Planetary Paso Doble

This one is dedicated to the “carers”. To the ones that invest all that they are in making this world a better place. Introvert and extrovert alike.

A crescendo of energy is building all around us. To really understand what is present within the collective, I think deepening into the mythology and symbolism of Saturn and Jupiter, our social-collective planets, will  help add needed context to where we find ourselves. Saturn, the Lord of Karma, (Kronos, Father Time, The Grim Reaper, The Cosmic Task Master) the son of Uranus, God of Heaven, and Gaia, Queen of Earth. As a product of that marriage, he is widely referred to as the bridge between heaven and earth. After deposing his father as King, He became the greatest of the Titan’s and ruled over a Golden Age for eons. The Golden Age was a time when the earth was always fertile, there was peace and prosperity across the land, man lived in a constant state of inner and outer harmony.  What distinguished the age as Golden was the complete lack of free will. What happens when you never question life and always live in alignment with higher will? What happens when you cannot ever assert yourself, but rather do as fate dictates? If the ruler is fair and just, you might enjoy peace, but never tap your own full potential.

Jupiter (Zues) was Saturn’s son. As a rebellious young lad, Jupiter felt called to expand his horizons, to go beyond fate. This led to a gigantic clash of the Titans in which Jupiter prevailed. The remnants of the legacy of Jupiter and Saturn is the constant cosmic dance performed between the partners of fate and free will.  Saturn represents structure, the march of time, is our karmic debt collector, and the initiator of our soul level lessons. He is the timeless wisdom of the elders lovingly scribed for us, the author of both human and divine law, and as such, corresponds to the actual government. When he makes an appearance in our lives, though oftentimes uncomfortable, and marked by loss, you can guarantee that you will come away with more maturity and mastery than ever before. 

Jupiter, on the other hand, represents expansion, the new generation, the need to find the truth. To see how far you can go as a person, and acts as a portal to dream manifestation. He governs the desire for MORE.  Jupiter is embodied presence that pushes the limits, higher, deeper, and wider. He has a thirst for knowledge and can be found indulging in philosophy, art, and delights in experiencing a variety of cultures. 

Together they cut and carve our collective experience and personal evolution. Their evolutionary function always reminds me a little of the parable of The Garden of Eden. Saturn being the tree of life, and Jupiter the being the tree of knowledge. In essence both are needed equally in order to make up a fully dynamic life.

Every thirty years they come together. For the first time, in 200 years, on December 21st, this will happen in an Air sign. The first degree of Aquarius to be exact, setting off a new 200 year Saturn Cycle in Air signs. (The last cycle was in Earth signs) Theories abound about when exactly we will enter the age of Aquarius. One of my own theories is, we are possibly entering that age, this year. (There are lots of other theories, one of the most popular being Robert Lawler’s Kali Yuga which states we are still a few hundred years away. In addition there a numerous variations of this one. ) Are we seeing Saturn collecting Karmic debts right now, in order to prepare us for a new age? We have a system that is so sick and out of alignment between men’s laws, and divine law, that I think it’s possible. When one of the laws of earth says that we can hang two men for loving each other, even though they’ve hurt no one, I’d purport, we are due for an attunement. 

I wanted to lay all of this out at the beginning of the report this month because I believe that while things seem to be at fever pitch, we could all do with the reminder that the universe is not  random, and while we pay much attention to Jupitarian themes, there is a cosmic intelligence at work, always seeding greater maturity, enlightenment, and evolution. Aquarius governs the new age. It is about social revolutions, (George Floyd’s protests began when Saturn briefly ingressed into Aquarius before dipping back into Capricorn for it’s 2020 retrograde finale) forward thinking, innovation, new technology, humanitarianism, activism, and social justice. To me this spells out H-O-P-E! It doesn’t mean things won’t get more intense, but the dissolution of old structures would be a necessary ingredient in clearing out the old to make room for the new. 

There is so much BIG astrology happening right now as well… First up, The reason we are all here, Moons. You read that right, I said Moons, why? Because, dancing, onto center stage is the dramatic duo of shadow and light, Black Moon Lilith (BML) who is opposite the New Moon. BML is currently sitting conjunct Eris the Goddess of Chaos and Discord in the sign of Aries. Representing the inner and outer warrioress. When she comes into opposition with the moon, it tends to exacerbate any place that we’ve repressed our emotions. In Aries, that means issues of unworthiness in relation to identity, success; questions about inherent value, self-esteem and merit. Where do we compare ourselves to others and feel we just don’t measure up?  When BML connects with the moon in Libra it can trigger issues with any codependent tendencies we carry. Where are we leaning into others to derive our worth and value? Where are we not asserting our authenticity and boundaries? BML wants us to roar out a definitive YES or NO and really state our boundaries with resounding clarity. She isn’t sheepish or meek, so if there is an emotional move you’ve been indecisive about making, she is supporting you by pushing you to a choice point. 

 

On October 13th, Retrograde Mars came into direct opposition to the sun. Both have very Yang, directed action, type energies. Both are related to individuality. Mars really activates the instinctive side of the brain, our ability to defend ourselves, and combat issues that threaten our survival. Together they tend to amplify feelings of anger and rage. It can give anger a dimension of physicality. But remember, anger is often a catalyst to change, so the objective is not to default into demonizing the emotion. Often the things that invoke our anger do so because of something we love. We have coined this phenomenon, “sacred rage”. It’s rage that is rooted in love. For instance, many are fighting for social justice because they LOVE someone who might be at risk of a dangerous interaction with law enforcement.

Mars opposite the Sun has a very polarizing effect. Driving us to take charge of our destiny. One potential downside of this is that we all have very different ideas of what our destiny is, both individually and collectively. There is a dynamic tension between freedom and cooperation. In this year of the Karmic purge, and accountability, we all need to be extra mindful of this drive to rebel and react.  Are we in alignment with divine will, or man’s will? These polarities are being pushed to such an extreme we risk being depleted if we are fighting for the wrong reasons. The sun/mars, moon/BML is squaring Saturn, Jupiter & Pluto in Capricorn. It’s all activated.  Now is a good time to take inventory of our motivations, and make sure we are in resonance with our highest-self, and directing our energy towards things that bring more meaning into our life, and not just adding extra noise into the collective. We want to preserve our energy and adrenals. We know the more taxed our system is, the more susceptible we are to illness and collapse.

Lastly, on October 13 Mercury turned retrograde as it opposes Uranus in Taurus. Retrograde planets give us an opportunity to edit, or remodel areas of our lives that the planet governs. In Mercury’s case it’s day to day communication, local travel, tech, and information. It can sometimes be indicative of secret information coming to light. Especially with the opposition to Uranus who governs sudden change and transformation. Events can alter swiftly with Uranus. He acts like an awakener. So I wouldn’t be surprised if something provocative unexpectedly happens around this time. 

When astrologers were examining their 2020 charts these two weeks were on their radar as some of the most intense and potentially life changing of the entire year. In meditating on how I would approach this time in my own life I am reminded of a favorite passage from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (December 4, 1875–December 29, 1926). In this thoroughly elevating modern classic, the beloved poet makes a beautiful case for the importance of living the questions, embracing uncertainty, and allowing for intuition.

“I want to beg you, as much as I can, dear sir, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” -Rilke

Now is the time to listen, feel, and to live our questions. To do it mindfully and surrendered to the higher intelligence at play. It is so important to stay present with the fact that we are not in control of it all, but rather we each have our small piece of the Great Work. You can see who your revolutionary sisters and brothers are. Each kneading into the fractal they were given. Being stretched across extreme polarities, across timelines, and dimensions each leaning into the work that was meant for us. We CAN do this well. Tap into the tension between activation, and yielding, inhale and exhale. I will see you on the other side.