February 2011 is marked by several societal signatures. They are, in order:
(1) Saturn’s ongoing (and developmental) opposition to Eris,
(2) The lunar nodes coming to zero Capricorn (North) and Cancer (South), and
(3) Uranus reaching 29 Pisces—the final degree of the zodiac—as of February 21.
Put simply, this is a lot of pressure…a lot of changing…a lot of need to change…and many an unexpected development, particularly in the lives of those prone to clinging to the notion that life will (or should) go on being what it “always has been.” For those who hold such views—or for each of us where we hold such views—these February energies are likely to prompt shake ups, surprises, reversal of fortunes and general changing of minds.
So what, you say? That’s fine with you, you claim?
Well…maybe yes, or maybe no. The urge to see, hear and move on is part of what will be afoot this February. Then there’s the desire to see and get a move on—otherwise known as impatience. On every side and in every quadrant there are going to be attempts to “play” others and the desire to not want to “get played.”
And yet, given that the symbolic duo behind this dance is Drakonia/Saturn with Saturn in retrograde, the real lessons are internal. So it’s not that someone is playing us, it’s the subject we may or may not feel confident about which could cause us to “get played.” It’s not that others have and we don’t have, it’s how they’ve (Drakonia) “played” their cards and spent their (Saturn) time/effort maybe a bit differently than we have. It’s a need to confront ourselves, not others. And yes, the world (or life) may be telling us that we play too much and that we need to work more. Or that we’re “playing” with the facts or life’s realities.
There is no right or wrong, good or bad here. Saturn is about limits against what we earn, and Drakonia represents that facet of our mind concerned with wanting to play or be played. Saturn’s current retrograde movement asks us how this Drakonia function is operating and if it’s in our best interests, particularly in a long term (Saturnine) setting.
This is a facet of an ongoing (and building) Saturn-Eris sense of “things need to change” against “I like how things are—why are you rocking my boat?” which actually began in a bit more “localized” sense back in 2008/2009, with Saturn in Virgo opposition Uranus in Pisces. Remember that? The uber-Uranian shattering of society’s status quo which so wiped out not only many a (Uranus in Pisces) dream but a lot of people’s sense of comfort and complacency, even faith, and did so by disrupting societal systems. Society is Aquarian—and guess what two planets rule Aquarius? That’s right—Saturn and Uranus!
That this tore apart retirement nest-eggs and pension plans is all very Piscean: Pisces rules “end of life” economics. That it manifested in a disruption of jobs is totally Saturn in Virgo—Virgo is the sign of the civil servants and the job market. The combined venue was Saturn/Uranus—society and its attitude towards corporations, economics and income. But for individuals—the one-by-one entities which together make up a society? For us the issue was about what we know how to do (Saturn), and invalidated emotional expectations (Uranus in Pisces).
But that was just step one, Saturn/Uranus. Now we’re into Saturn/Eris. And let’s be real, real, real, and honest with ourselves—there’s a HUGE difference between Uranus, which changes the status quo and the playing field, and Eris, which is about changing the actual game. Eris denotes events and choices which force us to come up with new plans. Do we want to? Mostly likely not! Yet those who embrace Eris tend not to have as many difficulties thrust upon them. You know that expression: “the movers and the shakers”? That’s Eris. But not in the traditional sense. We think of “movers and shakers” as those in control of the entrenched power and that’s exactly what Eris undermines. At its best, Eris represents the winning fight against social unbalance and societal injustice. At its best, Eris proves that the most unlikely of people or circumstances can change the whole world.
Just last month, as Saturn was moving through several weeks of being on station to go retrograde on January 26 (UT/+0), Eris went direct. As it did, a young man took himself to a political meet-and-greet hosted by Congressperson Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Arizona and opened fire. Children, old people, a federal judge, a political organizer—he apparently didn’t care who he hit, maimed or killed. That’s a societal gesture. Saturn rules society and the government. Libra rules the other. This young man embodied Eris and took “others” on in a social, governmental function.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik stood up and spoke out against what he called levels of “vitriolic rhetoric” (Eris/Saturn) so pervasive in (Saturn) politics, and how those tempted to use such language should recognize the (Saturn) effect that has on (Libra) others. In response to the events (or perhaps to the Sheriff’s comments as well), a highly contentious debate regarding health care was immediately cancelled by the US Congress.
This is just a sample of the Eris/Saturn process. And we should not think this one incident signifies the totality of what Eris/Saturn represents. First of all, this Eris/Saturn connection continues—intermittently (several months at a time)—until September 2012. It took time for the economic collapse to happen and for the world to recognize that the high times of the 1990s and early 2000s was over.
There are some even still fighting that. Like as not, their fight will be of a significantly different nature by the time Eris opposition Saturn is truly over. While there is no reason to suspect that the infamous 2012 end of the Mayan and Aztec calendars actually signifies the end of our world (both cultures having acknowledged multiple calendar rounds) we are moving from the Piscean Age into the Age of Aquarius. As such, values are changing. Aims are changing. The process itself isn’t harsh, though to human cultures so very much in love with tradition and heritage, any change of mortal orientation seems disruptive.
Getting back to a focus on the short run (i.e., February 2011), this Eris/Saturn process is in process as the Nodes conclude their backward roll through Capricorn and Cancer. Put simply, the last two-and-a-half years was supposed to be on paring down and pragmatism (the Capricorn part), but we’ve all wanted to continue with our comfy, cultural, family-oriented fun (Cancer). Combining these forces (the nodes with Saturn/Eris) we can expect February 2011 to increasingly bring these two aspects into confluence through making it plain and plainer how the marginalization of some endangers all.
If your mind goes to terrorism, it pays to realize that’s just one little corner of the problem. The real issue is marginalization, disenfranchisement and the rejection of those we don’t understand in terms of points of views or problems. Solutions are not simply about “fixing them” without disrupting what I do/how I live—that’s asking for the worst of Eris/Saturn by in essence, asking for the least for any of us.
The real issue is the intrinsic nature of humankind. Our race has long functioned in terms of family units and “collectives” built on family units. But as the Age of Pisces gives way to the Aquarian Age, increasingly that isn’t going to work. Saturn opposition Uranus and now Saturn opposition Eris is about breaking down those walls. We understand the universality of the Internet and yet haven’t yet grasped the nature of the simple phrase “family of [hu]mankind.” We need to care about others. As a race, we need to care about everything else on and about this planet which is our home.
This is not a statement of political theory. This isn’t about naturalism or ecology or global warming or any other such thing. Long after these words are written their meaning will stand; the Aquarian Age will last 2,160 years and we’re just on the doorstep. The hallmark word for this Age is universalism. But with this must go respect and regard for others. This is all about an acknowledgement of rights and boundaries. Your freedom to say “yes” should not negative someone else’s freedom to say “no.” Right now, technology and the Internet which allows millions and billions of people and interests to meet and converge also seems hell-bent on ignoring responsibility. People say terrible things, others ignore them until it’s too late. The very attitude that “information should be free,” particularly in the area of file sharing is destroying the very industries people so want to enjoy. Or even worse—those they depend on.
The Aquarian core here is not about technology—it’s about reflective consciousness. Aquarius embodies a universal consciousness. It’s everybody—not just me, not just “my people,” “my peers” or “those who agree with how I think.” And it’s about the necessity for all of us to take responsibility not only for ourselves, but for what gets done. Aquarius is the land between tyranny and anarchy. Its twin rulers, Saturn and Uranus, state that freedom can only exist where rules exist and everyone observes agreed-upon, cross-collateralizing standards of support. We cannot ignore, rebuff, reject or destroy that we don’t like, don’t approve of or don’t understand. Individuality is precious. It’s our JOB to understand. Learning how to appreciate differences, not just what we know, agree with or like, is what will ultimately advance the all-encompassing cause.
This isn’t wistful thinking. It isn’t artsy metaphysics. This is inevitability cloaked (or “disguised,” if you prefer) as necessity.
The Sabian Symbol for 29 Pisces—the ultimate degree of the zodiac—is “a majestic rock formation resembling a face is idealized by a boy who takes it as his ideal of greatness, and as he grows up…he begins to look like it.’
Last year as Uranus moved into 29 Pisces, various forces around the world (most of them natural or connected to nature) showed us how in the end, we’re all kids. We are all just humans living on a giant planet which is so much bigger than we are that we are just motes in its process. We are just grains of sand on a beach which will go on when tides wash our lives into the oblivion of the oceanic gulf.
We talk a lot about “destroying our planet” but the truth is this planet is bigger than any of us. We can kill life as we know it but Planet Earth will survive us. That makes the real question is whether WE want to survive. Expect to experience this sense of mortality yet again as Uranus moves into 29 Pisces during the latter part of February and on into March. Once Uranus enters Aries, the question becomes what are you going to do now that you realize you are not the rock face, but a person?
A last note here: For those who have February birthdays, your solar 2011/2012 (February to February) “birthday year” will carry these vibes. For those of you who are planning a February wedding, you are choosing to enter into a relationship which will be forever marked by this need to be human and egalitarian—at least towards each other!
2011 is an astrologically eventful year; it is for all of us to pay attention, to think, and to move forward with our lives. The more aware we are, the more easily we will weather and see how to utilize life’s opportunities and dynamics in the growing of our lives. The process of shucking old husks is difficult for everyone. But with a little help and a little willingness, we all can pull through and be happier and more secure for doing so.
It’s a challenge. But so is life. Life is not about what we avoid doing, life is what we take on and become better for, and through, doing.
Boots Hart is an ISAR-certified astrologer of 30 years’ experience, with some 20 years as a magazine and online columnist.
Writer by habit and philosopher by bent (some say very bent…), Boots is a metaphysical science geek spiritualist—a person as inspired by the workings of time/space as touched by the often painful adventures of mankind. Through writings public and private, her aim is to use astrology as cipher, helping us understand. Can we learn how to live a happier life? What does that take? Why are the times as they are? These are the questions. And that answers can be gleaned from cosmic cycles and the reflections of those in our lives? That would seem to be part of our journey—the one path we all take and walk together.
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