by Robert Wilkinson
As I offered you back in May, we have a seriously heavy core friction going on associated with Saturn and Pluto in a long term turning point in their larger cycle which began in early 2020. Today we review what this is about, offering times when it’s most exact and some tips to help you navigate the friction these next 5 months.
As I gave you then, in 2020 Saturn conjuncted Pluto at 23 Capricorn. From that article,
So we’ve now launched into a new era, with themes of 28 Libra being replaced with themes of 23 Capricorn over the next 30+ years. This promises old gloomy states being replaced with rewards for valor, with isolating pessimism destroyed by acknowledgements of work well done. Old negative theoretical attitudes will be replaced by cooperative responsible function now that we’ve all “paid our dues” since 1982 and “expiated the karma” of the era preceding then. This is a VERY hopeful development, even if it will take many years to see the fruits of the labor.
The house that conjunction happened is going to be a primary structural focus in our lives through June and July 2053 when their next conjunction will happen twice at 15 Pisces. (A third one will happen at 14 Pisces in February 2054). Till then, wherever we have 23 Capricorn is going to be a focus of major importance, since Saturn, the crystallizer, came to with Pluto, the cosmic purifier.
As I gave you in May, Saturn conjunct Pluto launches a new “structured Plutonic energy” or “mature understanding of transformation” or any other combination of keywords you wish to use. As Pluto rules seed forms and their sprouting, 2020 initiated the sprouting of some very long term seeds related to duty and rewards within a social or emotional “group performance,” as per it happening in the second half of Capricorn.
A semisquare represents a “first crucial turning point” in any “Whole Cycle,” indicating that Saturn is now in a relationship of “critical emergence” in the Saturn/Pluto long cycle. In May, that first semisquare fell from Saturn at 18 Pisces to Pluto at 3 Aquarius. As that was Pluto’s retrograde station on a degree of defiance, repudiation, rebellion, and independence, it marked a hard shift in the transformational process we’ve been experiencing since then.
Saturn was at 18 Pisces in the May semisquare, which has led us to revise some of our ideas “back to source,” and/or put ourselves forward to attract some form of public recognition. That semisquare was partile for the month of May, impacting planets or points we have around 1-5 Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio, as well as 16-20 Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius. As a semisquare challenges “right action” and is an internal aspect, many went through profound inner changes during those weeks.
What Two of the Greatest Say About Saturn and Pluto in A Frictional Relationship
Marc Edmund Jones offered that Saturn in a frictional angle with Pluto requires cultivating discernment and careful choice as to which direction to take, since Saturn is the driver of the change. We need to avoid drifting tendencies, and be deliberate in our responses so we can find situations where we can demonstrate our purpose creatively as we become pathfinders and way-showers to others.
Grant Lewi, in his masterwork Astrology for the Millions, states that Saturn transits conjunction, upper or lower square, or opposition Pluto is an aspect associated with “times of confusion” where “the principles of conservation and transformation are at loggerheads.” We are cautioned not to play to fear, and to accept that some amount of risk is part of life. He also cautions us not to push too hard pursuing purposes which may not be appropriate or even good sense.
He offers “Pluto says GO, even STEAMROLL, while Saturn says WAIT. So the key is the middle ground.” He says it’s good to meditate and there’s a good chance we’ll “emerge with greater self-knowledge.” While he wrote this regarding Saturn’s aspects to our natal Pluto, it is easy to see this advice is excellent as we deal with these two spiritual powerhouse planets generating generic tension, as well as opportunity, where we have early Aquarius and mid-Pisces.
Time Triggers
While the semisquare separated in June, helping reduce the generic tension a bit, we still had triggers releasing this energy June 4 through 12 when Venus, the Sun, and Mercury all sesquisquared Pluto and squared Saturn. These anticipated the next trigger when Mars conjuncted Jupiter, with both squaring Saturn and sesquisquaring Pluto in August! So early June in some way provided clues to what was coming down in August. The areas most affected were essentially the same degree spans I gave you before this section.
Mid-August also saw Venus in Virgo opposed Saturn and sesquisquare Pluto, anticipating September when the Sun opposes Saturn and sesquisquares Pluto around September 5-9 followed by Mercury making the same aspects between September 17 and 19. While the semisquare will persist the next few months, at this time Pluto is at 30 Capricorn, bringing a different dynamic to the aspect, since then it was Water to Air and now it’s Water to Earth.
The next time the semisquare is exact is late September, with Saturn at 15 Pisces and Pluto at 30 Capricorn, marking a time of “rehearsal before the battle,” when “appearances must be subjected to real necessities.”
The semisquare is triggered with every transit that is semisquare, square, sesquisquare, or opposition either Saturn or Pluto. That means the Moon triggers it 8 times each month when in early Fixed or mid-Mutable degrees. We will absolutely see related effects in late October when Venus in mid-Sagittarius squares Saturn and semisquares Pluto which will still be at 30 Capricorn.
The semisquare will continue in November when Pluto moves back into early Aquarius, and continue to be close in December, perfecting again in late January from 17 Pisces to 2 Aquarius, with Saturn on a degree of social-spiritual renewal and Pluto on a degree of “liberation from adverse conditions” through “spectacular developments” which “galvanize us to action.” The semisquare will continue through the first half of February.
The Sag Venus square and semisquare will herald the next triggers when Mercury is in Sag and makes the same aspects three times in November and December! The Sun also makes those aspects in early December, after the first Mercury transit and before its retrograde square and semisquare in early December. Of note is the Inferior conjunction at 15 Sag is partile semisquare Pluto while also square Saturn.
Please refer to the information in this article as often as you need to, since meditating on what these energies are and how to deal with them productively will ensure you navigate this internal/external pressure with fluidity, wisdom, detachment, and a larger vision of the path you’re blazing for yourself and others. This is an excellent time to figure out how to act with vision and focused power, anticipating the future and steering the process through these troubled waters.
Copyright © 2024 Robert Wilkinson
Comments