March 08 |
March 2008 Forecast |
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by Terry Lamb For a free subscription, contact me. Note: This publication is provided as a pro
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New to astrology? Read on and ignore the technical bits. There's plenty here for you too! Why don’t I write horoscopes for each sign?
We’re suffering from a glut of Pluto energy as the month begins. It never really left us after the full moon on March 21, since it was near its standstill even then. In the last week of March, this was intermixed with a startling dose of Uranus’s awakening energy. If you experienced disruptions in your electronic devices and activities, you were not alone. Our First Concentrated Dose of Pluto in Capricorn Pluto is sending us its first concentrated dose of energy from its new summit in Capricorn. Capricorn is all about perspective, broad and encompassing. Through it we create the structures of government and civilization. When Pluto is there, we transform the established, deeply entrenched order, removing stagnation and reviving balance. Capricorn does not necessarily care about the individuals that make up the state, but it does care about the continuation of the state. If the state’s stability is threatened by the undermining of its people, then the people are to be supported and the system of government changed accordingly. In a nation where the government is supposed to be by and for the people, this is especially true. The US must change, and I sense a very powerful, positive change that just might take place — and, some would argue, must if the species is to survive on Planet Earth. The change is in the understanding of when a nation is ready for democracy (the answer used to be “At any time.”). Now, as democracy is forced upon nations that have been built on other cultural traditions than the Greek, we are seeing that the outcome is not always a freer society, but instead mock elections, economic and governmental chaos, and civil conflict. The blithe confidence of the first 230 years of the great American democratic experiment may need to give way to more caution, as we understand that a people must be primed to run their own country and that certain conditions should exist, such as that the majority of the citizens agree that they should all be citizens, that they have a common set of goals and ideals. This was largely true as the US formed (with notable exceptions), but it is most assuredly not true in Iraq, Zimbabwe, or Russia. This is significant because the US is approaching its Pluto return at 27° Capricorn (the return of Pluto to the position it was in when the US was “born”). At this time (while Pluto is in the sign that the return occurs in), the nation gets to rethink its origin and ideals. How do they fit the 21st century? Is the Constitution relevant in this age of terrorism? Is a new notion of individual rights appropriate? When the founding fathers wrote the Constitution, they did not envision it staying the same as they wrote it. They intended for it to be regularly rewritten. While we have amended it, the founders would have expected to see an entirely different document by now. If we were to rewrite it, in what direction should it be taken? This would doubtless create the biggest squabble ever seen in this country, because many people consider the Bush administration and its judiciary to be rewriting the Constitution in unofficial ways already — in such ways as to severely cut into civil liberties and to even undermine the country’s stability because its people are unable to thrive. While the opposing side awaits its turn to take the country back to its core values and ideals, it is the threat to those values and ideals that leads us to reflect on the moments when the nation was born to recapture the essence that became the spirit of America. It's time to renew the debate in a meaningful way that can't occur while the Constitution is surreptitiously changed. The Pluto return of the US occurs in 2022. What Does This Mean to Us? This means that there’s much more going on than meets the eye. It also means that we will benefit by taking the broadest view possible and not shying away from the truths that confront us, no matter how painful. For instance, as the US has gone from the largest creditor nation until 1981, ever since it has been going downhill until now it is the largest debtor nation — making us arguably a third world country. It will take several years of governance by those who have the will to tackle the problem for us to come out of this position, comparable to where Brazil was when its economy tanked, but not so severe as the Weimar Republic, Japan, and Zimbabwe at their weakest point. One of the issues that we can associate with the current Pluto emphasis is what to do with the US economy. The Bush administration floated a proposal largely authored by Secretary of Treasury (& past Goldman Sachs CEO) Henry Paulson. In it, the Fed Chair, a politically appointed head of a private financial institution, would be given more control over the economy, essentially gutting the SEC. This, according to Thom Hartmann, is tantamount to “Reaganomics on steroids” (The Thom Hartmann Show, 3/31/08). While this is consistent with Bushonomics and the “deregulate or die” position of the Cato-libertarian neo-right (as opposed to true conservatives) advisors who support it, it remains to be seen how the Democratic majority in Congress will deal with it. It is already predicted that it will be after the election before the proposal can be digested and amended, if not countered. This fits the timing of the current Pluto cycle perfectly, which ends on December 22. This gives us a timetable for events having to do with creating a new economic structure in this country — for this year. Since it will take at least 5 years for robustness to return if we do everything right, it’s only the beginning of a longer term process. That being said, here are the dates and what’s happened so far on this schedule (dates approximate but still valid):
Of course, the threads of other issues will follow this timetable as well, and some events related to this issue will not stick strictly to this schedule (but are likely to have Pluto involvement). The fact that Pluto is energetically involved in the economics picture tells us that the problem is deep-seated and systematic. A healing of the system is the only remedy that will achieve the stability we seek. This need for healing should lead us to ask the question, “How am I contributing to the situation? Am I part of the problem or the solution?” Perhaps more relevant to each of us, “How do I survive this crisis and the healing process?” The latter question is hard to answer and must be based on our individual situation. However, some of the things we can do follow the Capricorn theme: • Become more self-reliant. • Get out of debt. • Become part of a mutually supportive and self-sustaining community. This may include joining a food co-op or community supported agriculture group (CSA). • Avoid being reliant on the risky aspects of the financial system. (You get to define what “risky” means.) Your Personal Pluto Experience But what about your personal Pluto? If you have planets in late Sagittarius or early Capricorn, your Pluto experience is based on what you’ve been creating over the past few years. You’re already crossing the river, so no getting out to patch the boat! If you’ve got a year or more to wait before Pluto reaches your planets, you have time to make adjustments for what you know is coming, even if you don’t exactly know what form it will take. If you’re in the first category, get out the buckets and start bailing! Okay, so I’m exaggerating (aren’t you glad?). Still, the times are a-changin’, and you’re in the middle of the process. You do get to choose some of how it works, but some of it will be a matter of when and how, not what. This is good, and chances are that you’re more prepared than you think. If you’ve got more time, you get to decide much more, as you are still in the groundwork stage. So, what do you want to create? You have the chance to define the process in major ways. Think about it: It deserves your careful consideration, projecting into the future what direction you want to go in. You may feel more acutely now what needs fixing in your life, which makes that projection easier. Future key dates in Pluto’s timetable include June 20, September 8, and December 22. The Local Story All of this generalization relies on the local story that happens in your life right now. Right on the heels of Pluto’s station on the 2nd, Mercury and Venus give us new awareness of what we can do with the current Pluto cycle. This is part of a series of hits in the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) occurring on April 3, 6, 10, 13, and 16. We can expect to be more inclined to take action and initiate projects than to be following up on or completing activities. (See Chart A.) For many of us, this means we have more to do than the time allotted, and this can produce stress reactions as realities fail to meet expectations. However, this is our choice. If we choose a less demanding outlook — let ourselves and others off the hook because we know we’re all doing the best we can — we will be able to manage our experiences more peacefully and effectively. Later in the month, it all smooths out. (See below.) Develop Your Clarity. Even in the midst of the challenges, we get some useful harmonies. On April 9, 12, 13, and 14, we get the opportunity to develop our healing processes (in the broadest sense of the term) more. This has to do with the cycles of Chiron and Neptune, which began on February 10 and 15 and travel together this year. The subtle energies of these planets help us address undermining, hidden influences (like the mining of the candidates’ State Department files) and bring them to the light of day so they can be resolved. Whatever you were working on at that time, you have the chance to further during mid-April. These experiences can bring clarity, spiritual awareness, and healing of wounds both physical and ethereal. Other dates that fall in these planets’ timetable are May 11-14, May 25-26, August 10-15, and October 25-November 1. Winter’s Leftovers. There’s one more activating pattern that bears mentioning. Over an unusually sprawling time frame, Mars and Jupiter have been in contact through an opposition (across the sky from each other). Their three contacts occur(red) on August 23, December 26, and finally on April 24. This suggests that what would typically be a one-pointed culmination of activity has turned into a protracted peak of activity in which we are reaching toward a crescendo that just never quite occurs, at least the way we want it to. That doesn’t mean we don’t get anything out of our efforts — far from it. We’ll get lots of rewards, even if the saga hasn’t reached the compensation stage yet. Be patient and keep plodding toward your goals. There are triggers to this pattern during April, just as there were in late December into January. They occur on March 30-April 10, April 10-13, and in a final climax, April 23-24. This latter contact promises to bring out interpersonal discord, but only if it already exists in the relationship. You may expect the gas station attendant or bank teller to be edgy as well, but these things will pass. Any delicate initial contacts that you need to make may be best put off a day so we’re past this contact. It can also, as with any activation, result in a “time crunch” because we have too much to do. And Then It Gets Easier.  Like Roseanne Roseannadanna says, there’s always something. However, once we reach the 17th, we are graced with a series of grand trines with Pluto & Saturn. This introduces harmony and flow into our lives in a way that we may not have experienced in quite some time! This is especially strong on the 18th – 21st, and then again in the first part of May. (See Chart B.) This tells me that, even though some situations in our lives may not look so good before mid-April, we may see a different side during the latter half and in the first part of May. Don’t be quick to pass judgment until after that time. While it’s true that not every situation will respond to these nurturing energies, we won’t know for sure which ones will until after this expression is complete. In terms of timing and agreements, we get a nice window for making agreements between April 17 and 28, but make sure you pick the times of day when Jupiter and Mercury rule the houses you want to strengthen. Miscellaneous Contacts Bring Awareness. At the month’s end, there is a pattern that sets up involving Mercury, Mars, Neptune, and the Moon’s Node. This brings to our mind an awkward situation that requires us to wait to solve it. If we try to deal with it now, it will be too soon. In another six weeks, action is called for. It will tie in to significant events that occurred on or around February 6. You’ll remember April for how much you were able to accomplish while under fire, but you may not remember how you got there, so blurred will be its rapid-fire events. Although you may feel at times like you’re jumping off a cliff this month, just remember to spread your wings and fly! Significant Planetary Events Saturn is retrograde. Mercury is in detriment and fall. Mars and Jupiter are in fall.
All dates are based on Pacific Time. © Terry Lamb |
