This article will focus on the two primary events left in this lunation: the regal entrance of Pluto into Aquarius on January 20th, and the full moon in Leo, actually in the Leo–Aquarius axis, on January 25th. But, ever since the winter solstice, we have seen a pilgrimage of sorts by the personal planets Mars, Mercury and Venus, in that order, being led by Sun. One after the other, they:
- Enter Capricorn (Sun at the solstice, of course),
- Form a trine with Jupiter who is in a sextile with Saturn, thus participating in a Minor Grand Trine with them, and
- Form a trine with Uranus and a square with the North Node.
As the confirmation symbol for Sagittarius, Capricorn grounds the visions of an expanding civilization into a society represented by the State. We talked about Sun in Capricorn at the new moon, when Mars was already forming its trine with Jupiter, both in earth signs, which we interpreted as energy available for the concrete realization of something visionary in this lunation, perhaps a new project or the completion of an old one.
Mars in Capricorn represents the climber of great mountains, a keen combination of tactics and strategy with an indomitable will to succeed. I should mention that Mars has been out of bounds for a few weeks, until January 23rd. Refreshing our memory, a planet is out of bounds when its declination is greater than the obliquity of the ecliptic,1 which tends to produce erratic and strong energies. This, however, may come in handy to take advantage of the trine with Uranus later in the month. Mercury in Capricorn moderates a bit its communications, for it is very aware of societal rules and norms, and their loopholes. Venus in Capricorn gives rise to solid relationships, often well-versed in traditional values.
Pluto in Aquarius (again)
As mentioned earlier, it has been Sun leading the personal planets through these times of sociocultural awareness, as the personal planets became members of a Minor Grand Trine with Jupiter and Saturn, keepers of the rhythm of our civilization. Thus, it makes sense that Sun would be the one next to Pluto on the Aquarian stage.
The mental image I have is of two great powers announcing a grandiose future from their joint effort, after they “took care of business” when they were conjunct at Capricorn 29°59′, the last minute of the sign, a powerful exclamation point ending the journey that began in 2008 with the Great Recession. What had to be a job of tearing down structures crystalized in rigid institutions is giving way to a new civilization. Yes, I know we have talked multiple times about it, but nothing involving Pluto is simple and there are a few more things to say.
Sun and Pluto are strangely complementary. Whereas Sun represents the center of our conscious mind, either the Ego or the Self, Pluto symbolizes the Shadow, the center of our personal unconscious. Both of them entering together provide an opportunity to become conscious of the new consciousness that signals the Age of Aquarius.2 An integrated Aquarius represents a civilization that expresses the individuality (Leo) of its members. An entrance into Aquarius should aim toward such ideal, regardless of whether the entrance is from Capricorn or from Pisces. The former must let go of its dehumanizing hierarchical structures, and the latter of its individualistic “god within” that ignores the value of community.
Sun and Pluto entering Aquarius from Capricorn when the Age of Pisces is ending is quite significant. It is time to understand that there cannot be a healthy, balanced “I” center without a “we” center, and vice versa. Over the years, Pluto will make a forceful call to move away from individualistic and tribal ideas, both. But Pluto enters signs making a splash, often by showing us what doesn’t work and destroying some structures built by Saturn around the sign’s archetypes. I am thinking of all kinds of borders and limitations, from nations to genders, that bring so much inequality and above all human suffering. Also, just as it gave us the financial crisis in 2008, when it entered Capricorn, don’t be surprised when it shows us what is rotten in science and technology, there are too many special interests being served in their name.
The two fundamental dogmas of capitalism will die: one, that economic growth can and should be sustained indefinitely, and two, that advances are tied to large investment, which has resulted in financial elites. It will become obvious that what grows uncontrollably is a cancer that kills the organism, and that it is easier and better to live without the specter of perennial growth. We will learn to rely on ways to innovate with the help of our community, perhaps in the form of crowd funding or bartering.
Aquarius 1°
In the chart of Pluto entering Aquarius, tomorrow Saturday at 18:51 hours in Mexico City, we see Sun at Aquarius 0°27′, both in the same degree of the last Grand Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn (Aquarius 0°29′), itself the first of what will be nearly 200 years of Grand Conjunctions in air signs, one about every 20 years, likely marking the “golden era” of the Age of Aquarius. Astrologers talk about “degree memory” such that, once activated, a degree remains “sensitive” for some time, even years, and new events are strongly felt. This is undoubtedly true but the memory is to the Sabian symbol of the degree, whose archetype continues to resonate with humanity long after the initial event. Remember that when an important phase in a process happens at a particular degree(s), there is a conjunction, a holistic blend between the Sabian symbol and the archetype(s) of the planet(s) involved.
Of course, we have seen the Sabian symbol for Aquarius 1°: “An old adobe mission in California”, an important symbol because it starts the final operative coupling of the zodiac: Aquarius and Pisces. In Aquarian terms, missions represent the culture and religion that came to express the power of the European civilization in a foreign land, and which were built by monks: individuals who acquired immortality in doing so. Christian missions were cradles for the then new consciousness of the Piscean Age with its emphasis on human dignity and rights. The symbol anticipates the concrete manifestations of the new civilization.
Astrological Tidbits
Mercury and Mars are already conjunct on Saturday and will remain so through the full moon. It is Mercury’s turn to form the Minor Grand Trine with Jupiter and Saturn, bringing tons of mental energy and shrewdness to whatever project you may wish to advance or complete.
Venus in Sagittarius 27⁰08′ (galactic center) forms a square with Neptune, which may go one of two ways: enrich your relationships and value system with love and compassion, or fog them with fantasies. This is particularly troublesome in the context of business partnerships, so it’s best to stay clear of those issues until Venus enters Capricorn on Tuesday.
In terms of the pilgrimage, it is Mars’ turn to form a square with the North Node who, as I mentioned in the new-moon article, is in the exact degree where we will have the Sun–Moon conjunction of the total eclipse on April 8th. This is probably an indication of violence over the weekend which, given the conjunction of Chiron with the North Node, will show much collective hurt we must overcome. We will likely look back and see this as a key moment in time when we first got a glimpse of where we are going.
I mentioned a while back that a Minor Grand Trine between the transpersonal planets occurred in 1939, at the start of World War II, when:
- Pluto entered Leo,
- Neptune was in the final degrees of Virgo, and
- Uranus was in the final ten degrees of Taurus.
So, basically both Pluto and Neptune were 180⁰ from their current positions and Uranus was where it is now. I’m obviously not predicting another global war, the big difference is that Pluto was the pilot of the configuration back then while Neptune is in charge now. We will talk about Neptune spending six months in the final degree of the zodiac, symbolically saying goodbye to the Age of Pisces, his sign.
Full Moon in Leo
Later on, the full moon in the Leo–Aquarius axis of solstitial power will happen on Thursday, January 25th, at 9:54 AM in California, 11:54 hours in Mexico City, and 18:54 hours in Santander. It will occur in the sixth degree of the axis, at 5⁰15′.
The Minor Grand Trine with Jupiter and Saturn has moved on to Venus (Capricorn 2⁰56′), which marks a propitious time for business ventures, or any kind of relationship involving society, like a real estate transaction or marriage. Beware that Saturn at Pisces 5⁰44′ will give structure to whatever comes to the imagination or collective unconscious. It may add a magic touch to a business venture, or bring something mystical to the arts or to personal relationships.
Mercury and Mars conjunct in Capricorn (14⁰40′ and 15⁰52′, respectively) and forming a trine with Uranus stationary (Taurus 19⁰05′) are great energies to fuel innovating ventures. The conjunction also forms a T-square with the Nodal axis, including a square with the conjunction of the North Node (Aries 18⁰34′) and Chiron (Aries 15⁰51′), an aspect that tends to put on display (a full-moon theme) issues that have been veiled but need to be addressed now in order to continue working our collective destiny. The trine with Uranus could bring to fruition new ideas but also new rebellions and revolutions, more likely both: new ideas requiring strong reforms and even rebellion. All of this will be felt more strongly a couple of days after the full moon, when Uranus begins to move direct.
Leo and Aquarius Axis
In the past, we have discussed the difference between equinoctial and solstitial power. The equinoxes are moments of precarious balance between the two spiritual forces, their highly-dynamic energy is the result of one force overtaking the other. Such “victory” results in juvenile naïveté coupled with insecurity. Aries and Libra generate power from an enthusiastic “I am” or “I relate” which Taurus and Scorpio concentrate to produce physical or social progeny. Spirit, you may recall, is the name we give to the Principle of Wholeness when applied to humanity. One of its components, the Day Force, integrates an individual (body, mind and soul), while the other, the Night Force, integrates a civilization from the distinct individuals that compose it. From the individual’s point of view, one integrates his parts while the other integrates him as a part.
At the solstices, Cancer and Capricorn generate power from the integrated personality or civilization and their peril is to worship their source of power and ignore the other, for in that case the power concentrated in Leo and Aquarius will result in arrogance or tribalism, respectively. If, however, we identify ourselves as distinct human beings, each with our own personal destiny but united in the evolution of humanity as a whole, Leo will express our distinctness while Aquarius unites us in purpose. This full moon, with Moon in opposition of both Sun and Pluto, as if interrogated by them under the powerful solar light, has the potential to reveal (full moon) how these Aquarian times will progress, at least initially. Let us not forget that Pluto will go back to Capricorn for ten weeks and we will have a final opportunity to make corrections at the institutional and governmental level.
Seeing the axis personally, Leo symbolizes everything related to the heart and its chakra while Aquarius does the same for the head. The axis represents the two manners of acquiring knowledge: intuitively and rationally. It is interesting to note that scientists have confirmed the existence of tens of thousands of neurons in the heart, there is an undeniable connection between the two organs.
Sabian Symbols
The symbol for Aquarius 6° has the image: “A masked figure performs ritualistic acts in a mystery play”, further explained as the individual’s involvement in long-established patterns of activity aiming at the release of collective power. Its key phrase is: Transpersonal Responsibility. At the same time, the image for the symbol of Leo 6° is: “A conservative, old-fashioned lady is confronted by a ‘hippie’ girl”, expanded as the need to transcend our subservience to fashion, in morals as well as in clothes. The keynote for the degree is: The relativity of social values.
Sun’s symbol presents us with arguably the deepest and most occult social processes. Mysteries have been created to be solved and, in doing so, uncover universal truths. Rituals bind the performers who often use masks since they represent focal points for transpersonal forces, not human persons. In total contrast, the symbol for Moon shows us the “ever-changing pageant of social values”, according to Rudhyar. The confrontation may be bitter but it only shows the impermanence of most of what society imprints upon our collective psyche.
The new moon symbol, a relay race, made this lunation one of group cooperation, as I titled that article. The full moon is less general, urging us to involve ourselves with groups whose activities are aligned with the spiritual forces bringing the new consciousness and not with what is culturally or morally fashionable. Recall that full moons are not about concrete events but realizations in consciousness, although Moon in Leo tends to be quite dramatic. All of this will be greatly expanded by the T-square configuration formed by Jupiter at Taurus 6°42′ with the full-moon opposition, a red isosceles triangle in the chart.
Co-creation Meditations
Speaking of groups, the renowned astrologer and teacher Pam Gregory published a video inviting everyone to join in an exercise to focus our energies toward the co-creation of a new reality. The group “meets” every Sunday at 19:00 hours, London time, for about fifteen minutes. We are encouraged to imagine holding hands or simply being together to visualize the new civilization we are co-creating. About the only rules is to approach it with the highest values of the new consciousness, which include integrity, love, honesty, liberty, and respect. I just joined two Sundays ago but there are people in the thousands from all over the world spending a few minutes conjuring visions of a better tomorrow. I simply put some relaxing music and stepped outside to imagine people all over the world helping each other in time of need while listening to birds and other animals. I said a few mantras and followed with a pointed meditation but it really is up to each of us to engage our inner creator. People from different geographies have reported similar experiences, including seeing vortexes in front of them with inviting colors and scents.
Wrapping Up…
As unfortunately was predicted, the chaos and destruction around us is in crescendo. One way we can help is by staying in peace. Rather than focusing on the destruction of the old, and the awful polarity it creates, realize that the old paradigms are simply unable to respond to the needs of the new world being co-created by all of us, Nature and Spirit.
This will be a year with energies supporting the expansion of our hearts with universal love. Try to be joyful at all times, it helps everyone. Even in the midst of such horrible news, there is always something to focus on the brighter future available to humanity, and the planet. That should be nurtured, at the expense of fear or hate.
In many ways this entire lunation is a capsule of what the calendar year will offer. It is time to move out of the hierarchical structures where individuals in the higher echelons exert power over those in the lower ones. This full moon is a powerful time to be in ceremony aimed at the release of collective power, as suggested by the Sabian symbol of Sun. I encourage us to be as aware as possible of that which is being awakened in each and every one of us. Finally, engage in a meditation or other ritual that increases your spiritual alertness.
Always Love. 🌹🙏💖
- It was 23°27’5″ in 1900 and 23°26’16” in 2000. ↩︎
- The astrological ages stem from the precession of the equinoxes: every year, the spring equinox occurs slightly before, in space, than the previous one, when measured against the position of the so-called fixed stars, though we know nothing is fixed in the universe. Over time, the tiny differences add up such that the equinox moves backwards (retrograde) about one degree every 72 years, or one sign (30 degrees) every 2,150 years, approximately. ↩︎
Leave a Reply