Turning Tail

Of course, in an ordered and intelligent universe, none of this is coincidental. And, as one might suspect, because this column is a venue for the explication of astrological principals, there is at least one planetary fingerprint on file. It's a big one--Pluto, the planet that rules death, is the clear culprit. On March 26th (as every March) less than a week before the string of departures, the Dark Lord stopped dead in his tracks and turned backwards for his annual five month retrograde. (No wonder it takes him 248 years to complete a single orbit of the sun!) On the grossest level, whenever a planet changes direction there is usually an escalation of activity and a corollary shift of issues under that planet's influence. The directional change can reveal things previously hidden from view and/or conceal others. Often a resolution (or in the case of Pluto a transformation) of long standing issues is in the offing. Earthly events will mirror the energies of both the retrograde planet and the sign it is transiting. Pluto is currently traveling through Sagittarius. Familiarity with the archetypal patterns of planets and signs will yield immediate recognition of mundane symbols. However, there are always deeper levels of meaning and it is important to ask the hard questions. Why is this issue coming into focus at this time? What are the lessons in this experience? The planet is both a pointer and a catalyst. Its function is twofold--to command our attention and to challenge us to create change. 

Money, Sex and Power

On close examination, certain common threads, reflective of Pluto in Sag energy, run though all of the examples cited in paragraph one. Pluto's worldly domain is that of power and wealth--in government, institutions and the corporate world—all present and accounted for. And let us not forget, sex, particularly the dark side--sexual abuse, scandals, and illicit affairs. Chalk up one for the Catholic Church and one for the Royals. In keeping with our theme, Newsweek Magazine (April 18 2005) in an article entitled “Legal at Last” proclaimed that marriage had transformed Camilla “from the other woman to HRH”. Prince Rainier was largely responsible for transforming Monaco from a gambling haven (Sag ruled), “a sunny place for shady people”, into a viable tourist destination. The scandalous lives of his offspring, however, have done much to tarnish the fairy tale image created by his 1956 marriage to Grace Kelly. Ditto for Prince Charles and wife number one. Some fantasies need to be exposed for what they are.

Family Business

The death/rebirth cycle is a plutonian process by which we are instructed that the phoenix always rises from the ashes. Therefore, we may posit that each of these recent deaths opens a doorway to potential change. Monaco's bachelor, playboy prince and heir, Albert, will need to become a responsible steward of the family business, and there is speculation that CEO heir, Jim Perdue is likely to take his family's business (third largest of its kind in the world) public on the NYSE. Thanks to the Schiavo family squabble, Americans have had their consciousness raised and are re-examining attitudes towards death and dying. Analysts consider the controversy will continue to have political legs, as a conservative Congress debates the future of the American judiciary and seeks to confirm more pro-life judges. The courts are Sagittarian ruled, as is the publishing industry (author Bellow's domain), the Catholic Church and all religious institutions. In fact, many astrologers have been on a Vatican watch, anticipating a change in leadership, ever since Pluto's ingress into Sagittarius in 1995 (where it will reside until 2008). Unexpected, but not surprising in this plutonian context, are the revelations of pedophile priests. Sexual misconduct among clergy has been rampant, though hidden, throughout the entire history of the Church. A cancer rising to the surface creates an opportunity for healing and change. The church fathers would do well to tend to the needs of their family of congregants. 

Becoming One with Christ

Speculation on the future (a huge Sagittarian issue) of the Catholic Church, indeed its potential transformation, is the biggest news here; everything else is just preamble. The death of Pope John Paul II marks the end of an era—one that began with the crucifixion of Jesus 2000 years ago. From that time until the advent of the new millennium, we were living in the Great Precessional Age of Pisces. The Piscean Age, of which Jesus is the acknowledged avatar, saw the establishment, growth and expansion of institutionalized Catholicism and its subsequent influence in shaping global geography and politics. John Paul II is the last Pope elected in the Age of Pisces, and he provided a powerful, living example, of the energy of that epoch. His emulation of Christ was so profound, that it prompted Cardinal Ratzinger who presided over the Papal funeral mass to remark: “The Holy Father was a priest to the last, for he offered his life to God for his flock and for the entire human family, in a daily self-oblation for the service of the church, especially amid the sufferings of his final months. And this way he became one with Christ…” The Papal death and funeral, coming just days after the celebration of Easter, makes comparisons to the saviour seem even starker.

During Easter season of 2004, owing to the magic of Hollywood, Christ died, again, again, and again, in matinees and evening performances world wide. Amidst the fervor over Mel Gibson's “Passion of the Christ”, this author discovered a powerful astrological connection between the time of Jesus and the present day. (See “The Resurrection” http://www.creativechoices.com/article/star_track.htm or http://www.alabe.com/resurrection.html ). A unique construct of three planets was in the sky over Jerusalem in 33 AD, the year Jesus was crucified; it reappeared in June of 2003. The two outer planets, Pluto in Sagittarius (beginning in 1995) and Neptune in Aquarius (1999) make contact only once every five hundred years. Saturn's ingress into Cancer in 2003, marks the first tri-partite reunion since the crucifixion. The triumvirate will remain in confluence until mid July 2005, when Saturn moves into Leo. Outer planets govern our collective experience. Small wonder, then, that an intense re-examination of the message of Christ's life and death, and by extension of the teachings of all Christian sects, has been in the global spotlight for the past couple of years.

A Dramatic Re-enactment

The death of Pope John Paul adds yet another dimension to this rich tapestry. Gibson's “Passion” was just a dress rehearsal compared to this year's show with a real live surrogate (“he became one with Christ”) in the starring role. Synchronistically, a few more conspiratorial heavenly bodies shifted position to focus greater attention on this earthly happening. The Pope's death came very near to the solar return of Jesus' crucifixion. (Solar returns mark anniversaries or birthdays, and occur when the sun reaches the exact degree of the natal event--not necessarily on the same calendar date.) Two Romanian astronomers have pegged the crucifixion on April 3rd, 33 AD when the sun was at 11 degrees of Aries. The sun stood at 13 degrees Aries on April 2nd, 2005 for John Paul's passing. (This is still considered a close conjunction. Gibson's Christ hit the silver screen in February under a Pisces sun.) Even more dramatic, the Aries solar eclipse on the day of the Pope's funeral mirrors that reported at the crucifixion. The Bible takes poetic license with this account; in reality the crucifixion eclipse occurred on April 17th. Nevertheless, the eclipse energy, an intensifying factor, is integral to both events and is a powerful harbinger of things to come. Eclipses always occur on the nodes of the moon, symbolic destiny points. In fact, this year, for the first time since the crucifixion, the North Node of the moon is in Aries (it changes sign every year), concurrent with the previously noted outer planet placements. With such a powerful energetic imprint, it is small wonder that millions crowded into Rome for the ceremonies, while an estimated two to three billion watched on T.V. worldwide.

Looking Forward, Looking Back

We know the historical emanations from the crucifixion and resurrection and we may extrapolate that this is also a transformational time. In transformative processes (Pluto ruled) death always creates the fertile soil for the emergence of new life. Aries is the embodiment of spring, of new beginnings. Additionally, we are entering the final quadrant of Pluto's transit through Sagittarius, a period of resolution. For these reasons it is especially critical to look at the potential legacy of this last of the Piscean Popes. We have entered the scientific and technological Age of Aquarius—a very different energy than that of spiritual Pisces. John Paul embodied the very best of Piscean principals—love, compassion and forgiveness. One of his most brilliant acts was the (long overdue) apology to Jews and Muslims for the Church's bloody history of oppression. He also perpetuated some of the worst Piscean tenets —e.g. emulation of suffering and martyrdom as a path to heaven. “It is time now to free ourselves of old Piscean beliefs that no longer serve us”, says Karmic Astrologer, Linda Brady. However, as we move into the New Age, we need to be mindful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. We must carry forward from the past that which is of value, while stepping courageously into the future. 

If Aquarius has a bottom line it is CHANGE—or, more aptly, REFORM--and likely sudden, unexpected and disruptive. John Paul was a staunch traditionalist. His natal planets include four placements in Taurus and Pluto in Cancer. These energies value the status quo. Clearly his mission was to further concretize the bedrock positions of church doctrine. In this way, critical mass is achieved and the ramifications of perpetuating regressive policies in a shifting social, political and religious climate become ever more obvious and unmanageable. One wonders whether the Cardinals will choose a new Pope who begins a journey forward or a “transitional figure” who walks the well worn path. Either way, change will eventually occur—either through evolution or revolution.

Aquarius Rising

John Paul did move in some surprising Aquarian directions. With Aquarius on his ascendant, and Uranus (its ruling planet) in his first house, he was able to reach out to the world's peoples in new ways. All Catholics saw him as their man. As the first Pope in hundreds of years to break the tradition of Italian lineage, he inspired citizens of his native Poland to throw off the yoke of Communist control (politics is also Aquarian ruled). He traveled widely, especially in the Third World. He appointed several cardinals from emerging nations, thus changing the complexion of the church hierarchy. It would seem fitting for the church fathers to perpetuate this Aquarian legacy by electing a new Pope from Latin America or even Africa.

John Paul leaves behind a church in crisis. Crisis, however, more often than not, creates new opportunities. Reformers (most but not all American) are angling for changes on a broad spectrum of issues--more inclusiveness, more local autonomy, a de-centralization of power, married clergy, ordination of women, family planning, inclusion of homosexuals, condom use to prevent HIV, stem cell research, etc. etc. etc. All of these propositions are in some way Aquarian and therefore, given time, inevitable. In the meantime, the struggle to defend “The Culture of Life” against the perceived threat of “The Culture of Death” is widening to include government and the courts. Disagreement over when life begins is inhibiting the progress of science, medicine and healing. “Death with Dignity” is not a present option for many; but remains a futuristic vision. Perhaps one day universal truth will triumph over religious dogma. One cherished tenet of a holistic worldview is that all of Creation--the rocks, the trees, the animals, the earth, as well as man-- is sentient. If we understand that all is life, and there is no death (only a change of form) that knowledge could spark a plutonian transformation that would liberate us to live, work and die in accord with our highest ideals. One could hardly imagine a more fitting legacy of these times.