Uranus square Pluto – Phase 2

19 September 2012, 05.57 Hrs in the U.K.

This week we face the second square between Uranus and Pluto square, on Wednesday. The good news is that we have already negotiated the first square, on 24 June this year, and have more idea of how it impacts us and how we respond to it.  Uranus was at 8 degrees 24 minutes of Capricorn and Aries respectively in June, but now both planets have moved backwards and the impact is on 6 degrees 57 minutes of the same two signs.  There was a definitely increased impact where people had natal planets at 8 degrees last time, and so it is to be expected that the same will hold true of people with 6 degree natal planets on this occasion (I have transiting Pluto sitting on my Mercury).  This is the second pass of the square, which will recur several times between now and March 2015.

If you are new to Astrology, or new to awareness of this square, or simply want to refresh your memory, then please read my original piece “Uranus square Pluto – A Guide”:

http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2012/06/uranus-square-pluto-a-guide/

Take the Test:

The first of these squares took place on June 24^th 2012.

Did you notice a heightening of stress?

Were you able to discern the issues and effects in your life?

Did you know which planet was in which area of your life?

Are you aware of any lessons learned?

Have you no idea what happened?

Can I refresh your memory?

The Global Picture

U.S.

The race for the Presidency is neck and neck, and that is not a happy position for most people.  When we had a similar neck and neck position coming up to our U.K. election in 2010 it was hoped that a coalition would bring fairness and co-operation.  Instead, we have had a government whose misguided forays into ridiculous policies have resulted in U-turns, and any failures have been used to scapegoat the Lib Dem coalition partners.  Not a fair governing for the common good.

U.K.

Fear surrounded the operation of the Olympics and Paralympics this summer – was security tight enough, were the plans sound, would the underground be able to carry all the extra traffic, etc…This operation came under the aegis of the Uranus-Pluto square, and was a resounding success which surprised many people.  There were challenges, but the nation pulled together.  Apart from considerations about whether it was worth the financial strain and spending, there is a new climate and regard for the disabled which is nothing short of a miracle.  This proves that the Uranus-Pluto square isn’t all bad!

USSR

The political situation in the USSR reflects the dictatorship (Pluto in Capricorn) side of the Uranus-Pluto square.  I don’t get the prankster side of Putin’s psyche, but certainly the rebels are coming out (Uranus in Aries).  As in the Arab Spring, the ordinary people are rising up and marching to protest at dictatorship, as thousands took to the streets in Moscow yesterday.

Three Key Areas

In my original analysis, I identified three key areas where the complexity of the Uranus-Pluto square was reaching fever pitch.  It’s time to look at these again.

Finance

Just after the last square, the European Union were cornered into making an agreement on finance, but largely the same issues have rumbled on in the last three months.  The European Summit of June 29^th declared: “Strong, smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, based on sound public finances, structural reforms and investment to boost competitiveness, remains our key priority.”

Astrological financial guru Raymond Merriman wrote in the aftermath of the first Uranus-Pluto square:

‘Where is the right answer?

‘If government spending and credit expansion stops, there will be a Depression on the lines of what happened the last time Uranus squared Plut (1931-1934).  If government debt and the escalation of credit is ramped up again via the creation of more fiat money by the Fed to support more spending by the government, then the day of reckoning will be even worse when it does come due later on (called “kicking the can down the road”).’

I consulted my own financial guru, who observed that only in this last week, with the pressure building to the next Uranus-Pluto square, have some significant events occurred:

On 6^th September provision for unlimited Bond buying was announced by the European Central Bank.

On 12^th September Apple iPhone 5 was unveiled, to be shipped on 21^st September: its estimated launch could add 0.5% to the U.S. GDP.

On 13^th September the Federal Reserve announced it would launch a major new round of bond buying (QE3), as reported in the Guardian.

Some of the background to this has been the downturn in the Chinese economy, as well as the ongoing Euro crisis and the sluggishness of the U.S. economy.

So what will the next phase bring?  If there were more marked links between events around 24 June and the intervening time, I would say that we would have an intensification of the financial crisis this week, but looking at the evidence, there may not be.

Syria

This situation is still intractable, with the killing at an unimaginable high, one peace maker (Kofi Annan) having given up defeated by the Uranus-Pluto square, and a new one (also with excellent credentials) now installed and beginning his mission, and tackling this huge challenge.  Lakhdar Brahimi, who has the karmic mission of a peace envoy in his natal chart (North Node conjunct Venus) met President Al-Assad yesterday, describing his task as “nearly impossible”. He reported back afterwards that the deteriorating crisis was a “threat to the world”.

The Middle East is a series of interconnected problems.  The Iran question may be the next urgent thing.  The nuclear capability of that country has been described as “imminent”, but it has also been reported that a deep breath is being taken to last until the U.S. Presidential election, which may change the focus on any action taken by the U.S. and Israel on this matter.  There may be some brinkmanship around the time of the second phase of the square.  It is a confrontational enough issue.

Climate

Since the first Uranus-Pluto square, we have had a stark reminder that climate change is very real: the level of sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk to an alarming level, depicting accelerated climate change.

There have been unprecedented droughts in America, and in other parts of the world, such as Yemen.  Storms, tornadoes and twisters have caused havoc in New York and parts of the U.K., some at the time of the last square and throughout this period.

Eighteen months after the Fukushima disaster, Japan has just announced that they will close down all their nuclear reactors by 2040 (well beyond the brief of the Uranus-Pluto square!), but it is a climb down from their long-held support for atomic energy.

Personal Stories

Stress Management

The increased stress of this period has either resulted in overwhelm, or found people working at a higher level, with more inventive ways of managing their stress and the complexity of their tasks.  Their inner resources have come up with the goods for working with the extra energy.  Life has presented more challenges, but in many cases the tools have been found to meet those challenges.  Building more space into your life is one such strategy.

Analysis

In some cases in this period circumstances have brought people into a state of shutdown, or meltdown, with the structure of problems increasing in complexity.  Some people moved out of our lives, through the passage of death, both famous and personal.  Some of these transitions were sudden, and some drawn out.  There have been wounds of the heart, and wounds caused by financial hardship.  There have been many such tragedies reported in the news, for example. Such tragedies are always being reported, but the numbers of incidents seem to have escalated e.g. adults and children drowning at home and abroad.

I have canvassed a number of people about their experiences and conclusions, and all reported heightened stress both through specific events at the time of the square and during this ensuing period.

People have reacted to this stress in various ways, often according to their nature, sometimes successfully and sometimes not (but everybody’s personal journey is valid), and here are some of the patterns I have found:-

1.  A feeling of being blocked has in some cases resulted in a sense of defeat, lying low, staying still, not growing, or refusal to face facts.  That is not to say they will not reach a point where they will start to move again.
2. Some people have reacted to such challenges by putting fight into their situations, giving it all they have got, in some cases putting themselves into a position of danger.  Often, though, this has proved a positive experience for them.
3. Some, particularly those who have a poor memory, have just surrendered to the situation, whether or not buoyed up by the feeling of connection with a higher power.  These people have relied (consciously or unconsciously) in the power of being in the Now. They have simply put down their baggage, and moved on.
4. The Venusian way to negotiate the square is to keep the heart open, ever expanding (which can be painful!) and to practice compassion.  The healing power of forgiveness comes into this sphere.
5. Some have worked in higher ways, particularly on their inner relationship with themselves through psychological (Pluto) or spiritual means.  They have managed to achieve transformation.  Insight produces change which in turn can produce more insight.

 

Success Stories

Some have been able to turn their circumstances around entirely within the space of this first phase of the Uranus-Pluto square.  An elderly lady I know, who had been facing confrontation in many areas of her life and with authorities, met her challenges by centring herself and allowing the higher energies to reveal the truth and arrange for injustice to be seen for what it was.  All areas of her life subsequently rearranged themselves to a healed pattern, but she had been in a very difficult place.

Olympic athletes gave it their all, and inspired others.

In the world of celebrity, Katie Holmes challenged her difficult circumstances at the time of the last square, and emerged with a settlement with Tom Cruise over their daughter and the psychological domination of Scientology.

Andy Murray began this period at the start of Wimbledon (25 June) with another defeat, at the culmination in the final (in July).  This was a turning point in his relationship with himself and with the public.  He then went on to win the Olympic gold medal in tennis, and then the Grand Slam tournament in the U.S.  Prior to this, he needed to accept help from another brilliant tennis player, Ivan Lendl.  Lendl’s brilliance is shown in his chart in his conjunction of Uranus to his Midheaven (Careerpoint), and in their synastry (chart comparison) Lendl’s Uranus/Midheaven conjunction is exactly trine Andy Murray’s Jupiter (success).

Further Reading

Sinhagupta, Director of the East West Sanctuary, is presenting a paper at the  conference of the European Association for Body Psychotherapy taking place now (14^th-17^th September) in Cambridge. She started writing this paper under the Pluto Uranus square, and therefore it is very topical and relevant. The paper tackles the existing power structures in our society and relates them to science and philosophical thought.   If you miss this conference, catch up with her world view on her website (see my Contact page).  Here’s the link for the paper itself:
http://www.eastwestinterconnect.co.uk/editorial-forum/evolutionary-science-and-holonomic-healing/evolutionary-inquiry-and-its-implications-for-psychotherapy.html

Last Thoughts

Embracing life has been a key for many people, and the moral of this story is that if you haven’t turned your life around (if you need to) within this first phase, you can still achieve it.  Change, which is often surprising and unexpected (Uranus) demands constant work, openness and flexibility.  Insights can be fed back into the psyche to produce more insight, e.g. how to meet power in others, and honour your own power (also Pluto issues), and unearthing one’s own freedom (the Uranus part of the equation).

A book which loomed large and helpfully in this period is Anita Moorjani’s book “Dying to be Me” which hands over the key to authenticity and the desperate need for that in one’s life at this time.

On a personal note, I have found it helpful to make karmic peace with each person in my life.  This has come about through cues sent by the Universe, which have encouraged me to let go of my own agendas and see what needs to be cleared between us.  This process may also be partly a function of the recent entry of the North Node into Scorpio.