SENTIENT TIMES Feb/Mar 2002

Cosmic Calendar

Salina Rain

February and March 2002 will highlight a period of  great social upheaval and concern for human rights in the midst of ongoing and building conflict between the forces of raw, surging power and rigid conservatism, mirrored by the planets Pluto and Saturn in opposition, and Neptune and Uranus in the humanitarian sign Aquarius.

Saturn has trined Neptune in January for the 1st of 2 passes, helping to create new alliances among people committed to social justice, also allowing more mutual understanding between the two polarized extremes. There is no doubt that dogmatic beliefs are a good part of our awareness/experience for the coming months, hopefully up for revision for many who have lived according to a narrow view of reality. This is the time for humanity to clear our karma in the “Belief System” department. The question that remains before us is: Can human beings afford to hang onto harsh, exclusive, divisive, and unforgiving beliefs, whether in the name of god or patriotism or some other all-powerful entity, without assuring our own final extinction?

Neptune’s trine with Saturn promises the extraordinary faith we need to endure this trying time without giving in to further polarization, bitterness about the past or despair. Fortunately the outer planet aspects are steering many more towards the spiritual path that supports the soul’s higher purpose for being in this world at a time of such enormous evolutionary potential.

February begins with 5 planets buzzing in Aquarius; Sun, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Neptune. Mars races with courage and impulsiveness through Aries, its own sign, making it necessary to be extra mindful of our movements in relation to those around us, encouraging positive risk-taking behavior if we’re aligned through heart and mind. The 7th and 8th mark two changes in direction, with Saturn turning direct first, at 8 degrees Gemini, then Mercury the next day, at 29 degrees Capricorn. Watch these degrees in your chart as they indicate forward movement in those areas (Houses) and in relation to these planetary influences. In the larger picture we can expect transportation, communication tech-nology, and technology in general to emerge from a period of review and, in some cases, chaos. We may be aware of a need to maintain our sense of humor with Saturn’s weighty presence in the sign of levity being emphasized this week.

New Moon on the 12th at 24 degrees Aquarius is blessedly joined by Uranus, to further the cause for humanitarian alliances and actions evolving from this annual beginning. The Divine Mother, mirrored by asteroid Ceres, lends her compassion and nurturing  to support the strength of the feminine perspective in healing the world’s wounds. Jupiter opposes Chiron, Mars trines Pluto, and Juno opposes the Moon, Sun, Uranus and Ceres, making this a dynamic and powerful lunation with extraordinary possibilities for acts of unconditional love, outstanding courage and unex-pected events that inspire and startle us into hope for the future.

Again, the feminine is highlighted as we’re given an opportunity to reorganize our staunchest patriarchal institutions to include more of the  qualities (and people) whose absence has created gross imbalances. We need a fresh new look at democracy, which Jupiter and Chiron support, in order to understand how very imperfect ours has been (however precious our experiment in democracy has been so far) and how far we are currently straying from its principles. According to Dane Rudh-yar’s interpretations of the Sabian Symbols, 24 degrees Aquarius reflects: “A man, having overcome his passions, teaches deep wisdom in terms of his experience.” Rudhyar further states: “… it is the responsibility of anyone who has taken one step ahead in (her)his evolution to help others to take that step. This is true education.”

Virgo Full Moon on the 27th at  9 degrees forms a mutable grand cross with the Saturn-Pluto opposition, presenting us with especially diffi-cult challenges in the course of this ongoing opposition, or at least calling on us to be clear in our personal work and aligning ourselves spiritually. Our beliefs and their consequences are still being tested, and the Virgo-Pisces axis compels us to balance and reconcile the seemingly opposing elements of control and abandon, the practical and the mystical, the rational and the intuitive. This lunation can help us experience the reality of our interconnectedness, our spiritual Source, and the futility of living as if we must work in isolation, and competition, to achieve our major goals. Pluto’s merciless power is exposing all fears, doubts and false ideas along with austere Saturn’s help.

Jupiter pivots to direct motion on March 1st at 5 degrees Cancer, expanding on the themes of home, family, nourishment, and stimulating the real estate market while highlighting the plight of those growing numbers of people who can’t afford housing.  Rudhyar paints this picture of this degree of Cancer: “A new wave of life is starting and a concrete—and no longer symbolical—preparation is made for it at a social level … we can speak of pioneering efforts dedicated to the building of  a new culture, new institutions.” Since Jupiter is a planet particularly associated with cultural institutions we can expect strong indicators of our new direction. From the 1st to the 20th of this month all planets are direct for the only time in the year 2002. Take advantage of this relatively free-flowing energy field.

March 13th marks the Pisces New Moon, with Sun and Moon at 24 degrees. “On a small island surrounded by the vast expanse of the sea, people are seen living in close interaction … each individual has a particular dharma, i.e. place and function in a vaster whole.” (Rudhyar)

Pisces is the natural ruler of the 12th House, the part of us that needs rhythmic retreat, rest, darkness to complete the whole cycle of life as human animals. When we don’t fulfill those basic needs we necessarily become out of synch with our environment, and with the very matrix of life. This lunation is our opportunity to begin a new cycle by including more meditative, quiet and dark time, and Pluto’s pressing on us for this with a square to the Sun and Moon. The planet of power teaches us about the deepest aspects of healing that occur in the dark.

Mars in Taurus trines Chiron for substantial progress with earth-based healing modalities, and a support for environmental concerns, while Venus in Aries forms a t-sqaure with Jupiter and Chiron, a caution to attend to rela-tionships and financial matters with more care and less impulsiveness. Give yourself plenty of down time with this Moon, allowing the uncertainties of the moment to just be, and trust that you will know which choices to make as the next opportunity for action arises.

The 20th Spring Equinox arrives as the Sun hits zero degrees of Aries, and Pluto stations to retrograde for its annual journey, at 18 degrees Sagittarius, in a firey trine to Venus as planet of the depths “turns.” This situation assures that the season ahead will be characterized by passionate, insightful actions in regards to our relationships, creativity, and/or material resources. As a collective, and individually, we will be faced with the consequences of unequal power dynamics in partnerships and family systems. This a perfect time to address these problems with more resolve and courage, but be careful not to fall into the bottomless pit of emotionalism today.

The Full Moon on the 28th of March falls at 8 degrees Libra and creates the more potent configurations of the year. Sun and Moon form a Cradinal Grand Cross with Chiron and Jupiter and the Moon also forms a Grand Air Trine with Neptune-Pallas and Saturn-Vesta. All sides of every dispute or polarized situation are illuminated at this Libra Moon, a most powerful opportunity for negotiations that have a great chance of success. And there will certainly be highly visible events in the global arena that must be mediated with extra-ordinary skill and compassion. Personally we’ll benefit most by working towards reconciliation of our inner and interpersonal conflicts, indicated by the placement of these planets in our own horoscope. Rudhyar envisions for 8 degrees of Libra “A blazing fireplace in a deserted home … Within the abandoned great dream, some intangible and warm ‘presence’ remains: the ever renascent hope for a rebeginning.”

Salina Rain is a resident of Humboldt County California and has been a student of metaphysics for the last thirty years. Salina can be reached at (707) 668-5408; astro@salinarain.com; or PO Box 571, Arcata, CA 95518.

SENTIENT TIMES
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