Pluto Turns Direct as the Sun Moves to Libra, September 22nd – “A Planetary MacGuffin”

#11, Justice is tarot's card for Libra
this depiction from Ciro Marchetti's
stunning, "Legacy of the Divine Tarot" ©

Fiction writers use three hints, commonly referred to as beats, to introduce a plot device and explain what makes it significant to the protagonist of a story.  Alfred Hitchcock referred to this plot device as the ‘MacGuffin.’ The MacGuffin’s sole reason for existing is to motivate the hero and get the story moving. While the first beat, or hint is seemingly innocuous, the second and third beats are designed to snag the reader’s attention, giving them clues to the developing plot.  Catching these beats gives the reader a big payoff once the complete plot line is revealed. We all love to say, “Aha! I knew it,” don’t we? 

On September 22nd we will witness the first two of three significant beats for a planetary MacGuffin.  The MacGuffin for September is balance. It’s been a recurring theme of late. Libra is the Zodiac’s sign of balance. It is also the only sign depicted, not by a creature from mythology, but by an actual device. In this case the device is a set of scales. The Sun enters Libra on September 22nd. The first beat.  When we add up the numbers for the date September 22, 2014 we get eleven. Tarot’s #11 is Justice which is also tarot’s card for the sign, Libra. The second beat. So, where’s that third beat? Wait for it.

Pluto, the planet of transformation leaves retrograde (See

blog: "Pluto Retrograde April 14th to Sept. 23rd" ) and turns direct on September 22nd as well. The third beat, you ask?  No, but it is definitely a plot twist. Pluto rules Scorpio and the 8th house of the Zodiac where we store our joint resources, our sexuality, our powers of transformation and our indebtedness (Yikes!). Pluto, a generational planet, (See Blog: "Typecasting" ) is presently in the sign of Capricorn.  The last time Pluto was in Capricorn a group of malcontents hammered out something we call, “The Declaration of Independence.”

The key to Pluto’s power lies in its ability to simultaneously destroy and create. The planet of the underworld delights in bringing hidden things to light so they can be examined and either redesigned, or tossed aside.  Pluto’s transformative power may effect entire generations, but we can also tap into this massive energy to create positive changes in our own lives.  For all its high octane dramatics, Pluto likes positive outcomes.  

Pluto direct in Capricorn says out with the old and in with the new, particularly when it comes to financial and political systems. This transit demands fairness and a reckoning from those who don’t play well with others. Tarot’s #11, Justice, also stands for karma and karma always returns home. Let your eyes open a little wider as you view the world around you. Ask questions.  Pluto remains in Capricorn until 2023. During this transit we have the chance to notice, not the differences that we have from one another, but rather the common ground we share, the similarities in our day to day existence.  Pluto’s tarot card is #22, Judgment.  Remember, that does not mean being judgmental, but rather making decisions. Pluto hands us the opportunity to make new decisions – informed ones, better ones that benefit the whole instead of a select few. This transit is our chance to stand as one, past borders, past personal ideology and adopt basic principles of fairness and decency for all humanity. #22, Judgment also means rebirth.

Capricorn, the goat hosts Pluto until 2023

Have you figured out the third beat for our universal plot line yet?  September 23rd, the Autumnal Equinox – the equal balance between darkness and the very light that gives our planet life.  We are often besieged by rhetoric designed for emotional impact but which rarely conveys useable information, engages our intellect, or our sense of fair play.  As we take the turn into Autumn, consider the meaning of the concept ‘to balance.’  It’s a phrase we commonly use, though its universal relevance is something we frequently overlook. 

LADY ORACLE

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Full Moon in Scorpio, May 14, 2014 – “Fair Exchange”

Scorpio's card, shown here from "Legacy of the
Divine Tarot" by Ciro Marchetti

May’s Full Flower Moon occurs on May 14th at 12:16 p.m. PDT.  This month’s Full Moon is also known as the Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon.  Traditionally, the energy released by a scorpion Full Moon is intense, emotional and makes us all just a tad bit judgmental – more so if you have are either a Scorpio or have full Moon in Scorpio in your birth chart.  However, this month we have some significant contributing factors to this energy model – Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron and Pluto.  

Pluto, one of Scorpio’s two ruling planets (also Mars) is currently in retrograde. (See blog: "Pluto Retrograde" ) This pint-sized dynamo of a planet asks us to consider our goals along with the trajectory of our life. Are we holding true to our ideals? Are giving our best to humanity?  That’s what Pluto retrograde does. It makes us pause to contemplate our place in the Universe and to decide if we’re happy with the neighborhood we’ve chosen.  Full Moon in Scorpio speaks to our intuition, helping us see our own issues as well as the hidden issues of others with greater clarity. If you have hunches to play during the next couple of days, play them. 

Lakshmi from Kris Waldherr's "Goddess Tarot"©
represents #10 Wheel of Fortune, Jupiter's tarot card

Scorpio is also the sign that denotes the end of cycles and the beginning of something new – both subtle and not so subtle transformations. It rules the eight house of the zodiac where our shared resources and sexuality are stored.  The financial resources that reside in the house of Scorpio include bonuses, inheritances and windfalls from any source. 

The Grand Water Trine on the 14^th (See blog: "Grand Water Trine" ) makes this month’s Full Flower Moon a powerful force for manifesting. Jupiter in Cancer carries that terrific, Santa Claus energy and wants to expand the good things in your life with the power from that dreamy trine.  Identify precisely what you want to create in your life during this Full Moon, but take it a couple of steps further.  Make a list of how you are going to achieve what you want, step by step. Don’t stop there. What do your goals feel like once they are accomplished? What does your life look life? Concentrate of the sights, sounds and even tastes of what you envision. And that most important last step? What is your contract with the Universe – your exchange? No, not what will you give up, pay, or sacrifice – that’s not required. Besides, the word, sacrifice really means, ‘to make sacred,’ not to ‘suffer or practice self-denial.’ Think of positive growth. Ask yourself what is the gift you’d give the Universe as a natural consequence of your successful manifestation work. Allow yourself to experience the joy such a gift can bring. Life is about checks and balances, so once you successfully manifest your goals, you naturally and symbiotically exchange positive energy with the Universe, expanding the good and balancing the scales.

Source, or Universe represents the Divine
from "OSHO Zen Tarot" © by Deva Padma

What form does your exchange take? Who knows? It is personal to each of us; as profound as being in exactly the right position to prevent a grave misfortune befalling an absolute stranger, or as simple as a kind word, or being able to put $5.00 into the hand of a homeless person. The point is to act with good intention from the joy in your heart and trust that the Universe knows exactly where your gift will be needed in space and time. The form of the Universal exchange varies, but its vibration remains constant. It is the vibration of love.

The High Priestess is tarot's card for
The Moon. From Rome Choi's
and Kwon Shina's
"Dreaming Way Tarot"©

Consider the steps I’ve suggested as you practice your manifestation skills this Full Flower Moon. Allow yourself to transform through Scorpio, draw from the expansiveness of Jupiter and ground yourself with the healing energy of Chiron. Live authentically in each moment with joy and love.

LADY ORACLE

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Pluto Retrograde April 14th through September 23rd – Cosmic Checks and Balance System

Periodically, Earth’s orbit overtakes the orbit of another planet.  When this happens an optical illusion occurs making it appear as if the planet that Earth passed paused in its orbital path and started to move backwards. We call this effect a planetary retrograde.  Every planet has one except us, of course, because we observe the solar system strictly from our own perspective. The most notorious retrograde cycle belongs to the planet Mercury.  Our verbal communications can be easily misunderstood at Mercury Retrograde.  Glitches occur in electronic and mechanical devices and travel plans become snarled. During the eclipse and Full Pink Moon mania earlier this week Pluto quietly turned retrograde.  Well, perhaps not so quietly as we think.  What happens when the planet of transformation, the one featured so prominently in the Cardinal Grand Cross configuration this month, turns retrograde? A better question might be, "Are we having fun yet?"

Pluto takes 248 years to complete one orbit of the Sun. 

#20, Judgment is the tarot association for Pluto
From Kris Waldherr's "The Goddess Tarot"©

When you’re the slowest body on the solar system race track you get use to other planets lapping you and kicking cosmic dirt in your face.  Controversial Pluto was discovered in the 1930s, given planetary status, only to be demoted to an ice ball in recent years.  Still, Pluto remains, at least in astrological terms, one of the group of outer planet called transpersonal planets.  These guys deal with the forces outside of the self – universal connections and destiny.  Also, because its orbit takes so long to complete, Pluto is called a generational planet – its position in a birth sign guiding an entire generation.  Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008 and will remain there until 2023, influencing all children born during this time in a particular way.

Ciro Marchetti's vision of #13, Death
This is the tarot association for Scorpio,
which is ruled by Pluto.
From "Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©

Pluto governs the eighth house of the zodiac, Scorpion territory, where matters of death, transformation, sexuality and shared resources are stored (environmental issues).  When Pluto is direct its influence is felt in the changes you experience in life and how they transform you.  Those changes can be as subtle as spring cleaning, or as groundbreaking as starting an entirely new career.  The planet of transformation brings you moments of stark insight that allow you to see your life clearly and make changes accordingly. Pluto is known for bringing hidden matters to light – sort of ripping off the bandaid so the wound can be properly cleaned and healed. Note that once Pluto begins transforming your life there’s no going back. Your end results are generally positive even though the journey might have been bumpy. 

During its retrograde cycle, which occurs five months out of

A new cycle means the beginning of a
new journey. The Fool, seen here from
Marchetti's "Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©
is Divinely protected on his new quest.

each year, Pluto makes us pause in our lives and take stock of what we are doing.  Are we helping our species and our home planet advance in a positive manner, or are we focused on self and making gains that simply gratify us as individuals?  These are the tough questions – no doubt about it – but there has to be a system of cosmic checks and balances for humanity's sake and Pluto Retrograde is a significant part of that system. Not only you, but an entire generation of children born with you during Pluto’s fifteen year reign in a particular sign will look with keen introspection on similar issues during a Plutonian retrograde, all for the collective good.   If that’s not a powerful, positive force, what is?

In a couple of days the Cardinal Grand Cross goes exact.  The notorious Uranus/Pluto Square goes exact as well.  Our strength during this time comes from the review process of Pluto’s retrograde cycle. Who are we?  Where are we going?  Ask yourself the tough questions this month and demand honest answers, because one thing is for sure, where ever we’re going, we’re going there together.

LADY ORACLE

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July 20th, Mercury Goes Direct Square Uranus - Bump, Ouch!

On July 20th, Mercury, in 13 degrees Cancer, leaves

Tarot's #7 The Chariot rules Cancer the Crab
from Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen's
Wizard's Tarot©

retrograde (see blog: "Mercury Retrograde Tarot and You") and squares with Uranus in Aries.  Word on the web is that there will be some volatility connected with this configuration.  Uranus began its own retrograde on July 17th and when Uranus in Aries goes retrograde, nobody better be caught asleep at the wheel.

This month’s Grand Water Trine asks us to release that which no longer serves us. Here, as Mercury in Cancer goes direct, the good old Uranus/Pluto square (both of them in retrograde) flexes its muscle.  Uranus in Aries is filled with fiery energy that demands we break from tradition and forge a new trail.  That’s all well and good, but

Tarot's #4 The Emperor rules Aries the Ram
Rider, Waite, Coleman-Smith US Games©

Mercury in Cancer sparks intuitive communications.  With the square of Mercury and Uranus, those communications may be a tad too blunt for most people’s taste.  Think of the energy of tarot’s Knight of Swords at its strongest. He is blunt – in your face, take it or leave it, you-should-know-better-than-to-ask, kind of blunt.  Temper your responses before you open your mouth.

When Uranus, the planet of societal change goes retrograde, its energy asks us to examine our relationship with our world – our, meaning our neighborhood, town, country or the entire globe.  Uranus retrograde in Aries asks whether we are working for the good of the whole, doing the expedient, or worst case, whether we are working with only our own best interests in mind.  If we’re not satisfied with our answer, Aries demands action.  Now, not next week.  Again, filter your words.  There’s no percentage in calling either your partner or your boss a short-sighted boob for not recycling plastics, or in verbally taking on

The Fool rules Uranus
from Legacy of the Divine Tarot©
by Ciro Marchetti

a police officer during a traffic stop. 

Pluto retrograde in Capricorn is a variation on Uranus’ theme of societal change.  Pluto’s energy is transformative, but before we transform, we soul search. You may feel a little more angst-ridden than normal prior to the Full Moon on July 22nd.  However, here’s the good thing about astrology.  Within a couple of days configurations change.  Also, each of us are still in charge of our own decisions and create our own realities in life.  That is really the important message between Mercury and Uranus this month.  Each of us has the opportunity to make a difference in this world – to influence our collective destiny.  We can affect positive, peaceful and lasting change.  Let’s make that our primary goal.

LADY ORACLE

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