April has already had devastating planetary events with earthquakes, craziness in the
political arena; and plenty of frustration for a lot of people.
Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces (the mutable or changeable signs) are in the
spotlight. The energy feels
intense, fast moving and transformative, We want to grab hold of something
tangible that feels absolutely right! At the same time, there are four
retrograde planets so we also feel stymied in our attempts to get where we want
to go. The carrousel is moving so
fast we can’t get off to catch the carrousel we really want to be riding. But
as we approach the full moon on Friday, April 22, we might want to reflect more
on Earth Day than on our own issues.
It’s all connected, right? Read on for tips on how to turn this chaos
into creative opportunity.
Astrology is not about cause and effect but it
helps us understand the earthly drama.
Before we talk about the
specifics, please keep in mind that astrology is not a cause-effect
system. It is a relational
system. There is a relationship
between Saturn currently transiting Sagittarius and the current focus on belief
systems. In the collective realm we have political candidates who represent the
extremes of the bell-curve in terms of beliefs. We have those who think we should build walls to keep all
foreign elements out and we have one who thinks there is enough for everyone if
we just figure out how to distribute our resources. There are some who really believe the super rich should not
have to be taxed. There is one who
believes young people should have tuition free college. There are several who believe that
women are a container for new life, but have no authority over how that new
life should happen. There is no
planet causing the extreme display of hubris in the presidential race. Saturn in Sagittarius, however, suggests
hot-headed expression of beliefs.
Sagittarius is the sign we associate with the higher mind, with systems
of beliefs, with religions, and with legal systems and the laws therein. Extremes in belief systems are being
aired and sorted out as we move through the political drama. Astrology is a way
of understanding the drama. What
is your drama? Where are you expressing your tightly held beliefs? Are you open to new ways of thinking?
What do we do with four retrograde planets—Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto?
April currently has four
planets retrograde and Mercury will be retrograde on April 28. A retrograde planet is not moving
backwards. It appears to be moving backward because it is moving so slowly.
Some of our affairs are just moving very, very slowly. What you thought might
take a week, figure much longer.
A note to students of
astrology: Peter Malsin’s book, The
Eyes of the Sun (1997), offers some helpful guidelines for understanding
retrograde as an energy and I am using some of his insights in this article.
Reflecting—Creating—Intuiting (read more about this in The Eyes of the Sun)
Basically, these
retrograde periods give us a chance for reflection. With four planets
orbiting so slowly there is a good chance we will get caught in conflicting
thoughts and beliefs represented by these different planetary energies. We have to sort some things out and
take our time doing it. This
period of slowness may also stimulate creative expression. That’s a
positive outcome for the big retrograde breezes! As we reflect, we put things
together and out pops a new idea, project our unique integration of life
knowledge. Great. For other people the retrograde cycles are times of irrational
projection. Peter Malsin
suggests that retrograde planets increase the unconscious energy of the
planet. Me versus you, Us versus
them. For example, some of my best
friends are immigrants, however…..we don’t have room for anymore foreigners who
need to be taken care of. Listen
to the politicians and you will hear a lot of projecting. Other people may use
the unconsciousness of the retrograde planet differently: someone may just channel some intuitive
wisdom or power like they are channeling form Divine Source. Hint! Relax and let your intuition give you some advice, or go for a reading
or talk to someone to sort out any confusion.
Mars and Saturn retrograde
Let’s look at Mars and
Saturn together because both are currently traveling through the sign of
Sagittarius. Mars says hit the peddle, let’s race ahead; Saturn says, hit the
brake, not so fast, BE CAREFUL.
Right now, with Mars and Saturn sitting in the same automobile, and both
planets retrograde, we are just downright afraid (at least in some area of
life). Am I making the right decision?
Will I have enough money?
Should I take a job I don’t really want just to get some income or
should I wait? Should I file for
divorce, or should I wait and see what happens next year? On and on. We are worrying
and we feel stuck. This is a
natural response to Mars/Saturn retrograde. Saturn makes us want to “get it right.” We don’t want to
make a mistake and yet we are impatient to get on with it. The
invitation is to be with the questions and reflect on the questions. The
invitation is to find creative solutions and be patient as well.
Try not to complain. The fixed star, Antares, can
strike at any moment.
Mars slowed down at 9
degrees of Sagittarius and that put it right in the line up with the fixed star
Antares (9 degrees of Sagittarius).
The Fixed Star, Antares, is associated with reckless
behavior, dangerous events and angry situations. Another way of saying this is Antares and Mars together
means some people may suffer greatly during April or experience great
tragedy. We have already seen
tragedy from big earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador. Just this week we had flooding in Texas with hardships for
many people and animals. So, if you have a roof over your head, and if you trip but you don’t fall
down and break something, consider yourself lucky. If you have a serious situation
to resolve, try to be patient and do the best you can during this slow moving
time. Our problems are important
and some problems need to be resolved. Just remember, it could be worse. Things will be resolved but the timing
might be frustrating.
Jupiter retrograde
Jupiter is currently
moving slowly (retrograde) at 14 degrees of Virgo. Jupiter is making an
irritable aspect to Saturn at 16 degrees of Sagittarius. Both Jupiter and
Saturn are in challenging connection with Neptune. No wonder we are all
confused and irritable at times.
We want to be optimistic (Jupiter) but Saturn throws a wet blanket on
our hopes and Neptune encourages us to “check out” or find some kind of escape
from all the worry and diminished dreams. We can reflect on our past patterns
regarding escapism as well as our belief systems. Jupiter retrograde invites us to refine our mantras, mottos and
unconscious beliefs that either motivate our days or hold us back.
Pluto retrograde and Pluto squaring Uranus might be
the foundation of all the trouble.
Pluto is currently
retrograde at 17 degrees of Capricorn. Pluto is still in a square configuration
with planet Uranus (21 degrees of Aries). So here is the foundation of
everything we are going through. These two planets are far away and they always
orbit slowly. For half of any year they may be retrograde and even slower in
their journeys. If you have
followed astrology during the past few years you will remember that Uranus
square Pluto has been in the news a lot.
When Pluto connects with a planet, it intensifies that planet’s energy.
Furthermore, Pluto destroys what it touches in order to create something else. Our entire human race is experiencing
intense upheavals. Old ways of
life are being destroyed. Uranus, planet of high technology, is bringing
invention after invention to create a new world. Pluto is also the plutocracy,
rulership by the wealthy. The
plutocracy is destroying whatever it can to keep all the riches to itself.
Uranus is often the rebel or the revolution itself (!) to bring society into a
more humanitarian form. In mythology Pluto rules the underworld where riches
are stashed away. Uranus is the creative progenitor who is more concerned with
birthing something new than fixing dinner or attending to everyday chores. In addition, the Uranus/Pluto
connection seems to correlate with many earth changes. Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes,
severe storms and flooding, and sink holes seem to be more serious and frequent
during the past few years.
Finally, the fight over oil has humanity in a mess. War, terrorism, and people
displaced from their homeland indicate massive migration, earth shifts,
societal changes and struggles. What a mess.
Put it all together—at least say goodbye to
“survival of the fittest”
I wish I could put it all
together for all of you and for myself. The undertone is Uranus and Pluto
in relationship to earth changes: earthquakes, violent weather, migration,
holding on and letting go of beliefs, WAR, the struggle to understand we are
one. Saturn square Neptune says BE WISE and walk through the Neptunian
fog. Trust yourself to know your own truth. Don’t fall into the propaganda pit.
Jupiter and Saturn and Neptune say sort through it, DON’T LOSE
FAITH. Be careful and take your
time. Be a grown-up! Mars retrograde with all this stew says keep going
and don’t give up, and don’t worry if your dreams take a little time. There are no mistakes, there is just
experience. We are here having experiences. Some people have harder experiences
than other people do.
If we try to put it all
together we might say the human species is struggling to move through some eye
of a needle to reach another dimension where life on planet earth is improved
by compassion, sharing, fairness and kindnesss. We might release the
“survival of the fittest” tape that runs through our unconscious and
hopefully find another motto for our existence. If we try to put it all together we
might also say that we chose to be here now. Maybe we can remember to send love and good will to the
innocent survivors of war and brutality. Maybe we can remember to be grateful
that we live where we live and we are still relatively safe from much of the
planetary horror.
There is always a gift
Hopefully you are also
receiving gifts of life during this strange period. In some ways it feels like swimming underwater or hearing
through water. We are holding our breath while we move forward and get glimpses
of the workings of our own psyche.
Under water, what we hear is what we hear. It is not necessarily what
was said. Remember the gifts of all this slow moving energy: self reflection and inner dialogue;
taking time to sort things out; rejoicing in creative moments that come from
the introspection; being alert to projection and intuition (our own and that of
others); being aware that we are fortunate if we are not struck down by
lightening.
The bottom line: Stay grounded
The one thing that we can
hold onto is remembering where we live! We all live on planet EARTH. No matter
how much craziness is going on, I offer this little prayer by Wilfred Pelltier
and Ted Poole, to help keep us grounded and to reflect on how we might move on. It is also offered to rejoice in Earth
Day. Farther along, we’ll
understand more about our connection with Gaia.
Wherever
you are is home
And
the earth is paradise
Wherever
you set your feet is holy land
You
don’t live off it like a parasite
You
live in it, and it in you,
Or
you don’t survive.
And
that is the only worship of God there is.
(Pelltier
& Poole)
