(for art credits, please see bottom of page)

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 that 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 2009 has an especially 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 hurtful, 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 a new one.

The six planets I’ve listed above are occupying only four signs right now:  Virgo, Capricorn, Pisces and Aquarius.

Virgo
Virgo is the purging, cleansing, organizing sign.  For Virgo I imagine a set of medical scrubs—white, starched and disinfected.  Virgo notices disorder and wants to right that.  Any planet in Virgo will be wearing white gloves and checking for dust.  The Virgo costume belongs to the planet Mercury.

In 2009, Saturn is wearing the Virgo costume.  Saturn loves being in Virgo, because Saturn is earthy and practical in nature, and so is Virgo.  Both appreciate organization.  Saturn in Virgo has a message:  “I’m going to pressure you to reorganize most aspects of your life during my two-and-a-half year trip through Virgo.  Most especially, I want you to reorganize your career.  You’ll have to change your habits and become more effective at work.  You’ll get better at handling details on time and your work integrity will improve.  People will start to believe you when you say you’ll get something done.”

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 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.”

Pisces
Pisces is oceanic, spiritual, boundariless.  Imagine a Piscean costume as the garb of an Illusionist, one who spins dreams, illusions and fantasies.  Neptune is the owner of this costume (another way of saying it is “Neptune rules Pisces”), but Uranus is wearing it this year.

Uranus in Pisces is like a Radical dressed up as an Illusionist.  He is doing his usual job of creating social change, but doing it more gently.  While Uranus is in Pisces, radical changes may take spiritual forms.  He says, “I want to startle people with new ideas, but this year I’m doing it compassionately.  You’ll find my influence in spiritual communities, groups who share a common spiritual bond.  My radical ideas will descend upon you gently, flowing into your mind and permeating you with change.  Some of my ideas may be too new, too shocking for human beings to absorb, but I’ll drop them on your heads anyway, because that’s what I do.”

Aquarius
Aquarius is a sign associated with breakthrough, change, experimentation.  Aquarius is radical and humanitarian.  It is the “costume” that belongs to Uranus.  This year there are three planets in Aquarius:  Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter.

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.  This year 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 things I dream up may not work in material reality and may lead to disappointment, but I’ll dream them anyway.”  If you noticed that right now Neptune and Uranus are wearing each other’s costumes, you get extra points.  That the themes of Neptune in Aquarius and Uranus in Pisces are similar is no accident.

When Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is in Aquarius, the time is ripe for healing one’s experience 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.”

And last, but definitely not least of our Aquarian planets this year, Jupiter in Aquarius will create opportunities for playful, growthful and expansive group experiences.  Jupiter says, “Go do some workshops, because your personal growth this year will go better with other people around.  Throw some parties and have some 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.”

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 2009 will be the ways the planets dialogue with each other.

Planets in the sky form specific relationships with each other.  When two planets are opposite each other in the sky (for example, one is due east and one is due west from your viewpoint), that is a particular set of roles they are playing out with each other.  They assume roles toward each other and play out a script.

Saturn opposes Uranus
The opposition is a script that is essentially a tug-of-war.  The two characters involved are pulling in opposite directions.  There is a need to make peace and find balance between two polarized principles.  If these planets are triggering something in your chart, you will need to balance their principles in your life.

Saturn in Virgo: “I want to get as well-organized and professional as possible, to build something solid that will last for generations.  I represent tradition and the old guard.”
Uranus in Pisces: “I’m here to break down the old and initiate the new.  And I’ve just gotten a revolutionary idea that will break all your Saturnine structures to pieces!”

For more on this one see: 
Saturn vs. Uranus–Match of the Decade
Should I Build Or Break?
Saturn and Uranus: Self-Governance vs. Progressive Change

Triple Conjunction:  Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune
A conjunction is a script where planets are trying to join forces.  They are coming into agreement about something, but there may be some friction along the way.  They are all wearing the same costume, but not all of them may be comfortable in it.  And if you have something in your chart they are triggering, you may feel they are all ganging up on you at once.

Neptune in Aquarius: “Community is a laboratory in which I am doing experiments to see how people can experience connectedness to all living beings.”
Chiron in Aquarius: “Community is a laboratory in which I am experimenting with the healing–and wounding–power of groups.”
Jupiter in Aquarius: “Community is a laboratory in which I hypothesize that fun, joy and growth can be had.”

For more on this, see:
May’s Triple Conjunction of Neptune, Chiron & Jupiter
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

Saturn squares Pluto at year-end
The square is a script which includes a sense of frustration and obstruction between the two planets.  From the point of view of each, the other is an obstruction and an annoyance.  Both want their way, but they have to listen to each other before they can get it.  If these planets are triggering something in your chart, you’ll have to honor both of them before they will let you pass.

Saturn in Libra: “Elders are wise and deserve respect.  The ways that have come before should be continued, or changed only by agreement.”
Pluto in Capricorn: “Sometimes old traditions have to die so they can be reborn, even if social agreements have to rip apart for it to happen.  That may seem harsh, but frankly I don’t care, as long as the truth comes out.”

Here’s the first post about Saturn square Pluto:
Saturn and Pluto Square Off:  Discipline Meets Death

I’ll be posting the further adventures, dialogues and conflicts of these characters throughout 2009.  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.

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