Aquarium Age - Transformational Astrology

Hello to readers in the North Pole--reindeer and elves included!

The planets continue to aggregate in Capricorn this week, the final week of a long, hard year and the final year of a long, challenging decade. Today the Moon joins the team and just after midnight, in the wee hours of December 26, it overshadows the Sun during a solar eclipse at 4° Capricorn. Eclipses are always stressful because they reveal previously hidden information, and their effect stretches six weeks before and after the actual event. Ancient astrologers thought eclipses signaled the possible death of the king—maybe impeachment is our modern version of an eclipse effect. (On a more poignant note, certainly the death of Ram Das is the loss of a true spiritual king.) The current solar eclipse includes Jupiter as part of its signature and Jupiter’s expansive presence amplifies the eclipse effect, which means more information is certain to be revealed. And because Uranus, the planet of surprising plot twists, trines the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter during the eclipse, what emerges from the shadows could be startling. An eclipse effect is felt at both the individual and collective level, so while this entire bundle of Capricorn planets bestows a sobering tone to holiday festivities, Uranian plot twists could turn some celebrations topsy-turvy. (Think Home for the Holidays and the emotional revelations of crazy Aunt Glady.)

And it is Christmas, which for most of us is a day of great celebration and equally great disappointment, as expectations collide with reality and post- traumatic holiday disorder tilts gatherings towards still unprocessed childhood trauma. (Oy! No matter how much work is done on trauma, the holiday season never fails to irritate the wounds of earlier years.) The best way through is to breathe deeply and hold fast to whatever healthy healing habits you’ve managed to cobble together over the years, and to do your best not to contribute to whatever battle lines are being drawn.  

Yet despite the stress of modern seasonal disorders, Christmas is still a celebration of innocence. As I wrote in 2008, “Christmas celebrates a simple truth: Each of us is a divine child, born fragile and delicate, pure of heart, and magnificent with unfathomable promise and potential.” Despite the squalls of change that swirl around us daily, the purity and promise of the divine child endures—and we need it now more than ever. It’s far too easy to succumb to cynicism when so many applaud the opportunistic power and profit grabs of our leaders.

Confrontation with power is a large portion of Pluto’s transit through Capricorn, a journey that began in January 2008 and that confrontation will continue until Pluto begins its transit of Aquarius in 2023. The end of an astrological journey often more sharply defines the signature of the entire transit more sharply, which means that for the next three to four years, the issues of power—personal and political, spiritual and material—dominate the zeitgeist. Those power struggles don’t end with new policies, presidents, or newly drawn territorial boundaries. Pluto’s journey through Capricorn has underscored the perils of unchecked power and the detrimental consequences of unbridled greed. Many argue that we’ve been through phases like this before and we will make it through but I’m not so sure, if only because the planet has never been in so much danger. I’m not suggesting it can’t turn around; I’m simply acknowledging the need for a value shift—a massive correction in what we hold most dear—if we are going to survive.

Use the last days of the calendar year and decade to reflect on where you’ve been and what you’ve been through since Pluto entered Capricorn, and pay particular attention to how those experiences have affected what matters most to you and those you love. The next decade requires a value shift, and thankfully that’s something we can participate in every day through acts of kindness and compassion. When we put the needs of others before our own, not in a codependent way but with the mindset that we’re all in this together and the sooner we mediate our differences the better off we will all be, we can co-create a world built on shared concerns and shared values. I know I often sound naïve about the possibilities of cooperation, but my divine child is alive and well and she’s comfortable being optimistic about her fellow travelers.

Hello to readers in Salt Lake City.

I’ve been fortunate to live in several beautiful, albeit intense and often overwhelming locations during my lifetime: New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Seattle, Los Angeles, France, and Scotland, to name most but not all. Each place had its own view of the sky. In New York, it was mostly whatever you could glean between the skyscrapers, unless you were on the banks of the rivers that surround the city or atop one of its towers. In New Mexico, the sky truly was the limit, especially viewed from 7,000 feet at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, overlooking a vast plateau that was once an inland sea, its basin stretching out for miles and miles and miles. New Mexico was the only place I didn’t live near water, but that ancient sea, set against the backdrop of the sky—day or night—often made me feel as if I was sailing on a multidimensional ocean. In Paris, the sky is so much a part of the architecture, it underscores the city’s breathtaking beauty.

When I’ve lived without a good view of the sky, I’ve had to imagine it, which is an interesting experience for someone who writes about the sky for a living. That was true in Edinburgh, where the view from my window caught only a fraction of the starry dome. That fraction was in stark contrast to Seattle, where I had the privilege of a vast 180° horizon that spanned from Tacoma to the tip of the Olympic Mountain range—a view I contemplated everyday as I watched the sunset; I lived there long enough to note the Sun’s path from solstice to solstice. That perspective was humbling, always reminding me, as the sky over Santa Fe did, of my insignificance. Each of these different views taught me the value of perspective in all things, not just in the realm of sky-watching.

I’m currently living in Los Angeles, where last week I witnessed the Moon rise from behind the mountains. It was the first time in probably twenty years that I had watched a moonrise from the beginning, as it rose and started traversing the sky—the first time in probably twenty years. There she was, her light at its fullest brilliance, rendering everything beneath her visible, reminding me of the Moon’s power to reflect the Sun’s life-giving light. As the effect of the Full Moon was felt over the next several days, it provided a potent perspective; most of us felt it as deeply charged emotions that have been hard to articulate or regulate.

I don’t often write about the Moon because so many other astrologers do and do it well—much better than I. But this week I can’t help but write about the Moon because it plays a huge role in the final days and weeks of this tumultuous decade and its stupefying final year. (Sometimes I think it’s really 2012 because this must have been what the Mayans were talking about: the end of the world as we know it, when the foundation of every known structure starts to tremble and it’s hard to find solid ground. Los Angeles is also an interesting place to live when so many cultural earthquakes are crumbling so many political paradigms.)

Here’s what the Moon is doing—but please keep in mind as you read through this time table that the Moon symbolizes the mother: it's the longing to belong, the capacity to nurture; a capacity that is often rattled by worries about safety and security, which is why the Moon also represents the emotional body. Put simply, the Moon signifies how and what we feel.

(1) Today—all day long—the Moon in Virgo forms an opposition to Neptune in Pisces, a tense interaction that translates into an atmosphere of hypersensitivity as well as a proclivity towards illusion, delusion, and a sense of psychic instability. This energy can be channeled creatively, but it requires tremendous effort to maintain clear boundaries and stay focused.

(2) By tomorrow, December 19, the Moon moves into Libra, where it begins its now monthly squares to the aggregation of planets in Capricorn. This week that lineup is (in order of the earliest Capricorn degrees) Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto, and Venus. Remember, the underlying subtext of these last few months has been the ongoing and soon-to-culminate Saturn/Pluto conjunction. Every month the Moon has squared, opposed, or conjuncted that difficult combination, stirring a wide range of emotions that are most often expressed as anger or despair about the shifts occurring under the polarizing, pernicious influence of Saturn/Pluto. This week is no different.

(3) By the winter solstice, late in the evening of December 21 or early morning December 22, the Moon begins a conjunction with Mars that lingers until Christmas Day. Pay attention: Moon/Mars conjunctions are testy, so while we may be hoping for glad tidings, what we may actually encounter are temper tantrums. This is the most highly charged, emotional time of the year, yet many of our fellow travelers still expect an It’s a Wonderful Life Christmas—which is amazing when you consider that just before George Bailey meets Clarence (his wings-earning angel), George is about to jump off a bridge, believing suicide the only alternative to his situation. Go figure!

(4) But here is the real problem this week as well as the next several weeks: we’re in an eclipse shadow. There is a solar eclipse on December 26, at 1:13 AM EST, and a lunar eclipse on January 10, 2020 (more about that next week), and because the shadow of an eclipse effect extends six weeks prior to and after the actual event, we’re in the shadow of both eclipses, now, and will continue to feel the effect until mid-February.

A solar eclipse always reveals what is hidden, and because Uranus trines the Moon beginning on Christmas day, we are in for a wild ride of surprising revelations, although these days it’s hard to imagine  that anything would be completely surprising.

(5) Interestingly, Jupiter is also included in next week’s solar eclipse, which occurs at 4° 07' Capricorn, and as soon as the Moon clears the Sun, the Moon conjuncts Jupiter at 5° 22' Capricorn. The Moon’s conjunction to Jupiter will inspire many to predict a beneficial eclipse effect. Regular readers of the Aquarium Age know my position on eclipses: they are not good. So please use caution when you encounter rosy predictions about how wonderful this solar eclipse will be because Jupiter, the planet of good fortune, is a participant. Jupiter’s presence doesn’t magically make this eclipse effect beneficial. Our ancestral sky-watchers understood an eclipse effect better than most: eclipses always signal precarious circumstances because when the Moon blocks the light of the Sun, we are privy to a different perspective as what’s lurking in the shadows can be seen quite clearly.

The lunar eclipse of January 10, takes place at 20°00' Cancer, opposite the Saturn/Pluto conjunction—but more next week about what happens at the beginning of January 2020.

Winter solstice celebrations are the origins of all the seasonal festivals of light. It’s the true New Year, when the Sun’s light begins its return and the days are filled with its life-giving force. In the northern hemisphere, the days leading up the winter solstice are the darkest days of the year, days best spent in quiet contemplation of what the prior year put in motion: what’s been learned as well as what still needs to be learned.

On the solstice, I make a list of all the things I want to leave behind as well a list of the things I want to grow in the returning light of the new year. It’s a good way to ground myself in a fresh perspective of what matters most. We will all need to be grounded in our best intentions as the coming year unfolds—it’s going to be a doozy. We will also need each other to sustain a positive perspective, so as the coming days unfold, try to hold a compassionate point of view that informs your interactions with your fellow travelers. No matter how emotional the days and nights may become, try to remember the power of kindness to heal the wounds of the heart. We all need a little tenderness, now more than ever.

Hello to readers in Berkeley!

We’ve been immersed in brackish waters for quite some time, but this week and for the next several that follow, the mix of fresh water and the salty sea becomes even more distasteful and for some, increasingly distressing. The weeks that lie ahead are the final laps of a stressful decade, one that continuously challenged the status quo, individual and collective. And up to its last moments, planetary patterns not only continue to challenge the tried and true but also to reveal what’s stagnant and decayed. While it is possible to contextualize a good portion of the turmoil and tumult of these years as beneficial—if only because the upheaval pointed out all that needs to change—handling that load and actually making necessary shifts has often been an overwhelming, frustrating step-by-step process. We’re still gathering the requisite consciousness needed to hit the critical mass for co-creating new cultural paradigms.

The increasingly entrenched inability to merge differing points of view and to reach a consensus can be seen everywhere, but nowhere is it more apparent than in the glare of the current impeachment proceedings in Washington. They are a perfect manifestation of the intensified polarization that’s taking place globally, a polarization that can be seen as a manifestation of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction and its effect. This entire process mirrors the great divide between opposing ideologies; it’s a divide that’s always been there, but the dynamic forces of the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction keep revealing the depth and breadth of the fissures that separate us.

By late Thursday, December 12, and continuing through the end of the day on December 14, the Moon in Cancer opposes the ongoing aggregation of planets in Capricorn—Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Pluto, in that order—and as the Moon sheds her light on this powerful constellation of Capricornian intensity, we will once again have an opportunity to bear witness to the power of the sky. But this week, there’s no telling what this concentration will produce because we are also under the influence of a trine between Jupiter in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus, and this positive alliance indicates that sudden, spontaneous relief—intervention, really—from pernicious stresses and strains is possible.

Unfortunately, this relief doesn’t help Mr. Trump. The Saturn/Pluto conjunction is exactly opposite his natal Saturn, which means he is feeling the effect of this conjunction quite keenly. Saturn represents authority, and the skies are certainly questioning his. This opposition to his natal Saturn is exact on January 13 (the day after the exact conjunction of Saturn/Pluto), which means even though he is the poster boy for resisting the inevitable shifts that must occur, he nevertheless continues to be emblematic for the profound changes happening around us. His position is akin to the Slim Pickens character, Major Kong, in the movie Dr. Strangelove, riding that nuclear bomb into oblivion—with one important distinction: Mr. Trump would rather blow up America than harm the home of Putin.

But returning to the Jupiter/Uranus trine, the most uplifting influence of the week: This positive configuration is exact and separating on December 15 and its waning effect lingers (technically) until the first week of the New Year, which means we’ll make it through the holidays under this trine’s influence. I love this interaction because it’s genuinely optimistic and best characterized as an astral interaction of good fortune. We could all use a little uplift right about now.

We also need inspiration, particularly about just how big a difference individuals can make when they work together toward a shared, beneficial goal. Nothing should keep us from uniting our efforts to make a better home here on Earth—nothing. Here’s a video about a group of women who turned their world around, slowly and with enormous effort but with magnificent, tangible results: they resurrected life and transformed their stagnant, troubled waters. www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=849

Hello to readers in Madrid!

It’s a week of contradictions. One potent planetary interaction supports ignoring all boundaries, while another planetary pattern demands a clear delineation of all boundaries. One pattern represents the urge to merge and the other signifies a resistance strong enough to resist any merging incursion. Keep in mind that these dissolving boundaries are not purely physical; they are emotional, mental, and spiritual, which means it would be wise to prepare for all sorts of extremes, yours or others’, as the tendency to lean too far in collides with the determination to pull away or pull back—either way, the underlying theme is finding a wholesome balance between external pressures, of which there are many, and your internal GPS, which may be getting harder to find.

The urge to merge is brought to you by a Mars/Neptune trine. Mar is in Scorpio, where it ruled before the discovery of Pluto, and yet despite that demotion, Mars’ presence in Scorpio gives Mars super strength. Mars is the principle of individuation and being in its Home Sign amplifies that sense of self. Neptune is in Pisces, also that planet’s Home Sign, a position that amplifies its superpower: empathy. You would think this would be a beneficial interaction—and it is, with one exception: Neptune’s capacity to blur boundaries pulls Mars into its border-free Neptunian universe, where all things are one and no one is an autonomous individual. As Neptune easily overrides Mars, notice where you are drawn into codependence that you’re likely to rationalize as compassion.

The planetary signature for boundaries can be found in an aggregation of planets in Capricorn, the Sign of structure, where they continue to cluster until mid-January. There are currently four planets in Capricorn—Venus, Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter just moved into Capricorn on Monday, December 2; Mercury joins the party a week later on December 9. That’s a lot of firmly grounded energy that demonstrates its strength by establishing clear, carefully delineated borders. This gathering of Capricorn energy is naturally resistant to the amorphous undertow of Neptune and that’s where we find the conflict of the week: Mars/Neptune wants to ignore any lines of demarcation and merge with the great oneness and all those planets in Capricorn are saying “no way.”

The Sun in Sagittarius squares Neptune, creating a climate of confusion, maybe even obscuration as some of us try to hide the facts of certain situations. But over the course of the week, Mars firmly links itself to all those Capricorn planets and by Monday it begins a trine to Saturn. This trine is the perfect antidote to confusion because its superpower is attention to detail and the ability to work nonstop to sort out every little thread so that almost everything moves smoothly.

The best news this week is a Jupiter/Uranus trine that is exact on December 15. You can use this positive interaction to lift your spirit as well as the spirit of others—and lots of us could use a lift right now.  For many, embracing the holiday spirit without reservation is problematic—too many difficult situations at home and around the world make it hard to be deeply jolly. Nevertheless, this is the season to celebrate goodwill toward all sentient beings—something that can be done regardless of the political climate. Allow kindness to soften any harsh edges over the next several weeks and do your best to lend a hand to those in need. 

Hello to readers in Washington, D. C.

By Thanksgiving Eve, the Moon once again joins the tightening grip of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn, which is exact on January 12, 2020. As the Moon illuminates the struggle between Saturn, which signifies reality and its fundamental structures—the order of our day-to-day life—and Pluto, ruler of the astrological underworld, which has swept us into a powerful current of chaos by its demands for truth within those structures, we are increasingly stunned by unrelenting individual and collective upheaval. I know that many of our fellow travelers are fatigued by this struggle, but this is not the moment to withdraw into passivity—rest maybe, but not apathy. The Saturn/Pluto conjunction signifies a shift in the world paradigm and this is not a shift you can avoid, for while it is happening collectively, it is also happening in our individual lives. This is one of the reasons so many of us are stymied or stuck making fundamental decisions about where we want to be, who we want to be with, and what we want to be doing. When the world is tilting its axis and the new direction is not yet known, it’s hard to figure out where and how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

By Monday, December 2, Jupiter enters Capricorn, ending its transit of Sagittarius—it won’t be back in Sagittarius until 2030. Among many things, Sagittarius signifies the search for truth, and these past several days, as I watched the impeachment hearings, I was once again struck by the significance of our current historical moment, which can be categorized as a search for truth that is individual as well as collective. It’s through Jupiter and Sagittarius that we become aware of different belief systems, and often when confronted by a multiplicity of spiritual, religious, and philosophical systems, it’s easy to become cynical and dismiss them all as mere human constructs and therefore lacking any validity. Conversely, we can become adamant about one-way and one-way-only, which lays the foundation for fundamentalism of every denomination. But either of these extremes dodges the work it takes to understand the deeper truth underlying all the many ways there are to reach an expansive perspective that measures itself against a higher power, no matter what we name it. The Sagittarian search for truth is a spiritual search. Now, as Jupiter moves into Capricorn, we move from that metaphysical search for truth to a “stick to the facts” attitude that wants to delineate fact from fiction. This is the job of Capricorn and Saturn: to distill wisdom from experience and to know the false from the true.

All of this led me to contemplate the Egyptian goddess Maat—the goddess of truth, and the personification of the concepts of law, morality, justice, order and harmony. She was the goddess who regulated earthly life in accordance with celestial cycles—the repetitive motion of the stars and planets, the delineation of the seasons, the telling of time and the order that those patterns provided. Order is the antidote to chaos, and for the Egyptians chaos included violence, disharmony, and the potential to do harm or evil. 

Maat is most famous for the Weighing of the Heart ritual, a ritual that took place in the afterlife in the Hall of Truth, where each soul would stand trial for the life it had lived. The Egyptians believed that each individual had personal responsibility for his or her life, and that the measure of the soul’s true integrity could be found in the Hall of Truth, as each heart was weighed on a scale against the white feather of Maat. If the heart was lighter than or equal to the feather, the soul would dwell in the starry realm. If the heart was heavier than Maat’s feather, the soul would be devoured by the goddess Ammit and thus doomed to live in Duat, the Egyptian underworld, for eternity. This is the Egyptian judgment day, with fate decreed not by an external judge, but by one’s own heart, which alone knows the truth of how we have lived. I can’t help but think that the zealots trumpeting the specious claims that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 election would find it hard to pass the Maat feather test.

This week’s column (# 1,196) is an anniversary column—I’ve been writing ithe Aquarium Age weekly for twenty-three years now, and it’s remarkable to me that each week I still find something to say. I often worry about repeating myself—and those worries are not unfounded; I’ve certainly written about Saturn/Pluto more times than I care to count. And Mercury Retrograde? Sheesh!

But this column continues to be a labor of love, and while I complain about it  sometimes (but only to close friends), I love writing it. I am deeply thankful for its success, a success that’s been dependent on its readers. So on this Thanksgiving, I give thanks for you and I pray that your day of gratitude brings you a deep and abiding appreciation of all we’ve been through these last many years and all we are going through now. You are my fellow travelers. We are in this together, and I am honored to walk beside you.

Hello to readers in Dushanbe!

Here’s the best news: Mercury Direct begins today at 2:12 PM EST, so those who have been hampered, impeded, set back, and discombobulated by the delays and detours of the last nearly three weeks of retro-static can breathe a sigh of relief—a big sigh. We won’t be trapped in that obstacle course again until mid-February 2020, which is a comfort to everyone traveling for the holidays. Just be aware of the Mercury Retrograde three-day rule, which cautions jumping the gun and moving into action the moment the retrograde is over. Give that mercurial frequency a chance to gain a little momentum before you spring into action.

Here’s the good news: We’re under the influence of a Venus/Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius, an optimistic, fun-loving combination that’s guaranteed to invigorate the atmosphere with a positive attitude—and we certainly could use the boost. Jupiter rules Sagittarius, and together this planet and Sign symbolize the joys of being human, which includes the search for meaning as well as an appetite for life. The worst of Jupiter and Sagittarius is a tendency towards excess—Jupiter is always involved when there is too much of anything, so be prepared to find yourself (or those around you) pushing the limits of indulgence. Venus adds grace to whatever she touches, so many of these excessive revels can be beautiful. Also anticipate a flirtatious wind to waft through a variety of interactions, igniting what might have been an ember of interest into a bonfire of attraction. Although the Venus/Jupiter conjunction could turn some of these flirtations serious, the essence of this influence is having fun with a light touch in the moment.

Unfortunately, the week is not without its downside. On November 19 (yesterday) Mars moved into Scorpio, one of the Signs it rules, and for the next several days Mars will be tightening its opposition to Uranus, currently retrograde in Taurus. A Mars/Uranus opposition is a pernicious configuration that feeds impulsive and mostly explosive outbursts. That opposition is exact and separating on November 24, as Mars simultaneously conjuncts the Moon, adding an even deeper texture of emotional intensity to an already too-intense interaction. Try to avoid having a fight with anyone about anything. Whatever you are upset about can wait—very little is worth starting a brouhaha over, especially if it’s a brouhaha you can only measure with a Geiger counter.

And speaking of brouhahas that never seem to end…the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction is also tightening its grip. Lots of folks are feeling a new level of intensity permeating individual and collective situations—and it feels slightly out of control. It is. Everything is. Those of us who are aware of the intensifying intensity have a responsibility to find solutions within the escalating polarization. And it is not easy.

Last week, a long-standing client and friend—a reader for the twenty-three years I’ve been writing this column—wrote that I was unfair to Republicans in these weekly missives; that Democrats do not have the corner on truth and she was tired of my apparent implication that they do. I promised I would correct the impression that Democrats are saints or saintly—they are not. But as I mulled over her complaint, I considered the dilemma of being aware and remaining compassionate. While I don’t think Democrats are saints, I do think they care more about working people than Republicans. I don’t think Democrats are without greed, but I do think they are more interested in championing the rights of people of color, women, children, and all the other marginalized among us in the hope of helping them to get a fairer shake. Democrats see government as an ally, not as an enemy. While I abhor the current Republican behavior and rhetoric, but I don’t hate Republicans. And I will do my best to make that distinction clearly.

We are all being asked to work through the polarization that the Saturn/Pluto conjunction is highlighting, and although it is strenuous soul-work, it is worth the effort. We have to figure out how to work together if we are going to make it through this evolutionary leap.

Hello to readers in Glasgow!

We’re in a super astral countdown: seven weeks remain until the start of the calendar New Year; five-plus weeks are left until the solstice—the actual astronomical New Year; one more week remains of Mercury Retrograde (it ends on November 20); and there are eight-plus weeks until the Saturn/Pluto conjunction is exact and separating. As with any countdown, tensions mount as each passing day moves us closer to each pivotal moment, but unlike almost all other buildups to blast-off, there are so many crucial moments waiting to unfold that any lessening of tension will barely be noticeable, especially given the political dramas currently playing out on local and global stages. These dramas are emblematic of what needs to shift, and they are not just happening at the level of the collective. Most of us are feeling stressed as we look to the coming new year, wondering how we will be affected by the intense astral activity of 2020.

Mars continues to dominate the current sky news: Saturday, November 16, Mars begins an opposition to Uranus, which is exact and separating on November 24 and persists until December 1. This is a volatile, explosive interaction that could turn just about any place, but especially the Thanksgiving dinner table, into a combat zone, so don’t be surprised if some family members as well as friends morph into gladiators who seem intent on feeding you or others to the lions. Black Friday will likely be a blessing to retailers but also to shoppers as lots of folks relieve their holiday heartburn with a spending spree. Just be aware that Mars has been irritating the air for several weeks and its face-off with Uranus is certain to produce a dynamic effect.

Because this is the week of the televised impeachment inquiry, it’s also certain that most of the vitriol engendered by the Mars/Uranus opposition will be political. We’re embroiled in a collective battle over values, and the division between those of us who care about our fellow humans and those who don’t gains greater clarity every day. It will also become painfully obvious once again that many of us no longer value truth. It’s sad to witness just how willing Republican politicians are to lie. It’s as if their new doctrine is “just keep repeating misinformation and you’ll eventually convince people you are right.” Those of us who’ve been to see the Great Oz actually know that sometimes you have to pull back the curtain and expose what’s behind or beneath the surface to get an accurate picture of reality—as the Tin Man might say, “it’s important to have a brain and to use it.”

Repeating a lie does not make it the truth, but television gives lies staying power—it’s a powerful magic trick, and for those who cannot think for themselves, it’s incredibly effective. In Shikasta, Doris Lessing calls TV the “propaganda machine.” God only knows what she would have called Facebook.

I read an article about a man, a farmer in South Dakota, who committed suicide—he owed $300,000 that he had no way to pay; he left behind his family and a farm that had failed as a result of trade wars and extreme weather. I don’t know if he was a Trump supporter or not, one of the countless many struggling with broken promises for a better future, but I am sure we will hear similar stories as Trump’s tariffs make it impossible to sustain family businesses, especially farming, and climate change continues to turn the world upside down.

I think billionaires should buy these farms and then give them back to their owners debt-free as gifts. It’s similar to what John Oliver did when he paid all those medical bills. It’s using money to help people—the best use of excess cash. Apparently, others agree with me: Jennifer Rubin has an opinion piece in the Washington Post about Bloomberg, already a philanthropist, who she thought could find better ways of helping the country than running for president. Her suggestions included buying Fox News (although I don’t think Murdoch would loosen his grip); devoting billions to automatic voter registration and voting by mail. And I would add funding as many school districts as possible; paying down student debt; or funding health care. He has the money to support a wide range of positive causes and initiatives. When we help our fellow travelers, we restore our faith in each other and when we relieve the stress of survival, most of us flourish.

And while I am on the topic of billionaires, I'm thinking that Oprah should run for president—she is the only one with the media might to overpower Trump. She could nominate Elizabeth Warren or Mayor Pete or any other of the candidates to be her Vice, which would give them the experience they need for future runs—all except Biden, because he already has the experience. And then she could appoint Barack Obama as Secretary of State and he could go about repairing our standing in the world, which is surely damaged and needs a skillful touch to restore faith in our system. Actually, any candidate could do just that and what a boon to the world it would be.

In my value-sphere, the solution to our current global madness is compassion. Helping people is better than harming them. Generosity is better than greed. Kindness is better than cruelty. So no matter how intense it gets during the coming weeks, try to remember that we are all in this together and kind acts always have the power to shift consciousness. Today is World Kindness Day—participate. www.randomactsofkindness.org/about-us

Hello to readers in Kalamazoo!

The great unraveling continues and daily life reflects this undoing through unreasonable demands, dyspeptic moods, and testy tempers as Mars, the god of war, joins forces with the Moon, the goddess of emotions, and together they accelerate the pace of our individual and collective shifts. Several intense influences unfold all week long, making getting it together and keeping it together difficult—even for those who think they already have it together. And forget about the consistency of regular routines—Mercury is still retrograde and its backward glance, coupled with the angry air, wreaks havoc on the needs of the now. Expect communication delays and detours as a result of retro-snafus and also anticipate an army of judgmental fingers pointed anywhere and everywhere they can assign blame. Refuse to be a part of this blame battalion and instead focus your awareness on how to keep the peace.

The primary source of irritation and aggravation continues to be Mars. Its square to Pluto was exact yesterday, and as Mars separates and pulls away, it pulls a lot with it, especially mild manners and what’s left of civility. Be prepared for the daily mindset to assume an even more militaristic attitude that makes all declarative sentences sound like orders from a boot camp sergeant.

On Saturday, November 9, you’re likely to experience mounting tension about situations and activities, big and small, important and unimportant, as the Moon in Aries begins to square Saturn, souring moods with emotional criticism that would be best kept to oneself. As the day unfolds, the Moon also squares Pluto, which sends power surges through the already agitated atmosphere. Early the next morning, on November 10, the Moon opposes Mars—and yes, this is as intense as it sounds. Aries is ruled by Mars, so this Moon/Mars opposition inflames disagreements, which means you can expect flare-ups and meltdowns, personal and political, to span most of this week. Hardly anyone will be able to keep their cool. Do your best to avoid getting embroiled in any kind of argument—they could easily escalate into a full-fledged war. But also avoid trying to minimize the feelings of others who might be insulted by your efforts to tamp down the intensity. It’s a tricky line to walk, but it can be done if you stay mindful about the need to be peaceful.

For the next several weeks, these persistent, difficult interactions lead up to the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of January 12 and its aftermath. Quite a few people are beginning to pay attention to this conjunction and its effect. We’ve been in it for a while, but since Saturn went direct in September and Pluto went direct in October, these two Titans have been closing the distance between each other, tightening their grip on the routines of daily life and sending intense messages about how we need to transform in order to facilitate a jump in personal and planetary consciousness. Even if this conjunction isn’t directly affecting your natal chart, you can see its effect on the collective—all you need to do is watch the news, read the paper, or become aware of the suffering of others.

Keywords for this conjunction: divisive, severe, cold, polarizing, and calculating. When Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008, we knew that institutions, including governments and banks, would be challenged. But the hope was that there would be real, positive change. While some things shifted, the forces that led to the Great Recession have remained the same; we’ve been in that dismantling process for eleven years. When Saturn entered Capricorn, its Home Sign, at the end of 2017, its presence amplified the dissolution already taking place. We’ve been through other Saturn/Pluto conjunctions, but this one is different because the consciousness of the planet and its survival play a key role in determining the outcome.

Nothing short of a moral shift at the core of our cultural gravity, has the power to keep our shared ship afloat and headed toward personal and planetary healing. We have to remember how to respect each other regardless of our differences, but we also need to agree on the rules of engagement, acknowledging that our behavior, individual and collective, has caused and continues to cause harm to others, including those who have no audible voice in the outcome. Certainly the trees and grasses, rivers and seas, and all the other sentient beings who live with the consequences of human aggression deserve a voice in determining the outcome of Planet Earth. We need to interpret their disappearances—their extinction—as a way of communicating the urgency of our current situation.

This week, once again, it is important—maybe even more important—to practice kindness and compassion, even with the fellow travelers we wish weren’t traveling with us. A friend recently confided that she couldn’t believe that all the years of learning to open her heart and develop empathy could have led to this point of pain. Of course those practices of openheartedness have led us right to this moment, because this is the moment when we need empathy the most.

Hello to readers in Los Angeles!

Mars continues to be the astro-menace this week—it still squares Saturn and Pluto, both of which are tightening their conjunction in Capricorn. This pernicious interaction has been in effect since mid-October, which means we won’t be free from its influence until mid-November, so don’t expect any relief from the angry air for a few more weeks. Mars is the god of war; Saturn is the lord of karma; Pluto is the ruler of the underworld; squares signify action—lots of it—and when these planets all combine in a negative pattern, belligerent bullies breathe in a prickly air that empowers them to fight simply for the sake of battle. Try to avoid getting sucked into disputes that don’t matter. Small skirmishes easily morph into full-scale wars under this influence, so pick your confrontations wisely. Remember: principles before pride.

Keeping tempers tamped won’t be easy, given that the final Mercury Retrograde phase of 2019 begins tomorrow, October 31. While Mercury Retrograde isn’t as scary as Halloween, it does pack a punch to Mr. Trump—the chart for Mercury’s “course correction” includes a Moon/Jupiter conjunction that opposes his Sun as it simultaneously conjuncts his Moon, all of which boils down to even more emotional intensity than he is already experiencing or expressing. The coming Saturn/Pluto conjunction also directly affects his natal chart, but more about that in future columns.

Mercury symbolizes all things related to travel and communication, and when it is retrograde, all things within and related to those vast domains are affected. Any retrograde phase is always about reviewing, reflecting, and reconsidering what is already in motion, and as all familiar with this modern urban sky myth already know, Mercury Retrograde is never a good time to initiate new plans and projects. But it is the perfect time to comb through the details of what is already in motion and edit and modify whatever needs attention. This final retrograde phase of the year ends on November 20—which is great, because that means that holiday travel will not be affected by intensified delays and detours.

The ongoing Sun/Uranus opposition continues to fuel freedom fighters of all denominations with the fire to push against constraints of all kinds, from ruthless forms of blatant oppression and injustice to carefully disguised legislation aimed at curtailing human rights. Its influence lasts until November 4, the day before the Mars/Pluto square is exact and separating, so you can expect the coming week to be a minefield of meltdowns, yours or others’. 

This week and next are rife with aggressive energy and because of that it would be wise for all of us to walk with peace as our constant companion and compassion as our constant ally. What the world needs now, in addition to love, is a team of spiritual warriors who know how to integrate awareness into positive action.

Hello to readers in Madison!

Mars’ square to the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction is the big news this week.  Unfortunately, as this malevolent interaction grows in strength, it turns up the heat on the already aggressive atmosphere, and as the next several weeks unfold, the air is only going to get hotter. It won’t be possible to completely avoid confrontations, big or small, significant or not, so choose your conflicts carefully; make sure they are worth the strife because no one is going to just back down. Mars is the planet of war and when it butts heads with Saturn, the planet of boundaries and discipline, or with Pluto, the planet of power, tempers take over and tantrums prevail.

The Mars square to Saturn is exact and separating on October 27; the square to Pluto is exacting and separating on November 5. The days leading up to these exact contacts are days of mounting aggression and the separation phase is the release of that tension, which means we can expect the next several weeks to be bellicose and belligerent. While you may feel helpless to do anything to prevent the genocide of the Kurds in Syria or on any of the other battlegrounds on the planet, you can take steps to avoid inflaming situations in your personal or professional life. Of course, that won’t be easy—the temptation inherent in this pernicious interaction is to assert selfish interests above all others. The remedy inherent in this aggressive combination is to find the middle ground. Mars is in Libra and that placement allows for the consideration of the other, but only when personal interests take a backseat to shared concerns coupled with strong mutual intention to find the peaceful ground of compromise.

Mercury Retrograde is also in the astral news this week—it begins on October 31 and ends on November 20. Given the three-day rule that applies on either end (three days before and after the actual retrograde Mercury because Mercury beings to “slow down” in preparation for its “course correction”), the final retrograde phase of 2019 is soon upon us—and it will be a doozy. Which is why it would be wise to back up your data now; there’s only five days to insure you don’t lose anything precious. While most of us know the Mercury Retrograde drill by now, for those who don’t and are new to the entire idea, Mercury Retrograde denotes a period of communication and travel snafus that could make even the most mild-mannered among us start to cuss like a sailor. But more about retrograde particulars and the consequent frustration next week, when we have to pay attention because we’re in it.

A Sun/Uranus opposition is in effect this week and next; the Sun just entered Scorpio today and Uranus is retrograde in Taurus. Their opposition is exact and separating on October 28, one day after the Mars/Saturn square is exact, but its influence lasts until November 4, the day before the Mars/Pluto square is exact. But October 27 is the most challenging day of all—a New Moon in Scorpio opposite Uranus is going to incite emotional bodies even more. Uranus interactions symbolize the rebel, with or without a cause, and they are always about freedom from whatever enslaves. Given the general martial atmosphere, it won’t be easy to resist the temptation to take a stand for freedom wherever a stand is needed—and there are plenty of options.

I’ve been back in the United States for three weeks and I am absolutely in culture shock. I’ve lived in France and Scotland for nearly three years—I moved before the 2016 election—and while my life hasn’t been Trump-free (as these pages demonstrated), it’s been free enough. Now I’m back and experiencing the barrage of information about the latest egregious acts of a president who considers himself a king. As I have written before, he is emblematic of the worst of us, and the only truly redeemable aspect of this presidency is how it brings out the best in a great many people who had previously been complacent in the face of so many injustices, not just in the United States but all around the world. 

Over the last few years, I have largely devoted these pages to contextualizing the political/collective situation through astrology. Many readers have written regarding my point of view, some supportive and some not so much. The majority of readers have sent letters of appreciation. Trump supporters stopped reading me—mostly. Others, overwhelmed and exhausted from the constant undermining of our democracy and feeling an inability to do anything concrete about it, have either stopped reading these pages or have written to ask me to stop writing about him, but I can’t and I won’t.

The policies that Mr. Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts have put in motion are harming sentient beings everywhere—that knowledge is painful and it should be. We are not separate from one another; those children in cages as well as those children not in cages but who are nonetheless cowering in schools doing readiness drills for a potential crazed shooter are all of us. Each and every one of us. I don’t know why we aren’t marching by the millions to take over those detention centers and give those children and their families shelter from the storm. I also don’t know why we haven’t marched in the millions to all the gun manufacturers and melted those weapons before they can harm one more being.

Some of us have wondered how the people of Germany could have tolerated the rise of Hitler and the hatred he cultivated into the Holocaust—what were they doing when he was building those camps and making genocide a patriotic act? Now we know: they must have felt impotent, overwhelmed, astonished, afraid; or worse, complacent or righteous. It says something about the depth of the challenge to our democracy that the FBI took a public lead in resistance—they knew from the get-go just how corrosive and detrimental his policies could be to our democracy.

Some readers have written in to say that they wish I would just stick to astrology—as if astrology is somehow disconnected from the reality of life on Earth. But astrology was created to contextualize and understand life on Earth as part of some greater patterns of mysterious heavenly cycles. I received the same sort of criticism during the Bush years, when I wrote about the mendacious policies of W’s administration. Let me be as clear now as I was then: astrology has always been political. Think ancient Rome and all those senators consulting astrologers to find out when would be the best day to knock off a rival. I’m not saying that’s the best use of astrology; I’m simply saying that the mantic arts have always played an important role in the shifting tides of power here on Earth.

Among all the differences that seemingly divide us the only one that really matters is the difference between right and wrong. There is no justification for genocide—it’s just wrong, and even the darkest of hearts knows that truth to be self-evident. As the coming weeks unfold, do your best to deal with the mounting tension by setting your compass to the true north of your concern and compassion for your fellow travelers—we’re all weary and we all need a little tenderness.

Hello to readers in Kaunakakai!

This week, Mars moves into a square with Saturn, and right after that Mars will also square Pluto. As these three kings face off, they inflame all manner of interactions, producing an aggressive, belligerent atmosphere where everyone seems to be itching for a fight. Some battles will be worth fighting, especially if those interactions are about taking a stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. But you’ll need to stay clear about what battles you’re willing to engage in and why. One thing you might want to avoid is fighting simply for the sake of it. Figure out how to soothe yourself and those you care about so you can avoid escalating a molehill into a mountain.

The current astrological overview continues to focus on the mounting tension produced by the Saturn/Pluto conjunction that will be exact on January 12, 2020. As Mars squares both those planets, the political situation is only going to worsen. Be prepared for the intensity to intensify. This week, as Mars heats up Saturn and Pluto, we can expect even more political posturing coupled with the will to put those postures in motion. Syria may just be the beginning. My words are not meant to frighten; they are intended as a warning—if you know that even the air is posed for battle, you can do your best to stay as calm, cool, and collected as possible.

Also try to be aware that taking the spiritual high ground isn’t only about making nice—sometimes it’s more compassionate to deliver bad news than to withhold the truth. To heal anything, from an illness to an attitude, you must go to the core, to the causal level, see what is misaligned, and then painstakingly realign whatever has been affected. The extreme astrological configurations of our times have led us to a significant point in personal and planetary healing—we can no longer ignore where we are polarized within ourselves, preaching love one minute and wishing revenge on someone the next.

The current astrological configuration of Saturn and Pluto is an invitation to evolution: to make it through, we must learn to put aside our differences and find our common ground. To accept this challenge of evolutionary transformation, we must be aware of what needs to shift. We are witnessing daily all the places in need of healing, within ourselves and in our world. Finding the resolve to persist in co-creating positive solutions isn’t about pretending that it will just be okay someday; co-creation is about aligning word and deed—this dimension is where we turn the Karmic Wheel and it takes great, persistent effort to reweave the old, red threads of unconscious behavior.

Here’s the good news: There are many movements everywhere on the planet that are rising to the occasion and plenty of our fellow travelers are taking personal and planetary healing seriously. Legions of young people are organizing into action. My hope is that eventually these movements will join together, share their common goals for the good of all sentient beings, and help us to reach critical mass—the moment when consciousness shifts and a new paradigm emerges. If there isn’t a website organizing all these efforts, there should be, so we could easily access the positive information we need to keep moving forward.

As always try to make compassion your constant companion, and when possible be kind to your fellow travelers. Any one of us could be the Hundredth Monkey.

Hello to readers in Salt Lake City!

It’s more of the same this week, except as the days and nights on Earth unfold, celestial interactions grow increasingly cranky. And by this time next week, that crank factor turns positively belligerent, which translates into a gloves-off attitude that persists until the end of the year. Yeah, I know, the last few weeks have certainly felt like the gloves were already off, but by this time next week, Mars moves in to square both Saturn and Pluto, and that fractious combination turns crankiness even more contentious because when Mars throws down, gloves won’t even be a part of the conversation. The manifestations won’t be pretty—and they could even be military. Whatever form they take, the next several weeks definitely preview what’s to come for the next several months and into next year.

This week, the Sun is at the center of the confrontational atmosphere as it continues to square both Saturn and Pluto. A Sun/Saturn square, while encouraging hard work, also encourages a judgmental attitude and that critical attitude can lead to power struggles, big and small, especially when you add Pluto to the mix. Pluto is all about power and control, so anticipate almost everyone vying for the top spot. If you’re not interested in participating in the competition, tune into your happy place and stay there lest you fall prey to arguing just for the sake of blowing off steam or proving that you are the strongest in the land.

A Venus/Uranus opposition heightens the cantankerous mood as it feeds an irrepressible need to break free and spotlights what may be inhibiting your full expression. This is especially true for any amorous relationships that may be straining from the weight of habitual routines that no longer serve. Before you get a divorce or otherwise split, take a moment to assess whether serious relationship work might help you transform those old patterns into new and exciting explorations.

As both Saturn and Pluto move forward during the coming months, political issues intensify. Did you notice that less than four days after Pluto Direct began, a second whistleblower came forward to corroborate the first whistleblower’s story? The intensification of the effect of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction, which will be exact on January 12, 2020, increasingly manifests as a constant flow of information that becomes the undertow of the next three months and the tidal wave of next year. Be prepared for twists and turns, brought to you not only by Uranus and its penchant for surprise, but by Saturn and Pluto. Remember that while this conjunction is about the polarized power of opposing value systems and their fight for dominance, from a transformational perspective those oppositional forces are highlighting all the issues that need our conscious attention so that they can be transformed. Seeing what needs to change isn’t really that difficult; finding a way to make those shifts within ourselves is.

Last week, a long-time reader wrote to take issue with how I framed one of the problems of capitalism, specifically the disparity between the rich and the poor. She suggested that writing about the clash between “the 1% and the rest of us” was divisive and unfair to those who are affluent and have a generous, sincere desire to help, and actively work to make a difference. I was happy to be reminded to be more precise and to avoid sweeping generalizations—the fault line of lazy writing. For the record, I don’t think that every wealthy person is mendacious, dishonorable, and void of kindness and compassion; neither do I think that every poor person is a saint. Her email reminded me just how deep the rifts between us are, and how language is a part of creating those divisions as well as healing them. I’m sharing this information because a lot of work lies ahead for each of us and we need to be able to hear what others are saying as well as discern the validity of other viewpoints. I’m thankful for her reminder.

This week, as a cacophony of differing viewpoints continues to blast through the ether, listen carefully for what might be valuable information. You may not agree with what’s said, but simply listening will keep your heart open and that makes compassion possible.

Hello to readers in Nenagh!

Gotta love those planets: Saturn went direct on September 18, took a couple of days to gather momentum and adjust to its “course correction,” and seven days later, Speaker Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump; Saturn, who some call the Lord of Karma, is the planetary slow poke. Pluto Direct begins today, late in the evening Pacific Time (early in the morning Eastern Time), and because Pluto is the master of power and control, who knows what we’ll be talking about tomorrow or seven days from now—I only hope it is not about Hillary Clinton’s emails. We’re traversing the wild terrain of profound planetary shift and there’s no reversing or stopping the process, and absolutely no telling where it’s going to take us. But you don’t need me to tell you that; daily life is a brilliant and often unbelievable living tableau of the turbulence of change. So set your inner compass on your true north—what matters most to you—and do whatever is necessary to stay steady on your course.

The turbulence of the next few days is mostly brought to you by the Moon, which conjuncts Jupiter today and by the weekend moves into a conjunction with Saturn and Pluto, once again illuminating the emotional underpinnings of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction. Add to that the Sun in Libra squaring both Saturn and Pluto and you’ve got a rollercoaster of power struggles, personal and political, some of which reach back to the beginning of the entire Trump debacle. Pay careful attention to what unfolds during the impeachment inquiry and see if you can connect the dots to dates that go as far back as January 2017, when we were midway through the Jupiter/Uranus oppositions that defined so much of the initial Trump madness. The events of the last several years will intensify as Saturn and Pluto close ranks for the next couple of months, culminating in their exact contact on January 12, 2020. But don’t expect any easy resolution; the consequences of those events have the half-life of plutonium.

One of the first acts of Mr. Trump’s administration was to dismantle the State Department, through Tillerson, by letting go of a great many career experts. At the time it may not have registered that Trump and one of his Hungry Ghosts were stripping the State Department of its expertise; in hindsight, one can only assume they were making sure that no one would notice what they were up to. Then Trump and his Gang attacked the Justice Department and the FBI, undermining the gravitas and efficacy of those institutions by firing or maligning experts who had the experience to detect what might be going on and put the pieces together. Those who did persevere were targeted and their reputations besmirched. Once you clear the field of almost everyone who can raise a red flag and question what’s going on, you’re free to do what you like undetected and without interference. But fortunately for the country, there were and still are enough people who believe in the principles of the Constitution to question these blatant abuses of power.

Sadly, that same dedication to constitution principles has yet to be brought to bear on the detention centers—really, concentration camps—on our borders. The flagrant, despicable bigotry that has surfaced still needs to be remedied and it’s a process that will likely go on and on and on; again, the half-life of plutonium.  Mr. Trump, as we know, isn’t the entire problem. The people who support him and delight in his coarse belligerence are going to echo his values for quite some time because those are shared values—something he capitalizes on repeatedly.

Which leads us to Uranus, currently retrograde in Taurus and not planning to turn direct until January 10, 2020, two days before the exact Saturn/Pluto conjunction—ain’t that gonna be a blast. The transit of Uranus through Taurus is fundamentally a phase during which we get to question our values. And we certainly seem to be doing just that. Of course it can be argued that the clash between the 1% and the rest of us is an ongoing values struggle that has persisted for centuries. But what’s different when Uranus highlights the clash is that there is no escaping it—those Uranian lightning bolts illuminate whatever is stagnant. Because we have worshipped capitalism and the mighty dollar above all other gods, we have exploited and extinguished almost every resource on the planet; Uranus in Taurus combined with the Saturn/Pluto conjunction seems to be our moment of cosmic reckoning for the greed underpinning this unsustainable imbalance.

Finding a wholesome path through the ups and downs of the week will take a strong sense of right and wrong, or what will ultimately be seen as the primary dividing line of our times. For some of our fellow travelers that line is quite clear: cause no harm to any sentient being—animal, mineral or vegetable. To others that distinction is not as clear. Do your best to be kind to others less certain about what the “right thing” is, but don’t abandon your principles.

Hello to readers in Chicago!

Pluto goes direct on October 3, and as the planet signifying transformation prepares to “turn around,” daily life is certain to struggle under the stress of current circumstances as well as the anxiety of what lies ahead. Pluto, as anyone who has ever had a Pluto transit knows, does not suffer any kind of fool in any kind of way. Pluto represents all the areas of life we have no control over: it rules death and rebirth; its primary message is the inevitably of change, and its influence is often expressed through power struggles, individual and collective, personal and planetary. Pluto also symbolizes politics—the ultimate grab for power—but the Plutonian lesson we are currently learning is that a great many political issues pale in the face of the challenge of survival. The global climate strikes of last week demonstrate that regardless of nationality, race, religion, gender, or age, survival strikes the deepest chord. Staying alive may be the issue that unifies us beyond our differences. Life itself might be more important than anything else.

As with all things Pluto, the willingness to surrender all that is superfluous, inauthentic, or harmful is paramount. This process is not about sacrificing something you love; it’s about taking inventory of what you are clinging to and determining whether that clinging is in your best interests or serves the greater good. Pluto is always asking what’s absolutely necessary, because what isn’t gets folded into the cosmic compost heap.

Identifying what really matters might be a deeply difficult process for many of our fellow travelers. Things matter for many different reasons, not the least of which is the comfortable certainty that our habits afford. We are strengthened by what we rely on. And while that may be true, for the last decade the planets have been challenging those regular routines. Certainty is what Pluto and its cohort of Saturn and Uranus have been challenging since 2009. For ten years plus, the status quo of daily life has been up for grabs. First it was through the Saturn/Uranus opposition that sponsored the Great Recession. Then it was through the series of seven Uranus/Pluto squares that brought the issues of social justice to the surface of our planetary skin. Currently it is the Saturn/Pluto conjunction that is rattling the very foundation of Earth’s life.

Young people feel this instability far more keenly than the rest of us because they are told daily that they have no future. The good news is that they want to live, and if they are going to live, the planet must survive.

As Pluto moves forward it will be joined by Saturn, and together they will march inexorably toward their exact contact on January 12, 2020. But don’t think that’s when we will see the effect of their conjunction—we are already in it. As these planets move forward, the effect of their conjunction will become increasingly apparent.

Here’s the thing: historically, Saturn/Pluto conjunctions are about what divides. But with this one, we have a chance to apply all of our collective wisdom about the negative consequences of those divisions and make different choices. We can choose to use this potent energy field to concentrate on what unites the collective around our shared common good.

As the coming days unfold and you feel the force of Pluto’s presence, try to focus on what you can do to strengthen the positive ties that bind us. There are many local movements working diligently and successfully to implement the wisdom we’ve been gathering. Find the communities working on issues that speak to your heart and then commit to participating in positive action to realize those values. And don’t let the bastards wear you down. Yes, their actions are awful, but they are driven by fear and it’s important not to let their terror infect your commitment to unity. Even though it is a difficult and treacherous journey, love always wins. Always.

Hello to readers in Harare!

Sometimes the best way to travel through turmoil and tumult is to assume a beginner’s mind, and rather than relying on hard-won wisdom born from actual experience, to rely instead on a fresh approach that makes no assumptions, and through the innocence of that perspective, assesses a situation without preconceptions. Beginner’s mind creates an openness that can lead to discoveries that may have been overlooked, ignored, or discarded by a more experienced eye. A dear friend calls it a “neglect not the obvious” mindset that allows you to see with fresh eyes what’s right in front of you; the unhidden and uncomplicated, unencumbered by bias. It’s the perfect mindset for this week and next, and for the many weeks ahead, because it ensures staying open to the possibility of transformation and we need that openness to find our way through the morass of issues that are right in front of us needing our attention.

This week we’re still under Saturn’s thumb, and its powerful presence generates both positive and negative potential. Saturn delineates boundaries and it can be a strict disciplinarian, critic, and judge. Yet Saturn also provides structure—it’s the bones or skeletal organization of everything.

Saturn goes direct today; it’s been retrograde since April 29. We’ve been in the deliberate pace of its “turn-around” for the last week, and this week that pace continues. I was going to write that Saturn Direct could add an element of stability to the regular routines of daily life but, really, that would be a ridiculous statement because nothing is stable right now and everyone feels the instability even if they can’t determine its source. What’s more, you don’t need an astrologer to figure that out.

Saturn is at the end of its trine to Mars—the signature that has provided so much strength and stamina to get things done these past two weeks. (Don’t worry; Pluto trine Mars continues this industrious current. See below.) 

While nobody really likes any kind of Saturn square, the squares to Mercury and Venus that start this week offer practical and strategical assistance. The square to Mercury is about critical thinking—seeing what needs to be adjusted or amended in your plans and projects, and not being so quick to say yes just because it sounds good or to accept ideas before thinking about the consequences of putting those ideas in motion. The square to Venus is about bringing creative ideas down to earth as well as being clear and precise about financial matters.

As Saturn moves forward, it moves inexorably toward its conjunction with Pluto on January 12, 2020. Be prepared to feel a steady undertow that’s probably the closest any of us will get to experiencing a tractor beam pulling us into the mothership. Resistance to the pull of this conjunction is futile, but resistance to its contractive force is not. The goal of the next several months, as Saturn and Pluto close ranks and tighten their grip, is for those of us interested in transforming the pernicious effect of this interaction to figure out how to use its superpowers for the good. While I know it won’t be easy to rise up and out of the quagmire we’ve been stuck in for so long, this Saturn/Pluto conjunction does provide the capacity to reach for the highest good, but only through the rigorous discipline of putting selfish interests aside. And that won’t be easy.

Pluto continues to trine Mars and the Sun, creating a power field that could pose some problems, especially if egos are left unchecked. Pluto trine Mars provides a tremendous amount of physical strength and power, as does Pluto trine the Sun. But the combination of all three has the potential to awaken an appetite for power and control or to amplify a desire for more power in those who already have too much. Mr. Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts immediately come to mind—they will forever be emblematic of the abuse of power—but I can’t dip into their energy field this week; I need to keep the air clean, as I am sure you do, if only to sustain my beginner’s mind.

This week, try to embrace the idea of a fresh perspective, especially when it comes to the state of the world. We’ve been in a mess for so long that it’s hard to imagine an end to it, and yet we are still here, and with each egregious act, more and more of our fellow travelers are inspired to join the revolution. There’s no clear optimistic picture of what lies ahead because there are still so many minds and hearts that need to shift into a positive perspective. But one thing is certain: we are in the lead-up to the United States Pluto Return, or the American Revolution 2.0, which is exact in 2022. Pluto’s transformational power can be felt well ahead of its primary contact, so if you’re wondering why we are in the midst of so much continuous destabilization, think Pluto and its unrelenting quest for authenticity. As what lies beneath the surface of daily life continues to be revealed, we’re being asked to integrate our truest principles. It’s not easy work, but it’s essential. So seek a fresh perspective and help others do the same. We are all in this process together and we need each other to make it through.

Hello to readers in La Jolla!

With the Sun and five planets—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune—in Mutable Signs this week, joined by a Full Moon in Pisces on Saturday, opportunities abound to soothe ragged edges and mend broken fences, individual and collective. Unfortunately, it’s not likely that all of us will want to work together toward the common good; individuals may be so inclined, but politicians, maybe not so much. Too many contradictions apply from other planets to make this an easy ride for the peacemakers of the zodiac. Mutable Signs build bridges and look for compromise—qualities we could really use right now to try to manage the upsets of daily life. Sometimes that Mutable determination to find compromise can be crazy-making, especially when a Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces starts making more suggestions than necessary (or than we can handle). But most often, Mutable Signs signify the ability to stand in another’s shoes and see the situation from a conciliatory perspective that allows our shared ground to become visible.

The problem this week is that while Pluto in Capricorn continues to trine the Sun and Mars in Virgo, Neptune in Pisces simultaneously opposes the Sun and Mars, and Neptune’s interference almost always manifests as confusing messages. While Neptune opposite the Sun and Mars can create a powerful empathic field, but it can also obscure the facts with its proclivity to illusion and delusion. Neptune/Sun/Mars contacts facilitate being too susceptible to suggestion and therefore easily fooled. There’s nothing wrong with being open, but we need common sense to keep our feet on the ground. Just because something is quicker, cheaper, or comes with batteries doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best choice. If you can channel this Neptunian openness into plans and projects in need of inspiration, you will find the perfect containers for Neptune’s dreamy, but nonetheless intense imaginings.

Jupiter is in Sagittarius, moving quite quickly toward an exact square with Neptune on September 21. There have been two prior exact squares between Jupiter and Neptune in this series; the first on January 13 and the second on June 16. This square is the astro-equivalent of the master magician. Both planets rule Pisces. Before Neptune’s discovery, the rulership was Jupiter’s alone, but it soon took a back seat to Neptune, although its standing never completely diminished. When you think about this square, think illusion squared and in some cases, delusion squared. Again, be careful who you listen to: lots of stories are going to be told and most of them are going to be beyond belief, because they are. So try not to be fooled by your wishful thinking or by someone else’s gift of blarney.

Saturn Direct begins in a week, on September 18, and as it prepares for its “course correction,” the normal goings-on of daily life are likely to slow to a crawl. Try not to push this seemingly plodding Saturnian river in the hope of making it move faster—it won’t. Instead of insisting upon a certain direction or specific timetable, go with the flow; the pace will pick up soon enough and; as it does you may find yourself longing for these slower days.

Attune to the peacemakers. There are many obstacles ahead, and a peaceful attitude will make it so much easier to overcome those difficulties. And as always, try to remember to help your fellow travelers. Too many need comfort right now, so it won’t be difficult to find opportunities to lend a helping hand.

Hello to readers in  Edinburgh!

It’s a back-to-work-back-to-school kinda week, so if you’re feeling the urge to hunker down and tackle those big projects you’ve been putting off all summer (or all year), or if you’re feeling the urge to buy a new notebook, pen, pencil, and/or backpack, go right ahead. It’s a perfect week for getting things done. Just be aware that even though it’s a busy week with plenty of positive interactions, the underlying issue remains the same: handling the contractive force of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction that’s not just looming on the horizon of 2020 but is also exerting its influence every day until its exact contact on January 12—and then throughout the coming year as the new realities of this configuration manifest. Saturn represents limits, structures, and the status quo. Pluto signifies the process of death and rebirth, along with issues of power and control. A Saturn/Pluto conjunction does not happen often—the last ones were 1982, 1947, and 1915-14. When Saturn and Pluto collide in the same space, we tend to experience the ensuing clash as a power struggle between mighty forces holding onto their foundations, attempting to resist the inexorable process of change.

The tension generated by the mounting intensity of the coming Saturn/Pluto conjunction has dominated the days and nights of these last many months: more accurately, dominated the entire year. The next several months will unfold as a crescendo that culminates in January and then decays throughout 2020.  If you’ve violated that old adage, “don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today,” you’re likely to find yourself trying to make huge changes in the face of impending shifts. Relationship or financial issues may be growing an extra head or two, turning into a many-headed hydra—think the Second Labor of Hercules—so get to work dealing with what you’ve been avoiding.

You might also be repeatedly asking the same questions and repeatedly being disappointed with the answers—or lack of them. Be aware that with so much of our lives is in flux, that it is almost impossible to have a reasonably clear vision of what lies ahead, which makes finding answers more difficult. Don’t beat yourself up for what you didn’t do or haven’t achieved. Lots of us measure our worth through our accomplishments, and while I’m not saying achievements don’t matter, sometimes it’s not the actual feat that’s important. I know it’s a tired cliché, but it truly is all about the journey. Our weariness doesn’t diminish that truth: we meet ourselves through the journey and our behavior forms the bones of who we are.

As the week unfolds, the Uranian trines to all the planets in Virgo that made last week such a mad dash begin to fade away and the pace of daily life settles down just a bit. This slower pace is produced by Saturn’s trine to those very same planets in Virgo that Uranus was trining—the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Saturn always takes its time, and its deliberate pace is heightened by its preparation to go direct on September 18. By this time next week, Saturn’s already slow pace becomes a crawl. The regular routines of daily life will seem to stabilize, and although that might offer some relief from the current collective madness, we are so used to the rapid fire of our new reality that the slower pace could prove frustrating. But don’t confuse Saturn’s stabilization with a return to a familiar universe; too much has been set in motion over the last several years to every return to that reality. It’s going to take a lot of time to find a new reality that works for all of us, including the planet.

Pluto in Capricorn also begins to trine those same Virgo planets. Pluto is already trining Venus, a positive interaction that engenders compelling, if not compulsive, amorous intensities as well as creative inspiration. Venus is the goddess of love and beauty and when Pluto arouses her natural talents, all of our talents have a chance to flourish. Next, Pluto trines Mercury, and because Mercury symbolizes all mental processes, and Pluto signifies depth, lots of us are sure to experience deep, thoughtful insights about personal as well as collective situations and how we want to handle them. Pluto’s trines to the Sun and Mars won’t be in effect until next week—more about those powerful, positive interactions in the next column

A reader wrote in about the link—reasonstobecheerful.world—included as part of last week’s column, pointing out that not all of it was good news, particularly the part about nuclear energy and the Fukushima disaster. My apologies to all who might have been offended by that information. That being said, others wrote in to say they found the link helpful.

As the coming weeks unfold, remember how much power small acts of kindness possess to ease tension and create peace. We never know the full effect of a compassionate gesture, but we always know in the moment of offering kindness that we are communicating our respect to another sentient being, and that alone makes a difference.

Hello to readers everywhere!

I don’t know about you, but I need a safe place where nothing is being dismantled, deconstructed, demolished, or devastated by ignorance, cruelty, callousness, or greed. While I know our current collective and individual situations are a necessary piece of a much larger process, I am nonetheless longing for a little old-fashioned peace and quiet. Don’t misunderstand; I’m not sentimentally yearning for the days of yesteryear, although holding fast to the Endangered Species Act and the thousands of other preventive cures we’ve grown accustomed to would be fantastic—especially all systems that take care of the vulnerable. I’m not just suffering from tech-no anxiety, although that’s part of it; resisting the compulsive need to answer every email and text immediately or join Twitter to be part of the “convo” takes an inordinate amount of time and energy that I would rather spend on other things. I just feel with every passing news cycle that I’m being asked to surrender anything and everything all at once, even if some of those outdated and antiquated thoughts and habits bolster the spirit and support the heart. Sometimes what’s old is more comfortable than what’s new—think the comfortable chair that supports your bones without reminding you just how many you have and how much they ache.

This week, my bones are cranky and not because I am getting old—excuse me, older. People of all ages, even young ones, need a break from the constant discombobulation that’s become integral to our regular routines. Every day brings a new confrontation with truth; either the president and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts are lying—again—or we are being bombarded by false reports on social media and by so many other egregious lies told by corporations and their minions that pollute the airwaves 24/7. Even if we are not on social media or listening to the news, from a collective perspective, we seem to be caught in a riptide of the worst news possible about how so many of us treat our fellow travelers and how many of our fellow travelers are suffering. I am tired of bemoaning our situation, which is why I keep promoting the idea that it’s possible to find solutions born of love and hope that have the power to remedy the intolerable. Others have the same idea, and here's a website about good news—check it out and see what you think: reasonstobecheerful.world.

As regular readers of this column know, those solutions will be found in wholesome action dedicated to a common good. The biggest obstacle to moving forward is that we are stuck in an elongated crisis that isn’t ending anytime soon because the collective consciousness hasn’t reached the point where it supports universal remedies that shift our collective values. Many of us are stuck in the old paradigm and that stubborn resistance to change is impeding individual and collective progress.

It’s a crisis of values that’s keeping us mired in the muck. Uranus’ transit through Taurus isn’t only about the stock market and other measures of material might; while its transit through Taurus could bring a collapse of economic systems as we know them, Uranus’ transit through Taurus is about identifying what matters most, not just for the one, but for the many. Our individual and collective situations are going to keep confronting us about what doesn’t matter until we are able to see what does.

Uranus has the planetary spotlight this week as it continues to trine the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars all transiting Virgo (Mercury enters Virgo at 3:47 AM, August 29). Uranus is infamous for its surprising take on just about everything, which means these trines have the power to stand several situations on their head by providing previously unconsidered options for action. Be open to what’s new, but try not to be seduced simply by the thrill of a seemingly creative approach—not all that glitters is gold. Also be aware that all of these interactions are freedom signatures: a Sun/Uranus trine is the freedom fighter; a Mercury/Uranus trine is the ability to stretch your mind into previously unexplored territory; a Venus/Uranus trine is about creative and sexual freedom; and a Mars/Uranus trine is about the freedom to move. It’s a lot of freedom. Also remember that Uranus symbolizes the nervous system, which means as you wield this week’s freedom, it’s important to pay attention to your physical reactions, especially stress levels.

This week, next week, and the coming weeks ahead are all about noticing what you value as well as what others value. A large portion of what’s driving the dissolution of so many systems simultaneously is that too many systems have outlived their value and we haven’t found replacements. That uncertainty has created a vacuum that allows those less scrupulous to seize power and bloat the vacuum with their negative intent. As Mr. Comey pointed out, Mr. Trump sees himself as a higher power. Oy!  

The safe place I’m yearning for is a universe that values something greater than personal gain, a place that allows the opportunity to align internal and external realities with a Higher Love. I am certain of the healing power inherent in that compassionate reality.

Hello to readers in Tomisato!

Expect to feel an undeniable need to break free from whatever you know or imagine holds you hostage to habits and patterns that no longer serve. Uranus, the Grand Master of innovation, emits a clarion call for freedom this week, and the power of its revolutionary voice is impossible to resist. The source of that power is Uranus’ positive alliance with the Sun, Venus, and Mars, and as it radicalizes three of the five heavenly bodies (Mercury and the Moon are the missing pieces of the puzzle) that structure the continuity of daily life, it would be wise to anticipate shifts, big and small, important and unimportant, individual and collective. Significantly these beneficial interactions—all trines—produce a super-charged potential to cut through all the red tape that holds outdated structures in place. But don’t let what you know about trines fool you into thinking that they lack dynamism or that the changes they put in motion will be smooth and easy; when Uranus is involved, even positive interactions rattle the foundations of the status quo.

Any iteration of a Sun/Uranus interaction is the guiding light of the revolutionary, who fights for freedom without hesitation—with or without a cause. Although these days there are so many causes to champion, it’s hard to imagine a freedom fighter fighting just for the sake of it. This Uranian trine, exact on August 29 and ending on Friday, September 6, is a potent influence, and while it is idealistic, it’s also practical—Uranus is in Taurus, an Earth Sign, and on Friday, August 23, the Sun enters Virgo, another practical Earth Sign. So expect revolutionary urges to be motivated by a desire to facilitate change quickly and efficiently, in an organized manner.

Uranus also trines Venus and Mars, both already in Virgo and traveling in tandem for the rest of the month. Uranus/Venus contacts provide the potential for unconventional creative choices, insisting on inventive, innovative approaches and outcomes. This positive alignment is also carries a romantic as well as an erotic signature, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself falling in love or unable to resist a sexual encounter. Keep in mind that liaisons forged during Uranus/Venus contacts tend to incline more toward a passing fancy than to a deep commitment, but don’t let that stop you from seizing the moment. What would life be without a little romance?

Besides, Uranus’ trine to Mars makes it almost impossible to resist a close sexual encounter should one present itself. That being said, a Mars/Uranus trine also supports a strident almost militaristic attitude that wants to achieve its ambitions, which means you might instead be inclined to channel this potent sexual charge into plans and projects in need of strength and determination—two qualities of Martian might. Of course, this contact is so powerful that there’s certain to be enough energy for everything you want to explore.

No matter how these Uranian interactions play out in your life, anticipate that some, if not most, will manifest in surprising, unusual ways. I am not suggesting that the key to aligning with the sky is choosing the wackiest idea. It would be wise to consider that although roads not previously taken could provide innovative solutions, not every innovation is born of eccentricity, and as we well know, most inventions are born of necessity.

We’re also under the influence of a Mercury/Jupiter trine, and even though these two planets are in Fire Signs (Mercury is in Leo, and Jupiter is in Sagittarius), which are not especially practical, all positive interactions between Mercury and Jupiter promote a strong organizational sense. They also have the power to turn a hedonist into a philosopher or a comedian. This trine only lasts until Sunday, so make the most of it while you can.

It’s easy to think there are no more secrets to be revealed, no more skeletons hiding in closets, and no more unspeakables to emerge into the public domain—at least that's what a friend declared in a recent conversation when he heard the unbelievable story of Jeffrey Epstein. But Uranus is the planet of surprising plot twists and sudden reversals of fortune, which means that more stories of abuses of power are likely to be told. Whether we are a part of those  heartbreaking stories or being asked to bear witness to them, their effect is powerful.  We haven’t yet reached the critical mass necessary to say No More—that no matter what it costs, we refuse, as individuals and as a collective, to tolerate the exploitation of any sentient being, for any purpose. Even if it seems impossible, we will eventually heal from the toxicity of this time. We are in a deeply cathartic process, and as part of that process it’s important to remember that those of us who want to heal are gathering our resources. We must work together every day to transform our compassion into action.

Hello to readers in Manhattan!

It’s a good week to take heart. It’s a good week to take notes. It’s a good week to take action—as long as what you do contributes to personal and planetary healing. I’m not sure if we’ve reached our collective tipping point, but I am sure that something’s shifted, and that shift needs to be harnessed and channeled into efforts to help our fellow travelers. It’s not a huge shift, so it needs help to build momentum. Despite all the efforts of despots around the world, there are more people of conscience and good intentions than there are those committed to cruelty and violence. We can make a difference and turn the tides but we need to be united and mobilized into action. How to be an activist and answer the call to action while managing the demands of daily life is a question many of us are trying to answer. Here’s the good news: it’s been done before and many of our fellow travelers are already doing it.

Leo is where we take heart. It’s the Sign of the Lion in The Wizard of Oz, who gets his heart only to learn that he was courageous all along—he just had to become aware of it—a lesson that might be true for many of us at this moment. The Sun in Leo is conjunct Venus, also in Leo, and they travel in tandem until the end of the month. A Sun/Venus conjunction is always about the recognition of beauty, but it’s also about how beauty expresses what we value and hold in high esteem. Mars, also in Leo until August 18, intensifies the willingness to take a stand for those values, and the entire Leo package fuels a generous spirit. Obviously, not every Leo impulse is altruistic—you just have to look at Mr. Trump’s Leo Rising to make that point. But like Dorothy’s Lion, Leo only turns selfish when it is afraid or wounded. When Leo is happy, it wants to share that joy with others. So attune to that higher aspect of Leo and feel a connection with your fellow travelers, most of whom only want the best for everyone.

Mercury is the planet taking notes. It symbolizes all things mental, from thought processes to language. Mercury entered Leo on Sunday, hours before Uranus began its retrograde journey, and given Mercury’s speedy nature, it had already formed a square to Uranus in Taurus just after midnight Monday. All interactions of Mercury and Uranus support the ability to conceptualize, especially when it comes to eccentric choices and ideas, so don’t be surprised to find yourself thinking outside the box. Also be prepared for lots of people to take up unconventional ideas about how to effectuate change. The good news is that this square has the potential to problem-solve, especially when it comes to situations that seem unsolvable. So take notes on what you envision and discover under this influence; you may not be able to implement your ideas immediately but if they’re good ideas, the time will come when you can put them into action.  

Jupiter Direct fuels the action. It just started moving forward on Sunday—yes, it was a very big day for the planets—and although Jupiter takes a while to build forward momentum, we’re still likely to feel the effect of its forward motion this week and next. Jupiter won’t hit its new stride until the beginning of September, but that won’t diminish its presence or its power. Jupiter can be used to organize all sorts of plans and projects, and from August 18–25, when it trines Mercury, its organizational skills are smokin’. Consider these next two weeks prime time for organizing demonstrations, even if those calls to action are scheduled to take place in September or October.

The most important goal during the coming weeks and months is to keep your energy uplifted—Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts are counting on their opposition to become even more discouraged and we can’t let that happen. It’s important to marshal the combined armies of consciousness, concern, and compassion so that we can continue to help each other, especially those who can’t take a stand and need our support—like all those traumatized children who need help not just reuniting with their families but also recovering over time from the trauma they were subjected to. As spiritual warriors we know that thoughts and prayers matter to an extent, but that actions speak far louder than words or wishes. Our collective fate does not rest in the hands of the government. It rests in our hands and in our ability to create a new reality from inside-out and from the ground up. There are local elections to win and there are elections to take back the Senate. Get to work, sky-watchers! Any of us could be the 100^th monkey, so let’s reach critical mass and turn the tide toward creating the loving and peaceful world we know is possible.

Hello to readers in Laufen!

The sky illustrates our current collective situation: A Sun/Venus conjunction in Leo trines Jupiter in Sagittarius, providing the potential for optimism, joy, and the true expression of a generous heart. But at the same time, we are still in the grip of the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction, which despite its retrograde motion continues to inflame that which divides us from each other and from the planet we call home. While the positive Sun/Venus/Jupiter trine doesn’t oppose the Saturn/Pluto conjunction, the tension between the expansiveness of Jupiter and the contractive force of Saturn/Pluto intensifies over the coming weekend. As that stress combines with several other key interactions, you can expect the weekend and the days that follow to be a mess. You might want to consider laying low and just taking a break if you can.

Here’s a breakdown of that astral traffic jam: On Sunday, August 11, at 9:37AM, EDT, Jupiter goes direct, still maintaining its trine to the Sun and Venus. Expect exuberance to be high, but also anticipate feeling a bump in the ethers. That same morning, the Moon starts to transit the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn; we are familiar with this monthly event, but just because we’ve grown accustomed to it, that doesn’t mean it won’t be disturbing, as more information is revealed about what’s been going on behind the scenes, from both a personal and a political perspective.

Later on that same day, Uranus Retrograde begins at 10:26 PM EDT. We always, always, always experience a disruption when Uranus makes a “course correction,” and this one is likely to be quite emotional given that as Uranus “turns around” it trines the Moon, which adds an emotional component to Uranus’ already erratic signature. We’re likely to feel the brunt of that emotional disruption on August 12 as the Moon conjuncts Pluto at 6:11 PM, EDT, and then starts to pull away. Anticipate feeling a bit scrambled or at odds with yourself and with significant (or insignificant) others.  

I was talking to a fellow astrologer today about how to celebrate the enthusiastic, positive benefits of this week’s Sun/Venus/Jupiter trine in the midst of our current collective madness. How do I write about the good news when there is just so much bad news? As I write this, the reports of two mass shootings are streaming through my computer, streaming the heartbreak of this violence everywhere. And even if I can manage to find a glimmer of hope, will it be enough to lift the spirit and restore a sense of balance? I don’t think my dilemma is any different than the one facing most of us every day who care about our planet and about each other are facing every day in the era of Trump.

But because the stars are positive this week, the question is: How do we take heart in the midst of such adversity, with so little positive, tangible relief? In the healing world, the rule of thumb is to follow your feelings, which will eventually lead you to a greater understanding; awareness diminishes impulsive, habitual reactions and helps to transform them into thoughtful responses. The trouble with feelings is that they can often deceive us, especially when they are based on old survival patterns and defense mechanisms. Hence the advice to stay with them before taking action. But that’s hard to do right now because we are bombarded by outrageous, violent vigilantes—those using everything from verbal, physical, psychological, and spiritual weapons to actual ones. The appropriate response to outrageous acts of violence is outrage—but not through more violence.

Another friend, a Tibetan nun who is also a psychologist, reminded me that we are in the midst of a huge collective trauma, suffering from collective PTSD, which only exacerbates individual suffering. Her theory is that Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts have figured out, instinctively or premeditatively, how to trigger old issues of abuse: he is like the abusive father who hurts a child in whatever way possible—through words or deeds, and in Trump’s case, through calling others to violence and enlisting their efforts. He is a racist, determined to pit us against each other, making it harder to unite against him and his minions; he is also a misogynist who only values women as objects in his narcissistic system; and he is an addict, but instead of being drunk on alcohol or drugs (as far as we know), he is drunk on power. He is familiar to us all in one or more of these guises, and his very presence triggers previous patterns of suffering.

Millions and millions of people have dealt with these patterns personally and have healed from the toxic effect of abuse and addiction, but few of us were ready to cope with this bloated, poisonous collective id made manifest. The reckless hatred Mr. Trump has let loose during the last several years has retriggered the despair of many of our fellow travelers who thought they were healed and freed from patterns of abuse and addiction. Since Mr. Trump began his rise to power, and through his term in office, they have struggled and continue to struggle to regain their healing ground.

But each and every time another shooting takes place, we are all triggered—we are all reminded of just how much more work is necessary before we can right our collective ship. And right it we must. In the last many decades, we have expanded our understanding of what it is to be human and gained great healing ground through that awareness. We can’t give into despair. We must pool our collective determination to evolve rather than devolve.

Hello to readers in Vila Nova de Gaia!

The biggest and best news of the week: Mercury goes direct just before midnight tonight, July 31, at 11:58 PM EDT (just before dawn, August 1, at 4:59 AM BDT). But don’t jump into action immediately—take a deep breath and be glad it’s over. This Mercury Retrograde was such a slog that I’m sure it turned several skeptics into believers. If you want to be safely away from the detours and delays of this retrograde, try to wait until August 4 or 5 to put any new plans or projects in motion. While it might require patience to wait out these next few days, it will be worth the discipline to get back on track the first week in August.

Jupiter is the next biggest and bestest news of the week. Currently in Sagittarius, its Home Sign, and about to go direct on August 11, Jupiter sits at the midpoint of Sagittarius—at 14°—for nearly all of August. We love Jupiter’s 2019 summer residence, mostly because Jupiter is a big, fat, happy planet, whose only failing is its tendency toward excess. Its influence is at its peak in Sagittarius, and given the gloomy political climate, a little over-the-top positive excess would be a welcome relief. But what makes Jupiter’s station in Sagittarius exceptional is a series of trines it forms to several planets lining up in Leo—that fiery, passionate, dramatic Sign of summer that loves romance and thrives on creativity and self-expression.

Mars’ transit through Leo was the first of these positive interactions. We’ve been under the influence of an energetic Mars/Jupiter trine since July 17. It was exact on July 25 and, I’m sorry to report, ends this week on August 2. But Jupiter is already busy trining the Sun, also in Leo, and that positive interaction generates a convivial, optimistic, and generous atmosphere that is certain to bolster a sense of goodwill. Jupiter symbolizes humor, and that devotion to the funny means we can anticipate all kinds of jokes, from the really stupid and silly to sarcasm that’s sharp as a razor. This Sun/Jupiter trine lasts until August 13.

But that’s not all. The Moon enters Leo early this morning and by the end of the day, a Moon/Jupiter trine fans emotional and creative fires, and some of those hot blazes burn quite brightly and for longer than the Moon’s position in Leo.

On Monday, August 5, Venus, also in Leo, moves into a trine with Jupiter, stoking the urge to take a chance on love. This positive interaction lasts until August 12, and it’s so strong that even if you aren’t in the mood for love, you could be persuaded to dabble with a flirtation or two. Even if romance isn’t your thing, this same Venus/Jupiter trine can stoke the fires of creativity, so if you’re looking for a muse that just won’t quit, you’re likely to find it under this influence.

Interestingly, all of these trines more or less come to a conclusion when Jupiter goes direct on August 11 (except for Mercury, which doesn’t begin its trine to Jupiter until August 18). While I am extolling the virtues of the next several Jupiterian weeks, try not to mistake the positive charge of Jupiter for a return to normal—we’re far from normal and won’t be returning anytime soon.

What’s more, the same day Jupiter goes direct, Uranus goes retrograde approximately 12 hours later. Yes, the planet of surprising plot twists begins its review of the havoc—social, political, and spiritual—of the last nearly eight months. As many long-term readers know, when Uranus changes direction, the routines of daily life resonate with a Mercury Retrograde signature, especially when it comes to technology. You don’t have to back up your files, but it would be wise to do so anyway. That week is certain to be chaotic.

So here’s the gist: For the next two weeks, we’re in a sort of honeymoon phase, with Jupiter trining all those planets transiting Leo—consider it much-needed astral relief (although the last time I said there was a smidgen of planetary relief, I was wrong). Mid-August the ethers start to intensify again, and we’re back in the thick of our ongoing personal and planetary transformation, trying to find solutions that unify and remedy the seemingly endless destruction of ignorance and fear. If ever there was a time for kindness, it would be now, and in the days, weeks, and months that lie ahead. Let’s pool our spiritual resources and find ways to inspire our fellow travelers by example.

Hello to readers in Funabashi!

Mercury Retrograde lingers for another week (it goes direct on July 31) and the summer slog continues as regular routines are sabotaged by incessant techno and travel snafus, travails that could challenge even the most dedicated meditation practitioner. Only seven more days till the end of this retrograde phase and its concentration on details, details, and more details. I don’t mind the attention to detail, even if it’s a pain to redo what I thought was done. What I mind is the heat. The planetary heat—Earth’s heat—also continues, and as a gazillion people attempt to cope with ever-increasing temperatures, temper tantrums are certain to inflame daily interactions. And, really, there is so much to be upset about, I’m surprised some of us aren’t spontaneously bursting into flame. The good news is that a majority of our fellow travelers know that violence won’t produce the necessary transformation to restore our collective sanity. We just have to figure out and implement positive action to counter the roiling negativity.

Today, tomorrow, and Friday are probably the testiest days of the week. Today the Moon begins its transit through Taurus with a conjunction to Uranus, fueling impulsive behavior and the need to break free from what whatever constrains personal freedom. Thursday, as it transits Taurus, the Moon squares Mars, in Leo, a fractious interaction with the potential to foster a stubborn need to cling to self-righteous stands—and the square doesn’t end until late in the day on Friday, when the Moon starts to trine Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. Try to keep your head for the next couple of days; it will help you to avoid getting swept away by the waves of emotion that are sure to pound on the shores of reality, personal and collective. Interestingly, Mr. Mueller is scheduled to testify before Congress today and both his testimony and the reaction to it are certain to be filtered through this Moon/Mars square. It will be fascinating, as Spock might say, to see whose tempers ignite a firestorm.

Any cynicism about Mr. Mueller’s testimony and its effects are likely to be filtered through the ongoing Mars/Jupiter trine, which imbues the week with a sense of honor, especially when it comes to pride in the military and other government agencies meant to enforce the law. Mars in Leo signifies passionate loyalty and the confidence to be true to one’s principles. Jupiter in Sagittarius symbolizes the power of ideals and a love for justice. Both are in Fire Signs, which means the light of their ideals burns brightly. (It’s still remarkable to me that even though my family was chased by the FBI when I was a child, my sympathies are now aligned with the members of the FBI and Justice Department whose lives have been ruined and reputations maligned by Mr. Trump’s systematic dismantling of our government. I may not like the FBI, but I do know that most of the people who are called to serve at that agency love their country and treasure its principles.)

The other burning issue this week is climate change. Apparently, June 2019 is the hottest June on record—and we’re barely midway through the summer. The challenge of finding solutions and implementing them is the biggest collective challenge we are facing—the inevitable extinction of Planet Earth should be our daily concern. And it is, although there are still deniers. Recently, I had a conversation with a young person who despairs that there is no hope. I don’t know what it would feel like to be at the beginning of my life and feel the existential despair that I may not live a full lifespan because the water will be polluted and the air will be on fire and my species will be facing extinction. While those of us who have known the Earth before there were waves of garbage in the sea must participate in Earth’s healing, it grows increasingly clear that the brunt of the work is up to young people who care about their world. They don’t have the luxury of apathy. And even if the challenge seems impossible, there is hope and inspiration everywhere. Here’s a video by young people about the damage done to their world—our planet—and the healing that’s needed. www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=8441

As the week unfolds, spend some time identifying where your contribution makes a difference or could make a difference. We’re all in need of more than a little compassion, so hold hope high and help your fellow travelers whenever possible.

Hello to readers in Homer!

The world continues to wobble this week as disturbances from July’s two eclipses continue to disrupt regular routines, and because there’s an ongoing need to adjust to a constantly changing reality, it’s difficult to stay focused. We're in the powerful wake of yesterday’s lunar eclipse, which blew the lid off of several festering areas, personal and collective. We’ve been in this eclipse zone for several weeks—an eclipse effect can happen six weeks prior to or after the actual event—so the effect of the solar eclipse of July 2 extends back to the middle of May and the effect of yesterday’s lunar eclipse stretches out until nearly the end of August. This extended range makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly what an eclipse has brought to light. As a rule, eclipses reveal previously hidden information, especially solar eclipses, when the Moon blocks the sun’s light, day turns to night, and the shadows are easier to see. Solar eclipses bring out what is unconscious and illuminate what’s hidden from our awareness, whereas lunar eclipses are supposed to focus on conscious concerns and are usually associated with getting grounded in the day-to-day. But reality is so fluid these days, and so many secrets keep coming to light, that it’s getting harder and harder to identify how conscious concerns differ from unconscious ones.

The most important thing to remember about yesterday’s lunar eclipse is that it occurred extremely close to the degree of the upcoming Saturn/Pluto conjunction of January 12, 2020. Things set in motion during this eclipse cycle will come home to roost in about six months. It’s gonna be a crowded agenda on that day of reckoning and for the entire year.

But back to the current wobbles… the Mars/Uranus square, which has been a source of so much strife, is finally over by Saturday, and while I’m tempted to say it isn’t packing much of a wallop as it ends, it could surprise us, especially as the Moon opposes Mars and squares Uranus most of today and tomorrow. This T-Square is a volatile combination that is likely to express itself as highly charged emotions linked to equally intense opinions. It takes place in Fixed Signs, which translates into “that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.” Fixed Signs don’t change their opinions easily. T-Squares always involve one or more planets in each of three different Signs, all of which form hard angles to each other--squares and oppositions. (Imagine a clock with one or more planets at the 12, 3, and 6 positions and no planet at 9.) The solution to T-Squares can always be found in the qualities of the missing Sign—or the empty spot. In this case, that’s Scorpio, and although Scorpio is never a slouch when it comes to strong opinions, it does have an innate understanding of process—it’s the Sign of transformation, after all. So take a breath, make your point, but be mindful that others are just as intense about their point of view and do your best to listen.

On a positive note, the ongoing Venus/Neptune trine continues to create a dreamy landscape that has the potential to inspire creative endeavors and Saturn’s opposition to Venus can be harnessed to concretize creative ideas.

On a less positive note, Mercury Retrograde continues to be the source of too many communication snafus and traffic delays and detours. I don’t know about you, but my computer is working overtime to keep things steady. I am prepared, but I am also frustrated by how many times I have to reestablish my network, etc., etc., etc.

As the coming weeks unfold try to increase your awareness of how the eclipse effect is manifesting in your personal life. The ongoing revelations of new and previously hidden personal information may be harder to discern than the blatant revelations taking place from a collective or political perspective. Nevertheless, most of us are likely to be surprised by newly revealed personal details, whether those revelations are a subtle change of attitude or a dynamic thrust into a new view. And as always, try to be kind to yourself through this process as well as to your fellow travelers—we could all use a little love, peace, and understanding.

Hello to readers in Casco!

We are between two eclipses: the solar eclipse of July 2 and the lunar eclipse of July 16. But to say that we are betwixt and between parallel universes operating with differing time signatures wouldn’t be a strong enough way to describe the confusion and indecision some of us are attempting to cope with. It also wouldn’t be a strong enough description of the deep collective chasm that separates so many of us from each other. What was once important grows increasingly unimportant as more relevant situations, in need of action, capture the spotlight daily. That’s what eclipses do: they overshadow previous concerns by revealing what’s occurring behind the scenes. And when you add Mercury Retrograde to this astral atmosphere—it started on July 7 and continues to July 31—it’s hard to hold onto any kind of clarity.

But that’s not all: Mars, currently in Leo, squares Uranus, currently in Taurus. Both are in Fixed Signs, which tends to manifest as a stubborn insistence of being right, no matter what. Also, both planets are fighters; Mars symbolizes muscle while Uranus represents volatility, and when they clash in the form of a square, temper tantrums escalate. This bellicose interaction, which began on July 3, is exact and separating on July 11 and continues until July 19. As it heats up the atmosphere, many of our fellow-travelers are going to have a hard time restraining the urge to fight about every little thing, but especially about who’s right. Unfortunately, it won’t be easy letting go of the need to retaliate. Even if you want to take the high ground and you know that most accusations aimed at you are actually based on projection or frustration, it won’t be easy holding fast to a nonviolent stance. Do your best to disengage from toxic interactions. Arguing under these planetary influences will do no good—no one will win, everyone will feel unsatisfied, and that frustration could turn mean-spirited.

From a collective perspective, a Mars/Uranus square signals violence, and that could translate into demonstrations erupting in violent interactions. And speaking of eruptions, how about those earthquakes at the beginning of this square? We could see more seismic activity as these two planets start to separate on July 11 as the pent-up tension from the square starts to release. And because Uranus signifies the nervous system, it would be wise to also be prepared for non-earthquake releases—human releases that could have just as devasting an effect as an actual earthquake.

But wait… there’s more: It’s Mercury Retrograde time—a summer retrospective that’s bound to challenge already too-challenged nervous systems. Mercury Retrograde has a terrible reputation—as well it should—but the good news about this second retro-phase of 2019 is that it’s a good time to slow down and take life at a different pace. Nothing is going to move quickly and no amount of pushing the river will make the regular routines of daily life change the retrograde pace, so take a deep breath and assume that the delays and detours of this retrograde have a purpose even if you can’t see it.

As regular readers of these pages are aware, I’ve been writing about Mr. Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts since the election of 2016. I’ve received many complaints about my point of view; some readers suggesting I should get over it and many readers leaving who have no desire to hear about politics on these pages. The most recent missive from a reader was about my partisanship and how it is keeping me attached to the dark side. (Please… no one has to write to console me.) It was clear that the reader/writer was tired of partisan bias, sees it everywhere, and had simply had enough. It made me aware of just how bad the atmosphere is in the United States, where people are barraged daily by one side or the other from every known media platform. I’ve been living outside of the United States since the last week of October 2016—I’m currently in Paris—and except for three visits back to the States, I’ve spent the last years out of the media blitz regarding Mr. Trump.

My opinions about the current regime are not based on anything other than observation: children in cages, threatening to build a wall with the clear purpose of intensifying xenophobia; the lawlessness that will take years to undo; and of course, the corruption in D.C. (Mr. Trump kept his promise about draining the swamp—he got rid of all the dirty water so you can see the swamp creatures more clearly.) You don’t have to be partisan to witness these things; you simply have to be paying attention. As a Buddhist I try to practice compassion. But compassion isn’t passivity in the face of what’s wrong. It’s not about permission to commit egregious acts of harm to others. Compassion is based on the principle that we are all connected. From that perspective, the source of heartless acts is the ignorance of our fundamental interconnectedness. When we harm others, we harm ourselves.

We are at a global tipping point. We don’t need astrologers to tell us that something’s gotta give. But astrologers are part of the early warning system: each week on these pages I’m saying something is giving, and that something can be witnessed daily in the disintegration of our ethical and moral systems. All is not lost, but in order to take a stand for the light, it is imperative to take a stand, every day in all that we do and say, and to not be afraid of what’s dark. Part of my stand is to name what I witness. If I realize I am wrong, I will say so. But too much is at stake to succumb to superficial spiritual blah-blah-blahs or to adopt a just-as-ineffectual cynical hardcore nihilism. If we are going to transform our planet, we must be able to see clearly who we are fighting and what we are fighting for.

Hello to readers in Liverpool!

When George W. Bush stole the election in 2000, the best way I knew to restore my mental health was to play Beatles music all day, every day, for a year. I needed to live in a parallel universe that didn’t hurt the heart so much—the one where music always makes it better. From time to time over the last twenty years, when the world tilts on its axis and feels as if it’s about to sail away to a new dimension—and not a good one—the force of that tilt stirs a deep longing for John Lennon and the wish that he was still around to wield his wit and wisdom. His was a mind and heart that could cut through the slog and fog of whatever awful thing was happening next. To bolster my spirit and to find hope, instead of asking “What would Jesus do?” I would ask “What would John do?”

This week, as I tried to figure out how to write—once more—about the collective mess we’re in and how that mess relates to the patterns of the sky, I read a review of Yesterday, a new movie I didn’t know was about Beatles music until I read the review. As I perused comments in the New York Times, I found one that I could have written: “Would Trump be president if John Lennon were alive?” Now there’s a question, I thought to myself. There’s a question that weighs on the heart. How did we get here? I’ve often wondered how we got from “Michelle, my belle” to … well … all those awful lyrics about women that have taught an entire generation to turn themselves and each other into an assemblage of body parts. It’s a mystery to me, and the only explanation that comes close is the idea that as women became more powerful they became more feared. Would Trump be president if John Lennon were alive? I don’t know, but he certainly did a lot to raise awareness about the gender roles of his generation.He certainly believed in women. He certainly believed in love.

Which is not to say that those of us resisting against the current evil empire aren’t making a difference—we are. It’s a different syntax, one that is appropriate for a world fifty years older than it was when John Lennon wrote Give Peace a Chance—and a lot worse for the wear. So maybe the question isn’t so much “What would John do?” Maybe the question is how can we strengthen our wit and wisdom and marry our hearts and minds so that we can set an example for our children that adheres to a higher love and a loftier goal than profits. Making fun of Mr. Trump and his hair might be fun and possibly relieve the stress of having to bear witness to his egregious behavior, but that’s not the wit and wisdom that cuts to the core and reveals the naked truth, so naked that even an angry Trumper might begin to see the toxicity of Mr. Trump’s policies.

I suppose my retrospection is preparation for the second Mercury Retrograde phase of the year which begins on Sunday, July 7. There is also a lunar eclipse on July 16, and yesterday’s solar eclipse continues its influence. 

That eclipse revealed and continues to reveal previously hidden information. From a political or collective perspective, it’s hard to imagine what else might be revealed, but if we’ve learned anything these last years (conspiracy theories aside), there is always more to know. Further information on Mr. Trump’s past as well as information on the Democratic candidates is certain to emerge.

The second Mercury Retrograde phase of the year begins on July 7 and ends on July 31, which means we are in for a sluggish July filled with delays and detours. If you are traveling during this time be prepared for disruptions. If you are having a staycation, expect Internet troubles to keep you from traveling the universe on your desktop. If you’re just trying to get a job done, especially a job that requires timely communication, keep your patience pills handy. Mercury Retrograde is all about reviewing and reflecting on what’s already in motion. It’s not about starting anything new. So take a deep breath and stay grounded in the day-to-day, which is likely to move at a snail’s pace.

The lunar eclipse of July 16 charges the air with intense emotional volatility. Just before the Moon opposes the Sun, it conjuncts Saturn and Pluto, and while those two formidable influences aren’t right next to each other at the moment, the Moon’s emotional sway pulls them within in reach, so once again, we’re getting a preview of the emotionally charged Saturn/Pluto conjunction on January 12, 2020. Also keep in mind that Mr. Mueller is set to testify before the House on July 17, an event that’s certain to be highly charged and (we hope) deeply revelatory.

But that’s not all. As part of this July 17 lunar eclipse event, as the Moon conjuncts Saturn, it also opposes Venus, lighting up the stern inhibitions of that Venus/Saturn conjunction. If you are considering breaking up with a significant other, personal or professional, try to wait until after this eclipse is over. Sometimes eclipses trigger emotions that need to be expressed—and that’s not a bad thing. It’s just that with this particular configuration, breaking up may simply be a way of blowing off steam in the heat of the moment and not necessarily a choice you would make in a less intense atmosphere.

Do your best to stay level-headed as well as level-hearted during the next couple of weeks. As the slo-mo rewind of Mercury Retrograde kicks into gear and the disruption of the eclipses takes hold, it will grow increasingly difficult to stay clear and present. But clear and present is what we need to be these days, for ourselves and for each other. 

Hello to readers in Murmansk!

Here’s the good news: It’s not you. So if you’re thinking that life is getting crazier and crazier, you’re right; it is. It’s not just that the inmates are running the asylum. It’s far worse—there is no asylum. It’s as if we are in a continuous free fall, with no bottom in sight, and the psychic effect of that plunge is really hard to bear. Don’t spend one moment of your precious mental energy thinking it’s you. Of course, you might be dealing with some personal issues, but really, who isn’t? The state of world is as fucked up as it seems, and we still haven’t reached the tipping point. If you’re feeling impotent in the midst of this madness, find a shrink if you think that will help and have at it. Sometimes just being able to talk to someone who is actually listening can go a long way toward strengthening and maintaining mental health. But if you want to bypass therapy, here’s the old rule that still applies: if you’re thinking you might be crazy, you’re not. Crazy people aren’t questioning their sanity—they are just crazy. Find healthy ways of maintaining your balance and don’t be dismayed by the increasingly blurry boundaries between fact and fiction—we’re in a maddening but unavoidable cycle that requires all of us to pay attention to how we do or don’t tell the truth and how we know the truth.

Which brings us to this week’s busy sky and its effect on what we used to call “regular routines.”

(1) It’s Mercury Retrograde time again; the second retrograde phase begins on July 7 and lasts until July 31. You’ve got at least a week to back up your computers, phones, any other mobile devices in need of protection, and all the files you would rather not lose. For those still new to Mercury Retrograde: these coming retro-weeks are not a good time to initiate new projects, but they are a great time to review what’s already in motion. Just be aware that three days before and after the retrograde can be problematic, so start those backup engines now.

(2) There’s a solar eclipse on July 2, at 10°38’ Cancer. Whenever the Moon overshadows the Sun, previously hidden emotions as well as previously undisclosed information comes to light. There is usually a six-week span in either direction—before or after the actual event—during which we feel the eclipse effect. From a collective/political perspective, it’s hard to know what information the July 2 eclipse may reveal about this administration because so much has already been revealed about Mr. Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts. For the record, this eclipse happens within 1°46’ of Mr. Trump’s Mercury, which means it’s close enough not only to affect his state of mind, but also to reveal additional hidden personal information.  

(3) There’s a lunar eclipse on July 16 at 24°04’ Capricorn—a position that is 1°17’ away from the Saturn/Pluto conjunction that occurs on January 12, 2020. Anticipate that information revealed by this eclipse will have a direct effect on what unfolds all next year. I realize I am not being specific, though quite frankly, it’s just impossible for me to imagine any more information being revealed. But…hey…it could be a Men in Black moment, when the entire Trump Gang rips off their human suits to reveal their true colonizing extraterrestrial identities. (For those readers around the globe, please forgive my American-centric perspective; should these parasitic aliens finally reveal their true identities and purposes, I’m sure other world leaders will also let their true colors show.)

Once again, this eclipse occurs opposite the Saturn/Venus midpoint of Mr. Trumps natal chart. Oh, my… Mr. Trump seems to be the lightning rod for all our eclipses. Remember the Great American Eclipse of August 2017—the one everyone thought would be terrific as it passed over the heartland of the United States? That eclipse was on his Rising Sign, illuminating what was behind the scenes and making him an even more potent symbol for all that’s wrong with the system.  

These eclipses coupled with Mercury Retrograde are going to make daily life even more of a mess than it already is, especially when you factor in the fog of the ongoing Jupiter/Neptune square, a fractious interaction that debilities the ability to tell fact from fiction; the entire astral mess lasts for several weeks. So if you’ve got a need for things to run smoothly, let it go or get everything done in the next seven days; nothing is going to run smoothly and everyone is going to wish that weren’t the case.

The previous ways of understanding politics can’t make sense of this unique moment in United States history. This may be one of the reasons it feels like we are free-falling through a chaos that can no longer support our national identity as the country that welcomes the huddle masses yearning to be free. What we’ve yet to acknowledge and make right is that we are a nation that built its institutions on a foundation of genocide and slavery. White men have been exploiting people of color and women on this land since the colonial origins of the United States. We are approaching a tipping point—a social and cultural crescendo that is insisting we be absolutely clear about our values. Don’t forget, skywatchers, the American Revolution 2.0 is already gathering its force in anticipation of the United States Pluto Return in 2022. Are we going to continue to be a nation that exemplifies sheer brute force through unimaginable cruelty to those unable to defend themselves? Are concentration camps for children the way we demonstrate our principles? Or are we finally going to come into our own, align with our ideals, and be a nation that exemplifies a reverence for all life?

Hello to readers in San Sebastian!

You need to know the true from the false this week—it’s one of the few ways to avoid getting sucked into the quicksand that’s continuing to disrupt daily routines. Unfortunately, hanging onto even a semblance of reality won’t be easy; fact and fiction are blending into even more of a hodge-podge of narratives and most of them are motivated by manipulation, political or personal, rather than actual information. All of us are bombarded daily by false information and in the midst of all that spin, it’s all too easy to spin out of control. One of the few ways to stay tethered to reality is through a firm commitment to stay true to yourself, even if that means getting some help—counseling, therapy, acupuncture, extra yoga classes, or increased meditation. You’ll also need to stay aligned with the essentials of kindness and respect for all your fellow travelers—we’re all in this together and no matter what our differences, we all need each other.

Two sources inflame this week’s fascination with truthiness:

(1) Today, the Moon in Capricorn transits the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction as it simultaneously opposes Mars in Cancer, as Mars continues to oppose Saturn and Pluto. It’s already a pernicious mess and the Moon is certain to fuel even more emotional volatility. The negative combination of Mars, Saturn, and Pluto inclines toward cruel behavior—physical, psychological, mental, and even spiritual—if only as a defense mechanism against enemies, real or not. And when you add the Moon to the mix, the whole package becomes a huge emotional projection screen. The best way through is to avoid acting out—no harsh stands aimed at those less able or capable. Right at this moment, it’s not all that easy to stay focused and that lack of concentration could cause mistakes, so cut your co-workers some slack and give family, friends, and even strangers a break. Also avoid punishing your pets.

Tomorrow, June 20, Mars separates out of its exact opposition to Pluto, and as it pulls away, lots of tensions are going to let loose. Some of those releases are likely to be quite intense, so if you feel like you are going to blow, take a deep breath, make sure you’re ready to handle the nuclear fallout—this is Pluto after all—and then state your case or take your stand. Just try not to point too many judgmental fingers at others as a way of coping with your stress.  

(2) We’re also in the midst of the full-on Jupiter/Neptune square, which was exact on Sunday, June 16, and continues to separate for the next two weeks. (For those new to astrology, when a “hard” aspect separates from a square, conjunction, or opposition, we tend to feel the brunt of its effect.) Jupiter symbolizes expansion and exaggeration; Neptune signifies imagination and deception; and when these two Tricksters clash through the fractious energy of a square, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction—everyone has a story they’re sticking to, even if that story is factually inaccurate, fabricated by wishful thinking, or worse, created to obscure the truth by whatever means.

Neptune Retrograde begins on June 21. Jupiter is already retrograde, and as their retrospectives travel in tandem, recent history becomes revisionist.  Mr. Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts thrive in this atmosphere, so anticipate even more lies heaped upon spin and more spin heaped upon lies. But also be careful about your need to embellish the mundane day-to-day facts. Under a Jupiter/Neptune square, making up stories about what happened on the way to the supermarket will only have a negative effect that is likely to bite you in the ass later on—no one is exempt from this influence, so be careful what you set in motion.

The week is a roller coaster ride of intense emotions that have pretty much reached their maximum load, so try not to unload on the innocent or unsuspecting. Be especially careful about how you relate to children—they are picking up on all of these energies and very few of them, if any, can name the intensity let alone know how to handle it. Remember, kindness and compassion are keys to successfully navigating this next phase.

Hello to readers in Chicago!

Mars remains the important story this week, and while there are many stories to be told, none of those stories are more important than the bristling atmosphere generated by the Martian instinct to do battle. Lots of fellow travelers are suffering from dimension-itis, a new psychic disorder that makes it difficult to focus on the here-and-now. We’re simply too busy jumping from the past to future, a restlessness that’s caused by an underlying discomfort with the present because the current moments are asking us to think about so many things we would rather avoid. Anger is one way of dispelling the frustration of not having the answer or having lots of answers but no way of implementing them. It’s difficult being alive on Planet Earth these days and the Martian need to fight isn’t making it any easier. That being said, if you have the will to move out of petty squabbles or the need to be right at any cost, Mars’ fighting spirit has the potential to sort through the bullshit and clear a path to what’s essential.

To recap from last week: Mars, currently in Cancer, opposes the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn. Mars symbolizes self-assertion, from the lowest forms of global rage to the highest manifestation of self-actualization. Pluto symbolizes change at the core and Saturn represents structure. Saturn/Pluto conjunctions signify the destruction of systems that no longer serve, although one of the tenacious roots of Saturn/Pluto is the tendency to hold on far too long to structures that have outlived their usefulness. Oppositions signal tension, and the entire Mars/Saturn/Pluto bundle plays out as individuals rage against a machine that has rendered them feeling invisible and powerless and thus without value. This is a pernicious interaction that tends to manifest as the cruel punishment of others less capable of defending themselves—think children stuck in cages, immigrants without a voice, and all those who are being disenfranchised through bigotry and ignorance.

Mars wears many masks; one of which is the Warrior—Mars represents that aspect of the self that is able to take a stand. One example of the transformation of Mars’ might can be seen through the story of the Strider/Aragorn/Elessar character in the Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Those of you familiar with the story know of his transformation from the wandering ranger protecting the north but all the while wondering what his destiny will be and if he will ever find his true power. Once he joins with others through the fellowship, he becomes a loyal warrior in service of a greater good but he is still driven by the need to prove himself. Ultimately, he has to journey to the realms of the dead and help them to cleanse their broken promises, a descent that clears a path to his self-actualization as a magnanimous and benevolent king. In many ways, the story of this transformation is aligned with the myth of the hero that Joseph Campbell describes in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Each of us has Mars somewhere in our birth chart; gender-specifics of Aragon’s example aside, to get through this next phase of the Saturn/Pluto opposition each of us is called upon to manifest the transformational potency of this Mars.

The ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction is restrictive: it wants to impose boundaries, limits, rules, regulations—controls on anything and everything anywhere it can. From a transformational perspective, the journey of Mars is best served in opposition to those restrictions and in service to a greater purpose, a transcendent purpose that includes individual accomplishment but doesn’t end there. Unfortunately, since might isn’t always aligned with right, this Mars opposition can also serve the restrictive force of Saturn/Pluto, which is where the tensions produced by this opposition could devolve into a cruelty that uses sheer brute force to enforce its contractive agenda.

How each of us applies the power of Mars is determined by where we stand in our understanding of karma: that every act has a consequence and sets others acts in motion. Setting violence in motion doesn’t change anything—something many of us know but our collective awareness hasn’t yet gathered enough strength to put a stop to the cruelty we are currently experiencing. The first place to start is at home: Are you disproportionately angry at your spouse, children, or other family members? At the cat or the dog? At your neighbors or boss? Start there. This is not about ignoring the egregious behavior of Mr. Trump; it’s about taking a moment to figure out how you can transform your righteous anger so that it doesn’t just lash out, but rather finds purpose in its mission. Remember, you are transforming your Martian warrior through an alignment with a greater good.

The Moon ups the ante on this process, adding an undeniable emotional component, so don't be too hard on yourself if it takes a while to find the right tone. Today, the Moon in Libra is at the midpoint of this opposition, which could lead to an increased disequilibrium, both personal and collective. Protests of all kinds could become violent. By this time next week, we will be in the throes of yet another cycle of lunar intensification of Saturn/Pluto as the Moon moves into that conjunction and opposes Mars. For better or for worse, the Moon illuminates this conjunction for the next many months, and as disturbing as this emotional component may be, the Moon is guiding many of our decisions, so listen closely to your intuition during these phases and you’ll discover wisdom you weren’t aware of.

One more bit: Fellow travelers born in 1947-1948 and 1982-1983 have a Saturn/Pluto conjunction as part of their natal charts. In 1947-48, the conjunction happened in Leo; in 1982-83, it took place in Libra and then when Saturn entered Scorpio, it straddled both Signs. For the Pluto-in-Leo generation, the negative, contractive force of this conjunction turned into a pernicious narcissism that easily ossified into self-righteousness. But the positive, transformative force of Saturn/Pluto can readily be identified through the enduring application of creativity to any and all situations—that creative response has never been more needed; you may be in your ‘70s, but you’re still being asked to participate.

For the Pluto-in-Libra Millennials, the subject of so much criticism as well as so much hope, the test is how you will apply this potent force, which is fundamentally about the power of relationships—your relationship to yourself and your relationship to the world around you. Everything is relational, and as you move through the next several years of your midlife crisis, the goal is to grow out of selfishness and into selflessness. As you do, the essential interconnectedness of all things, which includes our relationship to all life-forms, will grow increasingly apparent. Your mission is to transform old patterns of duality and separation that no longer serve into new structures that acknowledge the relational nature of existence. It’s a big mission, yes, but it is also a necessary one.

Both generations with Saturn/Pluto conjunctions in their natal charts are certain to feel the effect of the current conjunction keenly, maybe even slightly more so than the rest of us. But that doesn’t mean that we all aren’t feeling the weight of this current conjunction, which we all have occurring somewhere in our personal charts. So try to isolate where the tension in your life is brewing and then do your best to find peaceful solutions for releasing that stress. Remember, we are all in this together and the more we acknowledge our shared experiences, the easier it will be to transform our responses and transform our Inner Aragorn.

Hello to readers in Los Angeles!

Mars moves into action this week and as the Warrior Planet calls the shots, daily life starts to unfold in a military rhythm that is certain to rattle the nervous system. The last two weeks were just a warm-up—yes, I know, impossible to believe but nonetheless true. The next several weeks up the ante and intensify the intensity—yes, I know, it sounds dire because it is. It’s not just the collective caldron that begins to boil over; personal situations are also inflamed by Mars, which makes finding a peaceful way through this mess a must. You’re going to need all your gear, so tune up the antennae on your multidimensional beanie, ramp up your meditation so you can listen with an even keener ear, and recommit to your stance as a spiritual warrior. Most importantly, be willing to discard old baggage that you’ve been reluctant to leave behind; you won’t be able to get through this next portal if you’re clinging to the past. The present moment is always where the power is—and that cliché has never been truer than now.

Mars signifies the ability to take a stand—it represents the physical muscles in the body as well as the emotional, mental, and spiritual muscle it takes to move in the world and actualize our intent. Mars is the arms and legs of the ego and its urge to assert. Anger rides that spectrum of self-assertion, the negative end of which is characterized by global rage and the need to lash out—guns, knives, bombs, bullying, tantrums and tirades, especially those born from the pernicious frustration of narcissism or endemic invisibility. But anger can also be a healthy response to the injustice of having a self, denied. Think the tantrums of a two- year old who has no agency and can only scream in frustration. On the positive end of the Mars spectrum, the power of self-assertion sharpens itself into self-actualization. This is the great gift of Mars: it allows us to build a personal self and then to transcend the confines of individuation to reach for something greater—a Higher Self that is unified with all selves. Think a shift in priorities: the needs of the one gladly transforming into the needs of the many.

On Friday, June 7, Mars begins its opposition to the Saturn/Pluto opposition. (Let’s just take a moment here to put our hands over our ears and moan for as long as we like.) While the Mars opposition persists until June 28, please don’t think of that as the end of this cycle. Because as soon as Mars moves out of its opposition to Saturn and Pluto, it moves into a square with Uranus. (More about that in columns to come.)

One of the astral signatures of Mars/Saturn contacts is the indefatigable strength to take on any obstacle and work through it. Unfortunately, when that strength occurs through an opposition, there is the temptation to resort to destructive behavior that just wants to fight its way through. This is where your commitment to being a spiritual warrior is a must: You can engage your “enemy” if you like, but any negativity is certain to be amplified during this interaction.  Remember, old habits aren’t going to make it through to the next plateau, so think before you come out slugging.

Perhaps the primary reason to be careful is the presence of Pluto. A Mars/Pluto opposition amplifies the tendency to use sheer brute force at any cost. Please beware of allowing self-righteousness to fuel your stand—Pluto extends the half-life of all selfish actions and you want to be wary of setting something in motion that could boomerang later.

Mars is currently transiting Cancer, the Sign of nurturing, so don’t be surprised if you or those you love require more than a little cuddling these next couple of weeks. Also anticipate a greater need for safety and security. I’m sure Mr. Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts will try to exploit the agitated air, fostering and fomenting fear and paranoia, so do your best to stay grounded in your deepest spiritual knowing.

In my ongoing quest to identify positive manifestations of a Saturn/Pluto conjunction, I make the following offering: During the previous Saturn/Pluto cycle that began in 1982, which saw the conservative right put forth its religious agenda, the membership of Alcoholics Anonymous also burgeoned during that cycle, and with that expansion, millions and millions of people were able to find and establish a personal spiritual connection. During the cycle that began in 1947, as one reader put it in an email, the national security state was born, under which the House Unamerican Activities Committee persecuted people for their political beliefs. Yet under this same influence, Margret Chase Smith broke the gender barrier and became the first woman elected to the Unites States Senate and Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier.

Harnessing the sheer force of Saturn/Pluto takes enormous effort; aiming that power toward positive manifestations requires clear intent and almost superhuman effort, but it can be done. And truly, it must be done. In the ‘60s we sang, “We’re on the Eve of Destruction.” Our theme song now is “We’re on the Verge of Extinction.” All the consciousness raising of the last fifty or sixty years is required to shift out of our current situation and create a new one. Mr. Trump and his egregious behavior is a road map of what not to do and how not to behave. Rocket science is not required; we just have to break the old-white-guy-hungry-ghost-greed-and-cruelty barrier. It’s tougher than the sound barrier, but we can do it.

Hello to readers in Austin!

A word of thanks to all those readers who sent in positive stories about what’s going on in the world—stories that aren’t likely to make the evening news but that nevertheless demonstrate the strong, positive undercurrents that are forming everywhere. One reader touched a deep chord when she shared the following information: her daughter, who teaches at two colleges in Minnesota, one with a diverse student body and the other with a more conservative and mostly white, privileged student body, reports that the students are not divided in their concerns about the future of the country. Rather, they are united in their fury at the greed and graft policies of the Trump administration. This reader added that most of the students will be voting in 2020 for the first time and they plan to make sure their vote counts. May this sentiment be repeated a million times over throughout the world where corrupt and cruel governments are grabbing for power. I also found an article in the New York Times about the citizens of Dayton, Ohio, uniting against hate; it’s an inspiriting story of people standing together to express their intolerance for the detrimental effects of hatred.

Saturn/Pluto: Part 2

To fully understand the effect of the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction, exact on January 12, 2020, and to distill positive attributes from this powerful contractive force, it’s important to place it in context. While we tend to only define astrology as the daily, weekly, and monthly horoscopes that spit out, as Mary Chapin Carpenter sings, “a daily dose of destiny,” nothing in astrology happens in isolation. To make any sense at all of the mess we are currently mired in, from climate change to cruelty to the conscious dismantling of law and order, it might help to contextualize current dynamics through several astrological cycles that have contributed to the issues we are facing.

On November 4, 2008, a Saturn/Uranus opposition was exact. The astral signature of this potent combination is the dissolution of the status quo. Certainly, America electing its first black president was the perfect manifestation of that interaction. That opposition was exact five times over the next two years; the final exact opposition was July 26, 2010.  Saturn/Uranus interactions also tend to signal the disruption of the financial status quo, and certainly those two years of oppositions laid bare the fault lines of the global banking system. The problem is that except in isolated cases, very little was done to right the ship and correct the practices that gave rise to so much suffering. The banks didn’t suffer—they were repaid. But people suffered, and continue to suffer the consequences of that financial collapse because nothing changed. Wall Street is a yardstick for rich people, not for poor people.

Which brings us to the next cycle that contributed to our current reality: a series of seven Uranus/Pluto squares that occurred between June 2012 and 2015. Uranus/Pluto contacts are always about issues of social justice, and certainly that’s what we witnessed during those years. While President Obama tried to make progress in many areas, he was met with huge congressional resistance, a resistance that coalesced into the Tea Party and its inherent racism; a resistance that also hampered the appointment of liberal judges in the justice system.

The agenda of the religious right made change almost impossible. Their insistence on an America rooted in racism, coupled with a fundamentalist or an evangelical Christianity, solidified into Mr. Trump’s presidency. And because they will stop at nothing to forward their agenda, they sanction Mr. Trump’s amoral behavior of lying, cheating, and stealing so they can get their way and put their religious beliefs above all others. Their resistance to progress over the course of all these decades is evident in the result: Mr. Trump may be amoral, but he is a perfect foil for their agenda. As long as he is fodder for the late-night comedians or a reality TV hero, the forces working behind him can continue to put their plans into motion.  

The question is: what are we going to do about it, especially as Saturn and Pluto continue to tighten their grip? Saturn symbolizes structure; Pluto represents transformation. Their conjunction signifies the destruction of systems, personal and collective, social and psychological, corporate and financial, that simply no longer work. While the extremes of this process are evident through the daily news, what about those of us in the middle? How do we find and harness the creative aspect of Saturn/Pluto? How do we grasp the possibility of applying wisdom to the current shifts, of learning from our mistakes and allowing for new systems to appear—healthier systems that are the coalescence of what we’ve learned through the last ten years of powerful astral cycles?

There are more people in favor of social justice than there are in favor of segregation and subjugation, but those of us in favor of change need positive plans and options. We create our reality through whatever we focus our attention on. Many have learned to do this through popular spiritual leaders committed to helping people embrace spiritual principles that apply no matter what religion they practice. Now we need to learn that we can co-create abundance for everyone. No one is free to fully enjoy personal abundance if others are suffering. This is the next step of the spiritual movement: actualizing those principles on a massive scale. This is the magic of spiritual adepts: the realization that nothing separates us—nothing—and that together, we can transcend the forces of cruelty and constriction to construct a better world.

Hello to readers in Boston!

Saturn/Pluto: Part 1

It takes a great deal of heart to stay optimistic in the midst of the madness that surrounds us. From a political and collective perspective, each day unfolds with yet another report on the dire consequences of global warming and those reports run simultaneously with news stories on the blatant corruption of the Trump administration and other governments around the world. Some very smart acquaintances of mine have assured me that climate change is just another conspiracy theory and that political corruption for personal gain is just another predictable aspect of the human condition. Some of these same friends imply that the reason I am concerned about these issues—climate change and corruption to name just two—is because I am reading and listening to false reports created by fake news. And when those same people are also explaining how this is the best time to be alive on Earth, with the fewest number of wars and longest lifespans in history, my head explodes. All I can think is, “Really? Let’s ask the polar bears what they think about the melting ice. Or the people suffering from the devastation of war how it feels to be suffering from starvation and the many other egregious atrocities they have endured. Or what the value of a long lifespan might be if there are no other sentient beings to share it with.”

Then my uterus exploded this week from the desperate attempt of the religious right to keep women trapped in the Dark Ages. Make no mistake about it—those efforts to keep women subjugated are no conspiracy theory. It was announced publicly, years ago, that the objective of the religious right was to win the political war so they could implement their agenda on the country. It seems their strategies are working and they are almost giddy with success. Four years ago I recommended a documentary on Kent State, The Day the ’60s Died. One of the most poignant moments in that film is when people interviewed on the streets of Kent, Ohio, actually say that the National Guard should have shot more of the students. (When I hear it, and even as I repeat it, I still need a moment to take in and acknowledge the voice of such hatred.)

The other really telling moment in this film is during the Pat Buchanan interview, when he says the right realized that while the left had won the cultural war, the right had won the political victory. And over the years, with few interruptions, they have continued to win political victories and hold their gains. Reagan’s double term as president fueled their momentum and despite the brief detour of Presidents Clinton and Obama, and even during those terms, the Republican imperative to take us back to the ’50s continued. It has only recently been countered by the midterm election results of 2018, and while that wasn’t a complete win, it was an indication of the public’s righteous indignation at a pussy-grabbing old white guy grabbing the White House and anything else he could get his hands on in the name of restoring America’s greatness. Buchanan was right: the right won the political war.

Reagan became president in January 1981, nearly two years before the start of the last Saturn/Pluto conjunction, which occurred at 27° Libra in November 1982—and he embodied the conservative approach symbolized by that conjunction. Trump became president toward the end of that cycle—he is its distillation—and he will be president at the beginning of the next Saturn/Pluto cycle, which starts on January 12, 2020.

As Michael Lewis points out in The Fifth Risk, Trump wouldn’t be possible without Reagan. Reagan espoused the Republican doctrine of less government; Trump espouses (well… that’s way too big a word for him and he would probably spell it “ex-spouses”) the doctrine of no government. You can view that doctrine at work through his systematic dismantling of the government, a process that began the first moment he took office (and some might argue even before). His constant complaints about the rule of law undermine the fabric of daily life. He doesn’t want big government; he wants chaos and all the fear and uncertainty that chaos can deliver because then he can rationalize putting into place new and increasingly cruel controls.

We are at that time of the month when the Moon, in Capricorn, transits the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction, and as it does, it illuminates the fundamentally constrictive force of that conjunction while simultaneously ratcheting up the intensity. This aspect also allows us to see the purpose and intent of the agenda behind the Trumpian curtain. From an astrological point of view, the seeds that were sown years ago during the last Saturn/Pluto cycles—at least as far back as 1947 and 1982—have taken root (more about those cycles in the following weeks). It’s up to those of us who are aware of what’s being put in place as a result of those cycles to stay awake in the “field of poppies.”

The good news is that no matter how well planned or cleverly conceived and executed these conservative strategies may be, Earth is still a free-will planet—nothing is fait accompli. Every moment is a creative moment that opens up the possibility for transformation. But because so much is in need of transformation, I’m stealing a line from Hamilton—“this is not a moment, it’s the movement.” For those aligned with the principles of evolution, probably the only way out is a true revolution, a paradigm shift that expresses the positive possibilities of Saturn/Pluto. One of the possible positive manifestations of the combined energy of Saturn and Pluto is the potential to truly manifest on the basis of awareness; this is the basis of real magic. It’s the level of consciousness embodied by spiritual adepts. This is what we need to aim for as we align personal intentions for the highest good of all sentient beings.

Hello to reader is Lavaur!

There’s a slight break in the bleak astral weather this week, and as the clouds of doom and gloom part for just a moment, the vibrant sky above offers plenty of opportunities for both practical, tangible invention and for the mental might and physical wherewithal to ground your ideas into action. While these planetary forces provide the potential to get things done, they are not endowed with magical powers to nullify all obstacles and opposition—there’s still a lot of elbow grease required. Nevertheless, do your best to seize these potent moments; just stay aware of what’s happening around you. We’re still to perched on the precipice of significant shifts and those shifts require conscious attention no matter what else may be happening in our personal lives.

The break in the planetary storm front is attributable to several influences:

(1) Today, Venus enters Taurus, her Home Sign, a position that amplifies her creativity and grace. The move into Taurus increases the intensity of her ongoing conjunction with Uranus, already in Taurus; this is a perfect union that tends to express itself as unusual artistic and romantic urges.

(2) Mars enters Cancer later tonight, and as the planet of energy shifts out of Gemini, the dimension of ideas, and into Cancer and the domain of feelings, we shift out of our heads and into our bodies. The physical emphasis of this shift gets an extra boost from a Mars sextile to Venus and Uranus; this positive combination has the power to feed sensual passion, which could manifest as spontaneous sexual liaisons.

(3) Mercury closes in on a conjunction with the Sun, also in Taurus, and both Mercury and the Sun trine the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction, currently retrograde in Capricorn. A Mercury/Sun conjunction tends toward a subjective state of mind that all too often can’t get the clarity it needs to stay impartial. The good news is that despite their retrograde perspective or maybe even because of that hindsight, both Saturn and Pluto have the clarity to support objectivity, even if their view of the world tends to lean toward harsh analysis. Their concentrated voice of reality has the power to keep that Mercury/Sun conjunction from veering off into la-la land.

Given how difficult it is to stay grounded in the significance of this particular cosmic moment, it’s a welcome relief to have two potent interactions rooting life in the pragmatism of Taurus and Capricorn, especially when the harsh realities of daily life are glaringly apparent to just about everyone. The good news is that the chaos and intensity make this one of the most potent creative moments any of us is likely to experience in our lifetime. I know that many of our fellow travelers are facing what seems like insurmountable obstacles, and that even trying to overcome those situations requires a gargantuan effort that feels just out of reach, obscuring all signs of a clear path ahead.

There is no clear path out of the mess we are in because we are attempting to create personal and collective solutions in the midst of that mess:  we simply haven’t created our future yet; there’s still too much to be done, still too much to realize, digest, and metabolize about what is happening to our world. So continue to be kind to your fellow travelers and to lend a hand even if you can’t see the outcome clearly. We are all in this together, something we each need to remember as often as possible.

Hello to readers everywhere!

Last week’s urge for telling stories bleeds into this week, inspiring a wide range of narratives, some of which can be classified as tall tales about big fish, while other tales simply stick to the facts. While this penchant for narrative is pervasive and perhaps entertaining, it isn’t easy discerning fact from fiction, and that inability to get to the truth is certain to cause meltdowns, yours or others’. The problem with all these stories is that we’ve been in a cultural spin cycle for so long (way before Mr. Trump declared “spin” a government policy) that it keeps getting harder and harder to remember that truth isn’t relative. Opinions about how to interpret facts are, yes, but not truth itself. For example, climate crisis is reality. Yet how we react to that truth has morphed into endless and mostly bogus spin, or, politely put, “myriad interpretations,” all based on the prime motive of distorting reality for personal, political, or corporate purpose and profit.

I’m thinking about this not only because we’re stuck in an endless loop of lies, but because I am also dumbfounded by the ongoing struggle between fact and fiction. Last week, I heard someone describe Mueller in a stunning way: “His brand is truth.” His brand is truth? When did truth become a brand? Did I miss an important transition? Or am I still not fully adjusted to the deep rabbit hole of Wonderland?

Don’t misunderstand: I know reactions to reality are human and they occur every minute of every day—that’s life in the emotional world, as Spock might advise. And as Kirk or McCoy would point out, sometimes those feelings are valid because they move us into necessary action; when those feelings are a response to danger, I’m glad for a quick response. But I’m not happy when the truth is distorted for personal gain. The constant erosion of truth mirrors the deadly soil erosion happening in too many vulnerable places on our home planet; literally and figuratively, our ground of being is being worn away, which will ultimately lead to an awful fate.

In case you’re wondering why I’m harping on climate change and truth, I’m reading The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption by Dahr Jamail. I happened upon it through the review and interview linked below, and while the book is a terrifying and heartbreaking read, Jamail’s work illustrates how the climate crisis mirrors our global psychic condition, a condition we bear witness to every day as all the structures of our world—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—are challenged by the great global catharsis we are currently caught in; a crisis that isn’t going away anytime soon. 

theintercept.com/2019/05/04/climate-change-book-end-of-ice/?fbclid=IwAR3D0lWl6vBUPqLVJWwoDGC4nh41IQwjmyrc7kyZgP8aBn3FVHfWciKVX6k

From an astrological perspective, Jupiter is the source of storytelling; it’s currently retrograde in Sagittarius, the Sign that loves a yarn, and this week, Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, currently in Aries, trines Jupiter, forming a positive interaction with the potential to weave the fabric of adventurous romance. Just be aware that we are also in the midst of a Mars/Jupiter opposition, a tense combination that teeters wildly from one extreme to another, so anticipate lots of mood swings and indecision about what’s next.

Jupiter is also within range of a square to Neptune, a fractious interaction that interferes with the ability to tell the truth without embellishing the facts. This square will be with us for the next couple of months; it’s exact the second half of June, but given the retrograde cycles of both Jupiter and Neptune, its influence is with us until November. As this square coalesces with the mood swings of the Venus/Mars/Jupiter interaction, you could delude yourself about love, so pay attention to the details of your romantic escapades and whether you’re spinning a love story based on wishful thinking or on reality.

For those who simply want life to return to normal—that is to say, want a return to the regular routines of daily life without a lot of fuss and muss—this week is your best shot. The ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction, retrograde in Capricorn forms a trine to the Sun in Taurus this week and next, and as part of Saturn’s and Pluto’s retrospective as well as the positive interaction with the Sun, there is a potential for a grounded, almost realistic (but not too pessimistic) approach to regular routines. This powerful trine also supports efforts to plant gardens of every variety, whether actual flower or vegetable gardens, or multidimensional expanses of creative endeavors

A Mercury/Uranus conjunction in Taurus amplifies innovation, especially when it comes to creative ideas. Mercury symbolizes the mind. Uranus signifies innovation, which means you can use this positive interaction to conjure creative ideas. It’s in effect through Sunday, so whether or not you have access to a physical garden, use this powerful mental might to plant gardens of ideas about how you can move forward on innovative footing.

We are at a crucial turning point in our evolutionary process and we need to rise to the occasion of our most conscious selves. Each of us is facing the challenge of soul-forging, especially as we deal with the dilemmas of our times, difficulties that express themselves as a battle between awareness and ignorance, apathy and concern. As you continue to write your personal story, be sure to spend a moment on how you want to handle your participation in the narrative.

When Jamail was asked how he deals with “the weight of this material” about climate crisis—how he copes with the reality of the problem—he quotes Vaclav Havel: “Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something is worth doing no matter how it turns out.” These words offer a brilliant antidote to the hopelessness many of us are now wrestling with… wise words to keep in mind during the coming weeks and months.

Hello to readers in Darlington!

This is a good week to take a deep breath and ask what kind of story you’re telling yourself and the world at this particular moment in time and space, when so many stories—personal and planetary—are converging so quickly that daily life is a fairy-tale universe one moment, replete with dragons and dwarfs, heroines and heroes; and a ring of hell that Dante never could have imagined in the next; or perhaps a lyric from one of Bob Dylan’s early songs—think: It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)—come to life. Or maybe you’re channeling the King from the King and I, and answering every question (yours and others’) with: “It’s a puzzlement.” (Here’s a link to Yul Brynner asking/singing similar questions to the ones we are wrestling with today. While it’s a little hokey, quaint, out-of-date, and probably politically incorrect, it is nevertheless still amazingly relevant: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u5iHzag120

It might be that your story changes hour by hour (some days, the story line shifts so quickly and the plot takes so many twists and turns, I can’t figure out what story I’m in) and by the end of our day you’re more confused than you were when it started. The lines delineating dimensions are dissolving and that dissolution requires a broad enough perspective to embrace even what hasn’t yet manifested. It’s a puzzlement, but it is also the hard, soul-forging work of consciousness, and no matter how intensely you resist this process, resistance is futile. We’re in a rapidly shifting interdimensional evolutionary process and most of the time managing the shifts between realities just sucks. Straddling several universes simultaneously is disorienting and discombobulating.

This week, the emphasis on storytelling is fueled by a trine between Mercury, in Aries, and Jupiter, in Sagittarius, a fiery astral combination that feeds bold and dramatic tales of adventure and courage. It doesn’t last long, so make the most of it while you can; from banter to polemic, this positive interaction feeds the imagination. By the time this positive alliance ends on the weekend, Venus, also in Aries, moves into a trine with retrograde Jupiter, and her presence turns many of those stories romantic with a lusty passion. This should be fun.

Both Mercury and Venus will square the ongoing Saturn/Jupiter conjunction in Capricorn, so anticipate that some of the stories you’re telling or listening to are likely to delve into the shadows of power and control. This entire bundle should make for some interesting revelations.

But that’s not all: Mars, in Gemini, opposes Jupiter and the tension between these two Titans could spark a need to clear the air. Just be wary of your motivation. Sometimes a Mars/Jupiter opposition can feed the need to exaggerate or bend the truth to your own point of view—hmm… where have we seen that recently? (This opposition sits right on the Sun/Moon opposition in Mr. Trump’s natal chart—so the tension is going to drive him even more crazy. Oy!) The Mars/Jupiter opposition can also fuel an urge to rage against the machine, and while there might be good cause for doing so, that tension could also manifest as the need to rage for its own sake.

The emphasis on Jupiter has several positive possibilities for the week, but the most important one, after Jupiter’s penchant for hope, is its devotion to humor, even if it’s gallows humor. Be appropriate, of course, if only to be mindful of other people’s feelings, but also do your best to find what’s funny. Whether it’s irony, slapstick, or a revival of stupid pet tricks, do your best to laugh at life’s challenges. Laughter is Jupiter’s domain, and laughing heals a multitude of wounds.

As always, be kind to your fellow travelers—we need each other more than we know and our shared need should be a chapter in everyone’s story.

Hello to readers in Mohegan Lake!

A Capricorn Moon begins its conjunction and transit of the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction today, about an hour before Pluto Retrograde begins at 2:48 PM. Twenty-five hours later, the Moon completes that transit as it forms an exact conjunction to Pluto and then starts to pull away. Because the Moon symbolizes feelings and because Pluto symbolizes unrelenting intensity, we can expect emotional bodies to resemble quivering cilia of reaction and action. This lunar transit to the Saturn/Pluto conjunction intensifies the intensity. What’s more, the Moon triggers these same points once a month for the next many months—off and on until December 2020, when the conjunction pulls far enough apart to diminish in intensity. Although that may seem like a long time to be revisiting the same issues, in comparison to cosmic time, it’s not even the thought of a thought about the blink of an eye.

But it’s long enough for us mere mortals doin’ time here in the temporal universe to have a deep think about what these planetary signatures symbolize and what they tend to actualize. I’ve written about these Saturn/Pluto cycles indicating periods of extreme contraction and reactionary swings in local as well as global politics. But I also think we’re in a different moment along the continuum of our collective consciousness and evolutionary process, one that has the potential to facilitate a change in our responses to these powerful archetypal forces. Contraction isn’t the only choice—we could learn and gather wisdom from our previous experiences, Saturn’s domain, and then apply that wisdom to our current situation, using Pluto and its domain of transformative power to change the way we handle times of potent collective shifts.

Capricorn signifies governments, corporations, and other types of authority; Capricorn in tandem with its Ruler, Saturn, also represents structures and systems. Pluto symbolizes change at the core—plutonium can be used to destroy or create, which I think is a big clue about how we can use this powerful Pluto cycle. Pluto’s transit through Capricorn, which began in 2008, is catalyzing a change at the core of how we inhabit our planet, specifically the structures and systems we’ve put in place to manage and make the most of our time here. Put simply, the old systems aren’t working anymore, and as we watch them collapse we can choose how to respond: point blame at any target we can find other than ourselves; sit on the pity pot; succumb to a doomsday frame of mind and grow more bitter with each passing day; or do something positive to reorganize our systems and structures so that they better serve all of us.    

The Gaia Theory holds that our Earth is alive—an enormous interconnected system that includes every living being. Unfortunately, the idea of being innately connected to this interdependent structure is something that most humans in modern society have dismissed as fantasy. Indigenous people know the Earth is a living organism, and I would venture that other organisms, non-human but sentient nevertheless, know this interconnectedness to be true as well. This past weekend, the New York Times ran an article on the Gaia Theory entitled “The Earth Is Just As Alive As You Are.” It’s worth a read, if only because it talks about us—humans—as the consciousness of the planet. “We are Earth made aware of itself.”

www.nytimes.com/2019/04/20/opinion/sunday/amazon-earth-rain-forest-environment.html

This article made me think about how this moment may be different from other Saturn/Pluto cycles because at this particular point in time and space, many more of us are aware of our physical interconnectedness and how our survival is linked to the planet’s. We just celebrated Earth Day on Monday, and those celebrations and activism demonstrate so much more awareness of our interconnected ecosystem than they used to. I think that’s because there are so many more of us now—not just the tree-hugging, granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing old hippies of yesteryear, but their children and grandchildren united with all the children of Earth facing the inheritance of an increasingly endangered planet. This is my hope for the outcome of this current Saturn/Pluto cycle: that we reach a tipping point in our collective consciousness, the critical mass necessary to push us into new, healthier systems and structures. At least that’s the story I’m telling myself as I write this on Easter Sunday, a day that celebrates the resurrection of life.

Also as I write, another massive tragedy is unfolding—reports of the bombings in Sri Lanka are breaking news, in another round of horrific violence fueled by what divides us rather than unites. May we all recognize ourselves in each other, fellow traveler to fellow traveler, regardless of race, religion, gender, nation, or species, and find a way to live as a conscious ecosystem, with the wisdom of Saturn and the power of Pluto guiding us into greater personal and planetary transformation.

Hello to readers in Paris!

It’s a planetary downshift for the next several weeks. Pluto Retrograde begins on April 24, Saturn Retrograde begins on April 30, and as these two astral giants join Jupiter Retrograde, which began a week ago on April 10, daily life on Earth is likely to feel like a slog—at least until we get used to a prolonged review of what’s transpired since the beginning of the year. For those who keep thinking it’s Mercury Retrograde: it’s not—it just feels like it. From a personal perspective, the best way to make the most of this Jupiter/Saturn/Pluto retrospective is using it to refine whatever the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction has already stirred—wherever you are you experiencing the most constraint or pressure. If you can focus on those areas, your efforts will eventually produce tangible results. From a collective perspective, the next five to six months are going to crystalize even more what needs to shift—socially, financially, and politically—so be prepared for more of the same.   

Pluto Retrograde starts on April 24 and ends on October 3. All week long, as it prepares for its “turn around,” we are likely to feel caught in a peculiar time warp. Normally we don’t tend to experience Pluto Retrogrades dramatically, but because Saturn Retrograde begins six days later on April 30 and ends September 18, their combined retro-pull is sure to intensify the already too-intense atmosphere of daily life. What’s more, because these two planets are within two-and-a-half degrees of each other, their combined retrograde influence is not just a time drag, it’s also a time warp: between now and the end of June, as Saturn and Pluto pretty much travel in tandem, we’re in a dress rehearsal for their exact conjunction on January 12, 2020.

It would be wise to pay attention to what transpires over the coming months, especially as it relates to what’s been going on since January of this year. These are the issues that are going to dominate our lives not only leading up to the exact Saturn/Pluto conjunction in 2020 but also during the cycle it sets in motion for the next three decades, until 2053—issues that are key to our planetary survival. This coming Saturn/Pluto cycle isn’t just about human lives; it’s about the lives of all sentient beings, including Gaia, our living Planet Earth.

As you pay attention to your personal world as well as the world around you, be determined to deal with the surface symptoms but also to dig down deep into the causal level of the issues we’re facing. What is the source of racism? Of immigration fear? Gender inequality? Economic suffering? Animal cruelty? And all other egregious behavior that refuses to acknowledge the right of all beings, from a grasshopper to a head of state, to live a full and rewarding life.

I was raised in a deeply political household and because of that I attended peace rallies from a very early age. As I grew up, I couldn’t reconcile those peace marches with the ongoing fights between my mother and father. There was no physical violence, but there was a tremendous amount of intolerance. I think I was twelve or thirteen when I first realized that if you wanted a peaceful world you had to live a peaceful life. I have not always lived a peaceful life and it’s taken all of my adult life to realize that living such a life is one of the hardest—if not the hardest—challenges a spiritual warrior faces. Nevertheless, the challenge itself recalibrates consciousness, setting a course toward living a life of greater self-awareness. Somewhere along the way it becomes possible to make finding a peaceful solution the first choice.

This is the challenge we all face: Do we hate our enemies or do we find ways to accept them, and through that acceptance learn to heal our differences? Is it possible to make peace without abandoning our principles? If we are going to save our planet we need to find ways to cooperate with each other, and those ways must include all sentient beings. All beings—no exceptions.

Monday, April 22, both Easter Monday and Earth Day this year, is the first of seven Sun/Uranus conjunctions that will take place during Uranus’ transit through Taurus. This conjunction is the astral signature for the revolutionary—the innovative, progressive freedom fighter who catalyzes stagnant waters with innovation that ushers in change. While it is a cliché to say “be the change you want to see in the world,” clichés are clichés because they are to an extent true. Certainly the people we seem to admire most are the ones who refuse to accept the status quo and instead push the envelope and in doing so move the collective into a new consciousness.

For some, Mr. Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts are catalysts of change—and I agree, but not for the same reasons as their supporters. They are dramatically shifting the collective consciousness by provoking heartfelt resistance to a blatantly cruel and mendacious agenda. Their contribution to the collective is part of our evolutionary process, if only because their extreme, almost cartoonish positions have helped so many spiritual warriors move into positive action. Be the change. 

Hello to readers in Seville!

It’s another week of uneven tides, and the regular routines of daily life—routines that haven’t actually been regular for so long it’s getting harder to remember when they were—suffer from the further strain of erratic cosmic rhythms. Try not to be too hard on yourself if you lose the thread of the what you thought was your first priority; it’s going to take patience pills, meditation, a multidimensional day-planner, and a reliable internal GPS system to track the multiplicity of events.

Today is probably the worst day of complex astral signals because they occur simultaneously, making it almost impossible to delineate what influence has the strongest reach or greatest gravitational pull.

(1) Jupiter, currently in Sagittarius, goes retrograde at 1:01 PM EDT and while Jupiter Retrograde isn’t such a big deal—it happens every year for approximately 4 to 5 months—this one has a dynamic emotional charge attached to it because Jupiter “turns around” in an exact opposition to the Moon in Gemini. Because both Sagittarius and Gemini are information junkies, you can expect an emotional brouhaha as a result of opposing opinions and interpretations of the facts. Oy—just what we need: more polarized points of view.

(2) Also today, the Venus/Neptune conjunction in Pisces is exact and separating. This is a highly imaginative combination that tends toward heightened sensitivities, often of an erotic nature, but sensitivities that are also based on high ideals and a great desire for love, if only because its value is felt deeply and personally. It would be wise to make good use of this influence by identifying who and what you love and having a day (or two or three) of devotion to those values. Be aware that this extraordinary sensitivity can also affect nervous systems—not necessarily the electrical wiring in the body, but simply by opening and deepening the ability to merge with the object of your affection, animate or inanimate.

(3) The Sun, in Aries, is exactly square Saturn in Capricorn today; Saturn is conjunct Pluto, also in Capricorn, and by Saturday, the Sun is exactly square Pluto. As the Aries impulse to move clashes with the Saturn/Pluto determination to stay put, lots of people are going to find themselves raging against the machine—any machine—that seems to have the upper hand. Aries isn’t inclined to think first and act later, and unfortunately, Saturn/Pluto isn’t inclined toward compassionate reprimands. So do your best to think before you leap into actions you might regret.

(4) The problem with restraining any impulsive behavior is that the Sun also trines Jupiter—not exact until Sunday, April 14—and while that is a positive alliance, it tends to encourage the kind of optimism that ignores warning signals. So rather than assume you’ll make it across the train tracks, wait until the path is free from danger. Saturn/Pluto is a tough taskmaster and even though this conjunction is currently unconnected to Jupiter, it is directly connected to the Sun, and the need of Saturn/Pluto to punish is extreme.

But that’s not all: By late in the day on Thursday, April 11, and continuing all day Friday, the Moon, in Cancer, opposes the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction, once again upping the ante on this difficult configuration. Get used to it: each time the Moon makes an aspect to this conjunction, emotional reactions are going to override rational concerns, especially when the Moon opposes or conjuncts Saturn and Pluto.

As the week unfolds, make flexibility a constant companion—there will be lots of times when plans must be modified and shifts tolerated. As you adapt and accommodate your rhythms to those of others, try to keep in mind that the Saturn/Pluto conjunction, while exact in January 2020, is exerting its influence now. Not everyone will have this conjunction affect their individual charts—although some will, and they are likely to feel these disruptive rhythms more keenly than others. For those who aren’t directly affected, you’re not quite out of the woods. One of the biggest lessons of this Saturn/Pluto conjunction is that none of us exist in isolation from each other—we’re all in this together, and the sooner we live our day-to-day with that in mind, the easier it will be to heal the planet.

 Hello to readers everywhere!

I’ve been thinking about creative solutions to the tightening grip of the approaching Saturn/Pluto conjunction, an astral alignment that signifies a deep contractive force, one that throughout history has, as Rick Tarnas, puts it, “indicated periods of crisis and contraction.” Saturn represents the voice of reality—a Saturnian universe is all about limits, boundaries, rules and regulations. Saturn doesn’t say, “You can fly or do anything else that seems impossible.” Saturn says, “Get real and keep it real.” Pluto signifies the process of death and rebirth—a Plutonian universe is all about degeneration, regeneration, primordial and instinctual process, sex as a manifestation of those processes, and issues of power and control. Pluto says, “You are free to fly and do anything as long as you realize you are not in control—of anything.” Saturn and Pluto are conjunct in Capricorn, the Sign symbolizing processes that crystalize most particularly through government, corporations, and other organizations. When these two planets travel together, their combined influence signals conflict that expresses itself as polarization. You don’t need an astrologer to point out that we are in such a cycle, but astrological information can be helpful in developing a perspective that takes in the bigger picture.

I’ve been contemplating how we can use Saturn’s wisdom and Pluto’s intensity to find ways of countering what’s traditionally been the manifestations of these cycles. What can each of us do to create a greater unity, a unity that allows us to tackle the tough issues without losing heart? We are not as separate as we think we are, and unity is the antidote we need to remedy the toxicity of hatred.

As I was thinking about all of this, I received a letter from a reader in Christchurch, responding to my March 20 column on the recent horrific shooting there. Here’s what she wrote (I have her permission to include it):

You mentioned last week the atrocity here in Christchurch and the darkness it came from. I would love it if you also mentioned the response of our communities, our country and our amazing leader to what happened. It is a hugely positive story and, I believe, provides us all with hope and guidance on how we can respond to these horrors and grow in our love and acceptance of each other. So many amazing things—a greater understanding of our Muslim communities and the Islamic faith through allowing their voices to be heard, the love that our Muslim community felt from other New Zealanders, which has helped them in their grief, the way we all came together as one in so many physical ways (flowers, reaching out to say sorry to our Muslim brothers and sisters, the vigil, marches and visits to mosques, the discussions we had and how we needed to change, the shared tears and grief, the wearing of headscarves by non-Muslim women as a mark of respect and so on and so on), the shining light that Jacinda Ardern, our incredible Prime Minister has provided to help guide us in how we come together (showing us a new form of feminine leadership that we so much need as a world) and how we can grow together to become more inclusive and become an example that others can emulate. The way that our Maori (local indigenous people) cultural values provided a foundation for us to express our grief and hope because they have not lost the sense of collective oneness with our land and spirit.

It seems a wonderful opportunity to show how the darkness has been turned into light here... that there is hope.

Anyway, just wanted to share this with you and hope that you not just talk about the darkness that happened here and is happening in different ways across the world but how we have embraced each other and appear to be growing together in some kind of alchemic reaction, which is such a great message to also share.

This reader’s letter reminded me how many of us love and respect each other. Compassion is the currency of healing, and while a great many acts of kindness occur every day, we don’t hear about them as often as we need to—as often as necessary to bolster our hope in each other and our collective future.

The Saturn/Pluto conjunction is crystallizing what needs the most work. It’s up to each of us to identify where our individual efforts toward healing are best spent and also where our collective efforts can demonstrate the power of our collective intention. More people are awake than are asleep—Mr. Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts have facilitated that awakened state in the United States, but similar despots are doing the same in other countries. They may not know that they are furthering the cause of revolution, but they are. While many of us are already participating in positive shifts, we are all needed to lead by our example; we are all needed to manifest what we’ve learned about love during our brief stay on the blue planet.

Hello to readers in Washington D.C.!

Emotions continue to run high this week as the Moon continues to highlight ongoing areas of tension. Anticipate grand gestures and fiery rhetoric about almost everything, but especially focused on Mueller and Brexit—just two of the most visibly contentious hotspots happening around the globe. While I don’t usually focus on the Moon in these pages, it’s certainly important to witness its effect, if only because it is a thermometer for emotional bodies, individual and collective. Actually, when reading an individual chart, I sometimes think the Moon is more important than the Sun, because our immediate emotional reaction to a situation is an authentic indicator of who we are before we have a chance to modify or spruce it up. We may change our position later, but in the moment, the Moon reveals who we are to ourselves and to anyone else who might be paying attention.

The heightened emotional intensity began yesterday, March 26, when the Moon in Sagittarius began a conjunction with Jupiter, also in Sagittarius. Sagittarius loves to talk, as does Jupiter, its Ruler. Jupiter thrives on excess, so when you add the emotional component of the Moon to the mix, almost everyone is going to have something to say about everything. Sagittarius always says a little more than necessary so be prepared for more than a little more; loquacious doesn’t even begin to accurately describe this effusive atmosphere.

This morning, March 27, that Sagittarius Moon becomes a Capricorn Moon and all day long, as it moves steadily toward the ongoing Saturn/Pluto conjunction, also in Capricorn, the discourse could (and it is only a possibility) start to reach normal proportions. We already know that the Saturn/Pluto conjunction is a pernicious interaction that demands rules and regulations. Capricorn is a quiet Sign—maybe a little too quiet—so as the Moon’s presence adds an emotional component to this already rigid combination, lots of people are likely to implode, holding their feelings tightly inside and biting their tongues to avoid saying something they might later regret. Unfortunately, those tongues won’t stay contained for long.

Mars, moving through the last degrees of Taurus until late in the day on March 30, trines that Capricorn Moon right before the Moon moves into Aquarius, and that positive but strident interaction between the Moon and Mars is likely to open the floodgates of Saturn/Pluto frustration. Expect a deluge of strident opinions about what should and shouldn’t be. From a personal perspective, anticipate finding yourself demanding impossible things from everyone, even those who can’t follow your rules: the new puppy, a toddler, or simply anyone who isn’t interested in following orders.

Mercury Retrograde ends on March 28, early in the morning—yes, that is tomorrow. Its “forward” motion clears up lots of things, including details from the Mueller Report. Just don’t expect that clarity all at once. There’s so much to clear up that it could take weeks maybe even months to unfold.

What’s more, Mercury Direct begins with Mercury in an exact conjunction to Neptune. Both planets are in Pisces, and because Pisces sometimes errs on the side of blurred boundaries, this conjunction has often been a mushy mind mess. The Mercury/Neptune conjunction has been exact since Monday, March 25, and stays exact until April 3, and well within range until they finally separate on April 10. Nevertheless, the good news is that as Mercury gains momentum, shaking off confusion gets increasingly easy and clarity returns.

Both Neptune and Mercury are infamous tricksters, often obscuring facts with imaginative fiction. Neptune, known for its proclivities toward projection, lack of interest in details, and vast imaginary skill, has been obscuring the mental might of Mercury throughout this retrograde—but not for much longer. With each day of increasing Mercury clarity, we are likely to witness what has been obscured, so stay tuned for some surprises—surprises that might stun some of the pundits.

As the week unfolds do your best to get grounded and stay grounded. There will be lots of opportunities to be in a hurry, but it might be wiser to take your time. And as always, be kind to your fellow travelers—we all need the love.

Hello to fellow travelers in Christchurch!

Emotions run high this week as our new spring season begins with a divisive astral signature: a full Moon at 0° Libra illuminates the Sun at 0° Aries, just hours after the start of the spring equinox on March, 20, at 9:58 PM GMT. The Moon and the Sun symbolize soul and spirit, and their opposition signifies what many of us are likely to experience as a deep internal discontent with the state of our individual lives, as well as a deep sadness about the state of our world. It’s unfortunate that our transition into the season of hope and rebirth is punctuated by this opposition, which signals that our differences could become more important than our similarities and that what divides is likely to override what unites. It will take every effort of consciousness to transform this polarization into a synthesis. We’ve been breathing a toxic air for what seems like an eternity and there is no letup in sight. Over the course of the coming weeks and months, the planets up the ante on what separates us from one another, making it even more important to figure out how we are going to remedy our disconnection and join together to create a better world.

Saturn and Pluto are at the core of our discontent. They continue to move inexorably toward a conjunction in Capricorn that becomes exact in January 2020. A conjunction of these two planets in any Sign signals a paradigm shift, which always manifests as a huge contractive force. From now until July 2019, we are in an intensified preview of that potential. Once the actual conjunction occurs, on January 12, 2020, and Saturn and Pluto start separating, we will experience the full brunt of its force—election year, anyone? And although that may seem too far in the future for us to be concerned about now, from where I am sitting right at this moment in time and space, we are already in it, especially in light of last week’s massacre in New Zealand.

My apologies to readers: I was wrong last week when I wrote that there would be a slight lessening of intensity—life actually got worse for far too many of our fellow travelers. While there might have been a break for some of us, our electronic interconnectedness enables us to span the globe with a touch that translates into shared experiences, positive and negative. This week, that interconnectedness should have celebrated the global student strike, which was powerful in its demonstration that young people are involved in their future. But there’s no longer any escaping the reality of tragedy when it erupts anywhere outside of our local time zones; everyone is affected. The only isolation is ignorance.

Mr. Trump continued to affirm his ignorance as well as his extremism when he threatened the potential for violence against the left, violence from his supporters—Bikers for Trump—violence he encourages. I don’t need to reiterate the pressure he is under from all sorts of agencies for all sorts of things he never thought he would get caught for—and I won’t. What I will do is note the astro-pressure he is under: the tightening grip of the Pluto/Saturn conjunction is moving steadily toward his natal Saturn/Venus conjunction in Cancer. Pluto is currently one degree away from an exact opposition to his Saturn, and it’s certain to be causing his structures to tremble. His remedy for those tremors is to double down on fear. But this is only the beginning of his astrological troubles. In January and February 2020, the Saturn/Pluto conjunction will be exact and separating on that Saturn/Venus conjunction, which means he is likely to try anything to seize the power of that moment, and like some awful disaster movie, move us into a dystopian nightmare.

Or—and this is where I’m putting all my chips—we could make an evolutionary leap and find solutions that serve every living being. The good news of the week—the best news—is the 1.4 million students who marched in support of action on climate change. They are our future—and they won’t settle. We must stand by their efforts and lend a hand because none of us can afford to settle for surface solutions, economic Band Aids, or spiritual bypasses. We must find solutions that address the causal level. It’s not just a matter of banning assault weapons; we must look at what motivates people to such extreme violence. We must treat the cause if we are to succeed in eradicating the disease. Many of us already know what gives rise to these eruptions of violence, and there are psychological and spiritual resources available that offer us the power to right those ideological ships lost at sea and bring those fellow travelers safely home. But we must have the determination and discipline to implement those resources, to change the way we live, and to help others to make those changes too.

The horror in Christchurch is one more moment of insanity in a world that has been spinning out of control for so long that we’ve almost accepted it as the new tilt of Earth’s axis. But we can’t let that happen. Even as we become increasingly inured to it, we must continue to conscientiously refuse to normalize hate or to be demoralized by it. We must not expect it—but at the same time, until we find solutions, we must be prepared for it. I don’t know how you teach children to hold both of these realities, but we have to figure it out; we must not give up on a non-violent world. We can weep, but we must not dissolve into despair. Too much is at stake. Too much hangs in the balance. Hating the haters changes nothing. Find a way to stand firm in active compassion—it’s a more difficult position to hold, but a far more effective response.

Hello to readers in Zapopan!

There’s a slight lessening of intensity this week—slight, but nonetheless felt. Uranus, the planet of shift, spent the last several weeks turning up the heat under the collective caldron, and now that it has moved out of Aries (March 6) and into Taurus (also March 6), the fiery intensity of the last several weeks diminishes. Notably, Uranus is not in direct contact with any other planet until March 22, when it begins forming a sextile to Venus that is exact on March 26. This sextile is a mild interaction that’s not likely to reveal any major clues about how the transit of Uranus through Taurus will manifest. Given that Venus is Uranus’ daughter, their relationship should amplify the positive nature of the coming sextile, but since it doesn’t begin until next week, even a hint of its signature remains elusive.

Meanwhile, we still have to manage Mercury Retrograde, which began its “backward” glance on March 5 and continues reviewing its previous path until March 28. Mercury Retrograde provides its own brand of intensity as it seemingly slows down the pace of daily life and invites us to review and reflect on what’s already been set in motion. For some, this might be an extraordinarily boring process, but for others, Mercury Retrograde is an opportunity to comb through the details of plans and projects with an eye toward untying knots and removing obstacles that might be inhibiting smooth forward motion. It’s futile to resist this review, so don’t waste a moment wishing it away—just embrace it and get on with it.

In spite of the Mercury Retrograde effect, there’s lots of support for doing whatever it takes to keep moving forward. Mars, in Taurus, trines both Saturn and Pluto, which are moving closer together in Capricorn—they are now within 4° of each other—and when these three planets work together, almost any goal can be accomplished. Mars symbolizes strength, will power, and the physical muscle behind determination. Saturn symbolizes the muscle of discipline and the ability to work on perfecting our efforts. Pluto… well… Pluto is the most powerful planet of all—it's the creative muscle that enhances all endeavors—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

These three mighty muscles of success—Mars, Saturn, and Pluto—all sextile the Sun in Pisces. This triple sextile infuses inspiration and imagination into this already positive yet strident alliance. Pisces is a highly intuitive Sign, with the power to soften the edges of Mars, Saturn, and Pluto—all masculine planets, although Pluto can also manifest feminine energy. That softening could help many of us to embrace a lighter touch, especially when it comes to pushing forward on a personal agenda.

Don’t be surprised if your brain feels like mush this week—Mercury is retrograde in Pisces, which has the potential to obscure logic and encourage intuition. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not implying that intuition leads to a lack of clarity. So many of us have been trying for so long to make sense of our mixed-up-muddled-up-shook-up-world that this Mercury Retrograde has the feel of a mental vacation. I’m not advising checking out, but I am suggesting that it might be a good time to let go of the need to understand everything.

Meditation is a Neptunian pursuit that won’t turn the mind to mush. So when possible try to take as many moments as you can to focus on your breath. And as always, try to be kind to your fellow travelers. Everyone is feeling the intensity and all of us could use a little tenderness.

Hello to readers in Kutchan!

It’s finally here: Uranus entered Taurus at 3:26 AM, EST, today, March 6, 2019, commencing a cycle that continues until 2025. So much has been written about this transit that it’s difficult to imagine there’s anything more to add, but given that one of Uranus’ signatures is sudden reversals of fortune, we are sure to be surprised by what unfolds—at least as surprised as we were by the events of last week, which I am hereby dubbing “The Great Unraveling.” For many, it was almost too much to bear—Uranus, closing its Aries cycle, let loose a myriad of red threads, many of which threatened to undermine the moorings of daily life. If you were affected by that process, you might have felt as if you were standing naked in the midst of a reality you’ve been desperately trying to avoid; my hope is that you did what you could to stay calm and steady through the worst of it. If you weren’t struck by the lightning bolts of a sudden shift, I hope you were able to comfort those who were.

This week promises to sustain an identical level of high intensity. The same day Uranus enters Taurus, Mercury Retrograde begins the first full day of its first retrograde phase of 2019. And if the news about Uranus and Mercury isn’t enough, there’s a New Moon in Pisces, with the Sun and the Moon both conjunct Neptune.

Let’s work backwards through that last paragraph: Any New Moon is a great time for new beginnings, especially for planting the seeds of what you want to grow. While this works nicely with the start of a new Uranus cycle, as most readers know (because Mercury Retrograde is the foremost modern urban sky myth), Mercury Retrograde is never a good time to initiate anything new, rife as it is with travel delays, detours, and communication snafus. What’s more, when Uranus transits overlap Mercury Retrograde phases, the routines of daily life, especially the routines we manage through our technological devices, go awry. Frankly, it’s a mess—a mess that’s going to challenge the ability to stay patient. Take as many deep breaths as you can before stepping outside or into your day; you’re going to need your prana power to get through these days. Mercury Retrograde ends on March 28.

Meanwhile, Saturn is closing in on its conjunction with Pluto, both in Capricorn. Although their exact conjunction doesn’t occur until January 2020, as the grip of this pernicious configuration tightens, we’re witnessing glimpses of what lies ahead.  As John Dean and other legal experts have pointed out, the most chilling statement in Michael Cohen’s testimony last week was that should Mr. Trump lose the election in 2020, he won’t give up power easily. This statement should be taken quite seriously, especially in light of the coming Saturn/Pluto conjunction and the other powerful signatures occurring that year. Those who oppose Mr. Trump should be aware that despots stop at nothing to maintain their power; this may be the reason why so many otherwise normally silent officials from the FBI, CIA, and other notoriously secretive branches of government have broken their silence to issue warnings against the Trump regime. I have often wondered what knowledge has impelled these officials to break their code and go public.

As the Great Unraveling continues during the next several weeks (at least), the turmoil generated is sure to exacerbate the stresses of both conscious and unconscious living. Stay present for this process and manage your stress in healthy, wholesome ways. This present moment is not the time for impulsive remedies; it would be best to take no unnecessary action. Once the abnormally high intensity of daily life dissipates, there will be appropriate times for right action that soothes rather than exacerbates negative interactions.

Hello to readers in Vincennes!

For the next six days, an odd coalescence of planetary signatures resonates with an eccentric tone. The regular routines of daily life reflect this aggregation of disparate influences through an uneven pace that is simultaneously energizing and frustrating. Uranus is the source of this dynamic movement. It’s in the midst of a powerful transition as it completes its transit through Aries, ending March 6, and begins its transit through Taurus that same day. While Uranus, ever impatient in Aries, wants to break through to the other side and start its new cycle, this changeover has the potential to stir nostalgia for what was as well as anticipation (seasoned with more than a little anxiety) about what lies ahead, and the tension between past and future creates a true push-pull in the present moment. Uranus signifies surprises, which means we could see several sudden reversals of fortune over the course of the next few days, maybe even weeks. Don’t worry, not every surprising plot twist is negative; some might actually be beneficial. It’s a one-step-forward-two-steps-back pattern and the “back” steps could be a return to a more wholesome reality.

When Uranus throws its weight around, its presence is often mistaken for that of Mercury Retrograde. Uranus and Mercury are both related to electronics, which is why it’s easy to confuse one with the other. Surprisingly this week, even though Uranus is sending tremors through our various devices, Mercury Retrograde is the main source of electronic glitches—and that turns all communication on its head all week long.

Mercury begins its first retrograde phase of 2019 on March 5, the day before Uranus enters Taurus. As Mercury prepares for its “course correction,” everything within its vast domain starts to “slow down,” which adds yet another dimension to the push-pull of the week, feeding frustration and a sense of how impossible it is to get anything done. In anticipation of all sorts of computer breakdowns, from server problems to lost emails, it would be wise to start backing up important documents and other materials now. If you can, avoid launching anything new for the next several weeks, especially anything electronic. The multidimensional channels of invisible communication are going to be busy—very, very busy—and that translates into a loss of bandwidth for even for some of the most sophisticated systems. Mercury Direct begins on March 28, but it would be advisable to wait until April 2 to initiate new projects.

The next several weeks are sure to be weeks to remember. Transitions are seldom easy, and this one isn’t likely to break that rule—although surprising us by doing so would be in keeping with Uranus. But given all that’s been brought to a boil in the collective caldron as well as all that’s simmering in individual lives, my hunch is that the transition from the fire of Aries to the earth of Taurus is going to challenge emotional bodies to stay steady and calm. Those who are not rattled by the various manifestations of change would do well to help their fellow travelers manage these shifts. We are all in this together, whether we like that idea or not, and when we stand together on the wholesome ground of concern and compassion for each other and for all sentient beings, that unity creates an enormous potential to make energetic progress toward the good.

To see this fellowship in action, visit this website and watch the video: www.dailygood.org/story/2227/hands-across-the-hills-the-gratefulness-team/

Hello to readers in Kalamazoo!

For the next two weeks, the regular routines of daily life are distilled through the completion of a significant astrological cycle: Uranus exits Aries on March 6, 2019, ending a transit that began in May 2010 and won’t occur again until April 2094. The transit of Uranus through Aries has been an erratic, dynamic ride in the individual lives of most of our fellow travelers, and its effect has also been the source of a wild collective ride. This final condensation of Uranus’ transit through Aries is why the last couple of weeks have been so intense and why the next two weeks promise to intensify that intensity. Even though we are on the threshold of an entirely new Uranian journey—the transit of Uranus through Taurus, which begins on March 6—before that journey commences, we need to allow this final astral chord to resonate through the ether.

As you listen, pay particular attention to these final reverberations on February 23, when a waning full Moon (which occurred yesterday, February 19, in Virgo) moves through Libra, illuminating emotional bodies and stirring oceans of emotion. As you wrestle with these deep currents, keep in mind that when Uranus entered Aries on March 11, 2011, a huge earthquake in Japan triggered an enormous tidal wave that slammed into the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, causing a nuclear meltdown. While life may very well be a dream, that radioactive nightmare has continued throughout this entire Uranian cycle and will continue to resonate for too many years. That tidal wave was a metaphor for the last eight years of shift. Uranus signifies radical and unexpected change and certainly during its journey through Aries, many events—too many to enumerate—both individual and collective, have resembled massive tidal waves that set off enormous emotional chain reactions that continue to resonate through the lives of many. The amplified emotional intensity of these final weeks punctuates the volatility of the entire cycle.

The light of that Moon in Libra also has the power to exhume the presence of significant others you thought were long gone, so don’t be surprised if you’re visited by the ghosts of relationships past. Some of these former partners may actually have departed this plane of existence but are nonetheless determined to make contact, mostly through dreams, although there could be other methods. If they gift you with their presence, listen to their messages. We are at the end of a long cycle and there are certain to be dangling threads in need of attention. Just be sure that if you do pull on one that you have the courage and determination to follow through until you reach its end and have learned all there is to learn.

Also on the astral screen this week, Saturn is inching closer to its conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn—they are now within 5° of each other—and while their conjunction won’t be exact until January 2020, they are close enough for us to feel the intensity of this union; that closeness lasts from March through June, offering a preview of their contractive force.

This week Venus sits between Saturn and Pluto, softening some of the harsh, stern edges of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction, but at the same time amplifying a tendency to obsess about relationships, to be hypercritical, or to draw impossibly rigid boundaries. What’s more, Venus rules Libra—it’s a Libra Moon opposite Uranus that highlights still-unresolved relationship issues—and Uranus spent its transit through Aries, the Sign devoted to individuation, opposite Libra, the Sign devoted to partnerships. So this is a fitting lunar end to the cycle.

Astrology is ultimately about how we live within the repetitive cycles of the planets as they move in their “fixed orbits” (as the I-Ching would say) around the Sun and through the constellations of the zodiac belt that delineate their orbit. Since the beginning of sky watching, every culture has seen evidence of a sacred order. Currently, many of us may not think of those fixed orbits as symbolizing a sacred order, but we still look to the planets to provide meaning, whether that meaning is astrological or scientific.

Even if no radical changes occurred in your individual life during the last nearly eight years, you are still a citizen of the world, and life on this planet has seen many dynamic shifts. As these next two weeks unfold, taking the time to contemplate how those changes have affected your life and the lives of your fellow travelers might help you understand yet another level of astrology’s potential.

Hello to readers in Messina!

It’s hard to take in just how many of our fellow travelers have been affected by the tumult and turmoil of the last several years of shifts. But right now—in this particular moment—it feels like the right time to acknowledge the depth and breadth of individual and collective suffering that characterizes our current situation here on Planet Earth. It’s not just Mr. Trump and his Gang of Hungry Ghosts who are roiling the caldron of collective consciousness by upping the ante on cruelty and callousness. The United States is giving permission through its example—but it’s happening everywhere. Some argue that Earth has always been the planet of suffering and I can’t disagree with that. Others argue that we’re actually in better shape than ever and I can argue with that, but I won’t. It simply feels as if just about everything is quickening at a pace that increases both the causes of suffering and the awareness of its presence. Perhaps it’s the lightning speed of the Internet and the constant bombardment of information that seems to hasten the pace of life, along with the bulk of data that’s focused on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. As a result, I know more about the latest massacre, mudslide, avalanche, fire, earth quake, and epidemic than I have braincells to process it all. As this constant barrage of information sinks in, I increasingly feel I know less and less about the people living around me, and that is also a tragedy.

Only 21 days remain in the transit of Uranus through the dynamic Sign of Aries. For the last nearly eight years, as Uranus has moved through the Sign of individualism, we’ve been experiencing a need for personal independence in the shadow of a culture that’s grown increasingly and blatantly corporate, one with very little regard for individual independence unless it can be mass-marketed. Part of that challenge showed itself in the Uranus/Pluto squares that occurred from 2012 to 2015, when increasing social justice concerns could no longer be swept away by excuses. We failed miserably to meet the challenge of true justice in part because we weren’t prepared to address the causal level of our societal injustices and right the ship.

Uranus’ journey through Aries ends in three weeks, but it isn’t ending quietly. Uranus signifies surprise and spontaneity and over the course of the next days and nights, many of us are likely to be startled by impulsive behavior, our own or others’. Anticipate wanting to take care of things you’ve been postponing for who knows how long. Things you’ve wanted to say for so long may finally be expressed through blurts, ramblings, or diatribes. Be patient with these efforts to say what’s been held back and be patient with others as they struggle to do the same.

In the final days of its transit through Aries, Uranus has been conjunct Mars, also in Aries. (For a delineation of that, please refer to last week’s column in the archives on this site.) Today is the last day of that Mars/Uranus conjunction; tomorrow, February 14, Mars moves into Taurus—a precursor to Uranus’ move into Taurus on March 6—and while this new Martian position will shift the focus away from the need to individuate and onto resources and finances, Mars remains within range of a conjunction to Uranus until February 23. I don’t know what more I can say about this other than continue to expect the unexpected and expect those surprises to be disruptive.

Uranus catalyzes whatever is stagnant. One way to contextualize the Uranian journey through Aries is to witness how insistently its light shined on the need of the individual to live absolutely free from constraints, real or imagined. Seen from that perspective, Mr. Trump and his followers would have us believe that it is the sovereign right of an individual to ignore the rights of others. He riled his base with that cry to the detriment of the collective, which is after all an aggregation of individual rights seeking to create an environment that benefits the rights of all. That selfish insistence on the right to cause harm without consequence—caged children, Nazi rallies, pussy grabbing, to name just a few—gave impetus to the #metoo movement—an equal and opposite reaction—as well as to all the other movements for human rights whose premises is to protect individuals from abuses of power.

Uranus’ transit through Taurus has yet to reveal its nature. Nevertheless, one of the qualities of this new journey is certain to be an exploration of value—ultimate value—so be prepared to question the seemingly solid ground of what matters most to you. Is personal freedom worth the cost of others suffering? Is feeling entitled more important than a compassionate, inclusive view? Are our fellow travelers worth the trouble and effort to make the world a better place? These are just some of the questions we will be tackling during the coming Uranian cycle though Taurus. My hope is that we’ve learned enough during the Aries transit to recognize the power of the individual—the power each of us has—to make a positive difference in the world.

Hello to readers in Hong Kong!

Brewing tensions boil over this week as each day continues to bring new, disturbing revelations about the state of our world. It’s so intense that even those thoroughly committed to calm and tranquility are likely to melt down in anger, frustration, or despair about all sorts of things. Be prepared for tantrums, yours or others’, as everyone struggles to maintain their cool. Frankly, even though Candlemas, the mid-winter marker we know as Groundhog Day, is behind us—it was Saturday, February 2—this week and next resemble Groundhog Day, the movie: we are caught in a seemingly endless loop of compulsive, repetitive stress, where everyone seems to know what the lessons are—except the people who should be learning them.

The astrological source of this explosive brew is a Mars/Uranus conjunction in Aries, a volatile combination that builds all week, is exact and separating on February 13, and is finally behind us on February 21. This conjunction is significant for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that there will not be another Mars/Uranus conjunction in Aries until January 2096. To be sure, there will be other Mars/Uranus conjunctions as Uranus transits other Signs, but it will be quite some time before Uranus transits Aries again. Uranus takes approximately 84 years to complete a cycle around the Sun, which means it takes that long to complete a cycle around the zodiac. So fasten your seat belts—this is the last lap of an already too-intense ride.

What’s more, this conjunction occurs at 29° Aries, the final degree of that fiery, tempestuous, and daring Sign. The final degree of any Sign distills the essence of that Sign, which contributes another intense facet to this already intense configuration. But that’s not all: Mars rules Aries, and when it journeys through its Home Sign, its superpowers are amplified. Add its final degree to the mix, and Mars is even more supercharged.

And there’s more: Uranus is in the final four weeks of its journey through Aries, a journey that began in full force in March 2011. Uranus enters Taurus on March 6, but until that happens we’re in a full-blown intensive about what the last nearly eight years of this Uranus cycle have been about. Its conjunction with Mars is a powerful exclamation point at the end of this cycle. Pay attention and you’ll witness its full potency.

One more bit: By Sunday, the Moon moves into a conjunction with both Mars and Uranus, which turns this already volatile combination hyper-emotional, so be prepared for all sorts of declarations of independence, yours or others’.  

The temptation in the face of all this Martian might is bold, impulsive action—think Captain Kirk and his desire to go anywhere at any time. But take a deep breath and consider that once Kirk gets to wherever he is going, he realizes that he’s in trouble and needs Bones and Spock to get him out of the jam. This is one of the lessons of Uranus in Aries, for while Aries is the Sign of rugged individualism and Uranus is the Sign of the freedom fighter, nothing in our world exists independently—we are all connected and honoring the needs of the many will always be a better choice than satisfying the needs of the one. Isn’t that the Federation’s underlying raison d’être?

Resisting the impulse to act won’t be easy, and simply breathing your way through the next several weeks won’t be a strong enough antidote to neutralize impulsive urges. But breathe deeply anyway—it will help you gain a little space before you rush in, and when you do rush in, try to align with acts of kindness that will benefit others. When you have time, contemplate what’s shifted in your life during Uranus’ journey through Aries. Think about what you’ve learned. Then think about how much there still is to learn.

Hello to readers in Paris!

I am sure that someone, somewhere is busy creating a new Book of Changes. Not because I think the ancient I Ching is out of touch with reality—I continue to consult it regularly. But as I watch the collective psyche tilt daily, I can’t help but think we might need a new, updated oracle, one more suited to a digital civilization where transformation seems to be facilitated through millions of tweets, all of which move at the speed of light and many of which are so powerful they seem to bend the very cables sending their message through cyberspace. It’s dizzying to behold so many opinions resonating through the ether. There is truly something for everyone, and while a smorgasbord of ideas ain’t a bad thing, the inability to sort through data and differentiate fact from fiction is. This deluge of digital information contributes to our collective polarization and often is a powerful tool to exacerbate what divides us. The “something for everyone” terrain of cyberspace has obliterated critical thinking and left us with…well…a depressing mess. Recently someone confided to me that she just wanted to stay under the covers, far from it all. I supported her urge, because when you are bludgeoned daily by all that’s wrong with the world as well as by what appears to be an indefatigable resistance to making it right, wanting to stay under the covers is an appropriate response. Hopelessness is a soul-sickness that isn’t easily healed.

This week, there’s not a lot of relief from the fractious atmosphere of the last several weeks. A Mars/Pluto square bolsters belligerence while also supporting ruthlessness as a strategy for success—a pernicious interaction that makes it wiser to withdraw than to engage. Getting your point across requires a commitment to nonviolent communication, with head and heart—and both feet—planted firmly on the ground of compassion and in respect for your opposition.

Mars symbolizes self-assertion, which includes everything along that spectrum, from global rage to self-actualization. This week, Mars is mostly about anger; it is in Aries, its Home Sign, amplifying the need to take a stand, which often leads to brawls and battles. Pluto signifies transformation and will stop at nothing to enforce its way. When these two collide, all sorts of negative interactions are probable, which is why practicing nonviolent communication would be a good choice. But there is something positive to remember about Mars and anger: both Mars and Aries are associated with the start of spring, the season when even the most delicate shoot of a crocus or daffodil has the power to push away the hard, frozen earth of winter and bring forth new life. That assertive force, which is the renewal of life, is the magic of the season, and Mars also symbolizes that magic. Align with that gentle persistence for the next couple of weeks and you just might avoid collisions with Pluto and its need to control.

Pluto’s transit through Capricorn continues rattling all the bones of all the structures that hold reality together—it’s challenging authority of every denomination, from the rule of men to the rule of law to the domination of corporations, governments, and banks. From a collective perspective, the underpinnings of daily life are trembling from unrelenting upheaval and the threat of annihilation. From a personal perspective, it’s pretty much the same story. Pluto has us in its grip and is not letting go anytime soon.

Uranus’ entry into Taurus in March, brings Pluto’s intensity into focus, turning that turmoil into a revolution of values. Pluto’s journey through Capricorn is the American Revolution 2.0, culminating in the United States Pluto Return in February 2022. The United States Pluto Return is emblematic not just of our national karma but of our global situation—we are in a revolution that includes everyone, everywhere, because we are deciding whether we want to evolve and survive or devolve and suffer extinction. (Yeah…I know that’s a harsh way to put it, but I’m just keepin’ it real.)

This revolution of values spotlights the crevice between those who care about others and those who don’t. While the callousness of those who don’t care is almost too much to bear in an almost cartoonish villainy of their desire to do harm and the very real damage it is causing, there are plenty of good people performing all kinds of miraculous acts of kindness and compassion, everywhere, every day. Great strides are being made at the local levels of consciousness where the capacity to care for others is being applied diligently by those who are committed to making a difference in the lives of their fellow travelers. That is where the power is.

So for those who are feeling despairing because previous efforts to make the world a better place seem to have been for naught, take heart. There are profound efforts underway to shift the focus from hate to love, some in bold, unexpected gestures of compassion and some in the quiet of the day-to-day. The survivors of the Parkland massacre who are making the world a better place one heart and one vote at a time are my current heroes. They are an antidote to the soul-sickness of hopelessness.

My other favorite remedy lies in the words of Ari Mahler, a nurse who treated the gunman who slaughtered all those people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh: “Love as an action is more powerful than words, and love in the face of evil gives others hope. It demonstrates humanity. It reaffirms why we’re all here. The meaning of life is to give meaning to life, and love is the ultimate force that connects all living beings.”  Wow. Just wow. Love is something each of us can engage regardless of the insanity that bombards us daily. It’s a really good reason to come out from under the covers.

www.dailygood.org/story/2176/eight-inspiring-moments-from-2018-jeremy-adam-smith/

Hello to readers in Honolulu!

The challenge for the next couple of weeks and maybe even months is how to handle our awareness of the intensifying intensity brewing almost everywhere—it’s simply impossible to ignore. The constant blare is a psychic assault that few of us are able to endure. It is the source of an undermining sense of futility that many fellow travelers don’t know how to slough off. This week, my instinct is to call on the ghosts of revolutions past to be present for the next many months—even years—as Planet Earth decides its evolutionary path. (We could actually use a little help, at least until the ET Intervention—and they are really taking their time.)

Searching the Internet for names that might inspire, I came across the most commonly referenced iconic leaders—Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Che Guevara, and of course, recently resurrected from almost total obscurity to become a modern cultural icon, Alexander Hamilton. What was particularly striking about the results was the absence of women whose names are familiar as revolutionaries. To find any, I had to Google “famous female revolutionaries.” Of course there are the usual iconic names—Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Simone de Beauvoir, Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan, and Frieda Kahlo, but unless you’re willing to dig, you won’t find many others and they won’t be household names. I know there are many women who have broken barriers, achieved greatness, and changed the world, but hardly any women are categorized at the same level as men; because of the way our world has turned, most female revolutionaries are defined by their fight for women’s liberation.

We are in the midst of a revolution (which is why I am looking for guidance from experienced leaders), and while the planets are making that perfectly clear, you don’t really need astrology to know that the world is changing. Nothing is as it was and nothing will ever be the same again. Capitalism is clutching to whatever it can at whatever the cost, hoping to secure its antiquated ideology by continuing to enslave and exploit. Communism has given way to consumerism and in the process lost it altruistic gloss. Republicans in the United States are becoming extinct at the same rapid rate as other endangered species. And Democrats are growing balls—but mostly the women, which is why I was searching for female leaders of revolutions past.

A prediction: the leaders of our current revolution will be women, and as they shift the paradigm of political power, they will become the household names of the future. One of the secrets of feminine power is that it includes, not through denial, ignorance, or fear but through knowing that a true revolution embraces everyone. Be careful not to mistake that wisdom for acquiescence—there’s nothing compliant about a mother protecting her young, and it is clearly up to women to protect younger generations from a bleak future.

A Mars/Saturn square is one of the astral configurations at the core of this week’s intensities. Mars represents physical energy—it’s the muscle of the physical body and it represents the ability to take a stand; this is why it also symbolizes the warrior. Mars is currently in Aries, which amplifies its fighting spirit. Saturn delineates every type of boundary through its assumption of authority, and when that authority clashes with the need to assert, lots of folks feel the need to display their might by fighting for what they believe is right. Ugh is my first response to this square because the last thing we need is more violence in our already too-violent world.

That being said, sometimes it’s better to take a stand than to retreat into passivity, and because there’s no correct way to handle the intensity of this square, each of us must decide how to align and what action to take. While Mars square Saturn was exact on Monday, we’re still in the separation phase, which is often more intense; and that phase lingers until January 29. Choose your causes wisely and your brawls with even more discernment because it’s very easy for skirmishes started under this influence to balloon into full-scale battles all too quickly.

That quick trigger is exacerbated by an even more pernicious influence: a Mars/Pluto square that begins on Friday, January 25, is exact and separating on February 1, and sticks around until February 9. This square picks up where the Mars/Saturn square left off and is certain to exacerbate tension everywhere there is a standoff or power struggle, individual or collective. Brexit and the U.S. government shutdown are the best examples of the latter; we can only hope that the influence of Mars squaring Saturn and then Pluto doesn’t erupt into violent demonstrations or military action too.

As Jupiter trines Mars, it supports all sorts of Martian endeavors, which unfortunately might make it a little harder to avoid conflict—Jupiter expands and enhances everything it touches. But on a positive note, this trine has the potential and power to light all kinds of good fires—when it is in a positive union with Mars, we often feel as if we are super charged with energy and purpose, which makes it possible to climb almost any mountain.

For my money, we need to climb the mountain of peace, and while it may take a long time to reach the summit, it’s still a worthy journey. The first step is stopping your internal wars. Identify where you are struggling with yourself and do something about it. Learn about the nature of your own mind. The second step is noticing where you are projecting onto others and taking positive steps to neutralize those battle zones. The next step is to practice peace wherever you go. There are ways to end violence; we just need to implement those tools as we interact with our fellow travelers.

Hello to readers in Montreuil!

Planetary patterns continue to merge time zones as the past and future meld with the now, so continue to keep those multidimensional beanies firmly in place for at least another week—longer if you can handle it. And don’t forget the ET antennae—there are still lots of transmissions occurring and even if you can’t hear them directly, you’re probably still receiving the broadcasts. www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/11/aliens-radio-signals-space-brexit-trump

But don’t be dismayed if you’re feeling more than a little discombobulated by the current tumult and can’t get comfortable in the here and now. You are not out of touch, you are actually in tune. Our present global situation is deeply unsettling because we’re caught in a maelstrom of change with no clear outcome in sight. Finding peace in the midst of this uncertainty—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—is the challenge, especially when so many dimensions are broadcasting so many diverse messages all at once. What’s more, because most of us are already worn thin by the incessant intensity, it’s that much harder to hold a clear vision about what’s happening.  

The primary message of the week—its contractive force, as well as the source of our existential anxiety—is a Sun/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn that began on January 5, was exact and separating on January 11, and is finally over by January 18. This conjunction indicates power struggles, individual and collective, personal or professional, and one of the ways this signature displays its intensity is through a refusal to budge from self-interest. It’s also certain in its certainty, which means anyone who doesn't agree must be wrong. That kind of rigidity encourages despots of every type to throw their weight around. (Shutdown, anyone?)

The Sun/Pluto conjunction also previews the future, giving us a glimpse of what the Saturn/Pluto conjunction will be like in January 2020, which we know from historical manifestations tends to favor inhibiting forces that exert power in any way possible. By April this year, Saturn and Pluto come within 3° of each other and stay in close contact throughout May into early June—a prolonged comingling that provides strong indications of what lies ahead.

But that’s not all—I did say there were a lot of transmissions. Mars, currently in Aries is on the offensive this week, as it squares Saturn. This pernicious influence began Saturday, January 11, is exact and separating on January 21 (approximately six hours after the lunar eclipse), and pulls out of range by January 31. Expect this fractious interaction to intensify the psychic noise, political rhetoric, and perhaps even physical assault levels: Mars represents military might and Saturn represents authority, including the authority of the State; as a result of this clash, tension increases in all those places that are already too agitated. The eclipse only amplifies this tension.

And there’s more:

We’re still under the influence of the Jupiter/Neptune square and the Saturn/Neptune sextile—two ongoing astral combinations that free imagination and have the power to inspire new solutions to old problems. I’m not suggesting Neptune is a universal remedy for what ails—many would argue that its penchant for illusion and delusion override any positive contribution. But—and this is a big but—a vision is required before anyone can create a new reality. Neptune represents the ability to dream; Jupiter turns that ability expansive; and Saturn facilitates turning inspiration into action. Dreams push creativity forward. So continue to use these two Neptunian interactions to make progress in your personal life but also realize that when we dream together, collective progress is possible.

Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, also offers some relief as she conjuncts Jupiter, joining its square to Neptune. Venus begins her conjunction to Jupiter today, January 16; their perfect union is exact on January 22 and separating; it ends on January 28. Let Venus inspire your dreams and visions. On the physical plane, this Venus/Jupiter conjunction could spark and possibly ignite a romantic fire, especially as Mars trines that conjunction, fueling passions. Again, let Venus inspire your intentions.

Back to the tough stuff: Mr. Trump has transiting Pluto opposite his natal Saturn, and while that opposition won’t be exact until February 20, 2020, it is close enough to be felt, deeply. His structures are breaking down and he can no longer rely on his tried and true methods. He is channeling the zeitgeist. Yes, his reactions are awful, but he is an example of what happens when Pluto pokes your weak spots. Remember, Pluto is about death and rebirth, which means that under any Pluto transit you must first surrender what is inauthentic before you can rebuild on the basis of integrity. When revelations finally come to light that Mr. Trump not only colluded with the Russians but also committed treason by selling the United States to a foreign power, we can only hope that it will be possible to undo what he’s put in motion. It may take years to repair the damage done and restore faith in our government, but it can be done, especially if we reject the idea of hatred and the idea that freedom of speech means saying anything we want, even if it is untrue and harmful, and acknowledge that the right to bear arms doesn’t grant a license to kill with assault weapons. There’s a lot of work to do, but it can be done.

Hello to readers in Penzance!

Put on your multidimensional beanies, polish the extraterrestrial antennae, and get ready to receive transmissions from universes known and unknown—perhaps even from a universe you’re creating as you read this and aren’t yet aware of. The source of this creative pulse is a Jupiter/Neptune square that goes into effect this week and lasts on and off for the next nine months. It’s a powerful configuration because it packs double intensity: Jupiter is in Sagittarius, an expansive Fire Sign that aims its arrows of curiosity at the heavens in search of new ideas; and Neptune is in Pisces, an equally expansive Water Sign that merges into the deep, filling every empty crevice it encounters with intuition. Another contributor to the doubled intensity of this square is both Jupiter and Neptune are currently transiting their Home Signs, a journey that amplifies their superpowers. And if all that isn’t enough, Jupiter and Neptune are co-Rulers of Pisces, the Sign of imagination, which intensifies their already intensified influence. Squares indicate action, and this square is likely to manifest as huge sparks and waves of creativity. The Jupiter/Neptune square offers a nice counter balance to the dominant astral tone of 2019, which is pretty much “all Capricorn, all the time,” because it allows a transformational perspective that reaches beyond the mundane day-to-day reality into the wild blue yonder and beyond.

And speaking of that Capricorn influence, Saturn, in Capricorn, sextiles Neptune, in Pisces, for much of the year. This is a positive interaction, and while subtle, it has the potential to ground some of that Jupiter/Neptune creativity into reality because it supports the requisite consistency to do whatever is necessary to actualize those visions.

You’ll need those multidimensional beanies with the ET antennae because both of these Neptunian combinations have the ability to stretch our human intuitive capacities beyond what we are used to. As part of this process, many could start to recognize the potency of their sixth sense, which might facilitate a keener awareness of the multitude of realities that surround us. 

Recently I’ve been giving more thought to the Amy Adams character in Arrival, who embodies the capacity to transcend time; her ability to be in several time frames simultaneously allows her to communicate beyond the normal constraints of time and space. (I won’t spoil the movie for those of you who haven’t seen it.) I also revisited Interstellar, which likewise incorporates that idea of communication through different dimensions as well as the idea of time warps. Of course, my favorite theme of Interstellar is the notion that love transcends time and space—love as the multidimensional space traveler.

As I contemplated these two movies, I became increasingly comfortable with the idea of just how much this moment in our collective experience—a moment that is so intense and often unbearable because we are so divided on values, especially in how to value all living beings—is pushing us to transcend our usual linear thinking. I’ve often written that the present moment, created by the past, is simultaneously creating the future. This allows me to be less anxious about uncertainty, because it allows me to be a co-creator through my thoughts, words, and most importantly, my deeds. I may not experience the outcome I desire, but I have the power of being a participant. And part of what sustains my participation is imagination.

What’s required of us as humans is simple: love is the answer. But what many of us are learning as we learn to love at a deeper level is how complex the human condition actually is and how much effort it takes to grow, care for, and honor our shared humanity. Use the powerful imaginative planetary patterns of the next several weeks to consider your human condition and how you want to spend the precious currency of being a spirit in the material world.

Here’s a short film about what it means to be human. www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=7728

Hello to readers in Peace River!

Welcome to the first week of 2019—seven days that set the tone for the year that lies ahead. Pay attention to the particulars because they unfold like a mini preview, packed with information that if used wisely could also been seen as a good training course for handling the challenges of the coming year.

A solar eclipse on Saturday, January 5, occurs with five planets in Capricorn—the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Saturn and Pluto—a planetary concentration that captures the tone of the entire year, given that all year long we’re moving inexorably toward the Saturn/Pluto conjunction, in Capricorn, on January 12, 2020. During this week’s solar eclipse, as the Moon overshadows the Sun, there’s no mistaking the no-nonsense signature of Saturn, which is currently transiting Capricorn, the Sign it rules. Saturn signifies boundaries, limits, and structures of all kinds, theoretical and actual, and as it journeys through its Home Sign, its powers are amplified, which translates into a super-serious atmosphere about everything, especially governments, corporations, and other structures we rely on to create and maintain order. 

During a solar eclipse, emotional concerns override practical ones, but because this eclipse happens in Capricorn, the most pragmatic Sign in the zodiac, unconscious concerns represented by the Moon and conscious concerns represented by the Sun are likely to be quite similar. It’s not likely this eclipse will be particularly unemotional; it’s just that Capricorn is all about reality. I can hear some readers thinking, “Reality…what’s that? Didn’t we leave reality behind us long ago?” Yes, but practical concerns, especially concerns about survival, can carry deep emotional overtones. What’s more, because an eclipse effect is often felt up to six weeks before or after the actual event, it’s possible to view the shutdown of the United States government as emblematic of this eclipse, as it affects both the practical aspects of governing and the emotional consequences the shutdown has set in motion.  

But that’s not all: During the January 5, 2019 solar eclipse, Pluto occupies the same degree at which the January 10, 2020 solar eclipse occurs at—20º Capricorn—and that eclipse takes place two days before the exact conjunction of Saturn and Pluto. So pay attention to what gets triggered for you—it’s likely you won’t resolve it until the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020.

The most important rule of thumb for Saturday’s eclipse and its ongoing effect is to steer clear of rigid judgments that might get you stuck in an intolerant position from which there is no escape. I’m not suggesting you avoid awareness—observation is a key component of consciousness. I’m also not suggesting that you assume a passive, opinionless stance, which won’t be possible anyway. I’m simply advising you adopt a compassionate attitude, because a harsh finger-pointing attitude will only add to the difficulties and won’t help one bit in finding solutions.

Uranus goes direct on Sunday, January 6. Uranus symbolizes technology in all its various forms, and when it prepares for a “course correction,” all the devices that populate its vast domain act as if they have a life of their own, causing many to mistake techno-glitches for Mercury Retrograde interference. But just so we are clear, Mercury isn’t retrograde until March 5.

As Uranus moves forward it transits the final degrees of Aries, putting a planetary period at the end of a sentence that began in full force with the Fukushima tsunami of March 11, 2011. Uranus enters Taurus on March 6, 2019, a transit that lasts until 2025, and it is certain that the next several years will be filled with startling twists of fate, sponsored by Uranus, the astro revolutionary and its neverending mission to provoke, instigate, or catalyze change wherever it is needed. At its depths, Uranus’s journey through Taurus raises questions of what is valuable and why. Be prepared for a revolution that focuses on financial justice.

As you make your way through the week—and it is quite a week—envision yourself crossing a threshold into a different dimension. We’re entering a revolutionary universe—an era focused on the issues of social justice, not just in America but all around the world. Social justice is love at the collective level and because love is the fascia that holds everything together, we are required to expand our capacity to include everyone. Everyone—every person, plant, and species because Earth truly does hang in the balance. We’re moving closer to the United States Pluto Return in February of 2022—the American Revolution 2.0—and even though 2022 may seem light years away, in cosmic time it's the blink of an eye.