ONE of
the primary challenges of 2020, represented astrologically by the
Saturn-Pluto and Jupiter-Pluto alignments, is learning to navigate
circumstances that we cannot control.
Individually,
we all experience such situations periodically, mostly in small ways --
like little "pop quizzes" that arise unexpectedly. But most of us have
also gone through times that felt like a final at the end of the
semester, conditions that demanded our attention and took great effort
to maneuver through. If we review what was going on astrologically at
these pivotal
life moments, we might find that we were working with a Pluto transit at
the time.
It
is more rare to have global experiences wherein millions of people are
all aware of a common situation that feels outside their control. But,
this is often what occurs during a hard Saturn-Pluto aspect. The two
widespread conflicts that have been labeled "world wars" began when
Saturn and Pluto were in hard aspect.
TO HELP US understand
current challenges, we can consider Saturn and Pluto as our teachers,
whose goals are for us to learn and grow, even if we don't always
appreciate their instructional techniques. Saturn teaches primarily
through assigning us an obstacle or limitation, which requires us to
develop greater maturity,
discipline, patience, and responsibility.
As
the psychotherapist of the solar system, Pluto's teaching methods are
often quite complex, taking us deeply into our unconscious reactions and
patterns. Under Pluto's tutelage, we feel very deeply about a certain
situation or person, at either end of the vibrational scale. We might
feel overcome with emotions such as love, passion, or desire, or we can
be
overwhelmed by fear, resentment, or anger.
Pluto's
ultimate lessons have to do with empowerment. Through situations and
feelings that arise, Pluto shows us where we may be giving our power
away, often quite unconsciously.
USUALLY, it's
clear when this happens in relationships, when one person abdicates
their power to another. In these situations, growth comes when that
person literally reclaims their power in some way, perhaps through
learning to make their own decisions, or even by leaving a partnership,
if the power
imbalance is extreme.
But
it's harder for most of us to see the pattern of disempowerment when
we're giving our power away not to something or someone outside of us,
but to something internal. Whatever
may be going externally in our individual
lives right now, if we are dealing with anxiety or fear, we can benefit
from observing how we are giving our power away to those emotions. As
President Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his first inaugural address in
1933, perhaps "we have nothing to fear but fear itself."
WHEN I WAS A CHILD (lo
these many years ago!), most Western doctors laughed at the idea that
there was any connection between emotions and physical health. The first
breakthroughs in mainstream thinking came when it became clear that
digestive disorders could be linked to excess stress and worry. Since,
then,
thankfully, we've come a long way in understanding the mind-body
connection.
An article published in 2008 in Harvard Women's Health Watch states:
"Anxiety
is a reaction to stress that has both psychological and physical
features. The feeling is thought to arise in the amygdala, a brain
region that governs many intense emotional responses. As
neurotransmitters carry the impulse to the sympathetic nervous system,
heart and breathing rates increase, muscles tense, and blood flow is
diverted from the abdominal organs to
the brain. In the short term, anxiety prepares us to confront a crisis
by putting the body on alert. But its physical effects can be
counterproductive ... when it persists, anxiety can take a toll on our
mental and physical health."
In other words, being anxious can weaken our immune systems. The emotion that we feel due to a perceived outside threat can actually make us more vulnerable to that threat.
THIS IS WHY
it is so important, when fear is heightened in the energy field we call
"mass consciousness," for each of us to find ways to calm. There are
many methods we can use, from meditation to mindfulness practices, from
deep breathing to candle-gazing, from taking walks in nature to enjoying
soothing music.
And,
for longer-term help, there are structured brain-retraining
techniques such as the Gupta Program, that have been proven to benefit
those who have health issues such as chronic fatigue or chemical
sensitivities.
This
level of conscious awareness, the development of a part of us that can
stand back and observe, with open heart and calm mind, is a part of
being spiritually mature. When we are under stress, whether it is due to
personal issues or global concerns, it is part of what we are called
upon to do. As spiritually aware beings, it is our responsibility
(Saturn) to be the
leaders in this regard. As we embody this higher aspect of our being,
we become midwives for a giant leap in our personal empowerment and
global evolution (Pluto).
THE MOON IS FULL as we begin our new week. The lunation perfects at 10:47 a.m. PDT (5:47 p.m. GMT), when the Moon is at 19°37′ Virgo. This is a "SuperMoon," which means it occurs when the Moon is at perigee (at
its closest proximity to the Earth). A SuperMoon appears larger than
the typical Full Moon, because our satellite is literally closer to us
than it is at
other times. Its effects can also be more powerful.
Although the Moon is in earthy Virgo – one of the
more detail-oriented, practical signs of the zodiac – this
is a very ethereal Full Moon because the planet Neptune is closely
aligned with the Sun, and therefore opposite the Moon. Perhaps the best
way to contemplate this incongruity is to consider how we might use our
Virgo qualities of discernment and service-orientation in compassionate
or creative ways.
Neptune
can also have the effect of making things foggy or unclear, so we'll
need to have some patience if practical solutions are not yet finding
form. As teacher, Neptune encourages us in developing greater faith, in
relying more on our intuition and higher wisdom, and in opening our
hearts in compassion. But, because we may not
see as clearly as we want to, some will also deal with the more
troublesome effects of Neptune, which are disillusionment, deception,
and avoidance.
THERE ARE MANY
positive potentials with this Full Moon, however. With the Moon, the
Sun, and Neptune all in harmonious aspect with most of the planets
currently in Capricorn (Mars, Pallas Athene, Jupiter, and Pluto), we are
empowered, energized, and inspired to improve situations by accessing
creative solutions.
We
also have an enhanced ability to see the patterns that need to be
shifted. And, we have the courage and confidence that are necessary to
put strategic plans successfully into action.
MERCURY
stations (comes to a standstill) on Monday, almost precisely 10 hours
after the Full Moon. The Messenger Planet has been
retrograde (moving backward) since February 16, corresponding with a
time of playing catch-up. Over the coming days, as the planet gradually
picks up speed, we should have better access to the ideas that will move
us forward. With Mercury in progressive Aquarius until March 16, the
solutions that are proposed may be radical or come from grassroots
efforts.
Mercury will
finally emerge from its "post-retrograde shadow" on March 29. This is
when it reaches the degree where it originally went retrograde.
Astrological wisdom tells us that we can anticipate even more progress
after that point. Overall, the end of the month will be interesting to
watch, since Mars and Saturn align in
Aquarius on the 31st. More about that event in the coming weeks.
