“Henry! Henry! I can’t find Dorothy! She’s somewhere out in the storm!” from the Wizard of Oz

Pluto shows us the underbelly of life. The deep, shadowy places that we can’t see clearly, the reality that is hidden from plain sight. Though this realm can be hard to understand, the power of Pluto’s depth and the call of his murmuring voice draw us closer. There is an authenticity and raw energy to this intense planet that is hard to resist, even if we try to cover our ears and look away, towards some more acceptable, “nicer” version of the truth.

Saturday’s Full Moon Eclipse in Capricorn makes several important aspects to other planets, but Pluto is the star of the show. We’ve seen the signs of this eclipse coming over the recent months, most dramatically and tragically in the Gulf Oil Spill. As Pluto comes round to conjunct the Moon in Capricorn this weekend, the spotlight shines on the underside of the bureaucracy, the “system”, the structure. The hard Capricornian stone crumbles and we watch the bricks fall.

Painful? You bet. Powerful? Yes, that too, for Pluto symbolizes the strength and intensity that we gain through suffering and letting go. This god of the underworld demands change and release as the price of entry into his realm, but Pluto doesn’t want to keep you down there, flat like a scorpion at the bottom of the earth. For the other part of this magnetic planet’s intention is birth and regeneration. The price of exit from the land of the dead is new life and growth. If you can keep from getting stuck in the first half of the cycle, transitioning out of the land of the dead when the time is right, you can then rise like an eagle, powerful, free and strong.

Since we’re now at the beginning of Pluto’s thirteen year transit of Capricorn, collectively we’ve just began an initiation. This is the time of letting go, release, and paying witness to the secrets hidden deep underground.
Pluto rules over all things that arise from the depths of the earth: oil, metals, coal.

So it’s a magical, comi-tragic twist that oil is the star of the biggest show on stage these days as we head towards this Full Moon eclipse. Pluto’s got something we need to hear now, a message that there’s no way of avoiding. We’re asked to pay attention to what it is that is dying, take note of what is being released and to listen to the undercurrents of life.


Mercury’s joins this eclipse line-up, as do Uranus and Jupiter. Mercury in Cancer allows us to grasp the magnitude of what is happening in an emotional way, going beyond the “just the facts ma’am” practicality of Capricorn. Mercury in the sign of the Crab is intuitive, and imaginative, gently opening us to the secrets of our dreams: the oceanic nocturnal waves in the sea of life. Uranus’s influence brings us these sleeping and waking messages from strange and surprising places, making us speak the truth , no matter how shocking it might be. This planetary trickster, like Bugs Bunny, is hard to catch and good at creating chaos. Jupiter expands the desire to forge ahead, joining Uranus in a wild two-step, that urges onwards, towards new adventures and experiences.

So what’s our role in all of this?Some of us might want to hide under the bed during the passing storm, waiting for the trouble to pass, for Pluto’s heavy gaze to move away from our direction. Others may need to confront transformation directly, moving boldly towards the next round in the spiral of life. This eclipse brings topsy-turvy change like Dorothy swirling in the eye of the hurricane, in between two lands and two realities. Our work may just be to spend a little time in Oz before we find our way home.

So what ever is a smart human to do?

We can navigate this catch-22 situation if we strategically use all the Gemini resources we have at our disposal. The New Moon says “green light, go, go, go, plant those seeds, start those projects” and Mercury retrograding says, “slow down, reconsider, think before you speak, write, sign on the dotted line…”.

As Gemini is the planet of duality, aka “The Twins”, this New Moon demands that we stop and go, speak and listen, act and reflect simultaneously this month. Yes, plant those new seeds of communication, education, connection, pollination. But yes, also, rethink, review and reconsider how you “do Gemini” in the world. How do you communicate? Educate? Listen? Learn? Any changes that may be necessary now? Revisions in plans? Now is the time to act on the “re” principle, taking advantage of Mercury’s backwards motion to revise as necessary until about June 3 when Mercury is moving forward with a bit of steady motion (actual direct day is May 30, and Mercury is out of what’s known as it’s “shadow” period on June 15th, June 3rd is when it’s out of the slow going phase and picking up speed again).

What does this look like for humans here on earth?

Something like a start, stop, start again, motion. Pluto and Jupiter’s movement forward gets us moving again, after a summer where a lot may have seemed on hold. Mercury going retrograde next week has us slowing down once more, giving us a three week opportunity to refine and think deeply about exactly how we want to move forward and where we want to go.

When Mercury goes direct in Mid-October, the Saturn/Uranus opposition will just be getting started and we will begin to become familiar with the paradoxical nature of this upcoming planetary configuration.

Signs most effected:

Mutables Virgo, Pisces, Gemini, Sagittarius

Uranus/Saturn opposition- mutable planets between 16-21 degrees

Cardinals Cancer, Capricorn, Aries, Libra

Pluto transiting into Capricorn-cardinal planets between 0-3 degrees (you can read more about the transition from Pluto in Sagittarius and into Capricorn in my blog post: Pluto in Sagittarius

and in Seven Generations: Pluto in Capricorn

Jupiter going direct-cardinal planets between 12-20 degrees

Mercury going retrograde on September 24 and direct on October 15th (remember the shadow until October 30th)-cardinal signs between 7-25 degrees)

More soon on the Uranus/Saturn opposition and the election chart.

Stay up to date by attending the Monthly Moon Gab! Join in by Skype or in person for a great planetary weather forecast. Next one is in October, contact me to sign up now…..

Interested in a reading or a printed report?

Contact me at: fern@wisestars.net or see my website at: www.wisestars.net

In the spirit of keeping spirits up, I’d like to offer my Wisestars remedies for not just surviving, but thriving during Mercury Retrograde periods. This particular one lasts until February 20th when the planet turns direct, but give it a week or so to get out of it’s “shadow” period to really start forging full speed ahead back towards that old Western Civilization thing…..

(For those of you who may just be joining us on this Mercury in Retrograde track, see below the Survive/Thrive section for my summation of this phenomena)

SURVIVE

Back up your computer

Double check directions and appointment times carefully

Think carefully about word choice
And topic when having difficult
conversations

Slow down and drive more carefully

Read the fine print two or three times
before signing contracts or other important documents

Postpone buying major appliances until
Mercury goes direct

THRIVE

Research new computer equipment or software. Maximize time away from the computer.

Reschedule important meetings and appointments for after the Mercury retrograde period.

Rethink your position and be willing to admit your mistakes and apologize when having difficult conversations. Or try to forgive and forget more readily.

Refrain from rudeness and instead kill other drivers with kindness, or minimize driving and ride your bike and walk

Renegotiate current contracts that you want changed and postpone signing new important documents until Mercury goes direct

Repair and fix items that are broken

Remember: Retrograde starts with “re”, so incorporate “re” activities during retrograde periods.

Some Wisestars Words on the Mercury Retrograde Experience

Mercury, the planet of communication (which includes phones, computers, talking, listening, learning, teaching and also all forms of traveling), goes retrograde four times a year for three weeks each time. During this period, we will often notice that communications go awry, that our phones stop working, that computers freeze and travel plans hit snags. Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Mercury retrograde was not designed to make you suffer.

If you allow it to, Mercury retrograde periods can be a time to slow down and take a little break from the high impact, fast and furious information heavy world we live in. Think of it as a three week vacation from the communication of words and thoughts. This is a time when communication of spirit, body and emotion take precedence. Try saying what you need to with tools besides words, using body or sign language, eye contact and dream messages to communicate your meaning. The more you try to force other types of communications now, the more frustrated you might end up……….

ps the very fine mercury image up there is from Mark Defrates jewelry http://www.markdefrates.com/