Jupiter Revives the Uranus-Pluto Square

11.20.16


So, you thought the Uranus-Pluto revolution of the 2010s was over after those planets' final exact square during the first quarter of last year? Guess you're rethinking that premature conclusion now.

Ever since it entered Libra back in September, Jupiter has been progressing into a T-square formation with Uranus and Pluto, with all three now positioned in cardinal signs. A T-square consists of two planets opposing one another, with each simultaneously squaring a third planet.

Jupiter in Libra is now moving into an opposition with Uranus in Aries, forming its first exact hit on Dec 26. Meanwhile, Jupiter is also creating a square to Pluto in Capricorn… an aspect that becomes exact for the first time this Thursday (Nov 24). And as we know, Uranus and Pluto have already passed beyond the peak of their square (it perfected seven times between June 2012 and March 2015), which comprises that third branch of the overall T-square. However, because Jupiter will be traveling through the zodiac zone between these two aspects, it essentially serves as an emissary that's reconnecting Uranus and Pluto and reviving the energy of their square. This energetic revival is mirrored by the fact that Uranus and Pluto will regress back to within three degrees of a perfect square by February 2017.

Pay attention: This cardinal T-square between Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto remains our biggest astrological influence through the first three-quarters of '17.

The Uranus-Pluto square's interpretive field should be rather 'old-hat' to us at this point. I've written about it at length over these past years, and I won't duplicate my work here. Instead, I compiled a comprehensive listing of these writings at the bottom of this article. Reviewing this work will give any reader a really good feel for the volatile, revolutionary themes associated with Uranus in Aries squaring Pluto in Capricorn.

What's different now is the participation of a third planetary player—Jupiter in Libra—adding a distinct voice to the ongoing discussion between Uranus and Pluto. Jupiter's additional voice presents us the possibility of opening up to new alternatives for how to concurrently address both Uranus-in-Aries's liberatory impulses and Pluto-in-Capricorn's authority-structure shadow-work. But, sorry to say, Jupiter will not force us to embrace bigger-and-better solutions; it merely fosters a climate in which the efforts we intentionally make to actively create such alternatives will receive benefic support from Jupiter. It's just as likely that, without our mindful directional steering of its energy toward particular aims, Jupiter will instead simply magnify the Uranus-Pluto dynamics already in play… injecting a blast of hot air that fans the flames of rebellion and provides the institutional power-agents instructive fodder for how to best engineer their self-preservationist reactions.

Jupiter in Libra holds the promise of enhancing our capacity to weigh both sides of an equation, to advocate for fairness over domination, and to gracefully negotiate win-win solutions where all parties gain something while giving something else up. These are some of Libra's finest qualities, and Jupiter's presence there beckons us to invest greater enthusiasm and broad-sweeping vision in such approaches, as a counterbalance to both impetuous one-sided action in the name of unspecific 'change' (Uranus in Aries) and covert authoritarian dealings which seek to strengthen and secure existing status-quos by any means necessary (Pluto in Capricorn).

I purposely, however, used the metaphor of 'hot air' to describe the less productive inclinations of Jupiter in Libra, a warm hopeful planet placed in a communicatively deft air sign. Tactfully saying all the most high-minded words in advocating for what's fair doesn't always equate with a willingness to alter our behavior in ways which effectively shift a balance. Upholding a calm, diplomatic tone doesn't mean the message we're tactfully delivering is actually intended to bridge a divide or promote genuine interpersonal harmony. And compromise as a virtue certainly has its limits: Go overboard with 'giving things up' to attain a resolution, and you could compromise away your own essential self-interest—perhaps even your integrity. At its worst, Libra will do anything to avoid out-and-out conflict, keep other people happy (or at least off its back), and maintain a peaceful veneer.

In squaring Pluto, Jupiter in Libra seeks to interrupt the strategies and stances which we've long relied on to provide us guiding structure, stability, and/or a sense of purpose. Why? Because, if we look closely at what we've come to accept as 'the system' or 'just the way things are', we can't help but notice some floorboards are rotting, maybe the whole foundation itself is compromised… revealing where certain important considerations are now falling through the cracks, and/or collateral consequences from prior schemes have accumulated to an intolerable level.

Jupiter in Libra welcomes us to openly engage in dialogue about what's broken, with the various stakeholders whose needs currently aren't being effectively met and/or who might have some novel suggestions for how to improve or refine the governing master-plan so it better addresses the divergent concerns of a wider audience. For Pluto-in-Capricorn architectures and authorities that are willing to dialogue—with full knowledge that such discussions could become quite intense or difficult-to-stomach, due to the criticality of owning one's blind-spots, trouble-zones, and power-abuses—this is an opportunity to improve how they're managing their longer-term life-investments.

Circumstances continuously shift. Previously unrecognized voices gain new prominence, bringing issues to light which haven't received their due attention before. Those who wish to 'rule' fairly, with broadened vision and an interest in appealing to others' underserved interests, will wisely include these voices into their new-and-improved objectives… though, in the process, they'll have to reengineer how they chase their own longstanding ambitions.

Of course, not all Pluto-in-Capricorn representatives will wish to compromise their existing command-of-power (even if it ultimately would serve them to adapt in the name of surer sustainability). That would mean giving up a position of dominance and/or certain perks that come with it, just so others can get more of what they want. It might even involve taking accountability for past actions which ignored, undervalued, or oppressed someone else's cares, as a means to more self-serving ends.

In such situations where Pluto isn't sincere about deconstructing and/or diffusing its power-status, Jupiter-in-Libra's calls to collaborate towards fairer conditions are likely to met with apparent enthusiasm… for it strengthens Pluto's foothold to seem amenable to Jupiter's mission, participating in a dialogue in order to quell the outside party's dissatisfaction, all the while co-opting the discourse for its own underhanded motives. In other words, we act like we're interested in learning how to better honor others' concerns, then stealthily scheme to use what we learn to help us further fortify our already-established rank. Under this Jupiter-Pluto square, existing power dynamics may be re-inscribed by neutralizing the rival voices—with their very own language as a tool.

Similarly, Jupiter's opposition to Uranus presents us a chance to deescalate any urge to haphazardly disrupt customary practices and/or destroy all semblance of tradition, in the single-minded pursuit of liberatory change. But to do that, we must make conciliatory efforts which both honor these zealous change-making impulses and simultaneously interject conscious consideration of the 'other side' and its well-being. What potentially troublesome side-effects might our crudest acts of resistance or rebellion unleash? How might our own shows of freedom-loving self-regard actually harm someone else's ability to meet their needs? What are we not seeing? And do we care?

For Jupiter in Libra to successfully deescalate Uranus-in-Aries's restless drive to rattle cages and shatter orthodoxies, it must sincerely seek to incorporate these Uranian urges within its recommended compromises… rather than attempting to altogether counter them with dispassionate reason or haughty disdain.

Just as likely, any Jupiter-in-Libra measures which claim to respect the other-side's viewpoint without any sincere interest in engaging with it, look down on the opposition's coarse or inelegant on-the-fly methods, and/or attempt to silence them with a 'can't we all just get along?' call for superficial peace won't productively temper the Uranian fire. On the contrary, empty gestures or cavalier dismissals of the current ardor for 'something different' will only reaffirm to the Uranus-in-Aries renegades and revolutionaries how urgent this need for a shakeup really is.

In the absence of our choosing to take genuinely win-win-minded, justice-driven action, this Jupiter-Uranus opposition will merely inflame the resistance… essentially proving its suspicion that nothing less than a truly radical break from the status-quo could ever adequately advance our stalled progress, and giving it all the justification it needs to bust out in whatever way serves its immediate liberatory instincts, fallout be damned. If Jupiter in Libra offers no concrete alternatives, Uranus in Aries naturally figures it really has nothing to lose by blowing the whole fucking roof right off.

Because of my writing style, it's easy to apply my interpretations of this potent cardinal T-square to our current macro-level sociopolitical conditions (whatever your personal beliefs). But we mustn't neglect to expose our personal circumstances to this same interpretive framework, especially since we have much more agency to practically utilize this insight in our own lives. Very few of us haven't experienced some major life-overhaul during these recent Uranus-square-Pluto years. Now that Jupiter in Libra has revived this unsteadying vibe, we're seeing more starkly where we must continue integrating the effects of these recent upheavals… whether in an effort to strike better balance between sectors of our lives which remain in untenable conflict, to strengthen or save relationships which have been strained due to one or the other party's latest evolutionary stretches, and/or to restabilize our ship in the wake of chaos or devastation.

The Jupiter-Pluto square asks us to delve beneath the surface of our stated aspirations and our methods for achieving them, revealing how our unexamined pursuit of such notions of 'success' may be tearing us apart from people who are important to us and/or otherwise divorcing us from subtler parts of ourselves which aren't merely invested in meeting practical goals. This is a chance to broaden our strategies for achieving mastery and power to include more than just what we can calculate, collect credit for, or take to the bank. But it requires consciously including a different set of values within our long-ingrained conception of success.

The Jupiter-Uranus opposition invites us to make peace with our inner iconoclast or anti-establishment warrior, rather than trying to coolly talk ourselves out of overthrowing those shackles that bind us. By refusing to disown the pressing importance of any rebellious streak or yearning for radical change, we create room for this vital voice within the discourse we deploy to narrate our life-story… thus decreasing the likelihood it'll compel us toward some wild acting-out, due to its having become utterly fed up with being downplayed or ignored. This same dynamic could also play out externally, in relationships where one person may seek greater independence and/or a major shift in behavioral expectations: Earnest efforts made now to assimilate this progressive pressure can prosper, provided the coupling is built to evolve. Of course, if it isn't, this same pressure could expose an unmendable rift.

In all cases, the least desirable manifestations of this T-square will likely emerge as a result of indecision or inattention in the face of increasing stress bearing down on our unquestioned habits and outdated plans, perfunctory nods to cooperation or compromise which merely gloss over the reality of gaping divides and inequities, and/or too much cheap talk producing no viable action. The less we do, the more extreme it'll get.

Prior writings about the Uranus-Pluto square:
Occupy Main Street (10.4.11)
Uranus-Pluto Square: It's For Real, Yo (6.20.12)
Uranus-Pluto Square II: Different 'Revolutions', One Shared Experience (7.29.12)
Uranus-Pluto Square III: This Shit is Hard (9.18.12)
Uranus-Pluto Square IV: Individuating Sparks (3.17.13)
Uranus-Pluto Square V: The NSA Leaks, and Heroism vs. Treason (6.12.13)
Equality (7.6.13)
The Uranus-Pluto Square, The Grand Water Trine, and Justice (7.27.13)
Equinox Eclipse Reflections on the Final Uranus-Pluto Square (3.15.15)