Planetary dances & movement (what's going on?)

Found on Wikipedia

When I first began learning astrology, I read in many books that Venus moved one degree per day and that Mars transited through only six signs per year.  Planets were expected to behave (anthropomorphizing) a certain way and that the transits were predictable.  However, in the last year since I began focusing more intently on astrology, I noticed that Mars, Venus and Mercury have transited more rapidly through the Zodiac.  I visualize one of those gunnysack races from my childhood where partners or singles in the race stumble their way to the finish line, often falling face down in the mud. Some of you will have no idea what I'm talking about here.

Mars will transit through 9 Zodiac signs this year starting with Aquarius last January and ending in Libra this December.  Venus appears to sign hop at least one time per month and Mercury is moving more rapidly than usual and seems more erratic too--no wonder we're all having trouble staying on the same page!  I'm not an astronomer so I can't explain the sped up effect, but I can say that we feel tension when the energies change as rapidly as they have.  Children born during the past few years, and especially in 2012 and 2013 are wired differently, not to mention that they either come into the world deeply confused or know their mission and purpose in this lifetime.  Just look at all the configurations and aspects of the past three months alone! We experience a Grand Water Trine (with exact orbs), a Star of David, a tetrahedron (that fades in and out as pointed out by Carl Boudreau in his August and September reports for 2013), a Grand Cardinal Cross, that on-going Pluto/Uranus square and we also experienced double Full Moons in the sign of Aquarius in July and August.

So if you feel like you jumped down the proverbial rabbit hole and are chatting with a large white rabbit wearing a vest and pocket watch, you're not far off the mark. Stranger still, Neptune landed in its home of Pisces in 2011 and so it's purpose is to dissolve old religious dogma and patriarchal structures that don't serve our planet.  Meanwhile, Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus are breaking down old structure too.  Pluto dredges up unworkable patterns and beliefs from our subconscious and collective unconscious for us to look at, heal and release now.  Since humans don't like change, we fight this process and fall deeper into the realm of our egos hoping to find safe footing there.

Alice in Wonderland, Wikipedia

The problem with using the ego to give us the illusion of safety and security is that this causes us to grow more fearful and violent.  We cling to this idea of power which causes us to manipulate and control others so that they don't go and change on us.  I read yesterday about the actor Tim Robbins going through a midlife crisis in his 40s and other actors who also went through a midlife crisis.  This actor has his Sun in Libra, a Cardinal Sign that is feeling the brunt of transformation happening on the planet.  In another article, I read that the actor has visited prisons to teach acting workshops to inmates.  And this is exactly the type of love and compassion we can develop now under these planetary transits!  The message is "Find your heart center and then live from that place".

And like the gunnysack race I mentioned earlier, this presents an awkward challenge when we will fall face down in the oozing mud.  Transformation is not pretty and don't expect to wax any glamorous images from the process.  As societies and communities we need to focus on this huge transformation and stop getting lost in superficial nonsense like the dress Kim Kardashian was wearing on the red Hollywood carpet or Justin Bieber's latest exploits. Who cares already?  Meanwhile, the planet is in trouble and this just causes us to fall deeper into traps set by our egos.  Why don't we care about feeding the world's hungry? Why don't we care about climate change or what our political leaders are doing to dismantle our basic human rights? And I'm not suggesting that we focus on negative things.  But I'm also not suggesting that we focus only on self-interests and close our hearts to the rest of the world because we're in a position that allows us to do that.

Now, I don't know the reasons why the planets have shifted gears on us, why Pluto squares Uranus or why the personal planets are zipping through the Zodiac like Speedy Gonzalez on steroids.  But I will ask you to pay attention because when nature changes course, we need to adapt to those changes.  Movement of the outer planets in particular affects entire generations born during those transits, but these transits also affect our personal lives, where we live, where we work (if we have employment) and the current trends as they fade in and out.  The personal planets shift energies in our lives and when those planets land on the cusps of any of the 12 houses, we feel that energy shift.  We also feel the energy shift when the planets transit into new signs.  We especially feel the shift when the planets are at 0 or 29 degrees.  However, when an outer planet stays at 0 degrees for 2 to 3 years, we grow irritated from the energy.  Change already!

While we can look at individual charts to see what's happening on a personal level, we also must consider the global level too since none of exist in a vacuum.  People are feeling more frustrated and irritated now.  Many people are feeling hopeless and looking for escapes (which is why I'm concerned about the legalizing of marijuana in the U.S.because this all falls under Neptune in Pisces and drug addiction).  Do we really want Americans driving or working under the influence of this brain fog inducing drug?  Don't get me wrong, I feel that listing the drug use under a felony is an erroneous concept too, but the fact is drugs kill off brain cells and Americans are already lacking brain power compared to the rest of the world with a public education that ranks 26 worldwide.  Okay, I'm not going to get sociopolitical on you because I'm not a fan of politics.  However, I hope that Americans will educate themselves about the ill-health effects of any drug, plant-based or otherwise before turning it into a recreational pursuit.  It's bad enough people are radiating their brains with cell phones and I am concerned about the future of humanity because our civilizations are on the brink of total collapse because of unconscious behaviors.  Some energy healers say that humanity is stuck in the freeze mode as opposed to fight or flight.

However, the outer planets are giving us the message that total collapse of the old systems will allow us to rebuild a more peaceful and just world.  Pluto promises renewal after the wrecking ball comes through since this is the transformation planet.  When Saturn moves into Sagittarius in 2015 (?) we will create new spiritual belief systems after dismantling the old ones when Saturn transits in Scorpio with receptivity to Pluto transiting in Capricorn.  Neptune also kicks in by dissolving old religions and could also move us past our need for addictive substances, but only after enough of us hit bottom and decide we can no longer afford to live in a fog-induced state . We need clear and sober thoughts now, not escapism, which is just another form of denial.  The good news about Neptune in Pisces is that this transit also awakens greater consciousness.  Perhaps what people who use drugs are searching for is a sustained connection to the Divine.  That's my theory anyway and why programs such as AA works for so many addicts. (I add that Uranus will transform current technologies and question our leadership ethics).

Where we are heading is anyone's guess.  We can take the role of the shaman and surf the shifting energies and live in balance with the planets.  In order to meet this challenge we need to learn about the planets and their energies.  I believe that astrology is also going through a transformation and that it has grown into a shamanic tool that allows us to fulfill a hero's journey or quest.  But like any powerful tool, wield it with conscious intent.