The Play’s The Thing

One great way to understand astrology is by seeing it as the drama of life, being acted on a stage.  The planets of our solar system are characters in the play.  These characters are universal archetypes, of the sort you have seen a million times in stories for adults and children (The Lover, The Hero, The Innocent, Death, The Magician, The King, Mother Nature, The Healer, The Trickster and so on).

Have you ever been in love and felt like your passion touched the universal?  Have you ever won a battle, felt like a hero and known that your battle was won for all humanity?  Have you ever been wounded, cut to the quick, and known, for an instant, the suffering of all beings everywhere?  This is archetypal experience.

Like every human being, you contain all these universal archetypes.  Sometimes they are active and other times they wait in the wings for their moment.  The characters are eager to be experienced by human beings.  Each one has something it is trying to say, teach or accomplish, using your human experience to do it.

The year of 2011 has an interesting set of dramas in it.  Now imagine yourself in a darkened theater.  There is a spotlight on center stage. You are about to meet the characters.

The Characters

Meet Pluto.  Pluto-type characters might be:  Death, Dracula, The Magician or Sorcerer.
Pluto says:  “I’m the agent of transformation.  Whatever I touch dies and is reborn.  Most people find this to be an uncomfortable, even painful process, because they don’t like death.  But the butterfly doesn’t care that it once was a caterpillar, does it?”

Here’s Neptune.  Think of Neptune as the Fairy Godmother, the Dreamer or the Visionary.  Sometimes Neptune appears as a ghost from beyond the grave or the spirit of an ancestor.  Neptune says:  “I represent the worlds of spirit and the unseen.  Things in my realm cannot be measured, yet when people have an experience of me, they know it, even though it cannot be proven.  When the spirit leaves the body, everyone agrees the body is dead, but no one can say what has gone.”

Up pops Uranus.  Uranus tends to appear as a force for change and progress.  He’s the Experimenter, the Revolutionary, the Voice of the People.  Uranus says:  “I’m the rule-breaker, the radical.  I bring revolution and sudden insight.  I descend upon you with the Eureka!-Aha!-lightbulb-going-off-over-the-head experience.  I alter your perspective so radically that you can no longer see things the old way and you have to change.”

Now Chiron steps forward.  He’s limping, because he’s a reminder that everyone has a broken place inside, and that as human beings, we are an uneasy union of the animal and the divine.  Chiron is The Broken One, The Walking Wounded, the Healer and every character who has ever touched greatness through suffering.  Chiron says:  “I’m the wounded healer.  I remind you of old, stuck pain from the past.  This may sound painful, but it’s actually an opportunity for healing deep, ancient wounds and recovering your human birthright.  My gift is accelerated evolution.”

Now it’s Saturn’s turn.  Saturn is the Elder, Judge, the Police, the Old Guard, the Traditionalist.  In more modern terms, he’s the CEO, the Corporate Executive.  His life is lived in bottom lines.  Saturn says:  “I’m the heavy.  I remind you of all the things you should have done and been.  I make you feel guilty, but behind that is a powerful drive to succeed and accomplish great things.  I won’t be satisfied until you are the best you can be.  Think of me as your own personal drill sergeant.”

And finally, Jupiter takes the spotlight.  Jupiter is the Sage, the Storyteller, the Explorer and Adventurer.  He’s also the Perennial Student and the Seeker, always on a quest.  Jupiter says:  “I’m all about growth and expansion.  I know what greatness you’re capable of and I fill you with the hope and confidence to begin it.  I’m the one who encourages you to make the promises Saturn forces you to keep.  I play good cop to his bad cop.”

Their Costumes

Each character has a simple, pure nature but rarely gets to express itself purely, because whatever sign it happens to be in will limit the ways it can express itself.  The sign a planet is in is like a costume she is wearing.  The costume may constrict or enhance her movement and she may or may not be comfortable in the costume she finds herself in.  Each character has a costume that belongs to her, but she is not necessarily always wearing it and may be wearing a costume that belongs to a very different character (imagine the Hero wearing the Mother’s apron, or the Lover dressed up like the Businessman).  Some characters will wear a given costume for many years at a time, deeply exploring its comforts and discomforts, while others will pass through signs quickly, changing their costume every year for new ones.

The six planets I’ve listed above are passing through six signs this year:  Aries, Taurus, Libra, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.

Aries
Aries is a bold, adventuresome Fire sign.  An appropriately Arian costume would be a military uniform or a superhero outfit.  Impulsive Aries wants to get things done—or at least started, so any planet in Aries is dressed for active duty, armed, streamlined and ready to go. The Aries costume belongs to the planet Mars (another way of saying it is “Mars rules Aries”).

In 2011, Uranus is wearing the Aries costume.  Uranus is the Radical and the Rebel and in Aries he is primed for action, so imagine this rebellious planet bringing startling, shocking new changes in a typically Arian way—direct and to the point.  Uranus in Aries says “Change is coming—get out of my way!  New ideas are bursting forth and I don’t care what the results are.  Live for the moment!  Re-invent yourself!”  Expect the unexpected for the next seven years, while Uranus wears the Aries costume.  Uranus will be in Aries until 2018.

During 2011, Jupiter will whip through Aries in just a little over 4 months (from late January to early June) quickly bringing self-confidence, luck and opportunity to Aries types everywhere.  Then Jupiter will do a quick costume change and settle into Taurus.

Taurus
Taurus is a slow-moving, sensual and practical Earth sign.  A Taurean costume might be an outfit suitable for gardening or farming.  Taurus doesn’t mind a little dirt and loves to make things grow.  Practical Taurus loves physical pleasure, comfort and anything that pleases the 5 senses.  The Taurus costume belongs to the Earth Mother (some say this is Venus, some say this is Ceres).

Jupiter begins 2011 in Aries, but by June, Jupiter is wearing the Taurus costume.  Jupiter in Taurus is unabashedly materialistic.  “Enjoy this physical world!” he shouts.  “Eat good food, make more money and delight in all your senses.”  Chances of going overboard in eating and spending are good, but this could be a great year for being reminded of the good things about being in a physical body and for experiencing Mother Nature’s abundance.  Jupiter spends about a year in a sign and will be in hedonistic Taurus from June of 2011 until June of 2012.

Libra
Libra is the aesthetic sign, tuned to symmetry and fairness.  Libra beautifies and balances.  One Libran costume might be a gorgeous ball-gown that shows off one’s best attributes; another Libran costume might be the robes of a judge, someone who weighs and deliberates, making a judgment that’s fair and balanced.  The Libran costume belongs to the planet Venus.

In 2011, Saturn is wearing the Libra costume.  Libra happens to be Saturn’s favorite costume to wear, softening the sometimes-harsh temper of this crusty old man.  Imagine Saturn in Libra as a firm but loving father, the kind of authority figure that helps you to have good judgment and to live your life according to wise and sensible principles. Saturn in Libra says, “the letter and the spirit of the law are one.  Symmetry, harmony and fairness are the natural result of good rules, sensibly implemented.”  Saturn in Libra is impartial but not unkind.

Capricorn
Imagine a three-piece business suit, well-tailored.  Or a uniform of any kind.  Any planet in the sign of Capricorn is expressing itself in a businesslike, serious way, disposing that planet toward structure and order.  Capricorn is ambitious and demands that something be built.  Capricorn reminds us to be self-disciplined and professional, and to be aware of our reputation.

Capricorn is the costume that belongs to Saturn, but right now Pluto, the Transformer, is wearing it.  This is kind of like the figure of Death wearing a business suit.  Pluto is destroying the old and birthing the new through business and discipline.  Pluto in Capricorn says:  “I won’t be happy until everything we know about how to run a business or government is destroyed and rebuilt.  What is ‘order’ really?  What is ‘structure?’  What is ‘discipline?’  I must get to the essence of these things and to do so I may have to burn away everything on the surface until what is true underneath is revealed.”  Pluto will be in Capricorn until 2023—a good long time.

Aquarius
Aquarius is a sign associated with breakthrough, change and experimentation.  Aquarius is radical and humanitarian.  It is the wacky and unconventional costume that marks its wearer as a true individual.  This costume belongs to Uranus.  This year Neptune is finishing up its 14-year passage through Aquarius before moving on to Pisces.

Neptune, the Spiritual Awakener, acting through Aquarius brings you into contact with groups of people for the purpose of spiritual growth.  Neptune in Aquarius says:  “For 13 years I have spun beautiful dreams of ideal communities, places where people can come together and feel a sense of universal connectedness in humanitarian causes.  This year is my last to dream this dream of community, so make the most of it!  Some of the things I dream up may not work in material reality and may lead to disappointment, but I’ll dream them anyway.”

Pisces
Pisces is oceanic, spiritual and boundariless.  Imagine a Piscean costume as the garb of an Illusionist, one who spins dreams, illusions and fantasies—or the messy, paint-smeared smock of an artist, someone who manifests a vision in reality.  And yet another Piscean costume might be the garb of a monk, someone who cares nothing for the physical world and has no possessions beyond a begging bowl.  Neptune is the owner of this costume.

In 2011, Chiron, the Wounded Healer, puts on the Pisces costume.  Chiron in Pisces does his work gently, bringing up old wounds relative to intuition and illusion.  If you’re cut off from your intuition, Chiron will show you.  If you’re deluding yourself about something, Chiron will know.  “Watch your dream life,” says Chiron, “That’s where I’ll be, showing you places where you are split or broken and showing you how to heal them.  You’ll find wholeness in your dreams and in your spiritual practice.”  Chiron will be wearing the Pisces costume until 2018.

Neptune takes off her Aquarian garb and joins Chiron in Pisces in 2011, donning her own favorite costume and thus becoming the dreamiest Dreamer she can be.  “What magic I can make!” says Neptune in Pisces, dancing and casting sparkles everywhere.  “What dreams I will spin, what fantasies and imaginings!  I will feed the imaginations of artists, visionaries and poets everywhere.  Let me enchant you with the possibilities your life holds.”  Neptune will wear the Pisces costume until 2025.

The Scripts They Are Playing Out

Characters in a play do not stand about doing monologues.  Instead they interact with each other.  In the same way, the planets do not operate in isolation and the most interesting parts of the drama of 2011 will be the ways the planets dialogue with each other.

Planets in the sky form specific relationships with each other.  They assume roles toward each other and play out a script.  Some of these scripts are harmonious (astrologers call them trines and sextiles) while others are stressful (squares and oppositions).  And there is a fifth kind of script that brings two planets together in a neutral way, neither stressful nor harmonious, to ally themselves and have a meeting of the minds (conjunction).

Jupiter conjuncts Uranus
Jupiter expands everything he involves himself with, and Uranus’ realm is that of the radical.  To find out what this means, see:
The Crackle Of Change As Jupiter And Uranus Meet In The Sky
Jupiter And Uranus Return To Pisces

Jupiter squares Pluto
When Jupiter expands and intensifies the sometimes-dark world of Pluto, some really freaky things can happen.  To find out what this means, see:
Jupiter Squares Pluto: Going To Extremes
Jupiter And Pluto Go On A Binge

Jupiter opposes Saturn
When Jupiter pits himself against Saturn in a tug of war, who’s to know whether things will explode or implode?  For more on this see:
Jupiter Opposes Saturn:  Expansion Vs. Contraction
Jupiter Opposes Saturn:  Optimism Vs. Pessimism

Minor Trine:  Jupiter, Chiron and Pluto in Harmonious Relationship
In the summer of 2011, a delicious vibe should be going on as Jupiter hangs with Pluto in a harmonious trine, while Chiron enjoys them both in a delightful sextile.  Look for a post about this in early July.

I’ll be posting the further adventures, dialogues and conflicts of these characters throughout 2011.  If you feel a strong resonance with one or more of these characters, it may be triggering your own birth chart.  To find out more, contact me for a full reading of your birth chart or look here.

To find out more about other astrological events happening in 2011, such as eclipses and pivotal days, see this:
The Year 2011

The gorgeous woodcut-style planet icons on this page were created by Betelgeux.