2021 Astrology’s hopes unfounded? Covid and Pluto’s Station

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The hopeful view I and most astrologers put across at the end of 2020 was for the pandemic situation to definitely improve in 2021. The main reason for optimism was the December 2020 Jupiter and Saturn’s splendid conjunction on the threshold of Aquarius. That rare transit ended in fact their passage through Capricorn where their alignment to Pluto had proven so disastrous for the world. But the hoped for positive impact on the pandemic didn’t eventuate the way many expected.

The world’s economically leading countries have seen undeniable changes for the better in 2021. After imposing strict and often controversial borders closure, lock downs, social distancing, masking mandates and vaccinating a great number of their citizens these countries seem to be on their way out of the wood. It is a different story globally though, with infections on the raise and the death toll actually worse than in 2020.

So what happened? Why is it taking so long for things to really improve? To better understand the situation astrologically I had another look at Pluto, because it was after all Pluto, ancient god of the underworld, of dire losses and deep transformations who mainly contributed to paint this period in such dark hues.

One of the most important tenets of astrology is that degrees highlighted by significant transits remain sensitive for much longer than the actual period when the transit makes an exact hit. Because of this the area affected by the significant alignments of Jupiter-Saturn to Pluto will remain sensitized for a long time, easily brought back to life by any challenging transit from fast moving celestial bodies (conjunctions, 45, 90°, 135° and 180°) or by any stations of planets. The latter are the degrees when a planet seems to stand still before it turns retrograde or direct. These degrees become always a strong focus for the expression of that planet’s energy. 

For example Pluto was Stationary Direct on the 24^th degree of Capricorn (the same degree where the conjunction with Jupiter occurred between March and July 2020) at the end of April 2020 (one of the pandemic peak period in Europe) and will be again Stationary Direct on the same degree on October 7 2021! At the end of this year Pluto will move for good from that fated degree; hopefully good news for our tired world.   In the mean time however Mars, the catalyst in chief, will activate that degree again on June 6 (opposing Pluto from Cancer), and on October 22 (squaring Pluto from Libra), as it did three times in August, October and December 2020 (squaring Pluto from Aries during a long retro period), with dire effect on the world.

At this point, despite everyone’s understandable wishes for a rapid recovery, I don’t think the brutal effect of the Covid pandemic could really end until Pluto will move out of Capricorn. And that will happen only between March 2023 and November 2024. Mine may seem like a very pessimistic outlook, after my hopeful early outlook, but what I am talking about is a global recovery not just confined to some ‘lucky’ countries.

On a more positive note and despite serious setbacks (not just regarding the pandemic), the alignment of Jupiter-Saturn in Aquarius has already began to deliver some of its promises for a more just and inclusive mindset in the world. It seems to be unavoidable that this should prevail in the course of the next twenty years. We are still however only at the inception of this progressive trend and a long way from fulfilling it.

Astrology: random quote #3

The power of Pluto

What in Astrology we mean by the power of Pluto? How this mysterious body, relatively small and nowadays even demoted from the rank of major planet, could possibly have such a profound impact on our experience of ourselves and the world?

Lost in the coldness of space, at a bizarrely long distance from the Sun around which it revolves in a long elliptical orbit of 248 years, Pluto‘s cycle oversees the destiny of many generations. In the length and pace of this historical cycle we can begin to glimpse the meaning of Pluto’s power over our lives. This power come to us from the ancestral past and project us into an unknown future, full of potential but also of changes that will make the present disintegrate and our sense of security and continuity shatter. That’s why we associate Pluto with ultimate experiences, death and passions alike, and with the renewed sense of life and meaning that is sometimes attained after serious traumas or periods of deep personal crisis. Pluto is known to operate the way volcanoes do, stirring for a long time in the bowels of the earth, to erupts or even explode, in time, with sudden devastating force.

The above is an extract from a June 2008 post HERE

CANCER SOLSTICE 2010

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The Sun enters the Tropical (seasonal) Sign of Cancer on June 21, 9.28 pm.

It is the Cancer Solstice, Sun’s northernmost declination,

gate of winter in the southern hemisphere and summer in the northern.*******

I am re-posting here THE SOLSTICE CHART from an early article I wrote for the Art of Healing.

The Cancer Solstice Chart

Astronomers and astrologers alike mark the start of the Southern Winter and Northern Summer with the Cancer Solstice, this year falling on June 21. On this day the Sun lingers on its northernmost declination, before beginning to descend again toward the Equator. An important time in the yearly calendar, recognised and held sacred by most cultures, since the dawn of time. Still today, all the promises and mysteries of the coming season are contained in the Solstice Chart.

Click to enlarge

This year the Solstice Horoscope shows the Moon in Via Combusta, that trait of the Zodiac that traditionally is said to span between the middle of Libra and the middle of Scorpio. As its Latin name implies, translating something like ‘burning path’ or ‘fiery road’, I’m reminded here of the feats of walking on hot embers and fire accomplished during initiation ceremonies in diverse cultural traditions, including those of some Australian Aboriginals. The months ahead then we will all be walking on a difficult but enlightening path, a trial of sorts, with empowering potential.

The Moon also forms a beautiful Grand Trine, the combination of three 120 degrees angles, shaping an imaginary equilateral triangle between the Moon (emotions, family), Neptune-Chiron (spiritual healing and karmic suffering), and the Sun itself stationary on 0 degree Cancer, the ancient Gate of Life. Grand Trines are highly energetic configurations, mostly harmonious and positive, opening up new valves of understanding and offering outlets for greater creativity. This configuration seems to redeem the more difficult reading of Via Combusta. There is great potential for healing in this Chart and to overcome the emotional burning with an outflow of higher emotions, compassion, desire to help and heal the world, and all round enhancement of the nurturing quality of Cancer’.

Some fresh thoughts on the Cancer Solstice Season

I add here that this Solstice is embroiled, of course, with the Cardinal Grand Cross we are all worried about (as a 0°03′ Cancer Sun I can testify to this!), the two cannot be separated.

Even a distracted look at the Solstice Chart above would suffice to notice the dominant red square, the Sun making contact with all the known destiny makers: nearly exactly square (90°) Uranus in Aries, applying to a square to Jupiter in Aries, closely applying to a trine (120°) to Chiron in Pisces, separating from a trine to Neptune in late Aquarius and separating from a square to Saturn in late Virgo, and last, but not least, applying to the opposition to Pluto in Capricorn.

The Waxing Moon is on the last degree of Libra also in trine to Neptune and Chiron and in contact to Saturn and Uranus too, thus also contributing her light to the overall picture.

Before these amazing planetary patterns make us really superstitious perhaps we should start looking at them in another way. Like, for instance, as unique opportunities to grow up, individually and therefore globally. At this point I wouldn’t know a better way to put it.

The Moon disposits of the Sun in Cancer in the Solstice Chart, meaning that, at this particular Gate (change of season), the Sun of consciousness pays homage to the Moon of feeling and the psyche. Conscious meets unconscious, revealing to the ego the reality of the psyche, through depth of feelings, flights of creative imagination and psychic insights.

When people ask (and they do at present) how to better utilize these powerful energies, I say: work on yourself, make an extra effort to be aware of the implications of your actions, feelings, words. Participate with these transits rather than seeing them as your doom or the world’s doom.

Something is demanded of us, for sure, greater commitment and sense of responsibility; with the willingness to go looking for the ‘plank’ in our eyes rather than the speck in other people’s eyes. Of course we cannot expect everyone on the planet to be ready to look at themselves with such honesty, but this shouldn’t stop us trying.

These are not aspects which would tolerate avoidance. Facing facts squarely (Saturn), seizing the opportunity to turn things around, your whole life perhaps (Jupiter-Uranus), facing the fear of leaving the past behind and start over (Pluto) will help you to build sounder foundations for a better future.

These transits are global, engulfing the whole Earth and all creatures on it, not just us humans. A way, I feel, we may be able to exorcise them and find some redemption in them is by acting very locally, on the self in fact, each on his/her own self.

There will be tough times for a lot of people. Even if you are privileged enough to live a good material life (and many aren’t, even in western countries) your soul must feel the deteriorating conditions of the world we live in: the pressing social and financial problems; the conflicts of wars and ideologies, the displacement of millions of refugees, the dangers of an unchecked climate change, etc.

The Grand trine both in Water and Air Sign shows to me that the way out of the caginess of the grand cross is through the conscious cultivation (Sun in Cancer) of universal sympathy (Neptune in Aquarius), the willingness to heal what we can and to accept what we cannot change (Chiron in Pisces) and the sensitivity to apply all the above to our daily lives, especially in the area of relationship (Moon Libra-Scorpio’s cusp).

Let’s have a great Solstice season, wherever we are. It is, in part, up to each one of us what sort of world we will be in, in five/ten years time, and what legacy we’ll leave our children.

I feel we have a long way to go yet. In my view we will not find  instant solutions, experience collective illuminations or meet saviours on white horses coming to our rescue. Perhaps I am too much of a skeptic. Let me know what you think; your comments are always welcome.