Pandemic Astrology; probably part one

Like everyone else, I've been going through the rollercoaster of the last weeks with varying levels of anxiety, resignation, confusion frustration and occasionally hope. I'm worried about the people I love, especially the generation above mine, I'm worried about the friends with small businesses. I'm sad about some of the cancellations, not so much others (I mean, what a time to be an introvert!). I'm heartened by the way the community is coming together, by the oversubscribed Whatsapp groups full of neighbours ready to help out, the plans being made a grassroots level to make sure that everyone has what they need. I'm cynical about the powers that be, but there's nothing new there. And so I turn to astrology, my guiding light, to help me make sense of it all.

There are two main astrological influences which are playing out right now, as least two which are resonating most for me, with the asteroids as the supporting cast and the inner planets as triggers for day to day change. The first is the Saturn Pluto conjunction which was exact in January. It doesn't explain the spread of the virus itself but the symbolism does reflect many of the consequences of the virus, the fear, anxiety and isolation which are the new normal. Saturn and Pluto met in Capricorn in the weeks following the first cases of Covid-19, as the scale of the epidemic began to become clear. I've been talking about the Capricorn stellium and its deep transformation of authority and the structures of power for ages it feels like, I guess because Capricorn is slow and takes its time. The last outer planet stellium in Capricorn was in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell and the world changed utterly. And here is the world changing utterly again. Living through a pandemic brings fear, anxiety and isolation, not to mention an urgent need to set aside our own concerns for the sake of the greater good. The current situation imposes Capricornian limits on us all and asks us - no, tells us because there is no choice here - to make the best of it.

The second is Chiron conjunct the Black Moon, dragging our shadow selves out into the light whether we like it or not. The Black Moon is not a heavenly body but a point in space, the empty focal point of the Moon's elliptical orbit around the earth. Astrologically, it relates to the archetype of the Dark Goddess and can describe what we have buried in the subconscious, extreme emotions such as rage and jealousy, the primal power that we may struggle to own or to express. So if the Black Moon shows what we repress or where we transgress, the Black Moon in conjunction with Chiron suggests some deep and long-buried wounds coming into consciousness. About our ability to survive, our individuality, how we express our power. The Black Moon can show our downfall, where we are undone and right now, that downfall takes the form of focusing on our individual needs and desires without considering our wider community. Buying all the food in the shop so there's none left for the elderly or the disabled, just because of our own fear of running out. Our society's insistence that the individual is king is a wound that needs to be healed or at least brought back into balance. We may not be aware of how our behaviour is impacting others or even worse, we may not care. Maybe our wound and our downfall are also Aries' insistence on linear thinking, an extroverted society which prizes goal setting, being active and out in the world. There's an awful lot of people, an increasing number I suspect, for whom this way of living simply doesn't work - those with ongoing health conditions or caring responsibilities, not to mention those who simply want to live a fulfilling and, well, simple life. Now we are all being asked to let go of our Aries identities and goals and the other ways we define our outer selves, and retreat to our homes. We draw our energy inwards, becoming quiet and still. making the most of some time alone in nature, finishing abandoned craft projects, doing all the things we are usually too busy (Aries) to have time for (Capricorn).

As for the virus itself, at the end of February, Jupiter made a sextile aspect with Neptune, the planet of infectious diseases, showing the virus making its steady progress towards taking over the world, crossing borders and expanding ever more widely. And there's more, so much more. The asteroids which carry the goddess energy in modern astrology. The continuing dance of Jupiter and Neptune as the virus spreads. Looking forward to transits and dates to find some hope, some sense of when all this might change. But I think that's for another post.