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Pluto in Aquarius: 2023-2043

art by me and Midjourney with help from ChatGPT

The meaning of Pluto.

The planet Pluto is associated with death, destruction, and regeneration. In psychological astrology he represents the Underworld of the psyche – the secrets that we hide from others and from ourselves, the dim recesses of the mind where our darkest emotions are tucked away.  In the transformational astrology that I practice, Pluto shows up as what I call the “Will of the Higher Self” – the part of us that encourages us to transform our secret darkness into an awakened Self through wisdom and understanding.

We often think of Pluto as being a ruthless Lord of Death and destruction, but this early association of Pluto/Hades with protecting the dead reveals a secret to the Pluto archetype that we don’t often consider – Pluto’s real role is to facilitate our personal evolution if we allow it to.  Under Pluto’s influence we find ourselves facing life in a far more intense way than might be comfortable, but it’s all for the sake of deepening our awareness and facilitating our awakening.

The discovery of Pluto in the 1930s coincided with the scientific breakthroughs required to release the atomic bomb which symbolizes Pluto’s destructive force which sometimes requires complete annihilation followed by a necessary rebuilding phase.  But it also coincided with the groundbreaking work of Freud and especially Carl Jung into the workings of the human psyche and the idea that if humans were able to better understand themselves, they could change the world around them and ultimately, their destiny.

Pluto enters Aquarius this week, really just dipping its toe at the zero degree point before retrograding back into Capricorn. This is just a taste of what is to come, but it does feel as […]

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By |2023-03-20T10:42:58-04:00March 19th, 2023|Featured posts, Future Shock, Planetary cycles|9 Comments
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Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover: An astrological timeline

In April of this year I wrote a profile of Elon Musk after he attempted a hostile takeover of Twitter and now he has done it.  You can read that profile here, but to sum it up:

Dealing with impulse control is a theme in this chart. We have the mentalism of the Sun and Mercury squared by Uranus, the planet of impulsive and radical action. We have a lack of fire. We see that the fire planet Mars is in the air sign Aquarius adding more froth to the mentality of the chart, especially since it is inflamed by Jupiter in Scorpio. Scorpio itself is ruled by Mars, making this a “double whammy” connection between forceful Mars and expansive Jupiter, expanding Musk’s confidence and his need to be right in the fixed signs which can be quite stubborn.  Yet on the other hand the Cancerian Sun and Mercury long for connection and a sense of belonging, and the Virgo Moon seeks perfection and order.

This combination of Mars (action) and Jupiter (confidence) has been activated this year along with some other planetary conditions that showed he was ripe to do something typically Elon in sheer scope and hubris. I imagine a minority of my readers are on Twitter much less care about Elon Musk, but I thought it would be interesting to compare the Twitter takeover timeline to the astrology as a demonstration of the planets at work (thanks to CNN for these details). Some of this will be too technical for my lay readers and for this I apologize! Feel free to post questions in the comments.

January 31: Elon begins building his shares in Twitter.

  • We don’t know exactly […]
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By |2022-11-05T08:16:42-04:00November 5th, 2022|Featured posts, People|6 Comments
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Jupiter in Aries May 10: Forging a new direction

art by Catrin Welz Stein

The story of Jupiter.

The astrological meaning of Jupiter can be deduced from his position in Roman mythology and modern astronomy: As King of the Gods he was the highest ruler and presided over law and order as well as the fates of men and women. Noble in nature, he represents the search for the highest expression of human life.  As the One who fulfilled requests and wishes, Jupiter has come to be associated with good fortune and luck. As the largest of all of the planets, it symbolizes expansion of all things including expansion of human understanding. Jupiter is often called the “greater benefic,” (with Venus as the “lesser benefic”) and the bringer of good fortune. I tend to think that Jupiter’s association with good luck tends to be the result of the optimism and faith that Jupiter brings to the table, enhancing a positive outlook which itself will bring good fortune. 

Jupiter is a partner to Mercury in their rulership of the mutable (flexible and adaptable) signs: Jupiter rules Pisces and Sagittarius, and Mercury rules Virgo and Gemini. Under Mercury’s rulership of Virgo and Gemini we are working with the “small mind” – the personal viewpoints and opinions and ways to measure the world. Under Jupiter’s rulership of Pisces and Sagittarius we seek a broader perspective – that of the “higher mind” or “universal mind.”  We seek expansion and growth and tend to become unsatisfied with the status quo.

Because of its association with good fortune, Jupiter is considered a powerful ally in the chart and that is true to an extent, but Jupiter’s tendency to overdo everything can lead to trouble. And that brings us […]

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By |2022-04-28T07:39:43-04:00April 27th, 2022|Featured posts, Jupiter, Planetary cycles|1 Comment
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It’s here: The US Pluto return

art by Jerry Lo Faro

The US Pluto return culminates this week. Some of you are familiar with the term “Saturn return” – an event which happens for everyone at age 28-30 and then again around 56-60 when Saturn returns to its position by degree in the natal chart. These are very Saturnian events – times when we need to face responsibilities and hard facts as we transition into the next phase of life.

The Pluto return occurs when Pluto returns to its position in the natal chart. Pluto takes 248 years to orbit the Sun so humans do not experience Pluto returns, but nations often do.

The Sagittarius ascendant in the US chart reflects the expansive tendency of the American empire which is probably the single thing that will be its undoing.  Like other empires before it, the expansion of the national identity (Sagittarius ascendant) through ideas like “Manifest Destiny” which inspired pioneers to trek across the undeveloped terrain and do battle with the native peoples and Mexicans and Canadians who were already living on the land. . . .

Since Pluto entered the contracting sign of Capricorn, however, the cracks in the foundation have become more evident. Pluto deals with issues of compulsion and use and misuse of power, and in the US chart Pluto lives in the second house of money. With Pluto in the second house of money and finance, the American shadow is a dirty little secret – an obsession (Pluto) with the power that money can provide (second house).  The persona of the country is the sunny Jupiterian/Sagittarian nature of optimism and faith that everything will turn out fine, but the Plutonian shadow of greed hides in the darkness.

Between 2014 and 2017, Pluto […]

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By |2023-04-07T07:43:33-04:00February 20th, 2022|Featured posts, Politics|10 Comments
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Jupiter in Pisces, May 13 2021-August 6 2021

Jupiter, the planet of expansion, confidence – the King of the gods and the planet which encourage us to be King in our own world – shifts from brainy Aquarius to sensitive Pisces today.  Jupiter will spend a few months in Pisces before retrograding back into Aquarius in August.  During this time, we will discover either (a) an expanded awareness and consciousness of the divine creativity and wisdom that flows through us all, or (b) a trip into fantasy realms where reality hides behind rainbows and alternate universes.

Jupiter tends to expand whatever it comes into contact with and can be an extremist.  In its role as divine arbiter of That Which Has Meaning in Life, in Pisces there can be a desire to lose oneself in a search for the greater good.  Stephen Arroyo’s excellent book Exploring Jupiter has a great quote by John Mason Brown:  “The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose.”  This quote aptly describes the joy that Jupiter in Pisces derives from diving headfirst into extremes.

Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces (with Neptune being the modern ruler), and Jupiter and Neptune share an expansive view of the world, and a desire to bring true meaning into our lives.  However, Jupiter’s focus is more on the expansion of the Self through a pursuit of meaning and Truth where the Piscean desire to submerge the Self requires an annihilation of individuality.  It is here where trouble can occur – especially next year when Jupiter and Neptune conjoin in Pisces for a fantabulous merger of potential bliss and delusion.

In the meantime, Jupiter acts primarily alone, helping us to expand our inner selves, awakening the knowledge of the ideals that give our life […]

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