Trickster & the Uranus-Pluto Square

Astrology has some troubling landmarks in the years ahead and one of them is the Uranus/Pluto square that began in 2012 and continues into 2015. It  may account for why Obama is much grayer now than when he took office. It may also help explain some of the recent the news – the missing Malaysian flight, Russia’s invasion of the Crimea, the marked polarization in Congress, the strange weather this past winter.

Uranus rules the sign of Aquarius, sudden, unexpected change, inventions, innovations, individuality, genius, cutting edge trends, discoveries. It takes 7 years to move through a sign and is now transiting the cardinal sign Aries, and will continue to do so until March 2019. Pluto rules transformation, the underworld, everything that is hidden, dark, unseen, death and resurrection. Since 2008, it’s been transiting the cardinal sign of Capricorn, which it will continue to do until November 2024.

Between June 2012 and March 2015, there are seven times when these two planets are exactly square to each other, an aspect that spells conflict, tension, challenge:

• June 26th, 2012: 8 degrees
• September 19 2012: 6 degrees
• May 21 2013: 11 degrees
• November 1 2013: 9 degrees
• April 21 2014: 13 degrees
• December 15 2014: 12 degrees
• March 17 2015: 15 degrees

The lead-up to these squares and when they become exact tend to be the most stressful periods. Globally, we see its manifestations in all sorts of sudden, often violent events – uprisings, government takeovers, extreme weather, earthquakes and other disasters.

On a personal level, the Uranus/Pluto square is the itch you can’t scratch. It’s the weirdo uncle who shows up unexpectedly asking for a handout. It’s the discovery that your partner has a secret life in which he cooks meth (the TV show Breaking Bad), that he’s a power hungry conniving politician for whom power is everything (TV show House of Cards).

But this square also urges us to recognize how we are unique and how we can use this uniqueness to further our own goals and dreams. It shakes up our personal reality, urges us to let go of what no longer works in our lives – a relationship, job, habit, attitude, belief, lifestyle. It’s a perfect time to reinvent ourselves.  In fact, reinventing ourselves or some aspect of our lives is probably the best way to navigate this aspect.

The last time Uranus and Pluto were square to each other occurred between 1932 and 1934 and the global transformation was considerable – the Great Depression, the rise of Hitler, the invention of the atomic bomb.  Between 1966 and 1967, Uranus and Pluto also linked up, three times, but these aspects were conjunctions in the sign of Virgo. Conjunctions bring additional force and power to the planets involved. These conjunctions triggered global revolution and massive shifts in societal norms.

So even though we may be in for more challenging times, there are positive ways to navigate the tumult. Follow your instincts. Heed the synchros you experience.  Tap your dreaming self for information and insights on what may be headed into your life.  Embrace change. If you don’t, then change will be thrust upon you. And remember that ultimately, the Uranus/Pluto square is a conundrum, one of those riddles of the universe, a kind of trickster who laughingly whispers, Aw, c’mon, free yourself!