Over the next few days, the Aries Sun will preview big astrology later this month. With a cardinal square to Jupiter in Cancer today, followed by an Aries conjunction with Uranus tomorrow, and finally another square to Pluto’s Capricorn position on Thursday, the Sun will be showing you something of the impending grand cardinal cross.
Whether in the sky or on a zodiac chart, the Sun serves to illuminate. Symbolically, the Sun correlates to the consciousness normally associated with daytime and daylight.
For their part, Pluto, Uranus and Jupiter are either at or very near where they will be on April 23 when retrograde Mars will fill the Libra position to complete a grand cardinal cross, precise to the degree.
The precise grand cardinal cross (or grand cardinal square, as you prefer) will feature Jupiter opposing Pluto from across the zodiac and the sky, with Earth in the middle. Mars will likewise oppose Uranus. Additionally, all four planets will be in square aspect (at right angles) to the other two not in opposition. It’s been a long time coming. It will be a long time gone. It’s a big deal for astrologers.
Whether or not this month’s grand cardinal cross corresponds to a big deal for you, it’s probable that you will one day look back and recognize something very unique, and profoundly important, in the quality of this time. Imagine the advantage of seeing it coming.
That’s how the Aries Sun will be showing you something this week. The center of the solar system — the principal object of astrology, and the symbolic corollary for the central role consciousness plays in your existence — is allowing you to look ahead by simply looking around and taking note.
With today’s solar square to Jupiter, look around both inside and outside of yourself for how your own magnanimity is somehow being inhibited. Ask yourself, what’s holding you back from affording another person an even break today? How is grudge defeating your innate generosity, and how do you see those same tense struggles playing out for others? Then, look ahead to April 23 when you may discern the same issues as part of a greater complex.
With tomorrow’s solar conjunction to Uranus, look for an epiphany. Keep your heart open and your eyes peeled for the extraordinary in the ordinary. Listen for the divine in the profane. Feel the profound in the prosaic. Religious icons perceived on a slice of toast don’t count. Get real about the miraculous, and it will appear. Then prepare to find the same in spades later this month.
Finally, when the Sun squares Pluto on Thursday, go deeper. Confront your greatest fears and blow their cover by addressing them as the path to your greatest potentials. Close your eyes, and take a moment to envision yourself with wings, and the muscle to use them. Follow up by opening your eyes to search for what the world offers as an analog for wings and a metaphor for muscle. Then take up a daily practice that somehow functions to fledge and flex so that you will react with aplomb rather than plummet when it is your time to rise.
Look for the near future this week, and you will find it previewed in the present. That’s what the Sun, and astrology, implies you should be conscious of in your every now. You won’t have to change a thing about how you live your life. You will only need to be more aware of what is already there, make note, and remember in order to see the light.
Offered In Service
Len is available for astrology readings. You can contact him at lenwallick [at] gmail [dot] com.
Celebrate the new season with a Planet Waves premium membership! Planet Waves was built on Eric’s horoscopes, and our members swear by them as an essential tool for co-creating their lives. Sign up for a six-month membership and receive weekly and monthly horoscopes, plus more.
Gary Caton notes that Pallas will station direct at the midpoint between Uranus and Pluto, the Leo side midpoint rather than the Aquarius one, on April 8th. This expands her involvement in the cardinal cross event even beyond her role as part of an ongoing sextile with Ceres and Vesta (which when coupled with the ACA Uranus forms a yod), as Gary sees Pallas’ role as an “octave transformer” between Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus.
In his article on The Mt. Astrologer Magazine site, his chart for the Uranus exact square to Pluto on April 21st has Pallas in a trine with Mercury, semisquare Jupiter and sesquiquadrate (or sesquisquare) Uranus, and he believes it is part of why “widespread revolutionary fervor” such as experienced in the late 60’s will happen. If you read that article (link below) there is another link in that article’s references to an earlier article he wrote that expands on his theory. In it he says “I believe that Pallas can be seen as an octave transformer between Mercury, Jupiter, and Uranus, because all these archetypes are associated with somewhat unbounded mental creative principles.” This is especially so right now, Gary says, in part because of the Mercury’s retrogrades in air signs this year. I don’t totally grasp that part of his reasoning, but it is interesting.
I’m reporting this FYI because right now Mercury is trine Saturn, but also because today the Sun made a conjunction to Uranus and in a few hours the Sun will square Pluto. I also believe the asteroids are very supportive of the transformational period we are going through and in Gary’s earlier article (June/July 2012) he writes about the research of one Stanislav Grof, a psychiatrist, in collaboration with Richard Tarnas, who feels that the planets Jupiter and Uranus, when in aspect, are archetypes of the birthing process. Here’s that link. .
http://mountainastrologer.com/tma/the-roles-of-pallas-athene-and-mercury-in-the-cardinal-grand-cross
be
Thank you Len for so beautifully illustrating this time where we have the great opportunity to name and live our Passion! It is a time of honoring unity and strength of all forms of life; harnessing the rhythm energy in compassion of diversity!
With my natal Mercury in Leo occupying the same (13) degree as our grand cross, I am literally yearning for the experience of reaching up and pulling down Spirit to earth!
Believe this be the 5th (passion/change) of 7 (wisdom/consciousness) Uranus/Pluto squares of the sequence of the Cardinal Grand Crosses.
Number 5 is of progression and passion signifies new growth. The number 5 relates to personal freedom, making positive choices and major life changes. 5 will usher in positive energies and opportunities and will catapult us along on our path in the right direction towards transformation and transmutation.
Number 7 is a mystical number symbolizing wisdom, the collective consciousness, symbolizes humanity’s deep inner need to find depth, purpose, meaning and spiritual connection.
Bless you, Len!
What an exquisite moment to be in. I will not squander it.
Thank you, thank you.
My pleasure Len. I guess it’s one of many stages we go through, but I find it fascinating to be aware – in real time – of history in the making. When we are younger we are almost oblivious of such things, like in the 60’s when all kinds of historical events were happening. If it weren’t for astrology I doubt I’d “get it”, but now I do and it is awesome.
With the ACA birth chart (and I apologize for the HCA label I used previously but at the time I printed the chart it was called the Health Care reform bill) you see how it manifests 4 years later and it is almost scary that there is so much strategy built into the life of all things.
For example, I harp a lot on the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of 2000 that initiated a period of 20 years of social growth and how we see it manifesting in events now. In the ACA chart Pallas (the strategist) at 22+ Scorpio was opposite the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of 2000 at 22+ Taurus. Transiting Saturn is now at 22+ Scorpio and yet I never associate Saturn with being a “trigger” for events the way the Moon or Mars is. The ACA Pallas (planner) was square (challenge) the ACA Vesta (what we invest in) at 22+ Leo as well as the 2000 Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 22+ Taurus.
Now-a-days transiting Pallas sextiles transiting Vesta, a harmonious angle, yet transiting Pallas at the time of the October rollout for signing up (for healthcare coverage) was at 22+ Leo, squaring her position in the ACA chart of 2010 and the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of 2000. In October, she was conjunct Vesta’s position (investing) in the ACA chart. Such precision is what makes me a believer.
be
Lyd, thank-you for the links re Canada’s chart. I shall explore them.
Len, thank-you for your encouraging words, & also your cautionary note re being careful what I wish for. Well taken. Once upon a time when Pluto was transiting my sun, I “wished”, & thought I could handle what I’d wished for. I am very, very careful what I wish for now!
Kelly: Apologies for missing you in my previous comment. Thank you! You probably give me too much credit. i’m not so sure about my being a preacher. A pulpit is probably not my place. My place is probably the back pew, close to the door..
be: Thank you so much your aside about Pluto. Well noted! You are the best!
All: i played it straight today. No jokes. Thank you for understanding. Maybe next year i’ll have the great humor groove Eric and others were in today.
Strawberry: Thank you in turn for your generous support.
Jude: You are most welcome.
Bette Loreen: Thank you for sharing how this week’s astrology is transiting your natal chart. Your interpretation of the transits appears to be sound. Your strategy (both the “processing some past issues” and the head-start on gardening) look perfect for both being in the moment and advancing your relationship with yourself at the same time. Perfect. Well done. Just please be careful what you wish for.
aword: You are very welcome.
Lizzy: It is gratifying to know my service met your needs. Thank you.
Lyd: Thank you in turn for your kind words. Thank you also for the Canada chart links.
Chief Niwots Son: Your gracious and gentle assessment of my service is exceeded only by your wisdom, which we all appreciate here at Planet Waves.
Salamander: It gives me joy to know you are not afraid. It is a relief to know you avoided an accident during a tricky day on the road. Enjoy your Wednesday break!
DivaCarla: It’s rewarding to know my service is in your support. Thank you!
be: You are amazing! Thank you for picking up the ball and running with it so magnificently with timely correlations to the Affordable Care Act, and more. Without you, how would we have known? We thank our lucky stars that you share your erudition and insights with us here at Planet Waves!
As an aside, I would note that the degree Pluto is in right now is where he will be for over 3 months time because he will be stationing retrograde in it. It is the degree opposite the degree where the U.S. Sibly Sun resides. The Sabian Symbol for transiting Pluto’s degree is of an ancient bas-relief carved in granite that remains a witness to a long-forgotten culture. Dane Rudhyar speaks of how it “becomes necessary to separate permanent values and great principles” from all the junk that becomes entangled in a society/culture.
“We must strive to free these ideals from the wild growth of personal and class selfishness, from the greed and ambition so prevalent in human nature, and learn to appreciate the excellence of what is the immortal seed-foundation, as well as the spiritual harvest, of any culture – and by extension of every sustained and complete work produced by a man’s indomitable [sounds like Ceres, Vesta, Pallas as well as Obama to me] effort to achieve creative perfection.”
If Pluto doesn’t get it all done during these 3 months in that degree, don’t worry, he will be back there again by the end of the year.
be
Oh my Lord, Len, you should be a preacher for the masses. It’s as if you go to bed at night with a riddle.. and by morning you will know how to solve it
Truth be said, the entire PW team has that ability
No arguments here Len, with today’s Sun conjunct Jupiter we learned that the ACA – Obamacare – had achieved its goal, even surpassed its goal, in spite of overwhelming obstacles, for signups by the deadline…
On March 23, 2010, when Obamacare was “born”, there was a cardinal square going on. The Moon at 5+ Cancer was opposed Pluto at 5+ Pluto and they were on the chart’s horizon, Moon on the ascendant and Pluto on the descendant. The Sun was at 2 Aries 55 in the 10th house, opposite Saturn at 1 Libra 09 in the 4th house. That cardinal square was about as cardinal as you can get. . by sign AND by house. Today, transiting Uranus is and has been conjunct the HCA chart’s Mercury at 11 Aries 59, and the way I see it, the little planet was speaking that day in March 2010 for the universal Uranus who is also Mercury’s higher octave.
Obamacare’s Jupiter at 15 Pisces 18 is where today’s Chiron is transiting, and in a month from now, on May 3, 2014, transiting Jupiter will be exactly trine it’s position that day in March 2010.
Something else to think about is the ongoing sextile between today’s transiting Ceres (determined) + Vesta (investment) + north node (opportunity) + Mars (fighter) in Libra and transiting Pallas (the strategist) in Leo, form a yod with the HCA’s Uranus (breakthrough) at 26 Pisces 56.
It isn’t a coincidence that the HCA chart’s Moon (the People) in Cancer conjuncts the U.S. Sibly Jupiter (expansive), nor is it coincidental that the HCA chart’s Neptune (compassion) at 27 Aquarius 29 exactly conjuncts the U.S. Sibly Moon (the People), and furthermore, the HCA Chiron (healing) at 28 Aquarius 33 conjuncts them both.
“It’s probable”, you say, “that one day you will look back and recognize something very unique, and profoundly important, in the quality of this time.” I say here is proof of that. You say “imagine the advantage of seeing it coming” and I say don’t lose sight of it and it will happen. Now I can hardly wait for the rest of the week’s aspects!
Squares can scare us and cardinal cross’s might even keep us up at nights, but then squares are first and foremost challenges aren’t they? They are asking us to be our best. That in itself could be extraordinary. Good job Len, very powerful insights you provide us week after week and we are most grateful to you for that.
be
Great support for my plans this week! Thanks Len.
Thank you so much for this message Len.
I’m keeping my eyes peeled over the next few days. In many areas, I am not afraid of the cardinal grand cross energy because I know I need to transform my give-and-take ratio in many of my relationships. The only area I am really concerned about is driving, since Aries season makes people more impulsive on the road (today, Mars Rx in Libra was also exactly conjunct my Mercury in Libra). Today, accidents on major highways crowded the alternate routes I usually use, and the afternoon had a few tricky situations to deal with fast. I learned the need to look out for other cars turning into my lane when changing lanes, and the importance of looking out for last-minute lane changers so that I can slow down properly when they need to slow down and turn (usually last minute lane changers aren’t a problem, but in this case, it was difficult).
I’m being challenged, but I’m learning to be a better driver, to know when to yield, and to know when to go.
I also keep in mind as much as possible my friends, colleagues, loved ones when driving so that I am as sensible as possible.
At least I have a break on Wednesday, where I’ll have a chance to see the extraordinary in the ordinary (maybe what I’m studying, or by watching squirrels or flowers outside)
Sun square Pluto on Thursday is taking place on a day when there may be rain. Hopefully the rain won’t be too heavy (which isn’t a big deal for short trips, but for a 30 mile commute with high speed roads and drivers who are in a hurry it does matter), and I’ll find a way to prevent my car from fogging up inside when it rains. I guess that’s where I can turn my greatest fears into my greatest potentials.
I want to master the art of doing anything in the world with a safety-oriented mindset, this is essential in getting the job I want.
Len- your words today remind of the scene in Raider’s Of The Lost Ark when Harrison Ford has to cross a bridge of stepping stones with letters on them, and if he steps on the wrong one he plummets to who-knows-where. But he know the stones that will support his to traverse the abyss. In just the same way, you have given us a map of the stable stepping stones that will allow us ease of access to the heart of the Grand Cross, as the Sun within our own hearts. Thank you.
Thank you Len for this:
Follow up by opening your eyes to search for what the world offers as an analog for wings and a metaphor for muscle. Then take up a daily practice that somehow functions to fledge and flex….yes!
Bette Loreen: re Canada’s chart (I’m in Nova Scotia); these two links offered a morsel to chew over:
http://www.astro.com/nat/natca_e.htm
http://vancouverastrology.com/canada-in-2014-a-pivotal-year/
“Ask yourself, what’s holding you back from affording another person an even break today? How is grudge defeating your innate generosity, and how do you see those same tense struggles playing out for others?” Yes! I so needed to read these words, right now. Thank you for this wonderful piece, dear Len
Beautiful, Len. Thank you.
The coming grand cross, & the solar & other aspects preceding it, are happening in my chart in what looks like very direct, personal ways. Jupiter on my ascendant, Pluto on descendant, Uranus on 11th house cusp & Mars will be on 5th. How to anticipate how best to work with that, in the context of my present life circumstances, is a bit of a puzzler.
I live in a small village, where one knows everyone & very rarely meets anyone new. In short, in social terms everything is pretty predictable. Some “new” person is unlikely to appear on my horizon.
I have noticed that in both waking hours & dreams I’ve been processing some past issues, turning old history over in my mind & reflecting upon it. Have I learned all I can from it? Can I be confident that if (in the unlikely event) I meet a new potential partner, I can rely upon my discernment at last & not fall prey to my own projections? I’ve been tested a bit on the latter, but they were easy tests.
Focusing on my creative work & my early indoor plantings for gardening season (still many weeks away up here) seems to be the best course. But still, I have a feeling of “impending” – quite neutral, not ominous – a sense of biding time, perhaps for something or someone, perhaps not.
I hope someone more knowledgeable than I is working with the chart for Canada, which is a Cancer country with Aries rising, being strongly energized by the grand cross. Interesting times indeed, both personally & collectively.
Thank-you for this, Len. I feel more “ready”, though for just what, I don’t yet know.
So wise, dearheart. And so welcome.
Oh my god, Len, every word of this is gorgeous.
“Confront your greatest fears and blow their cover by addressing them as the path to your greatest potentials.”
Stunning. Beautiful. Thank you.