Wonder and Grace within these Strange and Tumultuous Times

I was first going to title this article ‘Strange and Tumultuous Times’ until hiking down our very steep ravine this afternoon I experienced a wild and raging Clipper Creek which runs through our Sierra mountain property and normally has been a trickle during five long years of drought in California.  Standing in awe of this force of nature I felt tremendous grace and wonder.   I understand more fully that those benefics are with all of us, ready to be found in the middle of whatever crazy and strange experiences we are going through.

The past few weeks haven’t been the easiest for my husband and myself.  He has suffered a series of health set-backs and we have had to call an ambulance and visit the ER a couple of times, not to mention trying to get him scheduled in for surgery with roadblocks every step of the way.  Stress…  I’m sure you readers know what I speak of, but that being said,  I don’t think I hold a candle to the hardships others are experiencing on this planet right now.  We live in stressful times.  What I  found today is that nature can be one of the greatest de-stressors of all, and I give you a few photos taken on my trek to remind you of that truth.

I now present the Presidential Inauguration chart  where we see this great Cardinal T-square between Uranus square Pluto square Jupiter with Uranus/Eris in Aries almost exactly opposite Jupiter in Libra.  This major and powerful convergence of energies perfectly describes the tumultuous times we are living in, but Jupiter also shows were ‘grace’ can be experienced.  So look at your own chart and see where this T-square falls for you personally.

If it falls in your Angular houses (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) you are probably getting the full impact through personal and relationship changes as well as a lot of action.  Perhaps you are acting differently or someone else is.  Perhaps great change is taking place in your public life or home life.  Pluto in Capricorn may well represent the the most powerful arena of transformation, while Uranus/Eris in Aries shows the place of greatest upheaval and awakening, but Jupiter is where you just might find some grace.  So pay attention to that place in your life!

If the energies fall in your Succedent houses (2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th) there may be major upheavals and a feeling that your solid ground is being shaken up.  These arenas have much to do with substantiating yourself and creating something that will last.  Perhaps an earthquake or two shows you where your structures have been built firmly or not.  Jupiter, while it can exaggerate a situation, can also bring some grace.  Embrace it!

If the energies fall in your Cadent houses (3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th) waves of intensity that come and go may be creating necessary changes in your mind-set, attitudes, daily habits, beliefs, and even your spiritual life.  Endings and preparations for new beginnings may be upon you.  I am experiencing the Uranus opposite Jupiter effects in my 3rd and 9th houses, so the grace of Jupiter has come to me through a greater awareness of spiritual forces in my daily life.  Like today.  They come whenever I’m willing to step out of my set routine and embrace something bigger, like a 9th house hike through the woods.

If you are looking to understand this configuration from a more collective perspective I recommend reading the latest issue of The Mountain Astrologer where Jessica Murray writes ‘Truth or Dare: Major Transits of 2017.”  They also have a good article on President Elect Donald Trump.  I also encourage you to check out William Stickever’s site once again.  He’s practically the only mundane astrologer who accurately predicted Donald Trump’s win as the next President of the United States.  I joined his ‘Global Outlook 2017’ Webinar and it was a tour de force of non-stop 3-hour commentary on historical cycles, the planetary cyclic index, Trump’s first term as next U.S. President, and the blackbox forecast for the top 10 major power countries, as well as a host of other very important topics for our times.  Whew!  Good stuff.  I came away with a better understanding of why Trump is the vehicle for change like him or not.

As an astrologer I don’t like to use our craft to spout my opinions or take sides too often.  I would rather be the observer telling it like it is as I see the archetypes unfolding. (Granted this is difficult to do!)  If you look at Trump’s chart with the inauguration chart you can see clearly how Jupiter in Libra and Uranus/Eris in Aries are both sweeping him into power as a Full Moon type (Sun in Gemini opposite Moon in Sagittarius).  You may also see how these energies impact his nodal axis also in Gemini/Sagittarius.  Transit Uranus will continue to fire up his very powerful Mars in Leo conjoining his Leo/Soul/Ascendant right until it leaves Aries in the spring of 2018, but he’ll also have to contend with Pluto opposing his Saturn/Venus in Cancer beginning to be felt around the same time.  He will no doubt face his own fears at that time. Will he be loved and popular as his Venus/Saturn wants?  Right now he does have transit Saturn going over his Moon and opposing his Sun as he enters the supreme office of this land.  There are limits that he must face both personally and publicly.  Mr. Stickevers uses very complex blackbox indexes to determine the troughs and the peaks of anyone’s journey through time.  He sees Trump hitting high peaks until June and then many challenges will hit hard the second half of the year.

I gained a lot from Stickever’s reminder that this Pluto/Uranus square is still with us big time even though the aspect itself has reached exactness.  I, too, agree with the perspective of Richard Tarnas that these larger cycles last much longer for the collective.  Tarnas gives a 15 degree orb.  The declining phase is considered even more important and we will see it unfold powerfully from 2017 until 2020 even if it was exact between 2012 and 2015.  I’m also struck by the significance of this new dwarf planet, Eris, forming a conjunction right now with Uranus in Aries.  Eris is way, way out there, so it falls in the sign of Aries for all of us alive today.  It is considered to be war-like by many astrologers, and it certainly appears that way with all the endless wars-without-end here, there, and everywhere.  Heather Ensworth, however, wrote a very insightful article in the Dec.2010/Jan.2011 issue of The Mountain Astrologer entitled “ERIS (Or Is It Really Xena?), Exploring the Meaning of the Dwarf Planet”.  In this write-up she mentions that the Astronomical Union first named it Xena.  There was a popular television series called Xena:  Warrior Princess set in ancient Greece.  As Ms. Ensworth writes, “The primary story line was about Xena’s profound transformation from a violent warlord to a spiritual warrior on a quest for Justice and healing for all.”  Could it be that this archetypal energy is now awakening and arising simultaneously with other more troubling aspects of the devolution we are witnessing?  Perhaps this Women’s March in Washington DC on January 21st also manifests something powerful at work.  I see that Uranus/Xena is also conjoining Demeter in Aries and all three are in trine to Hera/Saturn in Sagittarius.  Three powerful feminine archetypes are joining forces with Saturn and Uranus as well as Jupiter.  The role models of nurturance and supportive relationships may be changing as women rise up more powerfully in all stations of life to voice their concerns and take more action.  I certainly welcome this phenomena and see it as one more evolutionary movement towards greater equality between the genders.

This inaugural chart is full of complexity and I don’t like my blog articles to get too long.  Just notice, however, all the Watery element present with the amassing of planets in Pisces and the Moon in Scorpio.  A floodgate of emotion is here to find a way to express itself among the populace.  Many are feeling lost, confused, and discouraged I am finding.  That’s the Pisces pitfall.  Saturn in Sagittarius demands a focus that strives towards picking oneself up by the bootstraps and working towards a goal even if the way isn’t always clear.  It reminds me of today in my hike down the steep, wet trail.  I was aware that I had to watch where I was stepping because the slope was very slippery and I could easily plunge off the narrow trail and roll down into the raging waters far below.  So I envisioned myself a mountain goat, staying sure-footed in my heavy duty boots.  I kept my eyes on the trail and grabbed solidly placed small trees and branches well placed.  I navigated slowly.  Then I stopped where it was safe footing and took photos and absorbed the natural beauty of where I stood.  I think this illustrates well the Saturn square Chiron/Mars in Pisces right now.  Movement needs to be sure-footed and careful.  This will be interesting to observe with the new administration attempting to rush through major changes.  That Pisces configuration falls in Mr. Trump’s 7th/8th houses in square to his Sun/Moon/Nodal axis.  Transit Saturn may be cautioning him from below to be sure of his footing!  His need for freedom is getting curbed, but I see that same transit will be in trine to his Saturn/Venus in Cancer.

I have run the charts on Trump’s women:  Melania, Ivanka, and Kellyanne.  I’m intrigued by the three of them and hope to write something up as I have time.  Melanie is a strong Taurean, Ivanka a Scorpio, but Kellyanne is a force to be contended with!  She has her Solar Return in alignment with this Inaugural Chart.  She should be watched as part of the new feminine force at work whether you align with her or not.

The January 20th chart impacting the nation’s birth map shows transit Saturn now solidly in the 1st house/identity of the US.  It is a time of sober maturation  It is also, typically, a time when the entity is thrown back on itself and may even feel alone and isolated.  Look at how transit Saturn opposes the nation’s natal Mars in Gemini in the house of open enemies as well as partners.  Trump himself has stated over and over again that he will sort through who the US allies are and who are not.  This same transit Saturn is now in square to the Nation’s Neptune in Virgo.  There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors at work as well as grief and disenchantment.  Another point of focus is on the nation’s Mercury in Cancer as transit Uranus squares it from one end, and Jupiter in Libra from the other.  Mercury is the mind-set of the native, it’s avenues of communication (the media).  Now we have all this talk of ‘fake news’ and endless questioning of what is real and what isn’t.  Trump is a Tweeter.  These short but endless sound bites are probably not going to stop.  The inter-net is now how so many millions look for news and even ‘truth’.  It’s mind-boggling isn’t it?  We are in a flood-gate of too much to completely sort out.  This will continue until transit Jupiter and then Uranus move on.  After that we’ll have Pluto opposing that Mercury just as it did when the nation was founded.  I was talking with a friend about ‘social engineering’ earlier today.  I asked her what she meant by that and she said it has to do with the attempt to tell people how to think and how to feel which never works.  So perhaps that will be a theme more important than ever.  To what degree is effort made to socially engineer through the media?  Something to ponder.

We live in a rapidly changing world that we don’t always have control over.  We live in a time of unpredictability and it often increases our insecurities and anxieties.  Yet there are always, always moments when we are lifted up as if by wings of angels.

So we end with both the tumult and the grace—full circle.  I say find the grace where you are.  Let that ‘grace’ speak to you in quiet moments wherever you find yourself.  Grace may come through the simple gesture of kindness from someone familiar or strange to you.  Grace may come out of the blue as a gift when you least expect it to.  What exactly is grace?  I just asked ‘Suri’ what is the meaning of grace?  Here is what ‘she’ gave me:  “simple elegance or refinement of movement”  “courteous goodwill”  “an attractively polite manner of behaving”  “a divinely given talent or blessing”  “the free and unmerited favor of God”.  Well, I feel I experienced it by hiking down to the creek after a big and wild storm here in  Northern California today.  It was accompanied by a feeling of lightness, wonder, and inspiration.  I felt this grace open my heart and I knew deep inside that everything was ‘all right’.  Where is your grace?  Can you enter anew the experience of a little child enchanted with life?