The Legacy of Jupiter – Uranus
Three conjunctions of Jupiter and Uranus, in 2010 and January 2011 have been accelerating shifts in consciousness, which we have seen being played out in the political upheavals of North Africa and the Middle East. The on-going Jupiter-Uranus impulse for radical change is challenging us all to break free from restricting attitudes, behaviour patterns and circumstances, and to bring our thoughts, feelings and actions into full alignment with our most positive, heart-centred vision for the future.
From February to May this year, as Jupiter forged ahead of Uranus into Aries, it began the process of carrying our vision into action.
Jupiter enters Taurus
On 4th June, Jupiter entered Taurus, signalling that it is time to begin consolidating our vision. This positive, forward trend will continue until the 30th August, when Jupiter will go retrograde until December. So the period from June to September is the perfect time for optimism, and consolidation, in order to generate the right circumstances for creating abundance in 2012, and beyond.
From September to December, Jupiter will go back over all the ground we have covered, ensuring that the external structures we create are a true manifestation of an inner change, and not just attempts to make things look different on the surface, so that it appears that we are changing (politicians take note!). The retrograde phase is only likely to be difficult, if we resist making inner changes. These include how we structure our lives, our attachments to physical things, our attitudes towards abundance, and how well we make use of our practical creativity.
As always, the key with Jupiter is about giving; are we giving ourselves, our talents and creativity wholly to life, or are we trying to hold on and accumulate wealth, position, power, etc solely for ourselves? Wherever we are hanging on in this way, when the retrograde phase comes it will make things very difficult for us. The more we can learn to give freely, whilst Jupiter is direct from June to September, the more we will effortlessly reap the rewards later.
Uranus squares Pluto (May 2011 – May 2015)
2011 is the time for putting structures into place that can enable us to live the vision that was incubated during 2010. This re-structuring is intensely focussed by the square (90°) aspect between Uranus and Pluto, which began in mid-May and will last until May 2015! We were alerted to their approaching alignment by the Japan earthquake, tsunami and the ensuing nuclear disaster at Fukushima. At the physical level, this alignment challenges us about the right use of technology and power; at Fukushima, it directly concerned the technology of Uranium and Plutonium, which (albeit briefly) prompted a wider debate about the wisdom of using nuclear power. At the mental and spiritual levels, this alignment challenges us how to apply real wisdom to the creation of power structures in all areas of our lives.
On 12th March, Uranus moved into Aries, where it will remain until 6th March 2019. Uranus in Aries wants to forge ahead with new ideas, new technologies, new systems of government, and new approaches to spiritual awareness and understanding our place in the Cosmos. Pluto in Capricorn is more cautious and methodical, taking the long-term view; it knows that whatever is changed now, must be able to endure and support us well into the future. This is a difficult balance, as Uranus brings a sense of urgency. The drawback with Pluto in Capricorn is that if we remain attached to old methods and structures, then we simply perpetuate the power, which that gives to those who profit from those old structures.
The next four years, when Uranus squares Pluto, will see an increasing tension between these powerful, archetypal forces. They are challenging us to forge a balance between our eagerness for positive, innovative change, and the need to use wisdom and experience to create long-term solutions for sustainable ways of being. The stumbling blocks to both viewpoints depend upon how well we use our power. Do we use it in ways that further the distribution of power to more and more people (the Uranus way), or in ways that seek to maintain the power and control of the few over the many (the Pluto way)?
In all areas of life, Uranus is breaking down old patterns of control; underlying this, are the entrenched attitudes of the ego, trying to control the unpredictability and spontaneity of Spirit.
Pluto has the potential to connect us with our Pure Light of Being, the power of the spiritual will that carries within it our true purpose. However, most people use the ego to control or suppress our spiritual power from manifesting its full light and potential. The most positive quality of Uranus square Pluto is that it challenges us to break down these self-created patterns of control that prevent us from expressing the full creative potential of our spirit. At all levels, Uranus is awakening us to realise that potential; we have the clear choice to embrace it, or to continue to give our power away, by refusing to take full responsibility for expressing it.
There are lifetimes of patterns to break through, with layer upon layer needing to be stripped away. Over the next four years, there will be many opportunities to release and heal these layers; it is essential to see the challenges that Uranus-Pluto brings as opportunities to embrace positive change, and reclaim control over our lives, rather than feeling that we are buffeted by forces beyond our control.
Summer Solstice
Chart for Summer Solstice
21 June 2011 at 17:18 UT/GMT
Click on chart to enlarge
At Summer Solstice (21st June), the Sun squares (90°) Uranus and opposes Pluto, creating a ‘T-square’ triangle. This brings a further challenge to let go of the places where our ego is holding on and preventing us from realising our vision. We will be aided in this by a Grand Trine in Air signs, from 16th - 23rd June, between Venus (in Gemini), Saturn (in Libra) and Pallas Athene (in Aquarius). This Grand Trine shows that when we make clear decisions and choices and set clear boundaries in our relationships, this will bring us and abundance of mental energy that can help us to produce great rewards for the future.
Comet Elenin
The intensity of the time is being amplified by the arrival of comet Elenin (C/2010 X1), discovered on December 10th 2010 by Russian astronomer, Leonid Elenin. It is thought that it last visited the solar system about 11,700 years ago, half-way through the Age of Leo, around 9,690 BCE.
When it was discovered in 2010, it was between the constellations of Leo and Virgo; in alignment with the times, it brings the need for spiritual discernment (Virgo) about how we express our creative power (Leo).
Elenin makes its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) on 10 September, about 45 million miles from Earth. Then on 16 October, it crosses the path of Earth’s orbit, about 22 million miles ahead of us – roughly the same distance from Venus to Earth. There is no possibility of it being on a ‘collision course with Earth’ as some are claiming. Neither does it come close to qualifying as the giant, mythical planet ‘Nibiru’, as Elenin’s nucleus is believed to be no more than 10km in diameter.
The arrival of any comet heralds significant shifts in consciousness. There has been much speculation on the internet that Elenin was somehow ‘responsible’ for the earthquake in New Zealand on 4th September 2010, when it aligned with the Sun, Mercury and Earth; however, it was not aligned in any such way for the much more powerful NZ earthquake on 21st February 2011. It was, however, approaching alignment with the Earth and Sun on 11th March, the day of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Then, the Earth was between Elenin and the Sun; for the much weaker NZ earthquake in September 2010, the Earth was on the other side of the Sun from Elenin, so something significant may be occurring.
On 21st May, when Iceland’s Grimsvotn volcano began erupting, Elenin was aligned with the Sun and Venus; there were no such alignments coinciding with the eruption of Chile’s Puyehue volcano on 4th June.
The official line from NASA and others is that the gravitational effects of such a small body could not have any discernable influence on the Earth’s tectonic plates. Indeed, it seems far more likely that two vast solar flares, directed towards the Earth on February 15th and March 9th, may have triggered the Japan earthquake, although this is speculation.
Whatever the scientific facts about the physical effects of Elenin on the Sun and Earth, it is clear that this tiny body is bringing significant changes. Since there are no written records to tell us what happened last time it visited, we will have to wait and see what unfolds.
If you want to follow the progress of Elenin through the solar system, you can go to NASA’s animated orbit diagram applet -
be patient, as it can take a while to load:
