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the Saturn Uranus opposition, 2008 to 2010 October 29, 2008

Posted by Lara in Barack Obama, Saturn Uranus opposition, US election, cultural change.
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Saturn and Uranus are exactly opposite in the sky on US election day, November 4 2008. The opposition occurs at 19 degrees of Virgo/Pisces, especially affecting people with birthdays around September 11 and March 9, and anyone who has significant points in their chart on or aspecting these degrees.

The opposition repeats at later degrees of Virgo/Pisces on February 5 and September 15 2009, and on April 26 and July 26 2010 (0 degree Libra/Aries). Given that the orbs of influence with slow-moving planets mean we feel them before and after the aspects are exact, we have a two year plus window of time in which these two planets oppose each other. This happens every 45.4 years, and the last time was 1965-67 and before that, 1918-1920.

Both of these periods saw big cultural changes: the aftermath of World War 1 brought the demise of the certainty of class privilege in the West, and Spanish flu laid tragedy upon the already traumatized by killing more people than had died in the war itself. In the mid-’60s the counterculture emerged as an articulate alternative to the blind pursuit of the American dream and automatic support for the overt hegemony of the military-industrial complex. For the first time in history, young people all over the world voiced their social criticism en masse. This time, so far, we’re seeing sweeping changes to our financial systems and sense of material security. Will Saturn/Uranus sound the death knell to calcified, spiritually-defunct concepts of materialism? 

What do Saturn and Uranus signify? The conventional take on these planets is that Saturn represents the tough, conservative Big Daddy, while Uranus represents the wild, unconventional Boy. Typically Saturn is seen as restrictive while Uranus is exciting. This is a big simplification: Uranus can be destructive and cynical, and Saturn can bring calm by being containing, realistic, and stable.  

The US election is an oppositional situation in itself with its structure of two parties and two candidates. Strongly influenced this year by these two planets, we can play this as either Obama (new kid, younger) as Uranus with McCain (older, established) as Saturn. But we can also turn it around and say McCain (self-styled maverick, erratic with hot temper) is Uranus, and Obama (calm demeanor, lawyer) = Saturn. 

If we look at the classical symbolism of these two archetypes, a complex story emerges. In Greek mythology Ouranos (Uranus) was the father of the Titans, one of whom was Cronos (Saturn). Egged on by his mother, Gaia, Cronos castrated his father, and from the spilled blood the Fates (the Erinyes) were born. Aphrodite (Venus/Love) also emerged from this tragedy. Cronos then ruled the world during what was called the Golden Age, as everyone played by the rules and there was no need for war or punishment. However, all good things come to an end, and in his turn, Cronos was also killed by his son, Zeus, despite having killed his previous children in order to avoid his fate.

The moral of the story is, what goes up must come down. He who has power will in the end be killed by time and by the natural order of life. The son supplants the father. It’s important to note that the archetype of Saturn presided over a time of peace, because the limits of society were clear and people abided by them. As Jupiter and Pluto (from Nov 27) are in Capricorn, the home sign of Saturn, we may be entering into a time that eventually shows itself to have been preparatory for greater peace. 

In terms of the election, the aspect being exact on this day suggests the outcome of this election is tied into this cultural shift. Saturn is stronger because it is moving forward and is also supported by Jupiter and Pluto (almost) in Capricorn. Let’s hope this manifests as common sense winning the day, and Obama being elected.

Astrologically Obama has both Saturn and Uranus strong in his chart: Uranus is angular in his seventh and conjunct his North Node making him a veritable embodiment of cultural change, (first black President, maybe). Saturn is dignified in Capricorn and trine Mars, giving him good fix-it abilities. At best, his Aquarian ascendant means he knows the energies of both Saturn and Uranus and can handle the polarizing energy of the opposition. But the two planets are in an exact inconjunction in his chart, suggesting that the myth of Ouranos and Cronos is embedded in his psyche in a not altogether comfortable way. To survive the election dramas, he needs to be very aware of his shadow, of his own totalitarian and iconoclastic tendency, and to transform this into open, unafraid, and vigorous leadership.

For all of us, the acute phases of the opposition (when it is closest to exact, see top of this post) give us the chance to observe deep-seated patterns and change them. Then the opposition works to heighten our awareness and allow us to move forward into a new way of being. The Saturn Uranus opposition is all about renewing our relationship with authority. This can manifest in many ways depending on our disposition, such as growing out of childish fears, accepting life has limits, finding the courage to stand up to injustice, and coming more fully into our own authority.

Pluto in Capricorn: changes in cultural norms October 29, 2008

Posted by Lara in Financial astrology, Jonathan Ross, Pluto in Capricorn, Pluto in Sagittarius, Russell Brand, Saturn Uranus opposition, cultural change.
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This period we are in with Saturn opposite Uranus, and Jupiter in Capricorn pulling Pluto in before its official time, is really, really interesting. Here in the UK there are two main themes emerging right now. The first is how we relate to debt and financial limits and limitation, and the second is how we relate to celebrities and obscenity. The first I’ve written about here before and no doubt will do again and my take on this, to be very brief, is that the whole way we collectively view money, capitalism, and financial regulation is all now in the cosmic washing machine and will come out looking very different than it went in. This is not a short process but a long one, and will play out over the next decade. 

The second is that I think we’re about to begin seeing a real backlash against the Pluto-in-Sagittarian permissiveness in the media that brought us a culture in which swearing, lewdness, and overt sexual content in television and film became widespread. Two of the biggest names in UK show business, Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand, both famed for pushing the limits of acceptability and saying the unsayable, in true court jester fashion, have Gone Too Far. They placed several phone calls to a 76 year old actor (Andrew Sachs, best known for playing Manuel in Fawlty Towers) and left four messages about how Russell had had sex with Andrew’s granddaughter, an artiste in a band/performance group called the Satanic Sluts. The calls were aired on BBC Radio 2, and there has been a huge outcry. Someone’s head will roll, most likely the producer and not the talent, but I bet these two very funny men will be wondering if a tide is turning. It is.

Mercury goes direct October 15, 2008

Posted by Lara in Financial astrology, Mercury, Mercury retrograde, Pluto in Capricorn.
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Mercury goes direct today at 4:06 pm Eastern, 1:06 pm Pacific, 9:06 pm in the UK, 10:06 pm in Europe. The first thing to note is the general point that unless you are at the final stage of a long negotiation, agreements made and contracts signed under Mercury retrograde (ie during the last three weeks) may not stick and will almost certainly come up for revision. They are unlikely to deliver as expected. 

Then there is the degree and sign position of Mercury to take into account. It turns direction at 7:35 degrees of Libra, which is an interesting degree for some of our beleagured world leaders.

Let’s look at Gordon Brown first, who looks terrible on tv right now and as if he has had no sleep for a week, which he probably hasn’t.  Mercury squares his angular Uranus (conjunct his IC) and has recently been conjunct his Saturn (1 Libra, inconjunct his Sun and widely conjunct his descendant). Brown was born under a Uranus/Saturn square which falls on the angles of his chart, making it a dominant factor in his life experience. Right now, as I’ve written about before, we are heading into the first of a series of Saturn Uranus oppositions, and Brown will feel this more than most. The best case scenario is that he was made for this crisis and will truly be able to lead the world into improved financial organization. However, there is another way of interpreting this, which is that his personal astrology matches only too closely the sinking ship of the world’s financial markets, and so of course he is one of the people at the helm. Karma writ large. The 1801 UK chart has 7 Libra rising, which fits with the UK being so much in the global news today and Brown appearing to be the world’s financial savior. Or not…….. Brown’s Saturn being on the UK ascendant well describes him presiding over a time of recession, and of him being respected but not loved. And that respect is going to hinge on whether this buying up the banks deal is going to work.

And how about George Bush, presiding over such a calamity in his last weeks of ignominious office? Well, he has Neptune at 6 Libra (squaring his Cancer Sun at 13), so Mercury is right on that point. Neptune is in his third house and indicative of his confused speaking style and lack of intellectual acuity. He must feel completely in over his head, even after eight years in the top job. All this financial malarkey is overwhelming him mentally. I’ll bet he has a headache.

Mercury transits are fast and are often not considered to be very important. But they are when major global decisions are made on days when Mercury is not strong, and that is what has been happening the last three weeks. In addition, Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury, representing intellectual brilliance and inventiveness. Opposed by Saturn as it is at the moment, Uranus is hampered, and this makes it harder to come up with quick fix schemes and clever strategies to correct years of greed and mismanagement, even though people will try, most notably Henry Paulson two weeks ago. There is no quick fix to this mess.

All the recent attempts to stabilize world financial markets took place under Mercury retrograde. Now that Mercury is going direct, agreements will move forward and clarify over the next few weeks, although the impending Saturn Uranus opposition will continue to obstruct attempts to shore up a sense of stability, accompanied as it is by the foggy influence of the Neptune station. But what has been presented as the big fix, ie part-nationalizing the banks, will be shown to be only the tip of the iceberg of what will become necessary as we move into the government-heavy years of Pluto in Capricorn.

Planetary Energies Autumn Equinox 2008 September 21, 2008

Posted by Lara in Autumn Equinox, Jupiter in Capricorn, Pluto in Capricorn, Pluto in Sagittarius.
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Reaping the Harvest

 

In this issue:

The Autumn Equinox This Year

The Planets September 22 — October 31

Notes on the World

 

Here in England we’ve finally had a week of dry weather, and the fields are humming with combines gathering in the harvest that has at last had a chance to dry out. We are still in the harvest window energetically, the period in between Lammas and Samhain when we take our wares to the market, (literally or symbolically), consider our creativity and use of energy, and use the zest of summer to complete projects.

The last New Moon (August 30) was conjunct Saturn in Virgo and this has set the tone for a month which for many has been a period of hard work and tough decisions. The next New Moon (September 29) falls at 7 Libra and squares Jupiter, indicating extravagance and general buoyancy. Certainly a lot more fun than Moon conjunct Saturn! But insufficient realism can be a problem, and over-reaching is a possibility. Whichever way it plays out, October looks to be a more upbeat month than the hardworking, belt-tightening one we have just been through.

 

The Autumn Equinox This Year

The Autumn Equinox is exact this year in the Northern Hemisphere on September 22 at 11:45 am Eastern, 8:45 am Pacific, 4:45 pm GMT, 5:45 pm European Time. Day and night are of equal length. Symbolically the equinoxes are times of equal balance, and the Autumnal Equinox, occurring at the juncture between Virgo and LIbra, is a time for making clear-minded decisions that balance our lives more healthily and harmoniously. 

At the Equinox the Sun enters Libra, where Mercury, Venus and Mars are already situated. It’s a good time for a party, for beautifying something, and for falling in love. A couple of days later, on Sept 24, Venus enters Scorpio, and the atmosphere gets more passionate.

At the Equinox the Moon is in Cancer, so it’s a good time to be at home with loved ones. Venus sextiles Pluto, right at the tail of Libra and Sagittarius respectively, an aspect which is good for creativity, making money, and getting to the heart of relationship issues.

 

The Planets September 22 – October 31

The two eclipses of August, combined with the turning direct of Pluto and Jupiter, the conjunction of Neptune, Chiron and the North Node, and the September New Moon conjunct Saturn, all combined to take us on a roller coaster ride for the past six weeks, culminating in the financial shenanigans of recent days. It’s a time for shedding that which is no longer required or no longer works, and the more actively we have engaged with this process the better off we will be.

October should be somewhat calmer, as there are no major aspects or changes in direction of the heavy-duty planets, and the New and Full Moons don’t make intense aspects with outer planets. However, we are moving towards the opposition of Saturn and Uranus, exact on November 4th, so this is gradually being felt as a tightening of the financial screw. 

Mercury is retrograde from Sept 24 to October 15, so delays and glitches in communication need to be allowed for. Plans made and contracts signed during this phase may have to be revised later. While Mercury is retrograde the affairs of the world tend to slow down, so we’ll get a chance to integrate all the changes of August and September.

Venus is in Scorpio for this period, from Sept 23 to Oct 18, which traditionally is seen as a time when passions are deepened. The positive side of this is increased intimacy and connection, the shadow is obsession, possessiveness and jealousy.

Mars is in Libra until October 4 when it joins Venus in Scorpio. So from Oct 4-18 passions are heightened all around.

Venus makes a series of aspects from Oct 5 – Oct 11: sextile Jupiter and Saturn, trine Uranus and square Neptune, complicated by squares from the Moon in Aquarius. The weekend of October 11-12 is particularly intense as the Moon adds to the mix, being in Pisces and trining first Mars and then Venus. This second week of October is the most romantic period of the next six weeks, but not without complications. Mercury is stationing so there may be miscommunications and misunderstandings, issues with exes and old relationships returning for a replay. The Full Moon on Oct 14 is in impulsive Aries, yet Mercury is standing still. Look before you leap!

 

Notes on the World

So, Pluto at the end of Sagittarius turned direct on September 8, and Jupiter turned direct in the sign of Capricorn, and all hell let loose in the world financial markets.

We are teetering between Sagittarian optimism, with people saying it will all be sorted out in a year (“look, the governments will handle it by bailing out sick companies”), and Capricorn caution (”hang on, this is going to take a decade to sort out”). With the knowledge of astrology, I fall in the latter camp. Pluto brings deep change. Our current problems are at least partly rooted in the inadequacy of unbridled capitalism as a system and this is unlikely to get sorted out overnight. Plus, the Uranus Pluto square (explained in more detail below) is effectively operational until 2017.

The changes we are seeing now involve several astrological factors. The first is Pluto’s shift into Capricorn and the change in collective energy from Sagittarius (boom and confidence) to Capricorn (caution). The second is Jupiter’s year long stay in Capricorn this year. And the third is the upcoming square between Uranus and Pluto.

Pluto rules big amounts of money (plutocrats and plutocracies), long cycles, death and rebirth. The sign it transits appears to influence the underlying collective mood, and the sign of Capricorn rules big business, government, ad social organization and bureaucracy. Jupiter rules ideals and philosophies, among other things, and influences levels of enthusiasm. Uranus brings the unexpected, and liberates old patterns of thought.

The stock markets and indeed the whole infrastructure of money under capitalism rests on confidence. Much of it is an illusion. With Pluto in Sag, and especially when Jupiter was there too, in 2006 - 7, confidence was at an all time high. Now that Jupiter is in Saturn’s sign of Capricorn, and with Pluto hovering on the cusp, caution is replacing exuberance.

Uranus and Pluto are square from 2011 – 2016, but given the orb of influence, we are probably feeling this already. The last time Uranus and Pluto were square was 1931-1935, when Uranus was in Aries and Pluto in Cancer. These were the years of the Great Depression and the rise of fascism in Europe. This time Uranus is again in Aries, (worryingly, as this sign is associated with militarism), and now Pluto is in Capricorn, sign of finance and government. There will be yet more regulation, but let’s hope it makes life better by regulating the sharing of wealth in more equitable ways.

The lessons of history can help us to some extent (beware excessive militarism and charismatic leaders, for example) but at the same time, the world is different in several crucial respects than it was in the 1930’s and Pluto acts differently in Capricorn than in Cancer. So while it is useful to pay attention to the past and learn from it, we must also stay very present to the moment, doing whatever work we feel called to do in good heart, and resisting the temptation to take refuge in simplistic solutions — in neither doom and gloom, or Pollyanna-ish optimism.

That said, it’s hard to get way from the historical evidence that Uranus and Pluto squaring is one of the most difficult of the outer planet cycles. Uranus square Pluto puts the individual in conflict with the collective, and particularly the unconscious elements of the collective. Revolution and deep social and economic change are signified.

It’s a collective wake-up call. There is no way to sugar coat this. We are walking into difficult times. But we have enormous abilities at our disposal. Our humanity, our caring for each other and for the planet, will see us through and enable us to create a better world out of the issues that rise to the surface under the tension of Uranus and Pluto.

Pluto in Capricorn has coincided in the past with great flowerings of culture, often, it has to be said, encouraged by a despot of one kind or another (Charlemagne in the eighth century, Kublai Khan in the thirteenth, Suleiman in the sixteenth, Catherine the Great in the eighteenth). There’s a history of deep financial changes during these eras that brought much greater wealth long term, which fits with Capricorn.

Meanwhile, we have something to look forward to later this year: Jupiter is approaching its problem-solving trine to Saturn in mid-November, just around the time the Hadron Collider is scheduled to be back in service. With this trine occurring in Earth signs, maybe we’ll figure out some secrets of the universe, fix at least some of our collective financial woes with some realistic but clever thinking, and in our individual lives, find solutions to practical issues.

with love,

Lara

September 21 2008