Sagittarian Transits and Conspiracy News Shutdown

Most astrologers I know are either only peripherally interested in conspiracy theories or outright disdainful of them, which is interesting to me since astrology as a study is deeply imbedded in the occult with possible roots and underpinnings within the hidden world powers, who use astrology (perhaps in a purer form) regularly.

See the first part of Zeitgeist for a preview of those possibilities.

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. Only the Sun is larger. Esoteric knowledge says that we get much of our knowledge and wisdom from Jupiter, and of course as the ruler of Sagittarius, the general themes of expanding boundaries and horizons, knowledge from a higher mind, wisdom, intuitive knowing and natural law are paramount themes.

As I mention a few blogs down (read Jupiter Square Eris for more on Eris), we may be in for some wild and crazy times as Eris messes with our understandings within an atmosphere of chaos, confusion and discord. The theme of relooking at, reviewing, reflecting etc. of what we “know” and what insights and wisdom we have gained in the last 14 years is also up. Pluto’s metamorphic energies have a last chance to both resurrect from death and to put to death, and we are seeing some interesting and alarming shutdowns of information centers within the conspiracy world these days.

Just recently, a brilliant and completely Uranian creative thinker Rik Clay, suddenly after two very inspiring interviews on Red Ice Creations a couple of weeks ago, no longer has his blog up. This is alarming the community and understandably so because one doesn’t just pull down a site in the middle of exciting research that has enormous influence with readers the day after an interview on a prominent program. There are many reasons why this does not seem like simply a personal decision including the idea that if he had a "nervous breakdown” from the sudden notoriety and overwhelm of public attention (which as a musician and web designer seems unlikely) then having the presence of mind to shut down your blog and systematically editing other sites you own would be improbable.

Another favourite of mine Mike Hagen apparently produced his last radio show which when aired will give the “reasons” why. Since I haven’t heard the explanation myself and it doesn’t seem to be official yet, this is still somewhat hearsay, but certainly adds to the freak out and confusion being experience web wide.

Another recent closure is Mysterious Universe whose pod cast is in temporary or permanent hibernation. Also, very significantly, Jordan Maxwell preeminent researcher and independent scholar in the field of occult / religious philosophy. and mentor to many great alternative historian minds and thinkers, is apparently under intense pressure, so much so that he has hinted at quitting his research.

These are just initial observations and we’ll see what continues to develop.

It's a Matter of Frequencies

I just found this video with Dr. Michio Kaku which correlates nicely with my previous blog….

Pluto in Sagittarius: A Matter of Perception and “truth” vs. “Truth”

As Pluto retrogrades back into Sagittarius through November, we have a chance to review, reflect upon and even rethink the themes of this 14-year transit, which began in January 1995 although retrograded back into Scorpio to move fully into Sagittarius in November. Much like this year. Where were you in ’95?

I was on my own as a single Mom with an 8 and 4 yr. old, building a network marketing company so that I could stay home with my kids and home school them. Saturn had recently been square my natal Sun / Moon square (much like now) and life had been very hard (again, much like now) with the mundane survival challenges that comes with having young children and not quite enough resources. Pluto was also about to square my Moon. The climax for me at the end of this Pluto in Sagittarius transit was Pluto conjunct my North Node at 26:34 Sagittarius, opposite a South Node conjunct Mercury in Gemini and Mars at 1:28 Cancer. The issues in my life remain largely the same with mothering without mature partners to help and the survival challenges that come with that situation in this cultural time / space reality.

As I write this, I realize it was extremely difficult times then, and extremely difficult times now. So where has the last 14 years, which is also a Saturn Cycle of fruition, brought me? You can ask yourself the same question, because although the issues and circumstances will be uniquely your own, Pluto in Sagittarius has hopefully deepened our understandings of what is true, what is important and how to stay more connected to inherent inner wisdom and knowing.

I’ve learned to more deeply embrace with faith the bigger picture and trust in the deeper purpose underlying this mysterious existence. I always mention to my clients when giving readings, that the longer I live, the more I realize how fine-tuned and perfect the timing, situations, and life is. I have relaxed into a space of detachment that keeps me from taking everything very personally, the m.o. I was born with.

I have also come to truly understand how we all see life through our own eyes, with our unique perceptions and sense of reality, right and wrong, shoulds and shouldn’ts, most of which are variable truths and simply a matter of perception, a marvelous example of the beauty and diversity of life on our planet. In typical Plutonian way, there has been an escalation of conflict and crisis relative to ideologies and beliefs being forced upon through manipulation and control, or belittled and poked fun of in mundane life. Sagittarius includes the idea of truth, and what is Truth with a capital “T”, or natural law that can resonate with the vibrations and energies of the cosmos, and what is man-made law, constructed in typical Saturnian manner to create a structure from which to operate as a species on earth, but which may or may not have deeper validity.

I realized at a very young age that in this reality there is no way we would ever know or understand the true and bigger picture just because our minds and senses are not generally capable, at this time, of tuning in beyond a narrow frequency band. Much like a radio, which can only tune into one station at a time even though there are many stations out there. And so, Sagittarian faith, openness and the quest for ever expanding boundaries and understandings, knowing that what we know today will change tomorrow, has been deeply challenged and stimulated during this last Pluto phase. But, I think that the awareness level of the human race has also deepened through dying to what no longer serves and opening up to “new horizons and frontiers”.

Collectively, this retrograde period could well bring some surprises that again challenge our perceptions of reality, such as possible extraterrestrial contact in some manner, or something equally jolting, which will bring with it yet newer predicaments relative to society and government. With Jupiter square Eris in the picture, things will also get a little wild and crazy.

Individually, this period of retrograde is a chance to reflect upon these themes as they have played out in our individual lives so that the wisdom gained can keep us moving forward with faith hope and joy as we meet the next Pluto in Capricorn cycle, where we have an opportunity to create from a wiser and more expanded place.

Jupiter Square Eris

I spent $10 last night attending a lecture with Philip Sedgwick – certainly more value on every level than a movie! He mentioned the Jupiter square Eris transit relative to the lack of compassion and humanity that needs to shift and presumably Eris can shake things up where it needs shaking up. He also mentioned people losing their jobs. This square at 21 degrees began in mid April and will have its final pass at the end of November this year.

A concrete example I’ve been struggling with is where I work part time at Whole Foods as a cashier. I haven’t worked for anyone else – well – since I was 24. I love the people I work with, but the leadership has very strict rules about absenteeism / tardiness and this department in particular fires people on a regular basis because they couldn’t toe the line in this area. And so, although the guidelines are doable, something is wrong with a system that loses several good people a month with no consideration, flexibility or compassion, while continuing to pour money into training new people.

The humanity has been lost to rules and we’ll see if this square shakes things up. Certainly people where I work are getting much more disgusted with the situation by the day, and in general everywhere is the air of discontent, gritchiness, irritation and conflict.

Following is a (slightly edited) repost of my original Eris article of September 19, 2006:

Back in July 29 of 2005 when apparently our solar system’s 10th planet was discovered by Michael Brown, I was excited and full of anticipation. Since reading Zecharia Sitchen I had been waiting for the day when our solar system would have 12 recognized planets. Well, I’ve had to soften my views a bit, but the discovery and official naming of the (now classified) dwarf planet to Eris (pronounced Eeris) is part of an exciting expansion of our solar system as we know it.

Originally it has been nicknamed Xena for the TV warrior princess, which seemed perfect, so I was a little disappointed when it lost that name to Eris. But it was just a Hollywood character after all - (and a bad one at that! Just like Pluto.) Eris and Xena also had the same vibration in my mind.

Eris is the Greek Goddess of strife and war, discord and chaos. The planet has an orbit of 556.65 days, is about 70 miles wider than Pluto, and has a moon named Dysnomia, who was the daughter of Eris and known as the spirit of lawlessness.

Artist rendering of Eris by A. Schaller / STScI.

The myth that Eris is most known for is that of having caused the Trojan War. Bullfinch's Mythology states: "At the nuptials of Peleus and Thetis all the gods were invited with the exception of Eris, or Discord. Enraged at her exclusion, the goddess threw a golden apple among the guests, with the inscription, 'For the fairest'. Thereupon Juno, Venus, and Minerva each claimed the apple. Jupiter, not willing to decide in so delicate a matter, sent the goddesses to Mount Ida, where the beautiful shepherd Paris was tending his flocks, and to him was committed the decision. The goddesses accordingly appeared before him. Juno promised him power and riches, Minerva glory and renown in war, and Venus the fairest of women for his wife, each attempting to bias his decision in her own favour. Paris decided in favour of Venus and gave her the golden apple, thus making the two other goddesses his enemies. Under the protection of Venus, Paris sailed to Greece, and was hospitably received by Menelaus, king of Sparta. Now Helen, the wife of Menelaus, was the very woman whom Venus had destined for Paris, the fairest of her sex. She had been sought as a bride by numerous suitors, and before her decision was made known, they all, at the suggestion of Ulysses, one of their number, took an oath that they would defend her from all injury and avenge her cause if necessary. She chose Menelaus, and was living with him happily when Paris became their guest. Paris, aided by Venus, persuaded her to elope with him, and carried her to Troy, whence arose the famous Trojan war."Interestingly, Aphrodite was the lover of Ares, who was the twin bother of Eris. She loved to go into battle with him.

When planets are named, there seems to be a mysterious and synchronistic (a la Carl Jung) correlation that mirrors its symbolism in the world and our lives. For example, when Uranus was discovered, there was also the discovery of electricity and the French and American Revolutions, both of which deeply connect into the Uranian archetype and forever changed our lives. With Pluto’s discovery, the world fairly soon was in World Wars, atomic bombs, Hitler and all of those wonderfully dark Hades Plutonian energies. With Chiron, the archetype of “the wounded healer” we have a strong appearance of mind/body healing, homeopathy and other divinatory and multidimensional perceptual skills, which are represented within the Chiron archetype.

Time and a bit of hindsight will make things clear, but for now one can’t help noticing that the Goddess of Strife and chaos certainly seems to reflect the state of the world today. We live in a very bloody and chaotic world. Just as Eris was said to take delight in stirring up discord, many of our world leaders seem to be her embodiment.

As Philip Sedgwick recently pointed out, one of the etymological references for Eris is “Things You Know Not Of”. Eris is a trans-plutonian entity!! Very hidden, very deep. Perhaps part of our current chaos is the deep and hidden brewings that need to come into our consciousness now so that we can more creatively and positively work with conflict.

In the Aug/Sept issue of Mountain Astrologer 2006, Maurice Fernandez wrote in his article Crazy Wisdom that "The bottom line for the latter half of 2006 is that anarchy may be necessary; Neptune is such an overwhelming and humbling force that it often paralyzes egocentric control. Since Neptune represents mass effect, collective consciousness, and the forces of nature, it does not leave much scope for power trippers or control freaks...These transits suggest a fantastic opportunity to clear out many obsolete concepts and restrictive approaches...Creation will occur through chaos....”

This is an interesting correlation to Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson’s The Illuminatus! Trilogy where the goddess Eris plays a minor role within the anarchist faction and “good guys”…if I’m remembering correctly. I am going back to read it, but here is a TEXT POPUP for Illuminatus!:
And, behold, thusly was the Law formulated:
Imposition of Order = Escalation of Chaos!
-The Gospel According to Fred

After this (according to Timothy Leary “seminal work”) there came the subsequent Discordia philosophical spin-offs, who worship Eris as their embodiment of anarchy and chaos. A positive manifestation of the Eris Principia Discordia concept might be The Eris Society.

This cloth patch has some connection with NASA, is rare, 3.5 inches in diameter, and clearly intended to be placed on the arm of a uniform. That's all we know….

It’s very early and possibly hard to grok the meaning in an individual chart at this point, but both the hermetic principle and spiritual teachings remind us that we all have a piece of whatever is going on outside, we all have some responsibility at some level. An aspect (there are others) of the violence in the world is self-hatred projected outward. I’ve been thinking about Eris’s placement in my chart. Everyone born after 1930 has Eris in Aries, so the house placement will be the pivotal factor. I have Eris in my second house of self worth, self love, security and resources. These have been big issues in my life, and I have worked on them in my way, hopefully passing on any progress I’ve made into the collective memes. Philip Sedgwick also provides these preliminary key words:

Positive - liberation from addictions to success or status, clear priorities regarding matters of love and money, finally getting you can't take it with you and applying full resourcefulness in life, recognition of the potency of one's energy and life force, clear sense of the sacred marriages: spirit to body, self to Creator, between soulful companions, personal sense of emergence.

Negative - greed, workaholism, believe that you must take over for God, general sense of being forsaken, condemned or abandoned, lack of spiritual regard for life, superficial, status oriented.

Again, looking at my own chart and to give you some possible ideas on how to begin your own exploration, I have Eris at 8 degrees 56 minutes in the second house....sextiling Sun/Gemini/4th on one side and Chiron/Aquarius/12 on the other. My initial and instinctive response to that was “no wonder I feel so comfortable with the idea of chaos, uncertainty and even conflict”. There is also the theme repeated with Chiron/12 of the general sense of being forsaken by God or to having lost my connection to the Universal Source (early on in my life), condemned and abandoned. However, in matters of money I am not only extremely comfortable with uncertainty, feast and famine, but also very resourceful. I am at the tail end of the Chiron return transit, and am now deeply integrating the idea of the power and potency each of us is, and also beginning to feel deeply the idea of the sacred marriage to self and creator, spirit to body, mind to emotions. My sense of security welcomes chaos and uncertainty. One of my favourite books as a teen was (and is) Alan Watt's The Wisdom of Insecurity. At the same time, the perfection and order of the universe is not lost to me.

Pluto in the 7th

Here they are at Messiah College campaigning together.

From Associated Press
June 20, 2008 9:55 AM EDT
CHICAGO - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign announced Friday that he will campaign with former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton next week, a step toward unifying a fractured Democratic Party after a bruising primary fight.

Obama's campaign said in a brief e-mail that said the two senators and former opponents will campaign together for the first time on Friday, June 27, and more details would be forthcoming.

A day earlier, Obama and Clinton also plan to meet in Washington with some of her top contributors in an effort to calm donors who remain frustrated with Obama's presidential campaign. The former first lady will introduce Obama to her financial backers.

Saturn is coming up on his Pluto in the 7th - poor Obama - he's in for a rough ride, one that continues the control, manipulation and power struggles with his "democratic partner".

Mars Approaching the Nodes and Gay Rights

As Mars was entering the sign of Leo and inconjunct Pluto in Capricorn, the California Supreme Court was overturning its law banning same sex marriages. Homosexuality can be associated with Mars in Leo / 5th house (Aquarius) and of course here we have a classic release of the inconjunct tension related to the breakdown and reconstruction of social structures and rules.

Abraham-Hicks published this video clip as Mars in Leo is approaching the nodes in Leo / Aquarius. We learn and continue to grow through our relationships with others. Who one is attracted to is defined by our soul’s deeper agenda, our emotional needs, and how / what another’s energy pattern stimulates in our own. Since I can’t imagine God/Goddess/All That Is being male or female, our souls are also beyond gender and our loves much deeper and varied than we know. So, as they say, we just keep following our dreams…

Insights and Speedy Thoughts

Mercury viewing is at its best this month peaking this week, and in its home sign of Gemini. Remember that in ancient Greek mythology, Mercury is the messenger of the gods, traveling from Olympus to Earth often with messages to humans (sometimes in the form of dreams) and to Hades in his capacity as psychopomp (a soul guide) in which he was also responsible for transporting souls of the dead to the underworld. This interdimensional travel is symbolic of the multidimensional flavour of the archetype.

As we ponder and meditate on the celestial being of Mercury in the sky and its messages, there is the opportunity amplified and stimulated by the Neptune/North Node/Chiron conjunction, Jupiter moving retrograde in aspect to Mars, and Pluto retrograding back into the sign of Sagittarius. Insights and understandings are there for those who are open, both in the receiving and the giving and the balance through integration of the Sag/Gemini polarity. Hermetic symbolism includes the integration of opposites, and the delivery of raw information (as the RNA is to the DNA). It is the idea that understanding is never absolute and requires interpretation especially as the information can come through synchronicity, myths, dreams, metaphors and symbols with are images meant to be free of moral judgment.

This Gemini / Sagittarius polarity represents in part wisdom coming from higher ground down to the rest of us in the valley, but the message must be delivered in a way that can be heard and understood. One of my favourite analogies is that of a guru or sage who has spent lifetimes on their spiritual quest and has reached the top of the mountain. But, it has been a journey taken alone and without consideration for the mores and restrictions put on by society and it’s rules, enjoying lots of freedom. The sage may beat a student with a stick, or the guru may not bathe for weeks. The quest for Truth overrides all, and in the end, the journey brings great knowledge and understanding. But, if the soul is still in human incarnation, the question could be “why and what now?” Do I sit at the top of the mountain, communing with nature and dispersing my pearls of wisdom to the few who make the journey to the top, or do I come down off the mountain and back into the cities in the valley below? Of course, that requires that I need to learn how to speak and relate to city folk again or they will ignore me or worse yet isolate me in a prison or mental hospital.

Sagittarius/9th house is the lofty heights of truth, Mercury brings the message to Gemini/3rd house, which is civilized, cultivated, broad in it’s ability to take in many diverse points of view, but fairly intolerant of the “wild man” or even fanatical approach. The analogy can also go the other way. Having spent lifetimes developing a sophisticated and civilized approach to life, words and information, it may be time to speak your truth without censorship and let the raw and direct transmission have its effect, or even take a less neutral and more philosophically or spiritually defined perspective. Our place on this continuum is also reflected in the chart. These archetypes will be prominent where you have an emphasis in your chart of Sag / Gemini, 3rd house / 9th house or Mercury / Jupiter.

New Moon in Taurus

Today is the New Moon in Taurus .
Given that later on this week there is potential for high emotions and volatility involving the moon and a Mars / Pluto inconjunct, I think the Sabian Symbol for this New Moon point is interesting.

“An old teacher fails to interest his pupils in traditional knowledge.” Keynote: The inadequacy of past knowledge in time of crisis.

We are generally in a time of crisis and the current Mars / Pluto inconjunct is underscoring the intensity this week. Inconjuncts are crisis aspects which demand a resolution (no putting off until the next lifetime), and Pluto retrograding but still at the 0 degree Capricorn point is being stimulated by Mars in both the late degrees of Cancer and early Leo. There is a great restructuring of the earth beginning in earnest.

Certain traditional knowledge and systems are being challenged and Mars as the lower octave of Pluto always shows us the cutting edge of our development. Both our sense of security and need to protect the clan as well as how that balances with our individual creative self expression continues to challenge the thinking, and change is inevitable. Rudhyar calls this point the principle of Creative Frustration as we look to traditional concepts and see their inadequacy. He mentions the concept of “not this, not that” which comes from the Hindi “Neti Neti”, a practice that ultimately brings us to that deep space or void that then allows us to understand our place in “Godmind”. So, these are good thoughts for New Moon meditations. What has worked and what hasn’t? What did you like and what are you tossing out? Abraham-Hicks talks about desires that we bring in showing us more clearly what it is that we really want...or don’t want.

I don’t know if you can feel it, but the realignment of the earth and all that is on it has shifted back into high gear. This is a good time to decide what’s really important and to simplify your life as much as you can. With this New Moon we can plant seeds towards reviewing and analyzing our plans for the future. There is a backdrop of earth energy with Saturn in Virgo and both Pluto and Jupiter in Capricorn which allows for gentle and practical approaches to simplifying our lives and that can keep us grounded as well as make it easier to pursue our goals. What’s really important to you? Can you “face your fears” by examining emotional blocks, resources and money? Taurus stabilizes the energies put into motion at the beginning of this new astrological year at the Spring Equinox. How can we sustain our desires? In esoteric astrology, Taurus is one of the arms of the Fixed Cross. Alice Bailey calls this the cross of transmutation where desire becomes aspiration and selfishness is transformed into selflessness. With help from the esoteric planet Vulcan, Taurus rebuilds using all the art, craft and tools at his disposal. The stabilization of last week’s grand trine should make it easier to pursue our personal goals.

Pluto in Sagittarius Crisis

Follow-up to Pray for the Children, two posts down.

A police investigation into a call alleging abuse was handled in the normal and fairminded manner. NOT! I think what typically happens is that the police would go to the house in question, talk to the person who made the phone call and probably arrest the accused, and possibly also the alleged victim (hey, it happens all the time).

But this case is a little more complicated due to the community’s religious isolation and practice of polygamy, which would make it difficult possibly to have a couple of armed forces go in and investigate through normal procedure. So they took the obvious route. Armed with guns and tanks they rounded up ALL the 465 children and their mothers and put them in a city stadium. A week or so later, the mothers had to leave their children behind so that dna testing could begin on all the children (and parents as well), with the threat that since could take weeks or even months, the children would have to be put in foster homes. An entire village had their children forcibly removed and the sheltered children now losing their last thread of security with being together, now delegated to strangers.

"The children were first placed in a cramped shelter with cots and cribs lined up side by side, then they were transferred to a sports facility where they were removed from their mothers.

More than two dozen of the teenage boys who had done nothing wrong were then shipped 400 miles away to a ranch for troubled teens where they will not only be separated from their families, but they will undoubtedly be exposed to antisocial and delinquent youth. The director of the ranch said that mixing the delinquent teens with the other boys is "going to be difficult."

What has become the largest custody case in U.S. history could end up being a mistake of epic proportions, even if some cases of abuse or neglect are substantiated.

While I have no idea exactly what has or has not happened in that compound, I am reasonably certain that the state's recent actions have likely traumatized nearly all of these children. There is little doubt that being taken away from your home, separated from your parents, jammed into rooms where you are cared for by strangers, and even sent hundreds of miles away to live among behaviorally disordered youth is all horrifying.

Testifying at the hearing, an expert on childhood trauma, Dr. Bruce Perry, wisely said that traditional foster care would be "destructive" to these children." Dave Verhaagen, Ph.D., APBB, is a managing partner of Southeast Psychological Services in Charlotte and the author or co-author of five books, including "Parenting the Millennial Generation."

Is this the only way?

The order for foster care came down on April 22, with Mars in Cancer opposite Jupiter in Capricorn, trine the Scorpio Moon, square Venus in Aries, and most notably in crisis aspect inconjunct Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius, a crisis involving trauma, confusion and wounding through and aggressive severance of the nurturing bond, so critical to this age group.

These children basically run the gamut of the Pluto in Sagittarius Generation. Certainly they are experiencing the crisis arising from an original situation of fanatical religious beliefs on the one hand and fanatical beliefs of man made law on the other. There is no natural balance. They are also bringing into focus the general concept of individual truths and relative truths vs. parental, religious and social conditioning. Now we are also hearing the stories from those who were raised in that environment, and as my first post highlighted, the issues of control on all levels are coming up from our collective unconscious into the light of day.

All that said, the trauma the children are going through is abuse, and I can’t figure out why the dna testing can’t be with the families all in their homes and the added security of a few strategically positioned security people which would obviously deter any further acts of sexual abuse to the children if that is indeed happening. I’m sure the community would happily endure that intrusion over this nightmare.

More on this here

I thought this was funny - from Mark Husson in Denver, one of my favourite people, who now has a regular Live Astrology Hour on Hay House Radio, Thursdays.

Pray For The Children

I’ve been following the Yearning for Zion story with a lot of pain, sorrow and empathy for the children and parents of the community, simply because I get on a visceral level the trauma of the children and the angst of the parents. It’s shocking to many that in this country, tanks and guns can come out of nowhere and round up all the children from a community on a phone call that turns out wasn’t real. Aside from a very controlling and cultish environment where there is obviously a huge degree of brainwashing going on (see also Dharmaruci’s post So Who Is It That Is Brainwashed?) there is a strong likelihood that whether the phone call was seeded by the outside or not, there is flimsy evidence with which to perpetrate such a violation of the basic human rights that this country stands for. Well, at least they didn’t burn the whole place down this time.

And maybe that’s where the horror lies, as we watch and discuss across the country all the logical and rational reasons that are being put forward for this excuse to round up a bunch of fairly inbred isolationists for dna testing. Something very fishy is going on.

This is fairly hot material, but I’ve been also looking at the astrological correlations. The frenzy of angst and fear that is culminating with the threat of ALL the children being put into foster homes showed up as the Sun reached the last degrees of Aries, which usually lands on the 20th of April (also Hitler’s birthday). The Waco massacre was on a 29 Aries day as was the Oklahoma City bombing. Twilight also pointed out in her blog April’s Dark Days that this is when the shootings at Columbine High school happened, and close to the April 16 date of the Virginia Tech massacre. This point has powerful occult connotations, and the fear that comes with the children being victims rips a hole in the collective etheric fabric.

Pluto in Capricorn has been discussed and correlates in my mind to Pluto in the 10th house, which is the corruption of authority on a broad level. On a metaphysical level, the stronger the light the darker the shadow, and so we might broadly view this as part of our collective journey in facing our own shadow. We all participate in the level of control that seems so imbalanced by both sides of this situation. The sect is very authoritarian – my way or the highway. They may see it differently from the inside, and as with any human group there are the positives and the negatives. They are being confronted with their own shadow as our society’s darkest side makes a militaristic control move with no regard for the affects on the human beings involved (at least from the top decision makers) and everything is about control of other human being’s life, decisions, beliefs, morality, lifestyle and so on.

We also have Jupiter in Capricorn opposing Mars in Cancer….a fairly graphic description of Jupiter’s shadow side of over the top authority and control in conflict with the nurturing archetype of the mother/child bond. Neptune is also nearly conjunct the North Node, exact on May 4, but very close now and certainly being felt. An interpretation of this signature could be the need to rise to the highest level possible so that humanity itself can take the steps forward to a more “enlightened” way of operating.

The Sabian symbol for 25 degrees Aquarius (the exact conjunction at 24 degrees) is “A butterfly with the right wing more perfectly formed. Rudhyar interprets this to symbolize a mutation of sorts where the “spiritual body (the butterfly) is what the Image represents. A strong process of conscious individualization is suggested, perhaps at the expense of the instinctual-emotional aspect of the personality (its “left side”).

The Aquarius energy does seem to ask us to take a more high-minded approach, moving beyond the personalized Leonian perspectives to detach and thus be able to transmute or move beyond the emotions so that breakthroughs can be made. I’m not even sure what this means relative to this situation except that I feel strongly the need to move beyond my very strong and personal emotional reaction to the horrors I feel when thinking of mothers and children being separated with such force and relative trauma, and staying wide open to watching how all of this plays out with our collective journey.

In the meantime, I’ve reconnected with a favourite practice of mine, the Buddhist mediation called Tonglen, which is helpful in softening the tightness of the heart as we connect with the suffering that is everywhere. As an example, in this case, you breathe in the fear, trauma and pain of the children and parents. Then, as you breathe out, you send them peace, security, faith or whatever would seem to relieve their pain. As Pema Chodron says, this is the core of the practice: “breathing in other's pain so they can be well and have more space to relax and open, and breathing out, sending them relaxation or whatever you feel would bring them relief and happiness.”

Or, you can just pray for the children!

We Are Growing Up

There is an amazing story reported by the Yemen Times about an eight-year-old girl who decided last week to go the Sana’a West Court to prosecute her father, who forced her to marry a 30-year-old man. “Nojoud Muhammed Nasser arrived at court by herself on Wednesday, April 2, looking for a judge to handle her case against her father, Muhammed Nasser, who forced her two months ago to marry Faez Ali Thamer, a man 22 years her senior. The child also asked for a divorce, accusing her husband of sexual and domestic abuse…’He was too tough with me, and whenever I asked him for mercy, he beat me and slapped me and then used me. I just want to have a respectful life and divorce him.’ Nojoud Nasser told the Yemen Times. ”

This is a potent Saturn in Virgo trine Pluto in Capricorn story, a story I think that is a reflection of the general human process right now. The Saturn / Capricorn archetype encompasses the concept of the father as well as controls and maturation cycles. Humanity has looked to father figures for guidance and complied with all the rules and regulations set up in order to keep a cohesive and structured social system (10th house) that keeps us all feeling safe, warm and protected (4th house). So, like Nojoud, we are analyzing our situation and making a decision even if it goes against what our parents, religion or society dictates, and having enough self respect and love to be willing to follow our bliss.

The process is underscored with Jupiter also in Capricorn, giving the energy to follow through on our visions and ideals, even if we make mistakes along the way which, we inevitably will. It is like the first Saturn Opposition stage in the mid-teen years where the ties to parents are still strong, but so is the need to individuate, and if held back can lead to outright rebellion. We’ve all been there and made our mistakes, but it’s a necessary process. What is learned through personal experience is never lost.

This Capricorn archetype emphasis asks: How must I grow up? What must I learn? Looking at the Cancer polarity and to the early home environment and parental (government / religion) expectations for conforming shows generally an abusive “parent / child” relationship with guilt, manipulation, control and harsh discipline. I’m fascinated with the brilliance of this little girl who seems more like an angelic messenger for us now than anything else.

Pluto in Leo meets Pluto in Capricorn

“Melody, you have such a wonderful smile! If you would just colour your hair, whiten your teeth and loose a few pounds, you would look 35!” I’ll be 53 in May, and I heard this comment a few days ago from a friend (only slightly older than I) going through my line at my part time job as a cashier at Whole Foods. It made me think about the Pluto in Leo generation, of which I am at the tail end, experiencing Pluto in Capricorn along with Saturn and Virgo. The other piece is that we have all crossed over the 50 yr. old Chiron Return mark as well.

My louder than usual response to her was “Why would I want to look 35?” It’s not that I hadn’t considered this and consciously rejected it. I recently grew out all the darker henna colour and have decided to leave it that way, admittedly in part as a statement to my aging process. I also broke my lifelong tradition of long hair and have it cut quite short. And yet here was an external reflection of some residual wonderings. And then I reminded myself of how that mind pattern was not one I wanted to take on and about an hour later another external reflection appeared in the form of a younger man I didn’t know who nervously asked if my silver hair was natural and said he thought it looked exotic and sexy. I liked that better.

One of my favourite bloggers Dharmaruci talks about the Pluto in Leo generation experiencing Pluto in Capricorn.

Leo is the child of the Zodiac, so growing old is a problem (unlike Capricorn, who has a problem being young). The quote two paragraphs above was from a study on the baby-boomers – the Pluto in Leo generation – by a guy called George Moschis at Georgia State University. He says: “The blunt facts are these: boomers are not as financially well-off as their parents; boomers are in worse health then previous generations were at the same age; and are terrified of a future spent in a poor environment, struggling with deteriorating physical health. In addition, boomers no longer believe the world is a safe place and are angst-ridden about the personal safety of themselves and their loved ones.”

It continues: “Moschis has spent the past 20 years surveying thousands of people in middle age and later life. The finding that surprised him most was the fear that the middle-aged generation admitted overwhelmed all others: fear of ageing. “Boomers are the generation most terrified of getting old,” he says. “They defy ageing more than any other generation in human history and are obsessed with the way it affects their physical appearance. They will do anything they can to keep their youthful good looks. Middle age is a period of crisis for them, because they genuinely think that they are still young. Ageing, for them, is not simply a matter of getting wrinkles and gaining a few extra pounds. It is a social and psychological process that defies the conviction they have formed in their own minds that old age will not begin for them until they reach their eighties.”

So there you have it, Pluto in Leo and its problems with getting old. Which makes it really interesting that we are about to enter Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto brings out both the best and worst of a sign, and one thing we can be sure about is that during this period, the Plutos in Leo are going to have to face their problems around ageing. And many of them, Leo at its best and most graceful, will also show us how in spirit you can get younger as you age. Because you learn that life is about change, and that everything needs to be approached with a fresh and open mind: so if life teaches you this, why shouldn’t you get better at it as you get older, rather than worse?

I am stabalizing a shaky financial situation due to loss of child support and only recently being able to work outside the home because of my son’s special needs. And so I work at night (when my daughter can watch my son) with college students, the older folks generally opting for day shifts. I wouldn’t trade going backwards for anything, and these beautiful and precious younger people are a daily reminder of how life experience that deepens the wisdom and strengthens the soul comes no other way but through time in this dimensional reality at this point. Although my perennially youthful Gemini Sun / Pluto in Leo orientation does not see myself as an older person, I can clearly recognize the grace that comes with maturity, and several of the kids in their late teens, early 20’s that I work with have decided to adopt me as their “mother”. Well, my heavy Cancerian energy doesn’t mind that, but I recognize that I am also their friend and the model of what they want to be when my age. It sounds prideful, but that is what they’ve told me and I gladly accept the role. It makes me feel good.

More on Pluto in Leo Generation and their current issues coming, but meanwhile, I would love to hear your experiences.

Venus square Pluto: Values are Challenged

Tomorrow, April 7, Venus is square Pluto practically on the Aries point, and as we’ve all experienced, the period building up to the exact transit is the most tense.

Venus – relationships, self worth, value. Pluto – change and transformation, depth, the shadow side. I check in occasionally on a forum that I used to participate on regularly but had to sever the relationship with when the moderator judged me one too many times (in the last case accusing me of having a condescending tone). This decision was hard for me because I value the ideas, comradery and contributing to this group. But I needed to move this energy out of my life, a personal decision for my own reasons.

I’m watching a scenario on this forum happening now where this core issue is up again (quite a lot of drama and the lessons for everyone continue to be learned!) and I realize that this is an opportunity under these skies for me to dig deep and lovingly release the residual hurt of my own separation from this group and person.

By the way, this is the only time I have made a conscious decision to withdraw for a purpose. My participation with other groups, blogs and forums in the astrological community goes in and out relative to my life as a single mom with 3 kids etc.

Pluto in Capricorn is being willing to look at the shadow so that a deeper personal integrity can be found in the Venus in Aries arenas. Capricorn also implies a maturation that comes from the Plutonian “death and rebirth” process. These might include new dynamics that can create healthier relationships. Aries is an energy that brings us back to ourselves and what we need as human beings so that we can then relate to others with less codependence. The focus is on what we might need to change to bring about new goals and paths that lead to a deeper sense of security. This also relates to our finances.

This square is forming a T-square to my Mars at 1 degree Cancer and I also find myself about to face an intense financial / business partner fiasco that may lead to court and will be very stressful, and is stimulating all of these issues and more. I’m curious to hear how it’s going in your life!

My hat's off to Aries!

There is a natural square between Aries and Capricorn and with the advent of the astrological New Year, the Sun in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn, I’m reminded of how the natural freedom to be and become is restricted by the conditionings and restrictions of culture. It is also the instinctual and fiery outward force of the Aries archetype that can break down those same blocks.

Reverend Jeremiah Wright is in the collective memes (see thoughtful Lynn Hayes, Twighlight’s alternative perspective and Mumin Bey’s analysis, among others in the astrological world) and I thought to myself, he must surely have some strong Aries energy. Sure enough, according to Wikipedia’s birth time of September 22, 1941 in Philadelphia, he has a beautiful and strong Mars in Aries, retrograde (!) at 21:58 opposite Mercury in Libra at 22:40.

He’s just doing his path, and it’s no wonder I like him! I imagine he’s learned some strong lessons over the years in how to balance his strong will and force, carefully choosing the strength of his words in a way that is considered and yet still a powerful force for change. A voice not afraid to speak his truth in a culture that is progressively squeezing and restricting that basic freedom.

My father has always been involved in politics, and his wife Georgia was the second woman and first African-American to be elected a County Freeholder (Commissioner) for 6 years (Chair for 2). They live in Paterson, New Jersey. In his last blog, he says “What does surprise me, somewhat, is that TV commentators are judging Rev. Wright on the basis of a few inflammatory remarks about the hypocrisy of some aspects of American culture, and that Obama has been forced to publicly repudiate Wright's sound bites. The truth is, Wright's remarks, though jarring to white people, are reflective of how many people in Paterson see things.” Well, it’s not just the black citizens of Paterson that view things this way. Many of us do.

Interestingly, Dr. Wright also has his Sun at 29 Virgo, conjunct Neptune at 27 and the North Node at 22, trine a Saturn / Uranus conjunction. As also pointed out, typical of Black American Pastors, his approach is holistic. He not only preaches, teaches and counsels, but also has inaugurated a host of practical ministries during his 30-year tenure. These include places for senior citizens to meet, day care for the children of working parents, help for people suffering from HIV/AIDS, hospice training, prison ministries, scholarship for students, tutorial and computer programs, domestic violence programs, and a variety of youth ministries.

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