HERE COME THE WARRIORS FOR TRUTH AND FREEDOM

One by one, six planets are steadily marching into the sign of Aries:  Uranus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, the Sun, the Moon.  These six planets, lined up like a phalanx of warriors, will receive two powerful triggers on April 3^rd.  Just as the New Moon becomes exact that day, Mars moves into a precise conjunction with Uranus.  The New Moon is the herald of new beginnings and Mars typically uses its fire to light a fuse.

The fact that the six don’t come in peace is reinforced by their position, arrayed in opposition to Saturn—the planet of authority and the status quo—and square Pluto—the Lord of the Underworld and the planet of transformation.  What they are set to destroy are the obstacles to truth and freedom.  Many of us will feel the push to not only take a stand, but to act upon that stance.

Truth and freedom are particularly the concerns of Jupiter and Uranus, who will be shoving against Saturn and Pluto for liberation from the outworn past.  For the rebels in the Middle East, the momentum of events will swing in their favor at this time.  Victory will not come easily.  Indeed, those in power will become more ruthless before justice ultimately prevails.  But it is against those who have been in power too long, and have acted too much to their own advantage, that ALL of us need to proceed.

Revolutionary fervor isn’t the only force insisting on an outlet.  Uranus rules uranium, Pluto rules plutonium, and they are square.  April could easily bring an entirely new nuclear incident, or a final, fatal meltdown within Japan’s reactors might occur.  With or without such an event, however, anger about the consequences of nuclear power will mobilize a growing storm of opposition, of world citizens demanding accountability. 

Speaking of storms, Uranus is their ruler, especially of electrical storms.  On April 4^th, the day after the other triggers occur, Neptune enters the water sign of Pisces for the first time in 165 years.  Given the stresses on the two planets, we can expect some wild weather—specifically, increased storm activity and sudden flooding.

Uranus brings eruptions; Pluto represents the depths of the earth; Saturn is the ground, rock, and mountains.  These three planets will be in the most tense of formations—a t-square.  So new eruptions from deep within the earth—volcanoes, earthquakes—are likely to rumble to life throughout April as Mars marches through Aries and lights a fire under each of the other planets on the way.

On the sidelines of all this upheaval, Mercury will have just turned retrograde, sextile Neptune, on March 30^th.  Venus will move into a sextile with Pluto.  The intent of these quieter aspects is to utilize the upheaval to rethink our direction, to reorient toward deeper values, and to search for inspiration.  Neptune in Pisces (April 4^th) is idealistic and appeals to our higher selves.  We must become better than we have been, more loving, more compassionate.  The last time Neptune was in Pisces was before the Civil War—years that saw a peak in the abolition movement and a recognition of just how imperative the principles of justice and equality are.

To say that April will be an interesting month is an understatement, and especially for those of us born in a cardinal sign—Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn.  ‘Interesting’ isn’t necessarily my favorite word.  I’m always mindful of the ancient Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.”  However, the crises of Uranus serve to awaken our humanity, while Neptune—in Pisces for the next 17 years—guides us along a more promising path.

URANUS IN ARIES: SETTING THE WORLD ON FIRE

Eighty-four years ago, Uranus entered the fire sign of Aries.  The huge mid-section of the United States known as the Great Plains slowly dried out during a prolonged drought.  The topsoil loosened and lifted so that by the time Uranus left Aries, seven years later, the fertile part of the land simply blew away, carried on giant windstorms.  The Great Plains became the Dust Bowl, the banks foreclosed on farms, and the farmers became the Great Depression’s migrant workers—driven off their land and hitting the road for California with all their possessions in tow.

On March 11^th, 2011, Uranus enters Aries again, for the first time since then.  The next seven years are likely to be a time of excessive heat, drought, and fires.  Because Uranus will be square Pluto in Capricorn, much of the upheaval it creates will come from deep within the earth—earthquakes and eruptions.  Man-made upheavals—the revolutions we are already seeing—will probably become more violent, consistent with the warrior nature of Aries. 

Presumably, the United States is now better equipped to deal with natural disasters than it was during the Depression.  After all, a lot of safety nets were built into our society in response to the suffering of the 1930’s.  In addition, we’ve learned a great deal about conserving the land and, in the near future, Uranus in Aries should bring pioneering breakthroughs in science and technology.

Last time around, Uranus was also square Pluto, but Pluto was in Cancer.  So the destruction was to the homeland, the heart of America (which, after all, is a Cancer nation, born on the 4^th of July).  With Pluto in Capricorn, much of the destruction will be to the institutions and rules of society, to governmental authority—and to the bedrock of the land.  We might also see a reversal of the direction of some wars, for good or ill.

Currently, a systematic dismantling of the safety nets by certain political factions is underway, as well as a willful disregard of the lessons of human suffering from the past.  The coming unrest and upheaval, symbolized by Uranus in Aries, are bound to be directed at those in governmental and financial institutions (Capricorn) who threaten the wellbeing of the people.  Uranus is the planet of equality and brotherhood and pushes to attain these ideals.

Capricorn not only represents the structures of society, but as an earth sign, it also symbolizes the most solid natural structures of the land, so Pluto will bring upheaval from the Earth’s depths.  How devastating all of this will be depends on how quickly we can reverse course regarding destructive policies, and how quickly we can embrace the idea that we’re all in this together. 

The Great Depression wasn’t the end of the world (though it must have seemed like it), and this period won’t be, either.  But the next seven years will be a very great test of our character, our will, and our humanity.  Let’s buck up, locate our courage, and join hands to work for the common good.

WHY THE WORLD WON’T END ON 12/21/12

Lately, the question I am asked the most seems to be whether I think the world will end on 12/21/12—the date the Mayan calendar ends.  An extremely significant formation among the planets moves into place on that day, but it is composed of very beneficent aspects.  So, the short answer is:  No, the world will not end. The Mayan calendar had to end some time; the Mayans were people, after all—they couldn’t just keep projecting forever and forever into the future.  The date they picked is about as good as any.

The major formation of that day is called a Yod, which is known as the finger of God.  It points to something that MUST be done. Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn will be in an exact sextile to one another (60 ° apart).  Each of them will be in an exact quincunx with Jupiter in Gemini (150° apart).  This forms a very long triangle:  Saturn and Pluto form the short side of the triangle and each of them, along with Jupiter, forms a long side. Jupiter, therefore, is at the apex of the triangle; it’s the planet that is being pointed to.

Planets in a sextile relationship normally work well together, but the quincunxes to Jupiter have an unsettling effect, which Jupiter must help to resolve.  Fortunately, it is known as the Great Benefic.  It’s involvement shows that things are going to happen in a big way, but also a hopeful, helpful way.

Saturn in Scorpio (the sign Pluto rules) and Pluto in Capricorn (the sign Saturn rules) will have a stronger bond than a usual sextile because they are in each other’s signs.  The two of them show that the structures, rules, laws, and institutions of society have to go through a purging, or destruction, of what is outworn.  But Jupiter’s presence means that what will drive the change is faith, optimism, and hope for the future.  Saturn and Pluto must find a way to purge the old and then rebuild for the future, using the expanded consciousness symbolized by Jupiter.  Such a consciousness includes  a new social vision and a moral philosophy that embrace tolerance and opportunities for all to expand his or her own development.

To polish off this positive convergence of planets, Venus will be moving into the trigger point of the Yod on 12/21/12.  The trigger point is opposite Jupiter, which means it will be in Sagittarius.  Venus is the love planet, but also the planet of values.  Sagittarius is the sign that Jupiter rules, so again, there will be a lot of mutual cooperation between Jupiter and Venus.

What I believe will happen at this time—not necessarily on that day, but within a couple of weeks on either side of it—is that a charismatic leader will emerge who can articulate the values we must embrace in order for individuals and society to heal past wounds and evolve.  Because Venus will be in Sagittarius, this leader will be a spiritual person—and is likely to be a woman.

From now until then, Uranus will continue to form a square aspect with Pluto, delivering shocks to the old ways of doing things and creating both a revolution of consciousness and the will to take action.  The rebuilding that will be necessary requires a leader in whom the rest of us can believe. 

THE YEAR OF REVOLUTION

The Year of Revolution:  1848.  Uranus and Pluto in Aries, in hard aspect to one another.  Neptune in Pisces. Revolutionary fever swept through Europe, one country after another.  Italy, France, Germany, Prussia, the Austrian Empire—including ethnic factions of Serbs, Croats, Czechs, Hungarians, pushing for their own nations.

Now, here we are again:  2011.  Uranus moving into Aries, in hard aspect to Pluto.  Neptune moving into Pisces.  This time, the fervor seems to be sweeping the Arab nations but, astrologically, the most extreme aspects have yet to arrive.

Freedom-loving Jupiter led the way by going into Aries on January 22^nd and making a  square to Pluto in Capricorn.  Jupiter does things in a big way, but tends to make things easy, thus the relative ease with which the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt gave way.  However, Uranus will follow, entering Aries on March 11^th, also making a square to Pluto.  That’s where the going gets tough—or at least, more volatile and unpredictable.  Such is the nature of Uranus.

In 1848, the aspect between Uranus and Pluto was a conjunction, fusing their energies.  Both were in Aries.  Aries is great at initiating, but not so good at follow-through.  The revolutions of 1848 petered out over the next few years and the autocrats returned.  Back then, Neptune in Pisces seems to have contributed a great deal of spaciness to the efforts of the people.

This time, the aspect is a square, providing much more overt tension.  Squares demand more than action.  They demand change.  And Pluto is in Capricorn.  Because of the serious, steadfast nature of Capricorn, this time should bring about a deep-seated destruction of entrenched powers, forcing an overhaul of society’s institutions.

Why is this happening in the Arab world?  Probably because Europe has, over the years, become more democratic and less oppressive while the Arab countries are primarily in the grips of leaders who insist on absolute power.  The situation is ripe for transformation.

Not that the rest of the world is off the hook.  Anyplace where the privileged continue to gain at the expense of the people is going to experience unrest, protests, revolts.  That certainly includes the United States.  It began with the Tea Party, but that’s not the end.

Hopefully, when Neptune enters Pisces, on April 4^th, the beginnings of a peaceful path will appear.  However, Neptune’s stay in Pisces is brief before it retrogrades back into Aquarius for next fall and winter.  Even though it returns to Pisces in February, 2012, the square between Uranus and Pluto is more powerful than Neptune—and the square remains in place for the next six years.  All this disruption is going to take time to sort itself out and find a constructive direction, but more change—even bigger and more unsettling than we’ve seen so far—is still on the way.