The Water signs, Cancer, Pisces and Scorpio will dominate the world stage in 2013, as several of the planets will be traveling through the Zodiac  in water signs.  The line up is as follows:

Neptune in Pisces until 2026
Saturn in Scorpio until 2015
Jupiter in Cancer, the second half of the year
Mercury retrogrades in Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio respectively
Moon’s North Node in Scorpio all year

Water is the fundamental and most basic component of all life on Planet Earth, comprising approximately 70% of the surface of the Earth and also the human body. It represents the feminine or yin aspects of human nature and the world; intuition, inspiration, wisdom, women and healing, the inner journey of life.  Water also controls our emotional bodies and our creative ability.

Enter the Goddess

With so much astrological emphasis in water, we can expect a global shift toward feminine power. The

The Goddess Principle

Goddess energy will become much more visible and viable bringing the pendulum swing back to a more centered approach, moving away from male or masculine dominance.  This could open the way for more women to rise to positions of power.  If you are feeling a strong desire to have your voice heard as a woman, now could well be the time to put your plans into action.

With Jupiter entering the sign of Cancer in June, all of the feminine energies associated with Cancer will be enhanced and magnified.  They include home (the real estate market), family, mothering, sensitivity to spirit, intuition, clairvoyance, clairaudience and psychic ability.  Water seems to thin the veil.

Emotional Chaos

You may find yourself feeling everything more acutely. We will most likely see more intense dramatic emotional displays in the news,  and perhaps feel more emotionally connected to everything in our world and what we see happening before us.

With all of the Mercury retrogrades occurring in water signs, tripling the time Mercury spends in water, we may all find that our mental energies and communications are based more on emotion rather than on reason or objectivity. I tell you these things so you can be aware of where your emotions may be coming from.  This does not mean that you should react to them and be swept away by the emotional tide.  Your ability to control how you respond to your emotions is your greatest place of power and peace.

Since water also contains the elements of creativity, governing the Arts and what we see in movies, television, books and art,  with Neptune in Pisces, supported by other planetary action in water, we should be treated to not only creative media, but inspirational and more spiritual entertainment as well.

Disruptive Forces

Protest

On the other side of Neptune in Pisces, and mixing in the energies of Saturn in Scorpio, we will see more economic contraction and more cutbacks on spending, and a continuing of behind-the-scenes governmental and corporate power struggles, with an emphasis on healthcare, pharmaceutical companies and their drug related problems, issues with liquid resources, raising sea levels and flooding, and conflict over price hikes in oil, gas and water.  We will also continue to experience religious polarization, issues surrounding mental health disorders, and an increase in denial, personally and institutionally.   When adding Scorpio to any mix,  exposing the corrupt underbelly and crisis will be the result.

The Moon’s nodes are not planets yet represent important crossing points for the Sun and Moon. The North Node is traditionally linked to the future. With the North Node in deep and disruptive Scorpio, reaching an inevitable  intense and powerful crisis point is foreseeable.  Change is inevitable and these changes are meant to be for our greatest good and require our active participation.

Uranus square Pluto continues to dominate world energies through rebellion and political crisis.  These disruptive and often unpredictable energies will continue through 2015.  With an over emphasis on water in 2013, emotions will continue to rise and overflow, and the dam could well break causing violent behavior and uprisings. Since ancient times, water has been used ritualistically to wash away the sins of the past, hopefully this will be done in a kind and gentle way.

A Rare Grand Sextile

There is however, a beautiful and rare alignment to look forward to,

Grand Sextile

occurring in late July, called a Grand Sextile. Seven out of ten planets will be involved in this positive configuration. It is comprised of  six sextiles, two Grand Trines,  and three oppositions. This will create a tremendous force for healing energy on the planet as all the players are in earth or water signs, which are feminine, a sign that the feminine forces are blessing us with love and grace, helping to offset other negative aspects.

Even though we have passed the critical and much maligned 2012 marker, in 2013 we will continue to see and feel the uncomfortable energies of dramatic change.  When dealing with emotional water, we can expect big waves and choppy seas, and even tsunamis.  Let’s all put our creative and spiritual sides forward and be steady and undeterred by the shifting tides before us and move forward creating the new, more peaceful world, we want to experience.   Follow your heightened inspiration and creative impressions and put your plans into action and 2013 can be a very powerful and successful year.

Starting in 2011 and continuing for the next six years there is a significant and chaos producing astrological pattern involving two malefic planets, Uranus and Pluto, which are creating dramatic changes throughout the world. They will be forming a series of squares or 90 degree angles during this time.  Squares always produce tension and are archetypes in conflict. These tension producing aspects can be characterized by global social upheaval,  worldwide environmental disasters and even global economic collapse.

What we are experiencing in our country is part of a synchronic pattern happening in many other countries across the globe. However, historical data show that even the most challenging of astrological patterns can produce helpful and positive creations and outcomes.  Pain is solution producing by nature as better choices are made to relieve the pain. Things may look and feel stressful and difficult now, but there is hope for a brighter future by turning the despair into realistic solutions for better outcomes.

Occupy Wall street

This powerful waxing, cardinal (action producing) square, can be characterized as a painful birthing process or the transition from the past into a new era.  This process began when Pluto entered Capricorn in January of 2008 and will continue to be active and viable through May of 2017 when the Uranus/Pluto square has run its course and then Pluto finishes up the restructuring business until solidly planted in Aquarius in January 2024. The Astrological consensus is that the fallout will continue for several years beyond.

To get historical perspective, let’s look at the last couple of times Uranus and Pluto were in hard aspect to one another.  First, the 1930’s, which is characterized by “The Great Depression”.  In April of 1929 Uranus and Pluto began their chaotic dance in cardinal signs (action producing), forming a waning square. A waning square is considered the end of an era.  Uranus was in Aries, as we are experiencing now, and Pluto was in Cancer.  The energies continued to build as the orb of influence became more exact.  Then in February of 1930,  Saturn entered the confab and the world experienced a powerhouse T square (two squares and an opposition) and the associated collapse is well known. The square with Pluto and Uranus lasted well beyond the time that Saturn was no longer in orb of it, however, the direct destructive energies at play in that era continued through March of 1936, and the aftershocks continued far beyond.

Food lines during the Great Depression

In this decade as in the 1930’s, when Saturn entered the current Uranus/Pluto square in July of 2011, we experienced the continuing collapse of many of our corporate and financial structures as have other countries. This is an ongoing scenario as many of these countries and a growing number of U.S. cities are filing for bankruptcy.

The next memorable time when these two heavy hitters were in hard aspect (a conjunction) started in August of 1962.  The 60’s were defined as a turbulent era, and by analyzing it we can glean patterns of what to expect now and into the future.  While the ’60s were a chaotic time, with mass protest and general unrest, it was also an extraordinarily creative period of shattered boundaries and new beginnings, when innovative ideas and futuristic discoveries emerged.

In science we had the development of the String Theory as well as Mandelbrot’s work on fractals. These two areas alone have spurred intensive research in recent years. The ’60s also introduced the groundbreaking concept of Bell’s Theorem, a scientific idea suggesting the underlying interconnectedness of everything. Also the discovery of quasars and the coining of the term “black hole” by John Archibald Wheeler. The ’60s brought us the development of the laser as well as major advances in computer technology, including the invention of the Arpanet (precursor to the Internet). And lastly, the space race, when humans first set foot on the Moon.

In the arts, the ’60s produced many “far out” music groups and talent with both the Beatles and Bob Dylan recording their greatest work exactly at the peak of the Uranus/Pluto conjunction. Television shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Star Trek, were showing new possibilities and dancing around other dimensions.

People Power

The 1960s were a time of  ”people power,” when ordinary citizens were breaking free from traditional values and embracing  more radical and liberated perspectives in the areas of civil rights, women’s liberation, gay liberation, and the environmental movement. A spirit of revolution was in the air,  not just in America but throughout the world.

With all this in mind, we are in a time of unlimited possibilities as we build upon the diachronic patterns and discoveries of the past. Intelligent doers are creating exciting solutions to help ease the collective tribulation and to broaden our horizons and understanding of our place in the cosmos. Last week CERN announced the 98% possibility of the discovery of the “God” particle. Others are experimenting with theories and breakthroughs in the existence of other dimensions and parallel universes.  A growing number of scientists  have been expressing support for the “holographic universe” theory, the notion that our world may actually be a simulation, while astronomers are continuing to find new types of planets or galaxies.   Who knows, we may finally discover concrete proof of extraterrestrials.

What we see happening in Cinema is promising, not only with Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit or the Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas, but also Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.  This film’s release in June 2012 coincided with the Uranus/Pluto square in exactitude a few days later.  This is especially intriguing considering the association of Uranus with the mythic figure Prometheus as suggested by astrologers like Richard Tarnas and Stephen Arroyo.

There could also be advances in anthropology and archeology. There is growing evidence that humans inhabited the Americas long before what was previously thought. The single most important archeological find of recent years is the Turkish site, Gobekli Tepe. Researchers continue to uncover surprisingly advanced levels of social organization extending as far back as 12,000 years ago. (That site was first identified in the mid 1960s, during the Uranus-Pluto conjunction.) Currently, there have been major news stories about the discovery of entirely new branches on the human ancestral tree, including the “hobbit” race (Homo floresiensis) in Indonesia and, more recently, the so-called Red Deer Cave People in southern China.

We are once again seeing the rise of “people power” across the globe, exemplified by spontaneous uprisings like the Arab Spring and the Occupy movements. There seems to be a growing awareness of economic inequalities, women’s rights, racial problems, and environmental dangers, all repeat or diacronic patterns of the ’60s.

V for Vendetta - Revolt

There is a growing sense that astrological forces are at work to transform the global landscape. Enormously powerful energies are released by celestial configurations like these, which promise to reshape our world in surprising and unpredictable ways.  Whenever Uranus is involved, unexpected events tend to arise which force our focus in new directions. Correct actions need to be applied in a timely manner to protect the new elements being born. There is no predicting outcomes at this stage.  All solutions being offered are risky which represent the energies of Uranus.  It all remains to be seen.

Ideas and proposed solutions are already creating clashes between individuals, nations, political parties, religious groups, and even genders.   Through the conflict and pain great solutions can and will emerge. The planetary energies we’re facing now can serve as powerful fodder for important artistic creations, social reforms, new inventions and discoveries, and spiritual advancement.

We may again be fighting injustices during this time, just as occurred in the ’60s, but it’s also important to remember that injustices often bring out the best in our more spiritually minded. It’s safe to say that Icons like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, Jr. wouldn’t have been as deeply committed and passionate had they lived in less troubled times.   Extreme times and injustice force us to clarify what we stand for.

The outcome of the Uranus/Pluto archetype isn’t written in stone; we all have a say in how we will respond and what we will create.  These aspects are upon us and we best hold on and enjoy the ride.

I love watching the Olympics. I am so inspired by the athletes and their drive for excellence. But the idealistic dream cracked as I watched an ad from McDonalds. I was actually astonished by the blatant deception. It is false advertising to suggest that McDonald’s high fat processed junk food is THE PREFERRED FOOD OF OLYMPIC ATHLETES. I am appalled that McDonalds is a corporate sponsor and partner of the Olympics. How damaging is this for our already weight challenged kids who are watching the games and looking up to theses performers as role models? Is anyone else upset about this?

The issue here is a bold and conspicuous display of corporate greed and false advertising. It wouldn’t have mattered which sponsor it was. To say that a fast food conglomerate is the preferred food of Olympians is dishonest and sends a distorted message to children that if they want to be an Olympic athlete they should eat that particular brand of junk food. Whoever approved McDonalds as a corporate sponsor should have their head examined! Olympic athletic performance and competition and eating at McDonalds don’t belong together as I am certain any Olympic contender would attest. It is like a tobacco company sponsoring mountain climbers? This just doesn’t make sense with what we know about the harmful effects of regularly consuming their products!

Back in the 60’s when fast food was making its huge impact on our society, there was little attention placed on the actual quality and caloric content of the food being consumed. With slick marketing campaigns, McDonalds and other fast food chains were becoming popular and springing up everywhere. Fast food restaurants now proliferate our neighborhoods.

We have come a long way since those times of ignorance. That ignorance has come at a huge cost to our nations health. Increases in obesity and heart disease have become uncontrollable. More people die of heart disease today then Cancer. Not only are we learning about the health risks of consuming saturated fats, but also the destructive health effects of all the chemicals and toxins used in the growth and creation of the cheap products used by fast food chains and in highly processed foods.

So having McDonalds as an Olympic sponsor in the 60’s and even through the 80’s, based on our ignorance at the time is understandable. Today it is inexcusable. We are infinitely more aware of all the dangers and the devastating results. Now the White House, lead by Michelle Obama, is pushing for help to fight childhood obesity. Even though there are a combination of contributing factors, fast food is a big part of the problem. And to allow McDonalds to suggest that their junk food is a preferred food of Olympic athletes is the worst kind of deception as it directly effects our youth.

A friend’s 6 year old, after seeing a McDonald’s television commercial, turned to his mother and said, “Mom, that is a lie.” We need to rise up as parents and consumers and boycott any company that targets our children with lies for profit.

We have fought this same battle with the tobacco companies. We see that after being forced to change their advertising and to put warning labels on their harmful products, they attempt to put on a helpful public face as though they were positive forces in our world. In reality, they have been exposed for lacing tobacco with high doses of carcinogens to increase the addictive properties of cigarettes and therefore increase the long term profit. They have become an industry of sanctioned mass murder. The cost to our health industry has become obscene, as is the cost of obesity.

Yes, the McDonalds corporation has developed helpful projects that do contribute, and they employ many. However, like the tobacco companies, are they also wolves in sheep’s clothing? Look at how successful McDonald’s marketing has been over the years. We have all been taken in by their persuasive advertising in one form or another. The Happy Meal is as well known as the hamburger. The name has become synonymous with any fast food childs meal that includes a toy. Think about it, a happy name and a toy to entice a youngster to eat what is actually a slow poison? Very powerful marketing indeed.

As we move forward more informed and conscious as a society, we need to be vigilant in exposing those companies which are corrupt. And it is time to call out any form of corporate wrongdoing at our expense for profit.