Conventional wisdom in astrology asserts that the mutable signs are the subdued ones, those gentle, affable energies responsible for finishing up their respective seasons. For example, Sagittarius closes the autumn, Pisces winds down the winter, and so forth. To say the least, 2010 is a year when convention is being turned on its head. While the 2010 Sun through Gemini cycle brings spring to its annual conclusion, in keeping with the revolutionary sentiment abuzz on the airwaves, it also ushers in the start of the T-square and sets the stage for the Grand Cross. a series of impressive alignments we have not experienced simultaneously for centuries. So rather than a mild cycle of finishing affairs, major events will just be getting underway during this transit. Gemini’s versatility, ability to think on its feet and adaptability are our keys to peacefully maneuvering through the headline-making solar cycle and summer ahead.
To put the upcoming events into context, we need to understand the mechanics of the T-square and to distinguish it from the Grand Cross. Visualize the face of a clock with Saturn in Libra at 9 o’clock, Pluto in Capricorn at 6 o’clock and Uranus and Jupiter in Aries at 3 o’clock. This alignment is what astrologers call a T-square. Now add the Sun in Cancer at 12 o’clock to the top of the picture. This is what astrologers call a Grand Cross. In both alignments the planets form oppositions and squares to each other. As the names imply, oppositions and squares are the more contentious angles in astrology. They tend to bring things to a head and force decisions. Note how Saturn opposes Jupiter and Uranus in both charts and how Pluto and the Sun come into opposition in the Grand Cross. In the T-square, Saturn squares Pluto which also squares Jupiter and Uranus. In the Grand Cross, Jupiter and Uranus square the Sun which also squares Saturn. Next, four of these planets, Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter and Uranus, are outer planets, those thought to represent our larger world and collective experiences. Finally, all of the signs involved in both formations are the cardinal ones. These are the zodiac’s provocative energies, the instigative energies responsible for starting their respective seasons, Aries spring, Cancer summer, and so on. They set things off so to speak.
But the Sun isn’t in Cancer you astutely note; it’s at 11 o’clock or Gemini. Yes, on May 20th at 8:34 P.M. PST it moves there, but by the summer solstice of June 21st, it arrives in Cancer. For those of you paying even closer attention to your astrology these days, you’ll likely also note that Saturn is also presently not in this exact alignment because it has retrograded back into late degrees of Virgo, to about 8:54 on our clock. Correct you are. But on May 31st, the planet ruling lessons, structure and discipline turns direct and sets its course for Libra where it will arrive on July 21st. As the Gemini solar cycle begins indeed Jupiter and Uranus are spending their last days in dreamy Pisces, at about 2:58. However, on the full moon of May 27th wired, rule-breaking Uranus heads into the aggressive, fire sign Aries, and expansive Jupiter follows suit on June 6th and also heads into the feisty energies of the sign of the Warrior. What is important here is that these planets are traveling in very close degrees in their respective signs, thus creating more precision and intensity in the T-square and Grand Cross. It is also worth noting that on the full moon of June 26th the moon will join Pluto in the cardinal sign of Capricorn, strengthening that Cross on the day of an eclipse.
To get some insight into how the T-square, which will last into late 2012, might play out, we can look at the history of some of the transits involved, such as Pluto in Capricorn. The last time the planet of destruction and transformation traveled through the sign that rules governments and institutions was 1762-1778, when the American Revolution brought the beginning of the end of monarchy as the world’s ruling “system.” The previous Pluto Capricorn transit was from 1516-1532. In 1510 Martin Luther traveled to Rome where he witnessed the extent of the corruption, including the sale of Indulgences, of the then almighty Roman Catholic Church. Determined to change what he saw, one year into this tumultuous transit, in 1517, Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation. Protest and reform are indeed an integral part of the language of Pluto in Capricorn.
The ruling institution most likely to be radically altered this time around, 2008-2023, is the corporation. Current examples of its authority being challenged include the sweeping financial reform bill now in Congress and President Obama’s recent decision to better regulate the major oil companies by separating the revenue collection and enforcement powers of the Minerals Management Service. Activist Jamie Oliver has launched a widely embraced “Food Revolution” and Buddhist scholar and Columbia University Professor Robert Thurman an “inner Revolution,” and we have one political party relying heavily on imagery from the American Revolution while a growing trend amongst voters is to register as Independents. With this T-square, the already charged political atmosphere will be given extra voltage from electrifying, innovative Uranus moving through pioneering Aries (from May 27, 2010-May 15, 2018). The last time we experienced a Uranus Aries transit was 1927-1934, when it was part of another T-square. It’s also interesting to note that during the 1762-1778 Pluto through Capricorn cycle, Uranus transited through confrontational, autonomous Aries from 1760-1768, when the British government passed the Stamp Act and other incendiary legislation that would ultimately lead to the War for Independence. Also, during that Pluto transit, Saturn went through justice-seeking Libra from September 1774 through December 1776, during which time the American Declaration of Independence was signed. What is significantly different in the summer of 2010 is that all three of these major transits will occur simultaneously, from July 21st – August 13th, they will be very close in degree to one another, and Jupiter will be adding its magnifying energy to the mix as it travels along side Uranus. The two are in fact conjunct (at the same exact spot) on June 8th.
The sign of journalism, travel and international commerce, Gemini will have a keen eye on global events. International affairs in the spotlight while the Sun moves through the sign of the Twins include the World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa, the escalating push of the U.S. military into the major urban front of Kandahar, Afghanistan, the European financial crisis and activity at the Federal Reserve. While we in America are inclined to think of the Fed as a domestic entity, its role in global markets is noteworthy. Its chart is set to be heavily impacted by the coming T-square and Grand Cross, and on June 3rd and 21st we may get a glimpse into what’s ahead. I’ll be writing more about the charts of the Fed and Cancer born U.S. next month in the Sun through Cancer/Grand Cross edition of this series.
In times of uncertainty, and in the face of seemingly invisible hands that ravage the earth, loot the financial systems and fund corrupt political systems, what Light, what Fire, will you be in the world?