Okay...This, this is the BIG ONE...
You are going to be feeling it, and dealing with it for many, many years to come.
I wrote extensively about the Universal-Worldly effects of this multiple year dance in my 2012 General Forecast. Here it is:
Uranus Square Pluto (June 24, 2012 & September 19, 2012, then May 20, 2013...and beyond)
The Cycles of the Outer Planets - Gifts of the Spirit
The cycles of the 3 outermost planets, (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), their movement around the zodiac individually and their intersecting aspects with one another, create fundamental and long-wave releases of spiritual forces, what I like to think of as transformational Gifts of the Spirit that drive and determine personal and social developments for us on Earth.
When we consider the cycle of each planet through the 12 signs of the zodiac we can see how each planet brings to bear its influence through the meaning of that sign for definite periods. Their cycles are: Uranus approximately 84 years, or 7 years in a sign; Neptune about 164 years, or about 14 years in a sign and Pluto approximately 245 years, which because of its highly eccentric orbit is in a sign for 12 to 32 years. Their orbits form a ratio from Uranus to Pluto of about 1 to 2 to 3.
When we consider the relationship of these 3 planets to one another, that is their intersecting cycles, we have the following cycles of them moving from one conjunction to their next conjunction with one another: Neptune/Pluto about 492 years; Uranus/Neptune about 172 years; and (the one we are currently subject to) Uranus/Pluto about 110-140 years.
These 3 cycles create releases of different forms of spiritual quickening for personal and social developments here on Earth. Each has its own character and role to play and we have been the recipients of all 3 releasing new seeds of development in the last 100+ years. We experienced the longer wave cycle of Neptune conjunct Pluto in 1891-92; we received the second level release of Uranus conjunct Neptune in 1993; and we experienced the third level of Uranus conjunct Pluto in 1965-66.
What we are experiencing now is the next step of that Uranus/Pluto seeding, the unfoldment of that initial release of spiritual energy that we received in 1965-66 has now reached the moment where they are at the point of being one quarter the way around their cycle, and we must face choices and make decisions.
**As a point of interest we should note that the most significant alignment all three planets can have with one another, their triple or Super Conjunction (all 3 being in the same zodiacal space), which should be considered as the most significant seeding of spiritual energies possible, last took place about 580 BC. This was of course the period which witnessed the spiritual teachings that were offered to the world by such great souls as Confucius, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Zoroaster, Pythagoras and many others whose wisdom and influence still guides us today. (If you are curious, the next super conjunctional release of Spirit will take place around 3,368).
But let us turn now to our challenge and our opportunity...
The Roles of Uranus & Pluto
To meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of Uranus square Pluto we need to understand the spiritual nature of what their relationship creates generally, and see what their most recent alignments might provide as insights into our present stage in the ever-unfolding becoming of our spiritual potentials. We especially need to understand what their last conjunction released, and what we need to do to face the challenge presented by the square we meet now.
The three outer planets should be viewed as the spiritual agents of transformation; they are emissaries from the cosmos that create the potential for each and every one of us to move beyond our mere conditioned self, the self defined and delimited by our Saturnian moldings and structures. They do not "cause" our development but serve to elicit, quicken and support our spiritual unfoldment and evolution, which would eventually unfold since all of "That", our potential to become, is contained within our monadic self, but it would develop at a much slower pace. They are truly Gifts of the Spirit, lifting us up upon that steeper, truer path of fulfillment. Uranus is said to rule higher Mind, Neptune to rule higher Love and Pluto to rule higher Will. Together they are said to represent the 3 aspects of the Divine working in our world; The Mind, The Love and The Will of the Divine for our Solar System.
This is why the cycle alignments of Uranus and Pluto govern the creative, dynamic and cathartic intersections of Mind and Will. It is Uranus' role to be the instrument for the release of new idea forms, (Seed Ideas), that quicken the development of thought in our world. At its most basic, yet equally most profound level, the entirety of creation can be seen as pure consciousness. That means that the hierarchies of all forms of existence in this cosmos, from the smallest to the greatest, are the countless instances of the universe coming to consciously know itself ("I am THAT, I am!"). But Mind alone is not all...
It is Pluto's role to be the instrument of forming the boundaries in our Space, the spaces of Space within which each Monad unfolds and develops; Pluto rules the power of the Will which is the power to shape and re-shape (or transform) Space itself. From the highest to the lowest, each monad, each spark of the Divine, unfolds and develops within its space within Space, yet each monad will always be fundamentally part of each and every other monad because they have all come from and continue their existence in and through the One.
The progressive development of each and every monad or spirit, from the lowest forms of existence to forms beyond our present capacity to comprehend, requires the bending and transforming of the spaces of Space for each monad to develop within. This development of Space, and of the boundaries between each and every monad's sacred space of self, is governed by the Will.
Pluto for us rules this formation and transformation by the will; and in this cycle with Uranus, Pluto reveals the transformational power of the release of new ideas and new forms of thinking upon existing structures or spaces.
This is their dynamic interplay: New ideas lead to new spaces and relationships for spirit to develop through; but those bounded spaces eventually begin to prove limiting to the further development of spirit; and so new idea forms are released to establish new formations of space and relationships; and so all monads, including us, can continue their unfoldment through Life-Consciousness-Spirit.
So let us turn to the question of our time, to see what has been revealed and required by this cycle in the latest series of alignments of Uranus and Pluto, and what might be in store for us in the next several years...
The Uranus/Pluto Cycle
To understand what is before us we must remember, remember that we have been moving through a series of cycles, and turning points within cycles, for a very long time indeed. To truly understand where we are now, and what lies ahead, we do need to consider what we have emerged from.
The Uranus/Pluto square that we face is the next step in a series of seed-forms that was most recently renewed in 1965-66 when Uranus and Pluto formed their last conjunction in the sign of Virgo. Much as in their previous conjunctions of 1710 in Leo and 1850-51 in Aries, this encounter of Mind and Will brought about a transformation of thought-forms and spatial relationships or boundaries. Certainly, anyone present during the 1960's or looking back upon that period can note the extraordinary degree to which change erupted across the planet.
Uranus ruling Mind (as well as Independence, Freedom and Inventiveness) when combined with and catalyzed by Pluto ruling Will (as well as Transformation, Control and Rebirth) together quickened developments in our world in almost every arena. Technological advances then gave birth to our wired world of today along with medical discoveries that have now pushed us to the edge of the power to create life itself. Personal, social and global transformations erupted throughout the social sphere as waves of social progress were released for Civil Rights, Women's Rights, the Free Speech & Peace Movements and many, many others.
But the combination of Uranus and Pluto releases energies which form reactions that are not unidirectional; as much as new Ideas and new Spaces emerge at such a time they do so within, and often in reaction to, the existing paradigms of thought and structure. The emergent spirit of "the New" challenges the entrenched spirit of "the old ways", and so a struggle is waged in all spheres. Whether the forces for change bubble up from below, or are imposed from above, equally the push back or resistance to change can come from either realm.
As much as the new ideas create new spaces and new forms of relationships, the old order will seek to exert its Freedom (Uranus) and use existing power (Will/Pluto) to resist and turn back the tides of change. This too is part of the dynamic, spiral evolution of Spirit, part of the "the plan" so to speak, for as much as there may be tremendous gains in doing away with the "old order", there is much that would be lost and should be preserved as well. And equally, the mere emergence of new ways of thinking does not in fact mean that it is always "better". So, a struggle ensues between the forces of transformation/revolution and the forces for preservation/reaction.
What was released by the Uranus/Pluto conjunction in the Sixties continued to work itself through the hierarchies of material, personal and social orders, transforming what was, but with ebbs and flows, progress and regressions, until we approach the next turning in their cycle...
This is what we have been feeling now for the last couple of years, we have been drawing closer to the next pivot point and we have experienced a foreshadowing, we have felt the head winds blowing stronger and stronger as we move to the next fork in our journey...
Now we are here and we should meet with great expectancy the next phase of this spiritual drama...We face challenges, choices and decisions and we can no longer postpone the inevitable...
For this is to be the time in which we choose which future we wish to live in.
Uranus in Aries, Pluto in Capricorn
Uranus in Aries will square Pluto in Capricorn from 2012 till 2015. What was released in 1965-66 as a new dispensation, a new dynamic in the relationship of Mind and Will, between the Individual Spirit and the Collective Order, will now reach a crossroads in their dynamic dance of Thought and Space.
The last time Uranus and Pluto squared one another was 1932 to 1934. Remarkably, Uranus was in Aries then too, while Pluto was in the opposite sign to now, in Cancer. That was indeed a time of great challenge and change, but it was a waning square of Uranus/Pluto. A waning square is a time for "deconstruction"; it is a time for a crisis of consciousness that exposes the ideas that must be challenged, tested and transcended so that better spaces for spiritual growth may develop.
This time we are experiencing a waxing square, so this is a crisis of formation, a time to make a choice about what to be centered upon, a time to establish deeper, truer foundations... it is a time for action. This turning point will build upon the themes that were released at the conjunction (during the Sixties), but those themes (and counter-themes) have now reached a critical mass. What is put before us, or better, what we have put before ourselves is a crossroads which demands that we choose one path or another. We should look upon it as an opportunity for building a New World more than the deconstruction of an Old World.
To understand the nature of the challenge and choice we must look to the message bearers of this turning, to juxtapose Uranus in Aries with Pluto in Capricorn. By examining each planet's function as focused through the sign they are in will guide us to the deeper meaning of this moment.
The Two Themes: Uranus in Aries & Pluto in Capricorn
Uranus in Aries
Uranus is squaring Pluto from the sign of Aries, so we must understand what the message of Uranus in Aries means. The general theme for Uranus in Aries is that this is a time for the resurgence of Individualism, Idealism and Inventions. Uranus here acts a catalyst for creativity in the sciences, arts and social organizations. Truly it is a time that we experience the re-emergence of new forms of true Leadership as this time calls out for trail-blazers in all walks of life.
Though the past cannot be a perfect predictor of the future, it still can provide some outline as to the effects of this experience. The last two times for Uranus in Aries were 1843-1851 and 1927-1935. In the 1840's the US was transformed as individuals and families joined together in a great pilgrimage across the country to the California and Oregon territories, which was then greatly stimulated by the gold rush that began in 1848. The country was being bound together through the proliferation of railroads and the invention of the telegraph. The feeling of a special purpose seized many with the claim of a "Manifest Destiny".
In the late 1920's into the 30's Uranus in Aries accompanied the devastation wrought by the Great Depression; Uranus helped to bring to a society and a culture (that needed it) a whole range of inventive spiritedness, which led to revolutions in technologies, industry and in social organizations and government. Again, bold leadership was needed and rose to meet the challenge.
For us now, we can and should hope that as Uranus moves through Aries from 2010-19 that we too will witness the present paucity of leadership giving way to true leaders who inspire us as our crisis unfolds. Certainly we have already seen numerous examples of new forms of leading/organizing emerging in this time. The dramatic evidence of the intersection of new forms of connecting and the desire for greater individual freedoms have been made manifest around the world, from across the Middle East, through Europe (including Russia now), and on to America with the Tea Party on one side and Occupy Wall Street on the other, and further on across to the rumblings now coming out of China...all across the globe there is a quickening of the Spirit...and much of that we should know is because Uranus is again in Aries...But of course, there is something more, much more at work on us and in our world at this time.
Pluto in Capricorn
Pluto is forming its square with Uranus from the sign of Capricorn, and so just as with Uranus, we must seek to understand the experience of what Pluto in Capricorn brings. Pluto rules the Will, the power to shape and re-shape spaces, it rules the power of control; it brings this influence to bear in Capricorn by either serving to maintain or transform the hierarchical worlds of culture, society and institutions.
It would seem by looking at the historical record that whenever Pluto moves through Capricorn there is a profound transformation, a death and a rebirth, of the cultural, economic and political order.
When Pluto moves through Capricorn, which is about every 247 years or so, the institutions and hierarchies of a historical period have reached a turning point where their space and exercise of power has started to fall apart, primarily because new spaces and new powers are emerging. Often this end of an era and the birth of a new, this shift of spirit, forces the old order, in the attempt to preserve that system, to go to ever greater extremes in the exercise of its power...but inevitably the emergence of these new forms of organization and power bring about its transformation or demise.
We can obtain some idea of the historical power of this passage by looking back at the two most recent times Pluto was in Capricorn, 1515-1532 and 1762-1778. In the early 1500's the European world was in the throes of one of its most historic changes in over 1,000 years, the one church, the Catholic Church, which had been weakened by scandal internally as much as it was challenged by the newly available printed bible externally, was broken apart by the Reformation. The attempt by the Catholic Kingdoms to maintain their power led to devastating wars between them and those who broke away to form Protestant realms. The old order, with its feudal system based on landed power and the one Catholic Church was giving way to the rise of absolute monarchs accompanied by a new economic order empowering a growing mercantile class.
In the 1700's colonial enterprises of England in America, the growing imbalances between governed and governor were becoming increasingly untenable. New forms of free associations were spreading in the New World, seeded by new ideas about the nature of Power (Will) and Space (New Lands) as well as a new, more dynamic economic way of life. The old order attempted to reinforce its control over the colonies which led to protests, which led to further repression, and even greater protests until a clash between Monarchy and individuals in free associations led to the establishment of a truly new form of government that became the model for our cultural, economic and political world... and that model, that arrangement of Power and Space is what is now coming to its end...
Three years ago, in 2008, Pluto began its next journey through Capricorn and it will remain there now till 2024. And just as in the 1500's and in the 1700's a world will pass away and a new one will be born...And even more now, as Uranus and Pluto line up in a series of squares between 2012 and 2015, this deconstruction of an old order and the emergence of a new will most certainly become very, very real.
The winds of change are blowing...and we must choose our path...
Remembering that beaten paths are for beaten people...
This is our time...
And it is time for bright stars and trail blazers again!
Uranus/Pluto Square 2012-2015
So we find ourselves at the intersection of several significant streams of Spiritual forces, influences that will provide the inspiration and articulate the challenges we now encounter. (Though, of course, the form and content of what we now experience which is seemingly "presented" to us, the "facts" of our situation, is the manifested consequence of the choices we made before, of what we have done and so made by our previous steps in this journey in Life-Consciousness-Spirit). What we have are 3 major influences that are combined and catalyzed together by the second of the three: 1) Uranus in Aries which we have not experienced for 75 years, 2) The Uranus/Pluto waxing square which we have not experienced for 135 years and 3) (the "big one") Pluto in Capricorn which we have not experienced for 247 years.
As before the avatars of Mind (Uranus) and Will (Pluto), the carriers of Seed Ideas and Sacred Space have come to a turning point. As in those previous eras with Pluto in Capricorn, we find within ourselves and in all sectors of our culture and society, that there exists an overwhelming sense that the world is not "right". In realms both Temporal and Secular, the disconnection between elites and the general populace has widened, and that the yawning gulf between leaders and led is growing ever greater. In fact the feeling amongst many is that leadership, true leadership has somehow "left the planet".
Whether within any one country or around the world, the incessant, increasing experience of disappointment is felt by almost all...that every structure, institution, standard or value has become compromised; whether that loss of credibility or virtue is encountered in Religion, or Education, or Government, or in the simple promise of a better world for one's children and their children...all of it seems without hope...and there is a great longing...
And so it is precisely in times such as this, when a great emptiness and loss of hope begins to take hold in the world...it is precisely at such a time that Spirit answers...It moves into our empty spaces and troubled minds...It lifts up our hearts and awakens the spirit within and reminds us all that we can change...and then, as if by "magic", we do change and renew our world. Spirit does this precisely as we move into and through the crisis because it is that very crisis which catalyzes each and every individual to turn around, to turn and to make the necessary sacrifices which must be made to bring about a New World again.
The signs of the unraveling of the old are more than self-evident...but so too are the signs and portents of the emerging ways that are leading to the New World. As individuals and groups of individuals seek to realize their dreams with new intentions and means, and seek equally to cope with the failures of the systems they are currently circumscribed by, we can discern the outlines of new Ways of Thinking and new Spaces of Being.
And so we must each ask ourselves, what can I do?
First, in order to be guided by the highest influences, in order to follow Spirit and your heart, do not be deceived or confused by the myriad ways that the old order distracts and divides. Remember always that the one true source of power in this Universe is within you...and you, and you. It is not "out there", it is "in here" and also within anyone beside you.
But that is also and always where the real struggle is met. It is not the fault or failing of a kind of government or politics, it is not the fault of the church or a faith...Do not let fetishism or the projection upon something or someone else confuse you as to where "the problem" is...For everything in this world that seems to be failing, every institution, every structure and way of life...everything is what it is because it is given life by each and every one of us...
We must change and we shall change...and so will our world.
Time for Action:
We are at a turning. Some have called it "The Fourth Turning". Some have called it the "End of Times"...but we are at our moment of opportunity to build a New World and offer to those that follow us a better world than we could have imagined.
This is our time to choose, to ask of our self, "What is the greater good for all?"...
And then to simply do that!
This is the time for Heroes and Healers, Doers and Leaders.
This is Our Time to Become the Becoming...
And, it is your time to shine!