Midlife Transits

Wow, what’s a Cancer to do in July 2010? The planets are lining up on all four angles of your solar chart (translation: strong sectors of your chart), and there’s no escaping the energy now. There’s so much going on, we’re going to have to break it down.

Part 1: The sun’s in your sign from June 21 through July 21. Mercury’s also in your sign from June 25 to July 9. There’s also a new moon solar eclipse in your sign on July 11. All of these factors put an emphasis on your personality, on your unique collection of qualities. Whatever is Cancerian in you gets emphasized (an appreciation for food perhaps?). The eclipse is potentially significant, and it represents a new beginning for you in some way. But what that new beginning might relate to depends completely on your own particular life and circumstances. It’s an astrological wild card that gets its meaning from the hand you’ve already been dealt lately by circumstance.

Then there’s Uranus in Aries at the top of your chart, opposing Saturn in Libra at the bottom of your chart. Uranus in Aries can relate to your career. More broadly, it relates to your personal style–how you appear to others from a distance–your reputation. Uranus in Aries tries to make you more distinct, more visible, easy to distinguish from others. Saturn in Libra at the bottom of your chart tries to do something of the opposite, make you conform, blend in, get along, be more private.

Jupiter in Aries is also at the top of your chart in July. It sides with Uranus in Aries and has roughly the same goals. It is being squared by Pluto in Capricorn, the sign opposite yours. Pluto sides with Saturn in Libra, although it has a tendency to play out more in terms of close relationships with mates or partners.

All of these influences agree that you need to make the ultimate decisions about your life, but they disagree strongly as to whether you should be emphasizing the ways you differ from others or the ways in which you are the same.

No one influence is exactly right or exactly wrong, which may be why the main players (Capricorn, Uranus, and Saturn) are scheduled to continue arguing about this for the next 12 months and beyond. The planets will pause to take breaks from the argument and regroup (which is good for you), but they’re not letting you off the ultimate hook for a good long time.

There’s no standard cheat sheet for navigating these competing impulses, which is why the planets insist you’ll need to make up your own mind based on your own situation. But I will say that the strongest influence is Pluto–and he is demanding, one way or another, that you get your relationships with others straightened out. Perhaps if you can focus on that, you can figure out how much to conform and how much to break free of conformity.

I’m not saying this will be easy, but you cannot complain that the planets aren’t paying any attention to you!

For a long time, Uranus was in your psychological 12th house, and now, all of a sudden, he’s in your much more physical 1st house. Screw the psychologizing, he says, let’s make stuff real. Jupiter has joined Aries to put double emphasis on your individuality, to lavish attention on you.

Unfortunately, perhaps, almost no sooner do these planets move into your sign to lavish attention on you than they get into heated arguments with Saturn in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto in Capricorn is trying to take charge of your career, and he apparently doesn’t give a hoot about your individuality. He wants you to get to the top the old-fashioned way–by doing the same things everyone else does. And Saturn in Libra doesn’t want to lavish attention on you–it wants you to to pay attention to your mates and partners. It’s almost like Saturn in Libra is deliberately trying to block your efforts to manifest stuff for yourself.

Whassup with that? I’ll be danged if I know the answer to that for sure. But I will say that we’ve also got a new moon eclipse in Cancer on July 11, and maybe that either holds a key or helps a little. The eclipse represents a new beginning in your private life; it takes place at the bottom of your chart. Perhaps, in some way, you need to get that private life strong, sorted out, and supportive so that you can manifest from a sturdy foundation. Maybe Saturn’s just trying to slow you down enough to give you a chance to build your base up a little bit.

Might as well look at it that way instead of grinding your teeth over planetary frustrations and delays.

How to get a handle on July 2010? Well, we’ll start with Pluto in Capricorn in your solar 9th house of opinions and beliefs. He is scheduled to spend most of July arguing viciously with Jupiter in Aries. Jupiter just so happens to be the planetary sponsor of opinions and beliefs, so this is slated to be quite the dust-up. Pluto represents conventional wisdom, the opinions everyone else has that your sign is supposed to ordinarily be content to accept without a great deal of fuss. Jupiter represents your own personal opinions, based on your own personal experiences, the ones you would normally be encouraged to keep to yourself. Jupiter feels like pointing out to Pluto that you actually have your own ideas and that you are not truly Mr. or Ms. Unoriginal. Pluto is not likely to be thrilled with this news because he thinks original thinkers get into big fat trouble. He’s going to try to put a lid on your chart’s budding originality of opinion.

He’ll probably win this round; Pluto’s a heavy hitter. But he won’t win the war, and eventually your opinions will change and so will your beliefs about society. That’ll be good in the long run. In the short run, the transitional stirrings in your chart are likely to just be irritating. In fact, you may be real pissed off at things for reasons you can’t entirely understand. That’s okay in the sense that so will everyone else. July is just one of those maddening astrological months.

In the meantime, Saturn in Libra will be glaring at Uranus in Aries after the 21st. Uranus in Aries has the same agenda that Jupiter in Aries does–originality of thought and opinion. Saturn doesn’t want to hear about it. Saturn wants you to settle down and be rigorous and conscientious on the job, and he is not pleased with Uranus for introducing unsettling new thoughts into your mental sphere.

Last and maybe least, there’s a new moon eclipse in Cancer on July 11. This is the sort of influence that could have you taking a quick trip or getting news from relatives. Or maybe nothing will happen. Eclipses are wild cards, so it’s hard to say. This one is in a weak house for you, so it is unlikely to be hugely significant.

My best advice for this turbulent astrological month is to do your best to keep up appearances, regardless of inner or outer turmoil. Taurus has to do things at its own pace, and you’ll probably feel better if you can keep up the mask until you get things sorted out inside.

The bulk of the planetary action in July continues to revolve around your solar 11th house of your social life, friends, clubs, and casual relationships. All Uranus and Jupiter in this area of your chart want to do is be friendly and hang out. Is that so wrong?

Apparently, Pluto and Saturn think so, because they make frowny faces at Uranus and Jupiter for most of the month. Why is anyone’s guess. Saturn in Libra could have something to do with disapproving children or lovers, but what’s gotten under Pluto’s skin is hard to say.

If I’m going to guess, I’m going to guess that Pluto has gotten tired of Jupiter’s happy mask. Pluto digs on honesty in a serious way, and he is mindful that Jupiter and your sign of Gemini will both conspire to put on a facade of cheeriness that Pluto could be sick of trying to sustain. Pluto doesn’t feel like being cheerful. He just wants to get to the point and leave the bubbliness behind. It will be up to you to decide how much of Pluto’s honesty to reveal.

Perhaps you can get away from conundrums like these by spending the new cash that the eclipse in Cancer on July 11 is scheduled to deliver to you. Nothing like a shopping spree to perk up the spirits. I wish I could promise that all Geminis will see some sort of material reward in July, but not all eclipses affect all people in a sign. Still, some of you will have reason to celebrate, and that’s a good thing.

There’s a lot of action in your sun sign this month, Leo. The sun enters Leo on the 22nd. Mercury enters your sign on the 9th and stays until the 27th. Venus is in your sign until the 10th. In other words, there’s at least one planet in Leo all month long.

Thank goodness for that, because it’s a tense month for most signs. The Venus influence during the first 10 days should allow you to present a pleasant face to the world, even as others are starting to become more and more agitated.

The Mercury in Leo-dominated period from the 9th to the 27th may not be quite as easy, for the aspects are frankly scary for most of the signs. Jupiter will be squaring Pluto, and Saturn will move into another opposition with Uranus. Things aren’t quite as bad for your sign as they are for many others, but don’t count on being able to take a vacation. You may also want to practice pretending to be sympathetic when other people start complaining or getting irritated about goodness knows what.

By the time the sun moves into your sign on the 22nd, the difficult aspects are in full swing. Fortunately, your chart provides an outlet for the tensions in the sky–vigorous exercise. Head to the Y and swim any frustrations away while you beat the summer heat.

You’ve also got some good news this month–Saturn is leaving your solar 2nd house of money problems–not to return for decades. Yay to that. Finally, there’s a solar eclipse in Cancer. This eclipse is in such a weak part of your chart that most of you won’t notice any effects. All in all, count your blessings–your sign is getting off easy this month.

On July 21, Saturn officially re-enters your solar second house of money, and he promptly gets into an argument with Uranus in Aries. Saturn in the house of money is not usually considered a good thing, but it can have its benefits. Safe, solid, sensible investments can be made that will pay off over the long haul. Being prudent can save your financial backside. Saving can be your friend. Building a nest egg can be a smart activity. And so on.

The problem is that during late July, the opposition with Uranus can have the effect of trying to tug money out of your accounts. Debts or expenses can become sudden problems or monies owed you by others can skedaddle right when you were counting on them. All the more reason for you to hedge your bets and be extra conservative financially for the time being.

As an added wrinkle, Jupiter will be squaring Pluto for much of the month. That seems to indicate that if you do bring in a nice chunk of money, Pluto will want to snatch it away and spend it on your kids or something equally worthy.

Fortunately, Venus is in your sign from the 10th on, and that helps. You’re not scheduled to be in such dire financial straits that you can’t get what you need. In fact, there’s plenty of energy in your sign to help you get through any temporary difficulties. There may be some uneasy moments, but you’ll pull through.

Finally, there’s a new moon eclipse in Cancer on the 11th that could bring a new and important friend or ally into your circle.

I’m not going to lie to you; July is scheduled to be a stressful month for most signs, including yours. All four angles of your chart are lit up this month, which basically means the skies are trying to pull you in 4 different directions at the same time, and nothing wants to give.

Fortunately, you have some resources at your disposal. For one thing, there’s energy in the compatible sign of Leo all month long. What this essentially means is that you have access to support from your friends and extended network throughout July.

Also, your ruler Venus will move into Virgo on the 9th. Along with other planets, Venus indicates that your personal sense of spirituality is another great resource for you this month.

If you don’t consider yourself an especially spiritual person, you can look at it another way–have confidence in your own ability. This is a lesson that Saturn is going to be teaching you over the next couple of years anyway–but there’s no harm in getting an early start in understanding that you can rely on yourself.

To put another spin on the general theme–Pluto is moving through the bottom of your solar chart. This can be challenging, but it holds at least one clear message: your power comes from within. It may be that all kinds of outer circumstances are trying to convince you right now that it doesn’t, and that other people have all the cards. But your power does come from within and from your ability to stay grounded. Keep that in mind as things progress.

Finally, you may get an exciting new start or opportunity in your career this month, thanks to an eclipse in Cancer on July 11. Undoubtedly, you deserve it.

Self-confidence month for Scorpio as the inner planets (sun, Mercury, Venus) move through Leo, your own personal sign of achievement and visibility. Behave as if you have that self-confidence and an otherwise astrologically tense month will be more likely to pay off for you.

You can also lean on your friends this month and count on them to give you the straight dope, as 4 planets spend time in your friendship house this month. Let them perk you up when you are down or ground you when you’re flying unrealistically high.

Another area of activity could be long-distance travel, as a new moon eclipse in Cancer on the 11th highlights the sector of your chart in charge of roaming far and wide.

That’s the inner planets; now we gotta deal with the outer ones. The most powerful one of all, Pluto, is rumbling along in your solar 3rd house of communication. He’ll be there for a long time, so that’s not news. He wants you to share your knowledge in a rigorously honest way. Typical, long-term, gradual Pluto goal.

What’s news is that he’ll be squaring off with Jupiter in Aries in your job and health sector for most of the month. Someone, perhaps in your work sphere, such as a co-worker, apparently does not want to hear the truth. Whoever it is thinks that your truth is too grim and instead wants to bounce around optimistically with his or her hands over their ears, singing “I can’t hear you!”

Not being heard punches Pluto’s buttons, and when Pluto’s buttons get punched, he wants to let you know about it. Everyone has this experience of not being heard at some point, but Pluto is slowly working himself up to a towering rage over this issue in your life, and you’re getting a taste of this in July.

Bottom line: you’re going to have to speak your truth, even if the idiots you’re speaking to make you want to strangle them. This is going to stir up some subconscious fears, but scared or not, you’ll eventually have to lay things on the the line. Because the more powerfully you learn to own and speak your true thoughts, the more powerful you’re going to be in every facet of your life.

Most of the big outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto) are going to be yelling at each other in July, and we’re all going to be overhearing their arguments. The only one not screaming is Neptune and he’ll be in a couple of mild tiffs with planets in Leo. Your job is going to be to remain somewhat detached from all the hubbub while avoiding getting your undies in a bunch.

In your chart, the planets are scheduled to be yelling about money, your kids and your friends, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear to me. If you don’t have kids, they may be yelling about your boyfriend or girlfriend or your legitimate attempts to have some fun in your life. Whatever they’re yelling about, you can still remain your friendly, cheerful Sagittarian self if you remember that this too will pass.

The underlying tension seems to be financial, but on that front you may get a bit of good news in July. A new moon eclipse in Cancer on the 11th could bring a minor windfall of some sort in the form of an insurance payout or some other bit of non-ordinary income. It’s probably not going to solve all your problems, but if it shows up, it could help a bit.

Even if you don’t get a windfall, Mercury and the sun in Cancer during the first eight days of the month could bring some helpful information to light. There’s also lots of energy in Leo throughout July, another influence that could bring helpful information your way. Bottom line: ignore the planetary angst to the extent possible and focus on harvesting information you can actually use.

July is one of those out of the frying pan, into the fire months. Planets that were hanging out in mild-mannered, weak houses of your solar chart continue throughout July to mass in the strong angles where they’re capable of making a lot of unruly noise. Let’s break down what’s going on.

#1: Sun in Cancer until the 22nd, Mercury in Cancer until the 9th, and new moon solar eclipse in Cancer on the 11th. Translation: news about your close relationships. Somewhere, somehow, some way, most Capricorns are scheduled to get some sort of news re: partners/mates. For most, the news will be good, maybe even wonderful, and that makes this the best thing about the month.

#2: Pluto in your sign squaring Jupiter in Aries. Jupiter would normally want to bring good news too, but mean old Pluto wants to snatch it away in July. Boo Pluto! Translation: don’t get your hopes up too high for improvements on the home front.

#3: Saturn moving into Libra on the 21st to oppose Uranus in Aries. Saturn in your career sector attempts to put the damper on Uranus energy in the home and family sector. This could actually be a blessing in disguise, although it may lead to tensions. Saturn will attempt to keep your family members from exploding with whatever long-standing rages they’ve been nursing for years, while you attempt to keep the peace and maintain politeness. Translation: someone in your family or inner circle is likely to be hopping mad, and you’ll need to be diplomatic to defuse the situation.

Fortunately, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn all spend some time this month in compatible Virgo, and they can be really helpful. Virgo is a communication sign in your knowledge house. Translation: your knowledge of communication skills can make everything easier as we all navigate through July’s tensions.

The headline news is that a new moon eclipse in Cancer on July 11 can bring a new job your way. With so many people out of work in this economy, that’s good news indeed. Cancer is a home-oriented sign, so the new job may involve working from home or work that is related to houses, real estate or the like. Eclipses are really personal in their effects, so it’s hard to say much more than that about how this one will affect you (and it may not show up until about a month from the actual eclipse date), but it will hopefully bring soothing news of some sort.

Even if the eclipse does not seem to affect you, there is Cancer energy until July 22, so don’t give up if you are looking for a job. Another area of improvement could be your health. Mercury in Cancer can also help until the 9th. Cancer is a nature-loving sign, so if you need a perk-me-up, get out and enjoy the outdoors, or at least put some flowers in your home to bring beauty into your life.

There’s also energy in Leo all month long, and this puts a spotlight on your personal life. Someone that you care about needs your attention. You may also need to tone down your typical Aquarian uniqueness around the time of the full moon in your sign on the 25th.

Speaking of uniqueness and its opposite, conformity–there’s a battle brewing between your uniqueness-loving ruler Uranus and Mr. Conformity himself, Saturn. Pluto in Capricorn also squares off against Jupiter in Aries, echoing the same theme. This battle takes place in relatively weak areas of your chart, but you might as well know that the entire dang globe is trying to figure out how to manage these competing impulses. You may be a bit buffered from some of the angst by vague Neptune in your own sign, but the issues will probably be on your mind.

Here’s the global riddle of the month: Is being unique a good thing if it’s not useful? If not, how can uniqueness be made useful? Figure this out, and you’ll be way ahead of everyone else.

There’s a new moon eclipse in Cancer on July 11 that can signal a fresh beginning in your personal life–specifically your love life, your creative projects, or your relationship with your kids.

Sometimes eclipses in the 5th house (which is where this one takes place for your sign) correlate with a surprise pregnancy–so take precautions if that’s not a desirable outcome for you. Even if you don’t have children, young people could be lucky for you this month. If your children are grown, one of them may be starting out on his or her own new beginning, such as by getting married.

Eclipses have unpredictable effects, so it’s hard to say what other forms the new beginning would take, but new moon eclipses are favorable more often than not. So good news there. In fact, there is favorable Cancer energy until July 22, which makes you one of the luckier signs this month.

There’s also a lot of Leo energy in July, which puts the spotlight on your job and health. If you have health problems, take action, and don’t be afraid to look for an unconventional solution. The Leo energy also allows you to creatively express your personality on the job, especially after the 22nd, when the sun moves into Leo. Before that, from the 9th through the 27th, you can expect lots of conversations with your co-workers, as Mercury moves through this sector of your chart. All in all, a pretty nice set of influences.

Now for the not so nice influences. Mars is opposing your sun all month and Saturn is too for the first 3 weeks.  Meanwhile, Pluto, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter are all being very disagreeable with each other and this is taking its toll on the collective mood. Finances and friends are the issues of contention in your solar chart, and it will be enough to make a self-respecting Pisces just want to escape the nastiness. If it all gets to be too much, feel free to steal away by yourself to refresh and recharge.

“Fear is afoot everywhere, and polarization prevails. Faith in institutions – corporations, government, the media – is down. Americans are angry, and they long ago grew accustomed to expecting the resolution of problems in very short order, even if reality rarely works that way.”
–From an AP story on the oil spill, dated May 30, 2010

BP Oil Spill, Part 2: In which we learn that yelling at someone to do something does not actually get something done.

The BP oil leak catastrophe started under the astrological influence of Pisces and Virgo. On May 27, Uranus moved into Aries and astrological phase 2 began. By June 6, Jupiter had also moved into Aries for a conjunction with Uranus. This shift was good in the sense that getting Uranus and Jupiter out of the sign ruling oil coincided with BP finally being able to contain some of the leak. On the other hand, Jupiter hadn’t stopped making the size of the leak bigger, at least officially. As of this writing, the official estimates of the leak size have ballooned enormously, taking an incomprehensible disaster and making it an enormously incomprehensible disaster.

The other thing the Aries energy has done is present a stark case for the ineffectiveness of yelling. Although the leak technically began under Pisces influence, Aries anger was butting up against this situation from the beginning. Aries is a cardinal sign, and cardinal signs feel entitled, maybe even obligated, to tell other people what to do. Pluto in Capricorn has cardinal energy too.

So the cardinal energy trotted into action when it got wind of this disaster, following its primal orders, and promptly learned what the clash of cardinal energy accomplishes. Nothing.

The President of the United States got angry and supposedly told BP to just ‘plug the damn hole.’ It turned out that when the purportedly most powerful man in the world yells at a corporation to do something, that doesn’t mean it gets done.

That little burst of presidential temper was only the beginning of the yelling, though. The public has yelled at BP. The public has yelled at the government. The government has yelled at the government. BP has yelled at journalists to get out. The government has yelled at journalists to get out. Journalists have channeled the yelling of others into various media outlets to feed it back to BP and the government. Commentators have called this a war. Ordinary people have yelled about the situation to no one in particular. Individuals gather on Facebook to yell or post videos of themselves on YouTube to yell. Congresspeople have yelled at whoever they can think of to yell at and will be hauling in more BP people to yell at momentarily.

Everybody’s the boss and no one’s in charge. Literally. There are swarms of government agencies and BP divisions and local government representatives swirling around the affected areas and all of them, apparently, have the power to block action, to pull the boss card. And no one’s in charge.

Getting things done takes cooperation. This is what Aries and Capricorn energies forget, in their mania for taking charge of things they can’t control.Too many bosses spoil anything.

Meanwhile, Jupiter in Aries energy brings out multitudes of enterprising individuals who want to be helpful. That’s the good part of Aries. It takes the initiative. It wants to help. Uranus in Aries brings forth all kinds of people with innovative and creative technical solutions to offer, some of them probably Uranian crazy, but all of them clamoring for attention. And yet these people get nowhere but on a fast train to Frustrationville as overwhelming corporate and government power try clamp the Plutonian lid on all that uncontrolled energy.

The astrological themes jostle against each other like symbols playing bumper cars. Pluto: power,  control, secrecy, wealth, conspiracies, resources, the underworld, cynicism. Capricorn: corporations, government, fear, delays, bureaucracy, reality, problems, bossiness, stonewalling. Aries: anger, initiative, drive, bossiness, energy, impulsiveness, hurry, impatience, individuals. Uranus: speed, technology, disruption, innovation, mass media, creativity, shortcuts, revolution, protests, the people en masse. Jupiter: generosity, expansion, optimism, catalyst. Squares: frustration, obstacles, problems, polarization, action.

It’s as if the universe threw a bunch of competing energies in a pot and gave them no one way to do anything but boil over.

That’s in the public arena, but I see this all around me in the lives of ordinary people. The impulse to tell other people what they ought to be doing is strong. The remembrance that telling other people what to do does not make them do it is not as strong. Frustration ensues. It seems clear what ought to be done, but no one else is playing along nicely. In our own lives, it can get easy to be at loggerheads and therefore in a logjam. The good news in all this is that it sometimes takes a logjam to get a person to become ready and willing to deal with underlying problems.

The bad news is that almost no one likes a logjam. It’s not fun to have planets challenge Pluto and point out to us that what we think we ought to have under control–isn’t necessarily something that we actually can control. It’s a wake-up call that other people have their own agendas, and their agendas count too. Aries is a sign that likes to think it’s right about everything. When Aries planets are under assault, we learn that thinking we are right is not exactly the same thing as actually being right.

As July gets going, Jupiter in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn will officially square off. By the 3rd week of July, Saturn will officially enter Libra and start playing the cooperation card. It’s scheduled to get mighty ticked at all the people who won’t sit down, shut up, and listen for a second. It will try to put the brakes on spontaneous anger as it opposes Uranus in Aries and then in August briefly squares Pluto. Saturn will have his work cut out for him, and there’s little to no chance he’ll be able to calm everyone down. But perhaps it’s important he try.

By late August, the dispute energy will slowly start to recede. Perhaps it’s a coincidence that all along the prediction has been that the oil leak won’t really be plugged until August. In the meantime, we’re all going to have to remember to breathe. Personally and collectively, we’ve been through stuff before. We’ll get through this. It may take us awhile to sort through what we learn, but we will get through it.

And in the end, we’ll all hopefully come out a little wiser.

“How did we get into this mess?”

That’s the question a friend asked me the other day, and it’s a question that’s generally applicable to astrology of this summer. Most of the outer planets seem to be asking, with something greater than exasperation, ‘how the bleep did we get into this mess?’ Although the Gulf oil spill is the largest and most visible symbol of the disarray in the skies, many of us have felt the energy in personal ways. Let’s take a look at what’s been happening using the BP oil leak as a guide.

On April 20, 2010 an oil rig known as the Deepwater Horizon located in the Gulf of Mexico exploded. At the time, Uranus in Pisces was opposing Saturn in Virgo. Neptune was lurking about in an inconjunct with Saturn. Jupiter in Pisces was hovering near Uranus, ready to pounce. Pluto in Capricorn was stationed ominously in a wide out of sign square to both Uranus and Saturn.

In the symbolic language of astrology, the events that followed have tragically been almost literal at times.  Uranus is Mr. Explosion, especially when he’s in a bad mood with other outer planets, as he was at the time. Hem in Uranus with constricting energies from other planets and all hell breaks loose. Uranus was in the sign of oil and the sign of the sea. Oil-related explosion at sea. Pretty literal.

Saturn is Mr. Safety and Mr. Let’s Do Things Carefully. In Virgo, he was in a sign related to workers, the environment and environmental regulation. Uranus beats Saturn in a fair fight, and even in an unfair fight. Uranus’s oil-related explosion at sea annihilated Saturn’s relatively weaker efforts to safeguard workers, the environment, to champion prudence and doing things right.

Uranus also relates to speed and technology. Pisces is also the sign of chaos, uncertainty, and ‘we don’t know what the hell we are doing.’ Saturn also relates to cost-cutting, delays, slowness, old ways of doing things, and the desire for order and procedure. BP’s demands for speedy drilling, combined with cost-cutting efforts, previous delays, and new technology for deep water drilling collided to create a swirling marine nightmare of chaos, uncertainty, and environmental degradation mixed with a desperate desire to get control of the leak using Saturn’s old-fashioned methods of procedure. Saturn’s reliance on precision Virgo-like engineering efforts was no match for Uranus’s burbling, gurgling torrent of oil spilling from underground.

In the stark mathematics of the universe at the time, the raw energy of chaos beat the pants off little ant-like human efforts to contain it. BP and everyone else responding to the disaster were in over their heads, not knowing what the hell they were doing, having unleashed a Pandora’s box of forces they were unable to control.

Neptune in Aquarius, the planet also associated with the sea and oil, in an unsupportive angle to Saturn, stood off to the side and said ‘I told you so. I told you were placing too much faith (Neptune) in new technology (Aquarius) for deep water drilling.’ Jupiter, the Great Expander, also in the sign of oil and the sea, piled on to make the disaster bigger and bigger and bigger with every passing day, vowing to continue until everyone got the message that things were out of control.

Pluto in Capricorn, symbol of wealth, corporations, and the riches of the deep, anchors the situation from his square position off to the side of the disaster, saying nothing. He doesn’t have to say anything. In Pluto’s world, the rules are obvious and brutal. You reap what you sow. Screw up and pay the price.

No one can accept this really, at least not quickly. The price is too high, too unexpected, too lingering. Pluto lessons are hard to absorb, and with Uranus and Jupiter upping the emotional ante, the hubbub surrounding the chaos makes it hard to identify reality. Even the size of the leak remained elusive, slippery, uncertain.

It would be way too much of a stretch to say that each individual one of us is in the same position with the regard to the universe–battling chaos, uncertainty, misplaced faith, and forces beyond our control. Not every single individual is saying ‘how did we/I get into this mess?’ But collectively, we are in a mess. Collectively, we have gotten in over our heads.

Collectively, we don’t know what we are doing. At the time of the initial explosions, no one in the entire world actually knew how to stop that gusher in a timely manner. No one.

We had pushed beyond our Saturn limits into uncharted territory.

Uranus and Pluto and Jupiter and Neptune and Saturn don’t line themselves up for disaster just for their own amusement, although it may seem that way at the time. They align themselves these ways because the alignments simply reflect the truth. If you get in over your head, unleash forces you don’t understand how to harness, you will experience harrowing consequences. The alignments bring to our attention the times when we have to up our game.

The simple truth, I suppose, is that we got into this mess as a result of choices we made earlier. BP is paying for its choices. The government is paying for its choices. All of us are paying for our long-standing choices to favor new oil exploration and technology over boring old things like conservation and reduced consumption. And sort of like a rogue wave, Uranus’s ocean explosion is sweeping up and destroying a lot of people along the Gulf who are victims of circumstances they can’t control. These alignments are like that. They are absolutely, positively not fair.

On the other hand, these alignments also represent turning points and tipping points. Painfully and slowly, we get the message. We figure out that we have to do better. We stop putting up with problems that we should have addressed long ago. The tide turns. We go in a new direction because we have to. We stop letting Uranus in Pisces kick our collective butts and we eventually get to work, building a better system.

That’s the idea anyway. Let’s hope it happens.