We’ve passed the first Uranus-Pluto square, which was exact early Sunday morning in the United States. I’ve been paying special attention to the news headlines, but as I noted last week, this outer planetary cycle has long-term effects and tends not to manifest as a discrete event.

One thing I did notice last week, though, was blood on the sidewalks. I have a rolling backpack on wheels, and twice last Wednesday had to swerve to avoid going through blood. As I was pondering this weird coincidence, a man came limping up the hill toward me with one pant leg soaked in blood from the knee down. Seattle isn’t an especially violent place, as cities go, and I was walking in relatively safe areas. The real kicker was on Friday, when I ducked into Macy’s downtown to use the lady’s room. The first open stall had a blood-soaked tissue and red smears on the counter. It definitely wasn’t lipstick. By then, I was totally freaked out. Whether this is a peculiar manifestation of the Uranus-Pluto square or some other broad trend, I don’t know.

If I had to pick one event this past week that I feel confident correlating to the Uranus-Pluto cycle, it would be the elections in Egypt. What came to be known as “Arab Spring” began in December 2010, a few months after the peak of a cardinal T-square. Uranus and Pluto were within three degrees of a square at that time. They came within a degree of one another in August 2011. So this cycle is already well underway, and we’re already seeing it manifesting in world political, social, and financial trends. Again, I call your attention to events that rocked the world in the mid-1960s to get an idea of what we can expect over the next few years.

This summer could be especially turbulent, with exact alignments of Uranus and Pluto on June 24 and again on September 19. The second one occurs just as Pluto is coming out of a retrograde cycle – a very powerful moment. We may get more hints of things to come this Friday, when the Sun opposes Pluto and squares Uranus, forming a cardinal T-square. Remember, cardinal T-squares are all about change, and with Uranus involved, the changes could come rapidly and out of left field.

It’s interesting to note that when this T-square is closest to exact, Venus makes a close sextile to Uranus. Venus in Gemini and Saturn in Venus-ruled Libra both come out of retrograde this week, making it an especially powerful time for relationships and finances, with communications being key to success. Unless Uranus and Pluto are hitting personal planets or key points in your natal chart, you’re probably not feeling this square too much in your individual life, except perhaps as part of a broader trend. Not so for Venus and Saturn. If you want to know where these two are in your chart and how they’re manifesting, I recommend ordering the StarGuide Summer Forecast. (Keep in mind that it could take 3-4 days to get your report, depending on when you order.) July reports are available, as well.

Looking at other particulars this week, Jupiter squares Neptune on Monday, with Neptune and the Sun in a water trine. This aspect could correlate to Tropical Storm Debby. I just read that national hurricane forecasters are somewhat perplexed, as the meteorological programs they use to track storms show conflicting results. “We must be ready to make a change of the forecast track at any time,” this morning’s 10 a.m. report out of Miami said. That pretty much sums up this week’s astrological forecast and, indeed, the outlook for the rest of the summer.

Also on Monday, Mercury enters Leo and then will begin to slow down (relative to Earth’s orbit) in preparation for turning retrograde on July 14. We’ll be in the pre-retrograde shadow as of this Thursday, so start thinking about wrapping up your business, backing up your computer data, and getting major purchases out of the way.

The Messenger’s first order of business is a sextile with Ceres, who just entered Gemini. Perhaps this will provide us with a bit more information about the functions of Ceres in individual and mundane charts. The jury’s still out for me regarding her significance, although we can get some clues from her mythology. There does seem to be a correlation between Ceres and the environment, particularly the food chain. Watch for headlines to that effect and let me know if you find anything unusual.

On Friday, the day of the T-square activity, Mercury forms a sextile with Jupiter. Normally, this is a fun aspect, and it is Friday. Still, with the Sun and Pluto in opposition, take care who you party with, and definitely make sure you have a ride home if you’ve had too much to drink. A night in the clink doesn’t sound very fun to me, and there likely would be blood involved.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat