October 18th ~ 25th
“Sisyphus” by Sergey Vladimirovich Kolesnikov
Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong. ~N.R. Narayana Murthy
On October 12th, Pluto stationed Direct. Now 10 days later, the Sun at 29º Libra makes a square to Pluto, also in the anaretic, last degree of Capricorn. This happens every time that Pluto stations, or appears to stand still, and is indicative of an adjustment in the planetary cycle, which also is a time for us to adjust to this direct phase of Pluto. Because Pluto is in this very last degree of the sign of Capricorn, never to return again in our lifetimes, it carries so much more weight and meaning, both collectively and individually.
As mentioned before, as Pluto stations this month, it does so with a semi-square to Saturn in Pisces. So as the Sun perfects its square to Pluto on the 22nd, it also makes a sesquiquadrate to Saturn on the 21st, shining a light on this minor, but potentially troublesome transit, which actually began back in January 2020 when the current Saturn/Pluto cycle began.
Saturn/Pluto cycles, which last about 33-38 years, can at first, feel like destruction, imminent danger and fear of annihilation. But what arises out of that, is a determination to survive, grow and evolve from who we once were, better and stronger than we were before. That metaphor for destruction and imminent danger was certainly true when this current cycle began in early 2020. The opening semi-square between Saturn and Pluto, which we are experiencing now, is the next phase of this cycle. Similar to the crescent moon phase of the lunar cycle each month, this is when our mettle is being tested. In truth, it can seem with Saturn/Pluto aspects that what doesn’t kill us, will make us stronger. Stronger in the sense of having greater agency over our own life and destiny.
For the 16 years that Pluto has been in Capricorn it has exposed the underlying faults and decaying structures in society, and in our own lives. These can be our literal foundations, like the roads and highways, the government, governing parties and their leadership, or the foundations of a building. These include what were once considered time-honored traditions or monuments, but which now no longer represent who we are as a society. We create our own personal foundations upon which we rely and depend on for our sense of identity and security. They may have served a purpose at one time. But when these become outmoded or irrelevant, or even decadent, it’s time to create new and improved structures, systems and foundations, that are more sustainable, and that allow us to continue to grow and evolve.
It takes tremendous effort to change old habits and transform your life. This may even include a little pain and discomfort. But this process of change and transformation within our systems and structures of our lives is nothing less than the alchemical process of transforming lead into gold: rebuilding, rehabilitating and rebirthing. And like a butterfly leaving its cocoon of safety and familiarity, it is time to say goodbye to that which we have outgrown and no longer serves us, in order to build better, more reliable structures that we can depend on far into the future.
What we are being asked to do with the semi-square is to move through the discomfort, the doubt, the futile sense of impossibility, the attachment to a past that is no longer valid, and may in fact be holding us back. It may be painful and scary. Saturn/Pluto transits have this way of pushing all of our buttons. They dig down deep to the very quick, to the very source. And the only way we can do this is to face ourselves. It requires incredible humility and honesty to do this well. It can be painful, but it is necessary. That’s what growing pains are all about.
And so as the Sun shines a light on the Saturn/Pluto semi-square this week, we might want to ask ourselves:
Where am I stuck?
What habits and patterns do I keep repeating over and over, undermining all that I am trying to achieve?
What old tropes or beliefs am I holding on to for dear life, but which are no longer valid for who I am now?
What have I been putting up with, but can no longer ignore?
What have I outgrown, no longer need, but some how cannot let go of?
What still needs to end or be released in order for us to further grow and evolve?
One of the things that will become progressively more obvious after Pluto enters Aquarius in November, is that we are being asked to not look back at what once was, but to gird our loins, and look forward to a world of possibility and what can be. We are in the process of closing out an era, while giving birth to another.
When one door closes another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the new one opened for us. ~ Alexander Graham Bell
For this week’s horoscopes, click below: