Still Contrary

10.8.07


Made a splash? Turned heads? Shocked audiences everywhere?

If the currently-squaring-off Jupiter and Uranus have their way, we'd all be doing plenty of that… with little concern for decorum, emotional fallout or (gasp!) responsibility.

These two return for their third-and-final square of '07, reinvigorating our appetite for the unpredictable, the eccentric, the outrageous and, frankly, anything from far enough out in left field to create a memorable impression of being something different.

When I first wrote about this transit back in January, I described the dangers of embracing change too indiscriminately… tearing down entire houses just to get a bigger bathroom, quitting jobs over minor gripes that might've been solved through calm conversation, dashing to the airport without remembering to grab money or a passport.

To embrace empowering self-liberation can exhilarate us with that breathtaking sense of being alive. Yet, should we become brazen enough to throw off all shackles that bind us—to secure lifestyle selections, to the important people in our lives, to our earthly limitations—we may be uncompromisingly free, like helpless space creatures floating totally untethered toward the next gaping black-hole around the corner. ('So that's the funny sucking noise I've been hearing…')

The world's own blessed mess, our Ms. Britney Spears, is a super-Sagittarian example of the pitfalls of such unobstructed freedom… where having the means (and the lack of trustworthy companions with her best interests in mind) to do whatever the hell she wants has led to the sad consequence of losing her children. (Perhaps not the final sad consequence either.) Notably, Jupiter's position at its present Uranus square is closely conjunct Britney's Moon/Saturn midpoint (a spot of sobering emotional repercussions). Yet, the pop star zooms up the chart with her latest single, titled with perfect astrological poignancy, 'Gimme More'. And as The NY Times reminds us, plenty of folks profit from the media bazaar that's Britney's drama-filled life.

No matter if our own sensational escapades make our personal version of the headlines, we shouldn't forget the real, emotion-bound lives beneath the hype… for our dramatic actions do affect others, as well as our own longer-term destinies. Just because we can behave a certain way (or feel a need to prove such) doesn't mean we should. Reminders: More isn't always better, and there definitely is such a thing as too much.

As my adored colleague Mystic Medusa points out, this final Jupiter-Uranus square could pack more of a disruptive punch than the previous two earlier in the year, due to the fact that we're no longer being simultaneously blocked by a Saturn-Neptune opposition. That means no counter-current of disenchantment to balance out the potential over-optimism of Jupiter and Uranus, and keep us from launching into something outrageous enough to turn out foolishly.

Plus, when we throw in the Mercury retrograde beginning this Thursday (Oct 11) in Scorpio, as well as Mars's screwy moody water stumblings through Cancer (click here for more on both), there's a lot of room for messy error… due to not thinking things through or otherwise missing important details about other people's likely psychological responses.

Still, this Jupiter-Uranus business is not all bad. For inspiring us to take big-and-necessary risks, or to break us out of fear-frigid patterns of staid status quo, this planetary pair is unrivalled. Spend just a short spell this week meditating on the ballsy bravery need to bust out, and Jupiter and Uranus will reward you with the requested swagger. This could be one of the best times all year to initiate powerful quantum leaps, the fast-action kind that call for split-second leaps into adventure—that is, as long as you're prepared for a few weeks' worth of chaos ahead.

Just remember you are not required to follow the lark, smash the lock, dash in headfirst, or shock the audience… especially if the whole apple cart will get upturned, for no real good reason. I love radical change as much (if not more) than the next guy, but sometimes it's doesn't have to be so damned radical.