the united states pluto return | february 22, 2022 | part I - the narcissistic wound is where the light gets in, Putin plays Pluto

 

I wanted to write about 2/22/22's, 22 degree Neptune sextile a 22 degree Vesta (the dream being made real through our sacred FOCUS and commitment or maybe our focus lightens up a bit and that's a good thing) and also our high-minded Mercury making his third of three meetings with Juno (partnership agreements, successful/future-focused conversations with partners, negotiating without taking things too personally) and I guess, there, I just did write about it :) but am pulled to finally look at the U.S. Pluto return, a repeating aspect with its first of three exact hits TODAY. 

 

And, of course, the Neptune/Vesta and the Mercury/Juno, coupled with a Pluto ruling Scorpio Moon whose closing aspect tomorrow is an opportunistic sextile to Pluto himself adds some good and interesting insights into today's Pluto return event chart.

Let's dig in!

 

On February 22, 2022 Pluto will, for the first time, return to its natal position in the United States birth chart. He will be back here again on July 11th during his summer retrograde and then for a final pass, moving direct, on December 28th. I think with the United States playing such a powerful role in the world, this will have a global significance.

 

The U.S. birth chart, also known as the Sibley chart, was charted by Ebeneezer Sibley (with a name like Ebeneezer Sibley I somehow have a hard time doubting his thoroughness), a British astrologer and Freemason back in 1776 when word of the signing of the Declaration of Independence reached Britain. It is set for July 4, 1776 at 5:10PM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is universally used and I have used it for research on multiple important events in United States history and it hasn't let me down.

 

Astrological knowledge almost certainly went into the time the document was signed. The U.S. forefathers crafted a beautiful chart (with interesting connections to editor Benjamin Franklin's own chart, including the U.S. Pluto - which they couldn't see - exact on Ben Franklin's natal Sun). Since Pluto returns to his natal position about every 247 years (one orbit around the Sun), we won't live to see our own Pluto returns, although I would suspect strong ancestral connections/past life story-lines that connect now to our lives/familial lines in the 1700's, 1500's etc. 

A planet's return to his natal position resets/triggers the role that planet plays in the blueprint of the event chart or birth chart. For example every year every person has a Solar Return, when the Sun returns to the position (degree/second of the zodiac) he occupied when we were born - this will be within a day or so of our birthday. This resets/triggers/influences our new year. Sometimes people familiar with astrology and not liking their Solar Return chart will travel on their birthday into a different time zone to get something they see as more favorable 

 

(I am not such a fan of this idea, but was strongly tested this year with a Sun/Saturn exact conjunction in the 12th house in my solar return chart (!) - I think better to work with what we have, since it's nearly certain the energies that created our blueprints know more than we do and we might avoid something that mucks up the future .. you get the idea).

 

Usually with a triple hit - like this one in the United States, because Pluto due to his retrograde will walk this degree multiple times - the first pass is the big whammy, although when we look at the transits for these specific days, that summer hit with Mars on the U.S. natal Uranus, looks pretty explosive. Another near date to watch for is when Mars (always a trigger) crosses 27 degrees Capricorn (with Venus - she is undoubtedly helping) on March 4th. 

 

Pluto rules Scorpio, our collective 8th house and such themes as life/death, power, big finances, nuclear energy, Plutocrats, sex, fertility, our sexual organs, bowels, elimination, third party situations, secrets, things that are hidden, the stuff we don't want to look at/talk about in polite company. Pluto transits bring transformational changes, death and rebirth and situations that activate 'before and after' life altering circumstances. Even if we want to go back to the way things were before the Pluto transit, we can't, the 'back there' isn't back there anymore.

 

You can understand why, unlike astronomers, astrologers can see there is no 'demoting' Pluto. 

 

Power and how we deal with power is a MAJOR Plutonian issue for us at both an individual and a group level. 

Pluto, God of the underworld, rules the stuff we have stuffed. The shadow self - the real self we buried to survive. His themes include guilt, resentment, control, revenge, manipulation, jealousy, etc. There is often a kind of 'horror story' connected to our personal natal Pluto placement AND the stuff we carry in our 8th house. It's a childhood story, yes, but the reason we magnetized it to us in childhood in the first place is because of an even deeper ancestral/past life horror story. The same energy of a 'horror story', which might sound too harsh, but I'm thinking maybe it isn't, applies to the birth charts of countries, too. 

 

Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930 - a somber decade that began with the Great Depression and ended with World War II. Pluto speaks of karma and his return speaks of the death/birth of karmic cycles. With a second house 27 degree Pluto in Capricorn answering to Saturn in the 10th, we would most likely be looking at major changes in government structure, U.S. power in the world, finances, resources, values and self-esteem.

Although we are taking about specific dates, transits are tricky to time and impossible with such a slow moving planet as Pluto. There is probably no exact 'date' the United States Pluto return starts/happens (that's not to say something very important cannot happen near or on the exact dates, they likely will). 

 

We could say this started when the Declaration of Independence was signed. We could say this got moving when Pluto was discovered in 1930. We could say this clicked into gear in 2008 when Pluto moved into Capricorn. We could say this kicked into HIGH gear in 2020 when Pluto moved within orb of the United States natal Pluto.

 

Pluto is in the United States second house which rules - money, our values, our self-esteem. In Capricorn, he is answering to Saturn in the United States 10th house and Saturn in Libra is answering to Venus in the 7th in Cancer, pulling in the United States Aquarius Moon/Uranus on the descendant. Pluto opposes the U.S. natal Mercury who rules that Uranus in Gemini and is answering to the Moon. So, we've got the 2nd house (money, values, self-esteem), 10th house (career, public life, reputation), 7th house (partners, open enemies), 8th house (death, big money, power, transformation), 6th house (health, work) all connected via these dispositors. I think with Libra/Venus ruling the U.S. prominent 10th house and both Venus's (collectively ruled) houses activated - the 2nd and 7th - a general theme of women/feminine energy and balance is also pulled into the mix.

 

The United States is also having a natal Neptune opposition at the same time. 

 

Transiting Neptune at 22 Pisces is opposing the United States natal Neptune at 22 degrees Virgo AND this makes a T-Square with the U.S. natal Mars in Gemini. Transiting asteroid Narcissus is at 22 degrees Libra exactly squaring the U.S. natal Narcissus at 22 Capricorn right now (yes, of the time runs out/power is cemented' January 2020 astro infamy). 22 is a powerful master number/THE powerful number of mastery and the Neptune opposition is an 82 year cycle and brings us back to the United States Civil War (and a time when people were saying the telegraph was "too fast for the truth").

 

This Neptune opposition was always going to be a HUGE deal and happening at the same time as the U.S. Pluto return really amps things up!

 

We have to start somewhere, so we'll go back to the end of 2008, when Pluto moved into Capricorn for the first time since the 1700's 'waking up' the U.S. natal Pluto. It was November, we had just elected Obama to his first term here in the United States. The world economy was collapsing under the weight of the housing crisis. Obama's 27 degree Capricorn natal Narcissus starts triggering the U.S. natal Pluto, which remember is also at 27 degrees Capricorn (this is also the degree of Abraham Lincoln's Moon).

We will talk about this in Part II along with Obama, Trump, covid, Biden, the asteroids including Narcissus and Icarus  - all part of the U.S. Pluto return. And the U.S. Pluto return is part of our collective journey into the Age of Aquarius. It is hard to separate these things from each other right now. The U.S. has a 27 degree Moon in Aquarius (the people - exactly semi-sextile Pluto). Before Biden, we had 28 years in a row of Presidents with tight natal North Node (fate)/Uranus (Aquarius) conjunctions (Biden has a tight North Node/Chiron - wounded healer - conjunction).

Based on the current news - keep in mind the U.S. Mercury opposes the U.S. Pluto - someone else who appears to be playing a major role in at least this first leg of the U.S. Pluto return is Vladimir Putin. 

 

(It wouldn't be hard to imagine Putin releasing an incorrect public birth-date, maybe to throw off astrologers, maybe to make himself younger than he actually is and I used to wonder about his Scorpio rising chart, which seemed off for someone with such an unchanging face - Scorpio risings, and the other water signs to some degree, often look quite different from one photo to the next - although it's very early degree, the invention of Botox and how scrupulously he maintains his image of invincibility could be impacting this. He does seem like a Pluto/Mars ruled kind of guy. Comparing his chart and events in his life it does seem possible to me that it is accurate and it's all we have, so we'll take a look.)

 

Putin (a close-ish anagram for Pluto with a similar pronunciation) has a chart-ruling Pluto, tightly conjunct his South Node (past life/strong affiliation with Plutonian/forceful power) with the conjunction situated on his mid-heaven in Leo. He comes off as quite a Plutonian character with a secretive/deadly serious/'king of the underworld' kind of vibe. In Leo, Pluto is answering to his Libra Sun which, along with his Saturn, bookends the U.S. natal 10th house Saturn (world authority). His Sun is answering to his first house Libra Venus conjunct asteroid Icarus and trines his Uranus (his chaos/trauma planet conjunct the U.S. Sun). Putin's powerful Mars is conjunct the Galactic Center and trines his natal Pluto. His Pluto is at master number 22 degrees and inconjunct the U.S. natal Narcissus and transiting Neptune and sextiles the U.S. natal Neptune. 

 

Maybe making Putin a kind of human linchpin pulling the U.S. Pluto return and Neptune opposition together. But with Neptune (and Putin) it's hard to know what is real here. We talked about the Russia, Ukraine, Biden charts in the Full Moon in Leo/how kings fall post HERE.

 

Back with Part II on Friday and we'll pull in the other pivotal characters and see where all this might be heading. 

xo all

artwork by the talented Valentina Remenar

weekly astrology forecast | February 21st to 27th, 2022 - making the dream real, healing words, our thinking and the conversation changes, disruptive information, breakthroughs

 

 

Let's take a quick look at the week ahead which is preparing us for next week's BIG energies!

WEDNESDAY - Mars sextiles Neptune

THURSDAY - Venus sextiles Neptune, Mercury sextiles Chiron, Mercury exits shadow, Mercury squares Uranus

On WEDNESDAY, Mars (at the HOT 22 degrees Cappy) sextiles Neptune at 22 degrees Pisces. This is BIG time "making the dream real" energy. Ambition meets inspiration. Serious/goal oriented action (Mars in Cappy) is creating an opportunity with Neptune's boundless world of creative imaginings, compassion, forgiveness, healing, spirituality and connection. Mars is firing Neptune up before Neptune meets Jupiter in April. Take creative/gentle action.

On THURSDAY, Venus, just hours behind Mars, moves into her own sextile with dreamy Neptune. This is her third (of three) sextiles, due to her Cappy retrograde. Once again this is merging reality/money/beauty/our values/self-esteem with dreams and fantasy. Pay attention to what you want. Venus in Cappy has been showing us what we need to feel loved/to feel stable. Sometimes Cappy, the cold sign of winter, shows us what is missing. If we aren't happy with what we have/where we are - here is another chance to move beyond the reality of our situation. We were last here on January 5th (that was the 'revising' part), so maybe we are returning to a situation that requires some Neptunian assistance - dissolution, forgiveness, compassion, impersonal love.

This is a BIG day for Mercury. First. Mercury in Aquarius sextiles Chiron - heaking via a vulnerability, forgiveness, maybe we need to apologize or in Aquarius not take things so personally. After Mercury's healing words - don't expect roses and chocolates, this is logical Aquarius we are talking about - Mercury exits the shadow of his/her own retrograde and starts covering new ground. Mercury retro, and whatever we have been going back and forth over, is officially OVER.

 

YAY! 

Mercury immediately moves into a square with chaotic/future-focused/liberating Uranus. Ouch. Plans change. Our thinking changes. New information comes in. A disruption. An unexpected announcement. Accidents. Breakthroughs. Since Uranus is pulling the future back to meet us at an alarming speed, some Uranian types will have had this happen LAST WEEK. 

People with planets/points nearest 10 degrees of the fixed signs will be feeling this strongest. Again, the change comes from our Taurus house - yes, the area of life we once counted on to run on auto-pilot, but the past couple years hasn't been so easy! 

This aspect also speaks of difficult Uranian circumstances - ie innovation, rebellion, individuality, pressure through group circumstances. Whatever the monkey-wrench is, it isn't totally out of left field since Mercury (as us) has been here before. It still indicates tension/frustration - surprise/disruption, and coming after Mercury leaves his/her shadow - there is something brand new here, too. For some people Mercury tangles show up as transportation/tech glitches. Drive safely. Make sure files are backed up.

This is all part of Mercury's long/drawn-out journey toward reality-check Saturn on March 2nd, the change needed now BEFORE THE CEMENT GETS POURED then. 

Hope something here is helpful. 

Back with Part I of the U.S. Pluto Return 2022 series

xo all

heads up the Moon is in Scorpio on Monday and Tuesday, which means she will be moving over the South Node - newly minted in Scorpio last month - we can get some hints now about what to expect from the upcoming Scorpio/Taurus Eclipses (April and October). Scorpio is a serious sign, so pay attention.

artwork by the talented Valentina-Remenar

Today's astrology forecast | Friday, February 18th, 2022 - sun into pisces

 

We have moved on a bit from that Leo Full Moon (although it will play out over the next couple weeks and more fully over the next year). 

 

The Moon is in Virgo now - we are nourished/nurtured by being of service, dotting our i's and crossing our t's, a well organized closet, being helpful, being practical, being right/critical (ouch, let's avoid this one), taking care of our physical body/focusing on wellness, taking care of our pets, taking care of our employees/co-workers, prioritizing quality over quantity, doing good work, fixing something (sometimes, yes, broken or not). 

She's busy today - trines Venus, then Mars, opposes Neptune and goes void off a trine to Pluto at 6:19PM EST. Mostly smooth flow with some Neptunian agitation - maybe some wet weather, a tendency to drift off course, some delusion/illusion, exhaustion. Still, that Virgo Moon has so much Capricorn support - we can be productive/get things done. She is then void until 10:51PM EST when she moves into Libra.

 

As soon as she gets into Libra she moves into an awkward inconjunct with the Sun who has just moved into Pisces. This month's Waning Inconjunct - Libra/Pisces. Kicking off Pisces season with a bit of a 'rock and a hard place' is actually not such a bad thing. The Moon here is reminding us of our partnerships/one-on-one relationships/the importance of balance before we get too swept away in the Piscean waters. 

The big news today, of course, is the Sun's movement into Pisces currently home to both Pisces modern and ancient rulers - Neptune and Jupiter, so locked and loaded. I have known alot of Pisces people and noticed Pisces are particularly proud of their Sun signs. I have never known a Pisces who would rather be anything else. Maybe it's because they are the last sign, I don't know, but Pisces really seem to like being Pisces. This time of year when the Sun moves into Pisces, we all start burning Pisces fuel, feel a little bit of what it's like to be a Pisces - we get more sensitive, more intuitive, more imaginative/artistic, more spiritual/connected, hopefully more compassionate. Sometimes less focused, more lazy, lose our boundaries - keep this in mind. Often we need more rest, to take a break. It's like we all get a taste of a 12th house Sun for a while and need to find ways to rejuvenate 

 

 (we are also more likely to have childhood memories pop up to deal with and past life memories, if you resonate with that, any addictions/escapist tendencies can get our attention now, too). 

Of course, we still have our natal (and progressed Sun signs) running the show, but we get a little high-octane Pisces magic in our tank, too. 

 

It will start to be easier now to connect to other people, to see the hands of a loving universe at work in our lives. 

xo all

back with the U.S. Pluto return post this weekend

artwork by the talented Melanie Delon

Full Moon in Leo | February 16th, 2022 - choosing creativity over trauma and simplicity over drama, loving where we are and what we have, how kings fall

On February 16th, 2022 at 11:55AM EST, the Leo Moon will oppose the Aquarius Sun at 27 degrees (yes, another 27 degree Full Moon) - giving us this month's Full Moon, our annual Full Moon in fiery heart-centered LEO.

 

Full Moon are always oppositions. The Sun and the Moon are on opposite sides of the earth or more precisely the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon are 180 degrees apart. Full Moons bring things to a culmination, a conclusion or into the light. 

Happening conjunct the August 2017 Solar Eclipse degree that split America in two with the Sun now on the United States natal Moon (the people) as Pluto returns for the first time to his exact natal position in the United States birth chart during this lunar cycle. This is BIG.

Let's unpack the chart!

 

The Moon squares Sedna, Ceres and the North/South Nodes of Fate. The Moon inconjuncts Pluto. The Moon in Leo is answering to the Sun (Leo's ruler), also squaring Sedna/Ceres/Nodes. The Sun in Aquarius is answering to Uranus who is squaring Saturn (wide and waning) and sextiling Uranus (also separating, but still tight and in play). Venus is conjunct Mars (almost to the exact second). 

The square from the Moon, and the Leo Moon's ruler the Sun, to the Nodes of Fate speaks of an important CROSS-ROAD.  

 

With Sedna conjunct the North Node, there might be something here that looks too good to be true/a situation where we need to take a closer look. Or maybe this is something whose importance isn't totally evident and we need to know that, yes, this is an important crossroads/decision point, that will not be changed/unwound so easily later. Sedna also speaks of times we need to let go/times we are cut loose and also sometimes, health situations that bump us onto a higher path. 

The Moon/Pluto inconjunct is uncomfortable. A rock and hard place. Brings intensity. The Moon in Leo is wanting to SHINE and here is Pluto dredging up something we don't want to look at. Since this is kind of echoing the Sedna square, it's something we probably NEED to pay attention to. What don't we want to look at right now? And, Pluto, like Sedna, speaks of transformation. Before and after. Life after death. Ceres tossed into the mix pulls in nurturing situations, things outside our control, situations where compromise is needed and/or 'season of life' situations. Ceres has just moved into Gemini and is bringing in multiple choices/a time of decisions/nurturing through FACTS. This is echoing the Nodal square/decision.

A square to the Nodes of Fate is a crossroad. This is separating, so in a way, and maybe a literal way, has already happened at the Full Moon. We are married to the future. Decisions now matter. Maybe have just been made. Certainly should be take seriously. The Sun adds weight/our ego in the mix. The best way forward - the North Node/Taurus. Our Taurus natal house focus. The more simple. The more practical. What we already own. What we actually need.

 

The thing that makes the most sense/cents. 

The North Node in Taurus is answering to Venus, sitting pretty (although no doubt exhausted, an aged/mature beauty) with Mars in Capricorn. This is the merger of the feminine/masculine. What we want and what we need to do to get it. Cappy makes it serious/stabilizing. Speaks of grown-up situations that need to be handled soberly. The South Node in Scorpio is answering to that inconjunct Pluto, so we know the need to be releasing the complicated drama, the power struggles, the 'need for this life and death intensity' life on planet Earth the past couple years has made us comfortable/uncomfortable with (and think about how 'the need for intensity' differs from the 'need for love' and how those of us who grew up with chaos can get this stuff all mixed up) won't be easy. 

All these 27 degree Full Moons speaking to Pluto are us working THE PROCESS OF THIS - letting go of the old world. 

We come to this part of winter (in the northern hemisphere), and, our Sun, the ruler of Leo and this Full Moon, is in his detriment in Aquarius and he is all the way to 27 degrees now and he (as us) is just really needing this Leo Full Moon to recharge his (our) batteries!

Something here wants to ROAR. Leo represents royalty and generosity and fun and romance and children and creativity. The shadow of the Leo archetype is a kind of arrogance or greed or self-importance, but what you will find with most Leos is that they have a presence - they impress us. Sometimes it's hard for other people to relate to Leo as "one of us". There is a reason the king of the jungle is the king of the jungle after all. There is dignity here.

Leo rules the space we are meant to shine through self expression, so yes, the energy needs a lot of attention and needs to feel special and, yes, Leo cares what other people think because there is a need to leave a legacy here, and yes, this also means things can get overblown and dramatic. And Full Moons are overblown times anyway, so this is all something to keep in mind. 

I like this Full Moon - we point our energies toward the Taurus North Node (and this is through a square so this could indicate a tense/frustrating situation), take a look at the stuff we are tempted to push under the carpet (without obsessing over it) and deal with it, understand this is a powerful DECISION POINT - intensified by the energies of August 2017. There is a good chance of a good outcome with this one.   

 

There won't be any going back and changing this. So what do we want? What do we really value now? 

There is, of course, alot going on in the world. 

 

Russia's chart is very amped up - they have transiting Jupiter on their 7th house Uranus and applying to their 7th house Mars (7th house is their relationship house/open enemies). The North Node/Sedna exact on their natal Moon (the people, the future, transformation). Venus (who rules their 10th house) and Mars sandwiched between their natal Sun and Mercury. The transiting Sun crossing their DC (partners/open enemies) on Friday. Ukraine's chart is equally activated with the Full Moon sandwiched between their natal Mercury/Venus. Transiting Mars/Venus on their AC, exact and conjunct their Neptune/North Node. Transiting Mercury is exactly conjunct their chart ruling Saturn and transiting Saturn is conjunct their natal Moon (the people/pressure). The Full Moon is conjunct Putin's natal South Node/Pluto (powerful past life/powerful self-undoing possibilities). The Full Moon is exactly squaring Biden's Sun, tightly conjunct his natal Chiron/North Node and opposes the United States Moon (the people). Trump's chart is uber activated again, too. My apologies for being so U.S. focused here. The Leo Full Moon - maybe especially this one connecting us back to that big August 2017 Eclipse and speaking with Pluto - could be said to announce the "death of the king". 

 

And, maybe especially, because we are in fixed star Regulus's old stomping ground, the king needs to be thinking about what he is doing and why he is doing it. In Bernadette Brady's Book of Fixed Stars she says, "he is the Heart of the Lion and associated with the angel Raphael (healing). Regulus can bring glory and leadership, but his weakness is revenge. Power gained through Regulus is reversed quite dramatically if revenge is taken. Then comes the fall." Things may really get fired up when Mars hits 22 degrees Cappy on February 23-24th - as Mars passes Venus and moves onto the "time runs out" degree of Saturn/Pluto from January 2020.

This is all playing out in our own lives, too. Again, we focus on Taurus - what we have. Not Scorpio - what someone else has. Simplifying. Taurus is the farmer/Mother Earth. This is about persistent and gradual progress. We can ALWAYS find the next right step, even in the dark and even in times of challenges and confusion. The North Node, even in comfortable Taurus, is NEW energy. We are required to step outside our comfort zone in some way. The Full Moon is a time of ending/a space of RESULTS, but every ending/result has within it the seed of a new beginning. That square to the Nodes speaks of beginning something we have to ADAPT TO. We will gradually grow into the person who is comfortable in this new space.

 

All these Full Moons speaking with Pluto is spelling it out for us folks - it's create/live/change/love or die time - what's it going to be?

xo all