

 The Crystal Ball by John William Waterhouse (1902)

Also…as regards this square, let’s be fair here. This Pluto-Uranus square has been in the works for some time. This current feinting of galactic ways began back in May, 2010.

You remember May 2010. There was a giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico due to the Deepwater Horizon well blowout. The European Union was setting up its initial bailout of Greece. An Icelandic volcano erupted, throwing off Atlantic and European air traffic. A would-be bomb was found and deactivated in Times Square, NYC. There were floods and mudslides in Poland and Russia which killed a lot of people.

Oh yes...and Nicholas Copernicus - the fellow who figured out the Earth revolved around the Sun (not vice versa) was disinterred and reburied in Poland, which is just the astrologer's note.

All this happened as Uranus was cracking through the 29 Pisces/0 Aries barrier - a circuit/reset it would retreat from, returning to commit to Aries a year later in March 2011. The real point here is that Uranus was direct and Pluto was retrograde. We thus felt the 'quivering' inside. People felt under threat. Humans realized they weren't invincible.

This square did not perfect. Indeed by October 2010 Uranus and Pluto fell out of 5-degree aspect to each other and everyone fell back into old habits (good and bad habits, yes.).

The square didn't renew until April 2011 - in the wake of Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster. As it did, once again we humans recognized that we're playing with fire (to some extent, literally) by thinking we know how to run our physical world.

The 2011 Pluto-Uranus aspect got tighter and tighter until July 2011. Then with Pluto already in retrograde, Uranus (the faster moving planet) went retrograde as well. Things have been unsettled ever since...with a wee 'respite' of sorts which began in December and extended into early March, 2012.

In the United States, that was the heart of primary season. What might have been 'vague misgiving' about life erupted in a cloud of political rhetoric with most everybody who isn't pontificating or pundit-ing more aware than ever that there's a gap between the conversation you hear from the top of the pile political, commercial and whichever-nation-national and the concerns regular people have about life.

The realities of life.

All of which asks what you have been doing during that time? Have you been pontificating or pundit-ing in some manner political, personal or otherwise?

That’s really the question. For those who have actively tried to change things, Pluto’s turn to direct (on the 18th) as this square finally hits its head on the 19th may bear fruit. That fruit may simply come to you in the form of (Aries/Uranian) perspective. Or it may involve some sort of very real and very tangible (Capricorn/Plutonic) change. For those who have taken on the really hard tasks in life or in their life, this square and Pluto station/direct will constitute real steps forward. The work isn’t done yet, no. We know many facets and challenges lie ahead, as symbolized by Facies. But if you’ve faced the facts and opted to innovate or renovate your LIFE…now you will see some sort of substantial shift.

And to that I say…take one huzzah from petty cash and call me in the morning.

In other words, celebrate yes – stop that nose-to-the-grindstone thing, no.

In physics they refer to the overcoming of inertia. Its one of the hardest things we ever do and yet life asks us to perform this (literally) ‘trying’ miracle time and time again. Astrologically, it is symbolism like Pluto square Uranus which indicates when unpredictable “change worthy” times around us challenge us to take advantage of the ‘opportunity to create opportunities for ourselves.’ Many of us would prefer making our changes when all is calm and placid, but that doesn’t seem to follow with astrological patterning.

So if things are hard, acknowledge it. If things are challenging, buy a big bottle of aspirin. Challenge yourself anyway.

One more symbolic noodle to add to the salad before we toss it around. This noodle is named Scheherazade (which yes, says it might be pita and not a noodle, but let’s just leave that aside – or as a side, depending…).

Asteroid Scheherazade is going retrograde at 16 Gemini – just shy of ‘teacher/learner’ fixed star Rigel – on the same day that Pluto goes direct. This is another version of our ‘not having learned’ quite yet, which goes with the concept that Pluto is going direct in conjunction with Facies, but it won’t finish its primary conjunction of Facies (M22) until December. It’s also akin to the Pluto-square-Uranus notion that things either are changing or they need to.

Plainly, we aren’t “there” yet.

But Scheherazade also carries it’s own message, and that message is about “storytelling.” The implication would be that with Scheherazade having been direct (and now going retrograde) that we’ve been being told a story. Or that we’re trying to get someone else to hear our story. Or that we’re trying to get them to believe some story we believe – whether about ourselves or…considering this is Gemini…some fact or some choice which may be true – and then again, maybe not.

 

 A scene from Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade

 by L. Bakst (prior to 1917-public domain in Russia)

There are a couple of interesting factoids here, the first of which is the obvious and synchronous part: Pluto is going direct as Scheherazade is going retrograde. That’s a ‘turn in the tale’ which, with Uranus squaring from Aries, is the very reason why this blog has a suffix: ‘with a Uranus twist.’

Where things have gotten twisted, this period may serve to untwist them. When things are humming along on an uncertain status quo, a wrench may fall into the works. For those who’ve been applying torque to life’s gears, trying to overcome some sort of inertial – especially if you’ve been want to reflect some sort of ‘tale’ out to others, this would be the time. With Mercury currently passing through Libra this is a time to connect and a time when others will react to whatever we are and do, good or bad. We will become more aware of who others are – and aren’t.

As this station comes into force prior to Pluto going direct on the 18th, it’s also worth remembering that this is the moment of the Virgo New Moon, which we just talked about (see the post prior to this one).

It’s time to ‘get it right.’ And for those who have been trying to get to the right or make it right or make that right thing function – this is your time to push through and find out both what’s on target and which challenges remain. Or if you prefer...what we are damaging by thinking we get to have things our own way - individually and every other way.

Will we be direct – or be directed? And if so, by what?

Those are big questions which in taking a turn now, will be with us for yet a goodly while.