Uranus Enters Aries: Ready to Rumble!

Uranus enters Aries on May 27, 2010, only to retrograde back into Pisces on August 14, 2010. It settles into Aries for good on March 11, 2011. The ingress from Pisces to Aries renews the planetary relationship with the zodiac. A new 84-year Uranus cycle through the signs is about to be born—the spiral has circled back. At this level of evolution, we address personal concerns. Uranus in Aries manifests behaviorally. Are we living our truth? How brave are we willing to be? What can we do to take an active, hands-on role in changing our lives and, therefore, changing the world? The intention of this transit is to reinvigorate our assertive function so that we sculpt reality in ways that reflect the visionary processes of the Pisces period.

The movement is from the impersonal, transcendent, dreamy, and passive Pisces to the driven, passionate, leap-before-looking, and fiery bravado of Aries. Pisces is prone to deception, a collective suspension of critical thinking, and blind trust of authority. Like the tsunamis and hurricanes that are prevalent while Uranus is in Pisces, many people may feel impotent, surrendering to forces that appear too great to surmount. A collective malaise or alienation occurs when breakthrough (Uranus) is out to sea (Pisces). Since few are skilled at contemplative or mystical practices, accessing the promise of Uranus is difficult in the sign of the fishes.

Uranus entering Aries is like returning from the recesses of consciousness, sitting on a Harley and ready to rumble. The purpose is self-empowerment after the dystopia that many may have been experiencing. The reclamation of autonomy, with a renewed sense of personal entitlement, is the idea. The primal, red-meat flavor of rugged individuation lurks just out of grasp (Uranus), coaxing us to grow towards its instinctual urgency. It is as if a faint smell of blood will be detected, and like sharks, we ready ourselves to satisfy previously dormant appetites. There is a return to being blunt and unapologetically direct. Free will is championed, though the hazards are plenty.

Overcompensation results in unchecked, competitive, impulsive, if not aggressive, behaviors. Fueled by the desire to assert itself, Aries can pick fights or unnecessarily ruffle feathers. It is important during this transit to courageously right what has been wronged, but choosing the proper battles is essential. There may be uprisings, erratic displays of rebellion, experimental sexuality, and eruptions of violence. Many times explosions can and should be avoided. Uranus has an affinity for explosions, so this time period does promise a certain degree of recklessness, if not outright mayhem. The prospect of conflict and war is chilling to consider. Through this, we may learn more judicious uses of Aries functions.

The last time Uranus entered Aries was 1927-1928 and it similarly was in conjunction with Jupiter (as it will in 2010-2011). This correlated with the “Roaring 20s,” or Jazz Age. There were magnificent advances in science, including the discovery of penicillin. The quantum revolution peaked that year, with significant advances put forth by Heisenberg and Bohr that were captured in the Copenhagen interpretation. Charles Lindberg made his historic Transatlantic flight; the first motion picture with sound—The Jazz Singer—debuted; and Ford Motors unveiled its Model A. The 1927 Yankees, known as Murderer’s Row and widely regarded as the most offensively potent lineup ever assembled, swept the World Series. The spirit of this time was living large, advancing confidently and not looking back. However, this conjunction is short-lived and quickly gave way to the applying Uranus/Pluto square that was about to form. Nevertheless, Uranus entering Aries in the late 1920s did correlate with a time of seizing new opportunities, taking bold leaps and feeling enthused by possibilities.

The current Uranus/Saturn/Pluto T-Square is heavy stuff—necessary, but not a walk in the park. The addition of Jupiter to the mix allows us to feel like progress is actually being made! We will see expansion, the opening of doors and successful innovations. The Jupiter flavor of optimism and hope, the “can do” mentality, will balance the edginess and conflict of the other planetary clashing. The best comparison is 1969, when Jupiter joined the separating Uranus/Pluto conjunction. This year brought the Moon Landing and Woodstock among other BIG events. In 2010 and 2011, though, the inclusion of Saturn to the T-Square configuration suggests that governmental, institutional or other structural reforms will take similar dramatic big steps.

Eric Meyers, M.A.

Ceres and Pluto: Cry of the Goddess

The asteroid Ceres, who represents the nourishing qualities of the Great Mother Goddess, has been moving through the same region of the sky as Pluto, God of the Underworld. Here we see a powerful dance between energies that can sustain life or destroy it. The meeting of Ceres and Pluto in the sign of Capricorn (ruling the Earth’s geological structures as well economic and political structures) has strong correlations with our current environmental crisis. One example of this dynamic can be seen in the astrology of April 20, 2010, the day the Gulf oil spill began. At that time, Ceres and Pluto were in Capricorn (within a one degree orb) and opposed by the Moon in Cancer (vulnerability). We will experience similar energies on October 28, 2010, when Ceres and Pluto meet again in early Capricorn and conjoin the Capricorn North Node, while the Moon in Cancer is opposed them yet again.

A thorough analysis of the astrology for April 20, 2010, involves taking a look at more than the placement of Ceres, Pluto, and the Moon. For example, Chiron (need for healing) had just moved into Pisces (the seas) that same day. However an understanding of the myths related to Ceres and Pluto may provide important keys to understanding what is going on in our relationship with Mother Earth.

The Great Mother Goddess is known by many names in many cultures. Ceres is her Roman name, and she was called Demeter by the Greeks, Isis by the Egyptians, and Inanna by the Sumerians. In each of these cultures, the Great Mother was associated with fertility and the sustenance of life. She is intimately involved with the entire life cycle, from birth, to death, to rebirth. In astrology, the asteroid Ceres is associated with how one is nourished, and how one may be confronted with issues of attachment, loss, death, and renewal.

Pluto is the Roman name for the God of the Underworld, and in mythology, there is a powerful dynamic between Ceres and Pluto. Pluto abducted and raped Ceres’ daughter, Persephone, and forced her to live in the land of the dead. In the depths of Ceres’ grief, she became unable or unwilling to focus her life-giving energies on the Earth, and the crops began to perish. But when Ceres and Persephone were reunited, life on Earth thrived once more. In astrology, Pluto brings us to our inner depths and shows us what parts of ourselves need to die so we can be reborn into a more evolved version of ourselves. Both Pluto and Ceres have powers of regeneration.

We can see these themes reflected in the oil spill, with the devastation (Pluto) of ocean life impacting the entire food chain (Ceres). There was also loss of human lives and the grief of their loved ones. It is time for the death of the corporate greed, oil-dependent economics, and poor governmental oversight (all in Capricorn’s realm) that set the stage for this environmental disaster as well as the broader, global environmental crisis we are facing. With Ceres and Pluto in Capricorn, we can hear the Goddess’ cry of anguish over the rape of the Earth. It is a screaming wake-up call. We are being called to let go of our destructive ways and create new economic and political structures. We are being called to live in harmony with Mother Earth, so that our beautiful blue planet can experience a renewal and provide abundant nourishment for human life for many generations to come.

Sajit Greene, M.A., L.P.C.