The temptation to send a Galactic Times yesterday was overwhelming... but I resisted. I had thoughts of writing how someone turned over the Mayan Calendar and found the second half that actually ran to 5,666 A.D., depending upon when you count the BC/AD transition. As well, I played with an April Fools tale that the Hadron Collider, during its amazing proton smash job on the day that Mars reached his aphelion while he widely squared Ceres in Sag and also widely opposed Jupiter in Pisces (from the Sun’s view), caused time to shift forward and we were now in 2014 and just didn’t know it. Thus, we missed out on the whole 2012 thing. The problem with spoofs is next thing you know someone is quoting you as source materials for such “facts” and you end up the fop or foolee instead of the fooler.
I waited so that today we could address the current grand trine involving three dwarf planets. Without the dwarf planets this now present planetary attribute might be missed entirely. More, much of astrological blogging this next week will deal with Saturn’s re-entry into Virgo (7th), preparing for the second to last opposition to Uranus in the current multiplex, too many of a good thing, transit cycle. First, a note on that. Next week Saturn walks back into the home/work space of life sign, shrieking about what a mess it is. “This better get fixed before Mercury retrograde (the 17th),” Saturn declares. “We have company coming! Uranus and his Shakespearean named satellite entourage will be here before you know it! You better get ready for the changes and prepared to deliver the lines of life as you make all the world your stage! Until this clutter is cleared, you can forget about the world being your oyster! Don’t you tell me to chill. I don’t care about ‘creative flow process’ and your meditation ‘me time.’ I don’t want to know about your hang time with Neptune and Chiron. Get your nose back on the grindstone.”
Okay, fine. The last time this opposition appeared, the rush was on to create change, implement breakthrough innovation and blend a healthy mix of what already works and what does not. Now, further down the road, insights not available during the last opposition appear, creating evidence that more adjustments, improvements and shifts lie immediately ahead. Uranus is sort of a Pilate planet to Saturn’s backbone rulership. If you roll over that silly ball and stretch out compacted things, you might be able to flex and reach into nooks of consciousness that would have previously remained out of sight. “Repeat after me,” Saturn insists, “This is not a setback. It is but an awareness of another enhancement for which you must engineer some nifty evolution. Since I’m the retrograde one and not that other guy, I demand you review the schematics you drew for your life and fix them.”
You know, this grand trine thing going on right now, might offer a flashlight to shine into enlightening, obscure and out of the way places...
Everyone uses Pluto, despite his presumed lack of planet status. Unfortunately, with his transit in a most materially driven sign, the collective watches with trepidation, waiting for the other economic shoe to drop once again stomping upon global hopes of wealth. Naturally, with this year’s patterns from Jupiter and Saturn and in a year or two from Uranus to Pluto, no one assumes we’re out of the economic difficulty woods yet. Enough of that. How about plot and plan and roll with the punches? Work to create a solid foundation and deal with life as it comes. If Saturn weren’t busy finding something else to fix, he’d utter something close to that.
Note the current trine of Venus to Pluto and observe Mercury trying to catch Venus, while trining Pluto (the first of three Mercurial trines to the underworld overseer, given the messenger’s upcoming retrogradation). Tracking Pluto, the recently elevated to dwarf planet status former asteroid Ceres, follows along. Similar to Mercury trying to catch Venus, Ceres soon gets close to Pluto, but backs off short of an exact conjunction due to retrogradation, completing the task much later in the year.
Forget about the lack of exactness of the aspects Mercury to Venus and Ceres to Pluto. They’re close enough to count and they build a four-planet trine. If one were a fan of underworld mythology, one might include the dwarf planet contender, Orcus. Orcus, who is another variation of Pluto, was specifically charged with overseeing promises, oaths, decrees and maybe even affirmations. Now we have a complete grand trine involving five planets, two of them personal and three of them dwarf, consistent with the great transformations come in small packages axiom.
In case you’re not feeling connected to this, saunter outside just after sunset in the next couple of days. You’ll see Venus straight away. She’s the body that many end up using as a wishing star, not realizing her planet status. That works. After all, she oversees love and money, relationships and economic concerns, and making distinctions between needs and wants in arenas of familiar and financial considerations. You’ll see another object a trifle closer to the horizon than Venus. That light would be the rare to see Mercury! It’s a splendorous site indeed.
These two shining spectacles trine Orcus and Pluto and Ceres. It’s a grand trine in Earth, seeking to create secure foundations, vast dominions and empires of consciousness. Regardless of your theological roots, a symbolic resurrection time appears this weekend. If you’re Pagan, maybe consider each of the planets to be an egg left behind by the fertility goddess, Esther, which immensely pleases the new fertility dwarf planets, Makemake and Haumea. If you’re agnostic or atheistic, pretend your life coach gave you an assignment to recite affirmations and utter declarations of how you want life to turn out under penalty of fine for failing to do so. Consider the visually spectacular sunset view as a platform for propitiation.
Let’s fill up the celestial basket with some tasty affirmation nuggets for each of the planets. We’ll move from inner to outer in the sequence:
Mercury - Clear your head. Shake off the inner critic. Choose words carefully that precisely articulate what you mean to say. Before affirming, review mundane details, budgets and such. Just for the heck of it, figure out how much transit time to allow for completing errands. Maybe cushion it by fifteen percent.
Venus - Take time to define the distinction between needs and wants. Establish a healthy attitude toward each category. Then, take on the wishing star phenomena.
Ceres - Release yourself from underdog status or any sense of being disadvantaged by perceiving yourself as your favorite cause. Donate to your own charity. Establish dogged determination, steering clear of any tendencies to go for broke (or bust), cutting off your nose to spite your face or burning bridges you may need later.
Pluto - When in maximum perseverance mode, take the high road. Focus on those things that are truly meaningful, permitting the rejection of battles not worth fighting, incidental issues and petty tyrants. Work your personal mojo to be white hot and perfectly impassioned.
Orcus - Make the vows. Petition the Universe. Keep in mind that this dwarf planet nugget keeps track of promises, oaths and agreements.
Finally, an Easter analog for justifying the use of dwarf planets... not that any justification is required at all. These bodies, when considered by density and mass, become the most influential in the solar system. Think of them as tightly packed, intent and solid as can be. When you get a chocolate Easter bunny, which do you prefer: large and hollow or smaller and solid? There’s no right answer here and no polling is intended. It’s just a personal preference for the planets thing.
A long time ago an astrologer told me the antidote for trying times is a trine. Try the trine. It’s quite grand.