Sunday, 2 May 2010

May - June Astrology Update

“Reality is merely an illusion,
albeit a very persistent one.”
Albert Einstein


A Jupiter-Uranus Wake-up Call

May to June is likely to become increasingly intense, as we start to feel the effects of the first of three Jupiter-Uranus conjunctions (in June, September 2010, and January 2011). These two magnificent planets become conjunct every 13 to 14 years. They always herald new discoveries and breakthroughs in scientific understanding; they can awaken us to new levels of psychological and spiritual awareness; they bring radical changes in political paradigms and systems, and provide plenty of personal "Aha Moments", insights and creative breakthroughs.

Following February’s rare healing alignment between Chiron and Neptune, Jupiter and Uranus can now enable us to see the bigger picture, and formulate the plans that will align with our deepest psychological and spiritual needs. As always with Uranus, this requires letting go of those things that no longer work in our lives; even when this may seem impossible, we need to remain open and receptive to unexpected opportunities that can enable us to make quantum leaps of consciousness.

This alignment will make us more conscious of our possibilities for healing and positive changes, heralded by the Chiron-Neptune conjunction in February. Quantum Physics tells us that "Matter does not exist, all that exists is Consciousness". This suggests that collective consciousness can influence the behaviour of matter. So, if enough people choose to express clarity, wisdom and compassion, then we will all live in a clearer, wiser and more loving world…simple! But first we will need to address…


Sensitivity Rectangle

(click on image to enlarge)

A Sensitivity Rectangle appears on 9th May, and continues until 9th June. On one axis of this rectangle, Vesta (then Mars) in Leo opposes Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius. On the other axis, Saturn in Virgo opposes Jupiter and Uranus, drawing ever closer to each other in Pisces. “Sensitivity” patterns put us on alert that something deep-rooted needs to be acknowledged, and then released; if not, it creates anxiety, irritation and disruption. In early May, Vesta awakens our heart’s inner knowing that something needs to change, so that we may heal our deepest patterns, following the Chiron-Neptune conjunction; such deep healing is essential if we are to manifest a new Heart-centred global paradigm.

Mars moves into Vesta’s position on 29th May, saying “now act on your knowing”. The resistance from Saturn, opposing Jupiter-Uranus, requires us to understand that we can only put plans into action, when they fully align with the ideals that truly nourish us, whilst respecting the ideals of others.


Three Mystic Rectangles and a Grand Cross

Whilst we address the challenges of the Sensitivity figure, three Mystic Rectangles and a Grand Cross appear, to help…or hinder our efforts. Mystic Rectangles are rare, so to find three within one month is significant:

Mystic Rectangle 1 (17 - 21 May)
(click on image to enlarge)
The first involves Venus in Gemini, opposing Ceres and Pluto in Capricorn; also Vesta in Leo, opposing Chiron, just into Pisces and Neptune, still in Aquarius. The oppositions challenge us to confront internal conflicts, so we can release new creative potentials through the trines and sextiles, forming the rectangle. This Mystic Rectangle requires us to be honest about present emotional needs (Venus), and let go of situations that may have nourished us in the past (Ceres retrograde), but no longer do so, even though we may still have much energy or power invested in maintaining them (Pluto retrograde).

Mystic Rectangle 2 (23 - 26 May)
(click on image to enlarge)

The second Mystic Rectangle also involves Venus, opposing Ceres-Pluto; the other opposition, between Pallas Athene in Scorpio and Mercury in Taurus, requires balancing our inner knowing of what is right, with pragmatic thinking and communicating our needs clearly. Then a third Mystic Rectangle appears, as the second one breaks up.

Mystic Rectangle 3 (29 May - 17 June)
(click on image to enlarge)


Whilst Juno and Ceres are keeping us in right relationship, Vesta and Mars oppose Chiron and Neptune, challenging us to align our heart and will, so that we may really begin to integrate the healing potentials of Chiron-Neptune.

On 29th May, a Grand Cross also kicks in, with two oppositions at its heart. It will last until a few days after the Solstice.

The Summer Solstice Grand Cross (as it appears on 21 June)
(it lasts from 29 May - 27 June)

(click on image to enlarge)


The opposition between Saturn and Uranus began in mid-March and continues until mid-September. When the Grand Cross forms, Jupiter also now opposes Saturn, as it approaches conjunction with Uranus. The other opposition is from Juno to the Moon and Ceres.

These oppositions will balance one another. Saturn in Virgo provides the necessary “reality-check” to Jupiter-Uranus’ insights and realisations. Juno and Ceres ensure that we remain in right relationship with those around us and with our environment, whilst we formulate our plans for change, over the coming months. This can be an intense, but highly constructive time, as we strive to bring what we truly desire into manifestation in the world - but it will be well worth all the effort that we have put into it.

All of these intricate patterns build and develop as they prepare us for the day of the first Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, when they finally crystallise to form a perfect 6-pointed star:

Jupiter-Uranus 6 pointed-star (8th June)
(click on image to enlarge)


On 8th June, Jupiter and Uranus become exactly conjunct in the first degree of Aries, signifying new beginnings at personal and planetary levels. This alignment last occurred in Aries in mid-July 1927; Richard Tarnas, in his excellent book, “Cosmos and Psyche” describes this year as “the climax of the quantum physics revolution that was marked by Bohr’s principle of complementarity, Heisenberg’s principle of indeterminacy, and the (Fifth) Solvay Congress of October 1927 (on protons and electrons)”. This was the same year that the first “talkie” (The Jazz Singer) appeared and the first television transmission was made between London and Glasgow, by John Logie Baird. It was also the year of Charles Lindberg’s first solo trans-Atlantic flight. We have already witnessed a major shift towards 3D Cinema this year, with the ground-breaking “Avatar” and other movies. It seems likely that we can now expect astounding leaps in technology and new discoveries in particle physics, now that the Large Hadron Collider is up and running again.

The 6-pointed star that forms (courtesy of the Moon) on the day of the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction “imprints” a perfect pattern into our emotional bodies, of how we might live from a place of balance between our inner heart (Vesta), our personal will (Mars), our intuitive knowing (Pallas Athene), an empowered relationship with the Earth (Pluto and Ceres), an understanding of what is needed to bring us back to wholeness (Neptune and Chiron) and into right relationship with “All Our Relations” (Juno in Cancer). This perfect pattern lasts for just one day, giving us all a glimpse of what is now becoming possible.

Jupiter-Uranus, in the Grand Cross is the “trigger” to awaken this vision and motivate us to enable these potentials to become a reality in our lives, as the Jupiter-Uranus alignment unfolds between now and January 2011. We will have to dig deep to release old patterns when both planets are retrograde from August to November, with the possibility the we can emerge into new levels of integration and wholeness by their final conjunction in January 2011.

For now, it is important to focus on the most positive possibilities we can imagine for our future, and let the Universe reveal to us exactly how these may become realities. At the Summer Solstice, the energy of the Grand Cross will give us to opportunity to begin to allow these amazing potentials to fully manifest and flourish in our world.