By Len Wallick
We are able to find everything in our memory
–Marcel Proust
Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a national holiday set aside in tribute to those who have given their lives in military service. It is synchronistic that this is also the first full day of Saturn out of retrograde, once again moving forward, affording us a review of the past and a clue to the future. The ringed one stationed direct yesterday (just after 19:08 UTC) at twenty-seven degrees, forty-nine arc minutes, fifty-seven arc seconds in late Virgo.
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Let us remember.
Saturn first entered Virgo on Sept. 2, 2007. While there, it exacted its first of five oppositions (180 degrees aspect) to Uranus in Pisces — this, on the same day Pres. Obama was elected. On Oct. 29, 2009 it dipped a toe into the next sign, Libra, much as Chiron (in Pisces) and Uranus (in Aries) are doing now. Soon thereafter it exacted its first of three square aspects (90 degrees of separation) with Pluto in Capricorn.
On April 8 of this year, Saturn retrograded back into Virgo as if to get its affairs in order. It will return to Libra this coming July 21st to exact one more opposition to Uranus, one more square to Saturn and one more square to Pluto in the weeks to follow. Then it will move on to enjoy a vacation of sorts in Libra, a sign in which the ringed one is exalted. That transit that will last until Oct. 5, 2012.
For now, until late July, there will be a glimpse of the future in remembrance of the past. Among other things, Saturn in astrology represents the principles of contraction, limits and boundaries. It has an affinity for definition in structure. Among other things Mercury, the ruling planet of Virgo represents adaptability with regards to our thinking as well as being amenable to variable means of communication. The challenge of Saturn’s transit in Virgo has been to integrate the qualities of the two planets — a challenge that for the most part, has been unmet. These are affairs to be gotten in order, yet two successive Mercury retrogrades in Earth signs, Capricorn and Taurus, have not helped. These disruptive transits have periodically placed the mutable at odds with the grounded at what seemed to be the worst possible times.
The context of the ongoing cardinal t-square has likewise brought out some of the more stubborn characteristics of things Saturn. In its rapid cycling of polemical tension between the revolutionary energy of Uranus and the evolutionary imperative of Pluto, there has been but little hope for achievement of resolution. This has been reflected by a hardening of partisan lines in politics and an increasing polarity in our personal lives. Many have taken refuge in the simplicity of absolutes and extremes. Only a brave few have acknowledged the fact that we must endure a messy process to secure a sustainable future.
Once again, however, necessity is proven the mother of invention. With a concurrent shift of crucial influences however ephemeral, the unfinished integrity of Saturn in Virgo can yet be achieved.
A system is an interconnection of relationships working together to create a whole. Chiron, among other things, makes us aware of crucial weaknesses that threaten the function of a system. The ingress of Chiron into Pisces was concurrent with the beginning of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It brought vivid imagery of the extermination of life over thousands upon thousands of square miles of ocean and coastline. It brought acute awareness that the the petroleum industry was risking a disaster that it had no plan to stop. It made us conscious that whole systems upon which we depend could tumble like dominoes if one puny mechanical system among many should fail. It is gradually waking us up to the fact that a holistic approach is the only way to proceed from here. That would mean setting aside our differences and interests to act as one. That would require the strength of Saturn’s structure to be informed by the inclusive nature of Mercury.
The first degree of Aries carries the implication that the personal is political and vice versa. The ingress of Uranus into that degree implies among other things, the beginning of a new cycle. Also implied is the unpredictable, the dramatic, the sudden and the shocking. Historically, it has been concurrent with the sudden and unpredictable. It holds the hazard of reckless confrontation and thoughtless reaction. It holds the opportunity of thoughtful innovation as a means for both harnessing the ambient energy and avoiding catastrophe.
The transit of Uranus into Aries was quickly followed by another in a sequence of failures by the established order. The so-called “top kill” attempt to smother the hemorrhage in the Gulf was overwhelmed by the pressure of the petroleum. No substantial progress has been made. Remaining remedies involve more time and higher risk. People are starting to get scared. People are starting to lose composure. Panic is setting in. Consequences are accumulating and gathering weight.
In the long run, our personal responses will matter as much as the political. Even while no individual has the resources to stop this tragedy, we can each begin by assuming responsibility for the part we have played in it. There would have been no motivation for British Petroleum to take such a terrible risk if there were less demand for their product. Which there would have been if we were more conscious and conservative about using it.
We can begin by making ourselves aware of how we use petroleum. Yes, running our automobiles, often with only one occupant, is a big one. Looking into how your electricity is generated is another. There are also plastics, disinfectants, synthetic materials, pesticides, detergents and fertilizers among an overwhelming number of components in our material lives made from oil. Interestingly, most of these products have one thing in common: they are used to keep the natural world at bay, going beyond the limits the natural world would impose upon us. They were invented as if we did not originate from the natural world, are not a part of it, nor require balance with nature in order to survive.
This is where the Mercury consciousness could be informed by Saturn, and that innovative thinking should be tempered by an awareness of consequences, not a denial. Our expanding output of toxins is long overdue for contraction. The ability of the Earth to sustain the weight of our existence has limits. The resources of the earth have limits as well. This is the only place we have to live and we had best get on with making it more, not less, livable.
The remaining weeks of Saturn’s time in Virgo afford us a chance to consolidate our memory of the recent past. Just as meaningfully, Saturn will symbolically provide us with opportunity to consolidate a shape for our future. We can honor the imperative for progress that is Uranus in Aries. We can acknowledge the inevitability of evolution that is Pluto in Capricorn. We can take faith from Mercury that we have not forgotten how to think. Individually and collectively, we can find creation in chaos.
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Cool info. Thanks, Patty!
You can buy lye on line through soap suppliers, maybe share a batch with friends. Ace hardware carries lye in the plumbing section and it works as well – just not as pure.
I buy a more pure lye that doesn’t have as much ash (soda) so it makes a cleaner looking soap. Then you can always make your lye like grandma did – drip water through wood ashes until an egg floats! I knew those Foxfire books would come in handy someday.
I hope you’re right about people boycotting BP, Patty! The station up the street is still busy as ever – and there are 3 other choices within a block. My experience is that for many people if the situation is explained in detail it becomes just TMI (too much information) and they’re back to Fox “news”. People need to be rallied to a cause – and the Oil Kill in the Gulf is still just something to watch from a distance for too many. And milk comes in a bottle right? (That is, it is frightening to observe how out of touch with things like oh our food-chain many otherwise intellegent-sounding people are.)
I think it’s an ironic time to note that Obama’s refrain “yes we can!” was used years ago by Ceasar Chavez when he worked to organize farm workers. (“Sí, se puede”.) I never had grapes as a kid. Seemed every summer was one more summer of boycotting grapes.
I hope “yes we can” find many useful ways to express outrage – such as boycotting BP gas stations – and to express our outrage not only at the situation in the Gulf but at the arrogant self-serving attitude of the BP mucky-mucks.
Did you know that gray-water systems are illegal many places? I’m sure health reasons are cited, but I believe it’s all about water-rights and profit.
I looked up soap making today. Apparently lye can be hard to find in urban stores ’cause of meth-makers…. so then I looked up a receipe for making homemade lye……….LOL…so for me then it’s back to Dr. Bronners. But I refill the plastic bottles, honest!! (I do wish they would switch to organic-origin plastic containers.)
Be – thanks for the information again. What I think is that God is putting us to the test. I woke up one day this week and saw Jesus on a grey horse. It was startling, to say the least. Then I read the dream down below, and saw within it the horrific challenge ahead.
My parents were both born during Uranus in Pisces, and they were called the ‘Greatest Generation.’ I’ve thought about them all day, the hard work and overcoming of obstacles, and gifts of food, love, and a place to sleep for so many, dad at Pearl Harbor and my mother worked in a war factory – and they always paid cash for everything.
I wonder if the children born the last 7 years will be the ones who make any and every sacrifice to save us. If I’m alive when these little ones begin to graduate, I will remember the spring and summer of 2010.
wandering yeti,
thanks for this info . . .and speaking of the Summer solstice, Ceres will (when she goes direct) be squaring Mercury in the solstice chart at 21+ Gemini. The U.S. (Sibly) chart has Mars at 21 Gemini 23 in the 7th house. The U.S. chart also has Neptune at 22 virgo 25 and the U.S. progressed chart has the Moon at 21+ virgo. so Ceres is talking to U.S. Mars and is challenged by U.S. Neptune and the U.S. public.
On April 20, when the BP oil rig blew up Jupiter was at 21 Pisces 44. BP’s natal chart has Pluto at 24 Pisces 03 and Black Moon Lilith at 22 Virgo 5. I’d say we were between a rock and a hard place.
Maybe when Persophene moves out of Aries and into Taurus she can reason with her mom Ceres in Capricorn, you think?
be
Patty, that previous comment got out by mistake. . . . .
That was from an article in Mt. Astrologer by Judi Vitale (April/May 2010)where she says “we can conclude that, whatever happens we will be faced with the “disgust and revulsion concerning evil, sinister or disagreeable influences”. She’s quoting Roger A. Jacobson and is referring to Hades being on the aries point (29 Gemini 10) at the same time as the Sun (0 Cancer) in the Summer Solstice chart (6/21/10, 11:30 a.m. GMT) I believe Hades is already very close to that point now, so we can thank him for the loathesome gusher of oil in the Gulf.
Actually she also says that “(Hades) serves as a force to point out the things about our lives and our society that are less than desirable so that we can fix them.”
She also says “(info in her article) seems to point to a lot of potentially unpleasant events. Also, she says “the general public will be encountering the darker side of life. We may be cleaning up after disasters or celebrating cures for disease, or we may be doing both at the same time.” Really interesting article but it creeped me out at the time. don’t think we can blame Hades for all of this mess but when we add all the aspects together, it seems we were destined to be unhappy at this time, but that some good will come of it.
be
I remember that Patty, it was when I was having a plumbing/hot water problem and I’d been reading an article in the Mt. Astrologer about Hades. In the April/May 2010 issue Judi Vitale talks about how, in the Summer Solstice chart (6/21/10, 11:30 am GMT) when the Sun is at 0 Cancer, Hades will be at 29 Gemini 10. She quotes Roger A. Jacobson and says we can conclude that, whatever happens, we will be faced with the “disgust and revulsion concerning evil, sinister or disagreeable influences.” I believe Hades is pretty close to that point right now!
Still, she says …(Hades) serbes as a force to point out the things about our lives and our society that are less than desirable so that we can fix them.”
BK- Ceres goes direct at 20 degrees Sag on August 8. Persephone is currently at 28 degrees Aries.
BK, what was it you were saying about Hades a few weeks ago. You were scared.
Dude, this means my temporary yod (my Saturn sextile trans Neptune focal trans Saturn) only has a few more weeks before it leaves for Libra and all hell breaks loose. What am I saying; you mean there’s more of that than we’ve already had? Yeah, I guess so. Come to think, Saturn direct usually hits me like sedgehammer. Guess I could use that energy for my big project of getting my office (I use the term loosly) into a well functioning system. I call it Project Orda Lee, get it . . .orderly?
So Saturn is probably why my back is tied in a knot, but still I’ve got a lot of data organized even when lying flat on my bed. I figure Phase 2 will be when Jupiter conjuncts the Aries Point and brings that Uranian “thoughtful innovation” down to my level where I can understand it. Has to be ready by next March when Uranus returns to Aries, you know?
And what do you think about Chiron opposite Vesta the other day? All that hard work for nothing. . . are we talking about Top Kill? Hmmph. Vesta trined Ceres this morning, maybe she can coax Earth Mom into lightn’ up a little with that gusher; kind of remind her that being ticked off isn’t helping her friend Sedna’s fishes or Makemake’s bird friends. Maybe when Chiron sextiles her on Tuesday she might relent, but I doubt it. Heck, she’s retrograde ’til God knows when and she’s really angry with the human race right now. I dunno, what can we do to make her happy? Where the heck is Persophene right now?
Well, I could plant some flowers in her honor, but you know, I don’t think she’s gonna give an inch until we get those bastards out of the Gulf and come up with a dam site (hmmm) better idea. (Are there any otters in that area that could build a dam in front of the wetlands? Just a thought!)
So thanks for the reminders and for the well turned phrases which we depend on every week Len my fren’. Thanks too to your fans who leave their heartfelt messages here for all us believers. Never fails to lift my spirits! Peace and love to all.
be
That’s fine to hit BP hard, but if you go to Chevron you’re just supporting even worse abuses that most Americans never see and most news media in the west never report in the Niger delta. All of the oil companies are in this, BP is only the most visible for Americans right now.
Len, your words are poetic. And meaningful. Didn’t creation come from chaos? Or was that organized chaos? I think there is real potential here for something grand. I’m just not sure what it is.
Maybe Chrion will make the multitudes realize that we ourselves may each be one of those broken links in the whole? A change of heart is in order so that we all want to be a part of the solution rather than remaining a part of the problem.
I stood by the ocean this morning and was caught off guard when my prayer focused on the ocean herself and I found myself weeping, and then falling to my knees as to stand no longer felt good nor appropriate. I think that has been one of the most profound awakenings for myself in recent times : that seeing things with one’s own eyes is nothing like seeing things through a television screen. And even though I’ve read that our brains process these things similarly, from personal experience, I disagree. Or, come to think of it… maybe the missing component is the heart. The heart, or at least my heart, doesn’t seem to connect with images on the tv but when I’m physically present my heart is right there too.
I was a little relieved that I wasn’t standing next to the gulf as I felt it would have been too overwhelming for me.
Prayers help. If only to make a feeble human being feel as though she/he can do something, that’s a lot, as that’s often all we can do.
I was driving past a BP station yesterday on my way to Cape May and I had to pee so bad… I passed it right up. There were a few cars there, but it did emit a little of a ghost town feel about it.
I’m off to the water again.
Patricia MoonRose
Thanks Len, such nice work you do.
A few chickens will produce enough fertilizer to keep a family in veggies and protein. When I think about how my grandfather lived I’m just dumbfounded that we made such a mess of things. he donated his land to the state to build a road when all the works projects were going on during the great depression, so he could have mail delivered. Everyone else was paid for the land and used it to put siding over their log cabins – modernized. Their water was from a natural spring, which today would probably be condemned by at least 3 state agencies.
So what happened? Rural free delivery and the electrification program brought mail and electricity to the country, daily. Billions of pounds of paper for advertising still go through the mail systems of the world daily, delivered largely by truck, plane and automobile. The unions kept the systems going, voting by block for candidates who promised to strengthen union wages while reducing work hours and improving safety. Vehicles were mass produced and everyone owned one or two, along with a TV set. The Microsoft goal is ‘a computer in every home’ – mission accomplished. Everyone has wall to wall carpeting and a dishwasher. Teamsters won’t unload their own trucks, did you know that? At 110 pounds, I once unloaded 60 tractor batteries from a trailer while the big burly teamster watched. They were heavy, and it was no small task moving them to the storage room, but I needed the job and the dude was probably mad that a woman was doing man’s work.
I’m not sure how we step back from this, but there are battery operated computers that recharge by the sun. Wind farms are gaining popularity, water can be recycled and purified at home, trash can be separated and sold for profit, if not a donation. I recently read the instructions for making a washable menstrual pad, the kind grandma used. I think we have to do the unthinkable, or we are the history that no-one will remember.
I don’t know anyone that is buying BP gas right now.
Holy Mackarel Len,
Thanks to you, I was able to read this elegant and amazingly well-explained piece and feel like I now “get” the recent past. You are teaching me astrology technicalities that I could never grasp before, and for that I am grateful. These are no longer willy-nilly ideas and feelings, but tangible, concrete phases that I have just lived through and now understand. Your clear linking together of it all is truly brilliant.
And your ability to put a “We can and will do what must be done” tone helps me remember that we can.
Victoria