2014 Skyscape

2014 Skyscape

Sometimes we enjoy those lazy, indolent periods, each day sliding into the next with nothing terribly compelling happening.  It’s possible to look back and say, “Hmm did anything happen last year?  I can’t remember.”  Let’s be clear: this is not one of those years.  Stuff is happening, too much stuff really.  Once I saw a video of a Las Vegas hotel that was coming down.  Demolition experts had located charges strategically according to engineering protocols and at a precise moment they did something—radio waves maybe—and with a single click the charges went off.  Or maybe they went off sequentially.  And in what was basically a nanosecond, the giant structure imploded.  It just sunk down upon itself into a pile of rubble.

Well, maybe I’ve gone a little overboard with my metaphors here, because in no way am I saying or implying that life is imploding in 2014.  There just seems to be something happening pretty much constantly, and we’re not talking about little transits but big fat bursts of energy that could affect us individually or as a whole.  It’s not primarily a mellow period of time.

Can I even choose a big newsmaker with which to start?  I think so.  I’ve been writing about the Uranus-Pluto square quite a bit, and without a doubt this is the significant energy of our times.  It was this bit of energy which likely brought back to mind the Las Vegas demolition mentioned earlier, for this is certainly the sort of celestial pyrotechnics that describes events such as that.  Is there more demo going on now across the globe?  I don’t know but maybe you could check with friends who are architects or construction workers. 

It’s good to consider and understand the Uranus-Pluto dynamic, but after you do so, you’ll realize something even more significant.  Uranus and Pluto together, in square, remember, not a congenial trine, are working to find some level of balance and compromise in ways to break down the status quo and implement change.  It’s volatile energy, but how is that energy manifested, and when, and this is the question you will naturally ask yourself once you’ve finished considering all the possible manifestations of Uranus square Pluto. 

I always look for the outlets, the ways in which the energy will blow out.  Where’s the blank spot, you might ask, where’s the logical point of expression and movement.  And the answer is obvious—when another planet occupies a spot in either of the other two cardinal signs.  So if we have something transiting in Cancer or Libra at a similar degree—and keep in mind that Uranus and Pluto are mid-sign lately so really their energy is felt throughout most of Cardinal signs even when nothing is occupying those points in Cancer or Libra. 

Just take a moment and consider what I’m saying, for it’s essential in reading a natal chart or making predictions.  Look for the way in which the energy will express itself.  Where will it go splat, if you will.  I always look for the missing leg in any configuration, so if it’s an opposition, look for the mid-point, because that’s where the energy will be expressed, either natally or by transit.  In this case, it’s a square, so we look for the point where a third planet will oppose either Uranus or Pluto, creating a T-square, or where two planets will fill in the blanks creating a Grand Cross, this time in the Cardinal signs.  At those points in time, life will get busier and this Uranus-Pluto energy that we feel as a sort of buzz, will manifest into events which will be noticed and remembered. 

The planet creating this outlet for energy will determine not just what the energy will feel like, but how long it might last.  If, for example, it’s the Sun, then expect an event around that day, but not much longer.  If it’s a bad event, like we endured on 9-11, a day is even too long, but sometimes life can turn on a day, as it did on that single day.  If it’s something slower, like Jupiter, then there will be events over a longer period of time, and perhaps the stronger events will occur when something like the Sun or Mars is also in aspect.  The more participation, the more energy will manifest and more events will occur. 

2014 can boast a great deal of planetary interaction, not just little two-planet connections, but bigger configurations involving more of the solar system.  It’s like those fireworks displays on the 4^th of July.  At first there’s a blast, then another, then a bunch together, then a crescendo.  This year we have more bunches, more crescendos.

Pluto this year moves between almost 11 and 13 degrees Capricorn.  Uranus travels between 8 and 16 Aries.  So if you add 10 degrees for an orb, you can see how most of degrees of the Cardinal signs will be affected.  This means that Aries, Libra, Cancer, and Capricorn will feel this energy virtually all year, and even if your Sun isn’t in the Cardinal signs, but a planet is, you will feel it via that planet.

In 2014, not counting the days in which the Sun will transit Libra and Cancer, making a Grand Cross, we will have Jupiter, Mars, and Venus, and sometimes more than one of them, involved with Uranus and Pluto.  The periods in which Jupiter is in Cancer, opposing Pluto and making a T-square out through Uranus can be extremely volatile.  Although we think of Jupiter as benign energy, in fact it can amp up a sense of nationalism and the sort of misguided pride that causes inflamed and demented reactionaries to fly planes into buildings in their enemies’ countries, which to them would feel like a victory but to rational people, a tragedy, which is just what happened on 9-11.

There could be a positive side of this T-square, such as when a building is imploded and a grander structure takes its place.  Hopefully we’ll see more of that.  There’s much talk now about gun control and this could also be a manifestation of this energy, particularly after the tragic shootings at an elementary school.  That’s the problem—Pluto and Uranus together are not particularly kind and even when an ultimately positive outcome results, such as gun controls, it’s hard to say the outcome made the cost worthwhile.

For good or for ill, the T-square involving Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter dominates the first half of the year and is in effect virtually all that time, whether more or less precisely.  So even if I don’t mention it below, assume it’s happening because it really doesn’t go out of aspect until July.

Mars is one of the main planets we count on to provoke events.  It keeps the universe humming and because of it we move forward, from one thing to the next.  We get up and get going thanks to Mars.  Often the planet of action enjoys stopping in a single sign and squatting there for months, then it moves along in a normal fashion, blazing through the rest of the Zodiac.  This year, Mars is in Libra in January (actually the preceding December) and it remains in Libra almost until the end of July.  That’s seven months in which it has the opportunity to set off the Uranus-Pluto square, and part of that time it connects with Jupiter in Cancer, and there’s the Grand Cross.  If crazy people are going to commit ill advised acts, expect them to do so now.  By the end of October, Mars is in Capricorn and stays there through most of November, once again boosting the transformational or destructive vibration of Uranus plus Pluto.

Even sweet little Venus, benign planet of love, will join this configuration, and so it can provide outlets for this energy when it’s in the Cardinal signs.  It’s always relatively close to the Sun, so it’s not hard to know when to expect these hits.  Keep in mind, if you’re looking at a transit list, it will show the precise hit, so you might not see all the planets there because there could be a difference of a degree or two, but know for sure you will feel this energy and that there will be effects from Pluto-Uranus connecting with the various configurations involving planets in the Cardinal signs.

Neptune continues its slow swim through its own sign, Pisces, and this year it moves between 3 and 7 degrees.  This means that the lovely transit of Jupiter trine Neptune has already passed—if you’re looking at a precise no-orb transit list, but really when we use orbs, we can say that Jupiter in Cancer will trine Neptune in Pisces not impossibly widely through mid-May.  This is very beautiful, spiritual, kind energy that fosters personal growth, encourages some level of self-sacrifice in favor of a loved one’s needs, and provokes charitable actions on many levels.  It’s also nice energy for creativity and the water signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces will particularly enjoy it.

What I would look for here would be two things—something sitting in Scorpio in the middle of the sign to provide a Grand Trine in the water signs, and/or something in one of the earth signs making an opposition to any of the players, in order to focalize that watery energy.  Do we have that?  Well….  Saturn is in Scorpio, yes, until the end of the year when it ducks into Sagittarius.  This year Saturn moves between 16 Scorpio and 0 Sagittarius.  It will certainly trine Jupiter in Cancer, with varying degrees of orb, but at best it’s 9 degrees away from Neptune, so we can’t really say there’s a Grand Trine, which isn’t such a bad thing because even in a trine, Saturn and Neptune are clueless in each other’s presence.  And we can’t really expect Mars to fill in because by the time it’s in Scorpio, Jupiter’s in Leo.  The only geniuine flashes beyond the basic trine that we will feel in the water signs will come from the Moon, once a month in Scorpio.  If you wanted to, you could track those days and see if there are any increased blessings coming from Neptune and Jupiter then.  Or if in your own chart you have early to mid-sign planets in Scorpio, you will feel this energy personally.

We will see a square between Saturn and Jupiter starting in the fall.  Jupiter this year will move between 10 Cancer and 22 degrees Leo and when it’s in Leo it will make the Saturn square.  It will also make a trine to Uranus in Aries, so fire sign people, be on the alert for this energy, for it will amp up the bits of your nature that are tempestuous and speedy.  Once again, what I would look for here is something in Taurus or Aquarius so that we’d see a T-square which would bring us some events.  We don’t quite get it precisely, for as Mars is in Aquarius at the end of the year, Saturn moves into Sagittarius then, but it is a wide, out of sign T-square and there will be some energy but not as much as if it were precise and in sign.

Let’s go through the year month by month to observe how and when the details will be in effect.

January: The year begins with the Cardinal Grand Cross thanks to a Mars-Jupiter square on the 8^th at 15 degrees.  By the 31^st, Jupiter is opposing Pluto at 12 degrees, amplifying this energy.  We also have Venus in Capricorn, playing into the Grand Cross.  On the 11^th, it makes a nice sextile to Saturn in Scorpio at 21 degrees.  If you have planets in earth or water at those degrees, you might feel the urge to express your creativity in a balanced way such as with a new wall unit that will both display and organize your treasures.  On the 16^th, Venus is square Mars, but this simple square is, once again, not just about love and lust as Venus and Mars together are known to be, but it’s the fuel that energizes the Grand Cross and could indicate the timing for events occurring this month.  Venus is retrograde in January and makes its station at 13 Capricorn on the 31^st, directly interacting with Pluto.  But remember that Venus is in the same sign with Pluto, not Cancer or Libra so it boosts the energy of the configuration but provides no outlet.  Mars and Jupiter play that role.  We should see some events in January, however because there are three heavy hitters in aspect, Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto along with Mars and Venus.  I wonder how many people will fall madly in love under this energy, consider it deeply exciting, unavoidably fated, and the greatest thing ever.  If that’s what does happen, it’s not exactly a terrible outcome for this transit and certainly nothing world shattering.  There could be negative events such as drunken college rampages and rapes.  Still these are on a more personal level rather than anything universal, but there are other more international scenarios that we could also imagine.

February: Toward the end of the month we have two bits of energy.  Venus, now direct, makes a sextile to Saturn at 23 degrees and the effects will be similar to what we saw in January.  More intense is the Jupiter square to Uranus at 10 degrees on the 26^th.  Thus we see a T-square with its energy focalized out through Uranus virtually all month long, and even though Pluto is at 12 Capricorn, that is still a pretty strong T-square, one in which irrationally foolhardy choices can be made.

March: Mars goes retrograde at 27 Libra on the 1^st and Saturn follows on the 2^nd at 23 Scorpio.  Also on the 2^nd is another Mars-Venus square at 27 degrees, and that being substantially beyond the positions of Uranus and Pluto makes this an aspect only about love and sex.  It’s also a creative aspect.  Picture a wild artist obsessively working on a creation.  On the 5^th, Venus moves into Aquarius and by the 6^th, Jupiter is direct in Cancer at 10 degrees.  It seems a relatively simple month, but keep in mind as I mentioned above, Uranus is Square Pluto, T-Square Jupiter virtually all this time.  They just don’t make precise aspects.

April: Venus moves into Pisces April 5^th and on the 11^th makes a conjunction with Neptune, very pretty energy for love and creativity.  It’s a nice time to visit a faraway lover or even to fingerpaint.  Pluto goes retrograde at 13 Capricorn on the 14^th.  Starting the 20^th, we have a strong cluster of precise energy for several days involving the Cardinal Grand Cross.  Jupiter squares Uranus at 13 degrees first and by the 20^th, it opposes Pluto.  This is as precise as it gets and I’ll be very surprised if we don’t see some events in April because all three major players are connected precisely with no orb.  On the 22^nd, Mars in Libra squares Jupiter, then it moves to oppose Uranus on the 23^rd, also squaring Pluto that day.  So mark those dates on your calendar, for there could be some extreme energy between the 20^th and 23^rd, and if you have planets at 13 degrees in any sign, expect some events involving their vibration.  I’d say that’s not the best time to travel.  I don’t know if there are big sporting events now but there could be some brawling if so.  There can be explosions, plane and car crashes, volcanic eruptions, science experiments gone wrong.  I’m sure there are dozens of other possibilities as well.

May: On the 2^nd, Venus moves into Aries, joining the other planets involved in the Cardinal Grand Cross.  On the 19^th, Mars stations at 9 Libra, amplifying this energy even further.  On the 24^th, Jupiter does double duty, continuing its involvement in the Grand Cross, but also making a trine to Saturn.  This could mean that all the energy for explosive change and upheaval will somehow filter out through Saturn, like in one of those week-long conferences among warring nations who are brought to a peace table by the United Nations.  It could also symbolize one of those implosions I mentioned and the rebuilding of a better structure.  In that case it would be literal rebuilding not metaphorical.

June: Venus is busy in June, aspecting Neptune, Mars, Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter, but Venus moves quickly, so this is just a touch of sweetness added to the energy of those planets.  On the 14^th, Mars squares Pluto, more significant because it’s one of those fill in the blank configurations, making a somewhat precise T-square focalized out through Uranus, which could describe all sorts of bad behavior, temper tantrums, and massive sweeping changes.  We also have a far less precise Grand Cross, thanks to Jupiter, but at 22 Cancer it’s almost out of orb.

July: On the 18^th, Venus is in Cancer, once again providing a leg for that Grand Cross, which Jupiter will soon vacate.  Venus also will aspect all the outer planets.  On the 16^th, Jupiter moves into Leo, bringing more energy to the fixed signs through mid-September.  It will give a boost as Saturn continues to slow those signs down.  Mars is in Scorpio on the 25^th, so it will energize a little even with Saturn demanding precision and temperance.  On the 28^th Venus opposes Pluto, then on the 31^st, it squares Uranus, making a T-square focalized out through Uranus again, giving rise to some spectacularly stupid romantic choices at the least.  Remember those ancient wars begun because of some crazy romantic reason?  Will there be another Helen of Troy?  Well, she was mythological, so maybe we’re okay.

August: We continue the emphasis in Fixed signs now through mid-September and the Cardinal Grand Cross is no longer a worry, unless the Moon completes the empty leg, which won’t bring too much energy.  The month begins with a nice trine from Venus at 16 degrees on the 1^st to Saturn.  Also today we have Mars at 3 degrees square Jupiter in Leo, which can be playful energy devoted to sports or any project that requires oomph and not too much deliberation. On the 7^th, Mars trines Neptune and could bring a desire to travel to faraway destinations, not all that odd in August, a month often devoted to vacations.  On the 12^th, there’s more Fixed sign energy with Venus moving into Leo and of course the Sun is here now as well.  On the 14^th, Jupiter makes a quincunx to Neptune, expressing a desire for deeper spirituality.  Mars makes a sextile to Pluto on the 15^th, and maybe we could say it’s little aspects like this that act as pressure valves, allowing some of the built up energy of the Uranus-Pluto square to be released.  On the 23^rd, it is quincunx Uranus, so it activates that square between that period of time.  On the 25^th, we have a Venus trine to Uranus, providing a similar though less intense potential to release energy, and also today Mars conjoins Saturn, bringing a need for stamina to work projects.  We could envision something needing change and a relatively immediate response to restore things, such as the emergency help after a natural disaster.  I don’t mean to predict so many negative things, but these things do match the imagery of what’s happening.  Most times, however, what manifests is less intense and more benign.  Then we see Venus making a square to Saturn and then Mars on the 26^th and 27^th, respectively, once again minor energy.

September: Now we begin to see a bit more energy for the Mutable signs with, of course, Neptune in Pisces, but Venus enters Virgo on the 5^th and Mars Sagittarius on the 13^th.  By the end of the year Saturn will be in Sagittarius, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  The truth is for most of the year it’s the Cardinal signs which get the most energy.  On the 5^th, Jupiter makes a quincunx to Uranus from 11 Leo.  That could provide a fleeting boost of energy for change, I suppose.  Mid-month Venus aspects some of the outer planets, then on the 21^st, Mars is square Neptune at 5 degrees.  That could be as simple as travel plans needing modification or as difficult as chemical issues or oil spills though the latter seems not terribly likely.  Pluto makes a station at 11 degrees on the 22^nd.  By the 25^th, we see some redemption energy in the form of a trine at 15 degrees from Jupiter to Uranus.  Venus enters Libra on the 29^th, once again activating Uranus-Pluto.

October: Mars is mid-Sagittarius now and on the 4^th, it creates a Grand Fire Trine with Jupiter and Uranus. This is certainly energy of courage and big change which likely will be quickly implemented.  Venus is square Pluto on the 8^th and opposes Uranus on the 11^th, creating another T-square for several days.  Also today is Mars trine Jupiter at 17 degrees, a nice aspect for positive energy and physical activity.  Also in aspect although imprecisely is Jupiter square Saturn, happening through December.  On the 23^rd, Venus is in Scorpio followed by Mars in Capricorn on the 26^th.

November: We have some relatively insignificant transits early on, but then on the 10^th, Mars conjoins Pluto, then squares Uranus on the 12^th, creating some intense energy and a likely period in which events will occur, perhaps explosive ones or at the very least the sort that require a response from other people.  Also on the 12^th Venus conjoins Saturn, nice energy for building something artistic with balance and constraint.  Venus is in Sagittarius on the 16^th, bringing a pleasant little sweetness to the mutable signs.  Also today Neptune stations at 4 degrees.  On the 20^th we have Venus and Neptune in square, probably not an aspect that will produce much except maybe some music that you don’t like playing in the background.  Mars is quincunx Jupiter at 22 degrees on the 24^th, so don’t be hasty and lose track of some essential items or make a wrong turn while driving.  Venus trines Uranus on the 26^th, providing a tiny escape valve for the Uranus-Pluto energy.

December: Mars and Saturn are sextile at 27 degrees on the 1^st, so do some chores, then Mars moves into Aquarius on the 4^th.  Also today Venus trines Jupiter at 22 degrees, so consider socializing with friends or likeable professional contacts.  Jupiter makes a station at 22 degrees on the 8^th.  Venus is in Capricorn on the 14^th.  The 15^th shows Uranus and Pluto in a precise square at 12 degrees and by the 20^th Venus has conjoined Pluto and squared Uranus, making that antsy energy focused a bit on romance.  I just wonder what starlet will leave her husband amid fireworks, real or emotional during this transit.  On the 20^th, Mars is sextile Uranus so hopefully people will work toward change that isn’t terribly explosive.  Uranus goes direct at 12 degrees on the 21^st.  On the 23^rd, Saturn moves into Sagittarius and many Scorpios will breathe a sigh of happiness.  The year comes to its astrological close on the 28^th, with a Venus-Jupiter quincunx at 22 degrees.  Maybe we all will be taking advantage of those after-Christmas sales—or they will be taking advantage of us.

So were you wondering how all of this would specifically affect your own sign?  I gave you some idea already but let’s consider the Zodiac in order.

Aries: It’s a good thing you’re a natural firecracker whose motto is the more excitement the better, because with Uranus in your sign for years, it feels like the ordinary, the calm, and the expected are nowhere in your equation.  Any planets you have here, including your Sun, are being hugely challenged this year with the Grand Cross in Cardinal signs—namely YOU.  Any time something is in Libra you feel it even more strongly and when it’s in Cancer, as Jupiter is for quite a while, you feel as though your entire life is changing.  That’s not such a bad thing for this is your opportunity to remake yourself and to build something new out of the past.  While there’s the Grand Fire Trine in October, look for positive opportunities for change.

Taurus: Nobody thinks it’s fun to have Saturn opposing your sign for a long time, and you can attest to that.  This year you finish that transit of judgment and find that you’ve learned a lot as a result of all the criticism.  It’s time to consider ways in which you can make positive changes in your life and to rebuild.  Take advantage of Jupiter in both Cancer and Leo to gain inspiration about the best directions in which to go.  Neptune in Pisces can also be a softening effect which allows you to dream and then to manifest your vision.

Gemini: Can it possibly be that everyone else is just a whiner?  Life seems pretty A-okay to you and you don’t really feel in the mood to complain.  Sometimes you get the urge to alter the status quo thanks to Uranus in Aries, but it’s a mild urge that you can take or leave.  Unless Mars or Venus is aspecting you directly, you feel that things are moving along congenially, well perhaps with the exception of Neptune making a square into your sign.  You feel that there are movies to see and tunes to hum and if that distracts you from reality a little bit, why not.  But keep an eye on Saturn because as it moves into your opposite sign you will have to deal with feedback from other people and that won’t always be fun.  The plus side: you have nearly all of 2014 to wait before it does so.  And meanwhile you can enjoy Jupiter in Leo, which inspires you to learn more and have grand adventures.

Cancer: Like the other Cardinal signs, you don’t feel it’s exactly been fun.  You have Pluto opposing your sign and that has led to losses and separations which feel rather painful.  The problem is the square from Uranus could be the reason why and it could be that you are the instigator of these schisms.  Ask yourself if all the rocking of your boat is what you truly want.  Jupiter in your own sign would normally bring blessings and it probably will bring some, but it also heightens the energy for change and for making risky choices, so it might be wise to train yourself to slow down a little and to consider if you can truly commit to the course you’re about to embark upon.  You’ll particularly feel this intense energy when Mars is in any of the Cardinal signs.

Leo: Saturn has been squaring your sign and there’s nothing you dislike as thoroughly as the potential for disapproval aimed at you instead of praise.  It’s not been fun at all and you look forward to December when Saturn moves into Sagittarius, which feels orderly but not invasive.  But take heart, for the summer brings Jupiter right into your backyard and with this expansive energy in your own sign, you feel happy and optimistic and ready to take advantage of the many likely opportunities heading your way.  If Saturn has encouraged you to shut down certain aspects of your life, Jupiter will point you toward the next, much happier chapter, and it all will feel worthwhile.

Virgo: Neptune opposing your sign has been disorienting for sure, and if you’re a teetotaler like me, there might have been some days when you sighed and wished you could become a drunk.  Chances are you did not, but there may have been some peculiar health manifestations.  All you can do is try to focus on the best way to take care of yourself and to bring happiness into your life.  A strong sense of spirituality helps carry you through.  Pluto in Capricorn makes a trine into your sign and that’s certainly helpful when you need to release aspects of the past.  Saturn in Scorpio hasn’t been a bad thing for you because it provides the need for order that is comfortable to you and it helps mitigate some of the Neptune-driven fuzziness.  When Saturn moves into Sagittarius it will be more difficult.  Neptune will still be challenging you and Saturn will demand that you use that fuzziness and do something with the creative impulse that is more than just a daydream.

Libra: We’ve said it before and now we’re saying it again—Cardinal signs watch out.  Pluto is sending you a square, demanding that you release old aspects of yourself, something which might not have pleased you, but with Uranus opposing your sign, maintaining the status quo is practically impossible.  So you’re in a period of change, which isn’t always terrible for someone who can’t make up his or her mind.  But with Jupiter in Cancer, your sign is the empty leg in a very tumultuous configuration, making it feel as though you are the wiffle ball and everyone else has the bat.  Change is happening, and it’s your challenge now to take matters—and yourself—in hand and to make change good, something you will ultimately like.

Scorpio:  Saturn has been making demands on you and it feels as though you’re chained up to some extent, which you might like if a little kink could be added in.  But no, it’s usually about work and responsibilities, something you’re not ill equipped to handle.  You can hunker down with the best of them, but that doesn’t mean you won’t cheer when Saturn exits your sign and beleaguers Sagittarius instead.  You’re happy with Jupiter in Cancer because it’s sending you pleasant, watery encouragement.  Pluto, your ruler, in Capricorn isn’t terrible for you unless it’s breaking down the business side of the company which employs you.  It’s been frustrating but you see Jupiter as your silver lining and you’re right.  This could be your chance for some new beginnings.

Sagittarius: You like the idea of the Grand Fire Trine in October because it feels lively and with Mars in your own sign then, you feel you’ll have freedom and excitement, two of your favorite things.  Likewise mid-year when Jupiter is in Leo, you enjoy twelve months of new opportunities and carefree fun, so you are totally on board.  Neptune has been squaring your sign, of course, but it inspires you to travel and meet exotic people, something you enjoy.  You do realize that Saturn is bearing down on you with the insistence of a police cruiser, but it’s practically a year away, so your plan is to gather ye rosebuds now and for as long as possible, and yes it’s a very good plan.

Capricorn: The final member of the pity us we’re Cardinal signs club—that’s you and no, you don’t like Pluto in your sign, but somehow you can deal with the power struggles as long as you can win.  You don’t like Uranus monkeying with your sense of security and stability because the opposite of those things does not please you and Uranus bring chaos, also a four letter word in your book.  The bottom line is you’ve been forced to change huge aspects of your life for quite a while now and you’re hoping that some of the arrows you’ve shot at the sky will hit their mark.  Jupiter in Cancer could be the harbinger you need, for that will bring volatile energy, particularly when something is also in Libra, but it can provide you with the energy you need to change something for the better and to build something else.  Saturn in Scorpio is an aid in that regard. 

Aquarius: Yes, Saturn in Scorpio has brought you more than your share of annoyances, and you’re not fond at all of following anyone else’s rules.  You’ll be happy to see it in Sagittarius, which is more congenial for you.  Uranus has encouraged you to make a few changes recently, but in a rather mellow way.  What will be particularly nice will be post-summer when Jupiter is in your opposite sign Leo.  That brings you optimism and the chance for some wild and crazy fun, things you enjoy very much.  

Pisces: Neptune.  In your own sign.  For years.  Well, you say so what.  Other than some wonky symptoms regarding your health, you don’t really mind at all because it brings an enhanced spirituality and some deeper creative self-expression.  That’s a good attitude and always looking on the bright side is one of your most special qualities.  You also are excited about the burst of energy provided by Jupiter in Cancer, which encourages you to be your very best self, something you aspire to daily.  You do feel that Saturn is no fun no matter where it is, but in Scorpio it’s working to help you maintain order even as Neptune encourages you to abandon it.  Saturn in Sagittarius is another matter.  It will war with Neptune and your basic nature.  So what do you do?  You use Saturn to express Neptune, just like when they tell you to make lemonade out of lemons.  It’s the process of making—doing—that brings both vibrations into balance and helps you create the life you want to live.

Now I must run and leave you to contemplate my Venus in Libra.  With all these heavy hitters aspecting it, shouldn’t some hunky cave man be there at the ready to drag me back to his lair.  I do have Neptune opposing my Sun.  Wait!  Maybe he’ll have a Jacuzzi.

This post was excerpted from an article which appeared in Dell Horoscope Magazine. 

Jupiter in Cancer

          Some nights you can walk outside, look up and see a big fat star.  Although the evening star can sometimes be Venus or Mars, often that really big one is Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.  I always love to tell people that Jupiter is so big, if you could pop its top, you could drop all the other planets inside.  Thus it doesn’t surprise you that Jupiter is all about expansion.  By astrological standards, expansion is considered a good thing, and in days long ago at astrology’s inception, even an expanding waistline was a good thing because it meant wealth, which was a very good thing.  Nobody wanted to be skinny in those days and it was centuries before the infamous wife of the Duke of Windsor said you could never be too rich or too thin.

          If you think of expansion as growing and of growing as becoming a better version of yourself, or improved at some area of your life, or in a better circumstance in some aspect of your life, this is the real idea of Jupiterian expansion.  The whole idea of Jupiter as it transits your horoscope is that it will give you little boosts here and there, some kindly breaks, a little extra good fortune, and that will prompt you to reach for a grander and better level of self-expression.  You will therefore grow and your own personal universe will expand.  Life will seem bigger, and the possibilities available to you more numerous and even more interesting. 

          To understand the energy of Jupiter, consider the best of all possible worlds, for that is what Jupiter is truly all about.  If you can envision this utopia, what would you see?  Everyone would be honest and kind, nobody would suffer, and if one person fell, another would stop to offer a helping hand.  Life would be good as a matter of course, and nobody would feel so deprived that permission would be given out of feelings of insecurity to snatch something undeserved.  If the larder is full, you need not steal a piece of bread.  If you are well regarded at work, you work hard and never are tempted to take credit for anyone else’s work. Instead you say, hey Jerry did that—what a great job, boss, right?  That’s a much brighter world than the one we currently inhabit.  The better you feel about yourself and your life, the easier it is to be kindly and noble, and that is the goal of Jupiter, which is clearly a push toward that utopian reality we’re discussing.

          Jupiter is the ruler of the sign Sagittarius, and its many qualities shine in that sign.  Freedom and justice for all makes sense to Sag people and they feel personally the plight of someone suffering injustice, whether human or animal.  This nice quality represents the ability to see one’s self in another, and not to want anyone to be in pain.  Although Sag isn’t considered an emotional sign, this is empathy, and it’s one part of true justice and charity.  When focus on the idea of freedom with no specific thoughts about justice, it too belongs to Jupiter, for this playful, fun-loving planet adores time spent in happy pursuits.  Happiness should be the right of everyone, and Jupiter wants you to enjoy your life.  We’re not here to haul endless boulders up a hill but to live each day with joy, something that comes from finding a true path and walking it happily.

          Our legal system is a complicated thing and anyone involved in a law suit will sometimes marvel that it’s about rules and loopholes.  But what if it were about right?  Right is a simple concept.  We all know what it means.  If all behavior were a function of choosing what’s right, we wouldn’t need laws at all.  Someone would say, I’d like to do that, it might be nice for me, but it wouldn’t be right.  If everyone did that, we would have that utopian reality.  Is that your modus operandi? If so, good.  If not, try to institute it.  Before making questionable choices, ask yourself, is this right. If it’s not right, don’t do it.  Life is much easier when we make choices that way, and life such as that is Jupiterian.

          Jupiter enters Cancer on June 25, 2013.  Cancer is considered a positive sign for Jupiter and thus one in which its energies can shine.  It makes sense, doesn’t it?  Cancer is the sign of home and family, and Jupiter’s energies of kindness, generosity, empathy, and nobility feel at home here.  Cancer wants to nurture the world and Jupiter there will do so.  Cancer wants to see nobody go hungry, and it was with Jupiter in Cancer that the modern food stamp program was first originated.

          Cancer also loves babies, and it understands not so much the need to regenerate the race but rather the urge to swaddle and hold a baby, to watch it grow, and to love it.  We’ve come very far with modern science in helping those who can’t conceive, and it was while Jupiter was in Cancer that the first test tube baby, Louise Brown, was conceived in-vitro.  Here’s hoping there won’t be more cases of abuse of science as in the case of the Octomom.

          Cancer seems a sign of women, because well gee, the Moon, the breast, Mom.  Even though there are probably as many male Cancers as female, it seems the sign belongs to the gals.  Women are noticed when Jupiter is in Cancer.  Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of England then and Mother Theresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  In Pakistan, there was not only a woman Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, but she actually gave birth during her time in office, becoming the first female national leader to do that.

          Family is definitely a big deal with Jupiter in Cancer and it brought us the TV megahit Roots.  Bad things happen to families now as well, such as the brutal slaying of their wealthy Beverly Hills parents by the Menendez brothers.

          Jupiter’s energy is broad, and it extends to national pride, and really it’s even more global than that.  We see the world and our connection to it.  But 9-11 happened during this transit, and that led to our invasion of Afghanistan, a nation we still occupy as of this writing, twelve years later, thus making this war ongoing during two passes of Jupiter in Cancer (and all the signs in between).  As a result of 9-11, President Bush enacted the USA Patriot Act, aimed at preventing terrorism.  It’s not hard to see how this is an effort to protect our home and our people, something Jupiter in Cancer relates to.

          Nationalism is important with Jupiter in Cancer and it applies to other countries as well as our own.  In the UK, many events took place during Jupiter in Cancer, even since the 1970’s.  Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Golden Jubilee upon the 50^th anniversary of King George’s death; the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret died in her sleep and was buried six days later on the 50^th anniversary of her father’s funeral; a few months later the Queen Mother was buried.

          Jupiter in Cancer events are not just sentimental.  Sometimes they’re financial.  The Euro was introduced during this transit and drew together in commerce France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands.  In effect it made most of Europe one financial entity, at least as far as currency is concerned.

          Expansion is a good thing, and McDonald’s agrees, bringing the big Mac to Russia and China during Jupiter in Cancer.  I wonder if they have the Beluga and Kung Pow burgers there, respectively.

          Jupiter in Cancer applies a broad spectrum of standards, opens it arms to include others, and attempts to make life better for all those who are weaker as well as those who are close and beloved.  Jupiter in Cancer wants life to be a kinder and gentler form of self-expression.

          As Jupiter moves through the houses of your horoscope, it will bring a boost of energy to the affairs of that house.  This year, whatever house contains Cancer, will be enhanced and in this area of life, you will be able to grow as a person with some help from this planet of expansion.

          When considering what a planet will do in a sign, it’s also important to understand how it will interact with the other transiting planets in the sky, and no doubt you’re already thinking about the fact that this is a very significant year because of the clusters of transiting energy in Cardinal signs and Water signs.  Jupiter will not just transit Cancer, but it will become the missing leg in some very intense configurations, and I feel this period of time will become the most significant of the decade, perhaps even longer.

          In the Cardinal signs, we’ve had Uranus and Pluto in square for a while.  During the year that Jupiter will be in Cancer, Uranus will travel between 8 and 16 degrees Aries.  Pluto will travel between 9 and 13 degrees Capricorn.  Virtually all of this time Uranus and Pluto will be in square, an aspect of extreme turbulence.  Things are being upended, exposed, broken down, and ultimately changed, often not in a way that could remotely be described as genteel.  During those times when Jupiter is in Cancer between 8 and 16 degrees, it will form an opposition to Pluto and thus a T-square with the energy focalizing out through Uranus.  This describes very powerful forces at work.

          Jupiter and Pluto tend to work well together, bringing powerful energy for the greater good.  Big successes can be forged with these titans in partnership.  But just today I read an article saying that some of the nation’s billionaires were displaying a lack of confidence in the largest of American corporations and were dumping stocks.  Seventy percent of our economy is dependent on consumer spending, and a lack of faith in companies like Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Proctor and Gamble, Kraft Foods, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs has prompted their decision to sell.  The reason given is something called a massive market correction, which seems to indicated that stocks will be devalued.  Is this true?  Do I even understand this?  I don’t know to both questions.  But it seems to me that Jupiter opposing Pluto could boost stocks, not devalue them, although the glitches that might occur will likely do so when that T-square is formed.  It would seem that technology stocks could face problems or maybe there will be a large scale virus or power outage of some sort.

          The worst things that occur with Jupiter seem to be from excessive assumptions, such as someone boasting he can do one thing which actually he can’t.  Expectations exceed reality and the balloon bursts.  So if some powerful blowhard comes along in the business sector and galvanizes the financial community and then messes up, that could create some sort of mini crash.  There could also be electronic spying scandals or e-theft on a big scale.  Maybe there could be some sort of crisis in energy.

          So do we think this will be a bad or good thing?  Probably some of both, just as most things in life are.

          The other big configuration now ongoing is in the Water Signs.  Neptune in Pisces is trining Saturn in Scorpio, bringing together two incompatible energies which must attempt to coexist.  Neptune moves between 2 and 7 degrees Pisces during this period and Saturn travels between 4 and 23 degrees Scorpio, which naturally is a broader spectrum because Saturn moves much faster than Neptune.  Even with a decent orb, Neptune and Saturn won’t be trine for the entire twelve months Jupiter is in Cancer, but they will be in aspect part of that time.  When Jupiter in Cancer is at the same degree, it will form a Grand Trine, which could be very interesting energy for many events.

          Saturn is all about work and achievement, and Neptune is about illusion and creativity.  When they partner, a person who might otherwise be content to lie on the couch and daydream about a story, a painting, a movie, a song, or even a designer dress, will find the gumption to get up and put some effort into creating those things.  Saturn asks that Neptunian dreams be actualized.  Neptune asks that Saturn be less of a taskmaster so that a creative project can be truer and more fully realized, even if it requires more dreaming time to make it the best that it can be.  Also, to Neptune dreaming is more enjoyable than doing.

          Neptune goes beyond creativity, and it encompasses many areas, such as drugs, so with Saturn as its partner, maybe there will be a drive to develop more life-saving drugs.  There could be strides made in the battles against diseases like cancer, diabetes, and even mental illness.

          Neptune dreams of other realms, and although Saturn isn’t exactly a ship builder, there could be travel to farther points in space, or maybe just better telescopes.  Fuel is certainly a Neptunian item—and with the transits mentioned above, maybe we will make strides in the production of a fuel that isn’t dangerous to the earth and doesn’t require invasion or alliances in foreign lands.

          Remember here we’re dealing with a trine, congenial energy, compared to the square that Pluto and Uranus are making.  So with the trine, we look for good manifestations of energy, for opportunities for disparate vibrations to sing in harmony.

          When Jupiter comes along and is in aspect to both Saturn and Neptune, it can provide a tremendous boost of energy.  Jupiter is sort of the counterpoint to Saturn, and they don’t really see eye to eye.  Rather their function is to balance each other.  Jupiter says go for it, Saturn says, you can crack your head open that way, so a middle ground must be found.  Jupiter, on the other hand, is highly compatible with Neptune because they both can see life not as it is but as it might be—better.

          Jupiter brings big possibilities to the big dreams of Neptune, and Saturn is willing to work to make them happen, particularly because with Jupiter involved, actualizing those dreams is a less arduous process, one blessed by a little luck.

          We can see how everyone in the world will feel this energy because it will create not just events but global situations that exist over a relatively long time frame.

          So in your own horoscope, how will these two big configurations affect you?  Firstly, we all have a solar return, a chart that shows how our year will be birthday to birthday, so these configurations could play a prominent role in your life that way.  Secondly they will affect a number of the houses in your chart.   When there is the T-square in the Cardinal signs, three of your houses will be activated in a dynamic way.  Likewise will all three of your water houses be activated during Jupiter’s Grand Trine with Saturn and Neptune.  This will be true even if you have no planets in these houses, although it’s likely that you will have some, no matter what your age range.  And lastly, if you have planets somewhere close to the degrees mentioned in the Cardinal signs, you will feel the Uranus-Pluto-Jupiter aspect, and if you have planets in Libra at those degrees, you will experience a Grand Cross in your own chart, an aspect of turmoil and extreme busyness.  Life will be whirling all around you, the particulars of which will be determined by what planet is being activated.  Suppose your Sun is tweaked by Jupiter, giving you a boost of confidence and you decide to try something risky with a potentially grand payoff.  But Pluto comes along and your plans are challenged by someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.  Then Uranus gets involved and everything changes, perhaps not in a way of your choosing.  If it’s your Moon, your homelife could be involved, or you could decide that the dream house you always wanted, which is now at a fantastic discount due to a foreclosure, should be your home, so you sell your current house and move into a place that isn’t as great as you suspected (even if it had been on sale for many thousands more than you could afford years ago, making it seem like a great opportunity now).  Then you discover plumbing and electrical problems.  My cousin, a new widower is in process of moving from the dream house he and his wife built into a place they couldn’t afford which now was greatly reduced so he decided to snap it up.  I just hope the potential problems described above don’t materialize.

          If Mercury is involved, Jupiter hits and you enjoy taking college classes, so you sign up for more than you can handle, but somehow Pluto comes along and you do badly, perhaps flunking out, but you’re terrified of revealing this to your parents so you pretend for a year still to be enrolled and work part-time at a yogurt shop.  This actually happened with a client’s son!  If Venus is transited, Jupiter hits and you feel buoyant and cheerful and life is more fun.  Maybe you’re dating too much, or dating two lovers at once.  Pluto comes along and the partners fight it out for you, and then you discover (Uranus) that they were friends all along.  Ok this is ridiculous, but it’s the plot I saw in a movie earlier today.  If Mars gets that nod from Jupiter, there’s a desire for adventure and maybe travel, but you could lose your passport in a foreign country and have to wait in an embassy for it to be replaced.  The point with all these scenarios is that the best laid plans can actually lay you to rest, so don’t assume what you envision will happen when you’re caught up in these big transits.

          If your personal planets are involved with the Grand Trine in the water signs, it could actually be a good thing.  Your life could change for the better because so much energy will be siphoned your way.  There are only three water signs and all will be occupied during the grand trine, but even when Jupiter isn’t there, your own natal planet in Cancer could create a grand trine with Saturn and Neptune, or if it’s in Scorpio or Pisces it could be affected as well.  This is your chance to do something you were never sure could work out.  Or just to have faith and see dreams materialize in whatever realm is affected.  Sun could receive a creative boost and maybe your dreams of being an artist in whatever field will bring a payoff.  Moon could see some domestic improvements.  Mercury gets energized and fulfills the need for self-expression.  Venus could also be used for creative self-expression, or you could fall for someone who wants to encourage your dreams.  Mars could travel.

          There are millions of possible scenarios when it comes to huge transits like this, so don’t assume any one of these is specific to you.  But things can and will happen.

          Now let’s look at the year month by month to see when Jupiter will be sending us energy and of what sort.

          Obviously the first Jupiter transit comes in June, on the 25^th, when it enters Cancer.  By July 17^th, the Grand Trine we’ve been discussing is precise, at almost 5 degrees.  For people my age—aka geezers—that could mean a hit to natal Uranus in Cancer, and that could mean some form of liberation, depending on the house.  Also remember that although the water signs are all being transited by this grand trine, the earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) are also affected because planets there at this degree form a kite, with this energy focalized out through those planets.  This can bring much luck and many opportunities.  A simpler transit occurs on July 22^nd, with Mars conjoining Jupiter at nearly 6 degrees, bringing even more energy to Jupiter, and giving everyone the desire to do more and achieve more.  And now that I consider it, because this transit is so close in time and degree to the previous one, it will amp up even more the Grand Water Trine.  Let’s face it, Jupiter enters Cancer with a bang.  On the 28^th, we have a nice sextile between Venus at 7 Virgo and Jupiter.  This brings kindliness and generosity and is a good time to volunteer or do good deeds.

          The Cardinal T-square we discussed happens in a piecemeal sort of way in August.  On the 7^th, Jupiter opposes Pluto at 9 degrees and on the 21^st, Jupiter squares Uranus.  Does this mean there’s no T-square?  Nope!  It means the T-square is basically in effect during this entire period, and perhaps beyond.  Remember the transits I’m citing have been calculated exactly, with precise degrees, but we feel energy that isn’t precise.  One planet can be at 4 degrees and another at 6 and they’re still interacting.  Once the orb goes beyond 8 or 10 degrees, then the energy is weaker but some say you can feel that too.  The tighter the orb, the stronger the energy.  Also on the 21^st, Venus at 13 Libra squares Jupiter, creating a Grand Cross.  All the Cardinal signs have planets in hard aspect, and because they’re close to the middle of the signs, orbs will reach out in each direction, virtually guaranteeing that every natal planet in any Cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) will feel this energy very strongly.  And remember that as those signs make trines and sextiles into the other signs, we have a broad spectrum of energy that can be felt in all our natal charts in many ways.  Thus we have a surge of energy in both July and August.  The final August transit is from Mercuryon the 30^th at nearly 14 degrees Virgo, sextiling Jupiter, and once again it fits into the larger energy pattern.  At the least people will be doing crazy things romantically in August.  There could be a crazy bestseller about sex like those Shades of Gray books.  There might be issues about global adoptions now as well, something which has already started in Russia.

          Things seem to calm down a little in September, as Jupiter continues to move forward, away from the degree of Uranus, and Pluto goes retrograde, so we see fewer massive configurations.  On the 7^th, the Sun at 15 degrees is sextile Jupiter, but it’s a Saturday and many people aren’t working or looking for stellar new opportunities that day, but it could be a good day for networking at one of those work-related social events.  The 19^th features a square from Mercury at nearly 17 Libra to Jupiter, which can really just be lots of chatter and some travel.  On the 26^th, Venus at nearly 18 degrees makes a sweet trine to Jupiter, creating a romantic and nurturing atmosphere.

          October has only one aspect, a square from the Sun at 19 degrees Libra, which can create too much optimism, not such a terrible thing.  As in September, this aspect occurs on a Saturday, so if people are sharing big ideas while recreating, so what.

          On November 7^th, Jupiter goes retrograde at 20 degrees.  By the 12^th, it makes a nice trine to the Sun at 20 degrees Scorpio, and it’s on a Tuesday, a mid-week workday, so take advantage of this energy to shine at your career, and remember if you have planets in Pisces at this degree, you’ll enjoy a Grand Trine for a day, pleasant and even lucky energy.  On the 19^th, Mars at 20 Virgo is sextile Jupiter, bringing more energy and perhaps a desire to play more or to work out more.  Or even just to work more, although that last one is a long shot.  Jupiter and Mars together like to play way more than work.  The 28^th features two transits, a trine from Mercury at nearly 20 Scorpio and an opposition from Venus at nearly 20 Capricorn.  Sounds like someone will be penning tortured but hopeful love letters.  Maybe not so tortured!  Could be one of those crazy proposals at a sports arena or some other extravagant gesture of love.  Just don’t drop any diamond rings in champagne glasses.  Too many teeth have suffered for love already.

          In December, we see Jupiter at 18 degrees making a trine to Saturn on the 12^th.  This is not a Grand Trine, however, because Neptune has been going retrograde since before Jupiter entered Cancer and now is down all the way to 2 degrees, something we all admit is far from being in orb.  Neptune will go direct this month, but it never quite catches up to Jupiter’s degree, making a trine with an orb of maybe 5 degrees in 2014.  The real fireworks of this triad happen at the beginning of Jupiter’s transit of Cancer.  In any case, the Jupiter-Saturn trine can be beneficial on its own, and it’s a chance for people to work hard at something that seems just and right, or simply to achieve more via belief in what’s possible and the willingness to apply energy to make it work out.  Do remember though, that if you have a planet in Pisces at this degree, you will feel the Grand Trine we discussed earlier.

          Jupiter continues its journey through Cancer in 2014, and in January ’14, Mercury in Capricorn at nearly 16 degrees opposes, followed by the same aspect from the Sun on the 5^th.  It’s a chance to speak up about what you want to achieve.  By the 8^th, Mars in Libra makes a square, so plans that were vocalized earlier in the month might move forward, or they could meet some resistance, because after all, a square is an aspect of challenge.  On the 31^st, Jupiter at 12 degrees opposes Pluto.  At this time Uranus is only at 9 degrees, but that’s a small enough orb for all of us to feel the T-square, even if it has a sense of deja-vu because we’ve already experienced it, and even if it feels not quite as compelling.  Perhaps this is a chance for a do-over.  Plans that didn’t quite work out because of whatever monkey wrench can now be tweaked for a better accommodation.  At least that’s the idea with repeat transits.  You recognize the energy and have a sense of how to deal with it.

          On February 26^th, Jupiter at 10 degrees makes the square to Uranus.  This is the reverse of what we saw in the summer with the first pass, and as it was then, the T-square is in effect from the first hit of Jupiter to Pluto through this hit to Uranus.  On the 28^th, the New Moon shines on a trine of the Sun at 10 Pisces to Jupiter.  Saturn, now at 23 Scorpio, isn’t involved in this transit, although planets at 10 Scorpio can be.

          Jupiter goes direct again on the 6^th of March ’14.  On the 26^th we have a nice Mercury-Jupiter trine from 11 Pisces.  That’s good for communication and travel.

          Will you be playing a joke on April Fool’s Day?  The Sun will square Jupiter from 11 Aries, so that’s playful energy.  Big energy begins on the 14^th, with Pluto making a station at nearly 14 Capricorn, squaring a Mercury-Uranus conjunction and ultimately opposing Jupiter.  There’s much energy for change here and for discussing it and it continues through and beyond the 20^th .  And don’t forget planets in Libra at this degree will be strongly activated.  On April 17^th we have a pleasant Venus-Jupiter trine.  On the 22^nd, Mars joins the mix, at 13 Libra and this is point at which we can and will likely see some events.  I wonder what country will bomb or invade another.  On the 30^th Mercury at nearly 15 Taurus sextiles Jupiter.

          May ’14 has the Sun at 16 Taurus in sextile to Jupiter on the 6^th, a Tuesday, so you can shine at work.  The 18^th, a Sunday has Venus at nearly 18 Aries making a square, which could lead to an ill-advised shopping spree.  On the 24^th, we see the Jupiter-Saturn trine at nearly 19 degrees.  Neptune is not involved here because it’s only at 7.

          The final aspect of Jupiter in Cancer occurs on June 18, 2014, with a sextile from Venus at nearly 24 degrees Taurus.  Hug someone you love that day.  Then on July 16^th, wave goodbye and hello to Jupiter as it moves into Leo.  Did anyone say party?

          This is a significant year, to put it lightly.  It’s important because of the magnitude and precision of the aspects in the sign and because of the number of heavy hitters being brought together.  There will be events both globally and personally.  Perhaps a good way for you to use this information is to note your own horoscope and the degree of your natal planets and when those degrees will be activated by the transits mentioned.  Put a little red X on your calendar, then note what occurs that day.  If it’s a pass that will recur, you’ll have a clue what to expect the next time around.  That’s the best part of astrology, isn’t it. 

This post was excerpted from my article about Jupiter in Cancer which appeared in Dell Horoscope Magazine.

Neptune in Pisces

Neptune, the planet of illusion, delusion and spirituality is now in Pisces—the sign of its rule, the absolute best place for it to function. Pisces, the most diffuse of all the water signs, seldom needs to define anything. It lets things be whatever they are with no judgments or need to harness them to its own aim. In Pisces is the ultimate receptivity; it’s wide open, willing to receive all sorts of stimulus, inspiration, and vague notions that are impossible to define concretely. In Pisces is the ability not only to intuit, but to empathize. It can feel simply by being in the presence of emotion not even its own. To witness pain is to feel that pain and thus is born the desire to remove the pain—to help, to heal, to act kindly.

Because Pisces sets so few limits, it’s a wonderful place for creativity because it’s wide open to new ideas. What if?  Why not. Pisces is all about feeling and not remotely about defining anything, so it can allow all sensation to wash over, and it will happily float along, ballast on a sea of impressions, visions, vague thoughts, and images.

Thus the way Neptune works in Pisces is to send out a vibration for limitless awareness, for sensation that supersedes knowledge, and for a greater willingness to harbor beauty, understanding, love, and peace. It helps us see life from the perspective of others and to say, well I wouldn’t like that so why should you have to endure it. That’s one of the reasons that slavery ends during Neptune in Pisces—people sense that it’s just wrong. We don’t think of slavery as a current situation, but across the globe there are enslaved peoples, women used in human trafficking, and so on, and during the current pass of Neptune in Pisces maybe these atrocities will be eradicated.

Religion is another issue that comes to the forefront during this transit. Did you watch The Tudors on Showtime?  Apart from showing Henry VIII’s penchant for romantic troubles, it chronicled the religious dramas of the day, the dawning of the Church of England, an outgrowth of Henry’s disgust with the Pope when a requested divorce was denied. The Order of Jesuits was established during Neptune in Pisces as well. Bibles were printed or translated. Religion is an interesting topic, although it’s often more about power than spirituality, which is why it holds little appeal for me. If you have to go to war over it, how can God be a part of it. Neptune would ask us just to let each other believe as we like, feeling there is room for all. But through history that’s not always the case. The Salem witchcraft trials occurred during this transit. Although we probably won’t be indulging in religious wars in this country, wars over belief, nationality, and ethnic origin still occur across the globe along with mass atrocities, so maybe there’s hope for some changes in that regard.

Water, mist, and chemicals relate to Neptune and there are many historical events that illustrate how Neptune in Pisces functions. My favorite is sort of funny—a guy crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope. But there are other, more significant manifestations. Dynamite was patented. The first oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania. The first U.S. paper mill was established. Chloroform was first used for childbirth. The first America’s Cup was won by the schooner America. Gold was discovered in California and if that isn’t all about chasing a Neptunian dream I don’t know what is. In fact, in a previous life I was an old battleaxe (hold your tongues) and went to California to search for gold—where there was none—for decades. Something about learning patience they tell me!

In today’s paper there was an article about breakthroughs in the development of synthetic blood and although it sounds a little like the hit Vampire drama True Blood on HBO (a point that was made in the opening sentences of the article), that could be one manifestation of the current go-around. There is also much discussion about legalizing marijuana, and although voters here in California keep defeating it, who knows. It could be possible in coming years that better antidotes to drug addiction will be developed. Or insecticides. On the news and in the papers have been many reports about bed bugs and frankly this has me creeped out. Maybe something to eradicate them will be developed.

Also in the news was a report about the elderly needing whooping cough injections, and of course flu shots. I’ve never indulged in the latter, but I confess to thinking that childhood inoculations were enough to protect me from the former. When my daughter was a child she got the DPT shot, one shot to protect against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping couch) and tetanus. In fact, it’s currently a cause célèbre among parents about inoculating their children at all. Some theories postulate that the increase in autism is a result of childhood shots. It’s my understanding that these theories have been proven incorrect but that doesn’t mean that people know this.

We can assume that during this period there could be all sorts of scientific breakthroughs where drugs are concerned. In fact, it occurs to me that investing in pharmaceuticals isn’t such a bad idea, particularly with Jupiter also in Pisces during part of Neptune’s tenure there. Diabetes is a terrible disease and it seems particularly Neptunian to me as it relates to metabolism and sugars. I wonder if some breakthroughs will happen in this disease. We’re in what seems like a sugary period of time. We’re all too fat and chefs are celebrities as popular as movie stars. Food---it’s become too important. They do have drugs now that block fat and carbs, or so they tell us. I’ve been too chicken to try them. But if a scientist could create a safe, healthy drug that could regulate metabolism and hunger, that would be a good thing. You’d crave only the food your body needed and you’d burn up the calories, maintaining the perfect weight. Talk about a brave new world. I could swoon just thinking about that idea.

Oil is another issue. Scientists keep pointing out that the reserves of fossil fuel are dwindling so maybe they will come up with a better solution—although we probably can’t just drop a banana into the gas tank in our future cars as Michael J. Fox did in Back to the Future. There is much talk now about the damage done to the Gulf of Mexico ecosystems from the oil dispersants used to quell the recent months-long oil spill. We should know better than to risk drilling in locations where spills can do so much damage. And we should also know that chemicals in the waterways are a bad idea. So it’s a two-pronged issue—how do we fuel motion without oil and how do we guard against damage to the earth as long as we continue to use oil. I suppose one way is for more people to telecommute. I always feel that computers are Uranus, but moving pictures are Neptune, so what is video chat?  It’s cool, that’s what it is!  If more people work from home then less oil is needed to get us all from point A to point B.

Light is relevant too, and the first practical reflecting telescope was among the achievements of Sir Isaac Newton during this transit. It was his theory that a prism can decompose white light into the many colors that form the visible spectrum.   Newton worked on many laws of science and nature during Neptune in Pisces and for three centuries his views dominated. He taught us about gravity—and that the same sets of natural  laws governing motion of objects on earth also applies to celestial bodies. The speed of light was measured now.

Although time is a function of Saturn, defeating time relates to Neptune and I wonder if we’ll ever be able to travel through time. I love that idea. Are you interested in solar energy?  I did my sixth grade science project on it and that was long before it was anything to anyone. Maybe there will be some progress in this field and there will be ways to use the energy we already have to power things, clean energy that could never harm anyone or anything. Maybe light can be fragmented to release energy the way the atom was split to release tremendous force. That’s the thing with Neptune, it grants us the spark of imagination to look at life from a new perspective and then to consider what we intuit as a potential future.

Water is the globe’s most basic substance and recently machines have been developed to add an additional molecule of oxygen to water, making it a cleaner stronger than even bleach. You can drink it, but if you spray a counter with it, all the germs will be gone. I hope more innovations along those lines come along and maybe a way to turn water into energy, which of course has been done with steam, but steam also requires fire, which isn’t that clean.

Literature is very interesting during Neptune in Pisces—Moby Dick, a whale of a tale, came out but wasn’t that well received. Neptune in Pisces can be very fanciful and can be what scientists call anthropomorphic—seeing human personality characteristics in other creatures or even inanimate objects. The beloved Mother Goose Tales was released during this transit. Tortured stories of love and mystery seem very Neptunian and the Bronte sisters wrote Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre during this transit.

Some of literature in the past during Neptune in Pisces crossed the border between fiction and philosophy. There were points to be made. The Scarlett Letter was released then, and amusingly a play on that theme was used in a movie I recently saw, Easy-A, which was created before the transit, but in a way relates to it. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beacher Stowe’s tale of slavery, became a lightning rod. Thoreau produced Walden and Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass. Madame Bovary, a tortured story of meaningless life made more special by a search for illicit pleasures is a war of gratification versus consequences—Neptune versus Saturn you could say.

Neptune is art, whether the paint or the painting and the first avant-garde movement in art, the Pre-Raphaelite Movement, began during this period. The other day I saw some 3-D televisions for sale and thought how totally Neptune in Pisces they are. I like meatballs flying at me as much as the next gal, but do I really want to sit at home in those goofy glasses watching 3-D?  I don’t but maybe you do. And maybe in the coming decade cool movies will be made that we all will want to don glasses to enjoy.

Music is very strongly Neptunian as well, and some of the greatest musicians were born during this transit—Bach, Handel, Scarlatti and even John Phillip Sousa. The great philosophers Aristotle and Voltaire were born as well as artists Vincent Van Gogh and Georges Seurat. Eternal youth and author of Peter Pan, James Barrie was born now as well as satirist Guy De Maupassant—remember the tale of the borrowed jewels which when lost ruined the life of the borrower who worked for decades to repay their cost only to learn they were paste and worthless?  Witty playwright George Bernard Shaw and adventuresome Robert Louis Stevenson were born now as well, and so was the infamous Lizzy Borden who allegedly gave her parents those forty whacks.

I wonder if there will be art geared toward healing with Neptune in Pisces. Maybe music can be written to help a person space out and find a centered place, akin to powerful meditation, and that can promote healing. Cast your mind free for a moment and see what you can envision as a result of this transit. I wonder if more sunken treasures will be discovered in their watery tombs. People always say Atlantis will rise and be a continent once more. Maybe it will. Maybe eye doctors will come up with additional surgeries to heal eyesight—or maybe they already have it, I’m not sure. Maybe there will be better lasers to remove tumors more quickly, better imaging devices to detect illness almost before it starts.

If we develop better telescopes, maybe we will find other civilizations in distant stars. There can be so many new things with this transit that comes only once every one and a half centuries. Maybe there will be ways to make art using light, windows that shade from within so you don’t need drapes (though they may already have something similar). There are so many potentials, and I bet you’ve thought of some I haven’t.

 Neptune in Pisces will affect us all, but it’s particularly intense for those of us with planets in the Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces). Pisces planets will, of course, receive the conjunction and everything will be colored by an even stronger Neptunian flair. This could be a good thing for energy that is already rather vague but it might end up making you even less focused, which you might not want. Who knows though—with Pisces you might like it and not mind at all. Gemini and Sagittarius will receive a square and that brings doubt and confusion. It’s hard to know what you should do and the tendency is to second guess yourself. Virgo will receive the most difficult aspect—the opposition. You won’t know what to think because it will be hard to affirm that other people are regarding you with approval. All you can do is your best. Try to focus on life in a more peaceful way, don’t be combative and hope for the best. Get as much rest as possible and don’t put as many demands on yourself. This is the time for faith, hope, and charity, which when you think about it is a pretty nice way to live.


This post was excerpted from my article about Neptune in Pisces which appeared in Dell Horoscope Magazine.

A Weekend of Creativity and Love

There’s some pleasantly gentle and creative energy this weekend, thanks to beneficial connections between Venus, the planet of pleasure and affection, and Neptune, the planet of illusion, delusion, and spirituality.  Venus and Neptune together can promote creativity and a selfless love that is beautiful if it doesn’t degenerate to the martyr stage. 

          Friday is the perfect day to see a movie, attend a concert, or just to focus on your own creative endeavors.  I see more movies than most people should and okay popcorn is a big part of this, but on another level it’s the Neptune that draws me in.  Once the lights go down and the screen fills with images, it’s easy to get pulled into another world, one that has nothing to do with me.  I like that.  Anything nagging at me dissolves and I am immersed in another reality.  This is a process very like meditation, one of hyper focus and abandonment of the self.  Even a bad movie can be healing in that regard, although a very bad movie can generate anger and the desire to have those two hours refunded.  A great movie can provide a healing because of the sense that you have received a boost of pleasure.  There’s more to it than mere enjoyment, however, because creativity is the energy of the Gods.

 It’s easy to assume that anything you do that’s creative comes from you, and on some level it does, but in fact there are guides all around you sending out inspiration, and you, like the lightning rod you are, capture that energy, have your aha moment and think okay, I will paint the Sistine Chapel.  Giving into creativity is like giving into sex.  You’re riding a wave that is greater than just you alone.  You can receive this boost from participating in creativity (such as seeing a movie) or any form of art.  That’s why even when art is ugly, it’s also beautiful.  We absorb the vibration from spirit that first inspired the artist to create it.

There is much of this energy this weekend and it begins on Friday.  So make a plan to do something to acknowledge the spirit inside of you, even if you just dance around in your living room to some compelling music.  It will restore your spirit and open you up to express your own talents more completely.

Saturday is a nice but more intense day.  Emotions are more vivid and fervent.  There’s a sense that life could be better, should be a bit different, and far less bland.  Everyone wants to feel more, to give in more to passion and to express those intense feelings of adoration to the person who inspires them.  Well do most people have sex mainly on the weekend?  I don’t know but it’s a nice time to indulge on Saturday.  Venus is in passionate Scorpio, so give in and ride a few waves of your own.

This mood continues less intensely on Sunday as there isn’t much precise astrological energy happening. 

By Monday everyone is a little more driven, a bit more self-centered and focused on individual goals, plans and desires.  The sweet tenderness of the weekend begins to evaporate, so grab it now, while you can.

Psychic Cats And Other Seers

          There’s a guy in Santa Monica who sets up camp in the Promenade with his two sweater-wearing cats.  If you give him a buck, you can get a cat reading.  The cat will reach out and select a scroll, which you then read for the answer to your question.  Then he feeds the cat a spoonful of Fancy Feast as a reward.  I’ve done this now and then because I like supporting the efforts of kitty cats though it does feel a little like feline abuse to me.  Maybe I’m just jealous because my cats are chronically unemployed.

          Cat readings are rare, not the usual source of prognostication most people seek.  There are different types of readings, which you probably already know, but do you know the mechanics of how they work?  Here are the main ones:

          Clairvoyants are those who “see clearly.”  It’s the most seductive type of reading because if, after all, this person “sees” you doing something, then it must come true.  Sometimes it does.  But realize this, very often these readers are seeing something that represents a symbol rather than fact.  So if this psychic sees a car, it doesn’t always mean that there’s an issue with your car, that you will get a new car, or that a car will run you over.  It could mean movement, change, freedom.  What it means depends on the shorthand between the psychic and his or her guides.  Very often clairvoyants see things which do not materialize, either because they’re just wrong or because the symbols are being poorly translated.  Sometimes they get it right.  Mostly it depends on the communications skills of the reader, and that is always an essential ability.  Otherwise you will leave more confused than you arrived, something that is sadly not at all uncommon in a reading.

          Fewer people go to clairaudient readers—those who “hear clearly.”  They listen inside their heads and repeat messages from their guides for you.  It’s a similar process to what I do when channeling, which is to open up and listen to the inner hum of a person, living or dead, or the guides who’ve come to say something.

          Sometimes psychics will ask to hold something of yours, such as a ring, although not usually a watch, which has its own energy due to the quartz inside.  Holding this item, called psychometry, allows them to tune in more precisely to your vibration.  They could just hold your hand, but that could get sweaty.

          Trance channelers are very interesting.  They have the ability to—ok yes, go into a trance—but really they’re just floating out of their bodies as we sometimes do in a dream.  Then a spirit comes and sits in that body and speaks to a person or a group.  If the channeler is willing, your own guides could come and sit and speak to you.  It’s sort of like borrowing someone’s car.  The spirit inhabits the body for a while and gives a message.  Otherwise only those who can hear spirits could get that message.  I’ll talk more about the spirits around us in my next post.

          Tarot readers use a deck of cards imprinted with 78 unique images to translate symbols into information.  This is similar to astrology.  If you have questions like when will I get a job or will I ever lose weight, don’t consult the Tarot.  It’s not good at revealing timing.  And don’t ask the “will I ever” sort of question.  Ever is too indefinite a time frame.  When you’re ten years dead, you’ll surely be thinner.  Tarot is great for showing who’s around someone, such as your husband’s girlfriend.  Oh-oh!  Don’t jump to conclusions, though, because she could just be someone at work.  The key to gaining good information from the cards is the reader’s ability to synthesize the meanings of multiple symbols and extract pertinent and precise information from them.  And if you have no birth time, the Tarot is excellent at providing information that you can’t get from astrology without time of birth.  It’s also good for answering a variety of questions, of which there are as many as there are people asking them.

          Astrology is an intellectual pursuit.  There may be some dummies who are “into astrology” but if you encounter a dumb astrologer, run the other way.  There’s so much to learn and to juggle, it takes brains to do it.  And it takes wisdom to do it well.  A good reader should be able to give you the truth without making you suicidal.  Sometimes the news isn’t what you want to hear, but you should hear it anyway.  A reader who will say yes, you will be with that guy when she knows no way on earth is this happening, is just setting you up for greater unhappiness—and ultimately you will blame the reader.  Done well, astrology can provide more psychological information than therapy because there’s a tool—your horoscope—to reveal it.  A reader who can help you deal with issues can be far better than a therapist because the reader doesn’t have to wait for you to share the issues—she can disclose them to you.  Astrology is also excellent for timing.  It can reveal crappy periods you’re about to endure—and tell you when they’re ending.  This is good for your hair because it means you will be pulling less of it out.

          The key in having a good reading is having a conversation with someone who gets you and who can share information in a way you understand.  A reader should make as few pronouncements as possible and should share information in a way that is gentle.  Readers who take pride in being definite are doing a disservice to the client because if you believe it has to be true, you will do (whether consciously or unconsciously) something to make it true.  That would mean the reader is creating your future rather than predicting it.  Far better for a reader to offer potentials, choices, and possibilities about what can happen.  For any set of symbols, there are many potential delineations.  Nothing is set in stone.

          And that is the most important thing for you to realize.  A reading should give you insight into yourself and your life, but not be a precise snapshot of your future.  You are living your life and the choices you make today shape the future you live tomorrow.  Those are your choices to make, not your psychic’s.  Sometimes things will indeed “happen” but often it’s more about “do” than happen.  What you do makes something else happen and it’s better that way than if something is happening to you.  But if you know you’re in a good period, you can maximize on it by reaching for more opportunities.  If you know a bad period is coming, you can do what’s necessary to prepare for it.  And if you have a mate who baffles you, astrology can give you the insight into who and what this person really is.  Nothing is as good at psychological insights plus predictions for the future.

          The best thing about a reading is that it allows you to see intimately into yourself, from someone else’s informed perspective and to learn more about who you are and what your life is all about.

          Now it’s time for some lunch.  What should I eat?  Let me consult my trusty 8-ball.