The Sun is now settled in impulsive, pioneering, confrontational Aries, following its ingress on March 20th and the Astrological New Year has got off to what can only be described, unfortunately, as an explosive start.
The following article (with a few updates and additions) was first published in the March/April edition of Infinity Astrological Magazine.
Forget January 1st and its broken resolutions, the astrological year begins with the Sun’s ingress into Aries. It’s an Equinox, when day and night are in equal balance, and the start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
The most striking thing in this
year’s Aries ingress chart is the on-going T-Square of Neptune in Pisces,
Jupiter in Virgo and Saturn in Sagittarius. Venus joins the T-Square in a tight
conjunction with Neptune; the Moon in Leo links in with a Trine to Saturn and
Pluto forms an earth Trine with Jupiter.
The T-Square incorporates hard aspects
of three important cycles: the waning Square of the 20 year Jupiter-Saturn
cycle; the waning Square of the 36 year Saturn-Neptune cycle and the Opposition
of the 13 year Jupiter-Neptune cycle.
That two of these cycles are in
the waning Square phase highlights that we are in a period akin to the dark of
the Moon. This means that, as the winding down of those two cycles begins, the themes
and issues of those cycles (discussed below) feel more intense, more karmic and
more exhausting as if we’re tired of the way things are and, craving a fresh
start, we look forward to what the next cycle promises to offer. However, a
start cannot be truly fresh unless we use the final quarter of the current
cycle to commit ourselves to cleaning up the messes we have created since the
cycle began. To do this we must accept that our mistakes were part of our
learning curve and resolve to use the wisdom our experience has rewarded us with
to do better next time.
In mundane
astrology, the Jupiter-Saturn cycle is associated with the economic cycle and the
current Square is the last in the cycle that began in 2000. This Square
represents a final crisis point, when we are offered one last chance to clean
up the financial messes we have made, and boy we have made a mess, and prepare
a clean slate for the next cycle which begins at the end of 2020. One thing is
clear, what we have created no longer works, so we must prepare new economic structures
to carry us forward into the next cycle. But will we collectively learn from
the mistakes of the past or simply carry on as usual?
The current Saturn Neptune cycle,
which began in 1989, is also into its last set of Squares, with the next cycle
beginning in 2026. This cycle symbolises how we collectively manifest our
ideals, highlighting the gap between the ideal and reality, the conflict
between what we wish for the world and the reality of what we have and fact and
theory vs. what we feel and intuit. This Square represents a crisis point,
where Neptune intensely challenges Saturn’s desire to maintain the status quo
and the result can be crushed ideals, morals and disappointment and
disillusionment in our institutions and traditions. We are at risk of falling
for illusions, deceptions and propaganda, of giving in to paranoia (egged along
by the media) or simply of dropping into escapism and trying to avoid reality
altogether. Conversely, Saturn counter-challenges Neptune to ground its
idealism in practical reality, to bring its dreams and high ideals down to
earth. It’s an aspect that offers hope, even as it seems to mete out suffering.
The Conjunction of this current
Saturn-Neptune cycle coincided with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the death
throes of Communism. We have also seen the rise of capitalism to the point that
democracy seems to have dissolved before our eyes (democracy defined as “government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system” 1 and we live in a world where election
success is for sale and where the elite increasingly rule, protecting corporate
interests and the elitist status quo ahead of the interests of the general
electorate). But how can things change when most cannot imagine any
other way of doing things? The astrology, however, tells us we must start to
think differently, do things differently. But will we take heed or will we
ignore reality and continue to put our faith in an outdated system. Do we have
the imagination (Neptune) to manifest (Saturn) something different?
Also in the T-Square is the
separating Opposition of Jupiter and Neptune. This 13 year cycle is associated
with idealism, humanitarianism and ideology and during the Opposition the
cycle’s issues become fully exposed and certainly we have seen religious and
political ideological differences coming to a head in the conflict in Syria and
Iraq with the resulting humanitarian refugee crisis overwhelming parts of
Europe and the Middle East, as well as in the terrorist attacks occurring
across the world.
Saturn, as the apex of the
T-Square represents the status quo. It’s the laws of the land, state run
businesses, the administration of Government, justice, order and business as
usual. In Sagittarius, the status quo must respect moral principles, but of
course when one country or faction’s moral principles differ from another’s
what Saturn represents can become dogmatic, believing that its way is the only way
and this is currently very obviously playing out on the world stage.
Venus in this T-Square highlights
the potential for peace negotiations, but with the danger of lack of disclosure
and disappointing results with its close Conjunction to Neptune. More
optimistically, Venus Conjunct Neptune in Pisces suggests humanitarian efforts
and compassion. However, the Square from Saturn suggests those efforts could be
blocked or delayed, but also suggests the practical application of a realistic
humanitarianism. Venus also represents financial matters and could point
towards deceptions/frauds or other financial scandals such as the misuse of
public funds, even as the powers that be (Saturn) insist on maintaining the
status quo. It also suggests disappointing financial results, and slow economic
growth despite optimistic forecasts. Austerity looks set to continue, fuelling
the row between current leaders and political opposition which believes austerity
is not working and is only creating unnecessary suffering for ordinary working
people whilst the wealth gap continues to grow at an unprecedented rate.
Overall, this T-Square suggests political
instability and a year when our collective faith in many things - society and
its systems, the rightness of conflict, politics and religion - is set to be
tested, but that there is always hope. With both the Jupiter-Saturn and
Saturn-Neptune cycles in the last quadrature of their cycles, it’s time to set
out our vision for the future. Saturnian hard work and pragmatism is what will
manifest that vision ad the first step is perhaps letting go of the past, of
the old way of doing things.
Moon Trine Saturn is about doing
the right thing, carrying on with the normal routine, taking responsibility.
The Moon in the context of mundane astrology refers to the general population
as a whole, the consensus opinion. This Trine is hopeful, suggesting stability
on a general day to day level for most people, but at worst, apathy and a too
willing, unquestioning acceptance of the status quo. Pluto in Trine to Jupiter (along
with Saturn’s placement in Sagittarius) suggests an ongoing preoccupation with international
terrorism; with how money is made and distributed amongst the masses and with
our collective belief systems.
There are of course, other
important and relevant aspects in the Aries ingress chart, but for the sake of
brevity this article is concentrated on the T-Square.
The Europe Union
Transiting Jupiter falls in the
2nd House of the chart for the EU, Saturn is in the 5th and the Venus-Neptune
Conjunction in the 8th. The focus on the 2nd-8th axis means that money will
continue to be the major theme and concern for the EU this coming year.
The 2nd represents currency so
there will be further concern about the Euro and its value against other currencies
and the 8th is about the deficit between public income and expenditure.
Jupiter’s Opposition to Venus-Neptune falling across this axis is worrying and
the Greek debt crisis will no doubt continue to dominate the EU agenda as the
austerity measures demanded by the bailout continue to roll out against intense
opposition from regular Greek citizens. The cost of the migrant crisis will
also a continuing concern for the EU and the suggestion is that however much
money is thrown at these problems it will not be enough, even as the appalling
living conditions many migrants are suffering becomes more apparent and urgent.
Saturn in Sagittarius in the 5th doesn’t
sound like there’s much fun to be had. Controls in individual self-expression
such as freedom of speech on social media etc. are likely, maybe legislative
controls, but also self censorship from fear of offending those who are
‘different’ from ourselves and of being publically shamed (usually online) for
doing so. Will those fears put a dampener of old fashioned romance? While many
young people might dream of a handsome stranger approaching them to tell them
they fancy them, there’s a fine line these days between that and harassment!
Cuts to arts and culture funding are likely and issues around children and
birth-rates are also likely to be a focus, as well as regulatory issues around
betting and gaming regulations.
Addition: Since writing this for
Infinity Magazine back in February, on 22nd March, two days following the Aries
ingress, Brussels suffered a horrific terrorist attack on its public transport network.
The Aries ingress chart set for Brussels (see the outer wheel of the bi-wheel
above) sees the two traditional malefics, Mars and Saturn, either side of the
MC. Saturn is moving slowly and stations Retrograde on March 25th at 16
Sagittarius. Mars too will go retrograde in Sagittarius in mid April. Mars will
not overtake Saturn in Sagittarius until late August, so these two planets will
be running mates for some time to come (even though Mars will be back in
Scorpio from late May to early August).
Sagittarius (internationalism) has
been very strongly associated with international terrorism since Pluto’s journey
through Sagittarius (9/11 etc.) and with Mars and Saturn concentrating their
joint energy in this sign, themes that will play out include war, military
action, the demand for retaliatory action. Simply put, there will be hell to
pay, one way or another and the repercussions will be far reaching and longstanding.
A discussion between astrologers
on social media also noted that the fixed star Antares is part of the
Mars-Saturn picture. At 9 Sagittarius 46, Antares sits between Mars and Saturn
in the Aries ingress chart and is conjunct the MC (the highest, most prominent/most
publically obvious point of the chart and that which symbolises a country or
entity’s leader/s).
Antares is associated with life
and death experiences, extremism, obsession, ruthlessness and conflicts that
are difficult, even impossible to resolve. Antares conjunct Mars and Saturn suggests
increased danger, caused by ‘foreign’ aggressors but also by leaders in government/police/military etc. Etymologically,
Antares means anti-Mars, Mars’ rival, a rival in arms.
Mars finally catches up with Saturn
on 24th August, following their respective retrogrades, at 9 Sagittarius 52,
EXACT on Antares (9 Sagittarius 46), so this will be a date to watch.
The UK
The T-Square falls in the 3rd
(Saturn), 5th (Neptune and Venus) and 12th (Jupiter) Houses of the UK Act of
Union chart, with transiting Saturn Conjunct the UK’s natal Mercury. This puts
the focus of the T-Square on transportation and communications, news, the media
and education, as well as the UK’s relationship with its neighbouring countries
(for example, expect to see the issue of the shockingly dismal migrant camps in
Calais in the news again. Calais is a port in Northern France, just a very
short sea journey from the English port of Dover and most if not all the
migrants ended up in Calais because they wanted to try to get to the UK. However,
the British Government have said it’s a French problem, that help from Britain
would only encourage more migrants to Calais). The 3rd House also relates to
local losses related to storms and this will be a big issue as the long clean
up from this winter’s devastating flooding of homes and businesses across the
North of England and Scotland continues. The question going forward is what
systems (such as improved flood defences) will be put in place to prevent it
happening again and who is responsible?
Neptune and Venus in the 5th
suggests a general engagement in and expenditure on escapist activities, the
distraction/pleasure of entertainment, sport, leisure and gambling. The Stock
Market is also linked to this house (being based on speculation). Could we see
a Stock Market Bubble, with certain stock prices rising to above their value
and then crashing? That certainly fits the symbolism of the T-Square. The 5th
is also concerned with children and their interests and also with Government
representatives and ambassadors, so look out for news stories on those topics.
Neptune is just four degrees from
the 6th House cusp (and Venus 5 degrees) so it is likely that health will
continue to be a big issue. Perhaps the privatisation of the NHS by stealth
will continue and at the time of writing junior doctors are involved in
industrial action over changes to working contracts. This issue may drag on,
with other health workers joining the dispute and/or we will see similar
actions by other public sector workers and key service workers. The presence of
Venus also suggests issues around occupations predominately carried out by
females.
The 12th House stands for the
nation’s secret enemies, its spies and its secret agenda, terrorist activities,
hostage situations and crime in general. Will the UK see terror attacks on its
soil? Let’s hope not, but it can’t be ruled out. It’s certain that behind the
scenes covert operations will be going ahead to try to prevent terrorism, so we
will see more and more stories appear in the media about attacks which have
been averted, but the details will remain secret for reasons of national
security. The 12th also of course rules prisons and hospitals and other places
of confinement, so these will also come into focus in the coming 12 months.
Addition: since writing the
original article in February, UK Prime Minister David Cameron has announced a
referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Union to be held on
Thursday 23 June. The Moon (the general populous) for the day of the referendum
falls in the 4th House, symbolising that voters will be considering issues of living
conditions (what will improve ‘austerity Britain, being in our out of the EU)
and other issues such as the escalating housing crisis. It also represents the ‘homeland’
and patriotism in general. Interestingly, the 4th House rules the opposition
party in government (the opposition Labour party is officially in the ‘in’ camp).
The Sun falls in the 9th House Conjunct Venus (which is 3 degrees from the MC).
The 9th House of course, is about foreigners
and foreign lands, immigration, imports and exports and legal matters - all key
issues in the political and media debate around whether or not the UK should exit
the EU. It also reflects what the press think the public are interested in, but
the Moon’s placement suggests that the populace’s main concerns lie closer to
the bosom of their homes and that voters will be asking themselves what it
means to be British as opposed to European.
The Sun and Venus falling in the
9th and near the MC says something about how the nation is perceived by other nations
(in this case the EU) and certainly reflects how the UK is known as a centre
for financial services (The City of London) and for the creative arts in
general and the music and entertainment industries in particular.
How the referendum swings, I am
not going to try to predict as it’s difficult not to be biased when I have my own
views which I won’t share here.
The USA
The Sibley Chart puts the T-Square Saturn in the Ascendant, Venus-Neptune in the 3rd and Jupiter in the 9th.
Saturn just four degrees into the
1st House doesn’t suggest an optimistic outlook during this year when Obama
will step down to make way for a new President. Amongst the top issues will be
law enforcement, corporate interests, administrative prudence, homeland
security and thrift. There will be much talk about taking responsibility and the
prevailing attitude of the nation will be a conservative one.
With the 9th House impacted by
Jupiter, immigration will continue to be an issue and a key one for the
election, also foreign relations and internationalism in general, including
foreign imports and exports and trade relations. Scandals will be played out in
the media at home and abroad. Water related issues are suggested by
Venus-Neptune in the 3rd, with potential problems around flooding, dams and
travels on the high seas. The 3rd-9th axis also highlights education, all forms
of communication and transportation and issues around the ecclesiastical and
legal professions and the churches and courts in which they operate.
On a personal level, look at where
the T-Square falls in your own chart, what planets and points it touches. Look
back to the time of the Conjunction, 1st Square and Opposition of the current
Saturn-Neptune and Jupiter-Saturn cycle and the Conjunction and 1st Square of
the Jupiter-Neptune cycle to see if you can identify themes to help you get the
big picture view of what those cycles mean to you personally.
And may you, and our world, grow,
learn and develop into a better place, for the world is only as good as the sum
total of the thoughts, words and actions of every one of us.
1http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/democracyWith love,
Mandi
