Seeing and Being Yourself in the Invisible Environment

AN AQUARIAN ERA FOR LEO | BY ERIC FRANCIS

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The challenge for Leo in the Aquarian Era is a special focus of the challenge we all face: seeing, feeling and otherwise sensing the environment in which you exist. This may seem like a ridiculous idea, until you figure out how much of the water you swim in and the air that you breathe is invisible and otherwise escapes detection.

Whether you’re Leo Sun, Moon or rising, Aquarius is your 7th place (house, whole sign house, solar house), and therefore represents not just your relationships but your total environment.

It’s not that the environment is actually invisible, but rather, that we train our senses to not see what surrounds us and what in many ways soaks into us. Sometimes special instruments are required to peer into the very dimension in which we live, and other times you must train your perception to see and notice what is around you.

Doing so has a way of making a person a Jedi master, and I suggest you take up the offer that the universe has in store for you, while it’s easy. Presently your 7th house is under the influence of Jupiter and Saturn. These are tangible and considerable planetary substances, that are making your environment easier to see, hear, feel and otherwise perceive. When those influences are gone in March 2023 (with Jupiter, early 2022), you will be left with Pluto in your 7th house, named for the god who famously wears a helmet of invisibility. By then, it will help to have the skills required for true environmental and situational awareness. You might call this opening the doors of perception.

One thing to remember about Saturn is that its influence in Aquarius is extraordinary. It is the classical ruling planet of Aquarius, and particularly well placed above the horizon. It’s essential that you get this power working for you rather than against you. There is just one way to do this, which is to internalize the authority principle that Saturn symbolizes. You must be your own final authority. Think of this as practice internalizing the concept that a planet represents.

You will need it when you are looking right at Pluto.

When I use the word “environmental” I mean that which is everywhere and has disappeared into the background, and is generally not noticed, and which impacts us profoundly.

One Concept: Medium – Ground – Background – Environment

In case I use any of these terms again, they all mean the same thing. It will help if you think of them that way. They all represent what is out of reach of normal perception and consciousness, and can only be discerned with either special awareness, or special instruments. The person who taught me this approach, Marshall McLuhan, was abundantly clear when he explained that mostly, it is artists and small children who can sense the environment. (I would add to that, companion animals, who teach us to smell everything, to study facial expressions, and to listen to tone of voice and not just the words.)

When I use the word “environmental” I mean that which is everywhere and has disappeared into the background, and is generally not noticed, and which impacts us profoundly.

However, it is possible to notice, if you train yourself to pay attention. Therefore, I highly recommend getting busy with your creative endeavors, because they transpose the invisible to the visible and usable. They teach you about your surroundings. And borrowing a bit from Ted Andrews, study your dog. Notice what your animals notice. Ask small children their opinions about, well, everything. (You likely already find this intuitive, fun and appealing; this is just a reminder.) What you need are all the tools at your disposal to see through the bullshit, so that you can notice when you’re being lied to or having your body sold into a medical experiment without having been given informed consent.

One thing about the environment that gives you a clue to its existence is when people complain that you notice it. If one day you figure out you’re being infiltrated, infested and deceived and you mention that fact, the first thing you’re likely to hear is some kind of an objection.

That, by the way, is a product of this new place we live in: you don’t own your body. We have lived through a decades-long ruckus about “my body, my choice,” and a fuss over “consent” from which my ears are still ringing — and now the prevailing ethos is, it’s not your body, or your choice, and there is no such thing as consent (especially if you don’t know what you’re consenting to or what it means).

One thing about the environment that gives you a clue to its existence is when people complain that you notice it. If one day you figure out you’re being infiltrated, infested and deceived and you mention that fact, the first thing you’re likely to hear is some kind of an objection. No you’re not! Go back to sleep!

You might also notice what people are not noticing. Until recently, a lot of people were freaked out by the notion of eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Lately they have been eagerly lining up to become one. If you see something that is annoying or outrageous and people are not noticing, that is environmental.

Today, we exist all over the world at once. We regularly split ourselves into many locations and many identities. This fits the way that Leo, perhaps the most powerful sign of individuality, has as its opposite sign Aquarius, the sign that represents groups and group identities.

We Are Being Electrocuted

The quality of our environment calling for your attention is the influence of electricity on our self-concept and on our relationships. People might notice that Twitter has made everyone expect everything to be explainable in two sentences, or that now nearly all of our transactions are recorded and processed by a computer. People might notice that there are cameras everywhere, and lurking behind them is facial recognition software. Yet what is not so easily perceived is what these things do to us.

Overall the net effect is to induce a disembodied experience of relating to the world and to one another. Disembodied means without a body, which means without tactile senses, without sex or gender, and with the ability to be located in hundreds or thousands of places at once. Previously, one could bilocate with a telephone. You could be in your own home and Aunt Josie’s home at the same time. If she was standing by the phone expecting your call, not knowing you planned to dial, that just seemed a little odd.

Today, we exist all over the world at once. We regularly split ourselves into many locations and many identities. This fits the way that Leo, perhaps the most powerful sign of individuality, has as its opposite sign Aquarius, the sign that represents groups and group identities. You are the one, and the worldly mirror into which you look is the many. It is also technological in the electronic sense of the concept: Aquarius is the natural sign of digital technology. When Uranus transited Aquarius between 1995 and 2003, the world went from being laced with the internet to being thickly frosted by it. Prior to that, there was this thing a few people had heard of called “electronic mail.” There were some people with game consoles and there were computer hobbyists whom in 1976 Bill Gates whined were stealing his software, preventing further development of the good stuff he now sells. If only you fools would not steal Altair BASIC, I could have injected the whole world by now!

Imagine yourself back in the 20th century, when most people still had bodies. Imagine yourself doing things like dancing in a crowded club. Imagine you see someone you’re curious about. What do you do?

Then suddenly we were stalked everywhere, by everything — and then the next day, rice cookers had IP addresses. In 2000, Amazon was a bookstore. In 2020, Amazon co-ruled the world and was preparing to send rocket ships to Mars. Wait, that’s PayPal. All of this is thrilling, though in truth it has changed where you live, and how you live, and how you think of yourself and how you relate to people and what they mean to you.

Imagine yourself back in the 20th century, when most people still had bodies. Imagine yourself doing things like dancing in a crowded club. Imagine you see someone you’re curious about. What do you do? Well, you walk up to them and say hello. That is a different world and a different concept of human than “waving” at them by clicking on your mouse. The net effect is to create a world where there is a question about whether you exist. You certainly exist but the question is real. And now, the new question is, what must you do to fully claim and keep your humanity? What do you do to recognize what you’ve lost enough to want it back?

Because unless you really, really want what has been taken from you, you’re not going to get it, and until you recognize what that is, you’re unlikely to want it. And it’s not easy to notice what is missing, especially when there are all these distractions around, such as the one-click purchase of a new car.

One of the roles of Saturn is to clear space for what is about to happen next. Sometimes Saturn clears enough space in the foreground to reveal what is going on in the background.

From Saturn to Pluto: Toward the Intangible

Earlier, I mentioned that you are experiencing Saturn in your 7th house, and that in under two years this will give way to Pluto. Saturn represents all things tangible, solid, documented and established. In Aquarius, it’s serving as a kind of filter through which you can see all that is, and all that has become. Jupiter is doing something similar: it’s a kind of magnifier that is allowing you to see the details, and also, a condenser allowing you to see the wide-angle view.

You may be experiencing Saturn in its form as the symbol of limits. You may, in particular, be reaching what seems like the structural boundaries of your relationships, that is, the place where they cannot go any further. This counts for all kinds of partnerships. One of the roles of Saturn is to clear space for what is about to happen next. Sometimes Saturn clears enough space in the foreground to reveal what is going on in the background.

With Saturn transiting the 7th, limits in all forms are your allies. Study them, understand them, work with them, and rise to the occasion that they present.

One reason people stay in relationships that are not serving them, or never leave home, or stay hooked on substances that hurt them, or stay in dead-end jobs, is so they don’t have to address the material that these conditions conceal. However, with Saturn moving across your 7th, you can be sure that some or most of those situations will be shifted, or even removed, and you will get to see what is underneath them. That is the whole point of a Saturn 7th transit. Therefore, limits in all forms are your allies. Study them, understand them, work with them, and rise to the occasion that they present.

You can get a lot done during the remaining seasons of Saturn in your 7th house. I would propose that this is the best possible transit you can have at this time, because you can work with it. You can grab it, use it, and learn from it. I suggest you take full advantage of everything that it offers you, which may start with annoying or frustrating situations.

We must never forget that the drive to belong is one of the most urgent, pressing needs that humans have. For most people, to be accepted even in some meek way is tantamount to having oxygen, whether it is true or not.

Your Relationship to Groups

Here under full digital conditions, everything is a community: potato chip salesmen, funeral directors, nurses, kick-line dancers, tow truck drivers, everything. Yet these are communities that never meet and where the people don’t talk to one another or do much of anything: they are virtual communities.

We must never forget that the drive to belong is one of the most urgent, pressing needs that humans have. For most people, to be accepted even in some meek way is tantamount to having oxygen, whether it is true or not. This has deep roots in family, which is tribe, where not being accepted meant being left on a rock ledge or at the doorstep of an orphanage.

To belong is one of the most powerful drives, conscious or unconscious, that humans experience, and it has been turned into a weapon. It is imperative that you pay attention to anything you might do because anyone else is doing it. To see this, you will have to do some peering into your own invisible environment and notice when this is true. Right now a lot of people are doing self-destructive things on the grounds that it’s expected of them. This is innocently described as “peer pressure,” which is blamed for all kinds of early-life mishaps. Adults fall for it too, though this is rarely acknowledged.

History has told us many times that the thing most people believe is true is least likely to be so. Everyone believes it, most of the time, because everyone believes it.

With Saturn involved, that pressure will come in the form of some authoritarian group concept or mindset. With Pluto involved, it is more likely to come in the form of a threat to your life or the collective life (which we are already witnessing, on a far smaller scale than is possible.)

I suggest you apply the concept of the expectations of others to every facet of your existence, including what you accept as true. History has told us many times that the thing most people believe is true is least likely to be so. Everyone believes it, most of the time, because everyone believes it. Under digital conditions this is thought to be irrefutable proof (it worked well in earlier times as well, though it’s ridiculous now).

Yours is not just the sign of individuality; it’s the sign ruled by the Sun, which is at the center of the solar system. Take that as notice that your acceptance or nonacceptance of something could influence many people. Therefore, do not just go along with lesser minds and brainwashing campaigns — though it will help if you see them for what they are. This requires critical thinking, and the problem with that is not just that it takes work. To think for yourself is a revolutionary act of dissent these days. Yet it is one of the few things that actually qualifies a person as being a person and not some other life-form that has not evolved a prefrontal lobe.

Part of what defines the individuality of Leo is having Aries on the 9th place. One’s God-concept is closely related to self-concept, and for you they are particularly close together. You seek your spiritual truth by seeking that which is actually about you and true for you.

Chiron in the 9th House: Your Personal Relationship to Existence

Here in the early years of the Aquarian Era — well into Pluto in Aquarius — we have the benefits of Chiron in Aries. While this is cautionary (it seems to be associated with identity politics and obsession with identity generally), it is a tool and a resource for those who are determined to be themselves.

Part of what defines the individuality of Leo is having Aries on the 9th place. One’s God-concept is closely related to self-concept, and for you they are particularly close together. You seek your spiritual truth by seeking that which is actually about you and true for you. This can of course have a ‘shadow’ manifestation of being more or less megalo, or thinking you manifest everything all the time (that is subject to observation and proof). Leos have a reputation for being narcissistic (which is not fair — most are obsessed with serving and participating in the world around them). However, from the line of thought known as spiritual, that is, relationship to the unseen, and to cosmic forces, placing Aries here means that your religion has to be self-actualization and anything else is a distraction.

Now add Chiron, which pulls this theme into focus. Chiron can signify the itch, the urge, the drive, the need, to do whatever its house and sign placements describe. And in Aries and the 9th, that means to seek your cosmic origins through getting to know yourself very, very well.

The reason self-actualization is frowned upon is that when one person in any environment thinks for themselves, that breaks the false consensus, opening up the possibility that something other than the prevailing belief may be true.

The problem here is that this is not supported by our culture. All of the other manifestations are supported (megalo, narcissism, self-serving conduct, etc.) but actual self-actualization is frowned upon. The reason for this is that when one person in any environment thinks for themselves, that breaks the false consensus, opening up the possibility that something other than the prevailing belief may be true. Usually this is shouted down as being wrong, though the reaction is typically because the person has a valid point or observation. In fact the person who is self-aware and noticing does not even need to say anything. Their mere presence is a vector of awareness.

Get used to being this person. Get used to this being your spiritual quest, and your path of learning and of teaching by example. If it is difficult, if it is inconvenient, think of it as the path to enlightenment. Think of it as going beyond the illusions of the material world and of the ego — by boldly seeking your truth as a daily act, and then living that truth. This is always an experiment; there is no destination. In the spirit of the 9th house, consider it a journey: a journey without distance to a destination that has never changed.

Taurus describes the process of refinement from raw materials to finished ones. It is not just about ‘nice things’ but how they are fabricated. Make sure this quality is included in anything you choose to do, or that you discover it.

Uranus in the 10th House: Your Professional Revolution 

You have Taurus on the 10th place, which suggests you prefer a solid, stable and dependable career path. You tend toward monogamy: one mission, one job, one purpose. There will be exceptions but that is the tendency of people and things Leo. One reason for this is because, through Taurus as your house of career and reputation, you tap into deep tectonic power: power that rises up from the Earth, whether from the plates moving, from geothermal heat, or from mineral resources that are released or extracted from the ground.

Taurus describes the process of refinement from raw materials to finished ones. It is not just about ‘nice things’ but how they are fabricated. Make sure this quality is included in anything you choose to do, or that you discover it: you make your professional life just as a blacksmith forges steel, or a gem cutter finds the facets in crude stones that become precious ones.

Now let’s add Uranus to this angle of your chart: a true representative of the Aquarian Era, as Uranus is a kind of modern ruling planet of Aquarius. It is an unpredictable, at times revolutionary impulse. It can be the rebel without a cause, the sudden revelation that inspires an invention, or the accident that has a positive result. Uranus can be as destructive as it is inspiring. Revolutions don’t usually work out so well — though if you are someone who is tuned into Saturn, that helps a lot. The jolt of Uranus needs the discipline and structure of Saturn for anything productive to happen.

Uranus in Taurus is a bold influence, and for you, it represents an ongoing shakeup of your professional affairs.

All that said, Uranus in Taurus is a bold influence, and for you, it represents an ongoing shakeup of your professional affairs. The way to think of this is reinventing yourself through reinventing your professional life. This is not about little tweaks, adjustments to your resume, or going from one job to another in your field. There is some significant intervention involved. You may find yourself doing something radically unexpected, or even seemingly unthinkable.

This transit is working together with Saturn in Aquarius and is part of the same learning process. All through 2021, Saturn is connected to Uranus through a 90-degree aspect. Think of Saturn as that clearing out process, and also as potentially representing a limiting principle or authority principle. It is now square against Uranus. Squares work like conjunctions that happen in two places at once.

One thing to keep in mind is that any combination of Saturn and Uranus can be resolved through Chiron. In this chart, Chiron appears in Aries, in the 9th house. Ultimately you must do what expresses your personal spiritual journey.

So for example, limits in your environment might provoke revolution in your professional life.  Or stunning developments in your career may call for working with a disciplined group of people represented by Saturn in Aquarius. Maybe the more conservative influence of Saturn will have a tempering effect on Uranus. Or perhaps the iconoclastic effect of Uranus in Taurus will have an awakening effect on Saturn in Aquarius.

One thing to keep in mind is that any combination of Saturn and Uranus can be resolved through Chiron. In this chart, Chiron appears in Aries, in the 9th house. Ultimately you must do what expresses your personal spiritual journey. There are really no separate “parts” of this (career and relationships for example). Your chart and your transits work as a synthesis. There is no conflict. There are points where the synthesis is expressed, illustrated or explained in a different way — though ultimately it comes through you.

The whole purpose of Chiron is to serve as a point of integration: of mixing, weaving, blending, combining and synthesizing. Seen one way, you could work with just Chiron in Aries and have that find expression through Saturn and Uranus. The 9th house can have a theoretical feel to it, as it pertains to belief systems. Thankfully, Chiron is pragmatic, and Saturn and Uranus are transiting places in your chart where you must confront them and work with them.

There is a need for balance, even if in some small way on days when you work 12 hours just because you feel like it. And most of all, there is a need to be guided spiritually in your quest for wellbeing, rather than by material changes or physical health.

Pluto In Capricorn through 2023-2024

One last thought. Pluto moving through Capricorn since early 2008 has not been easy for you vis-à-vis health related matters. Capricorn is your 6th place (house, solar house, whole sign house), and that also pertains to the work you do. As you love to work, and get things done, you have thrived under this influence. Yet from a wellbeing perspective, it has presented challenges. Though this transit is soon to end, if you have experienced a collection of lessons associated with adjusting your lifestyle, life structure, or work patterns, the time is now to make sure those are fully implemented and taken to heart.

One of the most important keys to your health and wellbeing is flexibility. Capricorn can be brittle, and Pluto has at times done a demolition job on it and what it represents. Another key to Pluto is working with obsession. There is a need for balance, even if in some small way on days when you work 12 hours just because you feel like it. And most of all, there is a need to be guided spiritually in your quest for wellbeing, rather than by material changes or physical health. Physical health is part of the scene, though Pluto is about soul and that is what must inform you.

I have noticed many people during the past two years surrender their health autonomy to doctors, to systems and to government orders — most of them without the meekest objection. For all of society, Pluto in Capricorn has represented an element of medical tyranny. However, with Pluto in your 6th place, you must never let a medical professional take control of your life.

This is too much to expect of most people, who will do whatever a doctor says to do. However, many times that goes very badly, and doctors do not have to live with the decisions that they make for you. But you do — so ultimately, you must know more than they do.

You came into this life to be yourself. That means working from your own values and your own definition of what is necessary — and most of all, your own definition of what you want.

The Meta Theme: Nobody Dictates Your Life

No matter what transit we are looking at, it comes back to one theme: nobody dictates who you are, what you believe or what choices you make. I have not mentioned Neptune in Pisces in your 8th place till now, though that redoubles the message. The 8th is an important partnership zone, and with Pisces here, you are naturally susceptible to the beliefs of others. Yet when you factor in Neptune, present for the next few years, you must be especially careful.

You came into this life to be yourself. That means working from your own values and your own definition of what is necessary — and most of all, your own definition of what you want. Really, there is much more than this: Chiron in Aries is saying that you are the one who defines your relationship to your existence and the greater cosmos that surround you and that you contain.

Yet to really live that out, it’s necessary to see the seemingly small points for what they are: elements in the greater scenario of your trip through the cosmos. As one who has incarnated with a Leo signature or identity in your chart, that means you must be who you are.

I would note that Pluto was in Leo from approximately 1938 to 1956. Much of that was during a “baby boom” when countless millions of extra people were born. Much of the world has Leo so strong in their charts that it is a dominant force, and yet for many of them, the process and experience of individuation have been subverted by a combination of pressure from society and voluntary submission. Still, the prime directive remains: you are here to be yourself and to at last emerge as yourself. Trust that you will go through this process unharmed and emerge with your true being intact. Yet you must be tuned into your guidance, and not allow yourself to be distracted by those who are avoiding the very thing that you came here to give yourself.