Hang in There – ND #141

Hang in There! – Photo: L. Weikel

Hang in There

My most recent post was written as a ‘heads up’ to all of us that change is afoot, and that change is reflected in the stars. Not just incremental shifts, either. My sense is that we’re on the cusp of some dramatic – dare I say revolutionary – transformations in circumstances globally, nationally, and personally. And today, while managing to wedge in a walk between raindrops, I discovered a message for all of us as we navigate these times: hang in there.

As I’ve mentioned before, when tracking the movement of planets and their impact upon our lives here on Earth, it’s important to take into consideration the size of the planets involved and the length of their orbits around the sun. For instance, Pluto’s orbit around the sun takes approximately 248 years. Saturn’s orbit takes approximately 28.5 years and Jupiter’s 12 years. Mercury, meanwhile, zips around the sun in just 88 days, Venus in 225 days, and Mars in just shy of two years.

And we all know the moon, while not a planet, does profoundly influence the water on our planet every single day, causing the tides. It only stands to reason that its gravitational pull influences the water in our bodies, as well, as we’re comprised of 98% water. For some (perhaps many) people, that impact is experienced as a fluctuation of emotions.

It stands to reason that the more rapidly moving planets (and the moon) tend to impact us on a more personal, fleeting level. The big guys, the ones that haul their massive, voluminous bodies around the sun in far longer, more ponderous orbits, tend to yield longer-term and more profound impacts upon all of us. These influences are often reflected on more of a societal or planetary level as well as impacting us personally.

Personal vs. Impersonal

The planets that have the most tangible and observable impact upon us on a day-to-day basis are called the ‘personal’ planets: Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Jupiter and Saturn are both so large that their presence and movements wield a lot of power on us both personally and globally, and are thus often considered ‘transpersonal’ planets. Saturn is also the last planet we’re able to glimpse with the naked eye, so in a sense, Saturn represents a boundary. It demarcates the line between the personal and the impersonal planets.

When the so-called impersonal planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto shift their position around the sun and thus their relationship to us, the results might be likened to the impact of glaciers on the Earth’s surface. Slow, inexorable movement that has the capacity to literally move, remove, or create mountains. But the planetary movements, at least, are not taking thousands of years. (We’ll save that for a discussion on the precession of the equinoxes, as our solar system makes its way around the galactic center.)

Waxing Moon 26 March 2023 – Photo: L. Weikel

What Is My Point?

I didn’t intend to go down this rabbit hole again, but every time I try to explain it in a blog post it makes more sense to me. I hope it’s a little helpful to those of you who, like me, aren’t astrologers either.

My point in bringing all of this up again is that it’s no coincidence that we’re witnessing major democratic challenges and uprisings all over the world. I’ve mentioned before that, as a country, the United States is experiencing its ‘Pluto return.’ That means Pluto has completed its orbit around the sun and is generally back where it was in the sky at the time of our revolution.

And how interesting is it when we look at the upheaval and protests in France. Gee, they’re also experiencing their Pluto return.

Globally, there has been a resurgence of autocratic, strongman politics. Just this month, however, there have been gigantic protests by masses of people in the countries of Georgia and, most recently, Israel, shutting down attempts by fascists to seize control of their countries.

Hang in there (closeup) – Photo: L. Weikel

Our Turn

And here we are. Whether it’s a result of the refusal of elected officials to enact legislation (desired by overwhelming majorities in both parties) to reduce the nauseating slaughter of children and adults in mass shootings or the insanity of the Republican party’s efforts to seize control over our judiciary, we too are being forced to take a stand. The pressure has been building slowly, inexorably, not unlike the pressure exerted by glaciers – or underneath volcanoes. Or perhaps the slow and cyclic movement of the impersonal planets.

We the people are being forced to take to the streets by those who refuse to respect democratic principles. In overwhelming and unmistakable numbers so great as to be impossible to ignore, we must demand transformation. The old ways of doing things will no longer stand. Greed, selfishness, and apathy cannot, must not, continue to hold sway in Congress or in our populace.

These profound global changes are reflected in the movement of the outer, impersonal planets. And through various aspects to each other, they’re working in concert to bring us to a place where we finally open our eyes and ears and realize we must save ourselves (and our children).

As the events unfold, let’s remember the message I saw in the body of that tree earlier today:Hang in there, my friends!

We must believe in ourselves and each other. We hold the inherent power to create the country and world we’ve always believed in.

ND #141