It’s hard to imagine that anything could shift our focus from the stunning revolutions sweeping the Middle East and Africa last month. That was expansive Jupiter reaching zero Aries—raising courage and sending through this sensitive degree in the World’s chart the conviction that new worlds are possible. Just as we began to ask ourselves, when and where all this regime change would end, electrifying Uranus entered Aries. This sky lord creates new worlds too, but his action is sudden, violent, and disruptive. An earthquake measuring 8.9 (later elevated to 9) struck Japan, followed by a tsunami that erased whole villages from the landscape, killed tens of thousands and physically moved the Japanese coastline eight feet.
What happens at zero Aries happens to the world. We are all riveted on events in Japan, and through them, we are refocused—on our own vulnerabilities, the fragility of life on this planet, and the necessity of waking up to the needs of this time. Uranus is not just the Great Destroyer; he is the Great Awakener whose message now is clear: Pay Attention! Here is your opportunity to change the way we live on this planet!
There is much work to do. As I write this, four nuclear reactors damaged by the earthquake/tsunami are perilously close to meltdown, and two others are compromised. Thousands are homeless, Japan’s financial markets have already lost hundreds of billions of dollars, and reporters, international leaders, and people everywhere seem incapable of fully grasping what has happened and what might still happen. We are in shock. But we must not stay there.
Next year, Uranus will begin squaring Pluto, an event that promises even greater global change. Things will get tougher, and how we handle that will largely be determined by how much we’ve awakened from this challenging point on. If you’re creative, organize your projects and get to work. If you’re emotional, send compassionate intentions to those around the world who are in distress. This moment is a tipping point. It’s not the last one, but let us make allies out of Jupiter and Uranus. Let’s rise up. Let’s realize that we are fully capable and compassionate—that we can meet our serious challenges with great energy and a powerful imagination.
Enjoy your site very much. Cynthia Zehm turned me onto it. Yes, I can almost feel Mother Earth giving a huge heave and all that was familiar, near, dear, and normal will just come to an end. We have warnings all around us but I guess we humans are so habituated and stuck in our world view that even though we know about environmental, economic and social problems it has to surprise us before we deal with it. But I also believe we unconsciously co-conspire with natural forces to bring us to a place where change can no longer be avoided. Uranus square Pluto is scary but also awesome.
Agreed… the potentials are amazing!