It’s always interesting when the stars make “confrontation” their default setting. And I’m using “interesting” in that enigmatic and loaded way we’ve come to use the phrase, “May you live in interesting times”—a phrase wrongly attributed to an ancient Chinese curse, but nonetheless part of our modern vernacular. Robert Kennedy used it in his University of Cape Town speech on June 1966.
I referred to this speech in May 2012, as we were approaching the first in this current series of seven Uranus/Pluto squares that occur between June 24, 2012 and March 17, 2015, because these squares are part of an astrological cycle that began in the mid-sixties. I also referred to that speech, and am referring to it again two years later, because it is uncanny just how much of it is still applicable. As I wrote then: Kennedy referenced the notion of living in “interesting times” and what is required of those who do. He calls those interesting times – nearly fifty years ago — times of “danger and uncertainty” but also times that are “more open to creative energy” than “any other time in history.”
The fifth Uranus/Pluto square that occurs on April 21—the one we are currently approaching—is probably best described as the most confrontational in the series. Mars, still retrograde in Libra, forms an opposition to Uranus, in Aries, as well as a square to Pluto, in Capricorn; and Jupiter, in Cancer, forms an opposition to Pluto as well as a square to both Uranus and Mars. This entire configuration is called a Cardinal Grand Cross, and it is best described as a highly intense and stressful aggregation of planetary force that builds its power as the formation tightens into exact degrees and then, releases as the planets start to separate out of those positions. Cardinal Signs are given to action, so as this Grand Cross intensifies its grip, so do the problems we are facing, personal as well as collective.
The mounting tension of this Grand Cross is sure to show itself as behaviors, our own or others’, that we can no longer tolerate. Or as secrets that can no longer hold themselves back from being spoken. Or as dreams that convey messages across dimensions of time and space. Or as longings that can no longer be denied. The need to act up or act out in relationship is driven by Mars, retrograde in Libra, and its determination to ferret out imbalances in all sorts of relationships. The urge to break free from constraints, real or imagined, is fueled by Uranus, in Aries, sparking personal and collective movements for independence. Pluto, in Capricorn, makes its contribution by shaking the foundation of systems that no longer serve. And Jupiter, in Cancer, exacerbates the entire bundle by infusing volatile situations with issues of safety and security.
The best way to handle this astral tightening is to refuse to take any unnecessary action. No unnecessary action is also the best way to handle the release of the intensity after April 21. Wu wei is the Taoist notion of action without effort or control. It’s action that exemplifies the way of water, which yields naturally to obstacles, and neither argues, pushes, nor opposes, but rather adapts its course around obstacles or simply wears them away. There is nothing passive about water; for the Taoist, it is the strongest substance—all one has to do is look at the Colorado River and the path it cuts through the Grand Canyon to get the point. Wu wei is not motivated by ego and its array of negative behavior—greed, fear, anger, and so forth, all of which can be seen as unnecessary action; wu wei, through its effortless action, simply exemplifies the Tao, the ineffable, primordial essence of the universe.
As the coming weeks unfold, pay attention to where you are tightening your grip and then be determined to release it. It will do no good to push against this river of astral intensity; the only thing to do is to let it transform you. That doesn’t mean letting go of what matters to you; it means trusting that because it matters it will withstand without your constant grip. And when possible, avoid angry confrontations, lines in the sand, and ultimatums. Words spoken in haste are likely to beget regret. Lines tend to change, particularly when they are drawn in sand. Ultimatums are often more fluster and bluster than they are accurate assessments of reality. Finding a way to flow with the intensity will lessen everyone’s suffering, including and especially your own.
There are no Sun Sign blurbs this week.
Ralfee Finn specializes in Transformational Astrology. For readings, call 1-888-937-9264, write P.O. Box 343, New York, NY 10025, visit AquariumAge.com, or e-mail ralfee@aquariumage.com.
Copyright © 2014 by Ralfee Finn