ASTROLOGY NOW IN THE SKY

July 9, 2010
By Michael Erlewine (Michael@Erlewine.net)

What is going on in the sky above that has all the astrologers (including myself) discussing it? I
dont want to lay a lot of astrological technical jargon on you, but I will briefly try to explain what
all the fuss is about.
Yesterday, I wrote about the double eclipse we are having right now, which ends this Sunday,
so that is not what I am commenting on now.
As we all know the Sun, Moon, and planets create an ever-changing (almost kaleidoscopic)
series of patterns or configurations in the heavens above us. Most astrologers dont believe that
what happens out there in the solar system effects or causes what we do down here on Earth.
Instead we feel that there is but a single cosmic dance, and the planets up there in the heavens
are dancing to the same tune we are here on Earth. This is a big difference between these two
views, the first being causal (cause and effect) and the second synchronous, interdependent.
Synchronicity is how I see it. So what is the big deal?
The planets form various geometric patterns out there, like triangles, squares, oppositions,
conjunctions, etc. The pattern happening right now that astrologers are discussing is called a TSquare or Cross, which consists of two planets opposite one another AND square (90degrees) to a third. The planets involved in the current pattern are all slow moving, the so-called
heavy planets, in this case Saturn opposite the planets Uranus and Jupiter, and all three of
those square (90 degrees) to the slowest planet of all, Pluto. Unless you are an astrologer, all
that I just wrote may sound like gobbledy-gook jargon. What does it mean to us?
First, astrologers differ, agree to differ, and find their differences when interpreting a
configuration like this, so lets allow a lot of room here for other perspectives than my own. I can
only give you my opinion, so keep that in mind. And I am going to stop using astro jargon here
and just suggest a possible interpretation for this current configuration.
I will start out by saying that if we experience this configuration at all, it will be very personal
indeed, touching us where we are most vulnerable, as in the kind of vulnerability that finds us
lying awake in bed at night unable to sleep, staring at the ceiling, and wondering what we are
going to do, the kind of vulnerable, as in to the quick. That is key here.
That being said, in all likelihood or in most cases this large cosmic event may mark a real time
of change and even transformation for many, especially as relates to our life path, which for
most of us means our career, how we are making our way through (or around) the obstacles in
our lives the way we go through life.
And this may well involve for many of us a sudden change in direction or at least a change to a
different direction than what we are used to or where we imagined up to now we were going
toward. In other words, we may find that our expectation as to how our life was headed and the
reality are two quite different things. Or we may suddenly break away from a groove (or rut) we
have been in for a long while and find ourselves heading in a whole nother direction.
The point here is that our career direction (or dharma path), the path or way we find ourselves

making a living, our particular pathway through what life has given us has changed, is changing,
or is about to change. This is not a bad thing, but a very natural thing. In fact, all that is holding
us back is a little time, until our inner sense of our self tells us that what we are feeling and
seeing IS real and we accept and start going with the change. It is already all around us.
So the signs of the change should already be on our radar screens, but we may not have put all
the pieces of the puzzle together yet. In the next month or so, the patterns should be clear and
our deeper self will get behind all of this. So there you have a brief interpretation from this
astrology. Now some jargon.
Let me conclude with a little technical explanation, which will mostly be of interest to my fellow
astrologers, but hopefully will not be too abstract for the non-astrologers here.
The traditional astrological chart we astrologers have used for hundreds of years is basically a
chart of the Earths view or perspective of the entire solar system. Remember that Earth is not
able to see the solar system from any other perspective than as an inner planet embedded
within that solar system.
The traditional astrology chart is a snapshot in time of what Earth sees from within the solar
system. Yet what also matters (and can be of crucial importance) is: just what is the traditional
astrology chart a snapshot of? The answer, of course, is that the traditional natal chart is a
snapshot of the planets in the solar system from a very limited and particular viewpoint, that of
our Earth.
Of equal and sometimes more importance is to accurately know what the whole solar system is
actually doing, not just what Earths limited perspective sees. I will not go on in this vein,
because I have written whole books about this, which you can find free at:
http://www.astrologysoftware.com/books/index.asp?orig
and articles at MichaelErlewine.com.
Instead, let me use the current configuration to make my point. Many astrologers are waiting for
Saturn to reach the exact opposition to the planet Uranus in the traditional chart. However, from
the point of view of the whole solar system (heliocentrically), that opposition was reached some
time ago. It is already over and our inner or larger sense (helio) of whatever change we might
agree it represents has already taken place. We have already adjusted to it or are adjusting to it.
What is happening now is that the planet Saturn is however (heliocentrically speaking) exactly
to the degree square Pluto, now. That square IS exact.
And, the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction has yet to take place, although the traditional chart shows
that it has already taken place. My point?
It is a very great help to compare these two different charts (geo and helio) when it comes to
timing the effect a configuration like the current might have. The traditional (geocentric) natal
chart is a perspective on the REALITY of what the actual bodies in the solar system are doing in
relation to their common center, the Sun. This is what is actually taking place, and Earths view
may tend to run ahead (future) or behind (past) what is actually taking place. Comparing both
charts gives you more information on any particular aspect of configuration, like the
Saturn/Uranus opposition, the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction, and the Saturn/Pluto square and
more information offers us an opportunity to be more exact in our interpretations. Thanks for
listening.