This week, we’re in the last-quarter Moon, coming off a difficult Full Moon on September 29. What’s no longer serving us continues to break down, fall apart, or fade away, with circumstances that may relate in some way to major life events during the summer of 2010.

That’s not necessarily bad news, although letting go is hard, and some people – especially those with a lot of fixed energy in their charts – have a tough time making wholesale changes. The good news is that this week’s aspects are for the most part favorable as we head into a promising New Moon in Libra on October 15.

Last week, Saturn entered Scorpio, one of the biggest astrological events of 2012. His first aspect in Scorpio (other than fleeting lunar transits) is a trine with Neptune, which occurs on Wednesday. This heavyweight pair came within a hair of forming a trine in February, but then Saturn turned retrograde and Neptune moved into Pisces. They’ll meet again next June and July, so we’ve got more than six months of a constructive outer planetary cycle occurring simultaneously with the destructive Uranus-Pluto square.

This week’s trine is part of a cycle that began when Saturn and Neptune conjoined in Capricorn in 1989. The Berlin Wall fell four days before the conjunction was exact, with Uranus also in a wide conjunction in Capricorn. The first trine of this cycle occurred in 2001. However, rather than dissecting that aspect, I went back to the previous cycle, which began in 1952 with Saturn and Neptune in Libra. The first trine in that cycle occurred in 1965, which also coincided with the Uranus-Pluto conjunction – the beginning of the cycle of our current Uranus-Pluto square. So, that is the trine I want to explore for clues about what this one might bring.

In 1965, the United States was embroiled in the Vietnam War, and society was going through a complete cultural breakdown, with protests against the war, civil rights marches, and the counterculture movement. But in the middle of all this chaos, space exploration expanded, and President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the “War on Poverty.” New legislation established the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Dreams for a better future were alive and well, but so was escape through turning on and tuning out – all the hallmarks of Neptune, which was the astrological “out” of the harder aspects via the trine from Saturn. I can just hear the 5th Dimension singing “Up, Up and Away” …

The 2012-2013 Saturn-Neptune trine doesn’t connect to the Uranus-Pluto square by angle, but it does connect via mutual reception between Saturn and Pluto. So I think we’re going to see many similarities between this era and 1965-66, not only in terms of popular culture – a trend astrologers have been talking about for some time – but also in repeating world events. For example, in 1965, there was Medicare. Now there’s Obamacare. And if these astrological similarities are any indication, it won’t be repealed. That said, I think there will be a parallel social and political backlash at the next Saturn-Neptune conjunction in 2025, when more conservative, monolithic forces take over.

Saturn and Neptune are very different energies. Saturn is about structure, while Neptune is about a total lack of structure and boundaries. Combined, they can represent efforts that fail to get off the ground, in part due to unrealistic ambition. But when the best of both worlds are put together, you get the discipline and sacrifice necessary to turn big dreams into a reality. Neptune offers the imagination and creativity that Saturn lacks, while Saturn supplies the structure and practical application that evades Neptune. Have a look at where these two fall in your chart to get some idea of how these energies might apply to you. (How do I know where Saturn and Neptune fall in my chart?)

Taking the week chronologically, the Sun trines Jupiter on Tuesday. Even though Jupiter is now retrograde, these are positive, optimistic energies that combine well for advancing your personal goals. Less than an hour later, Mercury trines Chiron. With Mercury in penetrating Scorpio, it’s possible to see through to the source of hurt feelings and old wounds, whether in this lifetime or on another plane of existence. You can’t begin to release old karma until you know what you’re dealing with. Take some time late Monday or early Tuesday to write in your journal or just stare out the window and see what bubbles to the surface of your consciousness. Mercury also forms a quincunx with Uranus, so some of what comes up could surprise or shock you. This process continues into Wednesday, when Mercury sextiles Pluto. At the collective level, secrets may be revealed that allow healing to take place on a broader scale.

Also on Tuesday, Venus trines Pluto in earthy Virgo and Capricorn. The conventional interpretation of this pair is usually about sex. With the trine, wild desires can lead to passion that transforms and cleanses, rather than the more obsessive side of this combination. Still, obsession and compulsion may be lurking in the shadows and barely under control, so don’t discount their influence. You’ll feel this aspect more acutely than others if you have either of these planets in the first, fifth, seventh, or eighth houses.

On Sunday, Mars squares Chiron. This is where wounds get cut out by the knife. With Mars in Sagittarius and Chiron in Pisces, the wounds we’re talking about are most likely in the collective psyche, and they have to do with religious and philosophical beliefs and the organizations founded upon them.

Next week is the New Moon in Libra, which will bring in a breath of fresh air. So hang in there this week and count the blessings that do come your way.

Wishing much love and courage to all,
Pat