Physicists suggest that the universe was birthed by an explosion. This is the basis of the big bang theory of cosmic origins. Exactly what catalyzed such an explosion remains a mystery. Perhaps such explosions happen all the “time” (somewhere outside the universe itself); some creating new universes while others fail to stabilize, but such a concept truly boggles the mind since “time” itself appears to be relative and ultimately nonexistent.
The linear perception of cause and effect, what we might call karma, may not be how things (ultimately) operate in the larger scheme of things, whatever that may look like, but from our point of view, things happen and there are consequences. According to modern theoretical speculation, the past cannot be changed. What has happened is somehow set in stone and there’s no way to change it. There’s no going back.
Then again, we may be living on a particular timeline of which there are many. We could, hypothetically speaking, visit the past, but it wouldn’t be the exact same past that we experienced before. There may be infinite past timelines from which we could visit, but never the one “we” actually experienced. Pondering such things is quite a feat of mental gymnastics and at this point in space and time it serves us very little beyond mere amusement.
Going with the predominant cosmology, the big bang, we assume that something catalyzed the universe into existence. Astrological theory suggests that at a fundamental level, the universe is a fractal and inherently holographic. The ancient axiom, as above, so below, illustrates this truth rather simply: that everything in the universe is a reflection of everything else.
Assuming this to be a relative truth (at least from our perspective), then your life is a microcosm of the universe itself. Your birth was a reflection of that initial explosion that catalyzed the universe into existence; it was your own personal big bang. Then, following this line of thought, the procreative process that led to your existence somehow mirrors the procreative process that seeded all of existence. Maybe, the big bang is some kind of giant, cosmic orgasm.
That certainly fits with the Hindu cosmology or even that of Gnosticism. Astrological theory also asserts that the universe that we perceive is cyclic, not really linear. Each cycle contains the template of the former, but changes and mutates as it goes. This would be the underlying assumption of evolution. The tropical zodiac conforms to this perception. Aries symbolizes the beginning while Pisces lies at the end.
This month, on March 20, a total Solar Eclipse occurs at the 29th degree of Pisces, symbolic of the gestating explosion that seeded the universe itself. This final degree, known as the anaretic degree, has a powerful symbolic meaning that relates to the culmination of one process and the beginning of a new one. Solar Eclipses are poignant statements suggesting a collective breakthrough and transition into new realms.
In other words, you are crossing a threshold with this eclipse and symbolically entering a new landscape that may be similar but not quite the same. Coincidently, or synchronously, the vernal equinox coincides with this eclipse here in the northern hemisphere. For those below the equator, the autumnal equinox commences many hours after this eclipse. No matter which side that you stand on, the equinox is a balancing and integration point where day and night are of equal length. Some part of you is giving birth. Some part of the collective is giving birth.
Pisces is the culmination of all that was and will be. It is the point of no return, where we reap the consequences and wisdom of all past actions. As we pass through this dark of the Moon, alongside this darkening of the Sun, the unconscious momentarily trumps the conscious—the awareness of self, the ego. This eclipse is incredibly ego-dystonic, in an archetypal sense.
In layman’s terms, it reveals that which we are not consciously aware of and that which the ego may find incredibly threatening. That may be a frightening omen, but it needn’t be so. You are more than an ego—far, far more. Ultimately, you are the soul of the universe and your separate existence is merely a blip in the process of the universe coming to know itself. You are significant and insignificant all at once.
Ah, the paradox of existence. On a personal level, you are invited to peer into some dark spaces to see what you can let go of. This is a moment of personal and collective surrender. That equates to some kind of sacrifice. Hypothetically speaking (because we can’t even begin to test it), at the end of each life, the ego must be surrendered. The individual identity must give way to something else.
That process requires an immense amount of trust. According to mediums, psychics, parapsychologists, and hypnotherapists (all those labeled charlatans on the Quack Watch most wanted list) we learn that after death, the soul confronts a choice: to step into the “light” or remain attached to its past identity. Sometimes that choice is not always so clear, depending on the nature of one’s death, be it sudden, tragic, or premature.
Though eventually, through some natural process we could not fully comprehend in human form, the soul comes to understand that it no longer resides in a body and that it must, eventually, move on. It must come to trust what it does not understand in a fragmented form. As the Sun and Moon conjoin, and as the Moon’s declination is such that it fully obscures the Sun, it opens a portal to the light. It invites us to process the cycle we have been pursuing and to trust the cycle that emerges now.
Assuming that the world doesn’t come to an end (I’m not predicting that by the way), then life will go on as it always does. Nothing too significant will be noticed externally (with the exception of some probable events on the world stage), but inside of you, deep, deep inside of you, there is an eclipse that invites you to peer a little deeper so that you can come to know your true existence a little more.
Instead of looking outside for change, take this moment to simply listen to the silence of the universe for it speaks volumes to those wise enough to hear it. What happens “out there” happens “in here” too. In fact, unbeknownst to the ego, the external landscape is a metaphor of what is hidden and beyond plain sight. If you listen, if you trust, then new life awaits you.
While the past cannot be changed, while our karma is set in motion, we can change how we respond to the consequences. Unlike the past, the future may not be quite so set in stone, but like the past, there may be almost limitless possibilities; each one somehow similar in an archetypal sense. As Tennessee Williams supposedly said*, "Everything could have been anything else and it would have had just as much meaning".
*Quoted in the film, Mr. Nobody (an existentialist's wet dream).
Closing the Gates of Hell
June 2012 kicked off the first of seven squares between Uranus and Pluto. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Whether or not you have, its presence has been rather obvious on the world stage. The contact of these two outer planets appears to correlate with profound cultural shifts and changes as well as upsurges in violence and oppression.
Pluto, the god of the underworld, symbolizes the threshold to the truly ego dystonic realities which often appear as nightmare worlds beyond the conscious perception of ego. While that sounds rather unpleasant, Pluto is a messenger of the unconscious. While there are some 150,000 objects like Pluto orbiting beyond Neptune, Pluto seems to act as an ambassador of this Trans Neptunian Realm, and as such, has a special place in the astrological pantheon.
Unlike other TNO’s (Trans-Neptunian Objects), Pluto reaches within the orbit of Neptune at particular points along its orbit around the Sun. This means that Pluto has the ability to reach into the conscious reality and “impose” its messages to the ego directly. Pluto’s archetypal influence is very obvious in reflecting on the past three years or so.
Uranus, named after the sky god, has a definite link to the Promethean mythos, the Greek titan that brought “fire” to humanity. Uranus’ discovery correlated with the rapid development of electronic technologies as well as democracy which was catalyzed by the enlightenment ideals of the mid-17th and 18th centuries. Uranus symbolizes the human urge to transcend the limitations of the natural world—to defy the natural as well as cultural status quo.
That Uranian urge has led to liberating as well as frightening creations. The proper use of Uranus requires wisdom and maturity. Without it, it can become a destructive force on the planet. The dark side of Uranus is hubris and apathy. As Pluto and Uranus have come to the tension of the square aspect, a harmonic that indicates stress and challenge, it has brought to our collective awareness the horrors of untamed hubris.
Pluto reminds us that as much as we think that technological and ideological innovations have kept the chaos at bay, it will always seep through the cracks that we choose to ignore. The cycle of Uranus and Pluto has shown us the dark side of human nature and the limitations and dangers of our technologies. While Uranus urges us to reach for the stars, we must not forget where we came from and what nurtured us through our evolution.
These contacts often correlate with the collective desire to return to some idyllic agrarian state in an attempt to compensate for our increasing disconnection from the primordial womb. In stark contrast, it equally correlates with rapid technological and scientific advancement.
These two currents, while always active unconsciously, rise to the level of collective conscious perception as these two planets come into contact. In your personal life, this cycle has likely correlated with rapid changes and accelerated growth, especially if Uranus and Pluto came into contact with natal placements in your birth chart. The double current is an opportunity to return to natural roots while embracing the convenience and ease of modern advancements.
It is also an opportunity to gain a renewed respect and connection for both currents that exist within you. While the square is a struggle to integrate, often manifesting as a battle within the psyche, it works to strengthen each end of the polarity so that it works harmoniously. Pluto and Uranus made their last exact square on March 16, though Pluto will turn retrograde on April 16 and inch very close to another square before both planets officially move on.
In other words, the gates of hell haven’t closed entirely, but we are bidding farewell to the nightmare for now as it slowly fades from our collective and individual awareness. We are also within the process of integrating the lessons that this cycle presented us. Remember, Pluto, ambassador of the unconscious, presents those things that lie in our blind spots. The more nightmarish it appears, the more urgent the need that we acknowledge it.
When we face the dark, uncomfortable truths, we bring light and awareness to that which we have denied and we inch ever closer toward wholeness, but there is always a choice. You can remain in the dark and allow the nightmare to devour you, or you can take the challenge and rise above the darkness to discover that the demons are merely angels in disguise.
For personal readings/consultations, please e-mail me directly at kosmicmind@gmail.com
