Astrology at the junction of Fate and Free Will.
Hi all – I’m back after a temporary (necessary) blogging hiatus! It’s been a busy holiday season, but now that my duties have eased a bit I have put together a video discussing the nuts & bolts of the upcoming Mercury retrograde (Rx) in January, which runs from the 5th through the 25th. Humorously enough, it’s worth mentioning that I did have some odd tech glitches while making the vid, so it seems as if our Trickster friend is already making himself known! đ đ
12/28/2015
In part 1 of this series, I spoke of how Pluto in Capricorn represents the concept of something deteriorating over time. When a planet or personal point in our chart is touched by this placement, things donât just fall apart on us âall of the suddenâ –Â itâs gradual and slow; ostensibly because of the gravitas attached to this transformational process. When a termination occurs under Pluto in Capricorn, itâs not uncommon for it to be a drawn-out, prolonged sort of demise â the blessing in this is we have ample time during this transitional state to put our ducks in a row and prepare for the new reality or ânew normalâ that awaits us on The Other Side so itâs less of a shock to the system. A planned ending or extraction may indeed come into play; possibly one that runs on a delay while all the proper elements/steps are calculated, organized, and then systematically executed. For the transformation of Pluto in Capricorn isnât likely to be quick or easy; it is hard, time-consuming work that is often fraught with obstacles, so we may need to take our time. If we are spiritually inclined, this may be an instance where petitioning Ganesha â the tusked pachyderm deity known as the Remover of Obstacles in the Hindu pantheon â may come in handy.
I should also speak to another important facet of Pluto-in-Capricorn endings, as theyâre apt to be very matter-of-fact. Capricornâs energy has the effect of minimizing the potential trauma attached to this ordeal so itâs more of an âAlright, letâs get on with itâ kind of thing where we handle the situation an adult manner instead of kicking and screaming about it. Anything that dies on Pluto in Capricornâs watch should be looked at as legitimately non-functional, and while a post-mortem autopsy as to the cause(s) may prove useful, the expiration may have been more or less anticipated for some time thus dialing down the drama-factor considerably. When weâve seen it coming and/or know that normal life expectancy has more or less been reached in a situation, it can be considerably less upsetting/tragic. The Hi-Fi use of this energy handles endings maturely; seeing no practical good in making them any harder than they need to be and preferring instead to conserve energy for rebuilding.
On that note, picking up where I left off re: this placementâs capacity for âconstructive destructionâ, I think of it as a âcontrolled implosionâ similar to the demolition of the old hotels and casinos along the Vegas Strip. Capricorn is the Architect and Master Builder, and if the metaphorical footings are rotten or a structure is obsolete in our lives, building code dictates that itâs going to have to come completely down if a new skeleton is to be erected in the footprints of What Once Stood Before. We cannot simply piecemeal things together â we have to scrap it and rebuild, but the RIGHT way! As I alluded to earlier, it is a systematic overhaul, and these kinds of things are never overnight.
When Pluto in Capricorn touches a planet or point in the nativity, sometimes instead we are able to salvage something that is still useful to us or that can be repurposedâŚthis may simply be the âlife lessonsâ weâve distilled by experiencing this process of disintegration. But in cases where a full razing isnât required, it is important to take our time reinforcing the weak areas that have been degrading in order to build them up from the inside out â consider this metaphor in a psychological context as well. I would say that in certain cases, the destruction of Pluto in Capricorn may indeed be preventable, but the problem is preventative maintenance is often let go with this placement so that whatever has fallen into disrepair eventually goes off the rails completely. A failure to hit the brakes before this point-of-no-return can absolutely prove fatal, so when we see fissures appearing in the walls the keynote is to stop and address them because theyâre not just cosmetic and more than likely indicate a severe underlying issue.
Whether we start over on more solid underpinnings or are able to arrest the process of deterioration in its tracks with the aid of some heavy restructuring, itâs important that any demo work be done carefully and respectfully. Something *has* to come down when Pluto in Capricorn touches our chart, but by handling the teardown process responsibly and with honor, we set the right energetic precedent for the ârebuildingâ part of the equation. In some respects the moment we stop resisting the letting go process the reconstruction can already be considered underway, because itâs all about eliminating stale, locked-up energy; especially that which has somehow become ingrained in the status quo. And holding space for this to unfold in due time is important, because a quality restoration matters.
***See also: Pluto In Capricorn Transits, Part 3 Â Pluto in Capricorn Transits, Part 4
11/12/15
There are many layers of interpretation regarding Plutoâs passage through Capricorn, but for the purposes of this particular post, right now I want to discuss one key concept of this placementâŚthat is the idea of something deteriorating over time. Itâs not as if a situation, a relationship, etc. immediately falls apart if/when touched by Pluto in Capricorn; rather it takes its time unraveling. Think: a controlled collapse, or a brick-by-brick demolition. Pluto in Capricornâs passage through a specific house of our chart or contact to a planet or personal point in our nativity signifies that something is very likely undergoing a process of being gradually â perhaps even carefully and deliberately â deconstructed.
Because nothing touched by Plutoâs hand can ever stay the same, it is highly unlikely that Humpty Dumpty will ever be put back together again in exactly the same way. However, there is also an equally good chance that whatever it is may yet live on in another, more solid or mature form after that Limit Break has been reached and the non-functional status quo subsequently flushed down the tubes. There is usually a razing involved with Pluto transits, but while this planet traverses Capricorn this will take its time in happening and we will see it coming (read: have ample warning) quite possibly YEARS before whatever it is actually dies â weâll hear that freight train coming looooong before it actually hits. Itâs not as fatalistic as it sounds, I assure you – the process of destruction can actually be quite constructive with Pluto in CapricornâŚ.more on that later.
***Read parts 2, 3, & 4 of this series here: Pluto In Capricorn Transits, Part 2Â Â Pluto In Capricorn Transits, Part 3 Â Pluto In Capricorn Transits, Part 4
09/15/2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwGfN2RlUWE
LOL, if you change up the lyrics a bit, this song is actually totally apropos for Mercury square Pluto, which is exact as I post.
Pluto has been calling me quite a bit lately, actually â Iâve had many Platinum Plutonians emerging from the woodwork and getting in touch in recent months. Most recently, it was a Scorpio girlfriend from 20 years ago texting me from out of the clear blue sky. Now I am a Plutonian as well, and usually when contact between myself and another dies off, I tend to just leave it wherever it lies and am not prone to reconnecting with people once the line has gone silent for whatever reason. But she has always been an exception to this general rule and I have thought of her fondly over the years – we were separated when she moved halfway across the country and lost touch during the tumultuous upheaval that was my youth…somewhere during my many changes of residence, I had lost her contact info. We were mutually jazzed to reconnect with one another and spent some time chatting on the phone and catching up â she is actually living in (of all places!) Sin City â I canât think of a more hilariously apt locale for Scorpio!
I’ve also re-established contact with a Moon-Pluto woman whom Iâve always seen as sort of a surrogate mother figure. Tragically, she lost her home in a fire earlier this year…she had no idea she was a Moon conjunct Pluto gal, and yet for some reason has been inexplicably (well, unless you know astrology, LOL) drawn to Phoenix symbols to adorn her home, which is in the process of being rebuilt from the ashes as we speak (better than ever)! Truly, the stories she has about this are freakishly cool â I will save them for another time as this makes a very interesting astro-post all on its own.
There have been at least a half dozen instances of Plutonians connecting or re-connecting with me since this Pluto transit of mine kicked in. I do love & appreciate the higher-flying versions of this breed and have said for eons there is always room for another at my table. I donât voluntarily orbit in the company of the Lo-Fi variants, though, and have theorized it might be because I scare them off…a bright light in a room will tend to send all the cockroaches scuttling for cover, LOL!
I do love and appreciate good Plutonians, though….they are a rarer breed by nature because Pluto energy can so easily corrupt, but there is none better than a Hi-Fi Plutonian ally. It would seem life appears to be sending them my way in droves and when youâre right in the midst of a major Pluto transit, lemme tell ya, there is no one else you would want supporting you! Itâs a bit of funny role reversal for me as I have spent decades of my life always being the go-to (Plutonian) person for others during times of crisis and loss; the proverbial Ferryman across the river Styx shepherding lost souls through major transition. Now I am on the receiving end.
Perhaps since I spent so many years as an agent in his service, Pluto felt some small recompense was due and decided to bust out the Bat Signal on my behalf; psychically or subliminally communicating with his minions and giving them the impetus get in touch with me en masse. Regardless if this was the case or not, they have all proved to be invaluable resources for which I am very grateful. On a personal growth level, one other thing I can say is these contacts have all allowed me to strip away a protective shell of guardedness so people can communicate with and meet me at deeper, more authentic level, and I truly do treasure this. So if your BatPhone starts ringing off the hook, definitely donât be afraid to pick it up and see if itâs Pluto calling….
09/09/2015
This is a perfect little clip for the impending squares between Saturn in Sagittarius & Neptune in Pisces, the first hit of which will be happening in late November 2015. Do watch, because it will give you a pretty good feel for the contrast we have going on with these two astrological energies.
Note the clock (Saturn) sternly tolling in the middle of the segment, LOL…
So what have we learned from Cinderella and how does this apply to the astrology of the Saturn/Neptune squares of 2015 â 2016? I think the first theme of these squares center around the notion of staying strong in your belief and protecting your faith in your dreams, even when this is being challenged. With Saturn, a delay or obstacle shouldnât be misconstrued as a denial â difficulty is NOT an indicator to throw our hands in the air and just give up! In reality, while I would indeed add a proviso onto the premise that if we just “keep on believing, a dream that [we] wish will come true” and state that weâre also going to need a hefty tub of Elbow Grease (work) to make it happen, the core takeaway is to protect our vision; whether it be personal OR vocational. And incidentally it IS worth noting how I did mention elsewhere that I do see this square as a potential indicator of professional disillusionment and a subsequent quest for meaningful vocation; particularly for two groups of people – those born circa ’86 who are just now experiencing their first Saturn Return & the â72 – early â76 vintage who have Neptune in the early-mid degrees of Sagittarius and are contending with a simultaneous Neptune Square. Though we are all dealing with this to a greater or lesser extent over the next year+ depending upon which planets or points in our individual charts are being impacted, these specific age brackets are especially sensitized as a whole.
But I digressâŚmy point is a challenge in manifesting our dream should be thought of as a philosophical test to hammer out how we might perhaps be seeing things the wrong way; where our well-intentioned implementation or execution of that vision is for some reason askew and thus cannot yield the results we wish to achieve if we were to leave it as-is. We may need a better, more supportive framework to protect that dream and make sure it will stand the test of time rather than allow it to be gradually eroded away via negligence like a sandcastle completely bereft of a seawall left standing at the waterâs edge when the tide is coming in. When we seem to hit a wall, we must utilize a certain degree of intuitive wisdom to sense how to keep things fluid and able to adapt to shifting conditions while also recognizing the necessity of having a safe and sturdy container (a form) to hold that dream so it doesnât wind up slowly seeping out and disappearing into the ground beneath our feet.
For this reason, I am equating the energy of Saturn in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces with the concept of imagineering a better system â the difficulties we encounter may just be a prompting from The Universe that we need to go about things another way if weâre looking to turn that dream into a reality; perhaps by adjusting our plan, methodology, etc. for optimum functionality. During these squares we simultaneously have to learn how to flow/float while keeping ourselves tied off to a beneficial anchoring structure/framework of some kindâŚan interesting proposition for sure! Itâs a bit like cave diving â even the most skilled divers know itâs easy to lose your way underwater if you donât have a literal guideline to follow. Vision can be totally obscured by silt, the current can shift and carry you awayâŚ.the point is drifting is not advised! So whether we are attempting to manifest a vision that is personal or professional during this square (which will run more or less continuously from late 2015 â late 2016), it is certainly good to keep this in mind.
With this test â as is usually the case with anything Saturn-related â if we donât throw in the towel and give up when we encounter hardship, our persistence is usually rewarded 9 times out of 10. I say âusuallyâ because if there IS a firm and repeated spiritual ânoâ involved w/ Saturn in Sagittarius, we can absolutely be sure it is for our own good – maybe Divinity has something better in mind that we just canât see with our narrow focus. Maybe that dream we so badly want to come true is actually too confining for us…perhaps our imagination had certain limits we werenât aware of and so we couldnât dream what else might be possible due to certain contextual limitations. We could be blind, for example, to how the realization of that fantasy could actually somewhere down the line potentially restrict opportunities or stunt growth.
The point is, we may lack the capacity to understand the spiritual reason or lesson at the time, but I assure you that it IS there! I believe in the wisdom of The Universe and trust it fully, and I donât think as mere mortals we can ever possibly pretend to know what the Divine Design is, exactly, because this would take all of the magic out of life. So if we work hard to realize a dream during the squares between Saturn in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces, making many sacrifices only to have it not to come true, we must at least stay strong in the belief that The Universe knows what itâs doing. Sometimes the ânoâ is because life has something better in store for us at a later date; something beyond the bounds of our current level of understanding that will become clear to us possibly years later. The blessing about having Saturn involved with Neptune is that our life lessons tend to be delivered with an infinite amount of mercy and compassion, even if there is a delay in the realization of this fact â¤
08/26/2015
Ever since this Pluto transit kicked in, I have experienced some pretty wild encounters on the Vulture Medicine front. One of the most memorable was the time I came upon a flock of about 20-25 ominously large Turkey Vultures perched upon the lower boughs of a decaying old sugar maple one evening during a run. They were probably only about 30 feet away from me and didnât even startle as I passed…it was surreal and made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up in a combination of awe and also a vague sense of foreboding â I knew that life wasn’t likely to be the same after an encounter like that, as thatâs some Big Medicine!
Vultures are an earthly manifestation of Plutonic energy, you see, and may appear to us at times when an old way of life is passing as harbingers of this transition. They are carrion feeders, so there is an element of learning how to spiritually sustain ourselves from the decay that surrounds us. Fortunately (LOL, thatâs my gallows humor, folks!) I am well-versed in the practice of finding gold in the shadow…
So on a recent sunny summer day I …Read More…
âWelcome to your Saturn Transit, Mr. Stewart â this is your captain speaking. Your flight time will be approximately 2 years and the weather at your destination is looking clear and cool.â
In cased you missed it, on Thursday night Sagittarius Sun Jon Stewart had his last hurrah as fake news anchor of The Daily Show. Jon is having just a wee bit (thatâs a joke, BTW) of a Saturn transit â or more correctly, series of Saturn transits – for the foreseeable future, perhaps being spurred on by the Cosmic Taskmaster to move onto something more âlegitâ (also tongue-in-cheek). Jon has his Sun, Moon, & Mercury in Sadge, which means Saturn will steamroll all of them by the time it leaves this sign in late 2017. Further, during this same time The Ringed One squares his Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter, & Chiron â thatâs a boatload of Saturn energy to have happening in such a comparatively short window!
Saturn transits are decidedly Not Fun(ny)âŚwe tend to become more serious under this planetâs auspices and are apt to experience internal or external pressure (usually via a sense that time is ticking) to figure out what it is we REALLY want to achieve in life. Saturn imbues us with ambition, pragmatism, and a healthy dose of wisdom via trials and experience. And where we stumble, we come to know our limitations. We grind onward, however, knowing with inner certainty that hard work always pays off in the end and that nothing worth having is ever easy.
So how has Jonâs Saturn transit â which started last year â manifested thus far? Well, it began when he decided that he had apparently reached the pinnacle of his late-night television career, as there were certainly no mountains for him to climb and this had been the case for quite some time. Sure he was riding high, but his progress had more or less plateaued due to hitting the ceiling and there wasn’t any room for him to grow – an anathema to Sagittarius. Saturn was a mere two degrees from his Sun when the announcement of his August departure came â Saturn transits can tend to have a very limiting, confining feel to them which would certainly be enough to make any Sadge restless; let alone one that might not have been feeling sufficiently challenged from a creative & professional standpoint! Sagittarius is not a particularly simpatico placement for this planet overall since this is a sign thatâs all about EXPANSION, and the (conscious or unconscious) sense of having to deal with this kind of astrological internment can be quite claustrophobia-inducing to our Centaur friends. âThe walls are closing in â quick, make for the exit!!â Anyone who has ever observed a Sadge contemplate the prospect of marriage can surely attest to the veracity of that little statement, LOL! đ
But what really struck me as a fairly literal manifestation of all that Saturn energy heâs been/âbouta be rockinâ? WTF, The Boss (aka Saturn in his Bruce Springsteen guise) serenaded him offstage on his last night with the show?!? With âBorn To Runâ â are you kidding me?!
Hereâs the other wacked thing about this: Though Jon has long dismissed the idea of entering the political arena, he IS born under the sign of The Politician and in some ways this would seem like a fairly natural transition for him â a sort of ânext levelâ advancement, if you will. And if Saturn loves one thing in Sadge, it’s literal or metaphorical grad school. This would not be an altogether unprecedented move, either â hell, Al Franken managed to successfully make this same journey from comedian to government official in recent times. So whatâs the deal, Jonny Boy â are you being a cheeky monkey there with your choice of song by just fooling around and jerking the chains of those who clamor for you to make a run, do you really just love âBorn To Runâ that much to where you would pick it to mark the end of an era in your life, or is this actually not-so-subtle wink that a job in public office may indeed be in your future? Sadge has always had a wicked sense of humor, after all……
Despite the candid disdain he has expressed for politicians, this is a man who is clearly passionate about politics or else he wouldn’t have spent 16 years of his life calling “Bullshit!” on them.  I will tell you one thing â if *any* Sadge were to even remotely toy with the idea of running for office, this would certainly be the kind of transit they might be likely to do it under. Jon has waaaay more than just the Saturn activity going on in his chart, too – he’s already most of the way through a series of disillusioning Neptune hits to many of those same planets and he’s gearing up for “Big Time” Jupiter boost via its soon to be approaching square to his Sun and opposition to his own natal Jupiter. So here we have a Jupiter-ruled Sagittarian about to be doubly augmented by transiting Jupiter, which could certainly be enough to crank up the decibel level on his own political ideologies. It will be interesting to see exactly what Jon decides to do with all of this energy….regardless of the direction he takes, I certainly wish him Buona Fortuna in all of his endeavors – Onwards and Upwards; onto Bigger and Better, Sadgie-Ho!
08/10/2015
LOL, the above was something I used to tell a Virgo stellium girlfriend of mine once upon a time â I almost got it printed on a workout T-shirt for her to wear to yoga or at the gym, but you know howâŚparticularâŚVirgo can sometimes be and so I thought better of it in the end! It probably wouldâve had to been made of unbleached organic cotton or some other very specific hypoallergenic all-natural fiber, or maybe the font wouldnât have been quite right, or she might have preferred a v-neck to a crewneck…by now, you are probably getting the picture as to why I ultimately refrained. đ
But with Jupiter about to enter Virgo for a year-long stay on August 11th, âKeep calm & Virgo onâ could well become our new mantra for the next 365+ days! If youâre not subbed to my free monthly newsletter, now would be a good time to do so because the August edition (which will come out on or around the 1st) is featuring an editorial on the subject in question. In this issue I discuss some vital considerations and key themes for this placement, and although I will build on this via some supplemental blog posts on the topic, you are totally missing out if youâre not on the list. Not only is this where I share some of my more insightful musings, but subbing also gets you insider-only access to special promos. You can always unsubscribe at any time if you change your mind later, so what are you waiting for?
07/25/2015
Though Sagittarius is currently getting a brief reprieve from Saturnâs energy until September 17th due its temporary backtrack into Scorpio, I find the effects of this energy still lingering on my mind nonetheless. There is a particular a visual image conjured forth when I contemplate Saturn in Sagittarius â it is that of a bush pilot skillfully navigating through dicey terrain; soaring toward an as-yet unknown landing zone in some remote, aboriginal destination. Sadge has long been associated with air travel, and with Saturn as our captain it seems we are indeed learning to fly in a metaphorical sense.
Being this planet squares Neptune in Pisces a total of three times between now and late 2016, we should expect this could turn out to be a water landing, so hopefully you will come prepared for this possibility and thus equip your aircraft with pontoon floats. In a figurative sense, the ground beneath our feet is not solid at all during these squares; rather it is liquid. Consequently, conditions such as this can make it difficult to gain traction; however this is not the point. As is always …Read More…
Ever since Jupiter arrived in Leo last summer, nothing has brought out the party animal in Sadge quite like this energy! But maaaaaybe it might be time to dial it back a bit, yes? We know how this sign already tends to do things to the max (read: excess) â and being on Jupiter in Leo 24/7/365 has definitely strengthened the inclination to perhaps overdo it a bit when it comes to having a good time.
But with the longer-running influence of Saturn passing over your Sun at some point during the next 2+ years coupled with the fact that Jupiter will soon slip into Virgo, it may be time to dial it back a bit, no? Saturn transits always call for the cultivation of self-restraint – couple this with Jupiter passing into wellness-oriented Virgo in a few months, and it may be time to think about cleaning up your act before your health suffers for it, yes?
06/01/2015
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