Uranus-Pluto Square IV: Individuating Sparks

3.17.13

The big-picture backdrop to so much of what's transpiring this era (the 2010s), we must always remember, is the generation-rattling square between Uranus and Pluto.

You've heard me make statements like this repeatedly over the past five or so years, so this astro-fact should come as no surprise… though, most recently, our attention has been somewhat distracted by the drenching we've received from a boatload of water-energy, courtesy of a Neptune-led coterie of planets in Pisces and their formidable associate Saturn in Scorpio.

I suspect, however, our memory of Uranus-and-Pluto's primacy will be jogged by the latest events currently manifesting, as a lineup of faster-moving bodies are now forming aspects to these two outer-planet powerhouses, emphasizing their impact. As I mentioned in my last essay, we are due to experience first Mars (Mar 22-26) and then the Sun and Venus (Mar 28-31) conjoin Uranus in Aries and square Pluto in Capricorn in the space of just a little over a week… a lot of pronounced activity only further accentuated by a Full Moon in Libra smack in the middle of it all (Mar 27), which also plays right into the Uranus-Pluto square.

Though each faster-moving planet finds itself in a Uranus-Pluto tangle every few months or so, this particular instance is notable for the concentration of Aries influence—and for the fact of multiple conjunctions strongly favoring the Uranus side of the square-off. Mars, the ruler of Aries, is among this current pack… and, as the first to form the Uranus conjunction, he leads a charge of sharp, forceful and possibly surprising acts of self-assertion (perhaps even aggression) that promise to disrupt the passive lull of any status-quos past their expiration date. On its own, a Mars-Uranus conjunction holds plenty of erratic, explosive potential. (I have personally experienced more than one major out-of-the-blue computer meltdown during Mars-Uranus contacts, for example.) But when we add that the Sun and Venus will also be in Aries (and 'reporting' to Mars, by dispositorship), all while the Moon builds to fullness, it's a recipe for something unexpected and/or unexpectedly ground-shaking.

The instigating sparks in whatever this wild astrological interval holds in store for us will likely be born from individuals growing sick and tired and uncontrollably impatient with being told by others to hold on longer than they'd like… with following rules set up by others, which inhibit their free movement and/or compete with their god-given right to independent self-determination… with putting their own needs and wants second to others', at the expense of their own forward momentum… and with behaving too damn politely or respectfully, for no good fucking reason, while everyone else appear to do whatever the hell they want anyway.

You may well be one of these fired-up individuals yourself, or you may find yourself subjected to these flames from someone else who's hot-under-the-collar with such individuating feelings. Maybe you'll even find yourself on both ends of this Aries/Uranus equation, trigger-puller and target. Whatever the specifics and whoever the initiating source, self-assertive actions taken now will have a large-and-lasting activating effect.

When it comes to one's personal ambitions and engagements, this Uranus-charged pileup of Aries planets can provide a wonderful jump-start, propelling your efforts in the desired direction. Though we may ably catapult ourselves ahead during such an astro-climate, we ought to do so with clear awareness that we're inviting in unknowns which necessarily cannot be resolved in advance (no matter how practical or clever we may be). This is part of the creative process: We take our risky leap. We see what's working well, and we deal with what isn't. Along the way, we confront chaos we hadn't anticipated—as well as unexpected blessings that affirm our choice to have leapt. We learn, we grow, we keep on moving.

Admittedly, at the same time, we may likely become blinded by our self-centered drive to pursue personal satisfaction under all this Aries, a sign also known for its unashamed (and, often, unaware) instinctive focus on its own immediate needs. We may inadvertently step on someone else's toes in the act of rushing toward our desires… and not notice until the other person speaks up with a loud (and possibly annoyed) 'ouch!' If we aren't mean-spirited or hopelessly self-serving, we will probably apologize pretty quickly—and, in the process of being called out, come to a greater understanding of how our self-determining actions affect others. Think of it as on-the-job training, for successful multi-tasking: How can I 'do me' while also respecting those I am in relationship with?

Of course, it's just as likely—if we have built-up frustrations or an unresolved anger problem—that we might purposely stomp on somebody's toes, to punish them for having dishonored us and/or to impose our dominance over them. Though I could easily pontificate about the wrongfulness of such malice (i.e., two wrongs don't make a right, violence only begets more violence, etc.), I probably won't be able to convince many righteous victim-perpetrators that they aren't justified in their retaliatory efforts. We interpret events through the stories we tell ourselves about what happened… and if someone is already wholly absorbed in a one-sided tale that condones their unkind behavior, a hyper-Aries moment may not be their most ideal for finally recognizing the other side(s).

And surely we mustn't neglect to mention Pluto's role in all this, as he's repeatedly squared by all the planets marching boldly through Aries. These Pluto squares are weighty reminders of the inextricable complications that accompany our moves whenever they smash up against power-structures—whether in the form of external authorities or by confronting discordant psychological endowments within ourselves—which seem to resist or undermine such movement. Because Pluto is an inescapable player in this drama, we can expect such collisions to make our attempts to thrust ourselves ahead that much more involved. We may likely encounter an unconscious or unconsidered hangover of tradition, conservatism and/or ingrained habit pushing back against us with reactionary force… an uncomfortable glimpse at what deeper attitudes, relationships and/or institutions must be dismantled (perhaps painfully so) and reconstructed in order for us to continue forward with real freedom. If we don't constructively engage, the complicating obstacles will only keep on rearing their ugly heads.

Before we gripe about how nothing is ever as easy or straightforward as we might wish, however, let's please take into account yet again how truly powerful and revolutionary this whole period-of-time really is… and how each personal trial and turbulent outbreak in our individual lives at this time is part of a much larger social reconfiguration, the likes of which we haven't seen since the 1960s. Every breakup, every career change, every geographic relocation, every family-dynamic shakeup, every birth, every death, every finally-taking-matters-into-our-own-hands… all of these add up to a monumental shift even greater than the mere sum of its parts. Considering the ultimate profundity, is it any wonder that nothing these days seems easy or straightforward?


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