As we’ve approached this week’s powerful planetary alignment, pressure has been mounting – in our personal lives, in society at large, and in world affairs. This week, it reaches peak intensity.

We’ve been feeling the buildup in stages, starting with new developments in 2010 that reached a crisis point last summer. The tension intensified in late 2013, and by the end of March, it was at near-breaking point. After this week, the four-way alignment in the change-oriented cardinal signs begins to break up, and the pressure will begin to subside.

You likely know by now what area or areas of your life are under duress. You even might have had a breakthrough recently. If not, you should get some news this week or in the next few months. I know that seems like a broad time span, but there is often a lag between planetary movements and corresponding events on earth.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind this week. First, stress is not a bad thing. We spend so much time trying to alleviate it – because, let’s face it, it is damned uncomfortable. But that’s the point. This is a stressful time, and part of the letting go I wrote about last week is accepting that discomfort is a necessary part of the growth process. Imagine a salmon doing yoga and meditation to eliminate the stress of swimming upstream.

Second, whether or not you experience breakthroughs in your particular circumstances in the next few weeks, the current will continue moving swiftly well into next year, just not as rapidly as it has been. And while you might have an idea of the general direction in which you’re heading, you might be surprised by where you finally land. The only thing we can be fairly sure of is that what’s happening now is changing the course of our lives, personally and collectively. The alignment that we are witnessing this week is going to have a ripple effect for years to come, possibly decades.

All of the above applies to world events, too. Last summer, I was watching the situation in Syria, especially the underlying standoff between the United States and Russia. Now, the confrontation is direct, and right on Russia’s doorstep. Some time ago, I predicted that this stunning planetary alignment – possibly the most significant in the 21st century – would be followed by shifting geopolitical boundaries. Part of that shift likely will be the result of the waning influence of the United States and the rise of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). I just read a thought-provoking essay suggesting that aggressive moves by the United States and its allies are actually desperate attempts to hang onto their declining power. Astrologers have been pointing out for years that the next decade is a critical one for the United States, which completes its Pluto return in 2022.

The current Uranus-Pluto cycle began in the mid-1960s. The cultural revolution that emerged from the decay of the previous Uranus-Pluto cycle is now undergoing its first test, a critical phase. To give you an idea of how this can play out, I went back to beginning of the previous cycle and tracked the development of one issue, women’s rights.

In the mid-1800s in the United States, women couldn’t vote, and while many were working outside the home by then, the jobs typically available to women were as cheap labor in unhealthy factory conditions. Dissent simmered throughout the 1840s. In June 1850, there was a conjunction of Uranus and Pluto at 29 degrees Aries. That spring, momentum began building for a women’s rights convention in Massachusetts. Leaders of the women’s rights movement planned throughout the summer for a gathering in Worcester in late October. Turnout was huge; there wasn’t enough space for all of the participants who showed up.

By the first square in 1877 – the equivalent of the current Uranus-Pluto square – some states in the West allowed women to vote, with more states on board by the Uranus-Pluto opposition in 1901. By the second square in 1933, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. Still, it wasn’t enough to ensure equality for women. A new campaign began for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Between the waning square and the start of the next cycle in 1965, World War II broke out, and the women’s movement fizzled … and then was reborn as the “radical” feminist movement of the mid-1960s. In the years that followed, Congress passed the ERA, but it failed to get ratified by the states. As of the current Uranus-Pluto square, advocates are still struggling to get the ERA passed.

So, you can see how elements of the Uranus-Pluto cycle repeat themselves, each time expanding as the collective mind grows and expands. I’m sure you can come up with your own examples, whether in geopolitical trends, technological advances, trends in art and music, economics, and so forth. Under the 2012-2015 Uranus-Pluto square, we’re witnessing changes on every level, from environmental changes on earth to worldwide rebellion to revolutions in how we use technology, especially in communications. In fact, one of the things that makes this cardinal alignment so much more significant than similar configurations in the past is our interconnectedness via the Internet.

This week’s cardinal grand cross involves Uranus in Aries, Pluto in Capricorn, Jupiter in Cancer, and Mars in Libra. Uranus and Pluto are in an exact square on Monday, the fifth in a series of seven exact alignments between 2012 and 2015. There is no particular time when the grand cross is exact; rather, it takes place over several hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, when Mars forms an exact square to Jupiter, opposition to Uranus, and square to Pluto. After this week, Jupiter begins to move out of range, and we should start to feel some relief.

That said, we still have an eclipse coming up, a solar eclipse at 8 degrees Taurus on April 29. Periods around eclipses also tend to bring major changes, often endings that clear away situations, relationships, and ways of living that don’t support our highest purpose in this incarnation. The Scorpio-Taurus series of eclipses, which began in November 2012, has brought issues into focus that are more immediate than the long-range trends associated with the T-square and grand cross. However, everything is related. So, for example, major changes in a close partnership might be your main priority, but serious financial concerns that have been dragging on for two or three years are affecting your ability to cope with relationship issues. The second half of April and first half of May could bring significant developments on both fronts.

Although this week is dominated by the grand cross, there are some other transits that support stability, methodical thinking, and opportunities to relax:

On Wednesday, Mercury enters steady, practical Taurus. Mercury in Aries is marked by impulsive speech and racing thoughts. Taurus slows it all down. Rather than making snap decisions, Mercury in Taurus mulls over the options first. He’s much more inclined to think before he speaks, and when he does, he’s less likely to make incendiary remarks. Mercury and the Sun are conjunct on Friday, making it a good day for sound financial decisions – as long as following through doesn’t require major concessions from anyone.

On Friday (late Thursday in Western time zones), Venus in Pisces trines Saturn in Scorpio. Positive Venus-Saturn aspects favor making and deepening commitments, and this trine supports emotional bonds, particularly through physical intimacy. My acupuncturist in the 1990s used to say that sex is the glue that holds relationships together. I don’t know that that’s always true, but it certainly can be, depending on the level of awareness of both partners. The Moon in Pisces on Thursday and Friday reinforces strong psychic connections and the urge to merge.

Mercury and the Sun sextile Neptune on Saturday and Sunday, allowing for greater faith that you’re where you need to be, even if it’s on the way to somewhere else. All of us are in a transition of one kind or another, whether externally or psychology. Probably both. Although it may be asking too much of yourself to just relax and enjoy the ride, do take advantage of opportunities over the weekend to enjoy good company and have some fun, even if it’s just for an hour or two.

Wishing you all infinite love and courage,
Pat

P.S. I added a security measure to comments, site registration, and other functions. It’s easy and cute, not to mention that it has cut down spam to my e-mail address from 300-400 a day to zero. :-)

© Pat Paquette, RealAstrologers.com, 2014.