There is a cosmic tone happening right now, and it will continue through 2015. Many people are questioning whether their life as it is, is truly sustainable. Individual circumstances vary but the feelings of unhappiness, despair are common and at core there is a deep inner knowing that what we have been doing for the last XX years is not supporting the future person we want to become. This is not only true for some of us individually, but as we are seeing, it is true for us collectively as a whole. Systems in our government are broken,  false starts leading to perpetual impasse. Individuals are in jobs, relationships and situations that are holding them back, yet the path forward is unclear for a time, and then when the truth of what must happen does reveal itself (in a dramatic, painful call from the authentic Self), answering that call feels, and perhaps is, threatening to the survival of the body, job, relationship, Self and Ego. Something may need to be given up, to die, to move forward; something may need to so dramatically change that even if outer circumstances stay the same, it feels like a death is occurring.

From my e-kit, Working With the Uranus Pluto Square In Your Birth Chart:

Astrologers have singled out 2012-2015 as a time of great change. The Uranus-Pluto square makes an exact aspect 7 times at the following degrees (exact degree falls between the number range listed).

• June 24 and September 18, 2012 – 8-9 and 7-8 degrees Aries/ Capricorn
• May 21 and November 1, 2013 – 11-12 and 9-10 degrees Aries/ Capricorn
• April 12 and December 15, 2014 – 13-14 and 12-13 degrees Aries/ Capricorn
• March 17, 2015 – 15-16 degrees Aries/Capricorn

Note: Planets/angles between 7-16 degree cardinal signs are affected, but this widely varies depending on the orbs used. All planets in early-mid cardinal signs are being transited by Uranus & Pluto so experience the square, by sign.

Where are you in this process? Some people are just beginning this, what I call “the phoenix process”. They have the awareness that things need to change, but haven’t actually taken any practical, specific steps. They know they need therapy, but haven’t started. They know their job is making them miserable, but are afraid to leave the security of the old. Or they know they need a relationship dynamic to change, and they attempt, but each attempt at change is actually another variation of the same old habit. Others may be breaking new ground, doing the work, breaking through to new solutions, breaking out of old habits and expanding their consciousness… only to soon realize they’ve reached yet another layer and there’s more work to do. All of this is a part of the process. Healing is like peeling an onion, or traversing a spiral. There will be layers, and even though you reach a new place you will descend into the spiral again, this time with more awareness.

The Uranus-Pluto square is demanding. A square demands new actions be taken, or we suffer unrelenting misery. Because this is in cardinal signs, if we’re not moving forward, we are stuck. If our resistance is overwhelming we need to look at all the ways we self-sabotage, our excuses, any abandonment and betrayal tapes we play, the people we haven’t forgiven. Pluto has us trudge through our toxic sludge, and through re-wounding experiences of ancient hurts and betrayals so we can realize no one is truly hurting us now. Today we are the one hurting and betraying our self. In cycles, as we do this intensive shadow work. As explosive Uranus blasts off another layer of Plutonian sludge, we get closer to touching the answers we seek and to experiencing the freedom of the True Self. Like the Uranus-Pluto cycle itself, this happens in stops and starts.

Upheaval and changes of plans, being stretched to the emotional max, can become a way of life under the Uranus-Pluto square. That’s the nature of the square. As are self-revelations, diving deep into one’s truth, making dramatic shifts of allegiance in one’s people, relationships, life and lifestyle. Support – from friends, loved ones, therapists, healers, astrologers, coaches – is crucial. But if there’s one thing I could pass on to you it would be this: listen. It is your inner voice, the one who knows how to soothe its own fears when panicked, to take a walk, a break, have a cup of tea, ground and tune into exactly what needs to happen next. It may be nothing needs to happen, it may be something big. Inner listening is our greatest ally. But we can only have this gift of inner listening if we are connected to our Self, our body.

American Indians would put their ear to the ground and hear a stampede of buffalo before they came into the field of vision. They were so in harmony with the land, they gleaned an instinctual awareness their eyes couldn’t yet see. Many ancient civilizations had this ability to tune in to what was happening, whether game or a potential threat, before seeing them. It’s the same with us: connection, to oneself, to one’s intuition, body and the Earth, can alert us to both disaster and opportunity. Even though it may feel volatile it at times, the sky is not always falling during this square. Our challenge is to really listen, to trust the information we’re getting from inside is real, then we can open to allowing the next step to reveal itself to us.

The deer is a beautiful embodied example of how to do this. We have these beautiful deer all over Marin, chomping at foilage on the side of the road, wandering all around the neighborhood. If you’ve interacted with deer you know how sensitive they are. They have to be; there are threats (bobcats and wolves) around every corner. The deer is super sensitive and alert to changing conditions and danger, yet remains calm, flexible and graceful and responsive because she is in tune with her body senses and her environment. 

Jupiter in Cancer, currently as the apex of the T-Square, is the key to working with this energy right now. It’s our emotional lives, being at home in our self, the love we feel for our family/tribe, the unconditional love and compassion we can experience in our hearts at any time that provides a focal point for this energy. Jupiter brings the opportunity to holistically and remedially apply Cancer balm to our wounds: to start listening to our intuition, no longer ignoring the still small voice. To be tender, responsive, nurturing, gentle and caring toward our body, soul and Spirit. We need to listen to what the body and our life is telling us it needs, then we need to take compassionate action, to tenderly care for our Self as a mother would for a child. If we can’t yet muster the healing compassion we most need, a stand in “mother” – a coach, a best friend -can show us how deeply we’re hurting, the tears we’ve been crying silently for years, and what we are ready to change. No matter how we find it, we receive transformative healing and grace through self-compassion and love.

We can find this connection to our Self during the Uranus-Pluto square. We need this connection, otherwise our anxieties, survival fears, mental chatter will derail spin us out into darkness. Pleasure and gentleness is so important, too; pulsing pleasure into pressure-filled times is so healing for the Spirit. So keep being honest with your self, keep looking for new solutions, but remember that life is a marathon, not a sprint. Seek ways to keep your faith candle lit, actively care for and love your body-Spirit. This will keep you centered, flexible and responsive to what your life is asking from you.

If you would like more guidance, please check out my e-kit: Working With the Uranus-Pluto Square E-Kit.