A passionate solar cycle commences on October 22nd at 11:44pm PST when the Sun moves into the fixed water sign of Scorpio. Plutonium is the chemical element used to fuel nuclear reactors and the namesake of Scorpio’s ruling planet Pluto. Reputed for the death-defying intensity it brings to the Cosmic world, Scorpio puts us squarely in touch with our deepest, and sometimes darkest, desires. Its motive is transformation, the kind we can only achieve by accessing Scorpio’s extreme clarity. During this Scorpio cycle, square is the operative term, and the word fixed is another one to have handy. Communicative Mercury and lusty Venus will join the willful Sun in Scorpio, where at one point or another during this cycle they will each square with aggressive Mars in fiery Leo. Jupiter and Neptune in Aquarius will form a few squares of their own to the planets in Scorpio. And that is only the backdrop to this season’s main event, uncompromising Saturn moving into Libra where it will form an exact square to Pluto in Capricorn at the time of the new Scorpio moon.
For those new to astrology, a square is when two planets form a hard right angle to one another, and a squaring off or push comes to shove effect is produced. What makes 2009’s solar journey through Scorpio so gripping is that most of the planets squaring (and opposing) one another will be in fixed signs. To review, there are only three modalities for all twelve signs: cardinal, fixed and mutable. Cardinal signs are the initiators who literally kick off each of the four seasons, and mutable signs close out each of those seasons. Fixed signs fall between the two, they sustain the energies underway and they are infamous for their no budging stances. This year agitating Mars in fixed fire sign Leo will square the Sun on October 29th, Mercury on November 1st and Venus on November 19th. Jupiter and Neptune are in fixed air sign Aquarius. Jupiter will square Mercury on November 8th and the Sun on November 10th, and Neptune will square Mercury on the 11th and the Sun on November 15th. Notice what conflicts arise around you on these dates, remembering that Scorpio’s waters are ultimately for healing the issues involved.
Other points of intensity in this cycle concern the planet most influential upon our emotions and moods, the moon. The full moon of November 2nd comes on the heals of both Saturn’s movement into Libra on the 29th and the first two Mars squares, and it falls in the fixed earth sign Taurus. All of the fixed signs get into the act this cycle. The new Scorpio moon of November 16th occurs under the influence of the Sun’s square to Neptune and more significantly Saturn’s square to Pluto.
The last time Saturn traveled through the sign of Libra while Pluto was in the sign of Capricorn was from September 27, 1774 through December 6, 1776. For those born outside of the United States, that might not ring any bells. But Americans will instantly recognize the historic significance of those dates. “The shot heard ‘round the world” was fired on April 19, 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. On October 29th of this year Saturn will move into Libra where it will stay until October 5, 2012. For the first time since the 18th Century, Pluto is once again in Capricorn. What makes 2009’s lineup all the more interesting is that the two astrological heavyweights immediately move into an exact square on November 15th. This is the first of three exact squares, the next two occurring on January 31st and August 21st of 2010. Saturn and Pluto last squared while in Libra and Capricorn respectively in late 1776, very close to the time when a then beleaguered General Washington initiated the audacious Battle of Trenton, and turned the momentum of the Revolutionary War irrevocably in America’s favor. Saturn tests the soundness of our structures and is renowned for its unyielding nature, while Pluto’s purpose is evolution, even if the cost is destruction. Now on a 15-year journey through Capricorn, Pluto’s influence is effecting our major institutions such as government and business. A few of the ways the impending square with Saturn could manifest in our outer world are a major H1N1 flu outbreak, an international incident involving nuclear weaponry or an all out national meltdown over healthcare reform. The key to navigating whatever happens globally or personally is staying in touch with our instincts and intuition and following our emotional guidance vigilantly.
With so much fixed energy clashing around us this year and the battle royal of Saturn and Pluto at hand, this should as the saying goes, be one for the books. So now is the time to truthfully check in with “our story” and to come to terms with what we really want. That is not a decision the intellect can make. Scorpio brings emotional honesty to the table, and it implores us to process our true feelings, especially the unpleasant ones lurking in the shadows of our subconscious. Getting in touch with our deepest desires is the critical step to healing whatever ales us, clearing away obstacles and having what we want. The Sun will move into optimistic, mutable fire sign Sagittarius on November 22nd. Spending some quality time in the Cosmic Underworld between now and then will go a long way toward enabling us to really “let the sun shine in” when the skies lighten up.
Happy Birthday to 12Listen and 12Angel
Our websites are having their birthdays in November. 12Listen will turn three and 12Angel will turn two. And while I truly don't know all of the details yet, I predict that we'll be giving you some very special reasons to celebrate with us. Thank you so very, very much for your support and patronage during this most remarkable couple of years.
