July 26th ~ August 2nd
In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others. ~ Brennan Manning (The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging)
Oh, what an interesting week it has been. President Biden chose the Full Moon on July 21st to announce his withdrawal from the presidential race. A time of culmination, endings and withdrawal. So appropriate. So fluid, and in keeping with the complicated weather we have been navigating these past so many months. With the Moon making a close conjunction to Pluto we were being reminded, once again, that Pluto is making its way into the sign of Aquarius, a very different paradigm from what we have been accustomed to. But one whose time has come.
The single-most astrological shift that is having an impact on society this year is Pluto entering Aquarius, which can explain much of the political climate that we have recently been experiencing in the world. This is very different from what we are accustomed to. The closest equivalent to the Pluto in Aquarius paradigm in our lifetimes, occurred in the 1960’s with the revolutionary Uranus/Pluto conjunction in Virgo. So it would not be surprising to see someone born in that era resonating so well with the current weather. Vice President Kamala Harris is just that person. With a close conjunction in her chart between Uranus, Pluto and the planet Venus, this is the signature of someone who is capable of breaking glass ceilings, someone who can change the paradigm, shift gears, and allow women (Venus) to take their place at the table. Both Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus conjunct Pluto break ground, in revolutionary and unprecedented ways.
The last time Pluto was in Aquarius in the 1700’s we created a democratic republic by the people for the people. In France the Aquarian ideals of Freedom, Brotherhood and Equality were being extolled, while here in America we held the promise of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. And although we have been exceedingly slow in inviting all the people to the table, we get chances to do so along the way. Pluto re-entering Aquarius is one of those chances. And the natal chart of Kamala Harris resonates so strongly, and so resolutely with the Aquarian promise that is being offered with this ingress.
Pluto will return briefly to Capricorn from September to November. For the past 15 years that Pluto has been in Capricorn the power has been consolidating at the top: Corporations were becoming stronger than ever, authoritarian leaders were taking hold, and as we have been told time and again, the top 1% of American earners control more wealth than the entire middle class. That’s Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto is power, political, financial and otherwise, while the sign describes where the power will be found during that era.
Rather than a top-down model, the Pluto in Aquarius paradigm is a bottom-up model, where the power comes from the people rather than being consolidated at the top. Hence the revolutionary atmosphere of the 1700’s, and the rise of democratic and inclusive principles. But also within this model you can see the power of populist movements led by a charismatic leader, such as we see in the American Republican Party. And both will be running neck and neck in the November 5th election, under strong and remarkable transits. This election is historic. And by President Biden passing the torch to Kamala Harris, the race just became that much more interesting!
Just note. We cannot prevent the potential of the Pluto in Aquarius reality from fully unfolding. There is no stopping it. It aims to re-write history, to change the political landscape, and to usher in a whole new era in the process. And it’s not just here in the US. This is a global event, that impacts the evolutionary progress of humanity as a whole. Hold on to your hats and whatever else you can grab on to, for we are indeed living in interesting times.
And so our karma is indeed unfolding. This week the Sun perfects its trine to the True Node in Aries, and Mars perfects its sextile to the Node and Sun as well. It will feel like things are moving really, really swiftly as a result. We are on a roll over here, and the momentum is likely to build throughout the week. And this is despite the fact that we are now in the shadow of the next retrograde phase of Mercury.
In the mean time, Chiron will station for its retrograde phase on July 26th, at 23º Aries 32’. When planets appear to station, as Chiron is this week, they will often make their presence known. They feel stronger. They let us know they are there. During the retrograde phase, as they appear to be retreating back through the zodiac, we use this time to internalize and process the qualities of the planet (or centaur in this case). Chiron will remain in its retrograde phase through December 23rd.
Originating from the Kuiper Belt just outside our solar system, centaurs are similar in size and appearance to asteroids but are more like comets in their makeup,. Occasionally they will get caught up in the gravitational field of the planets within our system and will end up revolving around the Sun, but in a very convoluted way. Due to their irregular orbits, they will often end up colliding with other objects or get thrust back out of the Solar System. Chiron was the first of these temporary visitors from beyond to be discovered in 1977.
Chiron is often referred to as the wounded healer. Like its mythical namesake, there seems to be this correspondence between the wound, be it physical, psychological or existential, and our own healing journey. Chiron is here to remind us that one of the casualties of the human experience is our vulnerability and propensity for suffering. And because we know what it means to suffer, we develop the desire to relieve the suffering, not only in ourselves, but each other.
The Chironic 5-month retrograde phase each year is a time in which we are asked to pay attention to our own healing journey. In the process, memories will surface, old wounds will reopen, as we come face to face with what needs healing, forgiving, releasing and forgetting. During the retrograde phase we are compelled to look within, to the very cause of our pain. And although this is not easy, it is also when we are most able to do the most effective inner work.
This can include raking things up from the past, reliving old traumas, confronting our own doubts and insecurities. One advantage of Chiron being in Aries is that it brings the courage and the motivation to clear out the dungeons, confront the dragons in their caves, and cast out the demons, allowing us to move freely into the future with a much lighter load. Doing this Chironic work over the next 5 months can be incredibly liberating. And because it is in Aries, can even help us to write new scripts, and pave the way for a whole new beginning. Perhaps a beginning in which we all have a seat at the table.
For this week’s horoscopes, and for the station of Chiron by sign or natal house, click below: