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by Terry Lamb

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New to astrology? Read on and ignore the technical bits. There's plenty here for you too! Why don’t I write horoscopes for each sign?

WE ARE LEARNING how to do group energy. The planets united in Aquarius are giving us a reflection of how to create a similar cohesive force between us on Planet Earth. Humans are not great at managing group dynamics, even though we need each other to survive. While we have had long periods of history around the world when civilization was more peaceful and harmonious than now. On PBS these days, there is a fantastic series called “The Story of India”, presented by Michael Wood. The series presents a dramatic, perhaps glorified, view of India’s history, which is nonetheless impressive. One of the facts that did impress me is that there were civilizations on the Indian subcontinent that existed for hundreds of years without violence, with a peaceful, loving regard among fellow beings.

As we experience the Aquarius stellium throughout January and February, we all feel the hunger for this type of unity, community, and peace. We want to experience the higher, finer side of human nature, not the vitriolic factionalism of the past that tore our nation and world apart. We want to experience the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, and this feels like a close approximation of what it can be. (There is no sharp boundary between ages — it is a gradual process confounded by technical inconsistencies.)

If we are a bit starry-eyed right now, it is as much to mask the fear we feel about the future, economically and ecologically, as it is to affirm the joy in being sanely, communally, heart-centeredly human. We need ever so much to feel this union with all beings, because that is our natural state. Animals and babies are born with this feeling, and for animals it never (rarely) becomes masked. Babies are routinely taught to mask it in layer upon layer of wounding and false reality. The process of spiritual healing is the process of finding the path back to the soul, shedding the layers of wounding along the way.

This is precisely the process we are engaged in now, whether we are conscious of it or not. The core of the Aquarius stellium is Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune, which will all combine in one grand firework of a pattern. While invisible to the eye, it will be visible to the heart, soul, and spirit.

It will, however, take on visible form. It is certainly being shouted from the rafters by some prophets, seers, and futurists. There is no doubt — Aquarius is forward-looking. It embraces the future light-heartedly, knowing that all remedies lie ahead; we can’t undo what has been done, only remember it (so it doesn’t happen again) and fix it.

Reaching Unity
In my political blog Astro-Pol, I have been writing about this fantastic Aquarius energy at length. There are so many layers to it, and to how we express and experience Aquarianism. I am noticing new expressions and remembering, “Oh, yeah, that’s Aquarian!” So excuse me if I wax on about it and return to the topic frequently. We can’t get enough of the good side of this sign.

So it occurs to me that, when planets are conjunct, people are conjunct. They get along with each other. They find common ground. When they come together in Aquarius, we can hope that despising factions can find common ground and come together as well. So far, that has not been the case in the American political arena.

Republican legislators are so scared, they gave newly inaugurated President Obama exactly one day before they started staking out their positions (the first sign of fear) and hardening into a faction (the next step). Mr. Obama, to his credit, is keeping his eyes on the prize of unity. He is the expert at blending disparate energies, since this is what his natal chart is made of, reflected in his life experience.

Still, Republicans are learning too. It’s time for their steep learning curve (which becomes ours if they prevail again). We can’t think that people will never change. This is a key to Aquarian consciousness, if not a part of it, too.

The Devil’s in the Details.
The key dates of this period are so plentiful as to be mind-numbing when listed, so many of the planets are here. Let’s deal with the story they tell in February.

As February starts, Jupiter, North Node, the Sun, Chiron, and Neptune (in order) reside in Aquarius. Venus has charged ahead almost to Aries, now visible high in the sky at sunset in all her gorgeous sparkling glory. Mercury, which has backed out of Aquarius during its retrograde, is now set to waltz back in on the 14th, still slow. Before it can make the mark, Mars leaps on stage (on the 4th) with the rest of the motley crew. This gives us 5 placements (4 planets) in Aquarius to start, a colossal 7 placements (6 planets) there for four days, until the Sun changes signs.

If we have any doubt about how strongly we’ll feel this energy, note that all three fire planets (Sun, Mars, Jupiter) will be in Aquarius at one time. While the Sun is in a sign, all planets are lit especially brightly, and we feel their energies in the foreground of our lives. So it will be until the Sun moves into Pisces on the 18th. Mars and Jupiter have much the same effect.

We’ll feel increases in Aquarian intensity on the 4th (Mars enters Aquarius), the 9th (Lunar Eclipse/Sun conjoins Chiron), 12th (Sun conjoins Neptune), 14th (Mercury enters Aquarius), and 17th (Mars conjoins Jupiter). The Aquarius feel will dissipate some when Sun leaves Aquarius, but Mars and Mercury will continue to light up our lives with this energy through mid-March. Mercury conjoins Jupiter on the 23rd, while other contacts are building between the jolly messenger, Mars, Chiron, and Neptune, to occur in March.

If the maze of contacts seems like an uninteresting blur, the bottom line is a continual exchange of ideas and ideals between former factions, until the drive for unity eventually wins out. The ultimate triumph of post-factionalism will not come in February, March, this year, or probably this lifetime. However, we may get far enough to pass an economic recovery plan, imagine a truly post-racial America, or mend the ideological divides in our own lives.

Saturn-Uranus Watch
Now that we’re fully into the opposition between these two giants of the solar system, one that covers two years, it’s time for Saturn-Uranus Watch. One the purely mechanical level, a retrograding Saturn is now moving toward its second exact opposition with wily Uranus on the 5th.

The economic downturn has been developing roughly in time with the dance of these two planets. If it continues on the same trajectory, we’ll get another stimulus package with each exact opposition. However, it is the nature of such long-term planetary events to dramatically shift our perspective on the problems that face us. (Witness the sea change that brought about the election of President Obama. How improbable was that!) This is especially true when the first attempts at correcting a problem don’t completely work. This is certainly true of the first stimulus package (TARP, the Trouble Assets Recovery Program), and it is likely to be true of the second, just because it is a second attempt at solving a huge problem that defies human effort.

The remaining three exact contacts of these planets will certainly signal further major adjustments and shifts in policy to reflect an evolving perspective amongst those in charge of the situation. Those contacts are somewhat far off: September 15, 2009, April 27 and July 26, 2010.

Who should we listen to in these unusual, bewildering times? First, we need to listen to everyone who’s in charge so we know what they’re doing. Then we need to listen to those who have a variety of perspectives. I am getting a lot out of listening to Paul Krugman (winner of the 2008 Nobel in Economics), Rawi Abdelal, Robert Kuttner, and Niall Ferguson (Harvard professor and author of The Ascent of Money).

Declare a Jubilee
Niall Ferguson has suggested that there is so much individual debt, that a jubilee needs to be declared. A jubilee traditionally involves many forms of forgiveness, but debt forgiveness is the type he’s talking about. Historically, a jubilee was declared every 50 years to free people of all debt and give the society a chance to start over. While Ferguson is not the only one to suggest a jubilee of sorts, he proffers a plan where homeowners would receive a partial forgiveness of mortgage debt. This could actually happen, but it may take a while for the Treasury to be willing to take such steps. It is, however, akin to what Sheila Bair, head of the FDIC, is already doing with mortgages at failed-bank IndyMac.

The Biggest, Greatest Saturn-Uranus Effect
The other major event that occurred (perhaps more significant and deeply related) with the Saturn-Uranus opposition is the election of Barack Obama, the triumph of ability over prejudice, and the new rise of progressive populism in the US. The first opposition of these planets occurred on Election Day. The second opposition occurs just after the inauguration.

What does this mean? What are we going to experience over the next 18 months while this opposition plays out? First, we will certainly observe the development of President Obama as a leader; but more than that, we will see the development of the nation’s consciousness about race and the power of the people to decide the fate of the nation.

What if we had a nation where corporations had no power to manipulate an election because the people saw through that and voted for the most qualified candidate? What if we had an economy where the people were financially educated so they would be wise to swindles like the sub-prime mortgage schemes? What would happen if we had an economy where all debt was magically washed away?

Such ideas, if played out, are (or lead to) the solutions that uproot the problems and make them wither away. While impractical, such ideas may lead to practical, useful solutions.

Saturn-Uranus for the Rest of Us
Saturn and Uranus, by their nature, have to do with forces larger than our own lives that have a direct impact on us. The hand of the government is Saturn; the hand of unexpected change is Uranus. When these two forces of tradition and progress oppose each other, we find a divide in our lives and inside ourselves, and we instinctively seek ways to blend these energies. This leads to illumination about their nature and how to get them to work together.

This is the wisdom and benefit of astrology. As we observe those in the world around us (political, international, at work, relationship, family), we see these energies reflected around us. Perhaps there’s a member of your family who has dug in her/his heels and refuses to relent on a particular point or situation — or perhaps it’s you.

It could be one part of you fighting with another part. In each of us, we are working out the ways in which we will leave the old economy (Saturn) behind and prosper in the new economy (Uranus). But there can be more personal issues as well — letting go of old family viewpoints or childhood habits, such as eating patterns, lifestyle choices, healthcare methods, child-rearing practices, etc.

This is often painful because we feel we will be disappointing those to whom we feel loyal or who have given us their trust and support. However, this is part of shaking off the rigidity that keeps us from regenerating, makes us grow old and give up on certain aspects of our life where we need to reinject life-giving change.

These changes will be at the forefront as Saturn and Uranus make their second contact. It can be useful to look back at what you were experiencing (besides the election of Barack Obama) on and around November 4.

The Lunar Eclipse
We have a penumbral eclipse of the Moon at 6:40 am (visible in the eastern hemisphere). This is significant, especially because of the contacts being made on and around this date in Aquarius, as mentioned above. (See Chart B.) In this chart, the Sun is exactly conjunct Chiron and close to Neptune. These energies will color our experience of the Full Moon/Eclipse and the coming 6 months. The Moon in Leo will give us perspective on our starry-eyed view of the world and bring us out of denial if we are hiding anything from ourselves. The news will reflect similar insights. Since this hits Barack Obama’s chart, we will see a change in his demeanor, where he will be more “take charge” and less “let’s make a deal”. The Lunar Eclipse externalizes events — puts them in the real world.

February’s Cycles
It’s hard to believe, but we’re almost halfway through Saturn’s retrograde (and its yearly cycle) by the end of the month. On the 8th, the Sun quincunxes Saturn, creating a need to blend sign energies that are largely unlike each other — Virgo and Aquarius. Virgo is earthy and practical, while Aquarius is airy and independent. However, both are technologically and community-oriented. Those who blend these energies frequently do so by using technology or gadgets — computers, instruments, tools, etc. — or specialized techniques.

This month, such a focus will bring you to a more fruitful outcome with your larger Saturn task, whatever your determined that was at the end of the year. For me, I have decided to focus on improving my health (which is already very good), and I am embarking on a new lifestyle plan that I accessed through the internet. This plan in part involves restructuring the timing of meals and fluid intake, plus eliminating foods that I may be sensitive to, allowing me to hasten a detox process I’ve been doing for about a year. Although the changes are for me subtle and feel a bit awkward (a quincunx feeling) especially when traveling, one month will give me enough time to see some results (if it works), and two months (the end of the trial period) will see the end of the retrograde, when I should have some substantial results. I’ll keep you posted on my astro-energetic healing forum.

This cycle started on September 3, and we entered into the testing and implementation phase of the cycle on December 31. If you want to look ahead for stage of shifting and relief, look ahead to March 8, May 16, and June 5.

The Sun is also sextiling Pluto on the 21st. This is part of an early opening phase of this cycle, when we are still developing our plans to transform our lives, plans started December 22. This is an opportunity contact, but also, as astrological colleague Joyce Wehrmann once said, it is the alibi aspect. Set aside your alibis and excuses for why something won’t work and give your new ideas a try!

I’ve mentioned the start of two new cycles, the Sun-Chiron cycle (on the 9th) and the Sun-Neptune cycle (on the 12th). These are blending into one indistinguishable cycle because Chiron and Neptune are conjoining this year, and their peak cycle dates are nearly the same. As I have been mentioning, this is the healing of our Great Wound. While this is a cultural wound, it is also the opportunity to address a personal wound. For me, this is related to the detox process mentioned above, where I am releasing toxins that I encountered in my childhood. There are also psychological and spiritual processes that coincide with and in some ways relate to this process. Key dates include May 16 and 29, August 16,and October 30. By paying attention to what occurs on the seed-planting dates this month, we can discover a theme and map out its development using these dates.

The Sun-Jupiter cycle started on January 23 and is still in the underground-seed-sprouting stage. Later in the year, Jupiter’s cycle joins with Chiron’s and Neptune’s, especially in August and November. This will boost our “growth rate” with our healing process.

The Love Planets
There’s plenty to talk about with Venus and Mars, for a change. They make a very unusual two sextiles within a month of each other — a unique opportunity for us to “get together”. Sextiles present opportunities. The first of these occurred under ideal circumstances on January 24, since both planets were in the signs of their exaltation. This bodes well for agreements, meetings, and encounters that were made on or around this time.

However, if you’ve looked at the sunset sky recently, you will have seen Venus high in the sky. Whenever she is so far behind the Sun, it is a sign that she is about to retrograde. Indeed, Venus is already slowing down, and that’s why we get the second sextile with Mars; Mars, usually slower than Venus, actually catches up with her on the 18th. This is the 2nd of 3 harmonious contacts (two sextiles, one conjunction) between the two lovebirds, and it bodes well for relationships. The third contact occurs on June 21, when Venus finally chases down her mate in mid-Taurus.

This is likely to be reflected in our own relationships, which may go through a connect–backtrack and wander–reconnect process over the time between now and mid-June.

Venus is heading toward a retrograde in Aries. In this sign, which has been oft-visited by Venus’s retrograde transit, we learn about self-love versus selfishness and the boundary between taking care of self and sacrificing too much. It is an act of self-love to help others if we don’t deplete ourselves; it is an act of selfishness to hold back if we can give without over-extending ourselves.

We also tend to make big financial decisions and purchases during the Venus retrograde, and the biggest sales of the cycle usually occur during these weeks. Venus is retrograde for about 6 weeks (this time 43 days) and retrogrades about every 18 months. Venus retrogrades less frequently than any other planet except Mars.

Right now, we can prepare for the coming retrograde by tuning in to issues in our lives that resonate with the theme(s) of self-love, selfishness, and self-sacrifice.

What Did Mercury Teach Us?
Don’t forget to ask. As Mercury completes its retrograde and resumes forward travel, its voice dims, but we shouldn’t forget its messages.

Don’t Lose Hope
Here’s what I said about the lighter side of life last month:

Optimism is Jupiter’s forte, and in futuristic Aquarius, our hope for the future is revived. Jupiter will conjoin Chiron and Neptune in May, a contact of broken-and-healed dreams.

It is a delicate balance to stay in contact with hope but remain in touch with reality at the same time. To only hope is to be in denial, and a rude awakening is sure to follow; to also face the responsibilities of life prevents such shocks and tempers our dreams, making them more realizable.

Let 2009 be known as the Year of the Aquarian Spirit. It is a year of freeing ourselves, a year of community, and a year of creating equality. Let it be a time when we make our own, new declaration of independence from whatever binds and confines us. Together we will make it through the unusual challenges we face.

Significant Planetary Events

Saturn is retrograde. Venus and Mars are in exaltation.

All dates are based on Pacific Time.
Blue = harmonious/Red or orange = challenging/intense
Events in bold are more significant.

© Terry Lamb