As we approach this summer’s T-square, we’re facing increasing polarization, conflict, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, both within society as a whole and in our individual lives.

For many of us, the conflict is our basic survival — finding a job, paying rent, putting food on the table. For others, relationship issues are coming to a head. And for some, it is both.

I’ve heard several stories over the past week about young couples who are facing crushing marital problems, aggravated by a bad economy and financial stress. Indeed, financial stress is one of the top five reasons people divorce. So it’s hardly surprising (and you don’t need an astrologer to tell you) that a plunging economy is taking a toll on love, especially among couples who are young, inexperienced, and not used to weathering storms.

In last week’s Saturday Extra! column, I addressed one of the deepest core wounds on the planet, which I believe stems from an ancient separation of male and female energies. If you’re stuck in a relationship crisis, then you are experiencing this separation in its purist, basic form. But even if your obstacle is completely unrelated to relationships, I would bet that its underlying cause is a separation of some kind, possibly within yourself.

Regardless of the nature of your particular barrier — and just about everyone has one these days — it feels like there’s no way out. We are in the dark, feeling our way along the wall, looking for any opening, no matter how small. But maybe it’s not where we expect it to be. The opening, as I suggested last week, may be inside of us, in our own hearts and minds.

In our search for that opening, we may first have to reach some kind of closure. Inherent in every new beginning is an ending, and that’s the phase I believe we’re in now. Lots of things are ending, and many of us are in denial about it. That goes for relationships, too. Pluto, at the apex of the T-square, requires us to let go. If we attempt to hang onto what’s falling apart, if we refuse to make necessary changes, the stress and pressure on us will only get worse.

The New Moon symbolizes endings and beginnings. Today’s New Moon in Gemini isn’t closely connected to the cardinal T-square, but it provides an opening into the eclipse period, as the waxing Moon will peak at a lunar eclipse in conjunction with Pluto in cardinal Capricorn. Start feeling for those openings now!

Among those I heard from this past week was a brave young woman who is striking out on her own after a 10-year relationship. She was barely holding back the tears as she told me how scared she was, and yet she’s excited about having the opportunity for the first time in her adult life to explore her own gifts and to do the things that make her happy.

For those of you who are getting out of unhappy relationships, I want to offer encouragement. You are clearing the way for something better, and it can’t happen until you take this important first step. It is hard, but you are not alone.

Even if your relationship is solid, you may be struggling. The entire planet is under stress, and it’s affecting every aspect of our lives. Stay committed to each other, and you will break through to higher ground. With both of you feeling for that opening, you increase the chances of finding it.

Pat