The Impending Grand Cross; It’s Meaning and Message.

There is an underlying thread running through all the conflicts and concerns we’re currently working through.  It’s a powerful cosmic influence affecting everyone on the planet on both personal and global levels.  This point in time represents a turning point in the evolution of the world and in our own personal evolution.

Astrology is about cycles repeating themselves at progressively higher levels.  Our current cycle is connected to the 1960’s.  If you’re old enough, you remember the tumultuousness of that era.   Racism, sexism, the Viet Nam War,  people rising up against the prevailing unjust status quo, and marching or rioting in the streets.  Sex, drugs, and rock and roll pitted the older and younger generations against each other.  There was anger and fear, but always hope and the belief that things could be changed in the direction of a more just and peaceful world.  Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, and John Kennedy were the main spokespeople and visionaries  for the better world we knew we were headed towards.  Ultimately policies were put in place that raised and protected the status of women and minorities.  The Viet Nam War ended, and some of the best music ever produced rose out of the era.  The cost was high.  Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, and John Kennedy were all assassinated.  Our unshakable beliefs were shaken.

The continuation of that cycle began to be felt strongly in 2008 with the “almost” economic collapse.  It’s influence will wane but continue to be felt through 2016.  This is an era when, like the 60’s, the prevailing status quo has become unsustainable for most.  Environmental degradation, income disparity, poverty, lack of privacy, and food insecurity are the issues of the time.  People are fearful, but have not, in any satisfying or consistent way, taken to the streets to demand something different.  Unlike the 60’s, there is no overarching enthusiasm, connection with allies, or unshakeable belief that a well thought out vision will materialize. Pervading is cynicism and a lack of trust.   The game is changing and it may put into sharp perspective the need to reorder priorities. The lesson of this era is different and designed to raise us to the next evolutionary level.

No one knows who to trust now,  or what they can count on.  There is an “every man for himself” quality to these times that wasn’t as prevalent 50 years ago.   Personally we may feel justified in suspending trust.  Contracts have been broken, and we have been betrayed.  Business and political leaders have role modeled exploitation – squeezing all that they can out of an unfair game.  And many people have come to the conclusion that their way might be the only sensible way to operate given the circumstances.  The real issue, though, is regaining the ability to trust ourselves despite the fact that we were taken off guard and never saw most of this pain coming.

Without a well-grounded, over-arching vision for our life, we make ourselves powerless.  Without the ability to trust ourselves and life, we make ourselves more powerless. Without something bigger to believe in, no matter how unpromising things seem, we eliminate the need for faith – and faith is what changes things.  When there is no vision, there is no need for faith and therefore no power to change what feels overwhelming.  We are left with nothing but the obsessive need for more information, diminished expectations for ourselves, and the misplaced notion that if we can control others, that will somehow compensate for our own powerlessness to affect meaningful change.

The internet has undermined the formation of strong beliefs with streams of information that require continual processing, focus, attention, and energy. Formulating a  vision for the future pales in comparison to the task of knowing what’s going on now. Under the the influence of a bombardment of information, a solid commitment may feel foolish.  The need to remain “light on our feet” and poised for a quick change in direction, as information changes seems wiser.

Without getting into a lot of technical astrology, there is something called a Grand Cross aspect, that has been slowly moving toward exact alignment since 2008. Next month, on April 23rd, it will be exact.  This represents a culmination of tremendous conflicting pressures that are ripe for exploding in ways that formulate personal and global breakthroughs.  It’s as though the “chess board” of life will be thrown in the air with all the pieces landing in new configurations creating new options and closing the door forever on old ones.

The four planets involved in the grand cross are Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars.  Pluto represents power and the need to wield it responsibly.  Uranus in Aries represents facing challenge with courage.  It represents the conscious choice to agree to pay the price, whatever that may be, to set ourselves free.  Jupiter in Cancer represents moving away from the emotional bondage of the past into a more joyful and optimistic future.  Mars in Libra is the spark that ignites the conflicting energies. He is the anger that motivates action, for better or worse.  He is the decision maker.  He is the wild card with the potential to strategize and cooperate or to blow it all up and start over.

The astrology world is buzzing with guesses as to how this energy will manifest.  I have no guesses, but Jupiter in Cancer is the strongest planet in this Grand Cross configuration. It’s exalted in the sign of Cancer, meaning that Jupiter’s expansive energy expresses particularly well and easily expressed. Interestingly Jupiter’s position in the Grand Cross falls exactly on top of the Sun in the United State’s birth chart.  This would seem to make the Sabian Symbol for that sign important especially for everyone living in the US.

Here is Jupiter’s symbol along with an explanation taken from taken from Diana E. Roche’s The Screen of Prophecy.

Symbol : “A Very Old Man Facing a Vast Dark Space to the Northeast”  The keywords are sanction and hidden reserves.  The symbol speaks to inner strength and to the fact that man is always free to choose his beginnings.  Future events can never limit present aspiration.  The image of a very old man facing a vast dark space to the northeast has a somewhat lonely feel to it but the emphasis here is on fearlessness, courage, and an inner assurance that arises out of experience, wisdom, and faith.  The vast dark space symbolizes the spiritual reality that supports all of existence. The message in this symbol is that no individual is ever truly alone even in the darkest moments of his soul.  The symbol represents invisible sustainment and an ability to move forward into the unknown with dignity and courage.  Negatively expressed, the symbol represents fear of the future and an inability to understand the higher purpose in things.

Your greatest advantage lies in your willingness to face the unknown courageously and to trust in the ultimate value of your life.  Here are a few practical steps you can take as we approach the April climax.  1)The first is to replace some internet time with formulating and dedicating yourself to a vision for a life you can love, not just tolerate. 2) Spend time realizing that the urge to control another’s behavior represents misplaced energy and mistrust in our own power to change things.  3) Spend time reviewing instances in your life when you have responded courageously to the unknown.  Spend time reinforcing the belief that you could do that again.  4)  Notice when you’re thinking in terms of withholding rather than trying to figure out how you could make the situation better by giving more.  If giving more undermines your integrity in any way,  then it’s time to start enacting major change. 5) Reassess those areas of life where you’re straddling the fence, hedging your bets, and being indecisive. If a reasonable amount of time has passed and you’re unable to feel fully committed, ask yourself how that benefits you in the short run and undermines your power long term.

1 Comment

  1. Peg O'Donnell:

    Loved the article. Really nice analysis. I ran the chart for the East Coast, and it has a more optimistic feel to me. Venus in Aquarius in 7th house, and new moon in Jupiter’s house.

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