Transits of 'Imprisonment' and 'Liberation'

The reversal of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito’s conviction for the murder of Meredith Kercher was a story which gripped and polarised the public and the media. Whether the pair really had anything to do with the murder we may perhaps never know and that’s not a subject I’m going to speculate about here. When fascinated me about their story is how the timing for the original conviction, the appeal and their eventual release key in to the timing of major outer planet alignments, namely Saturn Square Pluto, Saturn opposite Uranus and the incoming Uranus Square Pluto.  Both Sollecito and Knox have had these alignments touching their charts by transit, with Knox in particular experiencing them very strongly.

What intrigued me even more were the parallels between what happened to them while Saturn, Pluto and Uranus transited their charts and what happened to me while the same transiting planets were touching my own chart. No, I haven’t been convicted, imprisoned, retried and then acquitted of any crime, nor have I had my personal life and character hauled over the coals for all the world to see, but what I did experience with these transits was similar on the psychological and emotional level. Feeling trapped (imprisoned) by external circumstances apparently beyond my control, a sense of ‘fighting back’ and eventually, release and freedom.

By making this analogy, I hope to demonstrate how the themes we associate with outer planet transits to our natal planets can manifest in our lives on so many different levels... From the most literal, external, public events to processes and feelings that occur at the most private and inner level. Often of course, they manifest on many different levels at once and fortunately for most of us, they are not nearly as dramatic or public as the Knox and Sollecito case.

On 4^th December 2009, Knox and Sollecito were convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. This conviction occurred very close to Saturn’s first exact square to Pluto at 2 degrees Libra and Capricorn in November 2009. Saturn and Pluto’s next exact alignment was at the end of January 2010 at 4 degrees of Libra and Capricorn. For both of them, Saturn and Pluto were transiting personal planets in their charts.

Saturn-Pluto transits can seem, at least on the psychological level, to take away our freedom and our free will. In the case of Knox and Sollecito, the loss of freedom was literal. In fact, losses on any level can occur under this transit. It tends to be a time of forced change, fear, pressure, negativity, crisis, restriction and a psychological journey to the underworld.  We may feel that invisible forces are working against us, that we are fighting for survival on some level. Even as our personal power is taken away, we need to find the strength to carry on, to work hard and then even harder to face and banish our demons. For this we need courage, strength and staying power. We need to tap into inner and outer resources to help us through. Readers with planets or angles at 1-5 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra and/or Capricorn are likely to identify with some of these themes if they look back over the last couple of years or so (get your chart for free at www.alabe.com).

The charts below show how the Saturn and Pluto square picked up on personal planets in Knox and Sollecito's birth charts. Knox has Venus at 4 degrees of Cancer, so just after the conviction transiting Pluto was exactly opposing her Venus, with Saturn squaring her Venus. She also has Mercury conjunct Venus, with Neptune in early Capricorn opposing from the public seventh house. The Moon’s Nodes, in early Aries and Libra, complete a dynamic, but no doubt stressful cardinal grand cross.  With Pluto and Saturn transiting this grand cross it’s not surprising that she has been called a liar, a manipulator, a seductress, violent, perverted and a she-devil, but imagine having to face your demons when the world is naming you as the demon!

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Sollecito has his Sun at 5 degrees Aries squaring Neptune at 1 Capricorn, within orb of the Saturn-Pluto squares of late 2009 and spring/summer 2010.  While he has attracted less attention than Knox, the Saturn-Pluto transit to his Sun and Neptune is telling. Was he a victim in all this or was he deceiving everyone when he proclaimed his innocence? It’s hard to tell with that Sun-Neptune square, except to mention that it is reasonable to expect martyrdom on some level, or at least the sacrifice of the ego, with this aspect, especially so because both the Sun and Neptune are angular in his chart.

Click to enlarge

For myself, I have Sun in the eighth house at 4 degrees Capricorn, which meant that for most of 2009, transiting Pluto was in orb of conjunction with my Sun, with its first exact hit in January 2010. Transiting Saturn was in orb of a square to my Sun from late 2009 through autumn 2010, with the first hit in December 2009. What happened to me? Well, a change in personal circumstances beyond my control meant that I felt trapped in an unhappy situation both literally and emotionally. Any attempt to get myself out of the situation seemed blocked at every turn and I felt like a rat in a maze. I won’t go into great detail, except to say that it was all very eighth house on every level!  Friends will testify that during this time I would often say that my situation felt like a prison sentence, but that I wasn’t sure what my crime had been!

We all know that in life nothing is forever and like life, transits are temporal. With Saturn-Pluto transits, there is, thankfully, a light at the end of the tunnel, with the eventual promise of empowerment and emancipation, but not before a lot of hard work and a lot of seemingly endless patience.

Sollecito and Knox‘s legal teams filed appeals against their convictions in April 2010 and the appeal process began in December 2010. It was during the time between the filing of the appeal and the actual appeal that the Saturn-Pluto squares and the ongoing, status-quo upsetting Saturn-Uranus oppositions formed what has been widely dubbed by astrologers as the cardinal climax – a t-square in the early cardinal planets that had been building since 2008 and has come to symbolise shocks, changes, intense challenges, restriction, losses and hard, hard work. Its most obvious manifestation has been in dramatic change of fortune in the world’s economies, the effects of which have filtered down into the lives of individuals everywhere, but overall, these aspects have been reflected in individuals’ lives in many different ways and on many different levels.

Whatever the manifestation, I’m proposing that it was accompanied by these feelings of entrapment and imprisonment that I have described, along with the feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself and in many ways out of your control. Despite this, many of us have emerged much stronger and more resourceful, even as we find our material circumstances reduced.

So, for those of you still feeling trapped and repressed, where and when is the release? Let’s look again at the charts of Knox and Sollecito. 

They won their appeal against their murder conviction and were freed on October 3^rd 2011. By now, Saturn has moved out of the picture, with the much anticipated Uranus-Pluto square forming. On the day of their release, Uranus was at 2 Aries and Pluto at 5 Capricorn, connecting with the cardinal planets in their charts very closely. Under Uranus-Pluto moving aspects we demand freedom, we question authority, we don’t accept the letter of the law and we won’t tolerate being controlled. We want to feel free to do what we want to do and we want to make a difference.

Knox’s father summed up Saturn-Pluto followed by Uranus-Pluto perfectly, "she's almost kind of reborn in a way. I mean, living for four years inside a concrete and steel, you know, prison, and now being able to kind of just look around, smell the air and - and just do what she wants to do, hopefully when she wants to do it, it makes a huge difference." (quote from cbsnews.com)

For myself, after a year or more of Saturn and Pluto transiting my Sun, I had the first squares from Uranus to my Sun in May this year. Around the time of the second hit, a surprising event happened that changed everything for me. As I sit here writing, I am looking forward to the next few months leading up the third and final square of transiting Uranus to my Sun, with Uranus is also making a series of sextiles to my MC and 10^th house Aquarius planets.  I am now in a position where I feel free do whatever I want with my life. Yes, there has been much upheaval and masses of change, but finally my appeal has been heard and I have been released from my psychological prison. I still don’t know what my crime was, but that doesn’t matter, because what I do now know is that I have the inner resources to cope with an uncertain future and it doesn’t matter that I can’t control everything. All that matters is that I use my time and energy wisely from now on and follow my heart.

Readers, have you experienced similar feelings and events over the last couple of years or so? How are things now?

With love,
Mandi
www.mandilockley.com

Chart data from Astrodatabank.

A note to subscribers: an apology that at the end of Astrology for October there was an error in the text for Venus and Mercury opposing Jupiter. This has now been corrected:

http://mandilockley.blogspot.com/2011/10/astrology-for-october-golden.html

No More Secrets ~ Pluto in Capricorn

It seems there can no longer be any secrets.

Yesterday’s Evening Standard opinion piece began, “This is an age of institutional and professional crisis”. As an astrologer I would add, “This is the age of Pluto in Capricorn”.

Since the God of the Underworld moved into the sign of corporate business, authority figures, politics, and working practices, revelation after revelation has been dug up and exposed to the light. It’s been hard even to keep up with developments, but here are a few notable examples.

In 2008, just as Pluto was dipping its toe in Capricorn and the expansive, bloated, globalising Pluto in Sagittarius era was concluding, "the financial sector was rocked to its foundations by global nemesis". That’s another quote from The Evening Standard. I couldn’t phrase it myself with more Pluto in Capricorn gusto! The upshot was that the financial world got so high on profiting from reckless lending that they forgot to notice when there was nothing left to lend. I don’t need to point out, dear reader, that we are all still paying the price several years later.

In 2009, the wealth management business of Bernard Madoff was exposed as a fraudulent Ponzi scheme. Thousands of investors lost billions of dollars. 73 year old Madoff was convicted to 150 years in prison. I’m guessing he’ll have to finish his sentence in Hades’ realm.

Sir Peter Viggers' Duck Island

Also in 2009, the UK parliamentary expenses scandal “swept through the Palace of Westminster like a cleansing fire” when the Daily Telegraph published details of controversial expenses claims. The scandal led to the resignation of a number of high profile politicians. Subsequently, a handful of MPs/former MPs and Peers have faced criminal charges, guilty verdicts and custodial sentences. Many more made a gesture of paying back some of the taxpayer money they had erroneously claimed as expenses. Some of the most notorious examples of fraudulent or inappropriate expense claims included numerous unnecessary second homes, a duck island, the cost of maintaining a moat and porn movie rentals.

Now, this week, we are in the midst of the latest and the worst episode in the News of the World phone hacking scandal. The heinous practices of the tabloid rag were first exposed in 2005 following intrusion into the private lives of the Royals, leading to two criminal prosecutions. Then, in July 2009 the story resurfaced when The Guardian newspaper alleged that over 3,000 celebrities, politicians and other public figures had been hacked. It was also alleged that NoW paid off some of the victims to avoid legal action.

Remember, for most of 2008 and 2009, Pluto was on or around the revelatory Aries Point, the point at zero degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) where the private becomes public and the personal becomes political. Well, Pluto at 0 Capricorn certainly didn’t disappoint on that score!

Also in late 2008 and through to mid 2010, we were in the midst of a series of status quo shaking Saturn and Uranus oppositions. These oppositions, the half way peak of the current Saturn-Uranus cycle, symbolized a societal crisis point and the collective urge for change. Out with the old, in with the new was the rallying cry. In the US, it was Barack Obama who answered the call, becoming America’s first black president. In the UK it was out with Labour and in with a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.

In late 2009, Saturn dipped his scythe into Libra and began a sequence of dynamic and stressful squares with Pluto. The information dredged up under Pluto in Capricorn’s energies met the energies of harsh but fair Saturn in Libra. Out came the scales of justice and the purging began. In fact, it was in Feb 2010, just days after the second exact hit of this aspect that it was announced that a number of individuals would face criminal charges in the parliamentary expenses scandal. All of them were convicted.

Sienna Miller, phone
hacking victim

Back to the hacking scandal and it now seems clear that Pluto isn’t through with the News of the World. The story has been rumbling on and refusing to go away since the 2009 Guardian allegations and has slowly been building momentum. That said, the general public seemed quite ambivalent about tales of celebrities being hacked, perhaps because they understood the mutually dependent relationship between celebs and the tabloids in the PR driven fame game.

Everything changed this week. The tipping point in public and media opinion came when it was revealed that the mobile phone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler was hacked and messages deleted, giving her family false hope that she was still alive. It’s also been revealed that this was by no means a one off. The bereaved families of other murder victims and terrorist attack victims were also hacked. More names are being added to the list daily. Advertisers are pulling out of NoW faster than you can blink.

What is also shocking is that these hackings go back at least as far as 2002. Furthermore, the evidence of this week’s revelations was unearthed way back in 2005/2006. Why was it sat upon for so long? What was the true nature of the relationship between NoW and the Metropolitan Police? Already, it’s been alleged that NoW paid the Met for stories. Did the NoW editors of the day really know nothing about what was going on at the paper they were in charge of, as they claim? What about NoW’s relationship with government? Certainly, two former NoW editors who were at the helm when the alleged hackings took place have been closely linked with the Prime Minister David Cameron.

The News of the World is ultimately owned by media plutocrat Rupert Murdoch. It will be interesting to see how he comes out of all this and what becomes of his takeover bid for BSkyB, a dealing facing ever growing mass public protest. Transiting Pluto has already completed a series of conjunctions to Murdoch’s Capricorn Ascendant, but it seems that Pluto is not through with him yet. (Astrodatabank)

Click on the link for a timeline of how this story has unfolded.
For the BBC’s Q&A, click here

The words heinous, disgusting, repulsive and shocking have all been used extensively to describe the NoW scandal. These are very Uranian words. Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Aries are rumbling ever closer to their first exact square next year. In fact, they have been close enough to count as ‘in aspect’ for some time now, for the purposes of mundane (world) astrology anyhow. Uranus-Pluto is the revolutionary, everything must change, nothing will be the same again aspect. Just look at what has been unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa.

This powerful Uranus-Pluto square alignment, the first major crisis point for this planetary cycle since their world shaking mid-sixties conjunction, takes us right through to 2015. What we are seeing now is merely the tip of a very large iceberg. When Uranus and Pluto find their momentum, no government or corporate ship will be unsinkable. If you’ve anything to hide, you’d better find out where the lifejackets are kept.

With love,
Mandi
http://www.mandilockley.com/

Astrological Review of the Year ~ Part 2

2010 is over…but there’s still time for a quick look back over some of the year's big news stories from an astrological point of view. Some of the stories angered us, some upset us, some awoke our compassion and others served to remind us of the strength and grace of the human spirit.


January to June: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Oil Spills and Elections


January ~ Earthquake in Haiti

On January 12, at 4.53 local time, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, the epicenter 15 miles WSW of Port-Au-Prince. The earthquake almost totally devastated the capital, which was already suffering from extreme poverty and lack of basic infrastructure. Casualties have been estimated at upwards of 200,000.

Astrologically, the Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron conjunction falls in the 8^th House of the chart for the Earthquake (set for Port-Au-Prince). In previous posts I have associated this triple conjunction with health issues and the resulting health issues from lack of hygiene and overcrowding are unfortunately ongoing, with deaths from cholera and other diseases still claiming many lives almost one year on, with over a million Haitians estimated to be living in unsanitary, overcrowded camps, leaving them vulnerable to increasing violence. As you would expect with the conjunction in the 8^th, the disaster resulted in a huge outpouring of international compassion and monetary aid, but this has not been without scandal (Neptune) with accusations that only a tiny proportion of the aid was released by as late as July.

At the time of the earthquake, Haiti was having its Saturn return and it’s a grim observation that this Saturn return – which was accompanied by the transiting square from Pluto - has led to the country having to completely restructure itself, a long, slow, hard process.  Another indicator of the drama was the lunar eclipse on 31 December 2009, less than two weeks before the earthquake, falling exactly on Haiti’s natal Sun at 10 degrees Capricorn. Additionally, there was a build up of planets in cardinal signs, a phenomena sometimes associated with earthquakes, including Sun, Venus, Mercury, North Node in Capricorn and of course Saturn and Pluto.

For more on the Haiti Earthquake (and to see the charts) see:
Haiti: Astrology of a Disaster by Pathea 
Astrology of Haiti Earthquake by Planet Waves 

April ~ Grounded by Ash, Drowned in Oil

For several months, Iceland’s Mount Eyjafjallajökull had been periodically erupting, but when eruptions resumed on April 14, the resulting cloud of ash grounded most of the air traffic into and out of Europe for almost a week, leaving thousands stranded and disrupting travel worldwide.

Naturally, the volcanic eruption and ensuing crisis correlates with the Saturn-Pluto square, but a closer outer planet alignment (and a part of the same picture) was the last of the Saturn-Uranus oppositions in the mutable signs. Disruption ensued and the status quo was challenged, as our freedom to travel (Uranus) was curtailed (Saturn). Jupiter’s applying conjunction to Uranus only served to expand and exaggerate the problem.

For a more in-depth look see:
Astrology of the Iceland Volcano by Lynn Hayes 
Aviation Shutdown by Jamie Darkstar
Rollan McCleary looks at Iceland’s chart and makes some interesting observations

On April 20, The Deep Water Horizon drilling rig exploded, taking the lives of 11 men. It took BP almost three months to cap the leak, by which time over 5 million barrels of crude oil had flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, causing environmental and economic disaster.

Astrologically, we can look to the Saturn-Pluto square (oil, the rupture of the earth), connecting with the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Aries (science and technology, the call for urgent action, the finger pointing at BP and its CEO Tony Hayward). However, it’s the Neptune and Chiron conjunction in late Aquarius (which was transiting conjunct the Moon of the USA) that really completes the story. The Earth’s very structure (Saturn) was wounded (Chiron) and ruptured deep underground (Pluto in Capricorn) by the oil (Pluto) leaking (Neptune) into the sea (Neptune). Notably, Pluto was conjunct Ceres (Mother Earth).

Astrologer John Wadsworth looks at the charts for the spill, for the USA, for BP and for Tony Hayward and makes some excellent observations in The Astrology of the Gulf Oil Spill 

May ~ Parliament Hangs

On May 6, under a Mercury Retrograde, the UK went to the polls and the result was a hung parliament, which led to what has predictably become a very uneasy coalition government between the right wing Conservatives and mid-centre Liberal Democrats. A few days before the election I looked at the election chart in detail and predicted the coalition government (although between Labour and the Lib-Dems ~ a bit of wishful thinking on my part), but my analysis of the chart stands up pretty well. Read it here:
UK Election Day Chart. 
 
July to December ~ Floods, Riots, Wikileaks, 33 Chilean Miners and a Taste of Freedom

July/August ~ Floods and Blood Diamonds

In July, monsoons brought mass flooding to Pakistan, leaving almost a fifth of the country underwater. Around 2,000 people lost their lives, but the devastation affected over 20 million.

Lara Owen looked at the chart for Pakistan on her blog and observed that its natal Mars at 0 degrees Cancer on the MC, was under assault from the transiting cardinal t-square of Saturn, Uranus and Pluto, forming a moving grand cross in the chart. Not an easy picture, by any means. It’s also worth observing that while the Haiti earthquake led to an outpouring of compassion and aid from around the world, there was a feeling that there was less sympathy for the plight of those in Pakistan when disaster struck there, which not surprisingly angered (Mars) many there.

The War Crime tribunal of Sierra Leone’s former dictator Charles Taylor, hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons after supermodel Naomi Campbell was called to give evidence, revealing that she had received alleged ‘blood diamonds’ from Taylor.

No stranger to controversy, Campbell’s chart has Neptune on the MC opposite Sun natally, describing the fashion, beauty and glamour, but also the scandal and accusations of deceit that seem to follow her around. Venus in her chart, in the last degree of Gemini, was at the time of the court case being transited by the Saturn-Uranus opposition, so controversy and exposure (her Venus sits on the private becomes public Aries Point) seemed destined to come her way.

September ~ The Power of a Pluto Transit

On September 25 British politician Ed Milliband, known for his left wing stance, took a surprise victory over his brother David in the election to lead the opposition Labour Party. While David was the favourite to win the contest, it was Ed who had transiting Pluto exactly conjunct his natal Sun in early Capricorn, so the power was always going to be his!

October ~ Los 33 Mineros

On October 13 the World rejoiced as the 33 miners trapped underground in Chile were finally all brought back to the surface. After 69 days trapped, it was the longest time anyone has ever been underground and survived. Overjoyed relatives, who had been living in Camp Hope beside the mine, were there to greet them as they rose to the surface in the space age Fenix capsule, one by one.
 
This story, with Pluto in Capricorn (Hades, under the ground, the fight for survival) conjunct Ceres (Demeter, mother earth), evokes the Greek myth of Hades releasing the abducted Persephone to her mother Demeter from the darkness of hell to the light and hope of Earth. The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in mutable Pisces symbolizes the space age technology that was adapted in a race against time in order to free the men. And of course, the Neptune-Chiron conjunction in Aquarius stands for the hope and brotherhood of the trapped men and of those waiting for them in Camp Hope. Nobody could fail to be inspired by the bravery of the men, proof of the enduring strength of the human spirit against the odds.

For more insights, see Lynn Hayes’ Musings on the Chilean Miners 
See also Resurrection in Chile by Adrian Duncan Ross at World of Wisdom, which looks in detail at the charts for Chile, for the mine collapse and for the rescue.

November   ~ Dreams of Freedom in Burma

On November 13, Burma’s pro-democracy leader and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was finally released after being detained for 15 of the last 21 years. The Oxford Astrologer blog took at look at the themes of Moon-Neptune ~ sacrifice, dreams and spiritual yearnings ~ an astrological signature in Ms Suu Kyi’s natal chart, the chart for Burma and the chart for her release date. Read her analysis here:  Aung San Suu Kyi: Embodying the People’s Dream 
                                                                                                                     

November also saw the US midterm elections, with the Democrats retaining the Summit, but being pummelled as the Republicans took the House. This was no surprise to anyone and a good example of how the changing sky was reflected in events. Obama’s message of hope and change you can believe in was a perfect channel of the Saturn-Uranus oppositions, by the time of the mid-terms we had been through the Saturn-Pluto squares – hard work, losses, grim reality and politically, a move to the right, most notable in the rising stock of the Tea Party Movement. Jupiter and Saturn, at the opposition phase of their cycle, points toward a time of austerity, following the expansion phase of the first half of the cycle.

December ~ A Fight for the Right to Information

In the UK, a series of increasingly violent student protests against the government’s plans to raise university tuition fees came to a head on December 9 when a car containing the heir to the throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla was attacked. However, much of the anger has been directed at Lib-Dem leader and deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who in his pre-election manifesto pledged not to raise tuition fees. Now, as part of a coalition government with the Conservative party, he has been forced to vote for the raising of fees. In Clegg’s chart, if the 6am birth time is reliable, Saturn was transiting his Midheaven (symbolizing the restrictions placed on him in bringing his pre-election promises to bear and the need to face reality and take responsibility publicly, thus making him an easy scapegoat). The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction has been transiting his third house (education) Saturn, so it’s not surprising his ideas have been upset. (Clegg data: 7 Jan 1967, Chalfont St Giles, UK, approx 6am).

In the UK 1066 chart, transiting Saturn has been squaring natal Mercury (restrictions to learning) and in the 1801 chart, Saturn has been squaring natal Sun. In both charts, Pluto in Capricorn has been hovering close to the angles for some time and with the revolutionary energies of the upcoming Uranus-Pluto squares also hitting angles of both charts exactly, we can expect many more protests and direct action to come over the next 2-3 years. Life as we know it on this small island is about to take an evolutionary leap.

Also in December Julian Assange becomes one the world’s most talked about men, after releasing diplomatic secrets on his Wikileaks website. He was subsequently arrested in London after rape accusations, but released on bail. Meanwhile, ‘Hackivist’ supporters of Assange caused havoc to banking and retail websites in protest against efforts to close down his freedom of speech website. In Assange’s birth chart, a rebellious Sun square Uranus and a freedom fighting Mars in Aquarius square Jupiter are a good reflection of his anti-establishment work. Saturn in Gemini in the 7^th (the restriction of public information) opposes a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in the first (leaks and scandal of big proportion). There’s also a Scorpionic feel to  the chart (the keeping and exposing of secrets) with the Moon and possibly the Ascendant in Scorpio. Additionally, Pluto (that which is buried and unearthed) makes aspects to Mercury (news, information), Venus in Gemini (the value of information) and Jupiter in Scorpio (skepticism about believing the ‘received’ beliefs of others,  – in this case the establishment view – especially as Jupiter is part of Assange’s Saturn-Neptune opposition. This story, I believe, will run and run.

For more on Assange’s chart, see Darkstar Astrology’s piece, which looks at Eris and The Shadow Side of Julian Assange from Astrotabletalk. 
Birth details for Julian Assange: July 3, 1971, Townsville, Queensland
Mountain Astrologer gives a questionable birth time of 2.05pm 

And that's that! Another year’s over and a new one’s begun and guaranteed, it too will be full of drama and also full of hope.

Happy 2011 and see you soon.

With love,

Mandi

www.mandilockley.com

An Interview with Uranus in Pisces

As Uranus moves out of Aries and back into Pisces for a spell, it seems appropriate to get a little nostalgic about the planet of innovation’s transit through the sign of divine inspiration, imagination and dissolved boundaries.

Imagine Uranus in Pisces is your friend. You haven’t seen him for a few months (while he’s been firing it up in Aries) and come March next year he’ll be going on a long stint back in Aries and won’t be back in Pisces for well over eighty years! What would you ask him?

Well, fortunately, Uranus is Pisces called me up and asked me out for a drink so I could interview him about how he thought the last seven years or so went down….

Astroair: Hi Uranus in Pisces, nice to see you again, how did the last seven years or so go down?

Uranus: Well, the most fun thing was my two year face-off with my old 'buddy' Saturn..me and him have ancient history.

Astroair: Really?

Uranus: Yes, back in the day, I was known as Father Sky and was hitched to Gaia, good old Mother Earth, but one day, I decided to shake things up a bit and buried her kids deep under the ground. Gaia was cross, natch, so she got our boy Saturn, who went by the name of Cronus back then, to castrate me and throw my manhood into the sea, but from them grew the beautiful Aphrodite, but I think you know her as Venus. Oh, I could reminisce all day about her….

Astroair: I can see why, but can we get back to more recent times?

Uranus: Ah yes, my most recent run-in with Saturn….

Astroair: You mean the Saturn-Uranus oppositions?

Uranus: Yes, well, as usual Saturn just wanted everything to stay the same, preserve the status quo, uphold tradition, blah, blah, but he had Pluto on the sidelines whispering in his ear, digging up the past, making him face things he’d rather not. You know, putting the pressure on. Well, with that going on I seized my opportunity, waded on in there and turned everything upside down. You hear about the banking crisis? The economic recession? Well it all went kaboom! at the end of 2008 and you’re still feeling the shockwaves, right? All I had to do was expose what was really going on and the whole financial system broke down before your very eyes. Exciting times….

Astroair: What's next?

Uranus: Well, change is in the air still, can you feel it? Saturn moves on soon though, so from 2012 to 2015, when I’m in Aries, it’ll be me and Pluto in Capricorn carrying on the good work. Viva la revolution!

Astroair: Any predictions?

Uranus: Come on, don’t you know your astrology? I’m the unpredictable one, so anything can happen. But one of the last times we were in a major alignment was the 1930’s. Remember the great depression? The New Deal in America? No probably not, you look too young. How about the cultural revolution of the mid-late 60’s when me and Pluto were walking hand in hand? You look as if you were just being born around then. Exciting times for you lot on Earth...and no doubt there are more exciting times to come.

Astroair: Thanks for the tip, but we’ve wandered off the point a bit, I was asking you about being in the sign of Pisces…

Uranus: Yes, that’s the trouble with Pisces, no focus.

Astroair: But there must have been some good times?

Uranus: Good, bad, it’s all the same to me, but yes, of course. The Health Care Reforms in the US. Not a done deal yet, but maybe you’ll see some closure before March next year. If I have anything to do with it, it will revolutionize the system and make it fairer for everyone. You see, in Pisces I came over all idealistic and compassionate, but in case you were wondering, I was still strong enough to push back against resistance to the change.

Then there was the election of Obama in 2008 on the very day of my first face-off with Saturn. What a day, talk about cosmic synchronicity! His motto was Change You Can Believe In. I liked that, it suited me very well. And I also appreciated how he was received as if he was the next Messiah. But now he’s really unpopular. Just goes to show how quickly things can swing. So it goes.

And going back a bit, there was my opposition with Jupiter in 2002-4, right at the beginning of my turn in Pisces. When I meet Jupiter in conjunction or opposition, it's reflected on your rock in times of rebellion, leaps in human consciousness, important innovations and exciting scientific breakthroughs.

Remember the mass protests against the invasion of Iraq in 2003? More than 10 million people protested in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest protest ever to take place before a war has even begun. Not only that, an international group of protesters went to Baghdad to act as voluntary human shields, hoping to avert the invasion. It didn’t work though as you know, the invasion went ahead anyway. I can’t influence outcomes because you have free will. I can only provide the necessary energetic vibe.

Then in science, the Human Genome Project was completed in '04, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy and around that time your first successful cloned animals were born. And this one made me laugh…it was in ’04 that the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrived successfully within the orbit of my old adversary Saturn. The craft has sent back some truly remarkable, never before seen footage. Good ol’ Saturn, he’ll have no secrets now!

Astroair: You're in aspect with Jupiter again now aren't you?

Uranus: That's right, as I now flit between Pisces and Aries for the last time until the end of this century, I’ve just started the new cycle, a conjunction, with Jupiter. You astrologers have made all sorts of predictions - time travel; teleportation; the indisputable discovery of dark matter; mass riots, strikes and protests; commercial space tourism; proof of life on other bodies in the solar system….

Astroair: Are they right?

Uranus: You’ll just have to wait and see. I’m here to cause surprises, not to spoil them.

Astroair: Fair enough! Anything else you want to share about being in Pisces?

Uranus: Well, you tell me…

Astroair: Errmm, how about the massive spread of online social networking? Then there were breakthroughs in opportunities for the disadvantaged and marginalized and some very successful and innovative charity appeals. And there's been the rise of the new age movement, which has seen many turning their back on the organized, structured religions to follow their own brand of faith...

Uranus: Exactly and the list goes on and on… Of course Neptune in Aquarius has tried to take the credit for some of those, but who believes Neptune? Another drink?

Astroair: I don’t mind if I do, thank you very much.

With love, Mandi
www.mandilockley.com

Uranus Planet image from http://www.spacestationinfo.com/
Uranus and Gaia image from http://madraider.com/

Saturn Opposition Uranus - All Change

Think back to late 2008, when the current series of Saturn-Uranus oppositions began. How the world has changed! The credit crunch; the banking crisis; political changes, scandals and upheavals; recession; job losses; calls for political and economic reform….we are living through times of massive change, for sure.

I suspect there aren’t many of you reading this who haven’t been affected directly or indirectly by the events of the last couple of years or so. As we come to the fourth of the five current Saturn-Uranus oppositions, the final one in Virgo and Pisces, this is a good time to review what’s changed in your life and to ask yourself how you feel about where you find yourself right now.

Did you initiate and control the changes that have occurred in your life, or were the changes thrust upon you and your loved ones by circumstance? Have you wanted to make changes, but felt blocked by external forces or by your own fear or uncertainty?

For some of you, this process of change has been/is a conscious one, as you rebel against ‘the way it’s always been done’, make a push for freedom and push forward with your ambitions/dreams/plans. However, many of you who desperately want to make changes in your lives are feeling blocked (or feeling like you’re ‘in prison’ as one acquaintance expressed it) as you meet resistance from the outside world, or even resistance from yourself, conscious or otherwise. Perhaps the key is to carefully time the changes you are trying to make, pacing things patiently and sensibly. Breaking big tasks (like job hunting, for instance) down into a series of smaller tasks is also a good approach which can help prevent things becoming overwhelming. That way, when change does finally break through for you, you will be in a good position to balance the new things in your life with your need for stability and security, minimizing the ‘scary’ factor.

If you are not feeling blocked and managing to initiate change successfully, the above advice still holds and you should also be aware of the danger of moving too fast in your zeal for the new - ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’ - changing the good things in your life, as well as the bad.

For others, change may have been unexpectedly thrust upon you. Perhaps it’s been a sudden job loss, a change in your financial fortune, a relationship breaking down or some other distressing disruption to the status quo of your life? It feels as if a very difficult challenge has been thrown down and circumstances are dictating that you rise to that challenge. You must carefully put in place new structures in your life to replace the old ones that have passed away. You may need to pull on all your inner and outer resources to find ways deal with your new circumstances. You may need to swallow your pride and ask for help. The old has been swept aside, the new must come in and the future is wide open. For some this brings a tremendous sense of freedom and excitement and for others, a crushing sense of fear and restriction. Most of us though, are feeling the fear and the excitement, all at once.

Of course, we shouldn’t forget that Pluto is also a part of this picture – Pluto has been squaring Saturn since late 2009 and forms part of the Saturn-Uranus-Pluto Cardinal T-Square which has been building since then (scroll down to see data for these aspects). The energy of Pluto and Saturn combined can add a tremendous sense of restriction, separation and fear of loss. We are called upon to work hard, hard, hard to get through Saturn-Pluto times, but we may just find that, if we work hard enough, seemingly insurmountable obstacles can be overcome and unimaginable goals can be accomplished.

Hang on in there and keep pushing. You will come through. You are strong.

Resources and Further Reading

Whatever your personal situation, change is undoubtedly a stressful experience. Below are some useful links for further reading, which also include some helpful coping and healing tools.

The Cardinal T-Square Blog-A-Thon has brought together a collection of helpful, insightful and informative articles on handling the challenges of Saturn, Uranus, Pluto and the Cardinal T-Square. All in all, over 50 talented astrology writers present a collection of articles designed to help you to learn more about these challenging planetary energies and discover some helpful healing tools and coping mechanisms. Here are the links you need:

Look After Saturn and Saturn Will Look After You.

Uranus in Aries: Claiming a Self-Reliant Future

Pluto Problems Got You Perplexed! Here’s What Helps

More healing and coping tools from Vibration Magazine: Combining Astrology with Flower Essences

See also Donna Cunningham’s Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit

To read my previous articles on the Saturn Uranus oppositions and the Cardinal T-Square see:
Saturn-Uranus-Pluto, the Financial Crisis and Me
The Saturn-Uranus Oppositions and You
The Cardinal T Square - What's It All About?

Astrologer Lara Owen has written some excellent articles about the Saturn-Uranus Oppositions, here’s the latest one: Saturn Uranus Oppositions April 26 2010

For the world view see the series of Saturn-Uranus-Pluto essays of Bill Herbst  and/or read Richard Tarnas’ excellent book Cosmos and Psyche

Data

• 4th November 2008 – Saturn opposition Uranus (19 degrees Virgo-Pisces)
• 5th February 2009 - Saturn opposition Uranus (21 degrees Virgo-Pisces)
• 15th September 2009 - Saturn opposition Uranus (25 degrees Virgo-Pisces with Pluto at 0 degree Capricorn, forming a t-square)
• 15th November 2009 – Saturn square Pluto (2 degrees Libra – Capricorn)
• 31st January 2010 – Saturn square Pluto (4 degrees Libra – Capricorn)
• 27th April 2010 Saturn opposition Uranus (29 degrees Virgo-Pisces with Pluto at 5 Capricorn , still in orb for a t-square)
• 26th July 2010 Saturn opposition Uranus (0 degree of Aries-Libra with Pluto at 3 Capricorn, forming a cardinal t-square in close orb)
• 21st August 2010 – Saturn square Pluto (2 degrees Libra – Capricorn)

You will be/have been affected by the above aspects if you have personal planets or points in the late degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) and/or between 0 and 4 degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn). If you do not know if you have planets or points at these degrees of these signs you can quickly download your own birth chart which will provide you with this information in a simply understood way at http://www.alabe.com/.

It is important to note that these transits are slow and their effects can last for many months, maybe even a year or more. Astrological transits of this kind are processes of unfoldment, representing important stages in our personal development, not one-off ‘events’ timed to the dates the aspects become exact.

A note about orbs: for personal transits, I keep orbs very tight, a maximum two or three degrees applying and one degree or less separating. However, please bear in mind that astrology merely reflects events in our real lives and we should remind ourselves that experience should always be given precedence over the question of mathematical orbs. When applying these aspects to world/collective events, it is acceptable to use orbs of up to 10 degrees or more, although the tighter the orb, the more intensely concentrated the energy.

With love, Mandi
http://www.mandilockley.com/

Saturn and Pluto (and the power of Re-)

The Planetary Movements

On 6th April Pluto turned Retrograde (Rx) at 5 degrees of Capricorn. Pluto will remain Rx until 14th September, turning around at 3 degrees of Capricorn.

On 7th April Saturn, already Rx since 13th January, moved out of Libra and back into the sign of Virgo. Saturn will turn direct on 30th May and will finally leave Virgo on 21st July.

What Does This Mean?

Well, this shift in Saturn and Pluto asks us to review some of the personal and global issues we’ve been facing during the ongoing Saturn-Uranus oppositions which started in late 2008 and the Saturn-Pluto squares which started in late 2009. For so many of us, our lives have changed in the last couple of years, in some cases dramatically. Generally speaking, all these changes and disruptive influences haven’t, so far, made us feel liberated or secure. Quite the reverse, they have made us feel restricted and reined-in, while at the same time forcing us to perform a very delicate and tenuous balancing act in order to hold everything together. Quite frankly, we’re exhausted from the effort and wondering how and where it’s all going to end…..

….As Pluto was moving towards his Rx turnaround these last few weeks, did you feel the pressure building? Did your internal pressure cooker blow, or was that just me? Now Pluto is moving backwards, we can perhaps dare to take the foot off a couple of those pedals especially as Saturn’s Rx move back into Virgo puts the Saturn-Pluto square energies in retreat, well at least for a few weeks at any rate....

....However, while Saturn is taking a short break from Pluto, being back in Virgo means another status-quo upsetting opposition with Uranus is coming soon, towards the end of April in fact. This will be the 4th in a series of 5. The final opposition, in July, will be in the cardinal signs of Aries and Libra, making April's opposition the last one in the mutable signs. This being the case, we’re being asked, individually and collectively, to look for some kind of closure around the changes, shocks and disruptions we’ve faced recently....

....I feel there’s a sense now of needing to let the dust (the ashes of our former life, perhaps) settle before we brace ourself for the next round. Re-energising ourselves now will help us to fully embrace the best promises of the cardinal energies that will come with the cardinal t-square, now building towards its climax in July. Then, with Uranus and Jupiter in Aries joining Saturn back in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn, we can finally summon up the courage, strength and stamina to break out of the psychological and material ‘prisons’ and ‘traps’ so many of us seem to have fallen into to and claim back our sense of self, our confidence, our independence and our positive forward momentum....

What Can We Do To Help Ourselves While Saturn is Retrograde in Virgo?

Here are few ideas (most of them can be read on a number of levels, to suit yourself and your situation):

Rest – If your life is anything like mine, it's been super busy, super stressed and backed up with commitments. Now’s the time to free up a few regular slots in your schedule for your favourite relaxing pastimes (healthy ones!).

Retreat – consciously retreat - emotionally, mentally and physically - from those situations and relationships which are unhealthy for you. Give yourself a holiday!

Restore / Rejuvenate – give something or someone (or yourself) a makeover. Clean up, make as new, dust away the cobwebs, scrub away the grime. Be healthy – exercise, eat well, organise your time better, be kind to yourself and kind to others.

Reveal – Open up the windows, through back the curtains. Let the light in! Find the beauty in the small, humble details.

Re-establish some healthy, reliable routines in your life.

Be Realistic – get your house in order!

Reflect upon and Reassess the changes that have taken place your life over the last couple of years. Look for the deeper meaning, the fresh perspective.

Rebuild relationships of value that have fallen into disrepair over the last couple of years.

Re-evaluate how you handle our personal power. Do you give it all away to others? Do you use it to control others? Recognise, honestly, these patterns, if you have them. Forgive yourself and Release dead and past issues that are holding you back.

Notice that all the key words above begin with the prefix ‘Re-‘? This little word means backwards or again – perfect for times when Retrograde planets are hitting your birth chart. You can probably think of a few more Re- words that are relevant to you.

A Very Quick and Helpful Meditation

Here’s a very simple breathing exercise that might help you during the coming months.

Start to become conscious of your breathing. Slow your breath down, controlling your in breaths and out breaths. As you breathe out begin to relax your shoulders and arms down and relax your facial muscles, feeling the tension slipping away. Relax deep into your belly and keeping your belly muscles soft, breathe in slowly into your abdomen (you know when you are doing this right because your abdomen area will expend). As you breathe in, say the word LET either in your head or out loud. On the out breath, which should also be slow and controlled, say or think the work GO.

Do a few rounds of this and see how you feel better. This is a good exercise to do on the hop, as and when you need to (to help you cope with the litle ay annoyances of daily life) or you can do it as part of deeper meditative work, in your favourite relaxed lying or sitting position.

Planetary Data:

• 4th November 2008 – Saturn opposition Uranus (19 degrees Virgo-Pisces) 
• 5th February 2009 - Saturn opposition Uranus (21 degrees Virgo-Pisces) 
• 15th September 2009 - Saturn opposition Uranus (25 degrees Virgo-Pisces) with Pluto at 0 degree Capricorn, forming a t-square 
• 15th November 2009 – Saturn square Pluto (2 degrees Libra – Capricorn) 
• 31st January 2010 – Saturn square Pluto (4 degrees Libra – Capricorn) 
• 27th April 2010 Saturn opposition Uranus (29 degrees Virgo-Pisces) with Pluto at 5 Capricorn , still in orb for a t-square 
• 26th July 2010 Saturn opposition Uranus (0 degree of Aries-Libra with Pluto at 3 Capricorn, forming a cardinal t-square in close orb - Jupiter joins the party at 3 degrees of Aries) 
• 21st August 2010 – Saturn square Pluto (2 degrees Libra – Capricorn) 
• From June 2012 to March 2015, Uranus and Pluto go on to make a series of seven squares in Aries and Capricorn respectively.

You will be/have been affected by the above aspects if you have personal planets or points in the late degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) and/or the early degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn). If you do not know if you have planets or points at these degrees of these signs you can quickly download your own birth chart which will provide you with this information in a simply understood way at http://www.alabe.com/.

Related Articles:

The first 4 links below are to the cardinal t-square blog-a-thon article collection home pages, where you will find a wealth of information, resources and healing tools, from several dozen talented astrologers, to help you work with the the current energies
Look After Saturn And Saturn Will Look After You
Uranus in Aries: Claiming A Self Reliant Future
Pluto Problems Got You Perplexed? Here’s What Helps!
Vibration Magazine: Combining Flower Essences and Astrology

The Cardinal T-Square - What’s It All About?
An Explanation of Retrograde
Planetary Retrograde Dates for 2010


Photo credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astro Energies for 2010

Quite a year 2009 was and quite a year 2010 will be.

The New Year bells ring in with a Lunar Eclipse in Cancer. This eclipse reminds us that Cancer is the only cardinal sign not set to be inhabited by an outer planet this year. Jupiter moves into Aries in June; Saturn is in Libra (albeit with a Retrograde back to Virgo between April and July); Uranus dips his toe into Aries between late May and early August and Pluto remains in Capricorn.

These planets, along with Mars in Libra, go on to form a much anticipated cardinal t-square in late July 2010, a formation which has been widely dubbed the ‘Cardinal Climax’ (pictured below). Please note and I can’t say this strongly enough, this so-called cardinal climax is not a one-day, one-off event. This has been building since 2008 and runs right through to 2012/3.

The Cardinal Climax Planetary
Formation

So much has been written about it and I’ll point you in the direction of a few writers at the end, but in short, it symbolizes huge change, disruption, upheaval, shock, rebellion, upset in the status quo and an awareness of our limitations. We’ve already been experiencing this for sure. The credit crunch, the banking crisis and the world recession all fall under this symbolism.

It is blatantly apparent that urgent changes are necessary to our economic structure, our consumer behaviour, our political tradition and our relationship with the earth itself as concern mounts over climate change and the sustainability of our precious resources. There are no doubt more shocks to come and further harsh realities to face.

The good thing about these cardinal sign energies is that under tension they don’t mess around procrastinating, they get straight to the point and take action, knocking down any obstacles as they come up. The bad thing about cardinal energies is that sometimes, in the imperative to ‘do’ something, focus, direction and strategy goes out of the window and we are in the realm of reactionary crisis management (which is how the financial crisis has been handled so far) rather than meaningful, targeted action for creating long term stability.

The point is that any action must be correct action. Perhaps, therefore, we should be grateful for the heavy energies of Saturn in Libra (balance, right justice, honest hard work, fair compromise) and Pluto in Capricorn (the transformation of traditional, authoritarian and administrative structures, the coming to power of wiser, more mature influences). While we may not enjoy their methods, if these two can’t put us on the right track, metaphorically speaking, then I’m not sure what can!

However, I’m sure, finally, hopefully, that these current times will ultimately come to represent positive transformation and creative breakthrough. I predict that we will increasingly see these energies reflected in a more positive way in the arts and in our culture and society in general. For example, I believe we are set to witness new cultural movements rising from the grassroots and social change hatching at community level and gaining serious momentum, as us common masses increasingly learn to self organize at ‘street’ level. We have already learnt to do this very successfully through social networking media and other technologies since Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius have been in mutual reception (i.e. in each other’s signs), seen in, for example, the rapid spread of viral campaigning.

When it comes to right action, Uranus when it’s in Aries won’t wait for permission to create change and neither should we. To quote the Hopi, “we are the ones we have been waiting for”.

Back to the more immediate present and the lunar eclipse in Cancer on 31st December. With Cancer as the empty leg of the cardinal t-square (the only cardinal sign not inhabited by an outer planet in 2010), we need to be reminded to make time for home, family, security, nurturance and reflection amidst all the change and disruption to come. For me, this is also a clarion call for us to truly honour the feminine spirit, to nod to the goddess, the moon and the mother energies within ourselves, our spirituality and our world. Even more potent is the fact that there is a total solar eclipse in Cancer in July, just days before the cardinal climax focal point and I will look at this chart in detail nearer the time.

The New Year eclipse chart (below) foreshadows this need for feminine energy and reflection, showing as it does a pile up of planets in worldly, masculine Capricorn. The Sun, Venus, North Node, Pluto and a Retrograde Mercury all in the sign of the goat are opposed by a lonely Moon in Cancer, who is taking the strain as the handle of a heavy ‘bucket’ chart formation. Saturn in Libra squares the Moon, balancing the weight a little, but slows things down, especially as Saturn is moving towards his Retrograde Station on 13th January, A lazy Mars, still Retrograde in Leo doesn’t provide much assistance either.

Will we start 2010 on an energetic high? I don’t really think so. Early ’10 seems to me to be more a time to prepare for spring, when the dynamic energies start to build again. Come spring, we come into energies of dynamic forward movement and hard, hard work and we will need to maintain balance by ensuring we have somewhere to retreat to, emotionally and physically, where we can rest between bouts. Like the crab, we will need to learn to protect that space and will be impelled to set firm and stable boundaries to ensure that others respect them (a message of Saturn in Libra).

Also in early 2010, Mercury turns direct on the same day as a Solar Eclipse in Capricorn, 15 January. Three days later, Jupiter moves into his spiritual home of Pisces, to pave the way for Neptune’s entry to Pisces in 2011. However, as the idealistic Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron conjunction fades away, I feel that the healing energies will carry us forward for some time yet, especially as Neptune and Chiron make one further conjunction in mid February.

If the Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron conjunction manifests in its more negative form by making us fall for over-idealistic notions and escapist illusions, we are soundly brought back down to earth at the end of January, when Saturn and Pluto make their second exact Square aspect, at four degrees of Libra and Capricorn. The first contact was in November 2009, with the final showdown in August 2010. However, because of the ‘Cardinal Climax’ mentioned above, the energies of these two heavenly heavyweights will be felt for some time to follow. The forced changes that often accompany the moving aspects between these two planets can feel very difficult, but at a deeper level we know they are a necessary step in our healing and empowerment, as individuals and as communities.

On March 10, just in time for spring, Mars in Leo turns direct, finally passing out of the shadow of his retrograde in May (when he returns to 19 of Leo, his original turning point). Creative energies can then start moving in the right direction again. Until at least March use your energies wisely, as this is a very good time to take a creative restock, rest, and plan.

Going deeper and into more difficult territory, 2010 is also an opportune time to face and transform any issues of grief, rage and frustration. Unattractive shadow emotions for sure, but ones which may well come up for a bite. Getting them out in the open in a healthy way in early 2010, is a good plan if you feel affected. I discussed some of these issues in my blogs on Saturn-Pluto and Mars Retrograde and I recommend Donna Cunningham’s Sky Writer blog has many useful posts to help with this stuff, filed under A Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit and under Mars Retrograde.

In April, the status quo shaking Saturn-Uranus oppositions which have been with us since late 2008 make their fourth exact hit of five. Saturn will have retrograded back into Virgo and this will be the last of their oppositions across the mutable Virgo-Pisces axis. For their final bang in July, Saturn will be back in Libra and Uranus in early Aries, both squaring Pluto in Capricorn, forming the Cardinal Climax.

As an end note, rather than a ‘Cardinal Climax’ perhaps we should find a new term for this very important planetary configuration, something a little less apocalyptic and dramatic sounding. Rather than a climax (which suggests an ending), it is in fact, at the final count, a new beginning, a chance for a fresh start, for a better future. This is what the cardinal signs are about, heralding as they do the changing of the seasons and marking the ever turning cycles of the Sun, the life giver of our small, but precious planet.

Let’s not squander the opportunity.

Blessings for a happy 2010
Mandi
http://www.mandilockley.com/

Recommended further reading:

http://www.mmacycles.com/

http://skywriter.wordpress.com/
http://www.crucialastrotools.co.uk/index.html
http://www.billherbst.com/newsindex.html
http://www.melaniereinhart.com/
http://www.cosmosandpsyche.com/
http://mountainastrologer.com/tma/

Saturn-Pluto Part 2: Resources

In Saturn-Pluto Part 1 I discuss some of the themes and processes that Saturn-Pluto alignments represent and in Part 3, I discuss Saturn-Pluto alignments from the wider world view, in particular how the current cycle has been reflected in politics, economics and conflict.

Here in Part 2, I present some ideas for further reading and other resources that I hope will be informative and useful.

Firstly, here’s the link to Saturn-Pluto Part 1 and Part 3 if you haven’t read them already.

I have also written other recent blogs which touch on Saturn-Pluto themes and related planetary alignments:

November 09: Saturn-Uranus-Pluto Quote of the Week. A short piece on a couple of things I picked up from current media which reflect Saturn-Uranus-Pluto themes.

November 09: Taurus Full Moon. A brief overview of the current planetary alignments, as seen under the light of the last Full Moon.

October 09: Saturn in Libra. A look at Saturn’s move into the sign of Libra in the run-up to its first exact square with Pluto in Capricorn.

September 09: Saturn-Uranus-Pluto, The Financial Crisis and Me. The Saturn-Uranus-Pluto alignment explained, how it has been reflected in world economic conditions and a very personal story.

September 09: The Saturn-Uranus Oppositions. A piece concentrating on the current series of Saturn-Uranus oppositions, with which Pluto has now aligned to form a T-Square.

Other online resources which come highly recommended

Melanie Reinhart offers a number of downloadable MP3s on the current Saturn-Pluto themes, which are reasonably priced and worth every penny. The most recent MP3 is a recording of an amazing workshop held in London earlier this month.

Donna Cunningham has written a series of articles full of practical advice under the umbrella heading A Pluto Saturn Preparedness Kit, which you can download for free from her blog.

Bill Herbst has written reams on the current Saturn, Uranus and Pluto transits. His predictions for the current economic crisis date back to 2006!

http://www.astrodispatch.com/ is a collection of constantly updated astrology blogs and articles, so you can expect to see Saturn-Pluto themes discussed here from every perspective, by numerous writers.

I also recommend this very insightful, thoughtful piece (in two parts) from numerology writer Christine DeLorey, which really chimes with the current astrological energies: NOVEMBER 2009 = 11:11

Astrology Books and Publications

Planets in Transit by Robert Hand
The Gods of Change by Howard Sasportas
Astrology, Karma and Transformation by Stephen Arroyo
The Book of Pluto by Steven Forrest

Healing Pluto Problems by Donna Cunningham
Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil by Liz Greene
Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View by Richard Tarnas
Mountain Astrologer Magazine

Non-astrology Books

On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
While this classic book deals with physical death, I think that the stages of grief it describes including denial, anger, depression and eventual acceptance and hope are also relevant to other kinds of loss such as the end of a relationship, the loss of a job etc.

The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (Collected Works of C.G. Jung)
The work of Carl Jung is a good complement to the study of modern psychological astrology and his writings on the Shadow Archetype may be of particular relevance here.

Therapies

Some of you may feel the need to seek professional help during these times. Do not feel hesitant about asking for help if you feel you need it.

For counseling/psychotherapy, in the first instance, contact your local professional medical/health practitioner for advice or the relevant professional body for the type of help you need.

Some people find that alternative therapies also help them, as well as gentle exercise. A few things that have helped me are Reiki, EFT (emotional freedom technique), yoga, massage, meditation and aromatherapy. The best therapists tend to be those who come by recommendation, so ask around.

As always, it is your responsibility to check the credentials and qualifications of your chosen therapist/counselor/practitioner.

Astrological Consultations

If you are currently going through big changes, your life may be reflecting the current planetary energies. A personal astrological consultation can help you better understand these energies and can help you to see a positive way forward. If you are interested in a consultation, or want to know more about consultations, please call me or email me at mandi@mandilockley.com . My full contact details and more information about consultations can be found on my website at
http://www.mandilockley.com/