Pluto in Capricorn

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 […]

Share this article...
By |2023-04-07T07:43:33-04:00February 20th, 2022|Featured posts, Politics|10 Comments

The dance of the Mars square to Saturn and Pluto

If you know the artist of this wonderful piece please let me know!  As Mars (planet of action) pirouettes through the sky and prepares to turn retrograde on September 9th, it has already formed a challenging square to Jupiter (ideological conflict) and Pluto (power conflict). Today it makes the first of a series of squares to Saturn (repression and conflict). Interactions between Mars and Saturn are often described as the attempt to drive with the brakes on, but of course we already have that kind of scenario with so many retrograde planets this summer (retrograde planets appear to be moving backwards from our vantage point on Earth).

The dance between Mars and the three Capricorn planets as they retrograde and turn direct is an interesting one. In this first phase of Mars challenging Saturn and Pluto, Mars is in direct (regular forward) motion and Saturn and Pluto are retrograde. In the second phase on September 29, Mars will be retrograde and Saturn direct. At the third phase, the conclusion, they will both be direct. So at this first phase there is the desire for action and the will to exert influence blocked by Saturn which in retrograde motion is reflecting on the past and turning our attention to the rear view mirror.  Mars says, “Why can’t I do this thing I want?” and Saturn replies “I am the ghost of the past,  [apologies to Charles Dickens] look at why you can’t have this right now.  Meanwhile Pluto is overseeing all of the drama and directing the action so that the Will of the Higher Self can be executed properly with the right action taking place.

In the second phase at the end of September with Mars retrograde and Saturn […]

Share this article...
By |2020-08-24T08:24:08-04:00August 24th, 2020|Uncategorized|0 Comments

When the King of the Gods meets the King of the Underworld: Jupiter conjunct Pluto in 2020

 

Jupiter conjunct plutoJupiter is the planet from which the kindly word “jovial” derives and which is said to act as the Greater Benefic in the lives of men.  It expands our world both physically and mentally, instilling a desire for greater knowledge and high philosophies. As a result, Jupiter has a tendency to constantly be pushing boundaries (boundaries are associated with Saturn) and resists responsibility in the name of freedom.   Under the influence of Jupiter we seek to know god, or to be god as the quality of hubris is woven into the Jupiterian archetype.

But Jupiter also describes the search of humanity for meaning.  We are born into the world with no idea what our purpose is, or what the cosmic truth is all about.  Our lives are filled with a search for that meaning – a paradigm or theology that will help us to make sense of human existence.  Even those who believe that life has no meaning are espousing a philosophy, and that too is ruled by Jupiter.  When the personal search for meaning as represented by Jupiter encounters the force of transformation represented by Pluto, there is bound to be a paradigm shift.

To recap some recent astrological history:

In 2019, Saturn (restriction and challenge) began to align in a conjunction to Pluto (destruction and regeneration) with both planets in Capricorn, the sign that represents the societal structures on which we build our lives and communities.  Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008 when it began to tear down global economic systems and force many of us to rebuild our lives in different ways.  (It should be noted that after the economic collapse when Pluto entered Capricorn there was a historic bull […]

Share this article...
By |2020-04-01T13:11:33-04:00April 1st, 2020|Planetary cycles|5 Comments

The meaning of Saturn in Aquarius

art by Krystle Marie Smith

Before we can understand the meaning of Saturn in Aquarius, we need to understand Saturn’s role in human existence.  This is especially important because as the traditional ruler of Aquarius, Saturn is said to be in its domicile in Aquarius (as well as in Capricorn).

Understanding astrological Saturn

Before the discovery of the modern planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (not to mention Chiron, the asteroids, and all of the other points that are now used to some extent by astrologers) there were seven planets and lights: the Sun, the Moon, and the five visible planets.  Saturn marked the outermost boundary of the solar system, and was surrounded by rings of containment.  These physical attributes reflect the astrological depiction of Saturn as governing limitations, physical boundaries such as gateposts and doorways, and the limitations we place on ourselves through self-doubt and fears.  Saturn was traditionally viewed as the Lord of Death – unlike the modern planet Pluto, which is associated with death as the ending of one aspect of life and the beginning of something new, death under Saturn is finite and final.

Saturn (in the northern hemisphere where astrology developed) is associated with the two zodiac signs of winter: Aquarius and Capricorn: mid-December through mid-February.  These are cold and dark times, where social isolation and the lack of sun can lead to depression and loneliness, other attributes of Saturn.  And yet Saturn is also a treasure trove of material success – the hard work of Saturn leads us eventually to mastery of the material world and the potential for an abundance of riches. Under the influence of Saturn we are sometimes weighted down with responsibility and a relentless drive for career […]

Share this article...
By |2020-03-20T19:35:31-04:00March 20th, 2020|Featured posts, Planetary cycles|2 Comments

How the next recession will happen: An astrological view

Click to enlarge

Economists struggle to understand the ebb and flow of markets and attempt to find reasons why a market will expand and contract.  Astrologers have better tools.  They’re not perfect enough to depend on for day to day trading – there are too many variables.  One’s own planetary cycles, the peculiarities of each individual company, the global atmosphere and how each individual nation is affected by planetary cycl