“The needs of the many outweigh needs of the few—or the one.”  -Spock

In my previous post I introduced the 3 characters in the present Triple conjunction in Aquarius:  Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune.  In this post I’ll talk about what it means that they are in Aquarius (see more posts on the nature of Aquarius here).

Aquarius Is About Change
This sign is associated with breakthrough, change and experimentation.  Aquarius is radical, progressive and drawn toward the cutting edge.  This Fixed Air sign loves ideas and abstract thought—a well-thought-out idea is valued for its own sake.  Aquarius is associated with breakthrough thinking and paradigm-shifting, giving access to the “Eureka!” experience—that moment of insight when the light bulb goes off over your head.

Aquarius Is About Science and Technology
Aquarius (and its ruler, Uranus) is the Scientist (sometimes the Mad Scientist!), the Brilliant One, the Nerd.  This sign is experimental, loving to step back and look at things objectively.  Aquarius is cool and collected, intellectual and logical.  Uranus rules electricity and networks and Aquarius loves the rapid changes and developments in the computer field.  Having to keep current with computer and software updates is a joy to Aquarius.  This sign is fascinated with all things scientific and technological.

Aquarius Is About Community and Networks
Let’s face it, Aquarius loves people—but at a distance.  Aquarius is the Humanitarian. the Social Activist, sometimes even the Scapegoat—willing to take the hit for the progress of the team. This is the sign of the Rebel or Revolutionary, the one who overthrows the King (Leo, Aquarius’ polar opposite) and decentralizes power, bringing it to the people.  But Aquarius has difficulty getting intimate with actual individuals in real time.  Connecting a little with a lot of people while keeping them at a cool distance is much more comfortable for this ultra-gregarious sign.

The Aquarian Dark Side
It’s easy to see how this sign, while associated with beautiful themes, can also go too far.  Aquarius can be overly analytical, cold, emotionally detached, preferring hard logic over feelings or even inhuman to the point of being a sociopath who does not feel a part of the rest of humanity.  Embracing social change can go too far, resulting in a radical who wants overthrow of the current order regardless of consequences or a social changer who wants their group’s agenda forwarded with no regard for the cost to others.  Aquarius is prone to groupthink, to loss of individualism within the group-mind.

What It Looks Like When Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter Act In Your Life Through The Medium Of Aquarius
Neptune, the Spiritual Awakener, acting through Aquarius will bring you into contact with groups of people for the purpose of spiritual growth.  Neptune in Aquarius says:  “I am the spinner of dreams and fantasies.  In Aquarius I’m dreaming of ideal communities, places where people can come together and feel a sense of universal connectedness in humanitarian causes.  Some of the visions I dream up may not work in material reality and may lead to disappointment, but I’ll dream them anyway.”  Neptune’s dark side expressed through Aquarius can bring you into contact with groups of deluded people who together subscribe to a shared point of view that alienates them from the rest of humanity, instead of connecting them to it.  This is the sort of place people end up when they crave acceptance and will do anything (or believe anything) to get it.

When Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is in Aquarius, the time is ripe for healing past experiences of groups.  Chiron in Aquarius says:  “I’m going to get you into situations where you feel like an outsider so you can deal with the sense of alienation and rejoin the human family.  I’ll also bring opportunities for joining groups that give you a sense of community in areas of your life where you may have not thought it possible.  If ultimately you come to the understanding that we’re all in this together, my work will be well done.”  The dark side of Chiron in Aquarius is the witch hunt, a situation where one person is cast out, misunderstood and the group is pitted against them.  A witch hunt is hard to distinguish from a intervention, where a group gathers to show an individual his own shadow, because they love him and want him to stop some destructive behavior.  Whether a situation is a witch hunt or an intervention often depends on your perspective and whether or not you take a victim stance.  It is possible to endure something you may at first call a witch hunt and ultimately to respond to it in a way that make you more whole, not more broken.

And last, but definitely not least, Jupiter in Aquarius will create opportunities for playful, growthful and expansive group experiences.  Jupiter says, “Go do a workshop, because your personal growth will go better with other people around.  Throw a party and have fun with like-minded folks.  Gain confidence in your ability to hang out and take up space with lots of people around.  Expand your social network and enjoy all the varieties of people you’ll meet.”  Jupiter’s Aquarian shadow side has to do with grabbing the group spotlight and puffing oneself up to be bigger than others.  Jupiter in Aquarius secretly thinks, “of course everyone is equal—but some are more equal than others,” and sees himself and his contribution to the group as superior.  This attitude can be leavened with a little humbleness to bring Jupiter back onto a level with his peers.

What is the mission of the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction?  How can we use it to make our lives better?  Tomorrow I’ll finish up this 3-post series by bringing it all together.  And maybe we’ll overhear a dialogue among these 3 planets.

To begin the thread you are in at the beginning, read this:
May’s Triple Conjunction of Neptune, Chiron & Jupiter

If you want to read other articles about 2009’s triple conjunction of Neptune, Chiron & Jupiter, look here:
Jupiter Conjuncts Neptune: Let Your Dreams Run Wild
Jupiter & Chiron Ask “Am I Too Big Or Not Big Enough?”
Neptune & Chiron Ask You To Bridge Heaven And Earth

Here at the end of May of 2009 there is a momentous and extremely rare triple conjunction of Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter in 26 degrees of Aquarius.  This conjunction provides an unprecedented opportunity to re-experience your place in the human family in ways that bring growth and healing.  To understand what that means, we start by looking at what each of these archetypes is about, so let me introduce you to Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter . . .

Here’s Neptune.  Think of Neptune as the Dreamer or the Visionary.  She’s wearing a long, flowing dress that shimmers.  You look carefully, but you can’t tell whether it is made of stars, water or wind.  She is beyond lovely so that it actually hurts your heart to look at her.  She gazes at you with compassion, and restrains herself from showing you her full glory because she knows no mortal could take it.  Although her mouth doesn’t move, you hear her voice anyway, as if it’s coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

She says:  “I am the weaver of dreams.  I bring you beautiful visions of what could be.  My gift is longing. Once you have seen my visions, you will be caught in the place between wanting and having because my visions are always of things that are to be or could be but are not now.  That is their nature.  A vision is a beacon.  It is not for having—it is for filling your heart with courage to pursue its beauty.

Next comes Chiron.  He’s a centaur, a strange creature who is half beast and half god.  You feel discomfort as you look at him, because you recognize his divinity but his beastliness is unattractive and it seems impossible the two could be blended in one being.  He’s a reminder that to be human is to be an uneasy union of the beastly and the divine, and that our job as human beings is to bridge gaps and make ourselves whole.

Chiron says:  “I’m the wounded healer.  I bring you an experience of irreconcilable differences, a duality within yourself so profound that it splits you in two.  Your job is to bridge those disconnected worlds within yourself and your life and thus to make yourself whole.  Wholeness can only come from accepting and truly healing the break between the side you judge beastly and the side you judge divine.  My work is shadow work and the wholeness that arises from it is my gift.”

And finally, Jupiter appears.  He’s a large, jolly fellow dressed in a flamboyant, flowing cloak in bright, fiery colors.  His coat swirls when he moves, lending grace to his large frame.  He is the Sage, the Storyteller, the Explorer and the Seeker, always on a quest.  His voice is just a little too loud for comfort, but it feels so good to be around him that you don’t really care.

Jupiter bellows:  “You must grow and expand!  Get out and try new things!  Life is an adventure!  You are capable of greatness—you owe it to yourself and others to pursue that greatness.”  While your mouth is hanging open at the sheer force of personality emanating from this deity, he deftly pours a liquid down your throat from a flask he wears.  Suddenly you are filled with exhilaration and confidence and the certainty that you can do anything you set your mind to.  “There you go—that’s my gift,” chuckles Jupiter.

These 3 deities have much to say to each other during their triple conjunction, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  This post is post 1 of 3 coming up this week.  In my next post, I’ll talk about what it means that these 3 are in the sign of Aquarius.

Parts 2 & 3 of this thread are here:
What Does It Mean That The Triple Conjunction is in Aquarius?
Rejoining the Beautiful & Loving Human Family

If you want to read other articles about 2009’s triple conjunction of Neptune, Chiron & Jupiter, look here:
Jupiter Conjuncts Neptune: Let Your Dreams Run Wild
Jupiter & Chiron Ask “Am I Too Big Or Not Big Enough?”
Neptune & Chiron Ask You To Bridge Heaven And Earth