A summer of intensity
On 24th June, the Uranus Pluto square which will define the next few years was exact for the first time. This is the first of seven squares between now and 2015, and it's likely to bring dramatic changes. We are already seeing meltdowns in the financial system (Pluto is in Capricorn, which rules financial structures and established systems) and revolutions in the Middle East (Uranus is the planet of revolution and sudden change). Although these outer planets do not always affect us personally, they carry intense energies, and I know many people who are feeling extra stressed at the moment. Working with these deep energies can feel like wading through treacle, and it can be hard to tune in to them as they may feel alien and difficult to grasp. There are two exact squares this year, on June 24 and September 19, and the square is within orb, and so likely to be influencing us, from June 3 to October 10.
So how can we use these energies instead of feeling overwhelmed by them? First, we can look at where they fall in our birth chart. Uranus is around 7 Aries right now, and Pluto around 8 Capricorn. For me, Uranus is opposing my natal Pluto and Pluto is just moving out of a square to my natal Pluto, and life is feeling physically, emotionally and even spiritually demanding right now. Even if the square does not impact planets or angles in your birth chart, you are likely to feel it's energy most strongly in the house where it falls. For example, Uranus in natal second house opposite natal Pluto in the eighth is leading me to question my values, and the resources available to me, which are second and eighth house issues. I can feel the potential for eighth house life changing transformation, indeed I know exactly what I want that transformation to look like, but Uranus and Pluto are testing my vision, and it's not easy.
It's also useful to look back at the cycle of Uranus and Pluto, to see how they have manifested in the past. The last time they were in square aspect was 1932 - 1934, the time of the Great Depression, a time when financial structures were challenged and many people struggled to make a living, just as they are now. The current Uranus Pluto cycle began in the 1960s with the conjunction around 16 Virgo. It's also worth looking at this point in your natal chart, even if you weren't born then, to see how the seed point of these energies manifest for you. For me, the conjunction falls in my eighth house, reinforcing that Plutonic urge to transform. My natal Chiron and Sun (in close sextile aspect natally) also key in to the conjunction, and indeed these energies are clamouring to be heard.
Many writers, especially those of a "New Age" persuasion, are talking about the Uranus Pluto squares as a major evolutionary step forward for humankind, a chance to radically shift (Uranus in Aries) the kind of world we build (Pluto in Capricorn). And this could happen, but I can't help being cynical. The established powers represented by Pluto in Capricorn will not give up without a fight, and Uranus in Aries can be a violent energy. This very dynamic is playing out in Syria right now, with devastating consequences.
But maybe we can make genuine changes. Uranus is the planet of the individual, and perhaps Uranus in Aries is the beginning of a cycle where individuals seek their own power. Pluto is concerned with power, and we need to shift the "power over" that defines our world to "power from within", allowing each individual to shine. By looking at our natal charts and working out how these energies are affecting us, we can make changes. An example from my own second house musings - there's been a return in the last few years to activities once considered old-fashioned (Capricorn rules old things) like knitting and keeping chickens, finding in them new and more sustainable ways to live. I know lots of people, myself included, who are trying to grow their own, live more frugally and make things by hand - transforming the economic system just as Pluto in Capricorn demands. You may be challenged to look at your relationships, your work (especially as Capricorn is also linked to work) or your health. Whatever feels difficult in your life at the moment is a huge clue. But information is power, and once you know how these planets are affecting you, you can seek positive ways to use their gifts. It might be seeking therapy for past hurts, taking some Aries initiative to make changes you've been putting off or simply building a new relationship with money. If each of us does the work we are called to do, we might just transform our world.
So how can we use these energies instead of feeling overwhelmed by them? First, we can look at where they fall in our birth chart. Uranus is around 7 Aries right now, and Pluto around 8 Capricorn. For me, Uranus is opposing my natal Pluto and Pluto is just moving out of a square to my natal Pluto, and life is feeling physically, emotionally and even spiritually demanding right now. Even if the square does not impact planets or angles in your birth chart, you are likely to feel it's energy most strongly in the house where it falls. For example, Uranus in natal second house opposite natal Pluto in the eighth is leading me to question my values, and the resources available to me, which are second and eighth house issues. I can feel the potential for eighth house life changing transformation, indeed I know exactly what I want that transformation to look like, but Uranus and Pluto are testing my vision, and it's not easy.
It's also useful to look back at the cycle of Uranus and Pluto, to see how they have manifested in the past. The last time they were in square aspect was 1932 - 1934, the time of the Great Depression, a time when financial structures were challenged and many people struggled to make a living, just as they are now. The current Uranus Pluto cycle began in the 1960s with the conjunction around 16 Virgo. It's also worth looking at this point in your natal chart, even if you weren't born then, to see how the seed point of these energies manifest for you. For me, the conjunction falls in my eighth house, reinforcing that Plutonic urge to transform. My natal Chiron and Sun (in close sextile aspect natally) also key in to the conjunction, and indeed these energies are clamouring to be heard.
Many writers, especially those of a "New Age" persuasion, are talking about the Uranus Pluto squares as a major evolutionary step forward for humankind, a chance to radically shift (Uranus in Aries) the kind of world we build (Pluto in Capricorn). And this could happen, but I can't help being cynical. The established powers represented by Pluto in Capricorn will not give up without a fight, and Uranus in Aries can be a violent energy. This very dynamic is playing out in Syria right now, with devastating consequences.
But maybe we can make genuine changes. Uranus is the planet of the individual, and perhaps Uranus in Aries is the beginning of a cycle where individuals seek their own power. Pluto is concerned with power, and we need to shift the "power over" that defines our world to "power from within", allowing each individual to shine. By looking at our natal charts and working out how these energies are affecting us, we can make changes. An example from my own second house musings - there's been a return in the last few years to activities once considered old-fashioned (Capricorn rules old things) like knitting and keeping chickens, finding in them new and more sustainable ways to live. I know lots of people, myself included, who are trying to grow their own, live more frugally and make things by hand - transforming the economic system just as Pluto in Capricorn demands. You may be challenged to look at your relationships, your work (especially as Capricorn is also linked to work) or your health. Whatever feels difficult in your life at the moment is a huge clue. But information is power, and once you know how these planets are affecting you, you can seek positive ways to use their gifts. It might be seeking therapy for past hurts, taking some Aries initiative to make changes you've been putting off or simply building a new relationship with money. If each of us does the work we are called to do, we might just transform our world.