this coming summer- set to officially begin on monday june 21st at 4:30am PST- is definitely one for the books. the fast-approaching cardinal grand cross that is being formed by the social and transpersonal planets (jupiter, saturn, uranus and pluto) at the aries point degrees of 0 aries, libra and capricorn is something astrologers have been talking about for YEARS! i recall an astrologer friend telling me that when he was 18 back in the 60’s and began studying astrology his peers- who were older women- looked at him and said ‘oh you will be alive in 2010 when that grand cross happens!’ this ain’t no run of the mill astrology- what is in the works is huge.
i have talked about this dynamic astrology in my weekly blogs for a while now but i have yet to write a blog specifically about it. after many emails from inquiring minds/readers i have decided to write something about it. why have i not done so yet? well pretty much every astrologer out there has written something about it so i figured why beat a dead horse (which i would never do literally as well!). also, the astrology is really intense and most people are describing doomsday predictions of world war 3, massive earthquakes, nuclear disaster and more. i realize the astrology is HUGE but i don’t see any good in putting more fear into people’s minds. and to me all astrology starts on the level of the Soul and Spirit- so any outer manifestations of this grand cross will first and foremost be felt (and initiated) within. many of my peers do political astrology, celebrity astrology and more. i love reading their blogs! but my focus from the beginning has been on the Soul and Spirit. as rumi says ‘the outer is an elaboration of the inner. i prefer the origin.’ so my astrology tries to focus on the origin of the Soul and Spirit. anything external i reference is always secondary to the internal. so i will explain this aspect from the internal perspective and you can decide, predict or ruminate on what the external will turn out like ;)
as i said this grand cross involves the social planets jupiter and saturn and the transpersonal planets uranus and pluto. they all are pretty potent. jupiter is the planet of expansion, abundance and growth. he expands whatever he touches- sometimes to the point of overdoing things. jupiter is currently conjunct uranus- the planet of awakening, liberation, sudden change and rebellion. uranus is like an electrical current- when you are going through uranus transits your whole system is electrified. add in jupiter and you have the electricity multiplied. this can be felt in the atmosphere- people just itching to break free, make change, leave their entire past behind. both of these bodies are in the warrior sign of aries- which is awakening everyone’s will, drive, passion, assertiveness and anger. those sweet, considerate types who never lashed out in anger- something is waking up inside of them and they aren’t willing to take anymore. those firey, impulsive types are finding that their fire and impulsivity is getting a bit out of hand. and those angry, aggressive types are only getting more angry and aggressive. the best use of this energy is to wake up the warrior within and fight the battles you need to fight with consciousness. many people in the spiritual community think that the path of Spirit means you need to never be angry, never express rage, and never stand up for yourself in firey/dynamic ways. they associate all of the above with ego. but ego is not the enemy! ego is a healthy construct when it is in service of something higher. ego helps us define ourselves as individuals and helps us have healthy boundaries. where we are imbalanced in our ego expression- jupiter/uranus can reveal to us our weaknesses in order for us to make some changes.
now opposite the jupiter/uranus conjunction in aries we have saturn in virgo. last fall saturn moved into libra but then went retrograde for a final pass in the last degrees of virgo. soon he will be back in libra full swing (as of july 21st), where he will stay for the next 2+ years. with saturn opposite this jupiter/uranus conjunction we have the planet of contraction opposing the planets of expansion and liberation. saturn is all about reality, convention and structure while jupiter and uranus are all about ideals, visions, and the breaking of the status quo. with saturn approaching the aries point in libra (0 libra) the area of life that is getting hit the most is in relationships (libra is the sign of relationship). jupiter/uranus in aries demand freedom, assertiveness and independence, while saturn soon to be in libra again demands maturity, responsibility and commitment in relationships. uranus wants to bring life back to what has gone dead- so relationships that are stuck in old paradigm behavior will either have to transform and awaken to new levels of expression or they will have to be let go of. this plays out within the psyche in a profound balancing of masculine and feminine energy (aries and libra). finding the balance within is a precursor to finding it without. whatever dramas you find playing out in your life right now are a mirror for your own inner imbalance. now is the time to see the reflection and make the necessary changes.
now to add fuel to the fire (really, really potent fuel) pluto in capricorn is in the mix- squaring the saturn opposition to jupiter/uranus, creating something called a t-square. pluto is the lord of the underworld and he is very, very powerful. his goal is to unearth and reveal shadow. he is the great transformer, but that transformation does not come easy. it comes by way of death and rebirth- a dying to the ways of ego and a rebirthing into the ways of Spirit/Soul. pluto squaring these two makes this grand cross powerful, intense, and potentially destructive. often destruction is the means for transformation. most people don’t make changes in their lives until things get really, really bad. how many times have you or those you know stayed in jobs/relationships/situations that are toxic, unhealthy, or stagnant way beyond their expiration date? people like comfort, security, and the known. change is often uncomfortable, unstable, insecure and foreign. when pluto comes in we are forced to look at the shadow of our relationships, life choices, and most importantly of the self within. pluto is akin to nuclear power- he comes in and sets something off in our lives which can seem like the worst thing to ever happen but in the long run can be the best thing that ever happened because it creates much needed change. the best thing to do with pluto and any of the other heavy hitter planets when they arrive, is to consciously work with their energy. when we are unconscious they come into our lives and turn things upside down. when we are conscious we can actually assist them in deconstructing/transforming our lives and we can find a sense of empowerment in choosing what is happening as opposed to feeling like it is just happening to us.
so the above planets form a t-square in the cardinal signs of aries, libra and capricorn- all of which are very dynamic signs that start things and have initiatory power. at the aries point we have this all happening on world axis degrees- hence the predictions of dire things happening in the world. no doubt there will be some powerful external manifestations of this grand cross- but it is important to remember that what happens without is merely a reflection of the collective and personal psyche within. if a war were to break out it would be good to see where we are still warring with ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, etc… if a massive natural disaster hits it would be good to see where in our own lives things have gotten so bad we need a total shake up in order to wake up. everything is a mirror. when you see life that way it can be quite the learning experience!
at the start of this blog i said that this summer’s astrology is a cardinal grand cross- but so far i have only described a t-square. in order to get the grand cross we need to fill in the missing point- 0 cancer- so that all cardinal signs are represented in the equation. well the upcoming summer solstice and lunar eclipse fills in the cancer point as the sun leaves gemini and shifts into cancer on june 21st at 4:30am. the sun clicks the grand cross into place and 5 days later at the lunar eclipse mercury is in the early degrees of cancer as well. both the sun and mercury will help create the official grand cross which many say truly kicks off during the solstice and lunar eclipse week- next week! incidentally my natal sun sign is right smack at the start of cancer- hence the many life changes i’ve been going through (and the occasionally missing astrology blog as i’ve been navigating these profound changes! thanks for your understanding :). anyone who has planets or angles at the first degrees of the cardinal signs is going to be feeling this INTENSELY. in my astrology practice most people who are asking for readings right now have this grand cross doing something in their chart- but even those who don’t have it activating something will feel it as it will land in some area of their chart, impacting those areas of life, not to mention them having to deal with the people in their life who are getting hit by it ;)
this upcoming lunar eclipse is really one for the books. the sun is in cancer conjunct mercury- both of which are opposite the moon conjunct pluto. and of course jupiter, saturn and uranus all factor in as they square both sides of the opposition. eclipses are already VERY POTENT and can often be felt up to 6 months before they even arrive (and for 6 months after). when you add pluto to the mix you have an eclipse on drugs. again, pluto is the lord of the underworld and exposer of shadow- so the effects of this eclipse can be intense (intense is in fact a keyword for both pluto and scorpio, the sign that pluto rules). eclipses are like portals- they get us on the fast track from point A to point B. it’s kind of like being sucked in through a wormhole. they can be very disorienting and very powerful. they can bring new things into our life or take old things away. they can cause a rebirth in your life or they can cause a death (symbolically speaking). it really depends on where you are at and what your Soul needs. from the Soul’s perspective there is no good or bad- it is all a means for growth. from the ego’s perspective things are positive or negative- so eclipses can either be experienced as really, really good or really, really bad. it is not typical for someone to not feel the eclipse at all- but if so i would want to look at their chart as it may be that nothing is getting activated at all. again this would be very, very rare. keep in mind the eclipses have an effect of 6 months on either end- so looking for major changes, transformations, endings, new beginnings, etc… that began at the new year (the last lunar eclipse was on new year’s eve!) and extend to the end of this year (the next lunar eclipse is on 12/21) is how you can see it all play out. being at the midpoint of lunar eclipses is potent! look to see where you were at at the start of the year and where you are headed and make any necessary course corrections NOW. with pluto involved if you don’t step up and do what is required of you he will force your hand and it won’t be pretty.
as you can probably see and feel in you life- we are in a profound period in history that can bring about unprecedented change. any change we wish to see in the world must first and foremost be found within ourselves. who knows what this astrology brings externally? an earthquake, a war, endings of relationships, beginnings of others, a birth of a child, the death of a loved one- the possibilities are endless. but what you do have control over- what you can predict with accuracy- is whether you will allow this astrology to help you die to an old part of yourself and be born anew. you have a choice in the matter. holding onto the past because it is easy and doesn’t rock the boat will not cut it anymore. if you are on the path- which you definitely are if you are reading this column- you are being asked to step up. this summer’s astrology is the activation point from which many things can transpire. if we each start with ourselves and make conscious choices that are based on honesty, Truth, respect, Love and courage- then we do our part in shifting consciousness. there is something called critical mass- where a certain percentage of people with the same vision held in their mind can alter all of consciousness. this summer we now have the planets pushing us to critical mass as well. choose how you live your life wisely and consciously- and let the transformation unfold!
enjoy the ride ;)
~divine harmony