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2011 Overview Article
Happy Winter Solstice!
Wow, what an exciting and eventful time! Imagine not only is there a Full Moon coinciding with the Winter Solstice, it is a Total Lunar Eclipse. Beyond the eye candy and specialness of this rare event, and even beyond the science behind eclipses which is where Astronomy and Astrology converge, eclipses also hold deeper meanings. I have devoted some of my time to offer you some insight into this special event as well as to bring attention to some important themes in store for us all in 2011. There is strong evidence to support the probability that 2011 will be a major one for our times. Given that it is the official lead up year to the now globally recognized 2012 Mayan Calendar end date, it is appropriately so.
A quick reminder before I begin. Each year I write a Horoscope for the year and I have posted these since 2005. They are all posted on my site
Here if you would like to review them. These Horoscopes are designed to offer an overview perspective and are based on Astrology especially, Numerology and Tarot and include a focus on the key planetary activity destined to occur over the course of any given calendar year. I have also compiled a brief overview of the first decade of the New Millennium
Here.
I will again offer a Horoscope but given the special event of a Total Lunar Eclipse on Winter Solstice, an event that only last occurred in the 17th century, this article is dedicated to helping you better understand it and gain an overview of what is in store for 2011. Over the course of the year by way of my weekly Horoscope and Monthly New Moon Newsletter I will be active keeping you updated on the details closer to their respective dates.
As for the forecast for 2011 which will be a very eventful year indeed, I invite you to get comfortable and take some time to review what is in store for us all.
The Horoscope for the year for each Zodiac Sign will be posted next week and I will notify you.
Introduction
The global focus on the Mayan Long Count Calendar has contributed to bringing Astrology back into popular focus, it is undergoing a
revival. That the Long Count Calendar is said to end on 12/21/2012 is now common knowledge. Some have and others are now asserting that this date is wrong and 2011 is ‘the big one’. 2011 is destined to be a big year to be sure and it does stand to be pivotal. Some believe that it will be cataclysmic in an unprecedented way. Others say it depends on us, on our collective level of consciousness – the vibrations we emanate. The answer is that no one knows for sure and both may well be true. Making a prediction for the entire planet is uncommon. The Mayan message seems to say it can do so. In this respect, be careful of voices that bring you messages of fear. It makes one wonder if all the violence occurring in Maya land (Mexico/Guatemala...) is an example of the accumulation of negativity surrounding 2012… The more responsible Mayan leaders are looking more to the beginning of a golden age and less to natural disasters. The issue of self-fulfilling prophesy is an old one but with modern advances in science and psychology, we should be more aware and responsible to it than ever before. Of course, natural disasters are part of the human experience and with global warming and the damage to our ozone layer and so on, it may be a good idea to be ready for major events, whatever that might mean specifically to you and various locations in the world.
On the other hand, there is the personal and social reality to consider as the effects of the eclipse take hold. It may be of interest to you to know that that themes of an eclipse begin prior to the event and continue strong until the next eclipse season.
Invariably, the impact of any changes is social, upon societies and human civilization in general. Earth changes have always and will always be with us, and they are serious enough. In our collective memory, we have stored major cataclysms. Some of these come from meteors crashing into our planet while some may well be from solar max events such as the one predicted for 2011/2012 and others yet are from the wide array of geo-physical shifts that occur on a planet undergoing a constant and steady flow of change. Regarding celestial influences and impacts, the question of periodicity is ancient in both Astrology and Astronomy and important to both. By extension, predicting the future is an old passion and remains true to this day.
The prospect of prediction can prove very useful and important. It is good to be aware of the negative as well as the positive ‘probabilities and possibilities’. However, modern chaos theory suggests that the future is ultimately uncertain in terms of outcomes. That we are co-creators in life is both an ancient realization and one supported by modern physics – Quantum Mechanics and String Theory. So, seeking absolutes in duality is an illusion.
Astrology and Astrologers too must move with the times and adjust to the evolution of consciousness. ‘The future is probable but it is not certain’. The main point is that Astrologers can offer clues and even dates as to the probability and destiny of future events. In this respect, Astrology and related disciplines like Numerology can prove to be very valuable indeed. This is perhaps this is one of the reasons it has been put down and discouraged, a sort of defamation to keep people away from exercising more of their own personal power.... In a scientific age, saying Astrology is bogus begs that such statements be proved. ll endeavors to seriously and integrally disprove astrology to date have failed thus it continues to gain new interest daily.
Contents
In reviewing the major themes for any given year, we can measure shifts, initiations and the events of change in a variety of ways. These include the following:
1. Planetary Entering into New Signs.
2. Lunar Nodes Entering New Signs.
3. Solar and Lunar Eclipses.
4. Major Planetary Conjunctions. (Major implies the far planets from Jupiter out in aspect to one another.)
5. Major Hard Aspects like Squares and Oppositions.
There is more than usual activity in this regard occurring in 2011. We can also look to Numerology and, by extension, the Tarot and to other systems of Astrology like Chinese and Mayan. I will bring some attention to these as well in the course of this overview for 2011. In this article I will bring attention to all of the above listed themes and more. If you have any comments, contributions or questions please send them my way by email. Enjoy!
2011 will be very pivotal indeed!
Every year can be seen that way in its own light, yet some years are bigger. Gain an overview of previous years
HERE. Not only will things get going very early in 2011, the flow of the current is already swift. This is the big lead-up year to 2012 and some maintain that this year will be more eventful than 2012.
Given that the ‘Solar Max’ Solar Cycle 24 activity predicted for 2012, (according to research done by Mitch Battros’ and his Earth Change Media Newsletter) is to be 50% larger than average solar max cycles AND will actually begin in late 2011 and continue through early 2012, we can look to 2011 as being a very eventful one and in many ways. However, it should be noted and I will explain below that even though this may be so, the momentum of social change early in 2011 – the first 6 months perhaps especially – will take center stage. Specifically, these changes stand to be economic. Most people are aware that there some have made some rather dire forecasts. I generally believe that there will be a major upsurge in business conducted over the Internet. Yet, this may also have a counter effect where communities band together and focus on the local economy as in 'shop local'.
Warfare linked to economics is the oldest sinister game in the world and with the Internet the game is shifting to information wars and spy networks. Having a password for one's passwords is now a common fact.
The evidence for big changes in 2011 is strong according to Western Astrology and in this article I will outline some of the indicators. Astrology is a vast and intricate science so there may be other rationales as well. Since the focus on 12/21/2012 remains a Mayan Astrology end date of their Long Count Calendar, that date remains important. That this end date converges with other calendars in Mayan Cosmology, like the 2nd occultation of Venus with the Sun on June 2012, is further support for Winter Solstice to be the official end date with December 22, 2012 as the official day “one” of a new 5,125 year round. Some even maintain that it is the beginning of an entire Precessional Cycle of 25,650 years. Other big clues supporting 2012 include Saturn entering Scorpio in October 2012 and Uranus forming the first of 7 Square aspects with Pluto in late June 2012.
The planetary activity occurring this year will synchronize with major social changes of a powerful and revolutionary sort as well, regardless of other factors. But 2011 could well be described as the ignition year or the climax before the conception.
Considering that there is a Total Lunar Eclipse right on Winter Solstice of 2010, the natural New Year, and the first New Moon of the Year (January 4, 2011) is a Partial Solar Eclipse (
See Solar Eclipse Chart) and which occurs on the very same day as the 3rd of 3 aspects between Jupiter and Uranus, we are getting some strong clues that indicate that some very powerful seed events now will be woven in the entire fabric of the year 2011!! As for the 12/21/2012 end date, the symbolic focus remains on Winter Solstice of that year.
Given the many powerful planetary alignments this year, it is tempting to posit this year as the 'big one'. Yet, there remain other key alignments yet to occur in 2012 which make it still the final year, in my interpretation of it. Yet 2011 will be very eventful and dramatic, socially.
There are two key points you may want to be aware of regarding the Lunar Eclipse on Winter Solstice: (
See Total Lunar Eclipse Chart):
1. The last time there was a Total Lunar eclipse on Winter Solstice was 1638!
2. In one of the Sidereal Zodiacs*, the Lunar Eclipse occurs close to 7 degrees of Gemini and Sagittarius which are considered to be very important degrees in Mayan Cosmology. (Google John Major Jenkins for more on this - Click
HERE for a pretty good article on it.)
(See Sidereal Chart).
* One of the biggest challenges facing Vedic Astrology (Jyotish) is that there is a discrepancy of up to 9 degrees of celestial arc among the spectrum of Sidereal Zodiacs in use – there are at least 14 in use. The discrepancy amounts to between 6 to 7 hundred years of arc time!
So, Winter Solstice 2010 hosts a Total Lunar Eclipse and on January 4th, we will experience both a Partial Solar Eclipse and the third and final conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus, on the same day! Jupiter is symbolic of ‘inflated’ and ‘exaggerated and Uranus of ‘revolution’ and ‘awakening’. There are many more key words for both these planets. It basically indicates mass awakening. Since the ruling planet for Pisces (spirituality/compassion) is Neptune (‘collective subconscious’ and ‘dream ideals’) which is in Aquarius (‘humanitarian’ and ‘inventor’) and conjunct Chiron (‘maverick’ and ‘wounded healer’), we can see deeper into the fabric of what this celestial portrait implies.
We stand to experience not one but a steady stream of potentially rude or at least revolutionary awakenings. Yet, not all of these need necessarily be seen to be bad per se’. In the long haul they may be seen as very good. However, it is the short term focus and process of change that is often challenging.
If we are bystanders and victims verses responsible participants somehow, 2011 could well prove to be 'rude'. People have asked, 'what can one person do?' The answer is join your voices and forces with others and focus on positive, integral, powerful action.
As mentioned, there is a science to eclipses that transcends mere measurements of the earth casting a shadow on the Moon or even the Moon blocking the light of the Sun as with a Total Solar Eclipse. By the way, there will be two more Solar Eclipses this year, the first on June 1 and the second on July 1, 2011 (Canada Day) with another Lunar eclipse in between on June 15th. Although these will be members of Saros Series 13 South whereas the current eclipses are members of the eclipse family called Saros Series 13 North, we can see them as have a relationship since they occur in the same year. The deeper message here is that each eclipse family (Saros Series) stems from a different root event. This is seldom discussed popularly but it is significant to understand in terms of both gaining a better understanding of the fascinating science of eclipses and. more importantly, what they imply in terms of actual effects and events. for this reason, I have outlined some of the more significant features of eclipses. So, although this article is pretty long and though I have a few other links, I especially encourage you to follow the outline below to gain a better understanding of eclipses and Google 'Eclipses and Saros Series or Cycle' to really get some thorough background.
Overview of the Science of Eclipses
1. Eclipses are segments of larger cycles called “Saros Cycles”. The core theme of an eclipse is linked to the first in the cycle which begins either at the North or the South Pole.
2. There are 42 Saros Series or Eclipse Families in all – 21 stemming from the South Pole and 21 beginning at the North. These are all always active yet emphasis is brought to the Series that produce the next set of eclipses.
3. Lunar and Solar eclipses occurring in the same period of 36 days are members of the same family. When an eclipse or pair of eclipses occurs, sometimes there are 3 – 1 Solar and 2 Lunar in a 36 day period, it is called an “Eclipse Season”. There are 2 eclipse seasons each year each about 6 months apart.
4. Each Saros Series contains 71-73 Solar Eclipses with their adjoining Lunar Eclipses (Eclipse Seasons) and one Series continues for a period of about 1,300 years!
5. Each successive Solar Eclipse is part of a different Saros Cycle.
6. The next eclipse season from the same Saros Series occurs just over every 18 years. In other words, Every time there is a new eclipse season – Solar and lunar eclipses back to back, these come from a different Saros Cycle until 18 years and some months have passed. So, each Eclipse Season can be seen to have a different flavor or quality of effect.
7. Eclipses are linked to the Lunar Nodes which have an 18.3 year cycle.
8. The root event of a Saros Series determines the ‘root character’ of the entire series.
9. The actual aspects at the time of each successive Eclipse Season every 18 or so years is a contributing factor combined with the first in the series or root event; weighing both is part of the art of working with eclipses for Astrologers.
10. Solar Eclipses are the main event and accompanying Lunar Eclipses are linked to the Solar Eclipse in the eclipse season.
11. * The general rule of thumb in the difference between Solar and Lunar Eclipses is that Solar Eclipses are more external and eventful and Lunar Eclipses are more internal and emotional. Further Solar Eclipses bring about unexpected events whereas Lunar Eclipses produce events based on our own thoughts and feelings stemming from the influence that the eclipse may have on us.
12. The other factor, which is generally of greatest importance to any ‘person’ (any legal entity in the eyes of the law: person, city, country, institution, Corporation…) is where the eclipses occur in terms of Signs and Houses and how these are represented in a ‘person’s’ chart. (I will bring more attention to the general influence in the Horoscope entries for each Zodiac Sign, which I will do in my next Newsletter.)
So, sometimes a root eclipse is benevolent, sometimes benign, and sometimes malevolent and even sinister. The current Saros Series 13 North is considered by some to be rather malevolent and Saros Series 13 South, which encompasses the eclipse activity in late spring early summer 2011 is considered to have a rather sinister reputation. Again, we do have free will but it is better to be aware that naive. Let’s take a closer examination of this interpretation.
So even though there was a Lunar Eclipse on Winter Solstice, emphasis is still given to the Solar Eclipse. The synchronistic alignment of a Lunar Eclipse on Winter Solstice is certainly significant, and due to the alignment may well take on more importance than a usual Lunar Eclipse, yet it remains true that the Solar Eclipse is the main theme and the Lunar Eclipses comes under its overall influence. The root theme of Saros Series 13 North speaks of big ambitions which are at best creative and at worst filled with pride and arrogance. (See Saros Series 13 North Root Chart). It is the Leo factor in the chart that tells this story. Mercury and Venus are both in Leo and this can be indicative or art and creative self expression. yet, because venus is so close to the Sun, the soft and sweet side of Venus is heated and dried, so to speak. Venus close to the Sun is not traditionally considered a good aspect, but there are exceptions. Mercury conjunct the north Node suggests that new creative leadership, at best will come to the fore. At worst, pride will assert itself. Interestingly, Pluto is in Capricorn in this chart and Saturn is in Libra, just as thye both are now. At best this implies deep commitments to making some major changes that stand to be good for us all. It is the renovation process that is not so pleasant, usually. Again it is a question of attitude and choice. It should also be stated that although this root chart does have its influence, the current chart of the eclipses happenning now does as well. However, for the positive effects to occur, good people will have to make more of an effort to create a group voice. Fortunately, we see just this sort of thing happenning thanks to the internet.
As for the current Solar Eclipse - January 4, 2011 – (see chart) which is the next in line of this Saros Series, (the last one was 1p years ago in 1992 – the year the WWW officially went public! Think about that and re-read the above paragraph…), it is worth noting that it reveals a bowl shape pattern! This is again suggestive of a very dynamic and experientially active year. A close Square Aspect between Neptune/Chiron and Venus leans more to the negative implications of this Saros Series. I interpret it to imply that the super rich may have their own share of challenges under the weight of realization that it does not serve their interests to weaken the fabric of society by way of insurmountable economic pressures in the mainstream economy. They may get more money but less civilization that is safe and worth participating in safely. So, the focus hangs in the balance between the rich and powerful people and organ izations (corportations & conglomerates) and everybody else – an old story yet given the technological advances of our times, one with a whole new twist that just might prove to surprise us all because the internet has and continues to level the playing field. That may sound idealistic, yet purely cynical attitudes are of no help. Perhaps this intention to create more balance is our best choice of focus of awareness. On a more sober note, the challenge of our times is to bring governments into responsible action based on the majority verses the more powerful minority. This has ever and continues to be a major issue. There is evidence in the world of both kinds of leadership - that which is truly representative and that which is exclusive and corrupt. We have seen plenty of the latter in North America for many years no so it is we, in light of the larger global picture, who may be said to be the enablers of corruption by way of our passivity.
Jupiter Conjunct Uranus
As for the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction on January 4th – the day of the New Moon Solar Eclipse, this time both planets will be in direct motion, as opposed to the previous conjunction of September 19 when both were retrograde. This will be the third and final conjunction between Jupiter and Uranus until the next one in 2024. The first of the 3 was at 0 Aries and can be understood to be the anchor theme. This third and final conjunction is also significant because it is the most recent. If Aries is the Alpha Sign, Pisces is the Omega and 0 Aries is where they meet, like a clasp of a necklace. As you might imagine by now there is something very powerful brewing and will grow and evolve over the next 13-14 years; the time interval when Jupiter and Uranus will form their next conjunction and begin an entirely new cycle. Aries is all about pioneering initiatives. Pisces symbolizes the collective subconscious and there is reason to believe that this important conjunction aspect on the day of the January Solar Eclipse will spark a new spiritual revolution. People will begin to see through and beyond religious dogmas and come to realize how much these cause separation in a world where we simply cannot afford it, given our technological powers of destruction. To gain further clues we can look to Neptune; the ruling planet for Pisces.
Neptune continues to be in exact conjunction with Chiron in Aquarius. In 2009, Jupiter was there as well forming a triple conjunction but it has since raced ahead and Neptune and Chiron continue their slow and intimate waltz. The involvement of Neptune conjunct Chiron suggests that humanity as a species is wounded and sick and that it is time to heal. While new solutions to the problems of life are emerging daily, they will not be enough in the short term to heal the wounds and sickness that we are already experiencing and which stand to increase measurably over the coming years. This is not to say that we won’t eventually heal them, only that the process will not be quick and/or easy, perhaps not at all. For time frames, we will have to look to the larger time given for this conjunction seed to sprout and grow. We are speaking about 80 years.
The main point is that the healing that is suggested is not restricted to any country or region, rather it points to the entire human race and to the planet in general. Over the course of the year, both Neptune and Chiron will enter Pisces. Chiron will take the lead while Neptune is at the last degree of Aquarius. This means that the Ingress chart for Chiron in Pisces posits Neptune at 28 Aquarius – is the planet of highest degree meaning that it is the main focus ‘at the end of the day’ in light of Chiron’s ingress chart. The 28th and 29th degree of Aquarius are said to be connected to higher spiritual agencies and the suggestion here is that in order to heal the problems of the world it is likely that we will have to, (and people will feel inspired) to call upon these higher spiritual powers to assist us. How we will do this is another question. Awareness of their existence is the first step and deep reverence for higher realities is the second. Once this is in place, spiritual gatherings and meditations, prayers and chants will fulfill the requirements.
Over the course of 2011 we will gain more examples of the mass awakening to the collective wounds we carry. This theme is further illustrated in the Solar eclipse itself. The escalation of riots in the world like London England and Rome Italy and the Julian Assange / Wikileaks drama are likely to be understood as foreshadows of things to come soon. The eclipse also hints at economic troubles and given the escalating downturn of the U.S. economy and subsequently the global economy, 2011 stands to be marked with rising collective stress levels and with riots the likes of which we have already seen and perhaps worse. By extension, international relations will also feel the strain and this could well spill over into border disputes…
Neptune’s transit through its own sign of Pisces is yet another indication of mass spiritual awakening and healing at best, or mass deception and denial, at worst. (See Neptune ingress Pisces chart HERE). Chiron is a key player now in the pantheon of planets, yet Neptune is now officially the furthest official planet as Pluto has been re-classified. There is something quite appropriate with this designation by the way because Neptune is symbolic of the veils that divide dimensions. Pluto/Charon is perhaps best seen in its mechanical purpose of ensuring evolutionary process where the old is ever being replaced by the new.
Neptune will enter Pisces on April 4, 2011. What is most significant about this chart is that there is a 6-planet stellium (grouping) in Aries! This suggests that the influences of Neptune in Pisces will spread like wild fire! This stellium in Aries merits its own special focus which I will do later on. For now, know this – on the New Moon in Aries April 3, 2011, and in that seed chart, will be 6 planets in Aries with Mars and Uranus exactly conjunct, and with the Sun, Moon and Jupiter in very close alignment! This is a very dynamic and progressive chart and it is a powerful theme in-tune with all the other initiatives and big action slated for 2011.
Major Planets & Lunar Nodes Entering New Signs
There are 5 major events occurring with planets entering new signs this year. Jupiter in Aries (January 22), Uranus in Aries (March 11), Neptune in Pisces (April 4), Lunar North Node in Sagittarius (March 4) and Chiron in Pisces (February 9). That makes 5 major sign changes of the social and far planets and all by April 5! That is a lot! One of the many techniques in Astrology is to cast a chart for the exact moment a planet enters a new sign. This key moment in time offers insights about the themes associated with the entire cycle of the planet through the sign. This can also apply to the Lunar Nodes, asteroids and so on…. For the sake of brevity I will not go into every planet ingress chart, but I will do so for the Lunar Nodes below.
Since Jupiter is the ruling planet for Sagittarius and since it will enter Aries, the sign of pioneering and new initiatives in January, you might imagine that the themes mentioned above will get going early in the year. It is also noteworthy that Sagittarius is the Sign symbolic of journalism, publishing and mass distribution of knowledge and information. Given the global focus on Wikileaks for example and what some deem to be the first official ‘information war’ of the computer age, it is very likely that this story is far from over and in fact stands to escalate. Things could get quite explosive in this regard, especially in March when the Lunar Nodes change signs. Due to the elliptical orbit of planets they sometimes move faster and sometimes slower through the signs. In the case of Jupiter, it is currently moving quickly and by June 5th it will already enter Taurus. (See Jupiter Ingress Taurus chart). This is quite fortunate I would say, as it may contribute to a stabilizing effect. Taurus is the Sign of building foundations and there stands to be some of that over the course of the year as well - the building of new foundations. Considering the intensity of activity up to that time, it would not surprise me if more people turn to planting gardens this year as an extra bit of insurance in uncertain times. Perhaps this is a good time to plan a garden and to begin gathering organic seeds now! In fact, I would encourage it. On the other hand, Taurus of all the signs tends to resist change and becomes angry if forced to. Given the Jupiter / Saturn opposition earlier int he year, this could provoke major resistance and a polarization of forces.
The Lunar Nodes Change Signs in Mid February 2011
In Western Astrology, the Lunar North and South Nodes will complete their 18 months transit through Capricorn/Cancer and begin their cycle through Sagittarius/Gemini. The general theme for this cycle is to take a stand and commit. The influence of the South Node in Gemini will not make this so easy but the North Node in Sagittarius will exert a strong pull for people to do so, according to the areas in their life where these influences will be strongest. These are determined by the house positions of the Lunar Nodes over the course of the cycle which is further determined by the date of birth, place and time. Closer to date, I will bring emphasis to each Zodiac Sign in my weekly Horoscope. But to really know the influence one would have to look at their actual birth chart, or have an Astrologer do it for them. The ruling planets for the nodes play a special role over the course of the Node Sign transit. In this case it is Jupiter and Mercury – the two teachers. Both signs and their planets are linked to communications, education, journalism and the general sharing of information. As might generally be expected, a lot more people will get on board with computers and the internet and all other sorts of communication technology. For the above reasons, we can also expect the pace of things in the world to accelerate very noticeably. The global village is about to become much more intimate as opinions, philosophies, information, insight, gossip… enter yet another level of exchange. Of course, within the scope of this we stand to hear a lot of controversy as well. Just prior to the previous Sign change of the Lunar Nodes I wrote a short Tip of the week in my Horoscope column and upon reflection I can see that the summary of my prediction was quite accurate. Read it and review the overview I provided for each Sun Sign HERE.
In light of the ingress chart for the Lunar Nodes which occurs on February 13, 2011 at 2 pm GMT, here is an overview. (See chart). What is most noteworthy is that Jupiter conjunct Uranus is high in the chart together. Since as I have already discussed these together are indicative of a major awakening, it becomes evident that people will be talking and exchanging information and wanting answers and insights more than we have seen for a very long time, perhaps more than ever before on a global level. With the Moon in Gemini, there is likely to be a lot of opinions flying yet very few feeling as confident as they might like about holding any one position. Also, there will be a lot of vying for attention and people will have to choose where they will focus, thus competition for attention will be high. Mars and the Sun in Aquarius are indicative of revolutionary beliefs, attitudes and actions.
Planets in Cardinal Signs
The line-up of planets in Cardinal Signs include Pluto in Capricorn, Uranus soon to be in Aries, Saturn in Libra and Jupiter will soon also enter Aries. This factor alone is indicative of a year of major activity, all other factors aside! Considering that there will be many instances over the course of the year, the first six months especially, when the minor planets – Sun to Mars will also be in Cardinal Signs. For example in the chart for Neptune entering its own Sign of Pisces we see 6 planets in cardinal Aries! So, we can expect plenty of movement and change – a very progressive pace indeed. Jupiter and Saturn are considered the ‘Social Planets’ in that they are symbolic of social cycles and themes. They form a conjunction about every 20 years. With both in Cardinal Signs and due to the fact that Jupiter will form an Opposition Aspect to Saturn (March 29), we should see a steady rise in intensity already over the course of the winter season and throughout spring as well. This is especially so since Jupiter will first form a Square Aspect to Pluto on February 25th. Jupiter in Opposition to Saturn especially in Cardinal Signs is very dynamic.
Jupiter Opposition Saturn
Since Jupiter is symbolic of expansion and Saturn of contraction, there is a lot of stress in this aspect. Sound judgment and decision making is difficult and the direction of energy is unpredictable. A conflict between optimism and caution is also characteristic. A restless urge for freedom and an urge to break free (Jupiter) from predictable, status quo restrictions will be strong. In the most positive sense, a deeper commitment to creating harmony, balance and justice (Saturn in Libra) will prevail. With Opposition aspects, the best recourse is ever diplomatic relations and win/win negotiations. These aspects are symbolic of the seed coming to full bloom and the intensity is akin to a Full Moon, yet by ratio is much more intense and significant when the planets involved are the major ones. So, the Opposition is a culmination aspect. Please Note: The initial Conjunction or seed aspect between Jupiter and Saturn was in May 28, 2000 and was part of a 7 planet alignment earlier that month in Taurus. Astrologers were giving a lot of attention to that ‘stellium’ (3 or more planets in alignment). Again, those who were looking for big events were focusing more on the sex and fertilization of the seed and less on the birth of the baby. This opposition between Jupiter and Saturn symbolizes the birth of the baby stemming from that conjunction in May 2000.
The C-36 Bill passing and others like it represent an aggressive move on the part of big business manipulating governments. Is it simply a case of ambition and greed or will these powerful new laws lead people to rebel and/or get closer to the land? In 2011 we are bound to see retaliation to this and it could get very heated indeed. How people will retaliate is another questions and it is likely that communities could pull together to meet the inevitable economic repercussions – in some respects to fight, in others to offer mutual support while in others to survive!
2011 from the Standpoint of Numerology and Tarot
2011 is a Universal 4 year. This is determined by simply adding the single digits (2+0+1+1= 4). I have written before about how it does not matter what year we ‘believe’ it is, it matters more what year we ‘agree’ it is. While there are other calendars, most of the world recognizes the Gregorian. This has nothing to do with the politics of the year, just about the numerological effects. 4 can be interpreted in two basic ways. First it represents a square or four legs on a table or and so something solid and enduring. The other way is to see 4 as legs on an animal or perhaps as tires on a vehicle. In this respect 4 is very dynamic indeed. I sometimes refer to it as the 4 by 4; in other words, big movement and big traction. By extension, big traction can leave big tread marks. In the Tarot, the Major Arcana 4 is The Emperor. The key message for this card is to recognize the importance of moving on with the times. There is also a quality of leadership implied; ‘Emperor’ and the wise leader must be willing to recognize that the status quo is always changing and that sometimes the turns are sharper and the grades are steeper than others. Some Tarot Decks refer to the Emperor as Aries. Since Mars is the planet linked to # 4 in Numerology and since Mars is the ruling planet for Aries, it has my vote. (Yet there are deeper implications of the meaning of the Major Arcana of the Tarot as well.)
The other Major Arcana linked to The Emperor are 13 Death and 0 or 22 = The Fool. Together with the Minor Arcana 4 which can be described as Completion, Stability, Power and Truce, we can begin to see themes of death, completions and endings followed by powerful forward motions sustained by forces that while solid, do not necessarily mean steady or smooth. The Death card also implies a deepening of commitments, of entering more deeply into things… like the ending yet deepening implied by marriage, for example. The Fool reminds us that we are spirits incarnate. Further that we must be willing to take risks and that innocence and trust can be valuable yet also to be aware of, and to avoid naivety. The Fool is said to be ruled by Uranus. I have found over the years that people either born on the 22nd day or whose birth year adds to 22 or whose day and month of birth add to 4 will always have Uranus strongly featured in their Astrology chart. (If you come under one of these categories and want me to illustrate this fact in your chart, please send me an email.) Uranus is symbolic of awakening, illumination, eureka, genius, invention, individuality, revolution and rebellion. In this respect, # 4 can also be understood to be quite rebellious and revolutionary. I have noticed this to be true in my observations over the years as well. So, a combination of dynamic stability and rebellious revolution is implied in this number and that is also what we stand to experience more of over the course of 2011.
February 3, 2011 begins the year of the Metal Rabbit in Chinese Astrology (see Chart).
There are more levels to this system but I will bring just a bit of attention to some of the basics. First, the base element for the Rabbit is Wood and the fact that the current year is Metal can generally go one of two ways. 1) It can prove to be a very productive year – Metal cuts Wood. OR, 2) Problems arise from negative attitudes and thinking and resistance to growth and change. (Wood is about growth by way of experience and change.) The Rabbit is generally considered a ‘lucky’ sign. Like most things, this is debatable. The Rabbit is nervous and excitable, on one hand and on the other meditative and serene. In the case of 2011, I would say the first half will apply to the first description and the second more to the latter characteristics.
Conclusion
Yes, revolutionary awakenings are already downloading at an alarming pace and these will continue in 2011. Some examples include the swift yet quiet passing of Bill C-36 on December 15th in the Canadian Parliament and the U.S. FDA Food Safety Modernization Act S.510 passed 2 weeks earlier. As benign and benevolent as some purport these new laws to be, there is reason to believe that there is a lot of corruption and big business ambition bending things their way, rather quietly. The roots of this wave of revolutionary politics may well be traced to Europe and the United Kingdom. This is where counter revolutions like the Wikileaks hype is stirring. The internet is the leveler of the playing field and it has and continues to educate, awaken, inform and shake the status quo.
What else should we expect from the dawn of the Aquarian Age? (The jury is out on when this officially began or will begin. If we lean too much on the constellations verses dividing the 25,650 Year Precessional Cycle into 12 equal divisions, sacred geometry style, we might assume that the Age begins centuries from now. The big questions East and West is where does 0 Aries begin? That the constellations are not each an equal 30 degrees raise more questions about the common deference to the constellations. Some assert that the Mayan 20 sign system is based on the division of the year as well. All the evidence of the Aquarian Age is here and many people intuitively feel it is so. For my part, I offer that the Aquarian Age dawned in 1992/93. This is the year of the birth of the WWW becoming public domain. There is historical evidence for this and I will share this in future articles.)
2011 will be one of those big shaker years we read about in history books. Of course, where things were shaking big in some areas, politically, geologically or otherwise, things were peaceful in other places. This is where a deeper study of nations and locations enters the picture. This article cannot encompass that so I can only offer an overview. One of the more important metaphors for the year is to say that the labor pains of the new era we are giving birth to will be intense and acute, if ‘relatively’ short lived as with the process of giving birth. Women will relate more to the term ‘relatively’ here as meaning when it is happening it can be beyond limits. It is common knowledge that women have throughout history, and even to this day still, die giving birth – the ultimate extreme in this dimension. Along with many successes, the birth of our global village is rife with blood, sweat and tears. On the other hand, although change can be painful, spring always follows winter. 2011 is a big year but with the right attitude and a willing to cooperate and move forward, it could prove to be a good one as well.
One of the biggest themes of 2011 will be to activate more awareness and participation in social processes. This means that in order to cultivate a more democratic world, people will have to decide to be more socially and politically aware. Thanks to modern technology, communications networking and the internet especially, people are more informed and aware than ever before. The changes scheduled for 2011 will push us all to be that much more in-tune with what is happening socially and politically both at home and abroad.
Astrology is a science and there are many levels to it. Specifically it is a holistic, metaphysical science. In other words, it offers an interface between the empirical sensory world and that of the unseen inner dimensions. Numerology and Tarot are other such systems used to ascertain character and destiny and measure cycles of growth and change. Together, these comprise probabilities that we can benefit from knowing more about. On the other hand, the future is not certain and as souls incarnate, we are co-creators in life. This means that the future is never certain and that by way of the quality of our thoughts, feelings, visions, intentions and overall rate of vibration, we contribute to future outcomes. This has always been true. Given this time in history that we are experiencing, we are wise to awaken to this opportunity and responsibility we individually and collectively share.
Blessings for a Healthy, Progressive and Exciting 2011!
Michael O’Connor
www.sunstarastrology.com
sunstarastrology@gmail.com
1.888.352.2936
Local - Nelson BC 250.352.5172
