Saturday Extra! Saturn Enters Libra, T-Square Powers Up

Next Wednesday, July 21, Saturn enters Libra — or, more precisely, re-enters. Once this happens, we’ll be in the final ascent toward the peak of the 2010 cardinal T-square.

The Lord of Karma briefly stepped onto the Scales from October 29 to April 7. Since then, he’s been finishing up his business in Virgo, where he taught us practical lessons like taking our Omega-3, paying attention to the environment, and doing our duty to help others. He also served as an anchor to keep the volatile energies of the cardinal T-square in check.

Once he enters Libra, it’s going to be a whole new game. Cardinal energies favor swift, targeted action. Libra is an air sign, so we might expect some violent wind storms and probably a big shift in political and financial winds, too. Saturn in Libra will enforce balance. If we’re out of alignment in any way, we’ll have to adjust accordingly.

There’s a lot more I could write about Saturn in Libra, but the most compelling issue is that the cardinal T-square is now fully activated and powering up toward peak output in late July and early August. In the first degree of Libra, Saturn will be tightly opposed to Uranus at 0 degrees Aries and Jupiter at 3 degrees Aries, and he’ll square Pluto at 3 degrees Capricorn. Jupiter is stationed, two days from turning retrograde on July 23. That’s a whole lot of shifting going on.

The biggest bang may be heard in Washington, D.C., where Saturn will be dead on the Ascendant at the moment he enters Libra. Saturn rules the government, while Jupiter rules the banks and the justice system, and Uranus is associated with explosions, political protest, and unexpected events. All three planets will be in a tight square to Pluto, which rules subversive elements, espionage, and the very wealthy and powerful.

There are way too many variables in there to make a reliable prediction, but I’ll be watching the news headlines. Whatever happens, it looks as though President Obama will play a major role.

Saturn is said to be “exalted” in Libra, where he demands peace, social justice, diplomacy, equality, and fairness. Although Saturn is very challenged in this T-square arrangement, he’s the strongest of the outer planets, since he’s direct and in the sign of his exaltation. All of the other planets are retrograde or stationing. That said, he’s getting slammed from all sides, and Mars is approaching conjunction with him as well. All in all, it looks like we’re in for some dramatic developments.

From July 31 to August 20, Venus and Mars both will be conjunct Saturn, and that could have implications for male-female relationships everywhere, perhaps even for the balance of masculine and feminine energy on the planet as a whole. I’ve written a lot about this imbalance, which appears to be slowly correcting.

I’ll have more about these aspects in my upcoming weekly forecasts. Be sure to check back often!

Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: Soul Mates or Karmic Mates?

My recent Q&A column on soul mates elicited several similar questions, so I’m taking two of them together this week:

I was with my ex for a year but was having doubts and questioning my relationship with him and saw it falling apart. I’m not sure whether he was in my life for a reason, of which I was to learn and keeping growing from, or more of a spiritual growth as I become more aware. I have never felt such deep, devoted love from him, but I do love him so much, from the heart. Could you give me insight on where things are at? Should we be together, or do we need to move on? ~ Samantha in Hampshire, England

I’ve connected to a man via the internet on a deeply emotional and open channel. I have, however, started to think that what we may have thought to be a romantic connection is actually more a karmic or soul journey. Are you able to connect any dots looking at both our charts? I’m still a novice when it comes to chart reading so would really appreciate any insights you may have. ~ Sarah in South Africa

Love and spiritual growth go hand-in-hand. It’s no coincidence that more and more people are asking about deep, soul unions as humanity experiences a leap in consciousness. Once again, I will attempt to address what I consider to be one of the most burning issues of our time.

Samantha, there are definite sparks in the synastry chart with the gentleman whose birth data you provided, as well as some of the classic markers for a karmic connection. For example, your Moon is conjunct his lunar North Node, a major indicator of a karmic relationship. There are some positive aspects for a long-term commitment, too, notably his Sun in a tight trine to your Saturn.

However, there are a lot of problem areas in this chart, and it’s readily apparent why you were questioning the relationship. The biggest problem I see is that his Saturn is dead on your Ascendant. This suggests that you were carrying a heavy burden in this relationship, and not by your choice. The burden may have weighed you down so much that it sapped your spirit and sucked the life out of you. Sometimes we agree to carry a karmic burden for another person, but it’s a tough road to follow.

Another problem is that I don’t see much emotional fulfillment in this relationship for you. The love you feel is coming from you. That may be a source of joy, but love needs to be nurtured and fed, or it can’t survive. The fact that you feel such love and devotion is a victory. Not everyone has the capacity to love, so it is a wonderful gift when we are able to feel it so deeply. Spiritual growth and expanding consciousness require an open heart. It appears that this man did that for you, and now it’s time to move on.

Sarah, the first thing that jumps out at me in your chart with your Internet love interest is that his Sun and your Moon are quite close. This is a strong indication of a romantic relationship, and there are other indicators as well. You also have some strong karmic markers, as well as some signs of physical chemistry.

On the not-so-positive side, you have a Venus-Neptune conjunction, and that is a big, red flag that you need to keep your expectations in check, and it sounds like you are. Since his Sun and Saturn are conjunct, that also means your Moon and his Saturn are very close, and this sometimes inhibits the free flow of affection. Or, it’s possible that he’ll get cold feet and not want to meet after all.

I dabbled in Internet dating off and on, so I know the power of the mind connection. Internet attractions can be very emotional and, surprisingly, very sexually stimulating. However, everything changes when you meet in person and begin interacting on a regular basis. I always tell my clients who are having Internet relationships to meet as soon as you possibly can. And, while I hate to be a party pooper, I also tell them to keep their expectations low. Many people do marry after meeting on the Internet, but far more end up disappointed.

You are right to be cautious, Sarah, but I would give this one a chance and see how it goes. There is clearly a karmic lesson involved, and that, at least, is worth exploring further.

For anyone who’s interested, I offer a comprehensive synastry report, with an emphasis on soul connections, since so many people are asking about it these days. Whether you just met or have been married for some time, having your chart done can help you identify where you’ll have the easiest connection and where you may experience some challenges.

Thank you both for writing. I wish you much courage on your journey to love.

Pat

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. You must use this form to contact me, or I won’t get your question. I do read all of your questions, although I am sorry that I can’t answer them all. If you need immediate guidance or in-depth advice, please contact me for a private consultation. THANKS!

The Collective Reboot: Birthing a New Reality

Light on the Summit. Since ancient times, mountain peaks have been symbols of higher consciousness. I took this photo of Mount Rainier the day of the eclipse. © Pat Paquette

In my post on Sunday’s eclipse, I referred to a “collective reboot.” It’s happening, and we’re giving birth to a new reality.

Some of us are experiencing painful situations. When we experience a leap in consciousness, our old way of being becomes incompatible. The more we try to hang onto it, the more we suffer. Some of us are better at letting go than others. There are times when tenacity doesn’t pay, and it sure looks like this is one of them.

If you suffered a loss during this eclipse, there is no going back. When we lose something that has outlived its purpose, it still hurts. Grieve for the loss, and keep moving forward, even if you don’t know where the road is leading. It’s scary, and you may feel alone at first, but that feeling will dissipate once you realize what you gained. Stay aware, and look for evidence that your higher consciousness is manifesting, without interference by your “egoic” mind, as some call it.

I was reading Eckhart Tolle this morning and stumbled on his comment about the fall of the Berlin Wall:

[T]he ego is destined to dissolve, and all its ossified structures, whether they be religious or other institutions, corporations, or governments, will disintegrate from within, no matter how deeply entrenched they appear to be. The most rigid structures, the most impervious to change, will collapse first. This has already happened in the case of Soviet Communism. How deeply entrenched, how solid and monolithic it appeared, and yet within a few years, it disintegrated from within. No one foresaw this. All were taken by surprise. There are many more such surprises in store for us.

The Berlin Wall fell during the cardinal T-square of 1989, which in many ways was a precursor to the T-square of 2010 and 2011. I suspect that we’re going to experience many more losses between now and 2012, both individually and collectively. All of these events will be signs that the old, ego-centered order is falling away as we enter a New Age of Interconnectedness.

There was something symbolic about returning home from a difficult weekend to find my car surrounded by huge tree branches and yellow police tape. The car sustained only minor scratches, and whoever had put up the barrier left it low enough for me to back out of my parking space. It was a reminder how easily things can come and go — and when we least expect it.

As one door closes for me, a new one seems to be opening, thanks to those of you who responded to my request for donations. Many of you sent notes of encouragement along with your contribution. Some of you couldn’t donate but sent e-mail affirming your support. I was incredibly touched and now have renewed faith that RealAstrologers could become a viable business to serve those entering the new reality.

Pat

Weekly Forecast July 12: In the Wake of the Solar Eclipse

Detail of The Storm Spirits, by Evelyn De Morgan, 1900.

We begin this week in the wake of Sunday’s solar eclipse in Cancer, and that’s really the biggest news — that, and the steady march toward the peak of the cardinal T-square, just a couple of weeks away now.

Eclipses often signal rapid change, and these sometimes are evident within three days on either side of the eclipse date. But in the case of the New Moon eclipse, developments may take until the Full Moon to unfold or until the next New Moon. Sometimes the effects are delayed by two or three months, but I don’t think that will happen in this case, due to the building energy of the T-square.

Under astrological influences such as we’re experiencing in 2010 and 2011, world events may not happen at the moment planetary alignments are exact, but can be staggered throughout the year. Sometimes transits by the Moon or Mars to critical points can trigger an event. It can all get pretty complicated.

Otherwise, there’s not a lot happening this week (as if that’s not enough). Venus in Virgo trines Pluto in Capricorn on Tuesday, an aspect for physical love and the emotional intensity that can come from sexual desire, if you let go and allow it to take over. When sex is approached as a means of deeper connection and not just for instant physical gratification, it is a powerful agent of spiritual growth. This can be scary for some people, usually because it involves giving up mental control.

The emotional intensity is even greater on Wednesday, when the Moon conjoins Venus and trines Pluto. Sexually, things could get even more interesting, as the Moon conjoins Mars on Thursday, carrying forward the energy of Venus and Pluto to the planetary ruler of the libido. Events mid-week could be a prelude to the Venus-Mars conjunction on August 20, so keep your eyes and ears open.

The Moon enters Libra on Friday, and for a brief period we have a mini-version of the cardinal T-square. The Moon moves too quickly for lunar transits to have much impact (eclipses being a major exception), but in this case the Moon may act as a trigger for events related to the T-square. Stay alert, and note any unusual events on that day.

Also on Friday, Mars in Virgo squares Ceres in Sagittarius. Astrologers are still studying the movements of Ceres, and it will be some time before we collect enough data to make definitive statements about her role in individual and mundane astrology. It does appear, however, that she is a marker for environmental issues and also for events that are cyclical in nature. A conflicting square between Ceres and Mars in detail-oriented Virgo might, for example, indicate serious problems in BP’s attempt to contain the well gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

As I explained in last week’s forecast, we’re in a period when change could come swiftly and out of the blue, so it will pay to stay focused and in the moment. I liken it to being in a boat on a fast-moving current. The river determines our general direction, but we can lean to one side or the other and alter our course slightly — perhaps enough to avoid the rocks. This is especially true for the collective. Where our thoughts go, our lives follow.

Before I sign off, I’d like to express my deepest thanks again to those who made donations. If you haven’t made a donation yet, please would you take a moment to do so? We’re all connected here, and what you do really does affect whether RealAstrologers continues as-is, morphs into something else, or rolls down the shutters and folds. I’ve created a special page to tell you more about how you can help. Please spread the word.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Saturday Extra! Countdown to the Eclipse

The Seven Sisters. Star-patterned sand dollars, Westport, WA. © Pat Paquette

Sunday’s eclipse will be the last total eclipse of the Sun in the current Capricorn-Cancer series.

This series began last year with a dramatic solar eclipse at 29 degrees Cancer. The longest solar eclipse of the century, it made a broad sweep over Asia.

By contrast, tomorrow’s eclipse will be visible only in certain parts of the South Pacific and southern Chile. Then there won’t be another total solar eclipse until November 2012.

The New Moon is a time to make new beginnings, and this is all more true with solar eclipses. If you don’t know already what you’d like to begin anew, there’s still a day to think about it. (You can read my full report on Sunday’s eclipse here.)

I’ve spent the better part of the past two weeks contemplating where to take RealAstrologers. Since Diane left in March 2010, I’ve been on my own to research and write three to four in-depth posts a week, find and format all of the images, perform all of the technical updates, read all of your e-mail, and do everything else that needs to be done to maintain an active website with readers in 133 countries on six continents.

It’s almost a full-time job, with no pay. Initially, Diane and I conceived of RealAstrologers as a storefront for our consulting services, with a blog on the side to give readers an idea of our style and approach to astrology. But most visitors just come for the free content and leave. That would be fine if I were independently wealthy and didn’t need to earn a living, in which case I would do this as my service to humanity.

Alas, I have no rich relatives or family inheritance, not even a husband to share household expenses. It’s just me, and I can’t carry the load all by myself. As of this eclipse, I’m being forced to confront the reality that, as a business model, this sucks, and I may have to give up the project altogether.

Before I close shop, though, I’d like to explore creative ways to spin this site into a viable business venture. I’ve developed a five-year business plan that includes horoscopes by Rising sign and lots of other cool features. With enough funding, it even would be possible to offer computer-generated reports. They have their limitations, but I believe I have a way to design them that would be more meaningful and personal than what’s currently out there. If you have access to venture capital or know anyone who does, please contact me and let’s talk.

In the meantime, I’ve put a donations button in the sidebar (to the right), to help raise enough cash to cover my monthly web-hosting and other expenses. To those of you who have responded, I repeat my deep, heart-felt gratitude.

There seems to be a vague notion floating around that astrologers shouldn’t ask for money. I don’t know how this got started; maybe it comes from ancient times when people brought offerings of food and drink to the temple in return for advice from the priestesses. Nice concept, but not very realistic in today’s world.

We are attempting to create a new world together, one in which our hearts, souls, and creative energies are the most precious assets we have. If wisdom and spirituality are to take their place above material things — or at least be considered equally as important — then we must start acknowledging them by materially supporting the people who provide those services. The return on investment is priceless.

If you’re a regular reader of this site and haven’t donated yet, there’s no time like the present. If everyone contributed the equivalent of one latte or beer a month, it would allow me to continue my current posting schedule and perhaps even expand it to more posts per week.

Who knows where it all could go?

Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: Is This a Bad Time for a Career Move?

This week’s question comes from Kinja in San Francisco, Calif.:

After having a bad experience in a new job that lasted from November 2009 to February 2010, I started thinking perhaps I should look into other career options. … Is this just a bad time to try new career moves for me? Should I just stick with what I have been doing in the last couple of years?

First of all, Kinja, thank you for resubmitting your question using the e-mail submission form. My Mercury in Capricorn needs to keep the files in order!

As you rightly noted in your e-mail, Neptune currently is opposite your natal Saturn. Because you have Saturn near the Midheaven, this also means that Neptune is on your IC. In effect, you’re getting a double dose of Neptune on your career, so it’s no wonder you’ve had such a difficult time of it lately.

Neptune is a dissolving agent. Just as the relentless pounding of waves wears away rocky cliffs, Neptune transits can break down structures in our lives. An old order is falling away so that something new can take its place. The problem is that the “something new” isn’t immediately apparent. In the meantime, you can feel aimless and disoriented.

Remember, too, that Neptune has been indirectly linked to the Saturn-Uranus opposition of the past two years via an inconjunct with Saturn and mutual reception with Uranus in Pisces. Saturn has been in your tenth house of career, which normally is a good time to achieve professional goals. However, with Uranus in opposition, every time you’ve tried to establish yourself, the rug has been pulled out from under you.

Even if you tried to move into a different career, you probably wouldn’t be much more successful than you’ve been recently, and Neptune transits tend to cloud our judgment and distort our sense of reality. Unfortunately, the outer planets move through the chart slowly, and so these transits last for several months.

In any case, I’m advising my clients not to initiate new ventures until the middle of September, when the cardinal T-square will start to dissipate. Events this summer may take on a life of their own, and if you’re flexible and open to change, you can jump on opportunities that might not be available to you if you’ve already committed to another course of action.

It sounds to me as though something really good is trying to break through in your life. The fog of Neptune may be a blessing in disguise, as it’s forcing you to let go of attachment to a particular outcome so that you can embrace a radically different way of being.

You obviously have a good grasp of astrology, but I always recommend a professional reading, if possible. There are lots of good astrologers in the San Francisco area, and I do readings by phone.

Best of luck to you Kinja, and thanks again for writing.

Pat

Cardinal T-Squares Past and Present

As we head into peak season of the 2010 cardinal T-square, I continue to search back through time for similar configurations that might provide some clues of what to expect in the next couple of months.

I’ve made a lot of references to events in 1989, the most recent year we had anything approaching the cardinal configuration currently forming in the sky. As I noted in this week’s forecast, the 1989 alignment wasn’t as dramatic as this year’s, and still there were a lot of exceptional events that year, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Loma Prieta earthquake.

So far this year, we’ve had a mega-quake and a mega-spill, and that’s consistent with the astrological markers.

One could argue that oil spills and earthquakes happen all the time, but those that occurred in 1989 were exceptional. The Loma Prieta quake flattened downtown Santa Cruz and caused extensive damage in the San Francisco area, and the Exxon Valdez spill remains one of worst in history.

Looking back a little farther, we find another period of intense cardinal energy in the early 1930s. I can’t take credit for digging up this one but have to thank Ray Merriman, whose weekly financial column includes a lot of mundane analysis. That’s why he’s first on my list of links in the left sidebar. I highly recommend including him in your weekly astrology reading.

When the stock market crashed in 1929, the cardinal build-up had just begun, with Pluto in Cancer and Uranus in Aries. Saturn entered Capricorn earlier in the year but was back in Sagittarius at the time of the crash. He re-entered Capricorn in December, and then Jupiter entered Cancer in June 1930. At that point, all of the outer planets except Neptune were in cardinal signs, although they weren’t in as tight a configuration as this year’s T-square.

The cardinal configuration continued to build in 1930 and 1931, with a new series of eclipses in cardinal Aries and Libra. The first in the series, a total eclipse of the Sun in late Libra on Oct. 21, 1930, was in a wide square to Jupiter and Pluto conjunct in Cancer, with Uranus in the mid-degrees of Aries and Saturn in early Capricorn.

It’s interesting to note that Ceres also was in the formation, just as she is today. The Full Moon on Jan. 4, 1931, was conjunct Jupiter and Pluto, with the Sun tightly conjunct Saturn and retrograde Mercury, all in a tight T-square with Uranus in Aries. Ceres in Libra transformed the configuration into a grand cross.

You probably know where I’m going with this. The Great Depression began with the stock market crash and lasted ten years. Although it began in the United States, it spread worldwide, causing untold misery for millions of people. At the same time, Adolph Hitler was gaining influence in Germany, Japan began exerting its military might, and the world stage was being set for World War II.

I have to repeat my usual caveat that I’m not trying to spread gloom and doom, only to provide information about how similar astrological configurations have expressed themselves in the past. Obviously, events don’t repeat in exactly the same way, and the T-square is configured differently in 2010 than it was in 1931.

Still, there are enough similarities that it wouldn’t hurt to err on the side of caution. Maybe I’ll feel silly preparing for a situation that never happens, but that’s nothing compared to how bad I’ll feel if I’m not prepared for a serious emergency.

Pat

Weekly Forecast July 5: Uranus Retrograde, Solar Eclipse in Cancer

Artist's conception of a geomagnetic storm. Image courtesy of SDO (NASA).

This week begins with Uranus turning retrograde and ends with a total eclipse of the Sun. We’ve got all the information we need, and now it’s time to spend a few days preparing before we venture into new territory.

Uranus, the innovator and awakener, entered pioneering Aries on May 27. Since then, we’ve been able to scout the unknown terrain to give us a better idea of what’s out there in our Brave New World.

Unfortunately, we’re not going to have a lot of time to analyze the data, and events may unfold too quickly this summer for us to follow a coherent strategy. Still, we have a better idea of where we want to go and who we want in our camp, and we do have a bit of time this week to put together a hasty roadmap.

Uranus turns retrograde on Monday. He’ll re-enter Pisces in mid-August and then return to Aries on March 11, 2011. With the Moon in Taurus on Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ll have just the space we need for some quiet contemplation and, hopefully, sudden inspiration.

Venus opposes Neptune on Thursday, an aspect often associated with fantasy and delusion in romance. It depends on where these two are in your chart. If you’re looking to create an illusion of glamour and enchantment, this is your ticket. Just make sure you’ve got a ride home when your coach turns back into a pumpkin at midnight.

Friday is a busy day, with communicative Mercury making a productive sextile to Saturn in the final degree of Virgo. Think about what you really want. Better yet, talk about it. Often we don’t want what we think we do, and that sends out mixed messages to the universe.

Later in the day, Mercury enters Leo. It’s hard to find humor in our circumstances when we’re under so much stress, but sometimes that’s exactly what it takes to break the spell. Mercury trines Uranus on Friday and Jupiter on Sunday, which should provide lots of inspiration and mental stimulation, even with Uranus in retrograde mode. On the downside, there’s a potential here for major electrical outages.

On Saturday, Venus enters nitpicky Virgo — not her favorite sign. If you feel an urge to be critical at every turn, channel that energy into helping those you love in simple, practical ways. Likewise, when someone does something nice for you, no matter how small, recognize the love in their actions and show your appreciation.

Also on Saturday, the Moon enters Cancer and begins moving into position for Sunday’s total eclipse of the Sun. The Sun, meanwhile, sextiles Mars in Virgo, the only aspect this New Moon will make with any of the planets. As I wrote in my eclipse post on Saturday, I’m hopeful that this easy aspect will bring positive results, but there is always the possibility that it will be the path of least resistance for the pent-up energy of the eclipse.

The cardinal T-square between Saturn, Pluto, Uranus, and Jupiter continues to get closer, but as of the eclipse, Saturn remains in the final degree of mutable Virgo, so technically it’s not a cardinal T-square. I’m not sure how much of a distinction this is, but I’ve theorized that Saturn in Virgo has been a stabilizing influence — an advantage we’ll lose once the lord of time re-enters cardinal Libra on July 21. That’s when the T-square will be at peak power.

That said, events don’t necessarily happen when planetary alignments are exact. There can be lags of days, weeks, or months, and sometimes events happen in advance of the planetary marker. That certainly was the case in 1989, the last time we had anything resembling this year’s cardinal build-up. With Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all in Capricorn, cardinal energies dominated the skies for much of that year.

I went back and looked at several charts for events in 1989, including the Exxon Valdez spill, Hurricane Hugo, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Loma Prieta earthquake, the protests in Tiananmen Square, and the collapse of the Hydro-Québec power grid due to a geomagnetic storm. None of these events occurred when the planets were in exact alignment, although some of them were pretty close. In some cases, key planets were on the Ascendant at the moment of the event.

What this tells us is that the changes could come at any moment. We know we’re in the hot zone, and so nothing that happens in the next two months should surprise us, no matter how unprecedented, extraordinary, or totally outside of human experience to date. We asked to come along on this journey, but we can’t control what happens once we’re on the trail.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer, July 11

Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, Greece, silhouetted against the annular eclipse on Jan. 14, 2010. Photo credit: Elias Chasiotis.

The New Moon on July 11 occurs with a total eclipse of the Sun, making it a powerful indicator of new beginnings.

At 19 degrees Cancer, the eclipse is too far from the early degrees of the cardinal signs to make contact with planets in the cardinal T-square. Nevertheless, it feeds into the T-square in a very significant way. The New Moon generally is a time for starting over, and this is all the more so when the Sun and Moon are in cardinal signs, which favor action. Further, eclipses in and of themselves tend to bring sweeping change.

Throw that all together in one pot, and we’re in for a collective reboot.

It’s hard to make predictions when there are so many variables in this astrological equation. Nevertheless, I do want you to be aware of the potential of the upcoming T-square and of this eclipse period as markers for dramatic developments. In the past, influences such as these have coincided with major earth events, along with landmark geopolitical, social, and economic upheaval.

Now, it’s quite possible that we’ve already had our eclipse-related earthquake. On February 27, there was a magnitude 8.8 mega-quake in Chile. It is well known among astrologers that eclipses can have an influence several months in advance, and yet when analyzing astrological charts, we typically look at present or recently past alignments and forget to look into the future.

There are a couple of startling factors in the chart for the Chile quake that link it to the July 11 solar eclipse. The Ascendant in the earthquake chart is 19°17′ degrees Capricorn, with the lunar North Node in tight conjunction at 20 degrees Cap (the transiting nodes determine when eclipses occur). The July 11 eclipse takes place directly opposite that degree, at 19°24 Cancer. It’s also interesting to note that the earthquake chart ruler, Saturn, is tightly conjunct the Midheaven at 3° Libra. The early degrees of the cardinal signs are where the T-square will peak in late July and early August.

The eclipse will pass directly over the southern tip of Chile. Historically, there are correlations between the path of powerful eclipses and subsequent events. The difference here is that the earthquake happened several months before this eclipse. Why not? Time isn’t linear, and eclipses often open windows “out of time.”

I hope this means we can relax a little, although we do have some serious predictions by government scientists of an above-average hurricane season and a peak in solar storms between now and 2012. We also still have a gaping hole in the floor of the Gulf of Mexico spewing thousands of barrels of oil a day. OK, so maybe this isn’t doomsday, but it’s plenty dire enough. Are we so accustomed to seeing the world blown up in Hollywood films that anything less barely gets a yawn?

I’ll have more in my weekly forecast tomorrow about planetary aspects in the eclipse chart that will be active during the rest of the week as well. I’ll also report on similarities between this year’s cardinal T-square and the planetary alignment of 1989. For the rest of this post, I’d like to focus on the two direct aspects to the eclipse.

The closest aspect is a sextile from the Sun and Moon to Mars at 19 degrees Virgo. We usually view trines and sextiles as favorable and would conclude that positive outcomes are likely. The only trouble with this interpretation is that “positive” and “negative” are human constructs. What’s good for us may not be good for the rest of the planet. Moreover, trines and sextiles can represent the path of release for pent-up cosmic energies. Fortunately, Virgo is not a warlike placement for aggressive Mars, and we should be able to find more productive outlets for our frustration. Indeed, this could represent a concerted effort to come up with real, practical solutions to some of our more pressing problems.

The second close aspect is a conjunction with Juno, an asteroid I haven’t written much about.

In Roman times, Juno was venerated as the wife of Jupiter and, therefore, queen of the gods. She held a special place in the hearts of the Roman people, who believed the goddess warned them of an impending raid by the Gauls in 390 B.C. Thus she was called “Juno Moneta,” one who warns or protects. Because Juno was associated with money, her nickname ended up as our modern word for cash.

When I saw the conjunction of asteroid Juno with the Sun and Moon in this eclipse chart, I immediately wondered whether we were being warned of an impending event. Could it be financially related? Something to do with our money supply? A communications glitch that shuts down our ATM system, or something like that? Speculating is useless, of course, but emergency planning is smart. Living on an island in an earthquake zone, I’m always conscious of having some basic necessities stashed away. Instead of fretting about what might be, channel that energy into practical steps to increase your security.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Sun and Moon at 19°24′ Cancer is gondoliers in a serenade, with the keyword SENTIMENT. Happiness has little to do with money or things and everything to do with the fulfillment we get by contributing our unique gifts to the world and cooperating with each other for the betterment of the planet and everyone on it. When we do so, it’s like an elegant, complex symphony. When we don’t, the discord vibrates into every corner of our existence.

We are all connected.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmond Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in the early 1920s. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.

Ask Real Astrologers: Are We Meant To Be Together?

This week’s question comes from Pam in Florida:

I believe I am in a karmic relationship with a man I am in love with. He is married, although nothing has happened between us and we are only friends. I worked with him and grew to love his soul, and the love I feel is very deep, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I think he feels it, too, although he’s never said anything, but I can tell by the way he looks in my eyes. When the connection happened for me it was absolutely undeniable and I, too, felt like I met “the one.” Am I correct, or is he here only to aid in my growth?

Pam, you’re by no means in a unique situation. This is a question I get asked constantly, and I don’t believe it’s any coincidence that so many people are having this experience at the same time.

Something seems to have shifted in 1999, when we had a powerful eclipse accompanied by a grand fixed cross. Since that time, many of my clients and some of my friends have met a “soul mate” and, as a result, experienced a profound spiritual awakening. For a few people, it happened more than once. In several cases, the soul mate was married or committed to someone else.

So far, none of these people has ended up in a permanent, long-term relationship with the awakener, leading me to conclude that the purpose of these meetings is, as you say, to aid in our spiritual growth.

You didn’t supply the birth data for your love interest, but I am pretty sure it would show a karmic connection, as you clearly are having a karmic experience as a result of this meeting. Without your love interest’s data, it’s hard to know for sure, but I do see a couple of markers in your chart for growth, and so I’m inclined to say that this really is the purpose of your meeting.

Specifically, you have Jupiter and Uranus conjunct in the twelfth house, in a lovely trine with your eighth house Sun in Sagittarius. In addition, transiting Pluto is conjunct your natal Jupiter. Taken together, these transits suggest that you are ripe for a sudden leap in conscious awareness and a spiritual transformation. Embrace it!

As to why so many of us are experiencing an evolution in consciousness through a love experience, it’s not so hard to imagine. I touched on it in a Saturday Extra! post last week. It appears that the planetary shift in progress involves a realignment to bring the divine masculine and divine feminine energies into balance, but there’s a gap we need to bridge before we can unify the polarities. Humanity is a powerful expression of the divine mind, and therefore, I see this collective experience of connecting with an opposite as a sign that we are crossing the bridge.

Thanks for writing, Pam. My wish for you and for everyone is that we connect with that “perfect” other and move forward on our evolutionary path.

Pat

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