Astrology :: the art of awareness » Pluto in Capricorn

Weighing Our Heart

Lauren — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:17:22 +0000

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Following on the heels of a week of stellar activity with Jupiter in Aquarius stationing direct, Venus entering Libra, and Mars entering Leo preparing for a retrograde station near the end of the year, our Sun and Moon conjoined in Libra birthing a New Moon cycle under the guiding grace of peace, harmony, justice, and the sweet taste of self-honesty. At the risk of over simplifying: Jupiter stationing direct in Aquarius expanded our heart and mind to open and receive the ideas of others; Venus entering Libra accelerated our love of beauty and harmony seeking tranquility in our relationships; and Mars entering Leo ignited our willful passion to share our personal warmth and unique vitality with others. Every month the Sun and Moon meet one another by sign and degree promising us the conscious awakening of a hidden aspect of ourself. This New Moon provides a celestial key for creating the beauty and harmony we are seeking in our relationship with one another.

Libra is the quintessential sign of relationships running the gamut from intimacy to superficiality sandwiched between our unique style of relating to ourself and to the world of others. Libra is one of the four cardinal points of the zodiac punctuating the seasonal changing of summer to fall when the equal weighing of day and night balance the opposing forces of light and dark. One of the first cultural manifestations of the archetypal principle of Libra is found in the ancient Egyptian worship of Ma’at, the goddess of death personified as truth, order, balance, and justice …….“the dead person’s heart was placed on a scale, balanced by Ma’at, or by the Feather of Ma’at”……and if the scale tipped even slightly the soul was sent back to earth with the responsibility of releasing the extra weight. When we are under the influence of Libra we understand our unspoken responsibility to balance our actions while alive.

The planet Venus is the archetypal principle of love, beauty, and value. Venus as goddess of idealized beauty and the ruling deity of Libra embodies much of the ancient wisdom of Ma’at. At the birth of the Libra New Moon Venus had already entered Libra and unabashedly holding power as ruling deity made a square with Pluto in Capricorn intensifying an atmosphere of restrained decay under the watchful eye of social mores….well almost……for while it is true that Libra is that aspect in each of us with a healthy respect for social decorum, Libra is also that aspect in each of us after smelling the soured stench of falsity and dishonesty acts without hesitation to balance the scales of truth and justice.

Our goddess of love never faint of heart in matters of the heart is emboldened this lunar cycle by the transforming intensity of Pluto in Capricorn riveting our attention to the rotting carcass of fallen relationships. We may feel squeamish forced to look at the coarseness of corporal reality and our unsavory contributing to such a reality but this is a first step toward balancing our actions and accepting responsibility for the quality of our relationships. When we are under the influence of Libra our challenge is to discover an unflinching self-honesty as we judiciously balance our interests and the interests of others. This is not an easy path and one that is all too often sacrificed for the sake of superficial peace masking our true thoughts and concealing our vulnerability. If we genuinely want to improve the quality of our relationships, both personal and social, the Libra New Moon is offering, amongst other things, mutual respect and consideration for one another. All we need do is lighten our heart with honesty.

For a rich and multifaceted interpretation of the Libra New Moon I recommend listening to the New Moon podcast at Sky Bear Astrology

Life As Art

Lauren — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:57:55 +0000

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Mercury Rx in Libra underscores elegance, grace, beauty, and harmony in communicating to others what we value in life. Libra, the ruling sign for aesthetic beauty, accentuates our pleasuring of body, mind, and spirit by encouraging us to live our life as a work of art; attending to detail, discovering nuance, cultivating skill, and aligning our inner harmony by forging meaning from external chaos……...these were the last words I wrote on September 7 before feeling sucked inside a vortex of family relationships that, six weeks later, has left me feeling as fragile as a lone leaf amidst a raging tornado. The chthonic forces of nature, like a raging tornado ruthlessly uprooting our ever-so-carefully constructed realities, is reflected in the universal archetype of Pluto; the furthest known planet from the Sun surviving in abstinence of the radiant light of conscious reasoning.

What we humans can expect when the universal principal of rational thought, Mercury, clashes with the universal principal of the primordial- will- to- survive, Pluto, is nothing less than a psychological war on par with the mythic War of the Titans; that nasty family rebellion overthrowing the gods and goddesses of the Golden Age, sired by Uranus and siblings of Saturn, and enthroning the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, sired by Saturn and siblings of Zeus. Pluto, the older brother of Zeus, became lord of the underworld, keeper of souls, and the final judge of worldly worth delivering life sentences of destruction and regeneration, death and rebirth.

Mercury recently made two square aspects with Pluto and a third is slotted for October 10……… it seems certain that something we perceive as reasonable and rational is in a process of dying, and if we are going to grow in deeper self-understanding we may have to take hold of the long reaching hand of Pluto’s destructive forces working to transform some deep rooted perception we harbor about intimacy and relationships. I am of course describing an inner process of transformation, a psychological dying, that may reflect external events in our life but the significance of which resides solely in our internal growing.

This process is made all the more dynamic because Mercury, hand delivering the intensity of Pluto when it aspects the Saturn-Uranus opposition on September 21 and 23, is challenging us to break free from old ways of thinking about relationships. Whatever thoughts and feelings we have that are restricting us from achieving balance and harmony in our relationships are in a process of regeneration. It may feel just the opposite where achieving balance and harmony in intimate relationships is experienced as jagged, rough cut, and void of resolution.

It is little wonder that I am struggling with family relationships in my birth chart Mercury Rx is moving back and forth across the MC opposing the IC and stimulating what I have inherited from my family opposing my professional achievements forcing me to re-evaluate the influences of one upon the other. Pluto transiting Chiron in my first house pricks a long forgotten wounding intensifying self-doubt and self-incrimination. The Saturn-Uranus opposition transiting very near my MC- IC axis strikes a cord of rebellion echoing a call for freedom from the psychological inheritance of my family. And finally, the waxing square shared between Mercury and Pluto offers the possibility of taking creative action changing my obsession with my past into a regeneration of my past that allows for unknown possibilities to emerge in my present.

Where are these same archetypes transiting in your birth chart stimulating you to grow and change?

Fight-or-Flight

Lauren — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:10:54 +0000

The planet Mercury entering Libra signals an opportunity for harmonious communication in our relationships by teaching us the fine art of conversation requiring that each of us to learn how to listen to one another. When we are under the influence of Libra we are seeking justice, peace and a genuine respect for people. When Mercury is in Libra we discover justice, peace and respect in our communication with one another. Mercury disposing the Sun in Virgo, preparing to station retrograde, and forming the apex of a cardinal T-Square shared with Mars opposing Pluto is reflecting the precision of origami unfolding to reveal an essential piece of our life overlooked and preventing us from seeing the full picture.

Mercury square Mars and Pluto is warning us against taking impulsive action that may be based upon information with a hidden agenda. Mars opposing Pluto can infuse an intense surge in our adrenaline triggering even the mildest of temperaments into a “fight-or-flight” frenzy. Mercury in Libra is seeking fair -minded communication, Mars in Cancer nurturing action, and Pluto in Capricorn social transformation. This cardinal T-Square is giving us the opportunity to meet a current crisis from the perspective of creating stability rather than promoting fear if we are willing to take decisive action on behalf of our future and re-direct our mental and physical energy toward sharing. This month is ripe for a deep and transforming analysis of why we think and act as we do, which is certain to challenge our existing perception of “truth” by propelling our concern for justice into a larger sphere of activity.

Labor of Love

Lauren — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:02:39 +0000

From the perspective of Earth the Sun has entered Virgo giving birth to the annual harvesting of the fruits of our labor; and nothing so pleases the Sun in Virgo than toiling from the heart. It has been said by many an astrologer that Virgo is the hardest worker of the zodiac chronically organizing, discerning, and analyzing the precious details of ordinary life. When we are under the influence of earthly Virgo we relentlessly strive for an ideal perfection within ourself, so much so, that we often scrutinize the minutia of our daily life with an exquisite exhausting of ourself and others. Virgo enjoys the auspicious ruler ship of Mercury, our celestial messenger traversing our unconscious motives and our conscious realizations; who, when in Virgo underscores with refined dexterity the human mind and hands giving birth to an exacting intellect and a meticulous crafting of life.

The first aspect the Sun made in Virgo was a harmonious trine with Pluto in Capricorn adding intense commitment to whatever impossible mission lies ahead of us this month. A focused determination will be at the forefront of our thoughts heralding an opportunity for each of us to suddenly break free from stalled negotiations in order to effect progressive change. We may need to re-examine certain relationships prepared to make a revolutionary change from the past. One of the greatest laments of Virgo is holding tightly to work from the past reasoning that too much effort was used then to make a change now.

On the day the Sun entered Virgo the Moon was in Libra and Venus in Cancer and sharing a mutual exchange they rallied our support to nourish those whom we love with honesty and care. The Moon-Venus square warns of possible emotional conflicts in our relationships which when understood through self-reflection garner the gift of a deeper caring and commitment of love. The first relationship needing that commitment is the relationship we have with ourself since that relationship, above all others, bears the most weight on how we relate with one another. Venus in Cancer trine Uranus in Pisces on the birth of this season’s solar ingress into Virgo enlivened the possibility for a radical change in our relationships expressed with tenderness and consideration. Something is definitely on the horizon which can awaken the possibility of a universal caring for one another if we accept the myriad of imperfections permeating daily life with a little more humor and a larger dose of self-forgiveness.

As the Moon Wanes

Lauren — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:00:54 +0000

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“As the Moon wanes in the sky, so the illumined individual vanishes into spiritual progeny. The civilizer’s light is being absorbed into the fabric of the new civilization – the new earth.” *

The waning phase of every New Moon reflects our conscious participation in the greater whole of humanity. This phase of the lunar cycle provides a passageway to taking action that sows the seeds for a future flowering, which is why the waning phase of the Moon heralds the time when we can contemplate and integrate what we experienced during the New Moon cycle intuitively understanding that our individual actions nourish the whole of humanity. Yesterday gave birth to the waning phase of a New Moon cycle that has been focused on our capacity to nurture the creative life force within ourself and others.

The waning Moon in Aries illuminates our emotional courage to stand on our own and “be” uniquely ourself. How? By challenging us to think independently and separate our thoughts and actions from cultural habits and tribal prejudices that foster defensive self-protectionism and stifle global unity; after making a square to the Sun the Moon squared Mercury in Cancer and made a sextile to Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune in Aquarius. The first aspect the Moon in Aries made was a square to Pluto in Capricorn staining this waning Moon with our collective struggle against tyrannical forces blocking our creative life force from shinning forth. In order for us to grasp the fullness of our life potential and our contribution to humanity we need to carefully examine both our inner and our outer tyrants. The Moon in Aries always sparks our passion to change our past by bringing freshness and spontaneity to our present. When we are under the influence of Aries our impulsive actions can undermine the best of our intentions, and rather than willfully rushing blind into the light this is a good week to stand still in stoic splendor mindful of our courageous heart beating as one with humanity.

* Dane Rudhyar

Our World Family

Lauren — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:17:49 +0000

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This season’s Cancer Full Moon illuminated the face of a Lunar Eclipse beaming transcending rays of death and regeneration down to Earth. The Moon in Capricorn was the culmination point on the ecliptic of a lunation cycle that began with a decisive Sun-Moon conjunction in Cancer opposing Pluto in Capricorn; a cosmic dance alerting us from the very beginning that the celestial atmosphere enfolding this lunar cycle could manifest in world events that would purge intense collective emotions. The June 22 birth of the Cancer New Moon was sandwiched between the sudden and brutal killing of Neda Agha-Soltan on June 20 and the unexpected and shocking death of Michael Jackson on June 25. The tragic passing of their lives penetrated to the core of the collective unconscious unleashing an out pouring of mass grief and public mourning that, at least temporarily, sought to unify individual differences and cultural diversities into a world family; the perfected mirror image of a Capricorn Moon.

This Lunar Eclipse was considered rather weak just grazing the Earth’s shadow, yet, strong enough to trigger a flood of collective emotion that each of us now has the opportunity to transform into a personal commitment to nurture, nourish, protect, and defend the needs of our world family. Saturn in Virgo disposes the Sun, Moon, and Mercury telling of a perfect time for us to use our discerning care in a world-wide distribution of the basic necessities of life under the umbrella of open communication.

On the day of the eclipse Mars in Taurus made a forceful square to Jupiter -Neptune conjoined in Aquarius presenting a cosmic warning not to fall prey to our fear of scarcity by hording our wealth and damning the flow of our humanitarian care. Jupiter and Neptune are retrograde in Aquarius suggesting that our expanding optimism to dissolve the boundaries of the realities that are preventing the world from uniting as one family will manifest outside our ordinary box of expectations; these are unusual times calling forth unusual solutions. When we are under the influence of Aquarius we are aware of the needs of humanity and the necessity to contribute our unique individuality on its behalf. The next Lunar Eclipse to illuminate near the Aquarius North Node will be in 2027 leaving us today with the sobering reality that consciously or not each of us on Earth is contributing to the evolution of humanity through daily actions that directly impact the quality of life for our world family.

A Ripple On A Pond

Lauren — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:35:23 +0000

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A new Moon, a new birth, a new beginning and so it goes each month as the potential for a deeper self-awareness unfolds in the cyclical dancing of Sun and Moon. This month the New Moon is reflecting the sign of Cancer, natural home of the Moon entwining sentiment and romance of the family, guaranteeing an introspective journey down into the depths of our roots. For many astrologers the Moon embodies the soul; that essence with which we sense the eternal within ourself embedded within the collective unconscious of Jung, imbued with the collective inheriting of our species, and enduring the inevitable eliminating of our physical body. The constancy of the Moon notoriously shifting shape, casting long shadows, puppeteering light and dark insures the gentle pulling of change. When the Moon is in Cancer we can feel a sentimental pulling of the past, and feeling encrusted in the certainty of our memories and reticent to venture outside the comfort of our internal home our fear of the unfamiliar, the unfamily, can assume unfathomable proportion. However, this is the ghost of our inherited past imprinting upon our present, and the new birth in conscious awareness promised by the Sun in Cancer delivers this month an auspicious opportunity to shine the golden light of our nourishing care and protection upon ourself and others.

Without reserve we are feeling family this month and the New Moon opposite Pluto in Capricorn sends a celestial torpedo to the depth of our unconscious motives bombarding our past and sending the detritus of our fear to the surface. Major changes concerning our attachment to family are adrift and we are well advised to take action this month and insure the future safety, security, and comfort of our family, but not before we scrutinize what constitutes “family” by dropping the sanctimonious sentiment from the past that may be interfering with the present. Remembering that Pluto in Capricorn is breaking down social traditions and eliminating institutional structures that have become obsolete we may gain a deeper appreciation for the breadth of our “human family” if we ask what it is within ourself that needs breaking down, what past are we clinging too that prevents us from extending the nurture and protection we give our immediate family to our world family?

Pluto, supreme master of the fiery bowels of our Earth spewing forth chthonic forces of nature and issuing the final decree of incontrovertible judgement insures that the evolution of human consciousness will, even if in spite of itself, take another step forward. Admittedly, a Pluto transit is not always a pretty picture at first glancing but when we look back over our shoulder seeing from whence we have come the truth of our understanding is revealed. When Pluto is active by transit, as it is today at the New Moon, stagnation is rampant suggesting to me that the New Moon in Cancer is beckoning us to shift the shape of “our family inheritance” by extending, much like a ripple on a pond, our nurturing care and protective concern from the source of our own family, touching our community family, reaching out to our world family.

Self Truth

Lauren — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:14:59 +0000

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From the perspective of Earth our solar light and life vitality, the Sun, has entered Taurus ushering forth the time of year when we begin building something stable and enduring in our life. Taurus is that aspect in each of us genuinely appreciative of the sensual experiencing of life which is one reason why when we are under the influence of Taurus we tend to attach great value to our material wealth. Honoring what we own in life can provide a satisfying sense of our participation in the continuum of life but not at the expense of understanding the deeper significance of ownership which I hear echoed in the words of Shakespeare, “to thine own self be true”.

There is little doubt that Taurus adds a bullish tenacity to our desire to have what we want in life by fortifying our self-determination to build, if necessary brick by brick, what we value most in life. Our stead -fast commitment to completing the work begun is witness at the superficial level to our material gaining; while at the deeper level of our psyche we witness the refining of our self-worth. For this reason, It is important that we accept the challenge offered Taurus to become more aware of a deeper value for ourself if we want to avoid the fruits of our labor yielding a bitterness because our values, while socially sanctified, lack the integrity of self-truth.

Last month the core of our individuality was infused with new potential which this month, ripening into physical form, is syncopated to the chthonic rhythms of life. Taurus is our trumpeter celebrating the fecundity of the Earth by impregnating our deepest values with the seeds of our future flowering. Our ancient ancestors celebrated this time each year in ritual sacrifice believing that human blood, and later the blood of bulls and other animals, inseminated the Earth with fresh, robust vitality insuring the continuing of new life. When we are under the influence of Taurus we too have the opportunity to inseminate our life with fresh vitality but not before we kill an old aspect of ourself by undertaking a journey into the darkness of our psyche stripped bare of our worldly goods and standing naked before our true self.

Anything less than a journey into the under- world of Pluto foretells of instability and falsity in the work we are doing. Fortunately, for us on Earth the first aspect the Sun in Taurus makes is a harmonious trine to Pluto in Capricorn helping us gain a deeper insight into our self-worth by accomplishing something of value in the material world. Lest we be fooled by shinny appearances, Pluto in Capricorn brings the old order to the surface so that stagnant structures can be eliminated while the Sun-Pluto trine guarantees a month of building a new aspect of our individuality that honors the integrity of our true self.

Earthly Delights

Lauren — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:22:17 +0000

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During her exceptionally long passing in Aries, Venus, mistress of love and money, makes three walloping squares to Pluto, lord of death and destruction; deftly insuring that this transiting trio packs enough cosmic punch to assure gut wrenching changes in our relationships and finances. It is a sure bet that many of us are conjuring buried phantoms from our past and finding ourself shadow boxing with a ricochet of regrets stand mesmerized in the cross fire lashing out in blind attack with all certainty against ourself. Self -incrimination may be at boiling point today as Venus Rx makes the second of three conflicting squares to Pluto delivering a singularly distinct tour de force to the lord of death hours prior to his station Rx. When Venus and Pluto square off betrayal permeates the atmosphere tempting many of us to plunge into our private underworld of Earthly Delights gone awry. This can be a time of enclosing ourself within a private bubble of personal pain and suffering, fermenting memories of powerlessness, escalating our fear of survival, conflating our death with the loss of love. Admittedly, these are the shadow faces of Venus and Pluto in distress, and there are definitely other faces worth exploring; eliminating our attachment to sorrow, transforming self-abuse into self-love, courageously facing our demonic aberrations, embracing the unfathomable powers of our autonomous self. The list is endless the possibilities infinite. If we open our heart and receive this transit as a cosmic gift for transforming love then it can become our greatest alley offering us the deepest source of self-renewal.

All Fool’s Day

Lauren — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:02:50 +0000

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“Whatever is born or done at this particular moment of time has the quality of this moment of time”. Astrology in support of Jung’s synchronistic unfolding of inner and outer reality is deeply rooted in the cosmological moment of birth as the seed pattern for the potential blossoming of that moment. In this same way, the first day of every month puts forth the seed pattern of our potential experiencing of that month. The month of April begins on All Fool’s Day in continuum of an ancient ritual celebrating the resurrection of Spring and the season of renewal. Some scholars attribute the fruitless searching of the goddess Ceres after her daughter, Proserpina, was abduction by Pluto and taken to the underworld, as the mythological antecedent to the fool’s errands and shape -shifting behavior made popular on the first day of April. Admittedly the mythological tales of the resurrection of Spring are as numerous as they are diverse; yet, in the telling of each tale something precious is lost preceding the shift in awareness bursting forth with new life. Not surprising that the chart cast at the hour of sunrise (GMT) this All Fool’s Day reflects the infinite wisdom of the cosmos by placing Venus Rx on the Ascendant approaching a square to Pluto on the Mid-heaven; a celestial signature echoing the ancient mythic telling of Proserpina’s return from the underworld radiating the grace of Spring miraculously conquering the frozen touch of death; albeit with a slight twist, as our lord of death standing firm at the apex of our conscious awareness awaits the return of Venus rising with the gentle light of dawn.

Astrologer, Terry Lamb, eloquently noted in a recent posting on Astro-Pol that Venus Rx traditionally bodes ill will for woman and yet current events, both tragic and affirming, suggests a re-valuing of the social contributions women are making throughout the world. Venus in Aries champions self-love insuring our daring to assert what we value most in ourself and in others. This is not the month to be shy or reserved in honoring those we love, quite the opposite, this is the perfect month to demonstrate our appreciation for the value of others. Pluto in Capricorn preparing to station retrograde directs our attention to re-evaluating social assumptions about gender, race, and class which are preventing our full appreciation of one another. A retrograde Venus in Aries makes an embolden square to Pluto in Capricorn, the day before Pluto stations retrograde, sending us a clear and decisive message that this month we need to re-discover a precious aspect of ourself, an aspect that has been lost or hidden, before we can fully participate in the richness of our self-renewal.

The Moon in Gemini square Uranus in Pisces advises emotional flexibility for the month by challenging us to break free of our past, drop the veil of cultural cynicism, and look boldly into the eyes of our vulnerability. The ascending alignment of the Sun, Venus, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Chiron sandwiched between Mercury in Aries and Jupiter in Aquarius offers us the clue how to heal the wounding thoughts inhibiting the spontaneous expression of our authenticity; direct, self-honesty that opens our mind to non-defensive, non-combative communication. Saturn standing ground opposing the ascending alignment of so many celestial bodies awaits the opposition from Mars that may trigger our inadequacy and stifle our creative action. Saturn imprisoned between the mutual shuffling of celestial ruler ship inter-weaving the planet of limitation with Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter encourages us to relinquish our attachment to all that we have worked so damn hard to create by accepting the mistakes of our past, opening our mind and heart to the unknown, and courageously embracing the present confident of our ability to build the future.