Yet Another (Occasional) Astrology Update:
"Remember to Keep Coming Up for Air!"
Saturn in opposition to Neptune (28 Feb & 25 June 2007) whilst Pluto continues to conjunct the Galactic Centre (Dec 2006 - Sept 2007)

The good news is that the very intense cluster of planets and asteroids in Pisces and Aquarius that has been around for the past several weeks, is slowly beginning to disperse. However, the predominant feature is the approaching Saturn opposition with Neptune, which becomes exact on 28th February at 11.28 Universal Time (GMT).

This opposition had its first "attempt" back last August 31st, and then Saturn turned retrograde back in December. The Saturn / Neptune opposition occurs only once every 36 years, last occurring between June 1971, November 1971 (Saturn retrograde) and April 1972*, so it has been a while since we felt this particular combination of energies, and that was before the discovery of Chiron the "Wounded Healer" in November 1977, and the subsequent upsurge of general interest in all things concerned with "alternative" healing and spiritual consciousness.

So, this time it could be a very different story, added to the fact that we now have it occurring with the full dynamic force of the First Ray (Divine Will) energies of the Pluto and Galactic Centre conjunction! It is no wonder that it has been feeling just a wee bit intense and full-on.

*(During this period in '71 - '72 , Richard Nixon realised the need to step up the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam, but in April '72 resumed bombing of Hanoi; Idi Amin came to power in Uganda (interesting timing for a film to appear about him!); Greenpeace was born as the USA tested a nuclear bomb on Amchitka Island, in the Aleutians, Alaska; The Khmer Rouge were gaining power in Cambodia - All sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it: A disastrous US war (for Vietnam, see Iraq); a ruthless African dictator destroying his own country (for Idi Amin see Robert Mugabe); an urgent awareness of major environmental challenges (Greenpeace born/Rest of World finally wakes up) ; the resurgence of oppressive rebel regimes in far-off countries (for Khmer Rouge, seeTaliban) - I guess what goes around comes around! Maybe we can learn to do it differently this time? Maybe?) Maybe if we just all stop giving our Pluto power away to people who really don't deserve to look after it on our behalf, then maybe it could be different, this time around.

So we have Mars moving into Aquarius at 01.17 UT/GMT on Monday 26th Feb, with Chiron, Neptune, Venus, Moon, Mercury, Sun and Pallas also in Aquarius, and Uranus, the Moon's Node and Ceres in Pisces - all in all, 8 planets and asteroids, plus the Sun, Moon and Moon's Node all in the opposite part of the chart to poor old Saturn in Leo.

And all this time Saturn has been within orb of opposition with Neptune - is it any wonder if the poor old body (Saturn) has been having difficulty integrating these constantly changing and challenging energies. This may have led to exhaustion, tiredness, illness, spaceyness, ungroundedness, and sheer "what-the-hell's-happening-ness"! Remember (in the words of the God-Father) "it's not personal". It's just the Universe "taking care of business"....oh, and making us all an offer that we can't refuse...which is changing us at a very fundamental level of our being...but, it really, really isn't personal.

The overall effect is producing a high level of intensity, and causing difficulty for the body to integrate the, at times overwhelming levels of these high-frequency energies flowing into our consciousness through our etheric (Moon), emotional (Venus), mental (Mercury) and spiritual-heart (Sun) bodies. They key to this at present is Pallas Athene, the female warrior - she can help us define our boundaries and know when the "cut off" point is, otherwise the body can just get overloaded, leading to confusion, exhaustion or illness. We all need time and space to integrate these energies - Pallas can tell us when and how we each need to do this. Pallas particularly relates through the Brow and Throat chakras - first we need to perceive what it is that we need, and then we need to voice it...and then make it happen.

There is also a connection with Jupiter that is teaching us how to embrace what we need in order to look after ourselves and nurture ourselves (Ceres) properly, in order to prevent us from just getting overwhelmed by it all. Nurture your body, nurture your feelings, nurture your mind and nurture your spirit - they all need time and space right now, and sometimes they need chocolate and hot baths, and poetry and music and stillness...and stillness...oh, and did I mention stillness? -

The Learning Triangle between Venus, the Moon and Vesta is also teaching us how to be aware of our emotional needs and to remain focused in the stillness of the heart, which is the only truly effective way for the emotional/astral body to stay in balance at the present time. If we do not do this, then the mind will just go wild and become crazily overactive, trying to keep up with the acceleration that is taking place, whilst the will rushes madly around trying to fix everything, in ever-decreasing circles.

The Saturn / Neptune opposition is confronting us all with the contradictions and tensions that exist between our physical nature and our spiritual nature. (And the conjunctions with the other planets are filling in the gaps between our emotional, mental, etheric and will natures).

How well are we living up to and manifesting our deepest beliefs and convictions? - and how good are we at loving and forgiving ouselves and others when we, and they are not able to live up to them, which is almost inevitable at the moment.

Pluto's proximity to the position of the Galactic Centre is bringing about a massive shift in the Collective Consciousness, which is being mirrored by this intense cluster of planets in Pisces and Aquarius, as they attempt to raise the frequencies of our energy bodies, to become more receptive to the Pluto/GC energies. This is all a very necessary part of the "shift" that is taking place between the Ages of Pisces and Aquarius, as we release more and more of the old Piscean archetypes, and learn to embrace the new and somewhat challenging energies of Aquarius (these are new psychological and spiritual archetypes being born within our consciousness), which are stretching our understanding and compassion to the limit...and beyond! The more of the old that we can release right now, the deeper will be the profound healing of the spirit that will take place for us, when Chiron comes into conjunction with Neptune in 2010....more of that later, in the 2009 Updates.

Someone recently asked when things were going to get less intense - I think the answer is that they aren't, and we have to learn to get used to the intensity of the changes that are taking place, because you really ain't seen nothing yet - but, remember to keep breathing at all times (it helps), and remember to only take one step at a time (with as much awareness as possible), and above all, remember to spend as much time as is humanly possible in your heart.

Now, more than ever we need to be individually empowered in our spiritual will (Pluto/GC), so that we truly have the strength and intention to stay focused in a loving, yet non-attached heart (Vesta), to stay in touch with the body (Saturn), and in conscious relationship (Juno) with everything and everyone around us - simple!!...It is what we will be spending the next 2000 years or so perfecting, so why not start right now!!

Enjoy, we might as well - with love and blessings, Marcus Mason