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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Jupiter Square Uranus

A microscope photographs crystals of Vitamin C

(Josef Reischig, CSc, 2008)

As Uranus moves into 10 Aries on February 15th, that will just edge out Jupiter retrograding into 10 Cancer on February 16th.

Astrologically, 10 Aries to 10 Cancer is a cardinal square – and a departing square at that. What do we mean by a ‘departing square’? Well, first there’s the square part – that being an aspect between planets within 5 degrees of a 90-degree angle. All squares challenge us to grow through taking on the new, the untried, the different sort of approach.

We don’t want to.

In fact, when faced with squares we tend not to think we’d even be any good at whatever would be involved in taking on the challenge of internally integrating some ‘untried’ factor (or some approach we aren’t personally familiar or comfortable with) in solving our current situational dilemmas.

And let us not forget…that there is a square going on says we’re having dilemmas.

(Yes, we all tend to forget that part. But to get an answer implies there was a question, just as to have a challenge means there must be a problem or something else to be good and stuck over.)

As for 'cardinal' - that refers to the type of impulse of the 'let's just do it and see what happens' type, which goes rather well with a departing aspect as ‘departing’ refers to the faster moving planet (the one closer to the Sun, in this case Jupiter) and how its moving away from the theoretical conjunction with Planet Two (in this case, Uranus in Aries) isn't something we're waffling about...and isn't something we feel any need to endlessly anylize. Currently in the throes of  learning from or dealing with matters in the wake of some (Uranian) sudden change of status or realization of the rather personal (Aries) type, we're all into who we are, what we've done, what we've not done - or who we are being because of what we are or are not doing.

To go with this, we have the Jupiter being in Cancer – so we know that things surrounding the period indicated by this square are going to ‘reveal’ our nature to us through really basic qualities and considerations…things we tend to take for granted as ‘just part of life.’

Do they have to be? Should they be?

Those are only some of the questions buzzing about now…and moving forward. Given that this square is forming up at 10 degrees of Aries and Cancer we know just from the number that there is a degree of agitation in the mix. Any degree between 10 and 19 of any sign tends to manifest ‘fervently’ so with the ‘I/Me’ sign of Aries and the ‘who I am and where I come from natively on the emotional level’ of Cancer we have a recipe for anything from restlessness to outbursts to really dramatic efforts and explosions – and it would be hard to think going in that we would know which would be good or bad once the dust has settled.

And that won’t come for a while yet. This Jupiter square Uranus period arises now as yet another indicator that we are in the middle of a massive growth period which in breaking us down offers us the chance to build anew – and more realistically.

Or at least accurately.

For Jupiter to be in retrograde now should also be a tip-off that this probably isn’t the start of this process. After all, didn’t Jupiter strike a forward-motion (direct) square at some time in the (semi)recent past?

As a matter of fact, yes. (How good of you to ask…) This Jupiter square started stirring and burning away our dangling misconceptions back in August of 2013…which to jar our collective memory would be just prior to September when the two month ‘breaking down’ period in advance of the November 2013 solar eclipse began. At the time, Jupiter was direct and Uranus was in retrograde, so the ‘shaking up’ of things occurred as we were “pressing ahead” and looking to expand or working to have things happen in our ‘regular world’ life. We were doing the Jupiter-direct-in-Cancer thing of building for the future and feeling good (at least relatively) about who we were and what we were doing.

And then the uncertainty started. Or the restlessness. Or the boredom. Or the sheer necessity of it all. A long time ago the person who taught me basic astrology (and yes, you too can learn from the same text I did, it’s still in print!)…when I asked him what Uranus stood for, he gave me an answer I remember to this day: ‘Uranus is the premise which states that even if you insist on staying in a rut, that life will cause you to redecorate that rut now and again.’

That’s actually a pretty genius definition as it embraces both the idea of outward and inner change. The forces which we think of astrologically as Uranian are those which by ‘disrupting’ the harmonic or harmony in some part of life awakens us to possibilities – and the possibility that what we’re doing right now may not be all there is to do.

Or that we want to do.

Or need to do.

With Uranus we may know the parameters of what we’re doing or need to risk at least our (Aries) concept of Self through learning things and discovering more about who we are and what we’re capable of.

Or not capable of, obviously.

And then there are the specifics of degrees: back in August 2013, Uranus was retrograding back through 12 and 11 Aries, triggering ‘me/my life’ conflicts and questions. We were being tested on what we thought our individuality was worth, and whether we understood that worth, whether those around us understood that worth and where there were disagreements, whether those disagreements had to do with compromises we want to make, compromises we’re ‘expected’ to make and how each of us goes about balancing out who we need to be in our own life and life span against who and what we are ‘expected’ to be – whether that’s by society, our significant other, our family, children, boss, co-workers, friends…whomever.

Between that time and now as Jupiter and Uranus move back into position for Part II of their square we had the 11 Scorpio solar eclipse and the Capricorn Venus retrograde.

Just think through the numbers: the Jupiter/Uranus square originated at 12 Cancer/Aries. Then we had an 11 Scorpio eclipse…and then we got pretty much waffle-ironed by the Venus retrograde ending at 13 Capricorn. Numerically, every inch of that is about how or how well we deal with all things emotional. And no matter where your emotional Self is these days, in the end the question  - at least that one being posed at the moment – is who do we know we can be if we live up to the best of who we are – and does that require making any changes or some kind of owning up to mistakes made which we now need to correct?

This second round of the Jupiter/Uranus square is coming under Mercury retrograde – which automatically tells us to think things over. Mercury retrograde has a pretty fearsome reputation, some of which is merited. Certainly those who speak before they think or who choose this as the moment to bulldoze into something new without thought or reference will tend to go awry. But on the other hand, this can be a time for experimenting – when if you can ‘just try’ something out for the sake of trying you can learn a lot or otherwise benefit from the experience. As with all personal planet retrogrades, Mercurial (conversation, textual or written) matters may go a bit wry or off-track and need ‘reworking’ – just as creative and/or financial affairs under Venus retrograde may have also been a bit ‘off the mark’ or (let’s be real here) sloppy.

**a pause while ten thousand eyes glare at the monitor... **

Yes, sloppy. You know, less than what we’re capable of doing? That kind of sloppy. And it would have been fine except that everyone else was feeling…well, critical.

But that's how it works. Under Venus retrograde we're going to do less than what we know we're capable of because the whole of the cycle is about learning to value our Self on an intrinsic level - that which will become instinctual - the object there being to grow self regard, self value...self worth. That which shakes us seeks to get us to value that 'thing' in terms of the sign Venus is transiting in.

Example: the recent Venus retrograde was in Capricorn, a Saturn-ruled sign which rules (among other things), time. And perhaps you heard that actor Seymour Hoffman died as the Venus station moved through? The astrological flag here is Hoffman's having had a lunar return as the station occurred, but my point here is this: if his passing affected you in such a way to make you think 'I should value the time I have here on Earth,' then Venus retrograding in Capricorn did its job.   

Moving forward now in present tense (and for some of us, very tense) Uranus supports those ‘stop-gap’ measure and ‘temporary fixes’ which are aimed at changes being made. Until Mars goes retrograde next month the ‘doers’ among us are not likely to be fully ‘owning’ what part of today’s goings on are problems, disappointments and bigger challenges we’ve created for ourselves by NOT changing our way of doing or being…and then there are the shirkers, hiders and avoiders who aren’t likely to be getting off our duff to do what really needs doing.

And just to make this interesting, we’re all probably doing a little bit of both. (Don’t they say variety is the spice of life?) So let’s just say that moderation is more of an asset than usual; under this sort of influence we’re likely to want things, like things, not like things, want to do something or not do something merely in the moment. Especially with Mercury in retrograde, those who aren’t engaged in some sort of ‘me’ work (working on me, or on something which will allow me a more effective way of being the person I am)…those people are likely to be looking for something to do at that very level which fosters glib times and fast-track mistakes.

And then there’s Valentine’s Day, which will be under Mercury retrograde with the lunar nodes (the emblems of relating through relationship) at 0 Scorpio and Taurus. As an astrologer, I certainly can say that if what you want to do is commit to working on who you are in a relationship or through a relationship that’s fine as that’s something you can do yourself, and under Mercury retrograde the most productive clarifications we reach are those which allow us to chart a more healthy and reliable path for our Self. If you are (for whatever reason) looking to found or negotiate an open sort of ‘let’s see’ sort of arrangement, Mercury retrograde plus Jupiter-square-Uranus will help with the freedom part, making this also a perfectly fine time to throw those friendly fun greetings at friends who know your style.

But whatever that style is, you had best know what your style is now. You had best be ready to stand with yourself against all which you have done…and not done…over the days and weeks – even months and years recently past. All those things which Mercury retrograde ‘brings up’ – be it people from your past or choices/determinations made badly or even left unmade – all those are likely to rear up and bite you, either in real or simulated form.

In your mind, in your heart, in your face – it’s all grist for life’s mill going forward. We still know this is a departing square – so we’re building. And though Uranus is in Aries now, the actual point at which the current Jupiter/Uranus synodic cycle began is 27 Pisces, a degree known for promoting very odd, very quirky behaviors…theoretically so we can learn better about who we are and what it means to be human.

Jupiter and Antiope by Hendrick Goltzius (1612)

It’s so not cookie-cutter. Considering the degree and the fact that we’re talking about a synodic cycle involving Uranus, impossibilities being proven not just possible but workable and all those things we have thought really well hidden (especially from ourselves) are going to both affect things and ‘come to the surface’ every time we go through one of these Jupiter-Uranus periods.

So we all shows our quirks…and maybe even some unacceptable behavior last August. Now we’re finding out what we’ve learned. Or we’re thinking over what we learned and whether the ‘thing’ was wrong…or maybe just how we went about doing it was wrong.

Jupiter-Uranus asks us to grow. And it asks that we take on some quality of ‘new,’ whether that’s in what we do, coping with what we learn or choosing how to change things going forward. At 10 degrees of Aries and Cancer we are challenged by whatever we have not yet learned to cope with, discard or heal at the same time as we are endowed with an extraordinary insight which could limit us simply because the vision it affords is so different than what we are used to. Many of us will have problems with trying to take on the whole of a problem at once when the only sensible way to achieve one’s aims is to work through things bit by bit, freeing ourselves up one piece at a time.

Apparently there’s something to be learned by doing this piecemeal. That may have to do with a dualistic thread which pits personal aims against strong humanistic impulses. And yet...Aquarius (the sign Mercury will retrograde back into as of February 13) in combination with Uranus as part of this configuration suggests that things are neither 'standard' nor predictable.

Or maybe that's us. Maybe we're not standard or predictable, even in terms of who we claim to be in our own regard.

And whether it's Uranus or Aquarius, we shouldn't want the old, the classic, the standard or status quo. Under either influence, too much pent up energy produces eruptions - which may happen now. Such events and moments can occur in real time...or in our mind. We can have a breakthrough in real world terms – or come to some realization about how to break out of our shell.  

There is no right or wrong here…except for that which works in your life. If you know your natal chart and know that one of these two planets (Jupiter or Uranus) tends to be problematic for you…or if it is for any reason heavily ‘weighted’ (emphasized) by your natal chart, this is an opportunity to learn better – but it might come at some sort of cost.

So this could be the moment when you realize some error. Or how to correct one already made.

Jupiter’s square to Uranus perfects on February 25th…and considering that this date is about a week out from Jupiter’s turn to direct, we can expect that singular sort of ‘push’ which tends to blanket all of life as any planet approaches its station.

Ordinarily we would just see that as an escalating inner desire to achieve something. But this year, before we get to Jupiter’s station we’ll see three other stations: Mercury’s on February 28th, Mars’ on March 1st and Saturn’s on March 2nd.

That's a lot of energy...a lot of pressure...and a lot of potential. Are you doing anything which is important to you? Should you be doing something which is important to you? 
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Jupiter opposition Pluto

A drop of water

(photo credit: Michael Melgar, March 2007)

One of the interesting things to be observed when you think things through astrologically is the difference between the effects of personal or inner planets (Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars) against what happens when generational planets Jupiter and Saturn - or an outer planet like Uranus or Neptune move through aspects over time. As an example here, nobody (at least that I know of) has any fun at all with the ongoing Venus retrograde. Whoever we are, whatever we’re aimed at doing or being…accomplishing or figuring out, Venus retrograde seems to have found our weak point.

Not that it’s mysterious, no. That quality is exactly what astrologers mean by ‘personal’ planets – they affect us personally, and at a personal level. When personal planets go retrograde very few of us think wonderfully… maybe even rationally…about ‘our person’ or self.

And thus things happen – personally and on the personal level.

Now it isn’t that Saturn and Jupiter or the outer planets (or all that lies beyond Neptune) doesn’t affect our personal life. Our life is our life and we feel all of it. (Hopefully, that is. To be deprived of knowing your Self is after all, a form of losing your life.)

But when we’re talking about Jupiter, we’re talking about something akin to an interface. Known as the planet of ‘expansion’ and ‘increase’ the astrological Jupiter embodies the process of going beyond where you are now, whatever that involves.

Yet Jupiter is not a personal planet. So when Jupiter is in retrograde, the question is more about what we don’t know about where we are now (and how are we going to learn all that?) and all we need to do in life. We’re growing and expanding inside – within the realm of our mind or soul or psyche. We’re realizing that the world is bigger than we suspected. That things can happen we never imagined would happen in life or to us – whichever.

Jupiter's Auroras photographed in UV

(photo credit: NASA,JPL)

Currently, Jupiter’s retrograde in Cancer is coinciding with Venus’ retrograde in Capricorn – which is the astrological ‘reason’ (or indication) that the current Venus retrograde is…well…about as little like the Venus we know and want to love as apparently possible.

I did tell you I’ve been getting complaints about this, didn’t I? Yes. I’ve even been getting protests from people who don’t like astrology – and let me tell you, that’s a sure sign that something is amiss.

Theory would suggest that considering the belief that since everything happens when (and as) it should, this Jupiter-impounding-Venus-retrograde effect which is forcing all of us in some way to take a good look at what it is we need to do or be in order to function cohesively in a world which seems ever more complicated and structurally amiss.

There are no simple answers here. But we do have a bunch of astrological facts to think through – the first of which is the obvious one. We already know that Venus is retrograding back through Capricorn about to go direct at 13 Capricorn. Those gut wringing effects have been with us for a while now asking us to re-prioritize so that the whole Venusian concept of ‘cause-effect’ works correctly – which is to say, what you puts out comes back to you…meaning we can’t be aiming for the effect and trying to ‘back into’ whatever will cause that.

That won’t work. And that’s one of the big points of this time – we don’t just get to do things the ‘pretty way.’

And frankly, if you haven’t gotten that message by now, stand by. Yes, there are a few of us who for whatever astrological reason have had the right rock to hide under to avoid this Venusian chaos, but as an astrologer I’ve never seen a chart which would be theoretically “immune” to everything which is going to occur over the next four or so months. It has struck me of late that it’s some sort of cosmic dirty trick that Venus and Mars tend to go retrograde in a 1-2 fashion as both planets are personal astrological indicators pertaining to our sense of being appreciated in this life and world.

So yes, there is an important point there: how we feel about whether we’re appreciated or not may have nothing to do with how others truly regard us. But it’s a feeling…and that feeling is real. Vitally real.

An artist's conception of Pluto and its moon-and-binary-partner, Charon

(courtesy of Pat Rawlings, NASA - October 1992)

Evidently life doesn’t want us resting on our laurels collecting huzzahs and accolades…which brings us back to Jupiter. Life wants us to keep growing – that would be the Jupiterian view. So as Jupiter moves from 13 Cancer into 12 Cancer and ‘locks in’ this face-off against the forces of transformation and our need to change something in order to move on…ahead…or even just to stay in one place, so we move from the more theoretical realm of 13 Cancer (an unusual Cancer degree which functions through the intuitive mind) into 12 Cancer, a degree which through exposing us to whatever is habitual, mundane and seemingly inescapable tends to drown dreams in false promises we may well think are safer.

This issue is purely Cancer: Jupiter in Cancer. There is in essence, no safety in yesterday’s solutions. We can try to avoid the inevitable, but if we do, inevitability will find us – eventually and inevitably. A lot is breaking down and a lot is coming out. Jupiter’s being positioned in this image at 13 Cancer brings in dog star Sirius, which questions our use of brilliance and our willingness to be simply…dazzled.

And when we do, and of through that we end up with nothing – or with something we know is utterly wrong for who we are…is the lie theirs? Or is it the lie that we told ourselves when we truly knew better?

Asteroid Hel and Child are sitting right beside Jupiter at 11 and 10 Cancer respectively bringing in the emotional aura of wanting things to be good and to go well. But are they? Given the opposition from Pluto (i.e., Pluto/Venus retrograde) this would seem to be some form of personal naiveté being brought to our own mental table for a bit of carving.

At least trimming of the fat. We’re better than all of the wishing and hoping, the placating, putting off and ‘going along to get along’ we’ve been doing - it’s time to get down to work. Across the zodiacal gulf, Pluto is just sitting there alongside asteroid Psyche (our mind) in Capricorn, asking us to use what we know in a manner which can change our direction – and maybe that of a few others or something else out there too.

Pluto conjunct Psyche is the sign of a changing mind. Those who resist Plutonic energetics generally get crushed, stripped or unjustly taxed – even punished. Those who stop trying to define today and tomorrow by yesterday inherit Pluto’s power.

These months are not just about us. To think so is likely to be one of our big and bigger mistakes – as indicted in the above t-square. With Jupiter in the ‘goal’ position here we are asked to get ‘over’ our Uranian ‘I don’t want to’ selves…or to embrace the unique and Uranian in our Self and to use that universally so that we can achieve our Jupiter (expanded) goals.

T-squares always, always, always ask us to think more globally. To therefore have an Aries Uranus at the ‘hurdle’ of this t-square asks us to ‘use our Self’ in a universal way or in a universal cause – or merely to understand that what we’re going through is something everyone can relate to, or everyone is going through in their own uniquely Uranian way.

That process starts with our moving ‘off’ our Venus/Pluto position – which could well be some sort of personal ‘power base’ into something new or unknown. Against that, Uranus in Aries (pretty much by nature) represents the nerve-wracking which  generally requires at least some ingenuity and maybe a bit of risk. Then again, Uranus in Aries can make us think we’re risking when we’re not – we’re just stepping outside of some ‘known’ or ‘comfort zone.’

Into all this comes the idea of 9 Aries, a degree which concerns the need to make corrections, often of the “course correction” type. Realizing that such things are universal may help us now as we admit – even just to ourselves – that how we have been going about something isn’t optimal.

9 Aries also supports learning about the pros, cons and variable values concerning just doing ahead and doing things as opposed to stopping to consider the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ and/or ‘popularity’ of something among friends, associates and others. Considering this is an early Aries degree and Aries is (if nothing else) the heart and soul of ‘I am me’ it’s curious to think of any Aries degree as being ‘group-oriented.’ But maybe that’s the point – Uranus in 9 Aries will be, if nothing else a test of our willingness to own our opinions and gain perspective on who we are in any given situation.

Not that this t-square stops there.

Yes, that is a complicated diagram – and thus an indication to us that things will be complicated. So let’s just go through it one item at a time…

The bulk of the additions here end up centering in Pallas (dispassionate perspective) retrograde – indicating a perspective on ourselves. That Pallas is in Virgo increases our ability to carefully ‘inspect’ what we’re doing – a positive in anything complicated, technical or task-oriented. Against this, Pallas in Virgo can be a negative where feelings are concerned. Pallas is hardly a cuddly symbol and when we add in the Virgo tendency to opt for the earthy and practical, this combination could be wonderful or disappointing, depending on how earthy your personal natal chart is. (Or isn’t.)

That Atropos and Sphinx are united with Pallas at 11 Virgo speaks either to a good will which is for some reason being held/caged in or the definitive (Pallas) understanding that the (Sphinx) time for waiting is (Atropos) over. In sextile (denoting an opportunity) to Jupiter, there is no requirement per se that we do anything, but we could. With the Pallas-Atropos-Sphinx grouping solidly trined to Pluto/Venus, we have the standard trine notification that the status quo isn’t going to change until we do – which in this case comes in part from the Uranian t-square hurdle we talked about plus this Pluto/Venus-Pallas group-Jupiter ‘workaround.’

We’re working around our situation…and around ourselves. (Yes, it’s come to that.)

However…with all of the above (this is beginning to sound like a murder mystery), the Pallas triad is also inconjunct Uranus. This astrologer isn’t going to make any call on which end of this 150 degree inconjunct is going to give, but either the Pallas end or the Uranian end is likely to give between now and…oh, call it mid/late May.

Did I mention that mid/late May is when Mars goes direct after going retrograde on March 1st? And how there’s going to be a solar eclipse in Venus-ruled Taurus while Mars is transiting Venus-ruled Libra?

I’m just guessing here…but in reading through an ephemeris it looks like we’re all in for some seriously trying growth over the next couple of months. How you and those around you choose to handle this time will without question raise issues of helplessness and the need or call for those types of self-discipline we would all much rather exert through exercise than personal vulnerabilities of self or to others. And yet, courtesy of Juno, Chiron and Dionysus at 11 Pisces in opposition to Pallas, Atropos and Sphinx in Virgo, we will all face, hear or experience such moments, with the sorriest part of it all being our own lacks and a resulting feeling of regretted failure to live up to our own standards of belief about ourselves.

(Ouch.)

Another thing to consider: everything here and about this time is not only what it is in the moment, but also part of a greater Jupiter/Pluto synodic cycle. Such cycles roll through about every thirteen years with the last one having begun in December 2007 at 28 Sagittarius – a degree which one one hand requires patience and endless dedication...and which on the other is often slow to mature, coalesce or succeed. The Sabian Symbol for this degree reads as follows: “A FAT BOY MOWING THE LAWN OF HIS HOUSE ON AN ELEGANT SUBURBAN STREET.” The original keynote from astrologer Marc Edmund Jones speaks of ‘The need to attend to everyday tasks which both ensure social worth or respectability, and benefit one’s constitution,’ which Dane Rudhyar brings down to pithy succinctness by citing SOCIAL RESPECTABILITY.

With Jupiter and Pluto having begun their synodic cycle at this degree, in some senses the joke is on us – and it’s no joke. Wherever these two start their cycle is the crux of a thirteen-year-long odyssey which will bring most of us to our knees through lessons which teach us the fallacies of ego and the illusions built into our most mortal, human desires.

Then again, life does have to get us to do something somehow.

This month’s Jupiter-Pluto opposition perfects on January 31st, the same date as Mercury’s Pisces ingress and Venus’ turn to direct.

I repeat: this is NOT a genteel time. We can get over life not being what we would like it to be and not working the way we thought it would - or not.

After January 31st, Jupiter will continue in retrograde as Pluto moves into achievement-oriented 13 Capricorn.

 From Solar Fire's Graphic Ephemeris generator, a screen shot of a partial page

showing activity patterns for the early months of 2014. The symbols at the left

being (from the top down) Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, Jupiter and Neptune, if you

follow the green Jupiter line you will see where it aspects Pluto's position at

the end of January and rather late on in April.

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Then we get April. With Mars retrograde in Libra (can we say ‘relating and relationship issues’?) Jupiter turns direct on the 6th, we take a breath and then pass through a lunar eclipse in Libra (more interactivity) and Pluto’s station/retrograde on April 14th.

Another week passes, Jupiter (now direct) opposes Pluto for the third and final time and we arrive at the solar eclipse at 8 Taurus, a degree known for its ability to test how well what we think the world is matches the world’s seriously worldly realities. 

Do or be done in by that we choose to leave undone would seem to be the message here. The learning isn’t easy and our failure to learn becomes our mortal hindrance.

That’s all I can really tell you.

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Jupiter square Pluto: Overcoming Odds, Underwhelming Aspects

 

 Nature et Architecture15 by Clo Baril

The frequency with which planets meet up in zodiacal manner is referred to as their ‘Synodic Cycle.’ Jupiter and Pluto meet up once every thirteen years (plus a few days) – their last synodic conjunction was in late Sagittarius on December 11, 2007 and the one before that was in late Scorpio back on December 2, 1994.

Why care about such a thing? Well, synodic cycles are a bit like the layers on an onion. Or tree rings. Maybe a better way of thinking about it is the building up of courses of bricks in the building of a wall. They’re ‘steps in a process’ – and when we think about Jupiter and Pluto, the process being represented is building effectively and understanding how we get in our own way…otherwise known as ‘how do we let ourselves down’ – which may ring as the opposite of the ‘building’ concept a bit more clearly.

Considering it takes Jupiter 11.86 years to go once around the Sun and it takes Pluto 248.09 years to do the same thing, it’s obvious that once these two meet up in the same degree, Jupiter zooms on ahead while Pluto wends its sauntering Plutonic way along its (Neptune governed) Plutino track.

Okay…so now what’s up?

What’s up is that Jupiter squares Pluto on February 25, 2011 at 7:56pm (UT/+0) with Pluto at 7 Capricorn and Jupiter at 7 Aries.

 Jupiter's aurora's in UV

photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

 

To understand this concept, let's start with the 'square' part. The astrological square generally refers to a 'challenge.' Sometimes a puzzle, sometimes a choice of which of two things you want/should do or think...but whatever the situation, choice or concept, there's generally some feeling of being 'challenged.' What to think? Which one to do? How to make this work?

In this case we have have two planets with each in cardinal signs – ‘cardinal’ meaning do it first, learn from results. But sort of like two cars proceeding along two different roads which meet at a (square) intersection, this doesn’t always mean our abilities are up to par with our desires. Or maybe it’s that we’re at some sort of ‘crossroads’ with some process. Or some relationship. Or some effort (like say, getting a job) where our effort meets up with someone’s opinion of us.

Streets which intersect at right angles posing the question of who goes first (and the need to acknowledge each other, lest we go ‘kaboom!’ in an accident which benefits neither) is one way of thinking of a square.

Another – which is just as valid – is to think of the 90 degree (right angle) square in terms of its validity in engineering.

If you’re inside – look up. It’s likely that the ceiling above you meets the wall at a 90 degree, square right angle. It’s a ‘structural’ angle…and if the world’s cities are any kind of decent testimony, it would seem that the square angle is basic to our ability to build anything!

So this is the question: will you get in your own way or let someone else discourage you? Or will you deal with your challenges not as being about the ‘other’ person/part of the question and work to build towards your aims?

With Pluto in Capricorn, part of the issue is all about long-standing ‘norms.’ The question is what can be done away with without creating such a lack of structure that nothing works. We don’t want to make a difficult situation even more complicated, right?

Against this, we have Jupiter in Aries – a signal that this is the time to develop ourselves, to move ahead with plans, when by expanding our use of our talents is highly apt.

But here’s the catch: Aries, though always the sign of ‘I Am’ does not really work that well when we try to turn “I Am” into ‘all about me.’ Aries is the sign of the warrior who saves the kingdom, not who aims to have a big parade held in their honor. In opposition to Libra, the question is what you have to give and the quality of what you have to give….that being the “cause” in the phrase “cause/effect.”

This is a karmic universe which obeys the scientific laws which are so well defined in certain quarters. ‘Cause/Effect’ is otherwise known by various names…from what you put out comes back to you to the popular karma’s a bitch! version.

It all amounts to the same thing: polarities count. For who we are through what we do (or ‘offer’ of ourselves), so we become known….and that determines how others treat us or respond to us.

Pluto stands in opposition to fixed star Sirius and Polyhymnia, reminding us to think before we choose and to reflect on efforts passed (Polyhymnia) for at many a juncture, it’s not only the smallest of small things which counts (Sirius) but the need to put our own aims aside in the service of others which ultimately really does get us what we want in the end (Sirius/Pluto).

That this is an opposition means we can face this/these ideas….or maybe just be annoyed as all get-out at anyone/anything reminding us of things we really, really didn’t want to be reminded of!

In other words, we can observe these limitations and lessons learned (or maybe not yet learned) or try to blow them off and in doing so, run the risk of running into….

….into what? Answer: ourselves!

(you know, our own headstrong stubborn nature?)

Dwarf planet Pluto

photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Yes, there’s plenty of energy around now suggesting that those who don’t do well with guidance or limits may just totally run into a self-constructed (or ignored) wall.

Like, ouch!

On the Jupiter side, though this is all about moving ahead and continuing to build, it’s not all peaches and peanuts. Jupiter standing at 7 Aries is about to meet up with  Pelion (the big mountain) and Lust (fixation) at 8 Aries. So ask yourself…how well focused are you on the task ahead?

This combination favors those willing to take on a task. It really doesn’t favor those looking for a gambol in the park or the easy time, the being catered to and all that stuff.

In fact, by the time Jupiter reaches 8 Aries on March 2nd, the Pelion/Lust of February 25th will have  turned into Pelion/Orpheus – Lust having moved on to 9 Aries.

And what is Orpheus? Orpheus is great talent marred by insecurity – which is actually a pretty common human problem!

No matter who you are, like as not March is going to evoke a few twinges. And maybe that’s all it is – a twinge or two that you roust yourself out of saying ‘oh, just let it go!’

But whenever and wherever we see Orpheus, we are also asked to consider the whole of the Orpheus story – namely that with Orpheus is the unspoken image of Eurydike. And since Eurydike always (always!) tells us that we must be prepared to foot the bill and pay the cost before we volunteer for something lest we be forever lost in doing so, it may just really pay to not overstep our bounds as the Jupiter/Pluto square rolls in, lest we buy into something in haste and live to repent having done so at most disappointed leisure.

Bottom line, this is really a check point on proportion. Going into this moment, you may feel overwhelmed with what's going on...or maybe overwhelmed by some conviction. There's an intensity, a 'push' which would astrologically be expected when Jupiter squares Pluto and with this aspect being pictured in pro-active (cardinal) signs, there well be a great sense of urgency or need to act for a day - even a day and a half before this actual aspect...as energies begin to build.

Can you do what you need/want to do without chickening out OR overstepping your own limits?

Once the moment of aspect happens, there's likely to be a sorting out, a realizing what has come of what has happened - or even through what you've felt. This can be just as productive a period as the time 'going in' to the aspect as this is when we learn, when we realize, when we come more to grips with what is, what has been, what yet can be (Pluto in Capricorn) against what we can and cannot to (Jupiter in Aries)...which really leaves us to understand our limits - and our capacities.

There are many things we can't do. But many things we can do as well! And though you may not be able to choose the moment or the times you live in, or how things come to be that you have to cope with - there is a choice whether to play your hand to the positive or to the negative. That choice belongs to you.

So if you can, use Jupiter square Pluto to get a grasp on something important to you - and do something with or about it. This can actually be a moment of victory long planned for and labored towards.

And if you do have problems? Don’t give up! Learn from the moment, regroup and move on. The basic notion of what you started back in 2007 has a good ways to go still…so keep on being and learning about who you are and how to Be you most happily and effectively!