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I love planets in so-called “detriment.” Take Mars, for example. It’s not normally viewed as the most cooperative of planets, but just look how nice it is being to me. Right on schedule for this April newsletter, on March 31, it leaves Aries and enters Taurus—the sign of its detriment—where it will remain until May 11. How convenient! This gives me a chance to write about one of my favorite topics, which is underscoring how unintentionally poisonous to our clients some of our conventional astrological language can be. One out of every twelve of us is born with Mars in Taurus. How does such a person feel when he or she hears the word “detriment?” Ditto of course for anyone born with Mars in Libra, its other sign of “debility?” Words such as those can’t bring good news, huh?
This kind of astrological language conveys the notion of a weakness or a flawed condition that is inherent one’s chart. It disempowers people. It helps no one. And, to me, words like “detriment” and “debility” simply represent bad astrological theory.
On March 16, 2015 Uranus and Pluto form a square aspect in the signs Aries and Capricorn. This is the final exact square in the long series of seven, which began on June 24, 2012. Interestingly, it is the first time both planets have been direct at the moment of the exact square. Thus, over a period of about three years, the furious, violent “Lord of Earthquakes and Lightning Bolts” has been squaring off against the uber-controlling “Lord of the Underworld”—also known as the “God of Hell.”
TIMING: Between 2012 and 2015, Uranus will square Pluto seven times. This square came into orb in 2009 and will remain in orb through 2016. Here are the dates of the exact squares between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn:
- June 24, 2012 at 8° 24
- September 19, 2012 at 6° 57'
- May 20, 2013 at 11° 14'
- November 1, 2013 at 9° 26'
- April 21, 2014 at 13° 34'
- December 15, 2014.at 12° 35'
- March 16, 2015 with Pluto at 15° 18'
Before the first exact square in 2012:
- July 5, 2010 Uranus stationed at 0° 35' Aries, with Pluto at 3° 52' Capricorn.
- July 9, 2011, Uranus stationed at 4° 34' Aries with Pluto at 5° 54 Capricorn.
by Tony Howard
At this point you’re probably well aware that Saturn is now transiting Sagittarius. I know a few Scorpios who were impatiently waiting for the ingress! Now the Sagittarians get to quiver (but if you’re really quivering, keep reading). For Steven’s take on this transit through each of the 12 houses, check out the audio release from last month.
Here are the dates of Saturn’s time in Sagittarius for those who don’t have them:
- December 23, 2014 through June 14, 2015
- September 17, 2015 through December 19, 2017
But rather than wax poetic about what this transit could hold in store, I want to see what folks born with Saturn in Sagittarius can teach us via the hard-won lessons they’ve already learned.
We are proud to offer our newest instructional program this month: “Working Consciously With Mercury, Venus, and Mars.”
I love the immediacy and liveliness of teaching a room full of astrologers, and I am never so happy in that department as I am sitting with my apprentices. With serious, informed students and four or five days to work, we are able to probe deeply into the heart of evolutionary astrology.
A year ago, I offered this particular program to my southern California students. Tony Howard brought his video camera and captured the introductory material, which is what we present here.
