At The Turning

5.9.10


Astrologically, the week ahead represents a concluding roundup of all recent business… and not merely because Mercury returns to direct motion (Tue May 11) and the Moon is again new (Thu May 13).

Shortly thereafter, we start heading into the crazily jam-packed 'cardinal climax' period of mid-2010, during which nothing less than the seeds of a radically new season in history begin to show their sprouts.

If you detect drama in my tone, you're right: Unarguably, the months immediately ahead provide the most spectacular astrology I've yet witnessed in my career. I summarized the major happenings—(1) Jupiter and Uranus, in conjunction, both (2) squaring Pluto and (3) opposing Saturn—in my opening article of the year, and haven't really stopped mentioning them since.

Due to the complexities involved in a multiple-planet 'mega-aspect', it's hard to neatly describe the many factors in play. Certainly, the palpable populist anger I described in my last essay is a potent piece of it… as well as any manifestation of this revolutionary Jupiter-Uranus conjunction (now within less than four degree of exactitude) that has replaced wide-eyed 'hope' with impatience for some fresh, edgy, forward-moving action. With Saturn and Pluto in the mix, this progressive surge must contend with the opposing forces of order and authority ('how much insurgent innovation is too much?), while remaining all too painfully aware of how such forces, when unmitigated, impose a reign of unfairness upon its apathetic subjects. We have seen nothing like this since the mid-to-late-1960s.

With the week ahead, we're departing the recent 'earthy intermission' (which I had mentioned could provide a false sense that 'things were calming down', only, as I've since observed, they haven't seemed very calm), our brief opportunity to check the provisions and batten the hatches before turning toward the eye of the mid-'10 astro-storm. The earthiness has been thanks in part to first Venus and Mercury, then the Sun visiting the grounding realm of Taurus. Specifically, Mercury-in-Taurus's retrograde has offered a chance to revise and refine our mercurial matters. With Mercury now ending his retrograde, here's hoping these revisions and refinements are in their final stages.

Next week, shit starts changing big time. One illustrious indicator: Mars finally leaves the shadow of his retrograde (Dec 09-Mar 10) on Mon May 17, to tread his first new steps in many months. Though he won't actually leave Leo (where he's been for an ungodly length) until early June, his departure from the retrograde-shadow is bold-faced headline news. If Mars represents how we assert our energy and initiative toward that which we desire, and he's been stuck in essentially the same place for all these months, his soon-to-be advance into virgin territory means we may actually wrap our hungry hands around new happenings.

It also hopefully means that issues around individuality (say, versus 'relationship') and/or obstacles blocking forward motion, which may have been a nagging on-again-off-again presence since last October, should reveal whether they're resolvable or not. (And with Mars in Leo another month, we should still retain the fiery moxie to put our latest desires out there.)

Following right on the heels of Mars's escape from his retrograde hangover, we get a handful of additional astro-indicators signaling the 'cardinal climax' is upon us:

(1) Next Wednesday (May 19), Venus moves into Cancer… and as part of her reaching the early degrees of a cardinal sign, she finds herself enmeshed in all the outer-planet brouhaha. Venus squares Jupiter (Mon May 17), squares Saturn (Tue May 18), squares Uranus (Wed May 19) and opposes Pluto (Sun May 23), all within the course of a week. While Venus in Cancer may romanticize the role of care and nurturance in bringing us together, tempting us to maybe show 'just a bit more' care to smooth over interpersonal rough-spots, the broader disruptions and transformations permeate every last square inch of our current existence. For now, being successful in relationship is unfortunately much more complicated than simply showing we care.

(2) By that weekend (May 22-23), Jupiter will frame its first of three oppositions to Saturn, lasting roughly through Apr 2011. While I'll say more about this in future writings, suffice it to say for now, this Jupiter-Saturn opposition forms yet one more segment of the 'cardinal climax' configuration. It essentially mirrors the polarization of Saturn's simultaneous opposition to Uranus—only, because there are two planets (Jupiter and Uranus) pitted against one (Saturn), the faction dedicated to radical expansion and iconoclastic rebellion has the upper hand over orthodoxy and restraint.

(3) On May 27, Uranus changes signs for the first time since 2003, heading excitedly into Aries, where the planetary shit-stirrer begins a new cycle through the zodiac wheel… and embraces the pioneering impulsivity associated with the courageous, hot-headed first sign. Brace for Uranus-in-Aries fireworks, liable to spark previously unimagined blazes into spectacular fullness. Would it surprise you to know that Uranus was last in Aries from roughly 1927 to 1934, during which the great stock market crash of '29 plunged the world into the Great Depression and the events that instigated World War II transpired?

(4) Saturn, having retrograded into Virgo, returns to direct motion on May 30… and though he won't reenter Libra until mid-July, this directional shift points him back toward the heart of the astro-action.

(5) And then Jupiter joins Uranus in Aries on June 6. Fire, fire, everywhere… and not a drop of the 'same old boring scene' cocktail for anyone to drink. Jupiter and Uranus exactly conjoin two days later, on June 8, in the critical first degree (0 Aries) of the zodiac. Wow. Just… wow.

We have hit the turning, people. From here on out, we are very actively building the new world we'll inhabit for many years to come.

Who knows, though, what has to be first knocked down so there's enough room to create something substantially different than what presently sucks?