The Trance-formations of 2010

I have been writing for over a year on the transformational transits of 2010-2012.  The exponential acceleration and evolution is upon us. 

Astrologically, the summer's Grand Cardinal Cross of 2010 far surpasses any events on the winter solstice of 2012 for catalyzing consciousness.  In many ways, the whole next decade, and even the priorities and motivations for humanity's next century are being seeded in the trance-formations of 2010.

The following article is broken up into two sections: The first describes the major astrological events for the year, such as the Mercury and Mars retrogrades, the Eclipses, and the Cardinal Climax of the summer.  The second part is a channeled message I received regarding the year ahead. It is a spiritual invitation to embrace the huge shifts occurring in 2010.  I hope you will take a few moments to be guided by this information, and that it will support you in strategizing your year ahead.

Eclipse Portal

This New Year launches us right into an eclipse window in the signs of Cancer and Capricorn, the archetypal mother and father.  The Blue Moon Lunar Eclipse on New Year's at 10 Cancer, and the Solar Eclipse on January 15th at 25 Capricorn highlight the themes of finding our stable homes, structures, daily regimens, and communities that support a feeling of both Capricornian success and Cancerian comfort within us.

For eclipses, check your chart to see if any planets or angles are near these points, as well as what houses they fall in.  These planets and houses will be catalyzed, amplified, and focused on as evolutionary triggers for at least 6 months following the eclipse.

Other Eclipse dates for 2010 include:

•    Lunar Eclipse — Jun 26,2010 — 04 Capricorn p46

•    Solar Eclipse — Jul 11,2010 — 19 Cancer 24

•    Lunar Eclipse — Dec 21,2010 — 29 Gemini 21

 Mercury Retrograde: Back it Up!

As life continues to accelerate, it seems nearly impossible to slow down enough to truly appreciate what has been accomplished, to honor the process of learning which helps us perceive our little successes along the way.  This is the invitation during our current Mercury Retorgrade in Capricorn, lasting until the 15th of January.  If we don't take the time to reflect upon what we have already achieved, sometimes the retrograde will bite us and cause us to slow down -- my own hard drive crashed the day after Mercury went retrograde.

Fortunately, I used Apple's Time Machine to back everything up, but these retrogrades remind us of our growing dependence on technology and our need to respect the machine as an extension of the human -- imperfect and able to break down.  I have been looking back at old journals and creative works during this cycle and feeling like it may be time to refine and craft some of them to bring out to the world.  Perhaps this New Year retrograde will inspire you to travel back through your own worlds of accumulated wisdom or to begin keeping a regular journal. Journaling one's astrological transits can be an instructive and connective prayer, a spiritual practice which teaches you how to integrate into your lives the evolutionary invitations of the planets.

Other Mercury Retrograde dates to plan for this year include:

Mer Ret. Apr 17 2010 20:07  12°Taurus

Mer Dir. May 11 2010 14:27  02°Taurus

Mer Ret. Aug 20 2010 11:59  19°Virgo

Mer Dir. Sep 12 2010 15:09  05°Virgo

Mer Ret. Dec 10 2010 04:05  05°Capricorn

Mer Dir. Dec 29 2010 23:21  19°Sagitarrius

Mars retrograde in Leo

Mars Retro: December 20, 2009 - March 10th

Mars Direct: March 10 at 0 Leo - in Leo until Jun 7th

One of the great tests of transitioning into the Aquarian age will be the full embodiment of its opposite sign, Leo by each individual.  We can only enter into the egalitarian, idealist vision of the cosmic Aquarian tribe if each individual discovers the Source within them, and channels their unique offerings for the healing and evolution of earth.  During this Mars retrograde in Leo, and until Mars leaves Leo in late May, we should ask ourselves what specific gift can I contribute to the tribe?  And how do I sabotage myself in offering this gift through impatient decision making, an insufficient strategy, or a lack of teamwork?

A model of performance and gathering which supports the collective creative is the Vaudeville-style variety show.  This format of entertainment allows for the inner artist to be channeled in many unique and eccentric formats, not limiting one to a single mode of expression.  With consistent variety show performances, the entire community (Aquarius) benefits from a broad range of aesthetic journeys, while promoting the fullest artistic potential of each individual (Leo).

Jupiter in Pisces and the Visionary Mystic

The current Saturn-Pluto square aspect of financial crisis is demonstrating that our value system can no longer depend on money and materialism.  During these times, the creative force surges in us. It is up to each person to support their community, to join forces to inspire each other, and to remember to play and invoke the inner innocence.  Jupiter's entry into Pisces will help promote the compassionate visionary and the mystical artist in all of us.

We can expect this year to be unprecedented in the mythical scope and achievement in the arts, especially film and music, both ruled  by Pisces.  For instance, within three months, we have the release of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, both in 3d, a technology that will take over the film world in the next 10 years.  We also have the simultaneous release of two films directly dramatizing the Greek myths, the remake of Clash of the Titans, as well as the Percy Jackson series of films.  Both films, set to be blockbusters, follow the Greek hero Perseus.  Why should both of these epic films be released at this time? Again, Pisces, Jupiter's home for much of 2010 is about mythology and metanarrative.  As our structures collapse and our previous worldviews dissolve, we have to return to the source of our collective mythos, our rational western perspectives, which were born with the Greeks.  That rational logic continues to crumble as we launch ourselves deeper into an accelerated virtual reality and surreal, fantasy world of technology.

Interestingly, this summer, both Jupiter and Uranus will move from the last sign of the zodiac, the artistic, dreamy Pisces, into the hero warrior and pioneer Aries. Then, at the end of the summer, they will both retrograde back into Pisces and finally move into Aries again in the Spring of 2011. This undulation of Jupiter and Uranus links the end with the beginning of the zodiac, the culmination of a cycle, and the seeding of an entirely new collective perception.  The last time that Jupiter-Uranus conjoined in Pisces-Aries gave us an unprecedented technological thrust into the future, which we can expect again in 2010.  In the conjunction of 1927-28, we had the first talking films, the first color films, the first animated films, the first transatlantic flight, and the first international radio broadcasts.  Can we imagine a world without these innovations?   In 2010, renewable and totally new forms of energy usage will begin to hit the market and completely revolutionize transportation and the cultural gestalt in the coming years.  The inventive spirit will propel us forward into what we thought might be the distant future...

Summer Climax: The Grand Cardinal Cross

Right before the moment of coherence is the point of maximum chaos.  We are now there at the topof the roller coaster, zero point, chaos point.

Just two years before the Mayan calendar end date of December 21,2012, in the summer of 2010, 2 transpersonal planets, Uranus and Pluto, 2 social planets, Jupiter and Saturn, and 2 personal planets, the Sun and Mars, will confront each other upon the Cross of Matter in one of the most intense formations in all of astrology, often experienced only once in a human lifetime, a Grand Cardinal Cross. The waiting is over....  

The Cardinal signs are the initators of the zodiac, the outward, expressive thrust of energy in each of the four elements and seasons.  Hence, Aries is Cardinal Fire and the spark of spring.   Cancer is cardinal water and begins at the summer solstice.  Libra is cardinal air and marks the equinox.  Capricorn is cardinal earth and initiates the dark season at the winter solstice.  Since they rule the seasons, the alignment of many planets upon the Cardinal Cross can literally change the face of the earth.  We are about to embark on a time of dramatic change, mounting tension, and the aching pulse for a whole new paradigm for human existence.

In his Cosmos and Psyche, Richard Tarnas describes the rare experiences where multiple archetypal cycles overlap, involving Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto, as begins in 2010.  We find this explosive dynamic during the French Revolution, the years 1964-67, and 1929-1933.

Tarnas writes, "Especially problematic in such eras was the extreme intensification of both wisdespread revolutionary upheaval and violent authoritarian repression in a tightly bound dialectic, mutually activating each other."

Those specially affected by this transit, with an important role to play as initiators of this will have planets at the first degrees of the Cardinal signs and the last degrees of the mutable signs, Gemini, Sagitarrius, Virgo, Pisces.  There will be a surge of intense stress, motivation, and passion in the planets located at these positions.  Let them be your guides for your next phase of evolution.

Saturn-Pluto:  The Alchemical Initiation

The combination of Saturn squaring Pluto is one of the more challenging aspects currently in the sky and present the majority of the year.  In summary, it is the fear of the loss of control, and always manifests itself through financial crisis, terrorist activity, threats of war, and hidden agendas. It is likely that this is why the epic stories in film we mentioned involve the wars of the gods and the concepts of invasion and terrorism, because we are about to enter a massive world crisis.

On Christmas day, a bomb was found, planned to explode over Detroit, in the underwear of a terrorist suspected of working for Al-Qaeda.  The story has blanketed the news and leads us into one of the uglier transits we must undergo this year.  We can expect tightening security in this country and around the world as fears begin to grasp people.  The last Saturn-Pluto contact occurred during 9/11.

The other side of Saturn-Pluto is that an unveiling occurs.  While certain people and institutions will close down in fear, many people will wake up.  In 2001, many people awoke to the deception, lies, and fear-mongering of the government. Also, earlier in the year, many government and military officials announced their knowledge of alien species and UFOs on this planet, as part of the Disclosure Project.  Indeed, much will be disclosed in 2010, which will serve to either traumatize or give massive epiphanies to people, depending on their perspective on the events which occur.  In fact, we are being invited into the heartsource of the problems that exist. If there is a group who hates another group of people, the question to ask is why?  What is the root of this issue?  In this strategy the solution may be found not in the increase in security measures that obviously do not work.   If other civilizations are here and want to help us in our transition to a new earth, why is this being hidden from us?

Uranus-Pluto: Talkin' Bout a Revolution

If there are more threats or another attack on this country, how will we individually and collectively react?  We must build conscious, compassionate dialogues around this.  If we find ourselves inside of clamp-down legislation, it will likely result in revolutionary action by U.S. citizens and different world populations this year with the Uranus-Pluto square, a five-year transit that promises to shake up every institution through rebellious movements for freedom and liberation.

We can already see the tension of the incoming Grand CardinalCross beginning in Iran, where protesters of the government and supporters both marched in the streets around Christmas. Amid tear gas, direct confrontation with authorities, a volunteer civilian police force, and 8 deaths, even activists' relatives have been arrested. One wonders if a civilian police force, rumored to be sought by the Obama administration, will be implemented in the event of a terrorist event in this country.

The last time Uranus and Pluto got together is summarized in the term "the 60's."  But what was seeded there, in the extreme movements for peace, change, and equal rights, must now be implemented during this square.  Today's revolution occurs through the sharing of information instantly.  It is essential that we stay informed to stay empowered in 2010, because the rapid motion will likely feel overwhelming at times. With our willing participation and community support we can co-create the world we want to live in.

The best way of working with the intensity of this summer's energy is to do one's own alchemical and shamanic work, cleansing the old baggage, the outdated dualistic perspectives.  Gratitude and forgiveness are some of the best tools for breaking through the irritable, frustrating, finger-pointing and name-calling that can occur.  Aligning oneself with peaceful and creative strategies for traversing the coming changes is key. Gaia, our mother, is shapeshifting.  We are her stewards. With the Bodhisattva vow to save all sentient beings, let us embrace each other, let down our defenses, and move into the unified field of love, life, and harmony.

Channeled Message for 2010

This year, you will access your inner prophet and recognize its voice as the designer of destiny, the diviner of collective rebirth.

Listen to the translators of healing languages, tones and vibrations of transition which will support you.  These frequencies will emanate from bodyworkers, therapists, astrologers, counselors, coaches, and intimate friends.  Surround yourself with them.

Be willing to part with those whose vibration does not support the gaian matrix of love, interdependence, and Christ-consciousness.  "I come not to bring peace, but a sword," said Christ.  When your path is tested, when forces of separation tempt you, invoke the archangel Michael, and the buddhist bodhisattva Manjushri, both of whom wield the sword of truth, discrimination, and clear perception.  Remember that each is on their appropriate path at the pace perfect for them.  There is no room for judgment in an awareness focused on Oneness.

We must keep this all in perspective of Soul.  You are multidimensional and the human body is but one vehicle of transport, one carrier wave for the infinite and manifold frequency of your being. And your being is but one particle of the web of Being, a spark emanated from the Source.  Do not be afraid then, of the death of this body, as it signifies only that your soul-work is elsewhere.  You must now embrace the shedding of the old costume of ego and its games.  Align the will of the third chakra to the unconditonal love of the fourth chakra.  It is in this heart core of pure, natural green luminosity that you can focus upon the bodhisattva vow to serve all sentient beings.

Others will breathe in the luminous torch you share with them.  This will sustain us all through the chaos of birth-pangs, out of which we must navigate as one infant race emerging into bliss-remembrance.

The crucial lesson to awaken to is your infinite power to affect the manifest world.  And so you are invited to question every level of your value systems.

If you have placed much of your value in money, what will happen as the economy continues to crumble?  Worry less about paying off debt and more about surrounding yourself with the humans, animals, plants, and minerals which inspire you, teach you, heal you, and whose vibration you contribute to evolving as well.  Discard the old and tattered....

Prepare an altar in your soul for the angels to converse.  Is there room for them as the cell phone sucks you away from the precious moment?  As the text message steals you from the sacred Now?  Question the value of convenience.  As the web of interconnection thickens and the internet acceleration overwhelms, remember to slow down, dance with a tree, rest, rejuvenate. Heal and nurture thyself with a healthy diet of food, as the fuel is what we become. Praying over food is essential to practicing the wisdom of gratitude.

The spectrum of consciousness is a prism.  You project your perception as an initial light source into one side -- the rainbow of density, fear, and separation to lightness, freedom, and unity will appear in proportion to your capacity to perceive non-daulisitically.  To maintain awareness of the unity indiversity, offer your unique frequency in the golden light of transparency.  

If you can sustain the essential truth of the synchronic perspective, then every moment will radiate, pregnant with meaning.  Every friend and every stranger you meet will morph into a sweet song of soul-nostalgia.  Indeed, there is a worldwide con-spiracy.  The word itself means "with spirits" –- we are here together, as angels, messengers delivering the lessons we all askedfor.  Our soul-clusters surroundus.  Together, we teach each otherthe lines of our spirit-script.  Weremind each other that it is perfect, because it is happening, and from that perspective we ascend into the glory of gratitude.

In all of your doings, remember also to practice simply being.

* * *

To honor one of my roles in this current consciousness shift, I will be teaching a 6 week Archetypal Intro to the Astrological Alphabet course, a webinar class beginning January 20th.  Details on the course and paypal registration is available at my website atastralshaman.com.   I'm very excited about this class as well as the free teleconference I am offering onthe 6th to describe the value of astrology for individuals at this crucial timein history.  I will also field questions about astrology during this teleconference.  If you would like to call in, the call will take place at 7:30 MTN time, so that's 6:30 Pacific, 8:30 Central, and 9:30 on the East Coast.  Just call the number below and enter the access code when prompted. Hope to talk with you! 

(218) 339-4600

Access Code:232082#

Image by mararie, courtesy of Creative Commons license.