Midlife Transits

When I started thinking a few years ago about what Pluto in Capricorn would bring, I thought about the fact that Capricorn is considered a symbol of government. Pluto as a planet makes things more powerful and it also destroys them. So I was wondering, would Pluto in Cap make government more powerful or destroy it?

My money, at least as far as the US goes, was on Pluto making government more powerful. I thought things like government bonds would be a good investment and that we’d see the federal government become more powerful. It certainly seems to be the case that the federal government is becoming more powerful.

However, Pluto in Capricorn is also starting out by making a vigorous effort to destroy a lot of local governments at the same time. Cities, states, and counties are all facing horrible budget deficits in this country. I’m staggered by the things these local governments (e.g., state governments) are having to do just to try to survive. Arizona is seemingly considering selling off its state capitol building. California’s problems are now legendary. So are Detroit’s.

Supposedly, Pluto destroys to reform and remake. Local governments would therefore rise from the ashes, phoenix-style, born anew and in a better form. Maybe that will happen. But I’m not entirely sure that all such governments will be reborn without significant scars.

After all, Pluto was busy during the Sagittarian era doing the same thing to journalism and publishing. The rise of self-publishing, especially via the Internet, has been obvious and you could say that there’s an element of rebirth in a new and improved form, or at least a form with more access and blunt Sagittarian freedom.

But newspapers don’t look to be anywhere close to a rebirth at present, and given the public’s distrust of the media, it’s not entirely clear yet that journalism has been improved exactly. Maybe it has and it’s just hard for the public to tell!

Meanwhile, Pluto’s busy working his destructive or constructive magic on big corporations as well. Big corporations are another thing that Capricorn symbolizes. I thought the big blue chips would do well in this era, but big names are keeling over, dropping like flies, or at least their profits are.

Still, I have to think that some big corporations will only get more and more powerful as the era wears on.  Consolidation will kick in and we’ll see an economy with fewer but bigger giants. I think.

Governments around the world will also see pressure from the world economic troubles and from the coming Uranus in Aries push for more personal freedoms. Some won’t make it I think.

It’s said that there’s an ancient Chinese curse that goes “May you live in interesting times.” We live in interesting times.

There’s good news and bad news in August. Good news–the long and brutal run of Saturn in your solar 2nd house is nearing a respite! The financial pressure you have been under for almost 2 solid years is going to subside for a while. Bad new–before it does, you have to run the gauntlet of an opposition between Saturn and Uranus next month. Prepare a contingency plan now in case difficulties arise next month.

On the positive side, once you get past September, you should know more about the real truth of your financial situation after a long period of uncertainty. Next year, Uranus, another planet that’s been trying to give you financial fits will even move out of Pisces for awhile and into a spot that’s easier for your chart to handle.

More good news. August marks the final eclipse in Aquarius (on the 6th) and that means less pressure on your primary relationships once that final hurdle is cleared. You may feel a bit more certainty on that front as well (unless you were born during the last week of the sign).

In fact, as we look ahead to the next 12 months in your chart things become more and more positive. Planets will move out of signs that are hard on your chart and into signs that are more compatible for you. Jupiter moves into Pisces (more easing of the financial pressure) and then Aries (good for your sign). Saturn moves into compatible Libra. And Uranus moves into compatible Aries.

There will be plenty of bumps and false starts along the way, but at least things are moving in the right direction.

Creative insights are likely to be yours for the having in August, Aries. First off, you’ve got the sun and then Venus in your solar house of creativity. You’ve also got Uranus (Mr. Insight) in the creative sign of Pisces rumbling around the backroads of your mind, looking for interesting stuff to toss up to consciousness. He’s been doing that for awhile, but his energy is gaining strength in August. That’s because he’s preparing for a showdown with Saturn in September, and it’s usually the time before the actual opposition when the interesting stuff happens.

The uncreative, uninterested in insight part of your solar chart (Saturn), the part that wants to know where you left your keys, is scheduled to get blasted by the part (Uranus) that doesn’t give a damn about the tangibles and only cares about the life of the mind. The result is that you may lose your keys but get a great idea.

In other news, Pluto is slowing to a crawl as he starts to wrap up a long transit that’s been pounding Aries folks born on the first day of the sign. Pluto’s trying to kill stuff that he thinks you’ve outgrown in your career or reputation, and he’s got eclipse energy on his side. If you didn’t let something go or watch something die in that area of your life in July, you may do so in August.

I know this may not sound good. It may not even look good when it happens. There may be layoffs or cutbacks in your field. But in the long run this is fortunate for you. Really it is.

You’ve also got energy affecting your home situation in August, so you probably need to attend to that as well, and it may not be easy. Last but maybe not least, you may need to let go of a friendship around August 6. On the upside–great month for dating. Good Leo energy for your love life, pretty much all month long.

So…to summarize. All you gotta do is lose your keys, get a great idea or some creative insight, find your keys, let go of something in your career or reputation, straighten out your living situation, evaluate your friendships, and go on a bunch of dates. Piece of cake!

There are two different kinds of energies going on for you in August, Taurus. One is called a Grand Trine. This means that there are planets in the two other earth signs that are compatible with yours. This is a happy thing. It’s especially good for your love and sex life, as the sun will be in Virgo in the sector of your solar chart that deals with love. This energy is prominent from the 22nd on.

The other kind of energy is called a T-Square. That means there are planets in two other fixed signs that clash with your sun sign. These signs in August are Leo and Aquarius. This can be good or bad depending on your point of view.

You’re being asked to give up something in your career, and you may not be thrilled with that. Of course, if  that’s the case, you’ve got plenty of company since this economy has had plenty of folks giving up something in their careers, including sometimes a portion of their salaries. That won’t necessarily happen to you of course. In fact, you could just be giving up something like a burdensome duty, belief, or goal. That would actually be a good thing.

That’s the Aquarius energy. The other energy is in creative Leo and it relates to your home. Dealing with home stuff can be stressful, but there can be an upside here too. Let’s say you recently moved (possible, since there’s been energy around that possibililty this year in your chart). The Leo energy could have you coming up with creative decorating solutions or insights into mundane but important matters like how to manage your storage space.

It’s Leo month, Gemini, and that means it’s time for living large. It’s also an Aquarian year, and that means it’s a year for thinking large. Transiting Chiron’s been working with Jupiter and Neptune to scrub your mind clear of limiting and narrow plans. If you’re still clinging to a limiting or fearful belief, let go of it around August 6, time of the lunar eclipse. Your chart wants you to think, plan, and dream big.

Depending on your personality that could mean anything from attempting to be more saintly, understanding, compassionate and healing in your dealings with others to a big push toward being a millionaire. And a whole bunch of stuff in between.

Now that big-hearted Leo energy is adding fuel to the fire, you can translate some of that big dreaming energy into your daily life and activities. Best time for turning over a new living large leaf would be around August 20, time of the Leo new moon.

Final random note: Leo’s the sign of the back, the spinal column. If you’ve got problems with yours, this is the month to get it fixed.

August is money month! The vital and energetic sign of Leo is lit up for most of the month, and in your solar chart, Leo means money and all things related to it. Numerous opportunities are likely to present themselves. Now, I grant you, it may be numerous opportunities to spend money rather than opportunities to bring it in, but hey–we all know how fun spending can be.

If you really do need to increase your cash flow, maybe you could consider having a garage sale or an eBay selling fest. You’ve probably got great taste and a ton of wonderful items around the house that you could exchange for cash if you needed to.

Speaking of money–there’s also Aquarius energy this month. Aquarius in your solar chart relates to other people’s money or joint assets. There’s an eclipse in Aquarius on August 6, and it’s lunar. Lunar eclipses mean getting rid of something or letting go of something that just does not work for you.

An example would be letting go of a seemingly worthy goal to control your husband’s spending. An eclipse can make you realize that is just unrealistic and that the best way to handle things is to give him his own damn account to play with and just keep the real family budget away from his vague and spendthrift habits. Less stress for you; less stress for him. That’s just an example; your results will vary and they may have to do with things like debt or taxes or insurance or even inheritances. But the bottom line is — if it don’t work, let it go.

The big news is that the sun and Mercury move into your sign this month. Mercury does so on the 2nd, the sun on the 22nd. That makes three placements in your sign this month, cuz Saturn’s there too as he has been for a long time. There are also 3 placements in Aquarius (Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron) in your solar 6th house, the house associated with your sign.

That puts a really big emphasis on the service-y side of your Virgo nature. Virgo lives to serve, and you happen to have been born under the most useful sign in the zodiac. You people volunteer like no other sign does, are constantly busy, usually helping others, and you’re responsible for a big chunk of the good works of any society. Plus, you never really take credit for it!

The skies have put a spotlight on all your service-y tendencies this month in an attempt to get you to un-sign up for one of your many exhausting activities. Maybe you need to quit going out with your work friends, so you can have some alone time. Maybe you need to un-volunteer for something. Maybe you need to give up some duties and control on the job. You know better than I what you need to relinquish.

Relinquish now to gain some energy and some of the time you need to replenish–so you can live to serve another day.

There’s a lunar eclipse in Aquarius this August, on the 5th. Lunar eclipses are usually a signal that something needs to end. This eclipse takes place in your solar 5th house of love affairs and creative projects, so those are two of the most likely areas to see an ending. Sometimes an eclipse will not affect you directly but someone near you and that will indirectly impact you. In that case, the most likely people in your life to be affected would be your children or your lovers.

There’s a possibility that you already experienced this ending or that you will experience it instead during September. Some won’t be affected by the eclipse at all, although this one is likely to be energetic as it is the last in a series in this sign.

The purpose of an eclipse and of the ending it can bring is to help you develop new alternatives in the affected area of your life. For example, if you lose a boyfriend–he probably wasn’t good enough for you anyway, at least in the universe’s opinion. The universe often tends to be right on these matters, although this is not always obvious at the time.

In other words, eclipses help you correct course. Since this is the last eclipse in the series, one good thing is that this area of your life is likely to settle down and become more stable now. Whatever needed to be changed will change now or has already changed and the universe won’t be bugging you about any more.

In the long run, you have excellent energy in your love life sector, so just let go of whatever needs to go, so that you can let new light in.

Saturn

Obama may not be an astrologer, but he’s fairly savvy about timing. One of the reasons, if you care to look at things astrologically, that he’s in such a hurry for health care legislation is that Saturn is due to leave Virgo at the end of October. Virgo is the health care sign in many ways, and Saturn is the government sign. If government is going to do anything about health care, then this time period is the prime opportunity.

Of course, Saturn is also the planet of delay, tight-fistedness and restriction. (Perhaps it’s not a surprise that the planet of delay is also a symbol for government). So legislators are doing their astrological part to delay things and worry about tight-fisted considerations.

Contrast this with the Medicare prescription drug benefit law that President Bush signed into law when Jupiter was in Virgo. Jupiter is generous, expansive, and doesn’t give a damn about costs. Hence, we got a bill that passed relatively easily, in spite of opposition, that substantially and perhaps permanently expanded benefits and increased health care costs.

Saturn’s not Jupiter, and it will look suspiciously and perhaps fairly meticulously at any legislative reform efforts. They may be more restricted than Jupiterian folks would like. But Saturn, once it throws its weight behind something, usually comes up with something solid and generally enduring. Obama, perhaps instinctively, wants to get something done within the window that will allow Saturn to give the effort a stamp of approval.

The astrological situation is complicated though. Saturn will leave Virgo at the end of October to enter Libra. There it will probably worry about foreign relations, diplomacy, and tensions between nations. Saturn in Libra often doesn’t play nicely with others, so there could potentially be a lot to worry about, especially since Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Aries are in clashing cardinal signs.

However, Saturn will slip back into Virgo to finish up its Virgo business from April through July of 2010. So the final trigger on potential health related legislation will not be pulled until then. There will be another chance.  Obama, with his cautious Saturn in Capricorn natal placement, probably doesn’t like leaving things to the last astrological minute though.

He’s also got his own personal chart to navigate around. Neptune in Aquarius is now opposing his Uranus in Leo. That goes through August 20. One translation of that transit would be: the vagaries of democracy (Neptune, Aquarius) thwart efforts at bold change (Leo, Uranus). Round about the time that ends, Uranus in Pisces will move into good angle with his natal Saturn. One translation of that could be: systemic holistic change (Pisces, Uranus) works well when implemented conservatively and cautiously (Saturn).

To complicate things, Pluto in Capricorn (extreme conservatism) is trying hard to punch Obama’s popularity (Venus in Cancer) in the face. In this effort, it is probably succeeding–although Obama has shown the power to bounce back from previous Pluto punches (Jeremiah Wright affair). Pluto is scheduled to get tuckered out from its punching efforts–also in August.

To make matters more interesting for Obama’s personal chart, Uranus in Pisces is scheduled to try to make his Mars in Virgo real real mad in November. It didn’t seem to succeed during its last attempt to make him blow his cork, although it certainly tried during the presidential campaign. This time he’s in office, though, and it will be uh, worth watching to see how Uranus tries to throw him a curve ball later this year.

Overall, whether you like him or hate him, Obama seems to have gotten more done or at least done more things that I would have predicted from looking at his chart. He may not get health care legislation by August, but he may get it not that long thereafter.

For Sagittarius people, Leo month is the month that highlights your thinking, your attitudes, your beliefs. You may be a very flexible sign, Sagittarius, but you tend to be very fixed in your beliefs, uncompromising, maybe even a bit self-righteous in your attitude.  You get your annual chance to re-assess all that from July 22nd to August 21.

Prime time for such reassessment, if you’re interested, is the week of the 16th, when Neptune and Jupiter and Chiron will be trying to soften up your attitudes toward the environment around you. On a lighter note, you could just use the energy to take a vacation!

Those of you who have just moved or are planning to may be a bit stressed this month by hecticity especially during the last week of the month, but the upside is that you should have plenty of energy to beautify your home in a creative or natural way.

There’s also a lot of energy around your career this month, as Virgo mode is in full swing thanks to Mercury and the sun. It’s like you are very very close to reaching your goal and yet there’s just one more test you have to pass before you can pick up the keys to the executive washroom or whatever it is that you want. It’s a bitch of a test, though, so do not give up this month. You are so close to getting a break from the pressure in this area of your chart.