Jupiter squares Pluto

At July 25th, 1:51am/GMT (as this blog goes up) Pluto and Jupiter are in perfected square.

Sounds lovely, right? Well, it can be. But as the old song goes, it ain't necessarily so. 

(The song is from 'Porgy and Bess,' in case you care.)

To begin with, that this happens within the two-day leeway auspice of Jupiter's station/retrograde tells us it's part of that process. So if you didn't read that blog post, you may want to start with yesterday, then read today. And yes, I'll wait right here while you're gone.

For those ready to charge on, several astrological things have changed in the day-and-a-half between these events, the first and most obvious being the position of the Moon. Given that the Moon's position (and thus its effects on all things earthly) delineates the angular perspective on life (otherwise known as our point-of-view on things), this is where we start.

So...the Moon is at 22 Capricorn. Moon in Capricorn is known for hard line decisions - some of which are made without taking all facts and factors into account.

At the time of the Jupiter station, the Moon was at 1 Capricorn. And now what with it being at 22 Capricorn, that offers us a lovely picture on how decanates work.

I keep saying 'decan' and 'decanates' and not everybody gets it. So let's have a moment of group grok: each sign is composed of 30 degrees. This thirty degrees gets divided into three ten-degree segments (zero to 9, 10 to 19 and 20 to 29), each of which is called a 'decan' or 'decanate' (from the Latin 'deca' for 'ten). So....

Any time you see anything astrological in the first decan it's about the physical or the doing of something.

All second decan positions are emotional - yes, even in air signs! There's a rumor which goes around about air signs not being emotional - have we never heard of a passionate thought, people?

All third decanate positions are about how things work once we 'put them out there.' This decan symbols all require that we let go and see what happens - we don't get the reward until we become willing to risk the critique.

So with this transiting square having a 22 Capricorn Moon signature we know the flow of this dynamic has to do with things public and worldly. This tells us that this moment may be all about you waiting to get a reaction. Or your having to let go of something (sending it out into the world beyond your control) in order to see if it 'works.' Or you may be hearing from the world - getting all that feedback on something you've said, done, or even failed to do (which is another form of 'putting it out there,' it's just the refusal to do instead of the doing!).

And the world in turn...it may be acting in haste. Then again, it may be saying or showing you how you acted in haste and/or with lack of forethought (etc.). Given how Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, that also reminds us that Saturn has just moved into/committed to a transit of Libra...and again, you may want to read the blog on that shift (posted this past Wednesday) in order to understand today in light of that a little more fully.

Basically though...since Saturn in Libra is about how we present ourselves, our positions, relationships and/or "products" to others and thus how we are received (otherwise known as cause/effect), this moment carries that entire note. Discussions, critiques, feedback, negotiations, debates - even meeting up with new situations, people, ideas and circumstances typify this kind of moment.

Will you be the presenter or the presented to? Like as not, a little of each. But whether you will prevail? That has to do with whether you have thought only of yourself or have taken the standards, needs, feelings and morays of others.

Another factor which has changed is the tenor of thought and communication: since Jupiter's station Mercury has moved from 23 Leo (need/aptitude for organizational versitility) to 26 Leo (reconcilliation of natural forces/instinct with greater contexts).

 
Why am I making these comparisons?

Well, one of the really effective ways to learn how transiting global astrology works is to do just this: by looking at subtle shifts and thinking back to even a recent moment, you see how events evolve in parallel with zodiacal and celestial themes.

And once you 'get it,' all of astrology becomes more useful.
 

So! Continuing on...at the time of Jupiter's station the Moon stood opposition Polyhymnia (happiness), asking us if we had done enough or gone too far. As Jupiter went retrograde, we internalized that moment and now are proceeding to reflect on it.

But the world? The world (time, the Moon) it just ticks along. So now we're experiencing some of the ripples in the pond, the rewards and consequences flowing out from that station. If things are good, you're basking in good feelings. If things are bad, you're dealing with turbulent social waters. 

Whatever is going, this is not the moment du jour: the Moon atop a black hole tells us this moment - good or bad is all about the experience of 'alternative emotional realities.' Given how the Moon is also conjunct Circe (rendering humans animalistic) and Scheherazade (powerful storytelling), insight is strong - and it may be about you understanding others...then again, it may be you seeing how others (or the world) see(s) you.

From Friday's station to today, black moon Lilith (the calculated/societal form of Lilith) has also moved from 2 to 3 Pisces. At the station, it manifested as uneven social situations which without sufficient goading wouldn't get where they needed to go. But now at 3 Pisces? Now there's some 'oomph' and social clarity. The subject is how well privilege or resources have been used, resulting in applause or some sort of judgment saying an opportunity has been squandered coming to the fore.

Putting these things together, we see a trend towards feedback from others. Are we expecting it? Good question, and one which like as not hinges on how well we have judged other people...a statement which takes us back to some of that 'How good are you at judging human nature?' stuff talked about in the blog on Saturn entering Libra.

If you have underestimated someone, they are likely to "emerge from a black hole" like some Alice in Wonderland rabbit being pulled out of your hat (or somewhere else, but we won't go into that!).

Plus with Venus still in emotional degrees of Virgo (where we tend to feel undervalued and/or put upon) no matter how wonderful you are, you cannot expect to have everything your way or feel totally appreciated. Maybe even understood. Ethics and integrity are very much at the fore now - and as a theme you can anticipate that they'll continue to ring through human harmonics for at least 36 to 48 hours.

Metaphysically, this is sort of a 'how many pockets has Peter Piper picked?' question about if/where you have taken care of yourself at the EXPENSE of others. We all do it, the question is whether you did it knowingly and/or to what extent you did it. About the best anyone can do here is own up to mistakes and/or bad behavior and move on, so if you've been particularly self-willed or naughty of late get out your recipe for humble pie and start baking!

But be warned: with this moment all about Jupiter squaring Pluto (you knew we'd eventually get to the big stuff, right?) you can't just mince, cream, bake and scoot - that simply won't work. You have to own the issue and make the changes which prove to others that you've really 'gotten it.' Nothing else will do.

A last note here on what this all may feel like...when we look at Greek myth and who these characters Pluto and Jupiter are we get that Jupiter is Zeus, King of Olympus and ruler of all. Pluto is Hades, ruler of the afterlife, 'buried treasures' (in soul and in earth) and all things transformational, be they the orgasm of sexual experience to the karma of death and resurrection to bankruptcy to changes of job, spouses and so on.

More to the point here, Zeus and Hades are brothers. So this isn't really about you and the world; this is your world - the fact that you really are part of this world (the whole world and nothing but the world) and that the world is thus part of you. This is thus all about learning about how to reclaim our integrity while reconciling  disparate forces in our world, in our social circles and in ourselves.

And this isn't just about people. This is a global transit. So it affects corporations, governments populations, you, me the door mouse in the barn, production of shoelaces wherever they get made, bumblebees in Brazil and everything else.

And that, in the end, says we are all going through changes right now. Not one of us is truly comfortable. We are all duly aware of big problems and big issues - in our lives and otherwise. Thus the question ultimately is whether we will take hold of all these challenges or avoid them or resist them. There aren't any immediate solutions here (issues of the moment play out in November of this year and February of next year) but this is a step in a process.

We can take that step, or we can not take that step or we can refuse to see the larger parameters and take a misstep. Whatever we choose to do or not do, where that takes us is up to us on an individual, interactive and yet ultimately collective basis.

And thus we determine our own individual and universal destiny. There is no 'it's too big a problem' here - there is only your willingness to grapple with reality.

Jupiter's Station

Planet Jupiter - source: NASA

On July 23 (at 12:04 GMT: adjust for local time) Jupiter goes retrograde.

The whole la-dee-dah of what this means and why it means it (the where-science-meets-metaphysics stuff) we'll leave for another time. Meanwhile, what's important to you is that from July 23rd until November 18th when Jupiter goes direct, your growth and learning process will be internal.

When a planet is in direct motion, we learn from and through external prompts and situations. When a planet is retrograde, we learn through experience of those planetary precepts within ourselves.

Given that Jupiter is about 'growth,' that means these months ahead are more about you learning about yourself IN the world than the world you are in. This can be fun, tedious, disappointing or exciting by turns. But whatever it is, through this process you become more aware and more focused on where you're taking your life, why that matters to you...and yes, maybe where you might need or want to make a few wee changes.

So here's the chart:

And because I've heard from a few of you who don't read astro-glyph, here's a little diagram which may make things easier:

The whole of this figure is a four-sided figure known as a 'Grand Cross' - meaning all four 'corners' are separated by ninety degrees (a 'square' or challenge). When you have four squares in a chart, there's a tendency to bounce from one 'corner to another' - the implication being that the months ahead may be full of 'but if I do this, then that would happen...and if I did that, this other thing couldn't get done' and the like.

But if you will notice, the "bottom" line is dotted. And the reason it is dotted is that there is no actual planet in that bottom group. (I've put true planets in yellow to make this easier). Though all which Is counts, planets represent major components "of vital mass" in our lives.

Since we thus have only three of the four 'corners' of the alleged square with planets involved, what we actually have is a t-square instead of a grand cross...though you may well have this lurking 'grand cross-ish' but...but...but... feeling as we move through the months ahead.

And just to make this a little more rigorous, that little cluster of symbols at the bottom of the chart are all about what we want. What we think would be easy (or easier) to do or on us. So expect a lot of those 'but's to be tinged with an internal red flag which says "I'm not going to enjoy that!'" printed in bold on it.

Is that true? Are you really doomed not to enjoy doing what you need to do? No! But as the cosmic wrench in the works here, that's going to be one of those bug-a-boos which arise now and again. Even frequently. Truth is...you may have a blast. If you take on the doing and the growing, you may discover things more fun and more rewarding than anything you can think of from where you're standing now.

It's just you have to let go of today's conceptions in order to get there. And that's the Jupiter 'grow' (or 'grow up') part of the equation. That big giant planet out there does throw its metaphysical weight around, and this time it's all about grasping the idea that we so don't know all that life holds. There are things out there which would delight us beyond what we know now...we just have to let go of our definitions of 'good' in order to get hold of 'even better!'

So...! With that now duly noted, what about this t-square thing? The 'rule' with t-squares is the "own" the issues described at the "t." So here we are starting with Saturn: structures, fear, limits self imposed or otherwise, responsibilities, time, dedication-willingness to dedicate your effort and time.

With Saturn at 0 Libra is Panacea - peace, feeling better, resolution of strife. Standing just behind Saturn are asteroids Lilith and Echo - which on one level represent that 'little voice' inside you may not want to hear...and which on another may well be a person (usually a woman) whose words you are echoing (or hear echoing through your mind) which you stand to lose by listening to.

This bring up another point about the 'grand cross-ish' thing. What that's likely to do is create a 'is it that person...or that person' quandary in your head. The instruction per symbol here concerns 'Lilith' as a person who tempts you (or who has tempted you) to betray some previous commitment, vow or promise.

Standing just ahead of Saturn is Black Hole M87 (a giant shift of reality), then a quasar (brilliance) and pulsar, both in Libra. The quasar shines a light on the challenge to show one's true worth through development of skills as yet not brought to true potential. Given the association with M87 and Saturn, this would seem to refer to an adaptation of a skill to a totally new (M87) concept or situation. The pulsar adds to this a great exploration of love in all its many facets - for self, for others, for one particular other, for mankind, for your own abilities...with the pulsar giving us the clue that the light will shift from one thing to another, illuminating one while plunging something else into the darkness of lack of focus or temporary unimportance.

Shades of the grand cross quality...oh, these months ahead are going to be testing! But remember...these tests are internal. This is not about your ability to exist, except with or within your own skin.

So that's where everything starts. Through accepting and moving through the dynamics presented by Saturn, M87 and the quasar/pulsar (either leaving Lilith/Echo behind or being pursued by it in the shadows of your mind)...then you get to the real challenge of the season - the 't' of the t-square.

The crux of this t-square is all about your ability to reckon with responsibility for your life, and the reality of feelings. This involves a search for a new form of personal identity which requires breaking down old concepts and rebuilding yourself from within. To the extent that you don't do that, you will end up being tossed back into the land of Saturn restraints and limitations - which being in Libra may affect your social outlets, your reputation or your ability to deal with your surroundings. What we don't accept here is like as not going to come back to us in projected form - at least, that's how it's going to feel.

Again...and this cannot be stressed too much: this is not about your actual ability to survive in external terms. It's not about the job or the partner or the roof over your head except to the extent that you can deal with same, given the turmoil or arguments or debates or refusal to grow or change or grow up or get real which are going on inside you.

Moon in Capricorn often indicating 'societal values,' if you don't change (or at least become willing to accept input, critique or moderation) others will own this energy for you and foist it upon you. With two black holes and a quasar involved here, you will feel like the world you thought you knew is suddenly something altogether different: you're suddenly the proverbial stranger in a strange land.

The goal here is a 'breakthrough' (Uranus) which involves being of service or having served your greater purpose (Hebe/Uranus in Aries). With Scheat standing behind Uranus/Hebe and the Jupiterian 'goal' position, there is some sort of 'disapproval' out there which dissipates, is resolved or is converted to a stunning asset providing you become willing to break through what in this moment are your own limitations - as represented here by the Saturn/Uranus-Jupiter opposition.

As pictured by the Aries Jupiter/Lust, everyone is going into this moment fixed (Lust) on something about their own life - that being the Aries part.

In the end however, Aries is not about what you want (the cheers from the crowd for having slayed the great dragon)...but the courage to be the person who because they know how to slay dragons is willing to go out there and save the kingdom. The parade and cheers are merely the icing - the reality and necessity is the protecting of life's integrity.

Your own life, that would be - and by implication, that of others as without other people, our world is empty and without most of its richest meaning.

 

Astro News: Saturn in Libra Until October 2012

Due to retrograde periods, in this round of the zodiac Saturn has entered Libra twice. But as of July 21, 2010 it has committed to a full transit of Libra, so that's big news.

First of all, Libra is the first sign of six which describe our worldly and public life. For the past 14 years, Saturn has been in the private and personal arena - so this is quite a shift.

When Saturn first hit Libra back on October 29, 2009 we all felt a shiver run through our 'relating and relationship' quadrants. Our opinions of who we were in the world and maybe who we needed to be (or what we needed to do in ORDER to be that person) became more obvious.

 Saturn's 2009 Libra Ingress

Just inside the Libra doorway is supermassive Black Hole M87. It's one of the largest objects known to us in the universe, so it's effect as a vibe of 'altered realities' is really emblematic of this realization process. Libra is an airy, theoretical sign about relationships - and in its being an air sign lies some very important clues. One is that this is the concept or idea of the thing, not the actual experience OF the thing.

Libra is the negotiation, the theory - which is why it signifies all kinds of counselors (people with whom you discuss ideas and negotiate what will get done)...and that stage of any relationship, personal or professional, when we're laying the groundwork for how things will work, figuring out what we both like, dislike, can deal with, etc..

Saturn being a symbol of life structures, it's great in Libra. And when it first entered Libra during fall 2009, the ruling factor here (Venus, as ruler of Libra) was very well placed in Libra. Moreover, it was in an emotional degree of Libra, making the 'relating' dynamics of last fall all the more feeling and about what we felt we wanted or needed to have in our lives.

But there was a catch. (Isn't there always?) In this picture, Venus was conjunct five symbols. We will start with the nearest and move through to the farthest affected by conjunction because that would describe the process we would encounter along the way.

Starting with Venus at 18 Libra, we have Rhadamanthus also at 18 Libra. Being that Rhadamanthus is the emblem supreme of 'human judgement,' we know that the central plus/minus in this initial entrance of Saturn into Libra was all about human judgement - most specifically, how good our personal (human) judgment actually is.

At 17 Libra we have Hel - the symbol of bad choices which turn your life into a 'hell' or which cause you big regrets (to experience an 'internal hell').

That this symbol is one degree (and a few minutes) behind Venus tells us (using progression rules) that just over a month after October 29th, we all faced something which presented us with...a choice which involved human judgment. And though you may have suffered a bit of Hel at the time, since the process wasn't over, you wouldn't have yet known the real outcome. You know, what Hel you put yourself through in either doing the right thing (judging correctly) or the Hel you experience because your oh-so human judgment isn't all that spiffy.

So that was a month and a bit past October 29th, putting us at the end of the first week of December. Next we have Haumea at 16 (and a half) Libra, which translates to less than a month later. At that point came a transformational force which like as not contained some form of trickery and/or 'it isn't what you think it is.'

That would have happened at the end of December, beginning of January.

And remember - the process wasn't yet done. Also at 16 Libra but earlier in the degree (translating to a space of maybe a couple of weeks) we have Sappho, a poetic emblem which connotes love of all but which here, being so closely linked with Haumea and obviously part of the whole Saturn-Venus/Rhadamanthus process sort of asks us who we are really being. What is our love of others all about? Who are these people we are associating or caring about? Who are we to be in the place we are and learning what we are learning - what does this have to do with the greater process of moving us from our private life into a more worldly life?

The last symbol here is Lachesis - the symbol of things which only last a while. Uh-oh...did you make some choice back in the beginning of this process that you thought was going to last forever? Probably not. The five degees between Venus and Lachesis suggests that five months after October 29 (meaning March 29) should have revealed a few things to you not about others, but about yourself.

And just to make this a little more clear, this whole affair is opposed by Eris (Discord) and Achilles. So what we may have thought of as the 'strong choice' or that we were opposed (or motivated) by strong forces...that may well have been the issue this first Libra ingress was all about.

Saturn went retograde on January 13. Do you remember what was going on then?

Saturn then retrograded back into Virgo on April 7th, bringing us all back into a more practical and earthy mode. This is important to remember for while Saturn is exalted in the negotiating and restructing sign of Libra, Libra IS an air sign - it's all theory. And Saturn isn't. Saturn is the hallmark symbol of reality and consequence, earning and reward. We all can get equally inspired as lost when Saturn enters Libra and exposes us to that 'altenative reality' posed by Black Hole M87.

Once Saturn went direct on May 30th, we started having to deal with the difference between our inner and outer life structures. That's just the difference between  retrograde and direct motion. Direct motion is about external experiences and learning from what we encounter and do; retrogrades are a time for internal reflection, consolidation, restructuring and (possibly!) cleaning house and/or getting straight with ourselves.

But once Saturn went direct, all that you had or hadn't done was then brought into 'world parlance' - hence your being taken on about things you may not have dealt with and new clues of what needed doing. On top of that, life would have begun handing new new input to consider and deal with.

All that since the end of May came upon us.

This end-of-May thing is also where that 'backward number' thing came into play: because all the points Venus was in conjunction with were (except for Rhadamanthus) numerically lower than Venus (at 18 Libra), they would represent things already done by the time we realized the full meaning of whatever we did, set up or went through.

Some of it was probably right, good and proper. Other parts...? You do recall that old expression 'act in haste, repent at leisure'? I'm rather sure it was a Saturn scribe which came up with that one!

So with all that now bundled into our psyches we now arrive at Saturn committing to a full time, two-year transit of Libra, starting with another reality shift as we pass black hole M87 - and don't expect that to clear up and fade away until mid-August.

Saturn's 2010 Libra Ingress

 

The starting point now has Saturn positioned conjunct Panacea, suggesting a 'let's make this better' point. Think peacemaking...and pouring oil on troubled waters. And being confronted with the need to do so. That may, in fact, be the biggest part of the month in a black-hole: the realization of what we didn't know or didn't see. And what that says about us, that may be the crux of our shift. We may have been so sure about ourselves and now...a least for the next little while, maybe we just aren't so sure. A whole new point of view on ourselves may be dawning. Or maybe it's about the world. Or possibilities. Or what matters. It's all up for grabs.

The one thing you may be sure of is that being in Libra, this black hole concerns how life isn't just about us.
 
Looking back we get these messages: asteroid Lilith at 'critical' 29 Virgo indicates a critical matter which you really don't want to look at in yourself. Or criticism headed your way. Or feeling bad about something you think you should have known (seen, done differently, etc.) 

Echo at 28 Virgo says you should stop parroting what you have been told. It's time to be our own people in our own life lest we get reduced to an echo of our possible selves.

MakeMake at 25 Virgo tells us that we have an enormous and fertile potential to make things happen which are useful to others as well as ourselves and that it is through focusing on how we relate to others that we actually achieve a lasting and satisfying grasp on how life works - and thus how to achieve happiness.

Remember - all these 'descriptor' points are in Virgo's 3rd decanate (the last third of the sign, degrees 20 thru 29). Any time we see symbols in this 3rd decan we know that our success only happens when we are approved of and are thus supported by our greater social circle and/or society. Stopping to think, this totally underscores Saturn's shift into the public sector, telling us that we are the causal drive which produces reactions, good and bad. Our disappointments are thus because we are disappointing to others; our happiness comes from being the person others want to make happy.

To finish up here, the oppositional signature is Lust (fixation), Hebe (service), Uranus (change) Jupiter (growth) and that pain the bad reptuation, Scheat (disapproval). And because these symbols all appear in opposition, they represent things you now face.

So what are you going to do? That would be the Saturn question. You can hide, you can retreat, or you can accept the responsibility for your life and who you are. Those are generally the Saturn choices - all of which are made in the finite Saturn clarity of our having only so much time to be who we are in this life and on this Earth.

Change is on its way. With every moment, Saturn edges closer to the event horizon (edge) and into the realm of Black Hole M87: the shift of personal reality. You can either use it to your benefit and utilize this time to perform a 'virtual cleansing' of your soul, or you can lose yourself to your own lesser nature...which would simply be you not own up to the reality of your personal Saturn truths. 

Sometimes our greatest achievement is simply learning to be okay with ourselves. We have our given lifetime. What we deem worthwhile, whether temporal or lasting is in the end, entirely up to us.