Jupiter Meets Pluto At The End Of Sagittarius

I don’t know one person who isn’t feeling that something is coming to an end in their lives at the moment. There’s a finality about events, or a sense that the end is nigh somewhere, somehow. It’s Pluto that radiates the finality feeling, that sense of things never being quite the same again sometime very soon. Pluto just ‘is’ that feeling at the best of times, but it ‘is’ even more so at the moment because Pluto’s going through an ending all of its own, coming to the end of its stay in Sagittarius, where it has been since 1995. And it ‘is’ even more so again because Jupiter, the planet that rules the sign of Sagittarius and which has been travelling through Sagittarius for the past year, is now also wrapping up its stay there, finishing off the journey by passing across the degree where Pluto now sits. Jupiter is known for it’s optimistic, uplifting vibe, but is also known for expanding what it touches, making more of what it touches, which means the feeling that ‘is’ Pluto is feeling a whole lot bigger at the moment.

Sagittarius is the sign of personal perspective on the world. It’s the outlook or standpoint individual to each of us, based on where our journey through life has brought us at any particular point, and Pluto has been affecting our standpoint on life since 1995 (take a look back to then, and remember how differently you viewed life. See how much your outlook on life has been transformed by events that had the Pluto stamp all over them since that time). Sagittarius says it depends where you stand as to how you see the world, and Pluto says it depends at what stage you are in the Pluto process as to how you view what’s going on, because look back to ’95 and you can clearly see with hindsight how at times new life eventually unfolded out of a forboding sense of finality. What felt like the end was actually a rebirth, because from the Pluto perspective beginnings are born from endings all the time. Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, without question there's a sense of finality about the caterpillar experience, but life doesn’t stop when the caterpillar perspective ends.

But knowing that and allowing the experience of big change are two very different things; before change happens the doubts creep in, that there might be nothing more to come, nothing more beyond what we know now and are currently aware of, and that’s a harsh kind of thinking to see through and beyond. Sometimes people hold back, consciously or unconsciously circling with fear around the doorway, hating the hamster wheel effect their life then produces, just because they can’t find a way to believe there could possibly be more to come. Or that there could be better to come. Or quite often with Pluto, there’s a feeling of being dragged kicking and screaming into new territory (no one said rebirth was easy). So this is where faith comes in, something very much associated with planet Jupiter and so also with Sagittarius (also with Pisces, the other sign that Jupiter rules).

Faith is something that people too often use selectively, especially when it comes to applying it to their own dreams, but if there was ever a time that faith is going to be at the forefront it’s when Jupiter meets Pluto in the sign of Sagittarius. And I’m not talking religious faith, though that is one expression; it’s faith in your own future self. I believe our future shapes itself according to the outlook we hold today, so there’s no need to consult a clairvoyant for your fate, you just sit right here and now and listen to the kind of thoughts that drift through your mind about yourself on a regular basis. How those thoughts feel when you think them indicates your own view about where you believe you are headed, and we always end up going with what we really believe in.

But fate is as flexible as your perspective of it, and Jupiter/Pluto together at the end of Sagittarius can be a formidable force for deep, far-reaching, long-lasting change in outlook because Pluto always seeks to complete its own process. A phoenix always rises from the ashes, but how many of us can say we have gladly moved towards an ending, transition or transformation without any doubt about what might be ahead? Well, Jupiter energy just loves to have faith in our future self and so can work wonders on any Pluto trust issue. It loves to express optimism about what is to come and loves to feel the joy of that life energy in motion (it’s the journey not the destination!). Jupiter knows it’s natural to feel the deep Pluto current of change as a potent and therefore daunting prospect, but also knows there’s more to life than being a caterpillar, as any butterfly will tell you.

You can read more about Jupiter/Pluto cycles in Kathryn Cassidy's newsletter this month. She goes into detail on the key dates involved and has great info on the potential for transformation that this time holds (sign up at her website here or drop her an email). I love her explanation of the cycle of life as a spiral rather than a circle, and of how "Jupiter and Pluto coming together in Sagittarius can speak of a moment pregnant with possibility for a huge spiritual transition, or a leap in consciousness". So if you are done with the hamster wheel of endless circling doubt and disbelief, now's a great time to let go and take a leap of faith in yourself with Jupiter/Pluto.

December Horoscopes

My horoscopes for this month for all signs are available to view at this site

Mars Retrograde In Cancer - Taking It All Very Personally

(Mars is retrograde in Cancer from 15th November to 31st December, after that it moves back into Gemini, returning to move forward through Cancer early March 2008 till early May 08).

I wrote a while ago about the sensitive side of Mars in Cancer and its tendency to therefore have a low tolerance level for irritation and frustration (read that here). Well Mars in Cancer is now retrograde (appearing to move backwards), which means there's much more chance of feeling tetchy and snappish until we settle in to the change in direction that's now making itself known in a personal way for each of us. It's a whole new comfort zone for Cancer and that takes some getting used to.

Retrograde phases are famous for throwing up delays and obstacles into our path, but I have a theory that it's when we don't turn with the change in direction that we end up walking into the wind with a sinking feeling that the universe is attempting to thwart every best effort we make. Then it's a quick downward spiral into futility and hopelessness, punctuated by inappropriate fuse-blowing, courtesy of life's little banana-skin-on-pavement moments, until we find a way to go with the flow instead of fighting against the current stream of energy. As it's Mars that is the planet in question I'm not sure how possible it is to kick and scream your way to inner poise, so it might be best to develop a good sense of humour pretty quickly to see you through this settling-in phase.

To help you along here's Basil Fawlty's coping mechanism for the straw that breaks the camel's back. We've all been there, in thought if not in deed, just taking it all too personally; and Mars retrograde in Cancer is the beckoning finger of fate that wants to take you there all over again (and again, and again).

P.S. Basil Fawlty is a character based on a real life hotel owner Donald Sinclair, born with Sun in Cancer square Moon in Aries. Not exactly Mars in Cancer but not far off).




More Fawlty Towers here

Scorpio New Moon

This new moon takes place on the 9th Nov, around 11.05pm GMT. New moons are strongly associated with beginnings, while Scorpio is strongly associated with endings, so the beginning of the ending looks a logical theme to run with, especially with Scorpio ruler Pluto so near the end of its stay in Sagittarius.

Some people often look at astrology and the like for signs of doom to worry about, and there’s nothing like the mention of the beginning of the end to set folk off worrying we’re all headed for hell in a handbag especially when there’s an unexpected comet on the loose and 2012 is a date about to figure highly in any five year plan instead of just being a sci-fi theme or ancient manuscript reference; but what I’m discovering at the moment is that beginnings of endings can be more like a welcome light at the end of the tunnel, which is why I’ve decided to now interpret the Comet Holmes appearance as exactly that.

You see, this week was a bit of a week for me. I’ve had agoraphobia for years (which intensified dramatically once Pluto hit the 4th house cusp of my chart a while ago btw). But this week on the day that the sun hit 15 degrees of Scorpio, in fabulous aspect to freedom planet Uranus, and Scorpio ruler Mars, I suddenly ended up out and about on my own for the first time in many years, wandering around like a comet on the loose. And today I went back to the shops and stayed in there long enough to know the other time wasn’t a fluke. I was only vaguely aware of the exact astrology of now, having been all engrossed in my healing stuff for the past couple of weeks (how Scorpio in itself), so it was a bit satisfying to say the least to see the astro significance in all its glory.

If you’ve ever had a panic attack or you’ve a fear of heights, or enclosed spaces, or the dark, or the dentists, or spiders, birds, mice, love or commitment, flying/driving, life or death, etc etc, then you’ll have an idea of the kind of fear that goes with agoraphobia, and anyone who doesn’t relate at all to any experience of ‘irrational fear’, you’re either very very lucky or in complete emotional denial, and I don’t relate at all to you. It’s only now I’m realising the utter gift of this kind of experience, in the positive broadening and deepening of self-knowing that comes in direct relative proportion to the intensity of the negative experience. The balance of it feels like perfect justice. True it’s bittersweet, as I spent the best part of ten years chasing a freedom I only half believed existed, and I won’t get those ten years back (grief and loss is another Scorpio theme); but there’s no way on earth I would exchange what I’ve learnt about myself and the world as a result. Who would have thought an agoraphobic could learn anything about the outside world, but there you go.

I’m going to be writing more on this in connection to Pluto transits in particular, but wanted to mention it in connection with this new moon, because I'm feeling the joy at the moment of realising that while there’s no point (and no need) trying to be positive about whatever it is that is turning you inside out, there’s every reason to feel positive about the potential of the direction you are headed in as a direct result of the negative experience itself.

November Horoscopes

My horoscopes for all signs, for the magnificent month of November, are available to view here

Full Moon In Taurus And Comet Holmes

Way back in 1892, two days after the annual full moon in Taurus, a comet was spotted by Edwin Holmes after its brightness increased significantly, making it more noticeable in the skies. Now 115 years later and two days before this year’s full moon in Taurus (UK time = 26th Oct @ 6am), it suddenly and unexpectedly expanded in brightness again, moving from being an under-achieving, average Joe in the luminosity ladder to being one of its fastest rising stars, plucking it out of astronomy obscurity faster than a reality-show contestant can say ‘overnight success’ (story here)

So what’s that all about then? Is it simply referring to the reappearance of the utterly luminescent reality-show winner, singer Leona Lewis with her newly released single, the darkly Scorpio/Taurus themed ‘Bleeding Love’ (You cut me open and I keep bleeding love!!)? Or is there something more? (And something more than being headed for those doom and gloom predictions that comet astrologers of old invested so heavily in, as I have really had it up to here with irritating apocalyptic predictions, it’s all SO 1999)

Along with the smooth as a sports car synchronicity of the Taurus full moon link-up spanning 115 years, it was the quick and unexpected change in the comet’s appearance that got my attention, because Uranus, planet of sudden, unusual, and unpredictable movement is currently opposed to Venus, the planet that rules Taurus, (and therefore a VIP planet for this full moon chart), while Jupiter, the planet of increase and optimism, sits at right angles to both Venus/Uranus.

But not only that, the comet is located in the constellation of Perseus, the mythical Greek action hero responsible for rescuing his future bride Andromeda from the clutches of some terrible sea monster while on his journey to slay scary snake-haired Medusa. Perseus is the ultimate swashbuckling romantic hero (very Mars in Cancer), and is portrayed as the emotionally driven Knight of Cups in the Mythic Tarot, because the authors saw a strong similarity to the arms-length idealising of women that medieval knights favoured . According to the Mythic Tarot description “Perseus is different from other heroes precisely because of this high idealism and worship of women”. Not sure about that, but it's certainly all very Venusian and rather lunar too, especially the lunar earth of Taurus opposing the deep waters of Scorpio; and weirdly the Perseus/Andromeda story seems to be playing out in the full moon line-up of planets. Taken from this translation of Ovid, here's the meeting of Perseus and Andromeda:

"As soon as Perseus saw Andromeda's arms bound to the rocky cliffs--he might have thought her a marble statue, save that the light breeze ruffled her hair and a slow tear dripped from her eye--he felt the fires of love. He gaped, so taken by the beauty of her form that he almost forgot to beat the air with his wings. Hovering he cried, "O, you shouldn't be bound with these chains but rather with the bonds that link lovers! Tell me your name, your nation, and why you are shackled here!"

At first the maiden said nothing, embarrassed to answer a strange man. She would have hidden her modest face in her hands had they not been bound. Her eyes were free; they brimmed with tears.

Finally after many false starts, afraid that it would seem her silence was hiding her own crimes, she told him her name and her country and explained that she was chained here because her mother had so boasted of her beauty. Before she could finish the story, the waves thundered and an oncoming beast towered over the great sea, hiding the waters beneath its breast".

Isn't the sheer optimism of Perseus, in his willingness to take on the 'impossible' task and heroic journey of slaying Medusa, more than a bit Jupiter in Sagittarius? and then there's the modest maiden (Venus in Virgo) reaching for freedom from the sea monster unleashed by Poseidon (Uranus in Pisces). Turns out this full moon theme unexpectedly has Perseus meeting Andromeda, via the slaying of Scorpio type she-devil's, written all over it.



There's more on the comet here, and from Lynn Hayes here,
on the astrology of comets here,
and more about the myth of Perseus here , and here.

Brief Look At Now

Had to make a note of it as there's such a lot going on in skies at the moment, what with a lovely new moon in Libra (embracing a new sense of balance), a Sun/Neptune trine (the soft-focus lens of idealism), Jupiter square Uranus (faith, friction, freedom), Venus meeting Saturn meeting south node (deja vu regarding boundaries and 'glass half full' expectations in relationships), and a Mercury Retrograde phase (reconnect, redo, rethink, replay, reverse, etc etc), linking up to Mars (sharp minds thinking alike).

Such a busy and buzzy kind of vibe can only keep on giving, more and more so by blatantly ignoring the guilt feelings rising from your Virgo bit, the 'constructive criticism' (yeah right), from your Saturn in Virgo bit, and the crippling self esteem issues from your Saturn/Venus in Virgo bit. Big breaks still abound via Jupiter/Uranus, and Sun/Neptune is heart-melting and soul-soothing. Also, be fearless in treading Mars in Cancer eggshells underfoot, as Mercury Retro frequently requires endless circling around a subject, while Mercury in Scorpio endless digging for clues or treasure.