As I write it is early January 2014 and at the moment we are going through what feels like a dress rehearsal to the main event that will happen in April 2014. Currently the planets Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto are all with orb of a Grand Cross configuration. Mars and Uranus lie opposite one another as do Jupiter and Pluto. All four planets are square to each other. Whilst these orbs are still wide compared to what we will experience in April, they already seem to be giving us a flavour of events.

Squares and oppositions are typically noted for being tense aspects. Squares tend to produce conflict and demand action of some kind to resolve the situation. Oppositions can indicate where we project out ‘stuff’ that we don’t want to deal with. Oppositions can be as the name implies and characterise where we come into opposition with other’s beliefs, ways of being, needs, wants and desires. Oppositions can generate a need to make a decision that is foisted upon us from what seems to be an outside force, although often it is a projection of an internal dilemma.

Both squares and oppositions are dynamic aspects that request we change something in our lives and change is rarely easy. Even changes that we desire can evoke their own kind of stress.

On a personal level, I have Mars currently transiting through my 3rd house (communication) and Jupiter transiting through my 12th house. As these two gear up to perfect to a square tomorrow (8th January), I woke up to find my email had been hijacked by a spammer. The result was nearly 3000 returned/delayed emails to delete. Don’t forget that the 12th house can be the house of secret enemies!

But of course en masse, we are also seeing a possible manifestation of this in all the crazy weather we are experiencing. A polar vortex in the US generating record breaking low temperatures along with massive snow storms; storm after storm of rain and wind in the UK causing havoc and deaths and an Atlantic swell that has flooded coastlines here in the UK, France and Portugal. Back in my November video I noted that unusual weather patterns are associated with the Uranus-Pluto square and boy has that come to pass! Note too that 2013 saw a record number of volcanic eruptions.

I think before I go any further that I should point out now that I am not predicting the end of the world and doom and gloom for everyone. In fact, these aspects are perfect for generating the energy needed to make changes both in society and also on a personal level. What I sense most of all is that this cross is forcing us into a position where we MUST change the things that aren’t working for us – again both personally and in the wider world. The intense weather patterns have naturally fuelled conversation on climate change. If you look at it symbolically, the weather is connected to our own emotional patterns. Where there are emotional storms and dramas, we can be reasonably sure these will take centre stage in April – if only to be seen, heard and dealt with. Something needs to be looked at, acknowledged, accepted and ultimately transformed.

But I also feel it would be remiss of me not to mention that these kinds of energies can have quite dramatic manifestations in the outer world, especially when we seem to live in such times of conflict. Whilst this pattern can be used for profound good, the opposite is also true and there is a war-like call to action present within the chart. It’s dynamic and it’s volatile.

The signs involved – Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn are all cardinal signs. These Cardinal signs mark the changes of season, the active turning points of the year. They focus on the idea of the self, beginnings,(Aries), home and family (Cancer), Relationships, justice and truth (Libra) and established systems (Capricorn). Out of interest, I noticed that Mars in Libra has already got a look in as solicitors/lawyers in the UK staged their first ever strike yesterday in protest over cuts to legal aid – a highly apt manifestation of Mars in Libra square Jupiter, opposite Uranus!

As to the planets involved we have :-

Mars (defence, offence, anger, desire, motivation)

Jupiter (beliefs, faith, the clergy, expansion, learning)

Uranus (rebellion, eccentricity, shocking change, freedom)

Pluto (elimination, willpower, power, fear)

These are just some of the keywords involved. Putting it all together we start to get a picture of the clash between old and new, systems breaking down, established structures changing, revolutionary ideas or revolution, changes in family patterns, changes in the old ways of doing things, facing enforced change, facing fear, nothing will ever be the same. That old song ‘O the times they are a-changing’ is set on repeat in my mind.

With the refrain singing, I can’t ignore that each of our four planetary players will be on the 13th degree of their respective signs. The number 13 relates to the Death card in the tarot. This much maligned number is in many cultures seen as dark and negative yet it also is associated with magic, the Moon and female cycles.

I decided to take a look at the Sabian symbols of these degrees :-

Mars

In The Heat Of The Noon Hour A Man Takes A Siesta

Jupiter

A Very Old Man Facing A Vast Dark Space To The Northeast

Uranus

A Serpent Coiling Near A Man And A Woman

Pluto

An Ancient Bas-Relief Carved In Granite Remains A Witness To A Long-Forgotten Culture

It’s strange, as I read the symbols in planetary order, they have a dream-like quality to them, almost nightmarish. But nightmares are a way of the subconscious mind screaming a warning – you need to deal with this!

It’s as though the human race has been asleep for a long time and we have consequently faced the darkest aspects of ourselves and what we are capable of. Humankind has been tempted away by the promise of riches other than those that bountiful Mother nature offers. We took our beautiful garden and laid waste to it. And one day, the world we live in now, our cities and empires, our banks and institutions – all these will be dust. Every nation falls eventually.

Perhaps the key is in Uranus because the serpent is also a symbol of wisdom – specifically feminine wisdom. Perhaps the divine Mother/Mother Earth will have something more to say. The ouroborous reminds us that everything decays and then is reborn. Snake is kundalini energy – our own ancient inner power. Snake is the caduceus – healing energy and the knowledge perhaps locked into our DNA.

Uranus too is a symbol of awakening. Perhaps it is Uranus that will wake us up with a start in the dead of ‘night’ after we’ve looked into the red eyes of the Devil. It makes me think of the volcanoes that have roared to life in the Ring of Fire, lava like serpents uncoiling from deep beneath the earth…

At the height of the Grand Cross, there will also be a meeting between the South Node, Mercury and Juno. Looking at this makes me feel as though one part of this story will be about dealing with broken promises and releasing old contracts that no longer work. It may be literal as in political back-tracking, renegotiation and posturing or it may be activated on a karmic level for some of us individually.

However this manifests, we all have a chance to dance with change. A new rhythm is thundering through the heavens and we must change step accordingly.

In your own chart, look to the houses that the planets will be transiting (along with of course any aspects to natal planets or points).

Mars retrograde in Libra shows where you may be feeling on the defence, where you need to negotiate, compromise or agree to disagree. This area of your chart is ‘fired up’ but energy is flowing inwards.

Jupiter shows the area of life that is being expanded, where you need to broaden your understanding, where you need to gain a bigger perspective, where you need more faith.

Uranus shows where change is needed and necessary, where you feel like rebelling, where you are awakening, where you need space, where you need a more objective viewpoint.

Pluto shows what is being broken down in your life, where elimination needs to happen, where you can empower yourself, where fears need to be faced.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this cosmic pattern. Do leave a comment 🙂 If you are curious to know how this will affect your own chart, check out the readings I offer.

Painting – ‘The Temptation and Fall of Eve’ by William Blake