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]Welcome to April, I hate to tell you that I told you so, so I won’t. This Pluto in Capricorn era certainly has launched as expected. On the rise is the collective consciousness; on the decline is the old way of doing things. I sure hope the “good guys” win out. We’re getting 2 Springs this year, the one we had on March 20 as usual and on April 4 with the return of Mars back to 12° of Cancer where it started its retrograde on 11/15/07. So, hopefully, things are finally underway, and Spring is a blooming! May you have a wonderful new zodiacal year that starts out each year, of courses, in the sign of Aries.
This is what came to me from somewhere: “Each person’s solution is in light patterns…. Each chart is a unique type of quartz crystal… been working with this guide… a light sculptor… when I see your chart, it glows. If you don’t look at it just right, nothing shines through.”
Some Fun with Saturn (really!) by Cheryl Crise
Imagine you have a cocktail party and invite the planets. Where would you find Saturn? Standing alone in a dark corner, wearing a suit and sipping a diet ginger ale, right? Stodgy, old, quiet Saturn! But he’s really quite an interesting and impressive planet once you take the time to know him . . . he’s captured 58 moons at last count, and those beautiful rings! What energies and hidden qualities could those rings symbolically be restraining? Well, Saturn is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, elements which are very active and volatile unless they are kept cold and compressed.
Saturn is no gossamer, ephemeral butterfly of a planet, but he endures the test of time. He IS the test of time! Some planet had to be the archetype for the discipline and toil that are inevitably part of life, and taciturn Saturn, over there in the shadows, watching from beside the potted plant, volunteered for the job.
He might not seem so approachable. Western astrological tradition had always cast Saturn as the greater malefic, the bad guy, harbinger of hardship and suffering. A Saturn transit, we were always told, was to be feared and endured. We now comprehend Saturn in his multiple (and many beneficent) facets and better understand that his patience, tenacity, and strength can be, and in fact must be, emulated and incorporated if we are to grow and evolve. Those of us who stick with it and put forth the effort to achieve our goals learn that no gratification is sweeter than Saturn’s gratification, albeit hard-won and delayed.
Since January of 2008 and for the next 16 years, Pluto will be transiting Capricorn, the zodiacal sign which is ruled by our conservative friend, Saturn. You couldn’t pick a tougher (for better and worse) combination than Pluto and Saturn. Historically, Pluto in Capricorn signifies serious times, and we do anticipate that this current transit will be very serious as well. (For much more on this subject, see the earlier newsletter at: www.starself.com/newsletter25.html) However, in these nascent days of the Age of Aquarius, as our species is evolving toward more a less dualistic, more inclusive consciousness, it might benefit us to contemplate some ways in which Pluto in Capricorn could manifest and transcend generic, less imaginative expectations.
Consider mythological/historical aspects of Saturn which on the surface, may seem “against type,” which illuminate Saturn’s wise, warm, and even wild aspects:
-Saturday, named after the Roman god Saturn, is a respite, a day for relaxation and play. A reward for a long, hard work-week?
-In Greek mythology, the “Golden Age,” was ruled by the Greek god Kronos (re-named Saturn by the Romans). A translation of Hesiod’s “Works and Days” described the Golden Age as a time when a “golden race of mortal men . . . lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief . . . they dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods”. Is Pluto in Capricorn an era during which, as Joni Mitchell sings, “We are stardust, we are golden, and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden”?
-Saturnalia, a 7-day Roman festival occurred every December after the fall planting, in honor of Saturn as the god of sowing. The ropes binding the feet of statues of Saturn were untied during this celebration, which was characterized by “unrestrained revelry and often licentiousness,” according to the American Heritage Dictionary. Can Saturn be totally uptight when he is associated with the stamina and the earthy, lusty nature of Capricorn the Mountain Goat?
-During Saturnalia, masters and slaves exchanged roles. Slaves were permitted leisure and recreation, and were not punished for speaking unsubserviently to their masters. It was traditional for masters to have a banquet during which they served their slaves and/or sat and ate as equals with them. Does this sound like a “pre-enactment” for the kind of cooperative, collaborative human relations we envision evolving on our planet during Pluto in Capricorn, on the cusp of the Age of Aquarius?
So maybe you should go over and try to make friends. Offer Saturn a dry martini. Get him out on the dance floor. He’s not much for inane chit-chat, but if you lean in closely to hear him over the music, you might learn how to accomplish your goals, and then, have some fun.
What a Dream
My student came into my astrology class and recalled a dream from the night before. In the dream, she was with her ex-boyfriend and he was timing her ability to shoot laser beams at a target made up of concentric circles. Weird.
The NEXT DAY, she was in class with me and I was pinpointing the significance of the date of January 25, 2008, when Pluto entered Capricorn. She, being a Cancer, had transiting Pluto now in her opposite sign, which gives rise to the seventh house in astrology – the house of partnerships. Pluto, the destroyer and transformer, had hit exactly on that night, when the boyfriend abruptly brought an end to their relationship, citing her “lack of a sense of urgency” as the problem. (A timed test) The next day in class, I used a red laser pointer to point at a large display of this concentric circled zodiac.
Racial Issues are Facing their Mid-Life Crisis
Uranus opposes itself every 42 years or so. At that time it is has completed half of its 84 year orbit. This is one reason we have such significant mid-life crises in our lives in our early forties. The last time Uranus and Pluto conjoined was in the early 60’s in the sign of Virgo. And one thing it did, through our Virgoan President Johnson, was to oversee the passing of the Civil Rights Act. Virgo is all about equal rights “to all workers” and members of its communities.
It’s no coincidence that now, approximately 42 years later, Uranus is testing its progress. That’s what happens when planets get halfway through their cycles. Just like the Full Moon each month, half a cycle. Uranus is now asking, “Have we achieved the freedom that was birthed in the 60’s for African-Americans?” This is one reason that race is such a major issue at the current stage of the coming election. Uranus is famous for “breaking the tedium.” Do not expect this issue to go quietly into the night. What will the European-Americans say at the polls?
Rx for Mars – A Backward Story
This recent Mars retrograde period has been just unbelievable. On November 15, 2007, Mars did something unusual for itself: it stopped. Don’t panic, it didn’t really put the brakes on “out there in space.” It just appeared to stop and then proceeded to go backwards much like a car appears to go backward when we pass it. Well, for Mars, this rarely happens (every two years) and since I am prone to anthropomorphize, I say that Mars didn’t like it! It didn’t.
So Mars went backward until January 30 of 2008. And during that time, it urged us to slow down and question how we use our energies (Mars.) It wanted us to be more assertive with others in terms of taking care of our emotional needs, since it retrograded at 12° Cancer, which is the sign of the emotional nest. Well, many of my clients did in fact make great progress in that emotional area. But what was extra weird and stressful was that it traveled backwards in almost exact opposition to Pluto which happened to be changing signs from Sagittarius into Capricorn! Talk about stressful. So, if you think January, February, and March have been way-off-the-charts stressful, that is precisely why. Now, we await April 4, 2008 for Mars to FINALLY get back to where it was in November. It is picking up speed now and should be more like himself. Good old blunt, aggressive Mars. It’s kind of like a second Spring, I think.
Do You Know How to Let It Be?
“When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom… ‘let it be.’”
When I think of the potential of the final sign Pisces and their inherent wisdom to “let things be,” it often makes me wonder about the other 11 signs. Pisces, sometimes misguided, naturally just knows when to let matters slide. They have a built-in peace that is often enviable. Granted, they are often times in need of their opposite sign, Virgo, and their discriminating nature. Yet, we have much to learn from this final sign; this ephemeral, universal energy that resides within all of us as the Holy Spirit or the Quiet Voice Within
Here are some Sun-sign insights that can be useful when it comes to developing that finer, quiet voice of guidance we all have, yet many of us seek. It’s the same thing Eckhart Tolle talks about in all of his books:
Aries - It’s hard to “go with the flow” if you think YOU are the source of the flow. You aren’t – that’s what has to be guarded against.
Taurus - No sign has a tougher time with change than the Bull. Their natural inclination to “stay put and dig in,” often flies in the face of the flow. They must learn to let go and reach beyond their comfort-zone.
Gemini - The Twins usually have little problem flowing downstream. Where they catch a snag is stopping quite regularly to label the rocks and surroundings. Inherent in the flow is the need to stay non-judgmental. Hard for Gemini.
Cancer - It all depends – they can be very fluid. Their naturally cautious nature can represent quite an obstacle. It may not be safe around the bend, but bracing yourself usually makes things worse.
Leo - is a very funny sign… They can master just about everything and are usually up for it. Their secret to learn is this: The world is incomprehensibly infinite - not finite. If they surpass that and avoid competition, the sky is the limit.
Virgo - Boy is this a rough one. Their nature is in stopping the flow, finding out what’s wrong, and fixing it! A hard sign to be, for sure, Virgo’s have to realize that if you look closely at anything, you’ll find something that’s imperfect. Things are perfect the way they are – at least on one level – that’s a real hard one for the Virgin.
Libra - Is a naturally graceful sign. Many Librans do just fine with the overall fluidity of life – thank you. Their only question is whether they look beyond this world to Higher Guidance or not.
Scorpio - What can you say about this turbulent, unpredictable sign? The stinger-people have as much potential as any sign, and probably more. If their passions can go beyond dependency on their significant others, they can really go far.
Sagittarius - Go with the flow, this sign? No problemo. Sag is probably the most Pisces-like in that sense. Now, do they have appreciation for life’s graces and subtlety? That’s another question.
Capricorn - Here’s another sign that typically has an almost impossible time going with the flow. Saturn-ruled Cappies need to control; to make sure things coalesce. This can literally kill flow. What is needed here is to trust in life.
Aquarius - This sign always has such huge potential to do or achieve just about anything. I guess it depends on what way-out intellectual limb they hang their hat? They’re made to just about transcend thought, into the Land of the Fishes. Hopefully. Look at Eckhart Tolle - he’s one.
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For the entire newsletter, please go to: www.starself.com/newsletter28.html
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