“On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero” – Unnamed narrator, “Fight Club”

It’s been a while since our last discussion of the Saturn/Pluto Conjunction; a major incoming astrological alignment coming to a theater near you in January 2020.  But I think it’s about time we resumed coverage seeing as it’s only about a year away now.  In understanding the essence of this energy and its many manifestations, the above soundbite seems to so perfectly set the tone for this vibe. And make no mistake; this *is* – by definition – some dark and heavy energy we’re dealing with here, so this post will not be a light read.

Before I proceed, let me clearly state the above quote most certainly isn’t in any way alluding to the Saturn/Pluto conjunction signifying some kind of mass extinction event; rather, it’s a statement meant merely to be illustrative of this conjunction’s ability to 1) acknowledge ugly – or perhaps even grim – realities and 2) crunch the numbers in these sorts of scenarios. Ideally, the latter leads to the formulation of some kind of “plan”.  Prevention, of course, is the best plan; focusing time & energy how to stop things from ever getting to that “worst-case” scenario.  But sometimes we don’t always have control over the outcome – such as the inevitability of time marching on regardless of our finite lifespans – which can lend itself to the adoption of a nihilistic slant.

Setting that angle aside for just a moment,  speaking of what we *do* have control over, an important keynote of upcoming Saturn/Pluto conjunction regards how this energy is a qualified expert at crisis management – Saturn in Capricorn is the quintessential “Executive” archetype for a reason (able to respond well under pressure, architects plans, pragmatically lines things up & puts them in order, and is superb at controlling/managing/delegating). Pluto energy, however, catastrophizes.  Pluto is where the proverbial crap hits the fan – it represents powerful and often destructive forces over which we have no control; save our response to those circumstances.  Merge those two energies and you have someone who reliably and consistently keeps it together when things are going to pot; just ask the kids born circa 1982/83 (preferably the Scorpio or Capricorn Suns/Risings) how they do “crisis management” – they were born with a Saturn/Pluto conjunction in their natal chart.

Now regarding the Saturn/Pluto Conjunction’s potential nihilistic slant, this combo is very Nietzsche-esque in a sense for a number of reasons.  For one, the “will to power” that so much of his philosophy was founded upon – the psychological drive for ambition, achievement, and reaching the highest possible position in life – is so very Saturn/Pluto mashup. Saturn in Capricorn is ambition & achievement in spades while Pluto symbolizes power & the compulsion of unconscious drives. For two, Nietzche’s own thoughts on nihilism (coming to us from “Will to Power”) were as follows:

“Nihilism is…not only the belief that everything deserves to perish; but one actually puts one’s shoulder to the plough; one destroys”

Putting the shoulder to the plow and doing the work is very Saturn in Capricorn, while the destructive principle is once again symbolized by Pluto. When we think of true nihilism, we commonly think of it within the context of a destroyed sense of purposefulness; unless that sense of purpose is to destroy. (Are we seeing shades of Tyler Durden here yet?)  Nietzsche’s views on the subject of nihilism were intriguing – he saw it as both inevitable and as a means to and end: The “Ubermensch”.

“I praise, I do not reproach, [nihilism’s] arrival. I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of the deepest self-reflection of humanity. Whether man recovers from it, whether he becomes master of this crisis, is a question of his strength. It is possible….”

This statement is incredibly resonant when contemplating the Saturn/Pluto Conjunction; a “great crisis” (Pluto), deep self-reflection (Pluto again; it loves to make us look at our own Shadow), the mastery (Saturn) of crisis (Pluto) being a question of his strength (Saturn). What I find hopeful about this, though, is Nietzsche does seem to think it possible.  It is my astrological opinion – at least as we simultaneously face down the barrel our Pluto Return in government-oriented Capricorn here in the USA – that as this conjunction perfects there might just be a place for some degree of political nihilism; the notion that we have to scrap and rebuild the very framework of a broken, compromised democracy and construct an “Ubergovernment” upon superior, more functional foundations. Along a similar vein, collectively we’ve seemed to hit peak Dysfunctional Patriarchy; patriarchy of course being closely tied to paternal Saturn and Pluto symbolizing the corrupting principle.  I truly hope the current socio-political nightmare is enough to provoke deep and lasting collective self-reflection upon what got us to this point and that it is – as Nietzsche postulated – a catalyst for serious and lasting transformation for the better.  One can certainly hope, anyway.

12/28/2018

Only this isn’t confined to Las Vegas!  No, no, no; it’s infected our educational systems, our institutions, our governments, our leadership, our corporations.  There’s a gradual systemic rot that has taken a firm hold and degraded the (structural?) integrity of all the above and more.  I’ve been writing about the effects of the upcoming conjunction between Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn – which perfects in January 2020 – for about a good year and a half now, and there’s a reason.  This astrological event evinces grim and ugly realities that tend to inspire a certain degree of fear and loathing; hence the title of this post.

Now perhaps you are reading this and thinking those are pretty strong words for me to use as descriptors, but this cosmic combination is at bare minimum primarily an energy of discomfort and aversion; both collectively and in our individual lives.  How each of us are impacted by this event varies based upon where this combination perfects/what celestial bodies this duo might be touching in our own personal astrological charts, but the bottom line is we’ll need insightful management of this energy and likely to execute some kind of renewal plan as well.  Addressing structural rot – where we’ve built something up upon shoddy framing or let something fall into disrepair due lack of maintenance – is absolutely crucial ahead of this conjunction’s peak if we don’t want the whole thing to collapse in on us.

To put this in larger context, think about things like the undermining of democracy; the entire framework that supports the foundations our government.  Or the way Patriarchy supports and protects sexual predators by rewarding them with positions of authority (Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh, I’m looking directly at you) – remember The Good Old Days when even a whiff of this kind of filth would finish your career/reputation forever?  Not so nowadays; apparently it just cements your status as part of The Boys Club. 🙄😒  Remember way back in the Dinosaur Era when corporations – and especially insurance companies – didn’t rule the world and line the pockets of our elected officials? How about recalling the quaint age when the safety of the classroom was sacrosanct?  Times sure have changed, and certainly not for the better in these respects.  There is a major need to scrap and rebuild with this energy, but this is particularly difficult because most of us would rather keep trying to cobble something non-functional together for the sake of maintaining a sense of normalcy than deal with the ugly reality that what we really need to do is put on our Big Kid Pants, swallow hard, and write something off as a loss.  It takes maturity and wisdom to do the latter, but the compulsion to maintain even a defunct status quo is quite powerful when it seems even harder to grapple with a reality that fundamentally threatens to undermine our sense of security/safety/certainty/order.

How’s that really working for us, though?  Unless and until we acknowledge something as broken, how can we possibly work to restore it?  This post is an invitation to hold space for that which may be fractured in our individual and collective lives with a spirit of renewal; in full acknowledgement that we will likely have to labor to strip things back/tear them down before we can build back up.  Here are some ideas for where this fear and loathing might pop up and where the energy of challenge to renew might be best directed based on the area(s) of our chart being impacted by this conjunction.  You will need a basic understanding of astrology for this exercise to see where 23 degrees of Capricorn falls in your chart, but even with no astrological knowledge at all if you just pay very close attention to the things that give you both apprehension and a strong sense of disgust, you’ll likely be able to ID the areas to work on from the list below.  Note these are only some *possible* expressions of this conjunction’s energy; nothing is written in stone but is instead meant to provide flavor text.

1st House: Self-loathing.  Learning about Shadow aspects of our personality.  Misanthropy.  Experiencing a fear of/revulsion to aging/the degradation of our physical bodies or appearance.  The challenge: Psychologically coming to terms with the natural aging process and normal state of gradual physical decline while working to support our bodies as best we can through the Waning Crescent crone/sage phase of life.  Acceptance of the reality that we all have Shadow material to work on and doing our best to manage the facets of our Lower Self that we’re afraid to look at and take responsibility for.  Realizing that our negative experiences in life do not have to be permitted space to infect the rest of our Reality; containing the Darkness so it isn’t allowed to taint our views of life/the world.

2nd House: An aversion to the risk inherent in spending our own money coupled with the compulsion to spend others’ money instead (i.e. taking on debt). An inclination toward hoard/purge cycles with regard to physical possessions. Bad experiences/trauma – possibly of a sexual nature – that may have negated our sense of self-worth on a deep-seated level.  The challenge: Acknowledgement of the reality that “we can’t take it with us when we go”.  Reducing debt with the insight that it equates to voluntary financial enslavement to “owe” someone.  Fiscal empowerment through shrewd and solid longer-term investments that involve managed/minimal risk.  Engagement with a professional who can help us work on the root of any damaged sense of self-worth to renew our sense of value as a human being.

3rd House: An acute revulsion to our neighborhood, neighbors, siblings, and/or cousins; seeing the reality of their Dark Side.  Non-functional communication dynamics. Complex thought processes arising from a problem-solving place that can actually create impediments to effective dialog.  Obsessive thinking that isn’t solution-focused and that may threaten to suck us into the undertow of negativity. The challenge: Being aware of any degradation occurring in our ‘hood and either working to renew or limiting our liability in removing ourselves from a problem environment.  Forming a neighborhood watch.  Accepting only our part in any communication breakdown with siblings, neighbors, or kin and erecting appropriate psychological boundaries for protection, if need be.  Deconstructing what isn’t working for us with regard to our thought processes or communication dynamics and simplifying; overhauling and getting back to basics.

4th House: Strong emotions dredged up regarding our family-of-origin or homeland; especially if this entails disgust or contempt.  Bad memories haunting us.  Uncovering actual rot in our physical residence; possibly that affects the framing or foundation.  Pests like termites or carpenter ants seriously damaging the structure of our home, or an old faulty septic system backing up and giving us problems.  Unearthing old family secrets that may be a source of shame, such as finding slave owners or Nazis in our lineage.  The challenge: Breaking away from the “familiar-yet-f***ed up” and realizing that discomfort serves a purpose in telling us when it’s time to move on/away.  Finding the strength to settle in a locale that’s an energetic safe space rather than stay stuck rotting in place.  Leaving the Past behind and resolving any deep trauma in our history via the therapeutic process.  Undertaking serious home renovations.   Professional pest management/repellent solutions.  Transmuting any negative family karma by making reparations when/where possible while resolving to put a stop to ingrained cycles of dysfunction.

5th House: An aversion to the (pro-?)creative process; possibly due old and unresolved trauma.  Being horrified by children or seeing them as “bad”/“monsters”.  Negative experiences with stalker-y (older?) suitors.  The compulsion to either repress the sexual identity entirely or engage it without heart.  The challenge: To overcome any psychological hurdles that prevent us from recognizing ourselves as creative beings.  Addressing the root of any distaste we experience regarding children and resolving it within ourselves.  Looking at kids as energetic imprints of their parental influence if/when we have issues with their behavior; no child is “bad” and difficult behaviors are either learned or the result of psychological coping mechanisms for difficulties at home.  Becoming a surrogate guardian (in any sense) for a kid in need, or even an actual foster parent. Taking extra precautions when dating to quality-screen potential lovers.  Working on any repression we may be experiencing regarding our sexual identity via engagement with the therapeutic process. Realizing that sex is a poor substitute for real intimacy and addressing any subconscious dislike we may have for going deeper than just our skin.

6th House: Caginess about health matters and/or a revulsion regarding doctors and medical settings.   The potential of steadily deteriorating health; possibly the consequence of vices/bad habits, and frequently something we’re too afraid to address/get real about.  Toxic – literally or figuratively – workplaces.  Co-workers or employees that work to undermine us; possibly resulting from envy over our successes or status.  The challenge:  Utilizing the power of Preventative Medicine.  Dealing with the reality of any physical dis-ease.  Arresting any potentially progressive (hereditary?) condition in its tracks.  Working with heavy-hitter (specialist?) doctors/healers.  De-stigmatizing our attitude toward the state of our health; especially if it’s something that involves our psychological wellbeing.  Reducing or eliminating the things we know are bad for our health.  Managing/mitigating our risk of any inherited genetic conditions though proper diet, exercise, and lifestyle.  Screening our workplaces for literal or figurative “pollutants” – whether that’s noxious substances or people – and limiting exposure.

7th House: The potential for hesitancy and eschewal of committed partnerships; likely resulting from old and unresolved trauma (“It’s safer to just be alone”).  Or, engagement in intense relationship experiences that teach us some serious Life Lessons. Power/control dynamics within partnerships.  Learning from the Shadow material that arises in committed unions.  The challenge: Not closing ourselves off to others by challenging ourselves to safely engage in deeper intimacy.  Having healthy psychological boundaries between ourselves and our partner; boundaries that are rooted in a foundation of deep respect.  Taking responsibility for our own Shadow in a relationship and knowing from experience exactly where to draw the line between our “stuff” and our partner’s “stuff”.  Drawing on the wisdom of age to help us make empowering choices in regards to partnering where we may have previously struggled in the past.  Uncovering hidden programming/conditioning in partnerships and breaking it down via the therapeutic process; hitting Ctrl+Alt+Delete and wiping the slate of any defunct operating scripts that don’t support a healthy union.  Shunning turbulent connections in favor of mature, self-aware partnerships.

8th House:  The potential for serious phobias regarding things like death, taxes, and even intimacy. An aversion to merging with others sexually or in a financial context.  Distaste for dealing with estate matters; from things like living wills, to establishing legal protection in “worst-case” scenarios, to potentially rejecting an inheritance or legacy that comes with serious (messy/complicated) baggage or even responsibility (such as inheriting a parent’s business).  Restricted access to others’ resources, which may include difficulty securing loans.  The possibility of lessons surrounding the burden of (mandatory?) debt. The challenge: Sober and practical acceptance of life’s inevitabilities; unpleasant as they may be.  Having a plan in a crisis; emergency preparedness that helps us to stay level-headed when the proverbial crap hits the fan.  Working on intimacy by stripping back defenses and using this as a trust-building tool that solidifies alliances.  Limiting our liability concerning others’ financial status while also being willing to “put skin in the game” on low-risk investments (literal or metaphorical) that stand to build in value over time; good karma can result from “buying in” low and supporting/sponsoring someone learning to stand on their own – prudent screening advised as a precaution, of course. Having a carefully calculated debt repayment plan laid out if/when attempting to secure funding on our own.  Working our credit like a boss rather than letting a (negative) credit rating work us over. Not taking on more debt than is realistically necessary; clearly delineating a “want” from an actual bare necessity. Caution surrounding any “obligatory” debt we may be tempted to accept on the behalf of others because it’s accepted as “the norm” even though we truly might not be able to afford it (ex: paying for our daughter’s wedding, or financially supporting a parent in their retirement).

9th House: Abhorrence of topics that revolve around religion or politics, or experiencing views that contrast with our own re: these subjects as totally repugnant.  Fear of travel or airplanes; a subconscious sense of impending disaster regarding either that isn’t easily abated. The possibility of an education that puts us in serious debt. Staunch support of rigid, outdated, or even totalitarian philosophies. The challenge:  Working through any resistance toward passionate engagement regarding serious moral, political, religious, or cultural issues.  Breaking down for others what we perceive as a messed up dogma or way of seeing things with enough wisdom and restraint that we’re respected for our insights regardless of differences in opinion. Realizing that an aversion to travel can prevent us from having powerful, transformative, life-changing experiences while striving to take sensible precautions to avert danger abroad (i.e. avoiding a stay at the budget hotel on the wrong side of town). Considering the utility of any higher education we’re compelled to pursue before sinking ourselves into student loan debt; do we have a guaranteed return-on-investment, or are we merely following a conventional but defunct status quo that might not actually work for *us*? Deconstructing the parental model for our beliefs and worldviews; something infectious may have been planted deep within and yielded a malignant bloom – nip it in the bud.

10th House: A potential obsession with building/maintaining *an image*.  Possible antipathy toward “authority figures”, whether this is a parent, teacher, boss, law enforcement representative, or elected government official; likely due to the strongly negative influence of a similar figure in our history.  Controlling and/or sleazy mentors. Experiencing an intense pull toward a career path with power/authority. Ruthless ambition; achievement of high position(s) but the propensity to also fall into disregard.  Destroying and rebuilding one’s career/reputation/business/“brand”.  The challenge: Deconstructing what psychological fears might be compelling a fixation with image and social standing.  Not giving our power away to authority figures though either subservience or being “triggered” by their influence into reacting negatively.  Resolving any trauma surrounding parents, bosses, or teachers who may have made a strongly negative impression upon us.  Building or maintaining solid and empowering boundaries with mentors to prevent potential violations of propriety/ethics; respecting the fact that there is a power differential inherent in any student/teacher relationship which can be dangerous to both parties if/when lines are crossed.  Checking our motivations professionally; asking ourselves whether we seek to use power for selfish ends or are humbly compelled to bear the burdens of authority to protect and serve those under our wing.  Being in authentic energetic alignment with our Mission/Purpose on core level and using a deep-seated sense of integrity as the foundational cornerstone for our career/reputation/business/“brand”.

11th House: The possibility of a strong dislike/distrust of groups, clubs, and/or associations. Potential difficulty regarding dysfunctional social networks/”community”.  An inclination toward bad experiences within the group dynamic and/or a tendency to suffer the consequences from “falling in with the wrong crowd”.  Age or elder figures corrupting/tainting our aspirations and ideals.  The challenge: Regular quality-screening of our social spheres for problem elements and not fearing to purge when/where necessary.  Transforming negative social experiences by working to restore/rebuild our trust in humanity.  Limiting liability regarding our risk of being left holding the bag for our friends’ character flaws.  Steering clear of power/control dynamics where the hive mind is permitted to hold sway. Realizing when/where age or elders have polluted our social ideals, possibly twisting them with cynicism, bitterness, or hate; working to rectify this and transform lead into gold.

12th House:  The inclination to have an aversion to Surrender/“giving it up to god”.  Possibility of holding hoary grudges against Divinity for times we’ve been let down; where we strongly feel god didn’t “come through” for us in moments of severe crisis.  The potential for a serious obsession with “psychic” phenomena. Possible unconscious compulsion toward self-sabotage, or to experience hardship via addiction to vices.  Ancient and secret trauma – perhaps regarding a parent – that’s difficult for us to resolve because it is scary-powerful; it may be locked away in the psyche and forgotten about but manages to drive subconscious behavior nonetheless.  The potential for a rigid fixation with illness; possibly manifesting as intense phobias of being “contaminated” or “infected”. Nightmares that seem all too real.  The challenge: Working to overcome any subconscious need for control. Transmuting resentment into forgiveness when it comes to our spirituality and the challenges we’ve endured in life.  Realizing that crisis and hardship serve complex spiritual purposes that we have limited insight into during this mortal incarnation.  Relegating our submersion into the “psychic” realms to fixed/finite periods and practicing self-regulation so we’re not obsessed with being “read” by intuitives, mediums, etc.  Purging any compulsive cycles of self-undoing via working with a professional trained in the therapeutic arena.  Unlocking our psyche with the power of relaxation, meditation, and dreams that we use as tools to help us access our subconscious.  Realizing that illness isn’t confined to just the physical plane and may actually be rooted in the psychological and/or spiritual realms, where we must also do prevention/extraction work (with proper supervision from one trained in this area, of course). Learning the symbolism of our dreams and working with them to deconstruct what it is our bad dreams stem from.

10/27/2018

With Saturn now in Capricorn and gradually working its way toward a conjunction with Pluto in 2020, it’s becoming more important than ever to guard ourselves against “toxic teachings”. Though we have some time before this conjunction perfects, it’s definitely something we want to prepare for well in advance and the longer we give ourselves, the stronger the buffer. I’m putting out this caution now because Pluto’s energy tends to corrupt things gradually in Capricorn; it’s never an overnight process and with Saturn playing the role of Cosmic Teacher we do have to be very careful that any educations instilled in us aren’t twisted. This ranges from ancient lessons imparted by parents or mentors that were perhaps rather messed up, to rigid programming drilled into us by our leaders, or any kind of teaching implanted in us by anyone that we consider an “authority” – this includes spiritual and occult “leaders” as well.

It is this last item I want to discuss in particular, because it can be very dangerous when a toxic teaching takes root in our psyche or soul and metaphysicians work on these levels almost exclusively. Spiritual and occult leaders are often granted a form of absolute power due to the intense loyalty of their followers; nobody stops to question their authority, and those that do are often gagged and shunned. But as we’ve seen time and time again with every fall from grace since antiquity, being wise, perceptive, and in a position of prominence does not make one exempt from serious moral failings and character defects – it does not render one immune to criticism, nor let them off the hook from facing the consequences arising from any abuse of power.

When it comes to the psyche and the soul, we have to be more watchful than ever about substituting someone else’s authority for our own internal sense of authority. This is not an area where we should ever allow someone to usurp our power from us because dysfunctional constructs, programming, and conditioning can take root and bear poison fruit if we’re not careful; particularly as we get closer to the conjunction of Saturn with Pluto in Capricorn. We need to be particularly cautious regarding what we’re letting our teachers and leaders sow inside of us now – this especially applies to any toxic teachings regarding how we “create our own reality” , which may then used to mask forms of abuse. We need to watch out for any kind of teaching that could potentially infect us with Surrogate Responsibility Syndrome™; a condition where we psychologically take on responsibility/blame for something that frankly doesn’t belong to us and never did.

This is where certain New Age precepts can actually become dangerous – in reality, IMO it is a covert form of control fetish to buy into the false teaching that everything in life is completely within our influence and we’re 100% responsible for every (negative) circumstance in it, as in “I attracted the lesson”. Sometimes we do through poor choices and lack of good judgement, yes, but other times it has absolutely nothing to do with us at all – if bad things sometimes happen to good people (like pediatric cancer to an innocent child) or good things happen to bad people (Trump becoming president), we’re a bit out of line for thinking that we’re responsible for *everything*. We have no business trucking with this kind of control freakery when it actually has the potential to be very damaging – for example, toxic teachings that imply we’re somehow responsible for being raped or for being abused by our parents. This is an undercover form of Stockholm Syndrome – instead of placing the blame where it belongs (i.e. squarely on the shoulders of the abuser), we internalize this burden and make it about *us*.

On a psychological level, it’s understandable that one might subconsciously do this as a self-protective measure; convince themselves the circumstance was somehow within their control. But at the end of the day this is how we enable abuse to continue; by not holding it accountable – this is how we wind up with problems like teaching our girls how *not* to be raped instead of teaching our boys *not* to rape and it’s how we wind up with things like rape apologists. To put a stop to this corruption, we need to hold abusers accountable and stop manipulating our psyches with the covert power trip that we “create our own reality” and that everything is within our ability to control – it’s not. Get off the exit well before Saturn hits that conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn, because otherwise it’s a dead-end.

02/26/2018