Venus in Gemini Retrograde (May - June 2020)

During the beginning of this period, people have needed to speak about their inner processes, there was a distinct point, where talking about how they related to the world reached a new awareness. Middle May was the point where the lock-downs was really beginning to grate at people, and they were going very much inward. How am I relating to this ever changing world? I am sensing a difference, and is it because the world is different or is it because, now, I am different from the world?

The questions started to come. And they came from somewhere deep inside the subconscious and niggling feeling that something was inherently wrong. And what Venus in retrograde signifies is a period of intense rebellion. You see, across the current cosmic landscape, a lot is going on. To summon it into one sentence, is that we are unveiling the reality of humanity. A lot of Souls are afraid of what they are finding out, and there is a lot of lies mixed in the truth, there is a lot of opinion, a Gemini function, that is fuelling this rebellion. Some believe in Science, others do not. Some believe that the Governments know best, others do not. And all we are using are words to prove it.

The bottom line of this entire rebelling process is that we as a collective have been consistently lied to, and how we are reacting, is that we are lying to each other. Trying desperately to find a way out of this systematic trauma. A forced lock down which was meant to save us from Covid-19, also gave us the opportunity to incubate, and to go deep into the recesses of how we relate to ourselves, touching the very edges of our inner scarring. And if we relate to ourselves in a selfish entitled way, individualistic and egocentric. Then we are going to feel that we are owed something. The government when it took all of our “freedoms” away, caused a restless rift in society. People began to turn away and find ways that they could empower themselves in accordance to their needs and values. They began to form active tribes. And even the most spiritualist of people did the same! What a phenomena! We at Soul Pathways, we strongly focused on creating workshops aimed to find like minded souls, to breathe healing not just for ourselves but for the whole planet. A way to connect to find the root of individual trauma. And we all acting in the same outward manned, with a need to find a tribe. Because what happens when you have been in isolation for so long? Think of a rubber band, if it’s pulled so far it has a choice, to break or to fling itself to the most polar opposite that it can. And we can’t be self sufficient on our own, our needs are more complex now than ever. We have had to go back and connect to them. Talk about it with others, give each other what we need. Wait for them to give to us. And then realise that the current system is not giving us any of those needs! That in some way, has it ever? This disillusionment is the crisis point of the Venus in Gemini square Neptune in Pisces, there are Souls out there trying to connect for reassurance of their reality, resisting truth for their opinion, and even if this reassurance is not uniting humanity as a whole, this is the inward and narrow focus of the retrograde. It's about their individual self and what they believe, and that is where we are right now.

As we moved into late May, people continued to self examine, to listen for the sounds of their own rhetoric spoken back at them, and have been now as we are entering June, looking face on to this conditioned reality that we find ourselves in. Saturn has been in Aquarius this entire time, this is not a coincidence. Saturn is Authority, Aquarius is liberation from all conditions, including law, and all types of external conditioning. For the past 150 years we as a collective (The West), thought we were in a state of progress. But rather what we have been in is a state of relativity. Relative to what? Wealth. If wealth was once having 10 hectares of land and some workers that you could tax, then what the poor and middle class got, in order to serve their needs was relevant to that wealth. But as the industrial revolution ceased feudal systems, we invented production, the wealthy now had immense wealth, and the poor and middle class’s needs were fulfilled relevant to that wealth. The whole system now relied on Capitalism for the rich to get richer, because it had more workers which were also paying clients! This has just gotten expediently more inflated. And the social contract of slavery, oppression and repression which built that system, has never changed. We are lying to ourselves if we believe we are. We are not in a state of progress. Things have not gotten better for the enslaved and oppressed. What has happened is that there have been people all throughout this period, who rebelled against the status quo, have fought for things to be eased. Just eased… that is how rigid the resistance to this fundamental change is. It is a mammoth of a beast, with strong pillars and a bloody history. For those on top of it, it's been hard won, or that is what they have told themselves, and are now telling us. More relative opinion. Gemini.

Because another state of conditioning has been, that you can escape the wretchedness of poverty. You just need to concentrate on yourself in order for that to happen, and you have to isolate yourself in order to do so. Now you see the connection, isolation when it became an everyday reality, it mirrored the isolation that we have had from one another. This society narrates that you must work hard, to get a bigger slice for yourself. This is so you wouldn’t join your brothers, that you would ignore your allies. A clever manipulation to use your extraordinary gifts to serve the system, because you can get some of that money to buy your mother a house, as a thank you which ultimately becomes a representation on why she doesn't see you anymore. And I’m talking about the wealthy that regulate the prosperity for all that do this. So of course, emotionally connecting to this reality causes a deep inner rebellion that eventually finds a way to express itself. Right now as we speak, we are facing another wave of civil unrest in the northern hemisphere, and another wave of illness is about to hit the southern hemisphere, for the rebellion of mother earth isn't over, she's been rebelling through Uranus in Taurus! (2018) To this wealth that has exploited her for far too long.

There has to be a fundamental change to how we relate to ourselves, and how we relate to each other, we need to face the reality of our systematic trauma. To be liberated from how this system has taught us division, as a way to relate to ourselves and each other. We have been taught to hate ourselves for not confirming. To blame each other for our unhappiness. So it must start by finding and communicating the truth, by going deeper than just opinion, person by person, not tribe by tribe. Racism is just opinion, and an incredibly obtuse one at that. The only way this can end will be with a dismantling of this system which is built on division not inclusivity, oppression and slavery. A system which sees the majority of us as numbers, and in doing so, have dehumanised us all. We are all flawed human. But we ALL belong here.

Take care of yourself, and of each other. Really listen, and find your voice after the fact, not before.

Uranus in Taurus - An Update

I have always been a humanistic astrologer, that means that my main concern has been what the impact and the manifestation of energy (outer and inner) has on a person. Everything on earth and beyond is made of energy, even the very thoughts in your head are synapses that “fire” from one cell to the next. Energy. Pure and simple. But energy is not linear, because it has no beginning or end. It just has cycles, expansions and reflections. What was once unknown will one day be known. I feel that to be an essential truth of the cosmos.

One of the main player in the current energetic field is Uranus, currently in Taurus (5 degrees). I explained in my previous Uranus post on how to look at this planet as it moves through one of your 12 houses, to see what needs to be liberated within your consciousness. But today I am going to talk about why it is so important to revisit this as a signifier off the current times. To put it simply, Uranus is here to shake things up by addressing the collective human consciousness via its long term memory, and subsequent trauma. It is important to accept that we as a race are used to the shakes, for Earth is not the easiest place to live. And to be human is to exist on “Hard Mode”, which can be better navigated once you realise that you have chosen this path, and testing and learning about your resilience is part of the process we are all learning. You are not alone. Historically and in more recent times, Uranus in Taurus followed the Great Depression (Beginning Phase in 1934) and brought on World War 2. In May 1942, Uranus slipped out Taurus, signalling the first full year of USA intervention. Uranus is not associated with War, let’s be clear about that. But WW2 was a direct result of trauma, and that is a reality we really must pay attention to. A trauma that was based on survival. There are a lot of resources online that describe the economic bondage of post WW1 Germany and Hitler’s own trauma around inadequacy, these facts are there to be reflected upon. So what is the current trauma around survival that is present in the human collective? We are at a time where our resources are being grossly mismanaged. Enter Uranus in Taurus on May 16 2018. A time where we as a whole have been dealing with climate change, over population, drug and mental health crises, socially accepted greed, all as a result of the capitalist ideal which is its biggest flaw. That next year has to be worth more than the last. That this year has to be going up no matter what the cost. I dare say Mother Earth is done footing the bill. Taurus represents our natural rhythms, so I can also say with great certainty, that we have been subscribing to a system that ignores them and sub-sequentially has taught us that we should not be listening much less following them. We need to focus on this, to connect to them. Uranus has momentarily liberated us so we have this opportunity. We had a conjunction at the beginning of 2020 in Capricorn, involving Pluto/Saturn/Jupiter. The catch phrase of the shadow in Capricorn? “The End Justifies the Means” and there is no greater cruelty than one which looks at humanity, like one looks at beads on an abacus. This is the true trauma that needs resolution, liberation. Everyone now thanks to the Internet has a voice, and can be not only educated but conscripted into an ideology. So one of the hurdles to overcome is the acceptance that these are very volatile times where the truth is one step from an emotional subjective backlash. You can say that Neptune in Pisces (2012 - 2025) is responsible for this, but that would be a gross over simplification, the point is that we can’t heal if we are subscribing to hysteria and engaging in the blame game. The truth cannot be found if it’s refusing to be seen. So what is the truth? COVID - 19 does not care who you are (Boris Johnson, Prince Charles), it doesn’t care how much money you have or how important you think you are. Because those things don’t matter. They are not essential to life. So what do you do kind reader? In this time of isolation, sit with your identity, feel its weight and value. Ask yourself; What do I really need in order to honour my survival? What is it that I truly value in my life? What is my unique contribution? How do I envision a greater equality, a stronger connection between me and my community? Because if you declare it, you will realise that you are indispensable here on earth. You matter, and so what you contribute to the world has to be essential, it is quality over quantity. You are irreplaceable. The wave you ride to navigate through life is your truth. Sit with it, embrace it and rediscover it during this opportune time. And manifest healing for all who are affected, and lend your strength to those who are fighting against the great injustices of our time. We all want there to be healing, we all want to have an open dialogue. To support and to be supported. That is the true humanitarian truth. May you also love, and care for yourself. By connecting to and nurturing your own unique light and heart. Blessings to you.

Uranus in Taurus: Going Back to Nature

It’s come to my attention, the cry of Uranus in Taurus. Maybe perhaps its because it’s currently sitting on my Sun, and will be for quite some time, but I think it’s a cry that anyone currently inhabiting the Earth is hearing. So what is it saying?

Outer planets are quite the mystery to the layman astrologer. We are conditioned to sense with our senses, via the inner personal planets (Mercury through to Saturn), but Uranus is a force that functions on our Soul level, outside our immediate consciousness, therefore it’s an energy that needs attunement and focus in order to understand how it functions within us. It is centralised in the higher function of our minds, in the long term memory of our Soul, and therefore symbolises deep knowledge, sensitive awareness, and tangled trauma. When it is transiting, this is often seen as a liberating force, but it can also be incredibly confrontational.

In transit and without tuning in to it, Uranus sits in a house or two, maybe on a planet or stellium and starts to question the established awareness of those archetypes. This questioning comes either through you personally or via your environment, but it does come. Awareness is always growing within us, it is the Soul’s first function of evolution; This is what I’ve learnt, this is what it means, this is how I have responded, this is what I believe. This is a personal and assimilated understanding of life using a mental function, and it is always in motion, pushing us forward with curious questions to find new ways of seeing, and even when it feels that we have seen all that we need to see, something new comes into the peripheral field. But us humans can limit our awareness, we can become stuck, rejecting innovation, all that is unfamiliar, and becomes rigid and fixed, our heads permanently facing backwards. There are souls who are functioning with Ego firmly at the wheel, and are not aligned with growing their awareness, even when they have full capacity to do so. Uranus transits confronts this conditioning and if there is no attunement to yield to a new way of awareness, it can attack the nervous system, the energy field, creating sensitivity to force the Soul to look beyond of what it wants to see. But we all have free will, and are all the driving our path, we don’t have to look if we don’t want to. And unfortunately many don’t. Some will say then that the energy stagnates in the mind, creating wormholes of negative thoughts, becoming absorbed by the body and causing all sorts of ailments. However, I will leave that to you to decide, to see if you have proof to back that claim!

Of course, because Uranus functions through the long term memory of the soul, the energy can and does trigger trauma, causing disruptions that force the Soul to look inwards, with the desire to liberate from the conditioning of our long term memories, but ultimately it is the context of the individual that declares the independence successful or not. Our inner child trauma, the humiliations of adolescence, the repression of our sexual nature, all of these do form mental cages that need the key that Uranian insights can give us.

Uranus doesn’t just function internally, it can also cause radical change in the environment, causing the known to shift into the new gear, of the unknown in order to assimilate new awareness. But you can attune to this, through mental intuition. Uranus works in flashes of insight, signals that if listened to can point you a more authentic and aligned reality. So how can you attune to it? Or if you have a strong Uranian signature in your natal chart how have you been attuning to it? How has it manifested in your life? What light turned on for you as you surveyed your environment, how have you assimilated a new way of seeing, of being, of knowing?

Uranus right now is 4 degrees Taurus, it will be moving back and forth within this constellation for the next 7 years, so in order to answer those questions we have to look and see where Taurus resides in your natal chart. For me, the Third House contains the first 28 degrees of Taurus, this is also where the planetary configuration of the Sun (TAU 1) conjunct Chiron (TAU 8) also sit. As Uranus is transiting my Sun; life force, sense of self, expressive nature, it is also triggering the wound of Chiron; my lack of self belief, confidence and self love. Since Uranus has been touching this natal aspect, I have gone through a series of past life regressions, finding the root of this wound. And have gone through a transformative period of healing in my life. Uranus brought into peripheral vision someone who could help me with this inner work via therapy, via communicating (3H) out loud the deep seated trauma that lay within my soul, surfacing confronting topics like unable to accept catastrophic mistakes, feelings of crushing failures, and releasing the guilt of forced disempowerment. However it took action to say yes, to take the leap of faith, of recognising that there was work to be done, to give energy to this old wound in order to heal it.

But what is the encompassing theme of this transit? Taurus rules self sufficiency, survival, all of the senses, and most importantly our needs. In my personal case, I needed to heal in order to move forward in my life with confidence, healing the wounds of inadequacy. So when you are looking at your own chart as you meditate this energy into your awareness, realise that it will be sudden, it will be a flash of insight, and that your acceptance has to be just as quick in response. This energy will require you to tap into your needs, to your own idea of survival. Do you need what has narrowed your vision or sense of self in your life? Even if you do not have any planets in Taurus, you may have most of the degrees in let’s say the 7H, so Uranus here will confront how you have been relating to other people. Do you need the relationships that have become routine in your life? That do not offer growth? Do you need someone that stimulates your energetic field to make you feel things that you have never felt before? Don’t be surprised if Uranus brings someone into your life to make you feel this way! Maybe you thought that you needed your partner in order to survive, and maybe you are starting to think that perhaps you don’t. Widen the perception net and see what Uranus can show you, and it might surprise you what you can find.

But it’s not just on a personal level that you can use this energy to gain more awareness, Uranus is in Taurus is also affecting us globally. And this is where the “cry” metaphor comes in. Putting my head to the earth directly, listening to her rumbles, and witnessing the furrowed brows and wringing of hands of her inhabitants, I have sensed that there is a new stronger sensitivity, a very fresh awareness rising up from people and gaining momentum. We have known of climate change, of the dangers of pollution, of the vast damage that is been inflicted on the earth day in and day out, for years now, way before Uranus entered Taurus. It’s pretty hard to ignore especially if you have been to any major city. So what’s new?

Due to the insurgence of communication via the internet (a Uranian innovation), more and more people are getting together, and realising a crucial truth that can no longer we buried in the sand. Scientists have come forward, new information has come to light. We don’t have the time that we thought we had. We as human beings, are making the planet inhabitable for ourselves and for our children. The environment, where Taurus grazes is becoming less and less naturally accessible. We are boxing ourselves inside artificial environments because the earth’s resources are being distributed in an unsustainable way. The earth’s love for us, her children, is for the first time brought into question. Our survival is now on the pulse of the human consciousness. What will we do about it? What will this awareness bring? One of the things that I have noticed in my life is the complete release of things that I no longer need. And the realisation that I do not need much in order to survive. The focus has shifted into what truly nourishes me, and my soul on a deep level. Taurus when positively aligned is self sufficient, engaged with the environment, connected to the foundations of life. Uranus wants to liberate the world where this awareness has collective trauma, where the Ego and it’s collective have imprisoned us in an artificial chamber. This is a cry to return to our roots, to live with the rhythms of nature because our very survival depends on it.

The current economical system which relies on the exploitation of the Earth will have to go through a revolution, but there will be resistance. That is why more and more people are waking up and rebelling against consumerism. But the system has already done severe damage, and for some waking up isn’t providing the alternative that they seek. They have questions, they demand answers. In the next 7 years, we shall see what Uranus will provide to the collective, what innovation will it give so that our survival on this beautiful planet is sustainable? There is a lot of love to give to the Earth, and the children are out there giving it to her. Planting trees, demanding answers from governments, more and more towns going green. It’s not a trend, it’s an Uranian cry for a revolution.