•     Jane Ridder-Patrick, who significantly expanded my understanding of medical astrology, and

Spiritsong's Impressions

There is no way to adequately describe the exhilarating feelings generated by the collective energy of over one thousand astrologers in one location! We reveled in seven days of top quality education from some of the most brilliant minds in the field of astrology. 

It felt like this to me: imagine going to a buffet with 15 items to choose from. But this is no ordinary fare. Every two hours throughout the day, a new buffet is served, with 15 dishes prepared by 15 different chefs, offering their finest gourmet presentations! You can only choose one item but you get to go to a new buffet five times each day!

These presentations, were, of course, a feast for the mind and spirit, not for the body.  But the hardest part was in the choosing. Never mind that I'm a Libra sun, and all the jokes about Libras trying to make a decision! There were hundreds of people doing the same thing: vacillating between agony and ecstasy as we tried to make the best choice for ourselves out of each collection of the finest possibilities imaginable!

As did Benjamin, I came home from the conference in Denver excited by all the new insights and information I had gleaned. I also share his great appreciation for presentations given by Caroline Casey and Noel Tyl, among others. 

One of my favorites was a lecture given by Barbara Schermer on the new planet, Sedna. The creative way she presented the information made Sedna come alive for me in a very powerful way. I look forward to learning more, and using Sedna in my consultations with clients. I am already aware of her presence in my own chart now.

FORECAST FOR 2008 AND BEYOND: PLUTO IN CAPRICORN!
 

The big astrological news in 2008 is Pluto's entry into Capricorn. I wrote a few lines about it in my January forecast, since it begins on January 25 (click here to read that entry now).  But Pluto will still be nostalgic for its Sagittarian years: it will retrograde back into Sagittarius on June 14, then re-enter Capricorn to stay (through 2024, anyway) on November 26.

In my January 25 entry, I focused on the dirty secrets of big business being exposed, as well as it being make or break time for the global community to deal with the world's environmental crisis. However, Pluto in Capricorn has many more ramifications. And this critical sign change sets a world-changing chain of events into motion that extends well beyond 2008.

Let's start by examining the archetypal energies we're dealing with. Pluto is the planet of transformation, death and rebirth. Metaphors for its processes include a phoenix burning to ash and resurrecting, a snake shedding its skin, and a caterpillar morphing into a butterfly. Pluto can also represent tremendous power and/or wealth.

Capricorn is the sign of existing institutions and structures, including big business, governments and established religions. It's inherently conservative, traditional and resistant to change. Its shadow side can be cold, dictatorial, and ruthless, believing that the ends justify the means. Its more evolved qualities include integrity, commitment, and perseverance, as well as being the "wise elder."

Some historical perspective is also helpful. Pluto orbits the sun about every 250 years, so a quarter of a millennium elapses between its passes through Capricorn. The last time it was there was from 1762 to 1778, during the American Revolution. The time before that, 1516-1533, Martin Luther's Protestant revolt created a religious and political crisis for Emperor Charles V and the Catholic Church. No matter how far back we go in recorded history, Pluto in Capricorn periods correspond with revolutionary changes to the existing world order.

This will also be true for us. The powers that be, however, never go down without a fight. Pluto and Capricorn do have some things in common - they both love being in control, for example - and so we can expect more of the "Big Brother" style surveillance and invasion of privacy that are already spreading through the United States and other countries such as Great Britain. (Saturn can also bring fear - of terrorism and other real and imagined threats - to justify government's systematic erosion of our fundamental civil liberties.) Government will seem to believe that, in order for freedom to be kept safe, it must be locked away.

The forces of authoritarianism and ever-increasing government control are likely to gain power through about May of 2010. On May 27 of that year, however, Uranus brings the planetary energy of revolution and paradigm shift out of its seven-year stint in Pisces (dreaming, visualizing and imagining) and into Aries (the leader or warrior taking impulsive action). At that point, we may well experience the start of something resembling another American Revolution in order to set our ship of state on a more enlightened course.

This idea is also supported by the fact that Uranus is aspecting three planets in the United States' natal chart around that time (Pluto, the moon and Mercury), and conjuncting the nadir! (I'm using the Sibley chart for the U.S.) The U.S. is also about to undergo the most powerful Pluto transits it has experienced since the 20's and 30's: between now and 2015, Pluto will oppose the United States' Venus, Jupiter and Sun. Venus and Jupiter rule the U.S. midheaven and ascendant - powerful and public points - and the Sun is the core of identity and vitality.

These Pluto transit alone are enough to guarantee that the U.S. will be profoundly transformed over the next seven years. My feeling is that we will emerge a more humble country, either by choice or because the rest of the world finally got fed up with us! Hopefully, we will move away from the arrogant "cowboy diplomacy" of recent years, and will instead adopt the spirit of harmony and cooperation that has become so essential for the well-being of the global community.

The Pluto oppositions just discussed are unique to the United States, but Uranus' entry into Aries will have a global impact. Other countries and institutions will experience revolutionary events relevant to their particular situations.

By 2010, Uranus and Pluto will already have been radiating some of the energy of their impending square (a 90° angle of challenge for growth). These two planets create revolutionary transformation and powerful paradigm shift when their energies connect. They were most recently conjunct 1964-1966, when the revolutionary fervor of the 60's shifted into high gear. (Their prior conjunction coincided with the French Revolution.)

Uranus and Pluto will make seven exact squares to each other from 2012 through 2015, wiping out old structures of all kinds that have outlived their usefulness. A square is much more dynamic and challenging than a conjunction, so this wrecking ball effect may make the 60's look tame by comparison.

This may sound scary, but look at the stakes. Nothing less than a radical shift in how the global powers-that-be operate - be they governments or multinational corporations - will be sufficient to save the planet from an environmental catastrophe too horrible to contemplate. Archaic assumptions that have held sway for hundreds of years must fall by the wayside if mankind, as well as most of Earth's other species, is to survive.  These include the outmoded ideas of endless economic growth, unrestrained population expansion, and mankind's right to exploit Gaia's resources without regard to future consequences or future generations.

Some people hope for a miraculous rescue. It could be that, when the Mayan calendar ends on the Winter Solstice of 2012, mankind will experience a quantum leap into a more enlightened state of consciousness. (To hear my free lecture on that subject, "The Astrology of 2012," click here.) Or maybe the alien motherships will finally descend from the skies to save us from ourselves.

I could more easily believe in such a deus ex machina if Pluto was in Pisces, the sign of saviors. But Pluto will be in Capricorn, the sign of sweat equity, hard work and keeping your nose to the grindstone. Its spiritual motto could be, "God helps those who help themselves." If 2012 does mark an evolutionary leap, I believe that the exact nature of that transformation will be shaped by what mankind has done, individually and collectively,
up until that moment to raise its vibration. At this point in human history, more so than ever before, the work each of us does to awaken ourselves can profoundly benefit humanity as a whole.

What else can one person do when faced with such daunting astrological energies? Let's take some inspiration from Pluto itself. It's a tiny planet - not even that, if you accept its new "dwarf planet" classification. And it's nowhere near the heart of the action - so far out in the boonies of the solar system that the Sun hardly looks brighter than any other star.

Yet Pluto is astrology's most powerful transiting planet. Its diminutive size demonstrates that small things can be very powerful. It does, after all, rule plutonium, a tiny amount of which can either power or decimate a city. In the same way, one person - working with Capricornian discipline and Plutonian obsessiveness - can make a huge impact during this time. By doing whatever you are most called to do - however insignificant it might seem - you will be playing your perfect part in a leaderless web of perfect synchronicity. (For more on this idea, read Daniel Quinn's empowering book Beyond Civilization: Humanity's Next Great Adventure. And as long as you're book shopping, pick up Richard Tarnas' Cosmos and Psyche [click here for my review], which presents compelling evidence of the outer planets' powerful effect on human history.)

Pluto's entry into Capricorn isn't the only significant astrological news of 2008, although it is by far the most important. Jupiter will be making three sextiles to Uranus, on March 28, May 21 and November 13. The periods around these dates will be times when following your intuitive flashes will bring you enhanced good fortune. You would also do well to heed any lightning strikes of sudden illumination regarding religion, foreign travel, higher education, publishing or politics.

However, the astrological event that I would rank second in importance to Pluto entering Capricorn is Saturn's opposition to Uranus. It occurs on November 4, the day of the American presidential elections! It represents the struggle between Saturn (conservatism, business as usual) and Uranus (revolution, paradigm shift). This opposition, which will occur five times between November 4, 2008 and July 26, 2010, will serve to open chinks in the armor of the powers-that-be, and will pave the way for the revolutionary shifts (Uranus entering Aries, Uranus square Pluto) that we've already covered.

So what can you do to make the best of 2008's Plutonian challenges? The bottom line is to stay open to change. As I tell my clients who are having powerful Pluto transits, the more you resist transformation at such times, the more you suffer. The more you embrace change - even if it's frightening and you can't see where it's leading - the more empowered you become. 

Pluto can be experienced as cruel and greedy people and institutions conspiring against you, or as a river of divine power that flows through you. And that river is always strongest when you allow your actions to be guided by your inner wisdom. As with any astrological energy, you can use it or be used by it. The choice is yours.

DANCING WITH SATURN

The Saturn return is a life-transforming astrological event which most people only experience twice in a lifetime. For me, it contained elements of being squished like a pancake between two metal objects -- and like David facing Goliath!

Last June, on a bright sunny afternoon, my husband Benjamin and I approached the entrance of a local hotel to attend a meeting there. Happy that we had managed to arrive on time in spite of some challenges, I followed him through what appeared to be the entrance of the hotel. But, just as I started to walk through the door, I felt something slam into my left side, knocking me into the door frame to my right. I felt like a tin can in a crusher before the force of the sliding door that had hit me spit me out, stunned and disoriented, into the hotel lobby.

In another incident last month, Benjamin had to rush me to the ER. Because of an electrical malfunction in my heart, I was experiencing an episode of tachycardia (in which the heart races at 160 beats per minute or more) that would not stop. When the usual medicines used to restore normal heart rhythm didn’t work, they had to shock my heart. This reestablished my normal heart rate, but led to me staying in the hospital for six days. Spending some time in a hospital is not foreign to me, but having to fight for my rights and buck the whole medical system -- while in an extremely vulnerable state -- is!

Both of these events were quite out of the ordinary, but that is often how Saturn works.

Saturn is the stern taskmaster, and often gives us tests that write us a “reality check.” Sometimes these tests, like pop quizzes, seem to come out of nowhere. Even if we think we've done our homework and prepared for the big tests, we still may get blindsided by something we weren't expecting!

Because transiting Saturn has been waltzing along the Eastern hemisphere of my chart for the past year, dancing with each of the planets in my 11th and 12th Houses, I've been learning a lot about how to dance with Saturn while trying not to step on his toes! Because of Saturn’s long annual retrogrades, he has passed these planets, then reversed course to check for anything he’s missed. I've welcomed his instruction, since I know that all the outer planets are only working for our greater good. They come along to help us awaken to and evolve into our highest life purpose.

I thought that perhaps, if I learned enough about how to please this highly demanding teacher, I might avoid having to take too many remedial lessons to correct my dance steps. One thing is certain: when the outer planets are scheduled to show up, there is no escape. Ready or not, they will come!

My Scorpio Mars (the detective) and Virgo Moon (wanting to get all the details right) worked together to help me prepare. I was as ready for Saturn's tests as I could be. I can attest to the fact that Saturn greatly rewards our hard work. However, he doesn't hesitate to show us where our steps are out of sync with the beauty of the dance. Under his stern but wise tutelage, we can make the adjustments needed to feel the joy of flowing along more gracefully.

I wanted to partner with transiting Saturn not only because of his imminent conjunctions to my natal Pluto, Venus and Moon, but also because he would also be conjuncting my natal Saturn. Saturn's return to his natal position, called the Saturn Return, is one of the most important transits in one's lifetime. It takes Saturn about 29-½ years to make his way around the chart, so in a normal lifespan we have at least two Saturn returns, around the age of 29/30 and again around 59/60. For some, a third transit will happen around the age of 88/89. Since I have only experienced the first two, those are the ones I’ll be discussing here.

The first Saturn return, at around age 29, gives us the urge to leave any remnants of untamed adolescent irresponsibility behind if we haven't already done so. The Time Lord says that it's time to grow up, to willingly shoulder our responsibilities and make our contribution in the world. Whatever has been preventing us from doing this may well be changed or eliminated, either by our choice for change or circumstances clearing the way for us.

Although this process is not always painful, it can be. If we are “on purpose” and living in an empowered way, we may not have to make any huge changes during the first Saturn return. But if we are still playing the old tapes of our early “authorities”-- parents, teachers, peers, or anyone to whom we have surrendered our power -- this will be an opportunity to become our own “author”ity and write our own script. It is common at this time to take different jobs, change life partners, relocate and make other significant life changes.

The second Saturn return comes around age 59, when we have had 30 years or more of “tending to business” -- managing a home, earning a living and fine-tuning our true purpose for being here. At this time, we are invited to become the “elders,” the mentors. It is now our time to pass on the wealth of knowledge and wisdom gained through our now significant number of years of “living, laughing, loving, crying, and learning” from it all!

Second Saturn Returns are often accompanied by a shift into a second career, or sometimes a dedication to a cause where your gifts and talents can benefit others. Sometimes a new gift or talent is discovered as you explore inner territories which you have previously neglected while raising a family and pursuing your livelihood. This is a time to be treasured!

So what does Saturn have to do with being squished by automatic doors and having to stand your ground against hospital authorities?

Let's look first at the hotel accident. The “doorway” we had entered was really an emergency opening to the right of the main automatic opening doors. For some reason, it was standing open when it should have been closed. Just as I started to go through the open “doorway” behind Benjamin, someone approached the automatic sliding doors in front of the hotel, triggering them to fly open. Unfortunately, I was in the way. In an instant, the damage was done.

Transiting Saturn was still 10 degrees away from its natal position at this time -- too far away for the accident itself to be considered a true Saturn Return event. However, Saturn had, within the last 24 hours, entered my Twelfth House -- often called "the House of Troubles." (Saturn changing houses is an astrologically significant event, since this only happens about every 2-1/2 years.) In addition, the extended period of healing and rehabilitation that the accident made necessary -- and which I'm still working through -- is very much a Saturn Return experience!

This freak accident tested the strength of my physical body and revealed structural defects and deterioration that needed my attention. (Saturn rules the body’s skeletal structure.) Without that accident, and the resulting scrutiny my body received through x-rays and other medical imaging techniques, I might not have realized that I have some serious arthritis developing. Now I can address this situation with additional supplements and care.

I was also “slowed down”, another Saturn signature. This caused me to look at the other symbolic meanings of this impact, which literally challenged my physical boundaries (yet another Saturn function). I asked myself where I might need to adjust the boundaries in my life. I am still working with the healing of those injuries and learning what I need to in the process. The full extent of that impact revealed itself over a period of several days as the injuries “ripened.” This slow, months-long healing process, and the limitations it has imposed upon me, has tested my patience repeatedly. And, yes, you guessed it: endurance is another of Saturn's lessons, as well as learning how to deal with limitations.

My Saturn Return Day, September 12th, felt very significant. I viewed it as a kind of “rebirth” day. Birthdays come every year, but a Saturn Return Day is a rare event which signals a major new life chapter. I went to the forest and created my own spiritual ceremony as dusk came, welcoming this next leg of my life journey. It was a beautiful ending to a wonderful day.

What I was not prepared for was the pop quiz I would get immediately after my Saturn Return. My hospital test was clearly a reality check. It was as if Saturn was saying, “Okay, it's great that you can do all this spiritual celebration and feel good about my return. Now let's see if you're ready for my graduation ceremony!”

On the fifth day of my hospitalization I had to challenge the authority (another Saturn word) of my attending physician. I had to become my own “author”ity, re-writing the script when the doctor's version was not acceptable to me.

While I am truly grateful for the benefits of Western medicine in emergency situations, I try to avoid allopathic medicines whenever I can. But, since my heart had required electroshock to regain its normal rhythm, I understood the doctor's desire to find a drug that would prevent future episodes of tachycardia. So I was willing to participate in an experiment while they monitored my heart, to see if we could find a drug that would keep my heart beating steadily without causing significant side effects.

After four days of trying different drugs that were not working -- at least not without significant undesirable side effects -- the doctor came in to see me. She seemed upset from the moment she walked into my hospital room. It felt as if she blamed me for the fact that the drugs were having detrimental side effects.

When I suggested a drug combination that would include the only allopathic heart medicine I've never had problems with, she became even more upset. I told her that I was not trying to cause any problems, but rather was trying to work with her to find a solution. Her response was to say that she was discharging me, telling me that I basically had two choices for medicine combinations. Each of the two choices she gave me left an aspect of my medical situation unaddressed and me in jeapordy. She seemed to be tired of her experiments failing, and appeared to be out of ideas. I don't know why she was upset. But when she left, I was the one who broke down.

I was in a bit of shock that I had somehow seemed to upset the doctor. I was only trying to be a helpful member of the team! I felt huge sadness at being treated so disrespectfully, and in despair at being given two unacceptable medical options. After having a good long cry, I began to realize how unfair the situation was. Calmness, my usual state, began to return. I realized that whatever was going on for the doctor, she was not behaving in a way that supported my well-being.

I saw the test that Saturn had set for me. It was time for me to step into my power.

I called for my nurse and asked to talk to someone in charge who could assess the situation objectively. When she returned, she brought me another pill...a sedative! (She said that this was her supervisor's suggestion.) I calmly refused the sedative, stating that while it would certainly lower my blood pressure, it would also render me unable to have an intelligent and lucid conversation about my concerns.

After she returned to report this new development, I finally got to talk to someone who was in a higher position of authority. This woman’s initial behavior was polite but distant, since she probably thought that she had a “basket case” on her hands! But by the time we finished our conversation she understood that I had some legitimate concerns, and had become warm and cordial. She then took the proper steps to find a more appropriate solution. My willingness to stand up to “the system” finally resulted in my being able to talk to someone who respected my opinions about what was best for my care. This allowed me to be part of the team making medical decisions which affected my life, rather than the subservient “subject” of the “queen” (the doctor) and the “empire” (the hospital system).

Although I was initially overwhelmed with emotion and upset by my doctor’s lack of respect, in the end I felt empowered and liberated by the way I demonstrated to myself and to others that I am ultimately my own authority. As a Neptunian Libra (Neptune conjunct my Sun natally), I am not comfortable making waves and bucking the system. But, that same Libra energy (justice must prevail) combined with my Scorpio Mars (fiery initiative to create transformation) enabled me to rise to the occasion and become a diplomatic but powerful force to be reckoned with. I was able to understand, almost immediately, that Saturn had given me the opportunity to demonstrate that I am ready to be standing in my power. It was a clear test, and I feel like I graduated to another level of maturity in this “Saturn school.”

Were those easy tests? No! But am I thankful? Yes! Thank you, Saturn!

I have read numerous helpful texts and articles about Saturn during the past several months. The one from which I have most benefited, and recommend most highly, is Caroline Casey’s Making The Gods Work For You. In this book, subtitled “The Astrological Language of the Psyche”, Caroline gives invaluable insights on how to work with the energies of the transiting planets. I read her chapter on Saturn several times, and will do so again. I have no doubt that it helped me prepare for my Saturnian tests. Thank you, Caroline!

I leave you with the following quote from Caroline's book for working with Saturn transits, and invite you to call me at 828-777-6688 if you would like some compassionate assistance to help you navigate the beneficial but sometimes tricky territories of the outer planet transits.

Venus, celestial guide to your heart's deepest desires, has been calling to you for several weeks. She started quietly, but now her voice is so loud that you can hardly avoid hearing it!

On June 23, Venus entered the “shadow” preceding her retrograde at 16° Leo, then began her apparent backward motion on July 27 at 2° Virgo. Throughout July, she whispered to you about how well you are, or are not, honoring your life... your relationship to all things of value... your beloved, your children, your job, your home, your money, your creative expression – and, most of all, yourself!

Have you heard her? Any nagging thoughts about changes you'd like to make in those areas should now be nearly impossible to ignore.

The bigger questions are these: Are you willing to make the adjustments needed to be in integrity and live in harmony with your truest inner needs? Are your primary relationships balanced and healthy? Are you in harmony with your finances? Are you fully expressing your creative gifts and talents?

Venus is ready to assist you with her natural beauty and grace -- and with a graceful kick in the wazoo, if necessary! She rules whatever gives you pleasure. During her retrograde period, with her power intensified, she will do whatever is needed to help you rebalance your relationship to everything important in your life.

She'll be clearly sending you the signals you need through September 8th, her last day of retrograde motion. Then, through October 11, when she completes the transit of her "shadow zone," she'll give you the chance to assimilate the messages you've received, create an action plan, and implement it. Most astrologers agree that it’s best to wait until Venus has completed her retrograde on Sept. 8 before making any big changes. Some even advise waiting until she has cleared her shadow, on Oct. 11. 
 

Minor adjustments can be made anytime....it's just the major changes that should wait until after the retrograde. You can trust your inner voice to know the perfect time to make them. In fact, if you're listening carefully and attending to the fine tuning, you may not need to make any major changes at all!  
 

Venus retrogrades occur every 18 months, and last for about six weeks. In your natal chart, the houses she is activating, along with the planets and angles she aspects, will determine your unique experience of this powerful event. Please don't hesitate to call if we can help you use this Venus retrograde to create a more abundant and joyous life!