As the summer in the northern hemisphere heats up so the highly divisive rhetoric across the globe. At a societal level, crisis seems to be erupting on all fronts, from extreme climate change to social/economic justice and other issues laid bare by the pandemic, including at the very foundation of our democratic principles. It is likely there are myriad personal crises we or others we know are facing too, as befits these unsettling times. Yet, from a transpersonal astrological perspective all that is happening is exactly what is needed. As the pioneering astrologer, philosopher, musician and artist Dane Rudhyar wrote, “…no significant step ahead can be taken except through some kind of crisis. It is not the predictable events which are important, but the attitude of the individual person towards his own growth and self-fulfillment.” This suggests that there is a spiritual power embedded within our current collective struggle which we have access to and utilize to help us strengthen our personal “container” to manage the destructive forces of chaos that seek to undermine our ability to harmonize in all areas of life.
As this period opens, the planetary intelligences beckon us to think about our collective future in the context of such a palpable unfolding of history before our eyes, and our role in it. Every human being, wrote Rudhyar, “is born in answer to the need of humanity at a definite time and place.” We are what we are, he says, “because that is what is needed at this precise time.” Our “birth-chart represents the solution of this need. It is the existential formula of [our] total being – [our] “signature” (in the occult sense of the term), [our] sacred name.”
As discussed in the last AstroCast, the Sun in Leo began activating the year-long “crisis of consciousness” third-quarter square between Saturn and Uranus that archetypally relates to the need to integrate our drive for a deep-seated experience of order and structure (Saturn) and our basic, essential need for dynamic transformation, i.e. Change (Uranus). The Sun opposed Saturn in Aquarius on August 1 and moves into its square with Uranus in Taurus on August 6. The 44-year cycle of Saturn/Uranus is now at the stage where we must reflect on what has transpired from its beginning and with a sense of urgency embark on a process of culling what isn’t working so we can focus on refining its most fruitful essence, which will uniquely present for each person but the themes of which can be gleaned from that which is happening at the level of society in how our systems for living are not serving all of us with equanimity.
The continuing activations of the Saturn/Uranus square by the faster moving planets throughout the year is increasingly intensifying whatever crises we are experiencing. On a personal level, we may feel an insistent need to stabilize a situation, yet the way we go about that may require the development of an entirely different skillset than we may think. This may not be a time to fall back on “proven” methods, as that is arguably what has led us to this moment. As Rudhyar stated in The Planetarization of Consciousness (1970), many of us have come to realize “that the traditional needs and aspirations of [our] society… are obsolescent, if not obsolete and often ludicrous – perhaps even suicidal.” Crises provide the alchemic heat and pressure needed to transform, but from a transpersonal approach, the effort begins within to stabilize in the core of our being. Once we achieve that state we can more fluidly respond to the inevitable upheavals in our external world.
On August 8, the Moon moves into a square with Uranus and conjunction with the Sun to form the New Moon in Leo. Uranus the Awakener is quite potent as it is barely moving and will turn retrograde on August 19. The lunar cycle is thus highly energized and could bring about a surprising or even shocking shift in a developing situation. The Sun, emanating strongly from its home sign, represents our core Will and heart, which when clear is related to an ability to powerfully express love through our personal creative expression without thought of recognition or reward. The soulful Moon joining the Sun in fiery Leo and squaring future-oriented Uranus may ignite our need to align with others who dedicate their creative powers to helping humanity.
The transcendental outer planet Uranus squaring the lunation calls us to be our own authority rather than succumbing to programming we’ve absorbed as children that tells us what we should be. It also calls us to serve something greater than ourselves. As reflected in the collective crises of today, the future of humanity is at stake, as is the evolution of consciousness. In Taurus, Uranus is tasked with disrupting our value systems and our notions of what is important to us, including the fate of the planet itself. Taurus teaches us to be non-attached to our possessions and ego-based values, which can free our attention to ponder what is more important than projecting our self-worth onto things or relationships. We could then be more selective about what resources are truly needed to create something entirely to serve our evolving human needs.
The call from the transcendental outer planets to move towards the Planetarization of consciousness continues when Venus in Virgo opposes retrograde Neptune in Pisces on August 9 and trines retrograde Pluto on August 11, thus activating the near century-long sextile alignment between the outer planets of consciousness and transformation, a constructive and steadying bass-note supporting the myriad unfolding faster moving cycles to move humanity toward more empowering unity. In the earth sign of Virgo, Venus represents a practical and constantly refining approach to values and relationships. Venus opposing Neptune in its home sign challenges our biased ideal of perfection and how we may be idealizing others rather than seeing them for who they are. This can have a separating effect and make it seem too painful or costly to address dysfunctional behavior patterns. The pressure builds at this culminating phase of their cycle such that we may be confronted and need to summon the courage to share how we truly feel. The flowing Venus/Pluto trine could give us the strength to act as needed with purpose and the clarity of authenticity. With effort, we could reach a new level of being present and real with others, which is the magic key to moving from dysfunction to harmony.
Answering the call of the outer planets to bring our unconscious to consciousness seems to be so daunting that few embark on the journey saying it is too much to bear with all else going on in one’s life. Yet is it not in our life that the journey begins? Our life and the path of consciousness are the same. As we change within and reach new understandings of the nature of reality and our life in it, how we perceive and approach our life so too evolves to being lived more than for individual purpose only. Relationships can improve dramatically when we take responsibility for our own state, our thoughts and deeds. As our “office” in life becomes oriented to the planetary approach we begin to acknowledge our connectedness with all other Beings and the Cosmos. Our responsibilities increase but so does our commitment and in fact our joy in fulfilling them with the understanding that it is our own personal Hero’s Journey, something we must do that is paradoxically not just for us. We may come to realize that we are participants in the activities of larger and larger wholes leading up to the level of total Unity in the holarchy of existence. Furthermore, as life unfolds in this direction, we find that the Cosmos itself helps us in ways we may never fully recognize but more and more begin to sense as the planetary cosmic intelligences lead us to live the law of our being.
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