The Great Reconciliation (of Accounts and Humanity)

AN AQUARIAN ERA FOR CANCER | BY ERIC FRANCIS

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INTRODUCTION | 1. Aquarian Era, Aquarian Age

Many dominant forces of astrology are now either in or headed into Aquarius, hence, we are in what I am calling an Aquarian Era. While this reading is for the sign Cancer in any form (Sun, Moon, rising, lunar node, or Chiron), it is also the reference reading for all of the signs. I’ll be explaining things in this chapter that I will reference only in shorthand in others).

However, briefly, Cancer is the sign rising in the Thema Mundi, the symbolic chart for the world. And there is a connection between Cancer’s traditional ruler, the Moon, and the sign Aquarius: the Moon is one of the esoteric rulers of Aquarius. (In this same system, Neptune is the esoteric ruler of the sign Cancer. While I may not come back to that, it’s worth keeping in your pocket if you need it.)

My primary theme in this reading is the influence of events in Aquarius on both Cancer and the world. We will also look closely at the influence of events in Aries.

The Aquarian Era (my term) is different from the Age of Aquarius, about which there is no consensus among astrologers or astronomers about when it begins or ends — though we have some clues that it, too, is getting underway. Many of the same factors that describe the Aquarian Era also describe the Aquarian Age, except that an astrological age lasts about 2,000 years.

What happens at the outset of the Aquarian Age (which might last until 4500) is essential, and by my assessment (after investigating for a couple of decades) is that we have been at the beginning since around the 1920s.

For the purpose of this discussion, the Aquarian Era is a phase lasting about 24 years, starting in 2020, and which is a kind of entry foyer into the much longer Aquarian Age. What we do in our time will influence a vast future. The choices we make today matter, and will influence generations of people who have not yet arrived on the planet.

The themes are similar. Many of the same concepts apply; many of the same concerns. There are two, mainly: one is the way our society and we as individuals are becoming products of our technology. The other is what you might call a very strange kind of belonging, called the “world glamour,” which is in part about pressure to conform, and to push others into doing so. This is not the friendly togetherness we usually think of as being an attribute of Aquarius.

What happens at the outset of the Aquarian Age (which might last until 4500) is essential, and by my assessment (after investigating for a couple of decades) is that we have been at the beginning since around the 1920s. Keep in mind throughout — and I will repeat this several times but let’s get started — the sign Aquarius is said to address groups, but what it really addresses is social patterns, which are the patterns of society, which is about technology. Aquarius describes the relationship between people and electricity in all of its forms, and describes how this relationship affects us as individuals and as a society. Our relationship to technology sets the patterns of our minds, our lives, our social affairs, and our most intimate personal relationships.

The presence of Saturn in Aquarius for the next two years, and Jupiter for part of 2021, is a warmup and preparation for the Aquarian Era. What matters more is that Pluto is coming. This begins in March of 2023 and lasts through 2044. As far as many older people are concerned, this will be a permanent placement, lasting the rest of your lives. For many younger people, it will be the central astrology of your adult lives, defining your relationship with society.

Think of this as a series of stages: the Jupiter-Saturn phase of the Aquarian Era (through 2023) is preparation for the Pluto phase (through January 2044).

In astrology, slow is powerful, and meaningful. Pluto gets that distinction any day of the century. Yet Pluto in Aquarius will be like nothing we have ever seen before. It is one of those transits that could go either way, and the differences are extreme.

Through the late 20th century, we were accustomed to Pluto going through one sign in about 14 years, and that seemed slow. Now that Pluto is moving farther from the Sun, away from its perihelion in 1989, the duration of a transit through one sign increases substantially and is now about 22 years. (It gets better — by the time of Pluto’s aphelion, or far-point from the Sun, it will take 30 years to go through Gemini, spanning from 2127-2157).

In astrology, slow is powerful, and meaningful. Pluto gets that distinction any day of the century. Yet Pluto in Aquarius will be like nothing we have ever seen before. It is one of those transits that could go either way, and the differences are extreme. This all depends on how aware we are able to be of that which we normally take for granted.

Most of the pieces are in place for some significant challenges and power struggles in the Aquarian realm where technology meets humanity. We are seeing it develop now — at the moment, leaning more toward the troubling side of the equation, and the dehumanizing abuses of technological power that we are witnessing and experiencing. That most people are oblivious to this is irrelevant. It is happening whether anyone knows about it or not.

The solution to the troubling elements of this transit would be a social awakening; a human awakening. But “social” and much of “human” have been consumed by the digital environment and is entirely under its thrall. To be truly social today is an act of defiance. To be human, wholly human, is a form of dissent, even of revolt: to breathe normally, to show one’s face, to hug another person, to hang out together, to hold a holiday gathering, to associate freely with your friends and family, to travel — and to not be subjected to experimental medical procedures, genetic or otherwise.

Aquarius is the realm of the public discussion, which now takes place in the electronic dimension, very nearly entirely. Dissent in this realm is now banned: all major social media outlets de-platform anyone who asks a few too many real questions. This is an example of the shadow side of Aquarius: the pressure to conform.

Once a fire like this starts, it is very difficult to extinguish. It may be impossible, which means it will take many miracles, or in the alternate, submitting to the Borg (where we get the expression “resistance is futile”), or ultimately, finding some means of escape. Those who understand Pluto know it as the unstoppable force. This is why I’ve been saying that Saturn in Aquarius is the time we need to evaluate our situation and get ourselves together.

This is not about conjuring up some form of feel-good power to the people, but rather about the actual organizing of the kind of society we need to have, so that our most basic human needs are met — that is, if we want to have anything resembling “a life” as we have long conceived of it. You grew up enjoying the full rights of citizenship, and personal autonomy. You might ask why those are being taken away from you, or in any way being made conditional. We might ask why anyone who objects risks being silenced or canceled.

Aquarius is the realm of the public discussion, which now takes place in the electronic dimension, very nearly entirely. Dissent in this realm is now banned: all major social media outlets de-platform anyone who asks a few too many real questions. This is an example of the shadow side of Aquarius: the pressure to conform.

For you, with Cancer Sun, Moon or rising, this is extremely personal; the 8th is where all of your most intimate transactions take place. Yet Cancer is the sign rising in the Thema Mundi, the symbolic chart of the world, so this is about all of us. You might say that Aquarius is the 8th house of the human race, which is an interesting meditation. Due to the Aquarius connection, your particular 8th house is a shared public and private dimension, and you are especially subject to the movements in the public realm within your private life. This is not the only time this occurs in your chart; I’ll soon come to matters of your opposite sign Capricorn.

We might ask ourselves who controls this shared Aquarius dimension, and therefore who controls the entire public discussion. This directs who controls the social pattern — which is to say, what you are allowed to know, what you are allowed to say, and what is known about you whether you consent or not. Though it was difficult to find a parallel to this reality prior to the advent of digital, the electronic realm is now involved in every relationship you have and every thought we think. All of our intimate affairs are filtered through the digital dimension. That means we live in a different world than ever before.

What happens to the sign Cancer happens to all of us.

INTRODUCTION | 2. A Shared but Private Realm

What happens to the sign Cancer happens to all of us. If we count eight signs from Cancer, we arrive at Aquarius, one scene of all this action. This method involves whole-sign houses, or solar houses; in this approach to reading, the house is never split between two signs. (This cleans up the chart and is worth an extended experiment. I cover this in several classes; contact us if you are interested in going deeper.)

The 8th house was previous to the 21st century a shared but private realm. It was about the content of private agreements; the secrets of the family and the marital bed; pillow talk; private matters discussed in the lawyer’s office; two people having the key to the safety deposit box, or two keys being required; or what a man might disclose to his trusted son-in-law. That is to say, traditionally, certain other people have limited access to this region, but the public has not had the kind of general access that it has today and that we take for granted.

Previously, as public as the 8th usually got was something like the official record of a marriage contract, a filed divorce proceeding or decree, or a will. These are not every-day occurrences; they are special ones.

This has now changed radically, and it affects every last person in our civilization. This transformation of the 8th house applies to all the signs. Under the influence of digital technology, I believe this first morphed when the DNA record of families started to be kept in a database (a service for which many have paid, and surrendered our genetic code), which is accessible to the public by subscription, and to the government. This genetic data can be used to discover your family tree, to meet distant or long-lost relatives, or to find out that your father is not really your father. It can also be used by the police to trace potential suspects based on genetic material allegedly found at a crime scene.

This is one of those distressing places where science fiction becomes lived reality: imagine a knock on the door, where you unexpectedly are looking into the faces of detectives. They found you because DNA resembling yours was allegedly detected at a crime scene, tracked through a public record of your family tree mapped through the genome, easily leading to your door.

“Mrs. Smith, where were you the night of February 5, 2018?”

“Why do you ask?”

“We cannot say why. Where were you?”

Meanwhile, via digital technology, the most ordinary intimate exchanges are broadcast, databased, indexed, inventoried, data-mined and controlled (think: Facebook analyzing private messages for sale to political consultants or advertisers). They can also be shared (think: revenge posting of intimate images).

We accept this lack of privacy as par for the course for our day and age, without accepting that it’s splitting our minds, splitting our relationships, and driving us insane. Yet if you consider it, this scenario is very, very strange.

We are accustomed to the constant incursion of passwords and two-factor authentication: the obsession with keeping things “private,” and the security protocols to supposedly keep everything “safe” (obviously, in response to those data breaches.) All of these are reminders that we now live in a public realm where your pizza preferences, how you sleep, when you ovulate, or how many steps you walk a day are all broadcast.

The extent of the problem was first revealed by Ed Snowden informing us of the real activities of the National Security Agency (which is the internet, which is the NSA). Then a few massive data breaches later, your Social Security number exists somewhere on the Dark Web, potentially for sale if someone wants it. Once the most sacrosanct personal secret, your Social Security number is now tracked to everything from your phone bill to your electric bill to your credit score.

Then there is the private security issue. We are accustomed to the constant incursion of passwords and two-factor authentication: the obsession with keeping things “private,” and the security protocols to supposedly keep everything “safe” (obviously, in response to those data breaches.) All of these are reminders that we now live in a public realm where your pizza preferences, how you sleep, when you ovulate, or how many steps you walk a day are all broadcast. The need for security conceals how public this has all become — everything, right down to health records, prescriptions, and whatever your phone feeds to the cloud via some seemingly innocent gaming or health app, whether you know it or not. The result of all of this is being caught in a net from which it seems there is no escape: that being the internet.

This has shaped us all, and it has shaped every relationship you have; every agreement you make; every facet of how you think of yourself. And to think, 10 years ago there was an uproar that controlling or taxing the concentration of sugar in drinks that could give diabetes to a mannequin was the “nanny state.”

We are different people when we believe that there’s nothing that cannot be known by others, nor any sense of inner space or an inner sanctum. This obviates the concept of intimacy, and of the inner being. To lack these things is to lack the freedom of who you are.

Among the qualities of a society that the framers of the American constitution considered essential to freedom was the security of your personal papers from government incursion. You have a right to know some things that the government does not know about you, but now this is not only impossible: many people welcome having their personal facts and data known.

A person is a different person when they have no private thoughts, particularly if their thoughts are hacked. It is one thing if this happens naturally, as dreams are often shared among friends, messages received by multiple people, and thoughts transported without devices. Breaking and entering is another story.

We are different people when we believe that there’s nothing that cannot be known by others, nor any sense of inner space or an inner sanctum. This obviates the concept of intimacy, and of the inner being. To lack these things is to lack the freedom of who you are. That is because if who you are is subject to the review and judgment of others, you will very likely shape your life and your thoughts knowing that your most intimate regions are being broadcast, evaluated, bought, sold and traded. This is what Marshall McLuhan meant when he predicted a future that would include “the user as content,” and in this case, “user’s most private data as a corporate commodity.”

While we make a grand fuss about boundaries in our society, we rarely apply that to issues such as the trading of private data, and the social pressure to accept this as a fact of life. What I am urging you to be cautious of under the ever-mounting influence of Aquarius is the imposition of what “everyone else” thinks and what is right for you. What I will urge you to guard in this reading — particularly with Pluto on its way into Aquarius — is the very place where “you” meets “everyone else.” This is the place where your freedom, and indeed your life, is the most vulnerable.

One might ask what is considered more precious than a free society where we have a right to privacy, to real information, to a diversity of opinions, to express our own opinions without fear of reprisal, to take care of ourselves as we see fit, to make private health choices and all other decisions, and to be free from the undue interference of others, no matter who they are.

Breath is life, and to choke off breath is to choke off the life force — prana, chi, kundalini, orgone, oxygen, or whatever you may call it. We all know this, but do we care?

And most of all, the right to breathe. Anyone who does not think that it’s astonishing for breathing normally to be considered a crime needs to have a long talk with themselves and maybe your ancestors. I cannot believe I’m even typing these words. Breath is life, and to choke off breath is to choke off the life force — prana, chi, kundalini, orgone, oxygen, or whatever you may call it. We all know this, but do we care?

We have experienced and read about this a thousand times and learned it in yoga class. Now, your breathing is regulated by the state, by law. The large majority of people are OK with this, or so they believe. They might not be so OK if they could see the longterm ramifications, and the underlying motives, rather than the promised short-term benefits.

Let’s talk Aquarius: this is about our social reality and how we treat one another. It is about the social contract in its purest sense. We now live in a world where it’s considered appropriate for someone to rage at you for showing your face. Perhaps you can see why I’m a little nervous about the way this Aquarius stuff is heading, particularly with Pluto — a planet associated with power over people — fast on the way.

Pluto is the “death works” planet (meaning the death threat gets the result), which often manifests as a totalitarian influence. The first thing that happened after Pluto’s discovery in 1930 was the rise of fascism in Europe.

INTRODUCTION | 3. Our Response to Pluto in Aquarius

The word “transhuman” means the merging of humans with computes. What makes the difference between being in a transhuman world of people with IP addresses? Think of it this way: what separates us from a world where people are deemed worthy of evacuation from a volcanic eruption based on whether they have a vaccination card? I would say it is going to be our response to Pluto in Aquarius.

Pluto is the “death works” planet (meaning the death threat gets the result), which often manifests as a totalitarian influence. The first thing that happened after Pluto’s discovery in 1930 was the rise of fascism in Europe.

Psychologically Pluto is the feeling and experience of “grow or die,” or what Patric Walker would call “enforced changes.” Sadly, this is the only way most people learn — when they are backed into a corner. Most, not all. An intelligent person can learn from their own experiences and mistakes. A truly wise person can learn from the experiences and errors of others.

This learning must be considered in the context of the digital overwhelm, and what it is doing to us under the conditions. They map out to the ground of our humanity being ripped out from under us. The history of technology does not support humans being able to use their technology responsibly, under ordinary or the most extraordinary circumstances, whether we are talking about Atlantis or the advent of the radio. In fact, most people do not even meekly wish to understand the impact or influence of technology, as long as they think that it’s convenient or fun. Further, the history of technology does not speak to the benevolence of its creators, who always go far beyond what is helpful, as long as they profit.

Pluto in Aquarius could represent power of the elite few over the millions, or power of those who grow to influence everyone else. It could represent the snuffing out of the human spirit, or a mass movement claiming that spirit and making it our own, together.

Yet there is another manifestation of Pluto, which is the potential for an evolutionary response to a problem or environmental condition. While “grow or die” falls under this heading (and at times so does “death works”), it is unusual. There are however rare times when people decide that it’s time to grow up; time to be better people; time to listen; time to notice; time to get a clue what is happening and respond to it. There are rare moments when people decide that it’s time to see their common interests rather than their competing interests. In this sense, Pluto in Aquarius could represent power of the elite few over the millions, or power of those who grow to influence everyone else. It could represent the snuffing out of the human spirit, or a mass movement claiming that spirit and making it our own, together.

While this reading will focus on events in Aquarius as its central theme, I will be reviewing carefully all of the houses where outer planet transits are occurring through 2024 or so. You are already familiar with some of them, such as Chiron in Aries and Uranus in Taurus. I will be offering new takes on them in this reading, and discussing some transits I have never mentioned before — in particular, that of the special points Hades and Kronos in your sign, to which I will devote at least a short section.

I will add one thing, which I will try to repeat as many times as I can in this reading and elsewhere. The general topic we are talking about is the imposition of digital technology onto us, and how we respond. While it is difficult to see a way out of what is being done to us, Marshall McLuhan offered one idea that will be helpful: only artists and small children can perceive what is really happening, and respond creatively. We might say that artists are the people who do respond with awareness and creativity, not the ones who have a lot of paintbrushes or go by the title on their website.

We will need to meet this genuine threat to our humanity with humanity, mutual respect, and most of all, creativity. The challenge is that these are the very things being willingly surrendered by so many people.

The Human Design system has a good working definition of one of its most important concepts, Inner Authority, which it describes as, “The inner intelligence that enables us to know whether a decision is correct for us or not.”

INTRODUCTION | 4. The Problem with Aquarius

Before we move into recent, current and coming transits, I have one last thought about Aquarius. The main problem with this sign and the whole concept is that it tends not to know when it does not know. And it thinks it knows when it does not. This applies to any Aquarian placement or any person with important factors in this sign.

There is the tendency to think “I’m a genius” without actually questioning anything, or having a referencing system to catch errors or missing information. I noticed this first with Mercury. It can apply to anything, however, and we must be especially careful with Jupiter.

Saturn in Aquarius may serve as an antithesis, if the authority qualities of Saturn are wholly taken on personally. This is the whole purpose of Saturn: to become one’s own inner authority.

The Human Design system has a good working definition of one of its most important concepts, Inner Authority, which it describes as, “The inner intelligence that enables us to know whether a decision is correct for us or not is called Inner Authority. It is as though each of our bodies possesses an inner compass or device that reveals whether something is a healthy and fulfilling use of our energy, or not. Our Inner Authority is a body-based knowing that precedes the cognition of the mind, and thus accessing it requires us to become more embodied and to listen better to our bodies.”

For our purposes, as related to knowing when you do not know, this must extend to mental functions. I would include doing your math a few times; making a list of questions you have not asked; making a list of what you know and don’t know; and making an inventory of your hunches or what you think is possible. These can all be verified body-knowledge, though there are many things on the physical plane that call for the correct use of the mind, as well as the use of the body as an instrument of knowledge and understanding. While it is preferable to “know something in your body” as a source of inner authority, it is sometimes necessary to explain things to others. “I just know” is not an adequate explanation, in that situation.

There are basic approaches that can help, for example, knowing the difference between knowledge and belief. This can take self-study, though one approach is to keep asking yourself, how do I know that? You might discover you don’t know it at all, and then the question is, why do I believe that? What investment do I have in this belief? What is the process that led me here?

If body-knowledge fails, logic and reasoning can serve as a kind of failsafe. We need to keep all of this in mind as we discuss events that relate to Aquarius, its era and its age. We need to know what we do not know. Not knowing and not caring has brought us to the difficult, challenging place where we are today.

I recognized the events of early 2020 as — potentially, not for sure — a necessary breakdown preceding the beginning of the Aquarian Age. We barely remember now, but the world was not a happy place in the last years of the twenty-teens. Everything was flying head-over-heels, and we were calling it life.

Summary of the Events of 2020

Let’s review with a look at the recent past, because it will provide some context for what you are working with today. The world experienced a jolt in 2020, so far as I can observe, the worst since the beginning of World War II.

At the time I was of a few different minds about this. Early in my work as an astrologer, I received extensive coaching from David Roell, a book publisher and bookseller, who in the mid-1990s would provide me with free nightly lectures lasting from 45 minutes to two hours, whenever I called his 1-800 number. He had a lot to say about the Age of Aquarius, whether it had begun, and the potential problems with it.

I recognized the events of early 2020 as — potentially, not for sure — a necessary breakdown preceding the beginning of the Aquarian Age. We barely remember now, but the world was not a happy place in the last years of the twenty-teens. Everything was flying head-over-heels, and we were calling it life. There was the sense of everything running out of control, and a near-total void of purpose and meaning. Capitalism was still thinking it was an infinite growth model.

The astrological events of 2020, and what they represent in the world, impacted the sign Cancer Sun and rising more than any other. Yes: everyone caught the wave, but not equally — and with different levels of emotional stress.

In a way the breakdown of March and April 2020 felt good, as it represented the first pause in usual economic activity that we have ever experienced. I think that is why so many people accepted it. There was, suddenly, a break from the rat race. (Do rats ever hold races? I have never seen this.)

The astrological events of 2020, and what they represent in the world, impacted the sign Cancer Sun and rising more than any other. Yes: everyone caught the wave, but not equally — and with different levels of emotional stress. But even if you did not take a direct hit, you were eyewitness to much that was either distressing or that you know was wrong. That does not mean you are the worse for it, though if not, this was growth under extreme duress.

The straight-on perspective you experienced was due to the directness of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in your 7th house (environment, partnerships, relationships, and your bearing in physical reality).

This rare conjunction (on a 37-year cycle) occurred Jan. 12, 2020 and was close through the year. It represents the rolling disaster that was 2020. Many downmarket astrologers are calling this the “covid aspect” though that is to miss the point. It also represents the vast overreaction to what was perceived as a real threat, and the underwhelming response when problems with the narrative emerged. As the science and lack thereof continues to unravel, the reasons for the overreaction are daunting and perhaps too big to see. Yet society changed; your life changed; the world changed; and we are still addressing those changes. Not enough attention has been paid to the psychology of this all.

What happened in 2020 was about power, not about science, and that comports with Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn: the use of overwhelming authority leading to the total destabilization of the foundation underpinning culture and society.

These events shook your world radically, personally and directly — and there were many other developments, unrelated to the global crisis. Just Saturn in your 7th house would have been enough to do that. But the Saturn-Pluto cycle (as students of Richard Tarnas, author of Cosmos and Psyche know) can be harrowing. It is a cycle of contraction, fear, reactionary politics, and famous for things like plagues. Those might be psychogenic, as was the case of the dancing plague of 1518 — no virus or bacteria made people dance for days on end. Under its influence, there are a few who rise to the occasion with grit, determination and will power, protecting many.

If we add Pluto, that can have the feeling (or be a convincing experience) of a death threat. People do not act the same with a gun pointed to their head. A hostage video is not a friendly Tik-Tok. We have seen a lot of hostage videos the past year, which I would define as any that is made where life is in some way threatened.

The most recent major event in the Saturn-Pluto cycle prior to 2020 was during the summer of 2001, and we don’t need to say much about the events of that era, or how they were abused. The end of the Afghanistan military campaign was announced the week I am writing this, by Joe Biden, nearly 19 years after it was started by George Bush and Dick Cheney in late 2001. World events have consequences.

From the events of the conjunction in 2020, we learned how powerful the corporate-government structure within which we live (ruled by Capricorn) is and how deeply it is entrenched in our lives. We have seen many times in the 21st century that it has the power to cast us off.

It was the upheaval and the agenda of this system that up-ended the ways of life of an entire swath of civilization, essentially from Russia to Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand. If you truly understood how little proof or evidence was required to force those changes on the world, and saw the chronology of how fast it was set in motion (a matter of days), you would get queasy. What happened was about power, not about science, and that comports with Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn: the use of overwhelming authority leading to the total destabilization of the foundation underpinning culture and society.

And in many ways, you faced this directly; you looked right at it. One question is, to what extent did other events in your life, not connected to the public realm, have the same energy signature?

There were other factors, though we need to keep this in mind all the time when understanding the effects of world events on you. Remember that Pluto remains in Capricorn and is still having an influence on you — particularly now that it’s at 90-degrees to Eris, which I will address a little later in this reading. Aries still factors prominently in your chart, and is calling on you to rise to the occasion of your life and of the world around you.

Capricorn describes, among other structures, the pavement upon which you walk down the street. It is the force that holds up skyscrapers, and keeps the roof on your house. Were you to walk along a sidewalk and suddenly feel it shifting all over the place, you would be disoriented by that.

Capricorn as Your Point of Reference

Having Capricorn on the 7th usually offers a stabilizing influence for the sign Cancer. This is your grounding in the affairs of the world, in tradition, in durable relationships, in the world’s institutions and in structured situations. In a sense, Capricorn on the 7th is why you think the world is a trustworthy place, to the extent that’s possible. We could call this a form of grounding in reality.

The sign of the Moon is not strictly bound by the firm quality of Capricorn. The Moon orbits in 29 days and Saturn in 29 years; they exist in parallel. (This describes the relationship between transiting Saturn and the progressed Moon, which are both 29-year factors.)

The bottom line with Saturn and Capricorn is the bottom line. Under the influence of digital technology, the world has gone insane thinking that anything anyone believes is true, therefore, the truth does not exist. This is in part driven by the breakdown of the structure of Capricorn described by Pluto in this sign. You cannot afford such an unhinged ‘luxury’. You have too much to accomplish, and what you want to do, you want to do in the real world and not the fantasy world.

Capricorn describes, among other structures, the pavement upon which you walk down the street. It is the force that holds up skyscrapers, and keeps the roof on your house. Were you to walk along a sidewalk and suddenly feel it shifting all over the place, you would be disoriented by that. If your house started to shake and collapse, that would be truly frightening. If you tried to visit the local branch of your bank and discovered it was no longer there, you would have reason for concern and potentially slip into a panic attack.

These are the equivalents of what has happened under the influence of Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn, and in some ways this has happened directly to you. Just hinting at where this discussion is going: What comes after Capricorn? Aquarius! Electronic technology! This represents the transition from the “real world” to the “digital world,” both for you and for ways that turn out to affect many more people.

Yet with Cancer so prominently placed in your chart, you are experiencing this more directly than most people, and with greater sensitivity. You are accustomed to change being cyclical, either in a short cycle of routine developments, or a more natural-feeling cycle of major life changes. These might not be easy but they are expected. What you got was an earthquake when you don’t live in a seismic area.

This may have shaken your trust in existence. I would propose that this is one of the most important things you can focus on rebuilding, difficult as it may be in a time of constant change.

With Cancer rising in the Thema Mundi, we have a concept of humanity, which is that its most important role is to make home, and nurture our brood. If we assume Aries rising as the nature of humanity, this describes a race of war-like people. This is accurate enough most days, though we do have a choice.

Cancer Rising in the Thema Mundi – the Chart of the World

One of the more interesting (and recently unearthed) things about the sign Cancer from a historical perspective is that it is the ascendant of the Thema Mundi, or “the chart of the world.” This is not a literal chart of the world’s birth; no such arrangement of the planet’s locations has ever been found on extensive computer searches.

Rather, the chart is a teaching tool that may be the oldest known document in the Greek tradition of astrology, dating to about 400 BCE. It shows the seven original planets and luminaries in their signs of rulership, and presents the relationship between the signs and the houses. With Cancer rising, this demonstrates that Aries is not automatically related to the 1st house as nearly all astrology students are taught.

This chart represents something much larger than a demonstration of rulerships. With Cancer rising in this chart, we have a concept of humanity, which is that its most important role is to make home, and nurture our brood. If we assume Aries rising as the nature of humanity, this describes a race of war-like people. This is accurate enough most days, though we do have a choice.

With Cancer rising, our companion the Moon is the planet most closely associated with life on Earth. Cancer possesses the properties of the Moon: things tend to cycle for you, and you can count on that. Tidal charts are dependable, and then there are occasional storms, which you know how to weather.

Cancer Sun or rising means Capricorn is on your 7th house of relationship and your immediate environment. In our time, this is an image of how events in Capricorn (particularly, the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of Jan. 12, 2020) could have had such impact — to the whole world. It brings in everyone, not just natives of Cancer Sun, Moon and rising. Yet it also describes the directness of your personal experience.

The world population currently does not understand what hit it. Most state governors and heads of state are bluffing.

This, in turn, illustrates the scale of impact of events, and magnifies them. It is a representation of how so many countries and how many people could possibly be involved in one single event that is more economic and political than it is medical. Indeed, there is next to nothing about the astrology of 2020’s events that even hints of a specifically medical issue. With Saturn, Pluto and Capricorn so prominent, the theme is power, corporate structure and a political agenda (political in the true sense of ‘pertaining to a polity, civil affairs, or government’).

What was done — it did not merely happen — was intended as a death-blow, and it killed a lot of people, businesses and dreams (most of them through what we politely call collateral damage). Count yourself fortunate if you are still on your feet. And if you are, and doing pretty well, you will be in a position where you are inherently in a position of leadership. It does not take much, and you have more than a little to work with. Your chart’s alignment with the Thema Mundi means you understand the world better than most people.

The world population currently does not understand what hit it. Most state governors and heads of state are bluffing (they all know something much bigger is happening than is being reported in the news, or than they are saying in their news conferences). It’s vital to your wellbeing that you figure it out for yourself, and not accept excuses or easy answers. We have just experienced a global revolution instigated by a very few people that impacts everyone.

You are among the most likely to figure out what happened. Yet more significantly, you must figure out where to place yourself on this shifting ground. You have little choice; the ground is shifting, and you need to find your place in the world.

Having Aries on the 10th house is a genuine asset. It means, first, that you can assert yourself. It means as well that you will identify strongly enough with success to make it happen.

Balancing Chiron and Eris in Your 10th

Before we get into transits to Aries, let’s talk about the role of the first sign in your chart. It’s my perspective that where a person has Aries, they will strive to find themselves. Aries is the sign of self, and of initiative. Wherever it may fall, it’s one of the places where you want to start the most passionate fire of your life, and live out your purpose.

For you, this is a factor of the 10th house (reputation, ambition, notoriety and most of all, responsibility). It has an influence on one’s career because it relates to one’s true mission and sometimes the work they were born to do. This is a challenging house because most people are not interested in real responsibility. It is why most people don’t usually have real careers. It is why most people tend to resent their boss and have what are called authority issues.

Having Aries on the 10th house is a genuine asset. It means, first, that you can assert yourself. It means as well that you will identify strongly enough with success to make it happen. You are a natural-born leader. Yet you must have real work that you truly identify with.

If there is a secret to the sign Cancer besides take care of your home, this is it. You must make a contribution to society that is representative of your true being; your work must have actual meaning. The other work-related house is the 6th, and here you have Sagittarius (“the most philosophical sign,” in the words of Jim Morrison) which amplifies this message.

While Eris has been in Aries since 1926, it is called into prominence for intervals of history by other planets making aspects to it. The last big outrageous burst of energy was the Uranus-Eris conjunction of 2016 and 2017, which describes the utter chaos that got Trump elected, leading to the “pandemic” situation a few years later.

You now have two extraordinarily powerful planets transiting your 10th, which are defining your experience of life.

One is Chiron transiting Aries since 2018, and for the next five years. Chiron has a way of pulling focus and coming along with a crisis. They are related. If you are around age 50, this is a particularly important time, as you are in or close to your Chiron return. That would also mean that you have Chiron in Aries in your natal chart.

This is activating your 10th from the standpoint of service and healing. It is not a convenient placement or transit, as it confers so much responsibility. It will also bring up many issues that require healing, all of them related to your ability to function in the world and be fully present for both who you are and what you do.

The other planet in your 10th is the ultra-longterm visitor to Aries, Eris. While Eris has been in Aries since 1926, it is called into prominence for intervals of history by other planets making aspects to it. The last big outrageous burst of energy was the Uranus-Eris conjunction of 2016 and 2017, which describes the utter chaos that got Trump elected, leading to the “pandemic” situation a few years later. This was true insanity, though it’s left in the shade after what we witnessed in 2020 and beyond.

If we are wondering why “everyone and everything seems so insane” and why people are doing things that make absolutely no sense, Pluto square Eris is a good candidate.

The Pluto-Eris Square Through 2021

Eris is again under transit: Pluto is making a long square to Eris. This began in January 2020, just three days after the publication of the Corman-Drosten paper that established the existence of the “pandmic” and gave specifications for the PCR assay (the supposed “covid test,” that has driven the crisis). Let me state this another way. The “pandemic” has its entire basis in one scientific paper which was never peer reviewed, and this paper was published upon submission, within 72 hours of the first Pluto-Eris square.

If we are wondering why “everyone and everything seems so insane” and why people are doing things that make absolutely no sense, this slow-moving aspect is a good candidate. This is the constant sense of threat, coming from every direction. While many are acting as if this is real, the only threat so many places could exist is in the mind, as a state of paranoia.

There are two more exact contacts of the square, (in August and October of 2021), so whatever this is about will persist for a while. This condition is provoking you to find your unique place in a chaotic and rapidly changing world. You must use a combination of initiative and your ability to be multifaceted to work with the conditions of society — and these include the creative use of digital technology. We have seen the results when it is used for corrupt ends.

The contact here is between the 7th house (partnerships) and the 10th house (professional activities, reputation).

However, the wider need is to adapt to the chaotic and mistrustful social environment that has emerged as a result of digital technology. People are becoming accustomed to the wielding of absolute power under the influence of Pluto and Eris during this square pattern. This is where the establishment gets to take advantage of the chaos that it has created.

The only thing that can save us from any of this is a creative approach to life, which includes a cooperative approach. That means being awake, aware, involved, applying a measure of theory, investigating the ethics and taking full responsibility — all the things that people like to think they do, but that hardly anyone does. This is ramped up significantly by the presence of Chiron, which is a probe of awareness and a focusing tool.

The only thing that can save us from any of this is a creative approach to life, which includes a cooperative approach.

Chiron is approaching a conjunction to Eris, which will be exact in 2025-2060. While this may seem like a long way off, the transit is inevitable, both planets are slow movers in the sign where it takes place, and therefore, we are under its influence well ahead of its scheduled date. This conjunction is part of the great cycles of contemporary history.

Chiron conjunct Eris last occurred in 1971 and 1972 — also in Aries, because Eris moves so slowly that many long-cycle events happen twice. This was an exciting time and an interesting time, and much of the potential of Chiron conjunct Eris ended in disappointment.

Instead of focusing and joining toward a unified cause — the betterment of society — the largely self-serving anti-Vietnam War movement became numerous self-defined fragments that saw their interests as separate, or more important than those of everyone else. (These included the following factions: women’s rights, environmental, the New Age, racial justice, and many others. Out of this came the anti-abortion movement, and the early seeds of the neoconservative movement.) Then the next thing that happened in 1972 was that Richard Nixon was re-elected, winning 49 states; then came Watergate, which was in fact a known event in June 1972.

Also, the early 1970s came with what is now called 2nd wave feminism or Women’s Liberation. Stick a lot of quotes around “liberation.” This was actually the activation of the masculine in women (the conjunction was in Aries, ruled by Mars). It was not about anything becoming more feminine. Women were attacked for wanting to stay home and raise children. There was no discussion of better ways to have relationships (where all power between men and women is distributed.)

We are approaching this rare conjunction again, in the same sign, in less than five years — so it is developing now. You will have a role, and that role is coming into view at this time. You are likely to be able to feel and identify it even at this distance.

While 10th house transits might normally provide you with a high degree of initiative, you must watch for the flake factor that is driven by Eris (the goddess of chaos and discord), combined with the false sense of personal failure that might be driven by Chiron.

By flake factor, I mean that under the intensified influence of Eris (which is another way to say digital technology), you may feel like your commitments are optional and your reputation is expendable. I suggest you observe these factors carefully, because neither is true, though you may be under the illusion that they are. Chiron will work either way: as something that either asserts that you are not worth it and have no reputation to protect, or that you must offer yourself in service, as well as you are able.

There are other factors in your chart — most of them, really — describing how your life is about your contracts and your agreements. These are about relationships, though these transits mostly describe your contract with yourself; your understanding about the nature and meaning of our existence.

Aquarius transits put you on notice to be alert to the agendas of all groups you encounter. The 8th urges you to be on alert for the agenda of everyone who comes into your life. This notion of “an agenda” is difficult for people to grasp. Everyone has one.

Aquarius Transits for Cancer and Cancer Rising

In the coming chapters, I will personalize the issues from the introduction, related to Aquarius, for you personally.

With Aquarius transits, we are talking about the transit of Saturn, accompanied briefly by Jupiter on and off through the year, with Pluto about to show up to stay for a generation in early 2023. Those are the ‘moving parts’ that appear as themes, as major phases of your journey, and sometimes as characters on the stage of life. It’s best to think of them as all three (and there will be other manifestations).

Your 8th place, in the method of reading we are using here, is the whole sign Aquarius, which is about social patterns, groups, electronic communication and technology, and patterns in general. Many of these are invisible until special effort is made to recognize and see them for what they are. It’s also a social sign, though the impact and influence of groups on the individual is central to its meaning. So if we take off all the fluff, the thing that Aquarius does is thread the needle between the individual and the group.

Aquarius transits put you on notice to be alert to the agendas of all groups you encounter. The 8th urges you to be on alert for the agenda of everyone who comes into your life. This notion of “an agenda” is difficult for people to grasp. Everyone has one. You need to be keen to what they are, and aware of your own agenda at all times.

Remember that Saturn is what is called dignified in Aquarius — it is one of the strongest placements in all of astrology. It has downsides, including thinking that it knows everything. It can be stressed and ’not be itself’, but if you want some discipline and relevance, Saturn in Aquarius is an asset. Saturn will give you the focusing power to check yourself, and to check everyone. May these be lessons well-learned.

Because the 8th house is so closely associated with sexual relationships (particularly those where money is transacted), I will cover that topic as well.

Here is the central question of any 8th house transit: If you don’t watch your finances, who will? This is the great reconciliation of accounts.

The 8th House: Contracts, Agreements, Finances

For Cancer, Aquarius is the 8th place (also said, 8th solar house, or whole sign house if the focus of the reading has Cancer rising). The 8th is the most complex of the 12 houses — what I call the Crowded House. In my experience, it is also the most significant of the houses, in that it’s where we conduct so much of our relationships.

The first English-language description calls it the house of “Death, Dowry and the Substance of the Bride.” Then it ripples out from there. So we get into all manner of transactions here. Originally it’s about inheritances, wills, trusts, dowries, bride price and related matters, and all else flows from there. The affairs of this house cross the generations, and create the thing we think of as family.

Your primary focus of the Aquarian Era is here. Saturn and Jupiter are currently in this house; Pluto is coming. This is about cleaning up your contracts, agreements, and shared resources — though with Aquarius in this region (the style, in the sign of groups), there are going to be a lot (more than a couple) of people involved in this area of life. Were another sign present on the 8th, the contractual relationships would occur in a different style (for example, in the case of Leo Sun or rising, with Capricorn there, many would be business-to-business, and shaped by traditional expectations).

Here is the central question of any 8th house transit: If you don’t watch your finances, who will? This is the great reconciliation of accounts. You must understand your monetary life out to the four corners of the kingdom and beyond. Saturn will have you leave no stone unturned, no account unexamined. Go through every bill, line by line. Cut back what you don’t need; keep what you need, or truly want. You will find plenty you can trim.

Any time there is an exchange of money, please review it.

Now, you may not be noticing the potential of Jupiter, as Saturn is such a taskmaster, and what it is doing is: reconciling your accounts. That is prompting you to renegotiate everything. I suggest a total self-audit: every line of every bill. Every contract, whether written or spoken. You need to know where your money is going — exactly. Then you can cut the fat out of your budget and be more efficient, and potentially more profitable. Any time there is an exchange of money, please review it.

The 8th describes matters of debt and taxation (the classic example of a shared resource). So you want to review this carefully. Saturn in the 8th is pressure and incentive to consolidate and pay down debt. Saturn is inherently frugal, and wants to make the most of the dollar, quid or euro. You may be appalled how much you were wasting.

However, with Aquarius involved, there are always more than two people in the scenario. This is true of any sexual relationship; there are often a lot of in-laws, exes, love interests and third wheels. Yet with Aquarius here, there will be the sensation of an extended family of some kind. This is a natural gravitational force for Cancer Sun and rising. Space bends toward group resources. You might be a steward of collective property in some way.

With Saturn present, you must be the dominant force in this area of your life. You would be the perfect trustee or estate executor. Financial integrity is extremely important to you, as a life skill. You are — if other factors permit — the very essence of fiduciary responsibility. You understand what is yours, what belongs to others, and what belongs to the group. Make sure you count yourself into the any deal where you actually belong. Be fair, to everyone, and to yourself.

The contractual nature of the 8th house is a marvel of nature. The 8th is about shared resources (which is what contracts govern), and with Aquarius present, this house has an economy of its own.

Your Personal Economy

Many of your relationships may be defined by economic exchange of goods, services and funds. You are also the go-to for people who need a reference to someone, since you take the business aspect of life seriously. Therefore, you view your own experience as a kind of collective resource of its own, and collect people of integrity to whom you may safely refer others.

You consider your personal economy to be a kind of family, and your family a kind of personal economy. This is not about the favor of the few; for you this is about making sure that everyone is taken care of. You have the “villa” style of economic design: every need is taken care of by someone trusted and as internal to your situation as possible. Aquarius in the 8th is like having your own private public.

The contractual nature of the 8th house is a marvel of nature. The 8th is about shared resources (which is what contracts govern), and with Aquarius present, this house has an economy of its own. This could work a few ways; here is an example. Cancer is one of the signs that says “home,” and every home has its own mini-economy. The word “eco” means home, so we are on one level talking about home economics: how the home is managed, and all those with whom the household does business, as a kind of business entity of its own.

Now, Saturn may for some have a constricting effect, where your inflow of resources from others is concerned. This is why it’s critical that you take this opportunity to do two things: structure, and economize. This is an excellent time to build incrementally, in measured degrees. It is not the time to take big chances. But you must invest in yourself, and if appropriate, persuade others to do so.

Jupiter is showing you the financial and commercial potential of working in a group context. You have the opportunity to expand your affairs, and your financial reach. However, I suggest you maintain a high level of control over any such enterprise. This may to you seem “unfair,” but I would argue that it’s merely sensible and self-protective.

Under the influence of Saturn in your 8th house, it may seem like you have to reduce your life to a set of transactions. That would be helpful, for now.

Where Sex Meets Money

One problem with sex in our society or any that I have encountered is that it is turned into a commodity. It is rarely a gift freely given, but is rather traded for valuable goods, money, assurances or other items exchanged. I wish I was being cynical here. Love is sometimes a factor, but what is more often meant is security.

Under the influence of Saturn in your 8th house, it may seem like you have to reduce your life to a set of transactions. That would be helpful, for now. My definition of an 8th house relationship is any one where both sex and money are exchanged. These tend to become marriages and must be treated with extreme care, particularly now.

They will tend to come under the same review as all other transactional relationships, and must not be exempted. Much of what you are seeking to understand, and to change, will be revealed by them.

Having Aquarius on the 8th house gives you the potential for some detachment in these relationships. It is not guaranteed, but it’s a resource or ability you may use.

One interesting thing about Cancer is that it wants to keep its love interests diversified. This is a quality of Aquarius on the 8th house — the notion that a group may be involved in the committed relationship. While this does not assure that you will be on a panel at the next polyamory conference, under the right circumstances, such a thing might work for you.

Most of why people are monogamous involves financial interests, jealousy and control; and then for some, they may make the choice to be with one person on a truly voluntary basis. However, you may have already figured out that you have your options open. There is a form of polyamory called panfidelity, which is about having several lovers or partners each for many years.

You have Taurus in your 11th place, which represents your social involvements — and this transit describes you as someone who wants to provoke progress among those close to you and who surround you.

A Force for Change in Your Community and Social Circles

This deserves a mention, and further explication elsewhere. Aquarius has a secondary ruler, Uranus. I am reluctant to say ‘ruler’ but that’s how most people think of it. In fact many contemporary astrologers skip Saturn entirely, and go right to Uranus.

Uranus is the planet of revolution. Studying history, you see it’s there every time. It’s also the planet of invention, and of inventors; this is fairly consistent. Uranus is now a longterm visitor to Taurus, through 2026.

You have Taurus in your 11th place, which represents your social involvements — and this transit describes you as someone who wants to provoke progress among those close to you and who surround you. This extends as far as your friends and their friends; your colleagues; your clients; any who read, watch or listen to the work that you produce; any group short of the general public.

This transit could mean you serving to get people out of their unconscious, outdated and stuck ways. Or it could mean getting people of similar values together, as Uranus often represents groups. Be careful here. You cannot awaken someone who is pretending to be asleep. I suggest you do more gathering than awakening.

Uranus can be the lightning and it can represent the place where lightning strikes. So be sure you stay out of the trees in a storm.

One other thing about the 11th: it’s the house of revenue from your professional affairs. With Uranus here, this may fluctuate wildly. You need to find ways to stabilize this aspect of your life, for your peace of mind and your sanity — and to maximize the potential of this transit.

Make sure your accounts are reconciled, and that you know exactly where you stand with yourself and with others. The reconciliation of humanity begins with you.

The Dharma of Aquarius: Pluto is Coming

As I’ve done my best to illustrate here, the 8th house is the house of the most meaningful transactions of our lives, and also the most dangerous. Those transactions are where you act as if to hold the world together — or where we allow the world to fall apart. This may be our world, but our world always interacts with the reality of others.

The 8th house is one of several realms where people can easily take power over others (the marital contract is the classic example), so when yours is taking transits, that is when you must guard your independence.

You are now under the influence of Saturn in this house, which is saying: get your act together, on all of the above topics. To “make sure your house is in order” is to make sure your 8th house is in order.

Make sure your accounts are reconciled, and that you know exactly where you stand with yourself and with others. The reconciliation of humanity begins with you.

You don’t need to be a social scientists to see that a wedge is being driven into society; that families and friends are being driven apart; that groups are being driven apart or banned outright; that we are all being persuaded to distrust one another. In the spirit of the 8th, here is the death threat: your children are being told they might kill their grandparents, and will carry that with them for the rest of their lives. Do not succumb to these false claims. They have no basis in actual science, only in business-driven political science.

There is tremendous potential power in Pluto in Aquarius, which could serve humanity beautifully. We could get together — or at least, some of us could, and support one another. It is vital with Pluto coming to your 8th house that you form a community of interest with people with whom you share actual values.

I often think of the words of Conversations with God, Book 3, published in 1996:

“I want to repeat this, because it is vital that you hear this. Once before on your planet, the technology you developed was far greater than your ability to use it responsibly. You are approaching the same point in human history again. It is vitally important that you understand this. Your present technology is threatening to outstrip your ability to use it wisely. Your society is on the verge of becoming a product of your technology rather than your technology being a product of your society. When a society becomes a product of its own technology, it destroys itself.”

There is tremendous potential power in Pluto in Aquarius, which could serve humanity beautifully. We could get together — or at least, some of us could, and support one another. It is vital with Pluto coming to your 8th house that you form a community of interest with people with whom you share actual values. For that to happen, you need to know what your values are.

The Pluto in Aquarius era can be a time of a gathering of the millions, or of death to the millions. It may be both. And if it is both, the choices you make will determine which side of that equation you land on. Because this is your 8th house, through which nearly all transactions are mediated, this is shaping up to be exceptionally personal for you. But this is about much more. We are talking about the fate of humanity, which is, for us, the face of the Earth.

When people get stressed by the physical world, they tend to resort to religion. There are indeed no atheists in foxholes.

Don’t Deceive with Belief: Neptune in Pisces

You and the world are in a longterm transit of Neptune in Pisces (2011-2026). This is one of the soft spots that is facilitating people having the sensation of knowing without actually having any idea whatsoever what is happening around them or to them.

Pisces is your 9th place, which is frameworked by belief, and, at times, direct contact with the numinous and the divine. These things are attractive to you and seem to come naturally, though must now be handled with caution and awareness. We began with the idea that Neptune is one of the esoteric rulers of Cancer, so this offers you great potential. However, this must be used carefully.

The realms of religion, spirituality, mysticism, Gnosticism, self-help, alternative. healing, or astrology — they all require extreme caution now. More than anything they require methods of validation and cross-checking. This necessity has ramped up since all of the action in Capricorn has broken apart the structures that would provide some grounding for these branches of study. When people get stressed by the physical world, they tend to resort to religion. There are indeed no atheists in foxholes.

I hear a lot of people talking about heart-centered knowingness, though I don’t hear anyone mention the ways this is subject to corruption, nor what to do about it. We can talk about body-based knowing, though we also need to consider the many counterfeits, and also, the ways that body-knowing can be twisted and warped.

A significant result of the central delusion of our time is the utter lack of distinction between facts and beliefs. We live in the time of, “If I believe it, then it is true.”

Here again are the words of Eric McLuhan: “The body is everywhere assaulted by all of our new media, a state which has resulted in deep disorientation of intellect and destabilization of culture throughout the world. In the age of disembodied communication, the meaning and significance and experience of the body is utterly transformed and distorted.”

The world is in a profound state of delusion right now. We know the primary source of this: digital consciousness has driven people out of both mind and body, while providing the dangerous illusion of omniscience (and for some, omnipotence). That nifty little rock you carry around can find out anything in two seconds, or call China, or text your high school mate, or find your keys or your cat, or retrieve a copy of the Magna Carta. But it is not you. You cannot really be a thousand places at once, either, but thinking you are can take you out of the one place that you are.

A significant result of the central delusion of our time is the utter lack of distinction between facts and beliefs. We live in the time of, “If I believe it, then it is true.” Note how little discussion there is of this problem, but we see the problem everywhere — or perhaps it is invisible to most.

Your chart is pushing you to use logic and reason; to be clear; to understand your world on clear terms that you grasp, and can explain to another person. You are being pushed into getting clear about the terms of every relationship.

You need to be able to trace the logical steps that got you to any conclusion. For many reasons I have described, you are in a position of leadership and authority. If you are misdirected, many others will be as well. One of my favorite lines of David Bowie’s is, “Don’t deceive with belief.” The implication is that all belief is a form of deception. It’s not about proof; not about faith in the unseen; not about understanding something. It’s a mental construct that can make something entirely untrue seem valid.

Though there are few spiritual paths that would agree with this and many that would want to argue this point down, strategy is crucial. That means working with both a vision and a plan — both of which must be adaptable, and revised more or less constantly.

In May, Jupiter ingresses Pisces, where it will be on and off through 2022. Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces, and is unusually strong in this sign. Strong does not automatically translate to positive, but rather to the power that is available.

Jupiter’s presence, conjunct Neptune (one of the esoteric rulers of your sign) will entice you to take a spiritual approach to your life challenges, to expand your vision, and to feel the ways you benefit the world. It could also feed the central delusion of the world, and it’s crucial that you not play into that, or allow it to influence you. To “be spiritual” is to hold yourself to the highest standards of integrity, of service, and of validating what you think you know.

Though there are few spiritual paths that would agree with this and many that would want to argue this point down, strategy is crucial. That means working with both a vision and a plan — both of which must be adaptable, and revised more or less constantly. The world will be changing very fast during this time, and many people will be acting on untrue information, false promises, and delusions that reach to the level of hallucination. The cult mentality we are seeing will, on one seeming side of reality, gather momentum as people actively seek to feed their central delusion. Mostly, this is a “spirituality” where the world is only a dangerous place and where “love” is about judging your neighbor.

For you to be guided spiritually will require utter sincerity. The word “sincere” means without error. It does not mean you are doing your best to be authentic. To be sincere means to know when you don’t understand; to admit when you are wrong; and to have many means of reality-checking your thoughts, observations and ideas. As long as you know when you do not know, you will do fine. Therein lies the quest.