The Year of Gathering

When the chimes ring out at midnight on December 31 everyone wishes for a clean slate, a new year filled with promise and sprinkled with magic. Of course there is free will and the future is a quantum field of limitless potential, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the mundane calendar—the cosmos has its own cycles and time scales. The planetary landscape and weather forecast for 2015 is the terrain we have to negotiate and it helps to have a map.

“We may be floating on the Tao but there is nothing wrong with steering. If Tao is like a river, it is certainly good to know where the rocks are.” ~Deng Ming Dao

2015 brings a year of transition from the deeply introspective Scorpionic revelations and the constant Plutonic unearthing of bodies, secrets and lies to a more collective approach focused on problem-solving rather than railing against injustice. This Year of the Wood Sheep is known to be more conformist, cooperative and collaborative, waking us out of a preoccupation with ourselves into a concern for bigger issues. There is a distinct leitmotif woven through the coming 12 months by significant planetary sign changes, aspects and eclipses which makes 2015 the Year of Gathering.

This metaphor works across many levels and spiritual tasks:

• Gathering together the fragments after the last year’s Great Fracturing
• Gathering in the light of Saturn in Sagittarius after the underworld of Scorpio
• Gathering our tribe, clan and family
• Gathering useful information and resources
• Gathering and re-collecting myths to live by in a new era
• Gathering your allies to support your courage in living your soul purpose

2015 Astrological Timeline

• The South Node conjunct Uranus in Aries square Pluto, January 23
• The seventh of seven Uranus-Pluto exact squares on March 15
• Saturn in mutable Fire sign Sagittarius, December 23 2014 through June 15, then September 18–December 2017
• Saturn square Neptune in Mutable Water sign Pisces, February and November
• Jupiter leaving Leo for mutable Earth sign Virgo on August 12
• Jupiter square Saturn at 29 degrees of Fixed signs in August
• Eclipses across Aries/Libra and Virgo/Pisces:
  • Mar 20, 2015: New Moon (Solar) eclipse at 29 degrees Pisces
  • Apr 4, 2015: Full Moon (Lunar) eclipse at 14 degrees Libra
  • Sept 13, 2015: New Moon eclipse (Solar) at 20 degrees Virgo
  • Sept 27, 2015: Full Moon eclipse (Lunar) at 4 degrees Aries
• Venus retrograde July–September in Virgo/Leo
• The North Node of Fate entering Virgo, 11 October
• Three Mercury retrogrades in Air signs

The 2015 Outer Planet Signature

The slow-moving outer planets—Chiron, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto—create the signature of the zeitgeist, putting their stamp on our preoccupations, tastes, values and ideas. We can see this by looking back at decades such as the 60s or 80s, seeing the fashion, trends and big issues of the day and noticing how different they are now.

In 2015, what will be most noticeable is the move of Saturn, one of two social planets with Jupiter, into Sagittarius. Think back to the last time the Black Sun was in Sagittarius between November 1985 and June 1988.What changed for you back then? Which people and issues were most important? How did you grow up during those years? Whatever Saturn touches is forced to grow, to evolve and to develop solid foundations.

So what might we expect with Saturn now in a fiery mutable sign instead of the Fixed water sign of Scorpio? Firstly, the sign of the Archer is ruled by Jupiter, the Hierophant and visionary—a welcome contrast to being ruled by implacable Pluto. Sagittarius is the sign of the Centaur, half human, half horse, symbolizing the quest for the transpersonal away from the material, whose esoteric mantra is: I see the goal. I reach the goal and see another.

“The more I stand out, straight and tall,
Owning my truth before one and all,
The more I love this world I hold dear,
The more of the road to the future I clear.”

Sagittarius rules truth, wisdom, mass communication (TV, radio), prophecy, teaching, higher education, travel, in-laws, foreign lands, exploration, optimism, and morality. Now that Saturn is moving into Sagittarius, we are asked to re-orientate ourselves by focusing on truth, authenticity, our belief system and our attitude towards knowledge, wisdom and education. Sagittarius’ planetary ruler is Jupiter. Jupiter concerns money, ideals, education, the medical field, religion, churches, governments and laws. Ideas will change and evolve in your own life and on the collective level during this cycle of Saturn. Expect changes in education, potential scandals in churches and political scandals and issues over laws and boundaries. Religion and government views, laws, education and world views will come to the forefront, and this transit will represent a conflict between extremist religious viewpoints, and those of others. The worldwide web will continue to come under threat of control or face greater restriction.

If Saturn equals Crystallization, and Sagittarius equals Truth, then Saturn in Sagittarius will help us walk our talk, jettison our limiting rules and beliefs, and create our philosophy. It is a chairotic moment—time to write your mission statement, your constitution, your creed. And from this time on, to only allow a career, relationship, friendships and activities that are congruent with your mission statement.

During 2015 the Year of Gathering, the more we are flexible, sociable, co-operative, connected and resourceful, the more we will live our dharma in tune with the wheeling heavens.

When you are doing things together, you are inside the collective mind, and share psychic knowledge with each other. That is how you become one.” ~ Sri Dharma Mittra