SUNSHINE STREET ASTROLOGY

THE BIG PICTURE
by Marcia Sacks

Everyone has their own individual natal horoscope, which is a map of where the planets were on the day they were born. That's a little like a snapshot. It shows the planets and signs of the zodiac frozen in one specific pattern. But the planets, like all life, keep moving. The outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto go through each sign of the zodiac slowly, creating long term patterns that influence our inner life and society around us.

Right at this very moment, for example, Pluto is in the sign Sagittarius. It entered that sign in 1995 and will continue its transformational work there through 2008. Pluto, the planet named after the mythological god of the underworld, guides us to a depth understanding of our individual inner consciousness and the collective unconscious as well. Sagittarius is the sign of the journey, the quest, the adventure. So externally, Pluto in Sag has us longing for travel where no human has gone before, especially explorations to other planets. The revelations of our own space program -- such has the news that frozen water has been found on Earth's moon -- will speed up the process of making our journeys farther out into space a greater reality. Preparations for a permanent space station are already underway.

On an inner level, for those of us who dreamed big but impractical dreams when Neptune went into Sag in the early 1970's, we will pick up the quest for that grail, but with the power of maturity and Pluto's persistence and determination. Uranus began its transit of Aquarius in April of 1995 and will shake up that sign well into 2004. Uranus symbolizes chaos, lightning strikes of creativity, and rules all future oriented technologies. It is at home in Aquarius, the realm of original and unique perspectives. Both Uranus and Aquarius rule computers in astrological symbology, and computer growth (both in technology and number of people with access) has continued to speed up exponentially) as Uranus cycles through its home sign. Aquarius also symbolizes the group mind, and, for those of us dancing to Uranus in Aquarius, our internet connections have become almost a neural pathway or network of this greater mind, as we meet and merge thoughts, stories, and information.

At the end of January 1998, Neptune entered Aquarius, bringing both its spirituality and powers of illusion to that sign. Questions about cloning, are symbolic of Neptune in Aquarius, as technology (Aquarius) and religion (Neptune) collide. Neptune is known by the keyword nebulous, and it is into those ambiguous philosophical arenas we shall go. As Neptune continues on its way through Aquarius (until 2011), I expect another heavily discussed topic will be "If true computer intelligence is created, will it have a soul?" For those of us on the spiritual path, Neptune in Aquarius will help us to see that we are all connected. Our ability to balance our own emotionality and attune to the Divine will have subtle but positive effect on those around us. As "A Course in Miracles" has its practitioners affirm, "I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts." (ACIM, Workbook, p.30)