the thunder rolls
the may 2002 forecast
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all dates and times are based on pacific time.
the skies have been darkened for almost two years by the interaction (by opposition) of saturn and pluto. this has been the talk of the town, although most people don’t recognize it as such, for these planets rule things like terrorism, violence, energy shortages, and economic downturns, in short the most dastardly deeds of humans, as if the worst is brought out in our species by these planets when they combine.
the nature of the malefics
this, by the way, is what the ancient astrologers meant by “malefic” planets. malefics are planets that, when their energies are focused through human nature, the worst of our nature is brought out if we do not exert determined vigilance. the traditional malefics are saturn and mars, but to that list we could add outer planets uranus, neptune, and pluto. it is not that an individual cannot use these planetary energies well, but that in order to use them well, we must guard against our own worst tendencies. if we want to live in harmony with the laws and forces of the universe, we must temper our responses to these planets.
mars’s nature is to be one-pointed. we must guard against the tendency to forget that others exist if we are to get the best of mars. if we fully engage in that one-pointed nature, we will only remember ourselves. everyone else becomes the adversary or competitor. this is the character flaw known as egocentrism, which in its extreme leads to aggression and doing harm to others.
saturn’s nature is to structure. if we fully engage in its nature, we will feel so separated from others by our structure that we will forget our connectedness. what we feel separate from, we tend to fear. therefore, we must guard against the tendency to feel separate and be alert to our fears. fear and separation feed all the negative manifestations of human nature, from prejudice and racism to war and violence.
uranus is the planet of awakening, and it often shocks. because it is by nature transcendent, it does not care about individual concerns. rather, it introduces change for the good of the whole based on dispassionate perspectives. this can lead to suffering, even cruelty, in the name of a cause if we lose sight of our compassion for others.
neptune is the planet of inner vision and truth. however, this truth does not translate into the physical world very readily. the danger is that we will impose our vision in physical reality blindly, without tempering it by what is happening in the “real” world. this can lead to living in a fantasy and not being effective in life. we may therefore fail to fulfill our responsibilities to others as well as ourselves.
pluto represents power, and power is notoriously difficult for humans to understand and channel wisely. power can be used to manipulate others, since it both attracts others to us and gives us a natural hold over them. we must guard against the misuse of power for selfish ends. this can be done by realizing that the power we have is only borrowed, not our possession. it must be shared wisely and ethically.
why saturn and pluto bring out the worst in us
when two “malefics” like pluto and saturn come together, feelings of separation lead to fear. because they are opposed(across the heavens like 12 and 6 o’clock) to each other, this increases the gulf of separation. we may begin to imagine feelings, thoughts, and powers in others that keep us from trying to connect with them (and they with us). this leads to a power struggle, as we see those others as opponents who will compete and may prevail over us, threatening our survival. so we may try to defend ourselves, which appears to them as an attack. when they counter with their own defense, we may try to prevail over them, to use our power in a pre-emptive strike. if we were to try to connect, we would discover that they are human too, with frailties and fears like us. however, unless we are conscious of the dangers associated with these malefic planets, we may not recognize the need to do so in our fear and fervor.
if this rings true with your understanding of the international political situation we have faced over the duration of this transit — with palestinians-israelis, india-pakistan, the u.s.-al qa’eda, the u.s.-north korea, britain-spain in gibraltar — you’re with me. this is because our leaders, unconscious of the prevailing malefic tendencies and unattuned to their own abuses of power (or feeling justified in them by circumstances), lack the wisdom and integrity to temper their attitudes and actions of their own free will. however, i assure you that i did not have the world situation in mind when i wrote the description above. rather, it is based on what i know and have observed when these bodies come into challenging contact with each other.
lest we become too complacent, let me assure you that these tendencies exist in our own perspectives and behaviors as well. we must ask ourselves when was the last time that we felt at odds with someone around us. do we revile our current government or the person in the car in front of us who drives a bit too slowly for our taste? are we trying to impose our will on a member of the family who just doesn’t seem to be learning fast enough? do we feel contention toward someone we work with? these are all manifestations of the natural human tendencies which are brought out by these planets.
timetable of the planetary peak
thankfully, nothing lasts forever, and this is true of this transit: just when you think it will never be safe to go back in the water (that the world is incurably spoiled), life springs forth. saturn and pluto will move on. true, the forces they represent will never go away. and we can never forget what we know and live in careless ignorance again.
saturn and pluto will begin to part company in a matter of days. however, they will leave in a blaze of glory (or infamy, more like it), because they are being triggered by other planetary events:
sun enters gemini |
may 20 |
saturn opposes pluto (gemini-sagittarius) |
may 25 |
full moon lunar eclipse (gemini-sag) |
may 26 |
moon conjoins pluto, opposes saturn |
may 27 |
moon squares saturn and pluto |
june 3 |
sun opposes pluto (gemini-sagittarius) |
june 6 |
sun conjoins saturn in gemini |
june 9 |
new moon solar eclipse in gemini |
june 10 |
moon squares saturn and pluto |
june 16-17 |
you’ll notice that i didn’t mention the mercury retrograde, even though it is in gemini. this is because it never reached saturn and pluto, so it “refrained” from creating difficulties. we are having some rather good, humbling manifestations from this, i would say. some behind-the-scenes, repressed information is coming out about the actions of president bush’s administration, and in other ways, such events are having a subduing affect on the bellicosity of the most violent conflicts.
what will happen during this time? at this late date, after these planets have already commenced their convergence, we can see the escalation of volatility. there are new warnings of terrorist threats, and new rumblings of aggression from india over kashmir. since saturn and pluto are in signs which rule travel, and because they clash and are enlarged in their effect by the eclipses over the american memorial weekend when people are traveling, i would expect terrorists to want to target the millions of innocents who are traveling for the pleasure and leisure that the terrorists so resent. communications could be impacted as well, as could educational institutions during the graduations and final celebratory days of the nearly worldwide school year.
what can we do?
look at your chart. do you have planets in the mid degrees of gemini, virgo, sagittarius, or pisces? if so, take care. if you don’t, take care. we should all be aware of our surroundings, but no more so than we should always be. it doesn’t take a terrorist to disrupt our lives. inattention while driving or loading groceries in our car could cause an accident or carjacking. pray and meditate for peace. write your congresspeople about policies you care about. be kind to those around you and guard against the negative tendencies of our nature in contact with the malefic planets.
the best attitude to maintain during this time is one of humility. this naturally counteracts, even uproots, the haughtiness, fear, and defensiveness that these planets foster within us all. it may help to remember our own mistakes, our own indiscretions which were later painfully pointed out to us by life.
when will the saturn-pluto energy fade?
i expect the first shift away from the current tensions to occur on june 21st, when the sun enters cancer (the summer solstice). this takes the “punch” away from gemini and sagittarius. however, there is a lunar eclipse on june 24th which hits the point in the u.s. chart that was triggered at the time of the 9/11 attacks, and historically it has been activated at other times of aggression against the u.s., such as the world trade center truck bombing. although we can never be sure about when irrational people will attack, the planets suggest that the tendencies toward war and aggression will dissipate substantially after this time.
the name of the game
it’s important to remember what the point of all this is: to grow, to gain awareness of and respect for ourselves and others. actually, i can’t say that this is a universal truth, but i can say that to place this sense of purpose upon my life at this time makes it seem more meaningful, and i’m happier for it because i feel that this time has its use in my life, to make me stronger and wiser.
may you also find your own useful meaning and purpose in this time!
