journey to the lord of power
the summer 2000 astrological forecast
july-september 2000

all dates are based on pacific time.

remember that big test? (it doesn't matter which one.) remember how life revolved around it for days, even weeks? remember how life stopped--that is, how you just couldn't conceive of what would happen after the test? you didn't think about it, you didn't plan for it--emotionally life ended when the test was over. yet, after the test was over, life went on. you found other things to do. you packed everything away related to the test in your files and in your mind.

it's the same with the planets, with those inner events that seem more subtle than a test. earlier this year, we watched as the planets conjoined into a single harmonic pattern. we saw them come into a cluster. we saw the stock market falter and recover, just as we saw our lives shift in sometimes dramatic ways. we couldn't see beyond the "crush."

but life went on; life goes on, just as the planets dispersed like a crowd after a movie. the planets moved, and we moved. one of the laws of being human is that as soon as "there" becomes "here," we get another "there."

we got our first glimpse of this right at the end of june, but it was too early to look at what we saw. rather, we have been gradually developing our vision of this new pulse in our universe. it signals the shape of things to come over the next three years (until june 2003). the middle year of the process will be the most powerful (june 01-02), reaching a peak in summer '02, but each year's planetary patterns will bring their own gifts and challenges.

the energy of this pattern works from within the integrating force. the last time we had this emphasis was in the signs of the integrating force (gemini, virgo, sagittarius, pisces) was in february 1998, before the recent resisting-force pattern was fully set into motion. even then, it was not the wholesale, grounded emphasis we will experience in the near future.

no matter what, since 1996, we have been working with the functions of the integrating force, at least on background. we can think of it as a dragon lying in the deep, periodically rising to the surface since then to reveal himself. although we are not always aware of his presence, he is always there, and we will acknowledge him. now he assumes a more prominent role in our lives, because the other planets will be paying homage to him over the next three years. we can call this the journey to the lord of power.

this journey has to do with two main concepts, those of gemini and sagittarius. these two signs are opposite each other, which means that two dynamics will establish themselves. first is the dynamic inherent in the signs and their polar opposition. second is the dynamic of the planets that are involved.

gemini and sagittarius appear to be quite different from each other. gemini explores and experiments; sagittarius sits back and watches the whole show. yet each draws mental conclusions about what it experiences; each of these signs dwells in the land of thought. they differ in that sagittarius wants to see the big picture, to learn of the universals behind the surface events, while gemini wants to engage in the surface events themselves for the sheer joy of the experience. neither sign is complete without the other, for to engage in life without depth is no better than to observe life without engagement.

the planets add the substantive ingredients that make the signs' energies tick in real life. pluto, the lord of power, has been in sagittarius since 1996. its function is to traverse the depths of the sagittarius's underworld, making known to us what has become stale in our use of this sign. are we bringing the higher mind functions of sagittarius to bear in a revealing and meaningful way?

sagittarius has its natural impact in the fields of study which lend themselves to higher-mind functions: education, philosophy, and cross-culturalism, to name a few. however, every aspect of our existence is meaningless unless we feel and respond to a deeper motivation for our actions. if we act without purpose, then the higher mind is not engaged, and our behaviors become rote and strategized. as the lord of power moves through sagittarius, it challenges us to answer the questions: what am i doing and why? what meaning does my life have? how will people remember me when i'm gone? do i feel as though my life's work thus far is a good legacy to leave? is there anything i need to change to make my life's work my path's work?

we see the need for change all around us: our world is full of people caught in the hamster wheel of meaningless existence. but as pluto moves along, it is triggering something in each of us and presenting us with the opportunity, if not the irresistible force, to go deeper and find more meaning in our lives.

our ability to sleep through it all will be severely hampered during the coming three years, however. our relief after the single-minded focus of the past 18 months on what we're afraid to change will be temporary, because we do, after all, have more work to do on the planet if we're still here.

we can see just what our own personal experience will be if we invoke the planets. key to our understanding are jupiter and saturn. these two planets, but principally saturn, determine what type of "grist for the mill" we'll be dealing with. both of these planets express through gemini this year: jupiter is already there, and saturn will tap its toe on gemini's dance floor from august 9^th-october 15^th.

right now, jupiter is the messenger, going before saturn and tuning us in to what we will later be dealing with in saturn's "take no prisoners" way. so, jupiter, which typically suggests something to overdo, is saying, "pay attention. this is the shape of things to come."

so what is gemini about? gemini is light and airy. it connects things and people, concepts and words, places and populations. it thrives on experimentation; it simply must try everything. while jupiter is in gemini, we'll experience the joy of mental pursuits. we need room to have fun and make light of things. if we need a deeper reason, playtime allows us to approach the more serious aspects of our lives with more zest and creativity.

gemini is not without its deeper purpose, however. we can learn more, open ourselves to what is best for us, if we can remove the emotional reaction we often have to new information. new ideas can be strange, confusing, and sometimes threatening. the curiosity and objectivity that come naturally to gemini can allow us to evaluate new concepts without the emotions' interference. jupiter's gift to us in gemini is just that--openness. great potential lies in openness. we encounter new stimuli, gain new experiences to reshape our ideas of how the world works. beneath openness lies creativity, and we cannot express or experience creativity without it. imagine being able to tap a limitless supply of creativity as life unfolds before us! how much easier would it be to solve problems?!

the ultimate effect of gemini's learning process is the integration of the various parts of our nature. sometimes it seems as if we act in quite different ways, depending on the situation. we may have a very sunny nature, until something happens which invokes our fear. suddenly, we may respond with suspicion or self-protectiveness, showing anger or coldness. these, we could say, are two different parts of your personality--ones that don't know each other and don't connect to each other. to become whole, healthy individuals, we need to integrate these parts of self, to where they understand and acknowledge each other. typically, once this integration occurs, the negative effects of our emotional responses are naturally softened, if not dispelled.

once saturn goes into gemini on august 10^th, we will learn more deeply about the value of openness and integration, because saturn will more or less insist that we focus on these parts of our nature--well, it will make life a lot easier if we do! it will teach us when it is wise to be open and when not--or how to be open in such a way that we are not vulnerable at the wrong time. it will make us often painfully aware of where we are not integrated--where we have a split in our nature. it will teach us about inner conflict and how to resolve it, and how inner peace results in external peace.

in a more mundane way, jupiter and saturn in gemini will teach us about the value of communication--when it is useful and when it is better to hold our tongue. saturn in particular will ask us to place meaning in our words and take care that we speak in a responsible manner. this is the practice of mantra yoga. our mantra is not just the sounds we chant during spiritual practice but the spiritual practice we put into our everyday speech. are we creating or healing our karmic debts when we speak? saturn in gemini will assist us in being ever mindful of that. of course, you know how that works: you say something that you live to regret, and then you think before speaking next time!

jupiter and saturn in gemini will provide a needed counterpoint to pluto in sagittarius. we can expect some clashes to result from these connections based on ideology, especially on the global level. however, the blind ideology that pluto in sagittarius sometimes brings out in people cannot go unanswered, and this may be both the balancing off and the backlash against some of the extreme positions that many groups have taken in the past few years, particularly those based in religion, education, and morals. these confrontations will be expressed more fervently during 2001 (last half) and 2002 (first half).

during the coming three months, we will notice the shift in emphasis, but only if we're paying attention. we will be assured of paying attention if we have planets in the early degrees of gemini, virgo, sagittarius, or pisces (the mutable/integrating signs).

july: shifting energies, shifting focus

july starts off with a bang! we're energized, invigorated, and enthusiastic about life! with the solar eclipse new moon on the 1^st, we may feel as if we've been shot from a cannon. we'll have a direction, we'll be headed somewhere, and as long as it's good, all will be well. we are likely to be more headstrong at this time. while this is a mild eclipse as these things go, even mild ones can mire us in muck if we don't keep ourselves in balance. beware of extreme behaviors around this date. relationships may have a difficult passage at this time, but with fast action, the outcome can be good. the 2^nd is somewhat awkward and requires patience, but the 3^rd looks very good for communication to clear up old issues.

the 3^rd and 4^th remind us of a point of principle that we have been trying to forget about. something about this came up in mid-march and early june. although this is probably not the right time to take action, it is important to remember what we know. we may act too hastily around the 6^th and 7^th, out of panic or fear. we may want to redress old wrongs, or we may see the same thing happening again, and we want to head it off. reassess the situation in a calmer moment to see what is different this time. it is good to recognize repeat patterns in our experiences, because they tell us what we're contributing to them. however, sometimes we see the pattern because we expect it to be there, not because it really is.

opportunities for concrete progress and resolution come up on the 11^th and 15^th. if you can't express them then, hang in there! your chance will come on and after the 16^th. all the currently bottled-up energies will release then, and you will feel freer to say what you need to say. really try to listen to what the other person is saying, and wait before you react. there are hidden factors involved that will emerge once you have time to think it over.

on the 22^nd, the sun enters bright, hot, and sunny leo. this is its home sign, where it is brightest and hottest; however, even though the sun is having a field day in leo, it doesn't mean it's easiest on us. yes, we can feel like shining, too, but sometimes all we want to do is escape the heat and the light with a little siesta! during this time, we have to counterbalance the fire energies with those of the other elements--air to cool our skin, water to hydrate our bodies, and earth to insulate ourselves.

on the 27^th, a powerful and helpful pattern forms in the heavens. this relates to the yearly cycle of spirituality and creativity begun this year on january 24^th that was also triggered on april 26^th and may 7^th. what often happens at this time is an awareness of how we need to work with this energy a little differently to accomplish what we wanted at the beginning of the cycle. this is the culmination of this year's cycle, assisted by a harmonious pattern related to a cycle begun in january 1997. now, nearly four years later, we can see how we're doing with what we began at this time. this 13-year cycle is related to how society grapples with the unknown, how religion, philosophy, and the unseen realities intersect in the human consciousness. in our own lives, it has to do with our ideals and how we live them out every day, our vision of life and what we can create.

consequently, this is a time when we can tap our inner awareness to re-focus our vision. it's a good time to think about how the vision we cast in january 1997 works for us now. do we think it will come to fruition (in two years) with little adjustment, or do we need to develop new approaches, plans, and techniques? because this longer cycle is involved, we can expect to feel very good during this time--optimistic, inspired, and visionary. it's time to re-dream our dreams!

the rest of the month provides us with energies for constructive activities, particularly on the 30^th. this is also the day of the second new moon solar eclipse of the month. what, you say?! another solar eclipse?! the astronomy is too complex to go into here, but occasionally, when we have an eclipse where the moon's shadow just nicks the sun, we can get another "nick" one month later. a sort of blue moon, this gives us another shot at getting it right with respect to the challenges that we faced last year at this time. they will stay with us for about 6 months, so relax and give yourself some time to take care of everything.

august: a piece of cake after last year!

august starts out with a gentle downhill ride. we have a chance to resolve issues that came up on or around december 2^nd, march 2^nd and 15^th, and june 3^rd, having to do with deep changes that we've needed and known about for a long time. there was never a better time to address old wounds and rifts, whether in our relationships or within ourselves. this energy continues through the 6^th, but on the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th, we can fall prey to what we want to be true instead of what really is true. use caution to counterbalance a temporary tendency toward impulsiveness in words as well as deeds through the 10^th.

we can't forget the early harvest celebration of lughnasad. the celebration of the sun king, lugh, this begins the harvest time in the northern hemisphere, when we can give thanks for the peace and abundance in our lives. just as in every other turn of the wheel of the year, this one is important to life. it reminds us of our dependence on each other and the higher power(s), the lord and lady, that the time of the harvest is a time a save for the parts of the cycle when our abundance ebbs. although traditionally celebrated on the 2^nd, the true solar cross-quarter falls on august 6^th.

at this time last year, we were in the midst of a very powerful and fast-moving set of planetary interactions which, for my money, carried more impact than the famous may 2000 alignment. this year, the planets are friendlier with each other, but that does not erase the yearly report that we get from uranus on the 10^th. are you really walking your path? do you need a friendly adjustment? this date relates to events which occurred on or around february 6^th and may 24^th.

the 9^th also brings us a feeling of newness with saturn's ingress into gemini. the doorways to awareness are open wide right now (the 10th-12th), as several planets interact to take us deeper into the heart of things. this time could be very refreshing, in fact, since it is pleasant to understand what we've been experiencing and what we need to do about it. we may also be able to really let go of some old situations and energies at this time. it may be time to forgive others or ourselves.

the 14^th brings the full moon, and some challenges to relationships as well. if we can go deep and face what we find there, we can have a powerful healing experience, one that may break through a long-standing blockage. this could be only the beginning of that process, however; this month could bring other related events on the 16^th and 17^th, the 20^th, and the 27^th and 28^th. these dates are all related to the process i described in my forecasts earlier this year (and fall 99). key times have been the beginnings of december and march, march 15^th and 27^th, and the beginning of june.

be prepared for a few surprises around the 16^th and 17^th. if you feel like sighing with relief o the 20^th, you'll be in the good company of every other human being. pluto lets us off the hook once more to try to build on what we've learned over the past 9 months.

initiative encounters obstacles on the 21^st and 22^nd, but we should pay attention, because these are things we can and should work with. on the 22^nd, the sun enters virgo. this begins the harvest time in earnest, the last month of summer north of the equator. by now, the sun is noticeably lower in the sky. the evenings have that extra nip in them, a relief from the sometimes oppressive daytime heat. this also signals the time when we reawaken to the mental pursuits we put away last spring, even if we're not in school. virgo is a time when our interest in thought and learning naturally rises.

this year, we'll get the first glimpse of the challenges we will face through the integrating force (the mutable signs of gemini, virgo, sagittarius, and pisces). these will first reach us on the 27^th, but they will also be highlighted on the new moon of the 28^th. the new moon is a time of insight and instinct more than revelation and conscious awareness. look for the rest of virgo's month to create the latter more external effects.

the 29^th challenges us with a certain amount of planetary volatility. this relates to a two-year cycle begun december 14^th, 1999. stay grounded and focused, and you may see some unusual opportunities today. the month finishes on an upbeat, readying us for september.

september: the planetary chorus sings

we really get to see what the next two years will be about right here, right now! on the 1^st and 2^nd, the dragons appear in the field. the sun and jupiter think that it's all in fun, but pluto has an axe to grind. still, this is just the first of many dances of parry and feint between the three, and each one will involve us in its drama. it will have much to do with gaining from overwhelming circumstances. we may label those circumstances good or bad, but the outcome is what makes that determination. everything can be brought to good with will, intent and purpose. so, pay attention to what happens on these dates, then again on the 4^th and 5^th, the 12^th and 13^th, and the 18^th and 19^th. each of these weekly two-day challenges will establish a rhythm by which we can thrive on these energies and grow.

the 4^th carries an extra wallop, with jupiter and pluto reaching the halfway point in their cycle of 13 years. think back to the end of 1994 (around december 2^nd)--what was up for you then? whatever it was, it's time for the fruits of our efforts to start rolling in, including an awareness of what's to come. this has to do with enterprises we have embarked upon. they often involve goals of self-empowerment, wealth, and leadership. there can be a tendency for the misuse of power under this planetary pattern.

the reward period will continue for about three years. whatever is truly sustainable from this period--the lessons we've learned, the foundation we've laid--will stay with us. in the short run, we are likely to feel as though we've bit off more than we can chew. it is a powerful time, however, and if you can manage it well, it carries great potential.

the 7^th generally finds the people around us to be more conciliatory. this peaceful pattern continues through the 10^th, after which we may notice that the pressures of life feel greater than normal. this date threads itself back to may 10^th and will link with events on or around november 19^th and january 24^th (01). this pressure will continue until there's a feeling of release after the 18^th. the full moon on the 13^th may add to the feeling, but by staying calm and centered, we will keep our noses above the flood.

the rest of the month sees the waters recede. when the sun enters libra on the 22^nd, the challenging feeling of life dissipates, and the dragons go back to sleep. this is also the time of mabon, the late harvest, a time when we must face the facts of the receding light/growing darkness. darkness can be comforting, enfolding. we all need and deserve the rest that is to come. still, it is a time of danger. traditionally, in the northern hemisphere temperate zone (you know, where it snows in the winter), one had to prepare very carefully to make sure you had enough food and clothing to make it through the winter. it is not much different now, but the shift in focus centers on the holidays and the fun-insanity that surrounds it in our culture. now, we may make sure the winter coat still fits and get out the snow chains, but we're responding to the seasons just as our forebears did in their own way. it is again time to give thanks for the harvest we've had and to look forward to what we wish to do with our harvest. we can also become conscious of the balance in our lives, invoking harmony where imbalance currently exists.

the new moon on the 27^th gives us some quiet time. at the end of the month, jupiter changes direction, as do all the planets except sun and moon at one time or another. this begins the second major stage in its yearly dance with the sun. this ties in with events and experiences on may 7^th, september 2^nd, november 27^th, and january 25^th (01). until this date, we've been drawing the bow and aiming the arrow; now jupiter requires us to shoot the arrow and let jupiter guide it to its mark.

these will be exciting times, with newness met by great potential. bring forth all your vision, optimism, and inspiration. if we don't dream big, we can't create big. don't fear failure--it's part of the game on the way to success. and if we don't try, we surely won't succeed either.

terry lamb is a counselor, writer, and speaker specializing in astrology and subtle-body healing in a psychological/spiritual frame. the mother of two wonderful boys, she has also written born to be together: love relationships, astrology, & the soul. she is dedicated to supporting others in their growth through a broad range of personal and business services as well as courses and seminars sharing her blend of astrology, psychology, and healing. this column arises out of the convergence of her training in all three fields. she can be reached for bookings and appointments (locally or long-distance) at terry@terrylamb.net.

want to know more? look at past forecasts, or get your chart done.

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copyright 2001 by terry lamb