Two Western University Students Dead "Unexpectedly" This Fall - Western University Quietly Removes its Forced Covid Shot Mandate November 29, 2022

Two young Western University students have died "unexpectedly" in the fall of 2022, and Western University has now quietly lifted its forced Covid shot mandate, which had been in place for all staff and students since August 2021. 

 

Western University (also known as the University of Western Ontario) in London, Ontario, Canada was the only university in Canada with a forced Covid shot mandate for all students and staff. Students and staff were required to have the first two experimental mRNA shots and a booster in order to attend school or work for the fall semester of 2022. 

 

Five days after the death of the second student, Western University announced it was lifting its vaccine mandate. Western imposed a Covid mRNA shot mandate for all students living on campus in May 2021. The mandate was extended to all students and staff in August 2021. 

 

 

Megha Thakur was a 21-year-old Western University student who died unexpectedly on November 24, 2022.  

 

From a video posted to her Instagram account on July 16, 2022, it was revealed that Megha experienced a heart attack in summer 2022:

 

"I have really bad anxiety, which turned into stress, which turned into a heart attack, so I've been dealing with that."

 

July 16, 2022 screenshot from Megha Thakur's Instagram account @meghaminnd

 

 

We've known from early on that cardiac events like heart attacks, myocarditis, and pericarditis are well-established possible effects from the Covid shots, including in young, healthy people. This is a screenshot of Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) data through November 4, 2022:

This is the second young Western University student to die unexpectedly in fall 2022. Western University student Spencer Cornelis died unexpectedly at the age of 20 on October 18, 2022. See Spencer's obituary.

 

Again, Western University was the only university in Canada with a forced Covid shot mandate in order to attend school or work at the school. The mandate was highly opposed by students and staff alike. 

This is a twitter account made by Western students that was dedicated to reversing the Covid shot mandate at their university: Enough is Enough Western

 

The description on the account reads: "We’re students standing against UWO [University of Western Ontario or Western University] adding barriers to education and taking away our right to choose."

 

 

 

 

 

This statement was being sent out by Western University prior to November 29, 2022 when they dropped the criminal shot mandate. The university barred students from campus if they were not up-to-date with the Covid shots:  

 

Click to enlarge. 

 

Other universities in Canada stopped short of a full, forced mRNA shot mandate. Instead, the University of Toronto mandated the Covid shots for all students living on campus. 

"As per a COVID-19 planning update released on July 28, “Recently, U of T reinstated the vaccination requirement for students and employees living in University residences. Students living in residences this fall will be required to have a primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine and at least one booster dose before moving in.”

While U of T hasn’t reinstated the vaccine mandate for visitors, faculty, and students not living on campus, they’ve warned unvaccinated students that the broader vaccine mandate could come back any time, which will result in de-enrolment.

“The University has paused the requirement for all members of our community to be fully vaccinated in order to come to campus. Please note that this requirement may be reinstated on short notice if public health conditions or guidance change,” reads the UTogether FAQ page.

“Indeed, although students and employees who are unvaccinated may enrol in classes with in-person components or attend University premises for work activities, vaccination requirements may be reinstated with little notice, which could result in de-enrolment or ineligibility to work.”"

In September 2022, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice upheld the criminal Covid shot mandate at Seneca College in Toronto, Ontario, ruling against two unvaccinated students who argued, correctly, that their rights were being infringed upon by the mandate.

Willow's December 2008 Astro Perspective

(Is that a baton in your pocket or are ya just happy to see me?)

Wow, the last week of November was textbook, as far as astrology goes.

Pluto entered Capricorn for it's gut-wrenching 16-year transformation of our power structures November 26.

I had a feeling that its last day in Sagittarius would kick up some Grand Finale violence along religious/cultural lines. And it did – in the form of the attacks in Mumbai, India.

Pluto relates to a level of oppression and the simmering, seething resentment roiling underneath until it erupts to the surface in a volcanic explosion. The attacks, which supposedly targeted Americans and British, could be seen to be related to those feelings of oppressed domination-subjugation along cultural/religious lines. Pluto's transit in Sagittarius brought cultural and religious divisions and the power dynamics around them to to forefront. It also pushed things to a breaking point around intolerance and fundamentalism in all religions. The ugliness simmering underneath got right up in our grills.

Adding to the mix was Uranus, planet of sudden change, upheaval and revolution, which went direct the next morning (Nov. 27). These attacks very much had the Uranian surprise factor. Shocking and surreal. Making us aware of the connection of imperalist governmental policies and retaliatory attacks from people who feel pushed to the very limit. Uranus in Pisces. Nothing exists in a vacuum.

At the same time, there is cloudiness (Pisces) around who is actually at the root of these attacks. Confusion about the facts. There is continued speculation of collusion at the top...with the Americans using attacks like these (as they did with the 9/11 attacks) to further their agenda - as an excuse to continue their brutal foreign policy track and suppression of citizen's rights at home. Obama is certainly setting up a “status quo as you go” government...no regime change there.

In Canada on Thursday (Nov. 27), the Conservative government presented its financial plan (Capricorn territory) in the House of Commons. The Opposition Parties immediately said they would not support it due to its lack of economic stimulus in light of the current world finance meltdown.

Also a point of contention was the Conservatives' plan to stop public subsidization of political parties – a move that would starve its competition of necessary funds. The Conservatives have just been re-elected to their second minority government, and this bold power move did not sit well. The Opposition parties called for a vote of non-confidence, which, if passed, could topple the government. The Conservatives are now in the process of backtracking, perhaps surprised that their ruthless move was met with such immediate resistance.

This is the climate as we enter December. We're all highly attuned to power dynamics related to authority and hierarchy. Going too far with our power simply cannot be tolerated. Nothing is flying under the radar. Strategic moves are out in the open. Pluto brings a quality of do-or-die, all-or-nothing, and people have had enough. There's been enough damage done by the unrelenting quest for more power and more power and more power concentrated in the hands of the few.

(Haha...I just typed “in the nads of the few.” Telling typo there...excessive masculine is one of the things being put in check by Pluto in Capricorn (Capricorn – Cancer polarity)).

It's not just about the interests of the people who hold the power. It's about all of us. Flattening out illegitimate hierarchies till we're all standing on solid ground together as true equals (Aquarius). A new way of wielding power. A new way of governing.

Uranus is very powerful at the beginning of December as it slowly increases speed. Uranus in Pisces is still in mutual reception with Neptune in Aquarius (representing the Pisces to Aquarius paradigm shift) and in opposition to Saturn in Virgo. All this is ongoing for the next two years.

All these houses of cards coming crashing down – the structural hierarchies getting their initial checks from Pluto, which is beginning its work of stripping down illegitmate power dynamics. Like “the economy” and the money system, government is on the agenda of Pluto in a big way.

These are shocking events to some people...but not for those of us who understand Pluto in Capricorn's modus operandi. It's all to be expected. We'll see similar things happening in all our power structures, in all the hierarchies and institutions – police, courts, healthcare, the family unit, etc. How shocking it is is in direct proportion to how much stock you put in the structures to begin with. How much trust you had that the system was just and legitimate and that it was structurally sound.

For me, I've never seen much justice or legitimacy in “the way things are.” I've always found it different levels of intolerable.

The only thing that is somewhat surprising is the rapidity of it all. Pluto is wasting no time. But really, there is no time to waste. The hierarchies, the money system, the merger of government and business, consumer capitalism – these things have gotten so rotten, so poisoned, so far from existing within natural law that we desperately need a good dose of Pluto. The excesses of the financial systems were just begging to be put in check.

As I've said before, Pluto exists in the area of the zodiac where we most need complete core-level change. It's an area that without Pluto's relentless penetration would lead to the extinction of the species. We have to welcome the things it is stripping down, the lack of structural integrity that it is and will continue to bring to light – until no one can avoid it anymore. The Band-Aid needs to come off. Facing the inevitability of the transformation now is like pulling it off in one quick rip. Denying and clinging to what is falling away is pulling it off one hair at a time.

Thank goodness we have three planets in “keep the flame of optimism burning” Sagittarius as we begin the month – the Sun, Mercury and Mars, all travelling in conjunction. Carrying our newly born truth, stripped to its most potent force, lighting the way forward through times of collective anxiety and fear. Doing what Sagittarius always does, but for the first time since 1995, we enter the Sagittarius part of the tropical zodiac without the heavy influence of Pluto. This should add to the Sagittarian glow and joie de vivre this December. Enjoying life – good food, good drink, good friends, good stories – is what Sagittarius loves best, and big, bad Pluto leaving the sign is even more reason to celebrate this holiday season. With the excesses stripped away, hopefully we can celebrate what really matters and infuse our holidays with real meaning – instead of running ourselves ragged buying and getting.

I'm sure the Sagittarian Suns out there are feeling very relieved – even if not consciously. Pluto sort of acts “upon” us over a very long period of time. It is also a generational sign, not a personal one. But still – Pluto is out of tropical Sagittarius for good for our lifetimes, and this has to be felt on a certain level, especially for the Suns. No matter what turmoil Pluto is kicking up in Capricorn, it is always a relief when a planet changes signs. The last degrees are a grind and seem to hold on so long (to me, anyway). But we made it. We've come out of a long, dark tunnel. We've had our faith tested to the very limits, and now we're coming out the other side, changed forever. Sadge Suns really embody that infinite source of optimism and faith in day-to-day life. It's “who they are” in a lot of ways to provide inspiration and a sense of celebration of life for the people around them, especially through tough times. But I'm sure even they were starting to wonder.

To add to the good vibes as December begins, we have a Moon - Venus – Jupiter conjunction in Capricorn December 1. Venus and Jupiter are both feel-good planets. Even in serious Capricorn, these two planets coming together is nice...and beneficial. A burst of expansion in career and public visibility in our chosen fields coming about through relationships. Progress and achievement-related partnerships are at the forefront, which also take our emotional and soul-level needs for recognition and progress into play.

Both Venus and Jupiter in Capricorn are coloured by Saturn in Virgo this month (ruled by and in trine to), and we see that we can continue to expand on the business/career front only in healthy and sustainable ways and only if we come together and balance our needs. The workers hold the key, really. We keep things running.

No surprise unilateral moves to cut off funding from your competitors, Mr. Harper. Not with a precarious minority governement, that's for sure. It's about integrity, all parts working together – not winner-take-all power grabs or cruelty from people in places of authority.

If we face our fears and do what we have to do, taking solid, practical steps (while taking the people around us into consideration), we can make progress this month.

But fear is a big one (Saturn). Fear is especially at the forefront for those who are heavily invested (emotionally and financially) in the continuance of the old structures. As we know by now, the more we try to cling to what Pluto is cutting away, the more brutal the process becomes.

People are scared because what they thought was a sure thing wasn't. The security people were banking on their entire adult lives has evaporated. But I think the Saturnine lesson to take away from this is that nothing is guaranteed in a human lifetime. We can't drag ourselves through mediocre careers that our hearts aren't in, maintaining status quos that aren't in the best interest of the planet, just for the promise of a sweet retirement 25 or 30 years down the road. We have to live in the now. Most of the planet lives day-to-day. The vast majority of people don't know where their next meal is coming from, let alone where they're going to find the funds for a vacation home in Florida. This is another aspect of the great equalization leading into Aquarius, I think.

Again, the level of fear and discomfort is in direct proportion to how much you banked on the security of the capitalist system. For those who have never found that security, adapting to changing conditions should be less brutal.

Adapting to changing conditions is the name of the game this month.

With the Sun, Mercury and Mars in Sagittarius, Saturn in Virgo and Uranus in Pisces, we have a mutable T-Square going on through mid-month at different stages of "exactness".

The mutable signs relate to change, flexibility and adjustment, and that is what we're challenged to stay on top of. It makes perfect sense, as our structures change and transform in dramatic ways.

The personal planets in Sagittarius (first Mercury, then the Sun, then Mars) will square first Uranus in Pisces, then Saturn in Virgo during the first half of the month.

So we've got Uranus in Pisces (vision for the future, dissolution into the spiritual “flow” and higher insight) opposing Saturn in Virgo (concrete, practical, day-to-day, grounded). Our “spacey, wanting to get lost in the vision, sleepy, dreamy” side and our “get your head out of your ass and pay attention - and take some responsibility while you're at it” side tugging at each other and trying to find some sort of happy, balanced medium. This will be playing out in ourselves but also in our relationships, and we need to find that balance so as not to cause a huge amount of stress and strain there. Oppositions can push us to our breaking point if we take staunchly polarized sides, so we have to share the responsibility and the dreamy vision. It's definitely not a good idea to turn one person into the “responsible, detail-oriented” one and the other person into the “dreamy poetic” one. Or any version of that.

So added to that ongoing opposition this month is the personal planets in Sagittarius which want to get beyond that Saturn – Uranus opposition with a broader, more philosophical take on it. They want to know the truth about what is going on.

(Emphasis on holding our personal truth and using it as a guide for navigating these squared-off energies.)

Too bad Uranus has other plans and will throw monkey wrenches into Sagittarius' Grand Truths.

Mercury is out in front of the Sun and Mars in Sagittarius this month and leads the procession into T-Square formation. Mercury in Sagittarius squares Uranus in Pisces December 4. The Sun squares Uranus December 10, and Mars squares Uranus December 11.

We're all made hyper-aware of our cultures and our belief systems during Sagittarius and how those differ from others'. We also want to just shoot our mouths off whenever we feel like it. “That's the truth! Deal with it!” But remember – with all this Sagittarius, we're all going to have this fiesty truth-telling urge. We could go overboard (yes, a Sagittarian concept) and develop foot-in-mouth disease. In fact, this is likely, especially with Mercury and Mars involved. So best to keep that in mind whilst running at the mouth this month.

Uranus throws shocking events our way designed to shake us up, and with the personal planets involved in the squares, these things are going to be happening on a conscious, personal level. A lot of adjustments heading our way! S-t-r-e-t-c-h!!

The Mercury square to Uranus (Dec. 4) will probably take the form of shocking information or ideas designed to do that consciousness-shaking thing. Rattling the cultural truths with new information. The media will probably play a big role here – both the mainstream media and the Internet/indy media offering their perspectives. Taking what's valuable from both will help to create a more well-rounded understanding.

New information/insight will also come through simple day-to-day interactions.

Mercury relates to the human intellect/mind. Uranus is related to flashes of radical, cosmic insight. So this has a feeling of wrapping our brains around these larger ideas of where we're headed on this planet.

When the Sun gets in on the squaring action (Dec. 10), this process filters into our conscious moment and starts colouring who we are and how we express ourselves.

The Mars – Uranus square (Dec. 11) is the one that has the possibility of antagonism and violence. Could be a lot of unexpected anger displays, pushiness, me-first kind of exertion - again squaring that “keep your eye on the prize,” broader view of what is going on right now.

Uranus in Pisces keeps things very surreal-feeling, spacey, floating. It demands an increasing level of detachment and acceptance because of that bizarre “is this really happening?” aspect. Things come out of left field. That meteor that disintegrated over Alberta? Yeah. Kind of like that.

Sagittarius wants to know. It's about understanding the truth of the matter through our experiences on the planet. So you can see how these two energies can clash. Wanting to know the unknowable. Wanting to understand something so “out there” that we can't really understand it until it has run its course...maybe not even then. Exerting a "truth" that is always changing.

Then you've got the squares of the Sagittarius planets to Saturn in Virgo.

Again Mercury leads the way, squaring Saturn in Virgo on December 6. The Sun squares Saturn December 12, and Mars squares Saturn December 15.

With Saturn in Virgo, the focus is on the concrete, the here-and-now, and especially what needs to be done, fixed, improved, dealt with. What details need to be attended to to keep things functioning smoothly. How to receive those sudden Uranian monkey wrenches being thrown into the mix and still manage to put things in order, integrating the chaos and harnessing it. Bringing that Uranian consciousness into how we set up our structures and how we live our day-to-day lives. Making it real, practical and concrete.

The clash with Sagittarius here is that Sadge would prefer to deal with the big picture. It would prefer to expand, branch out, have experiences and just kick back and enjoy what life has to offer, while Virgo works to refine to only what's necessary and sustainable. “Works” being the key word. Lots of work to do, and Virgo can get downright exasperated when people refuse to pay attention and focus and do things properly.

The fourth mutable sign in the zodiac is Gemini, and this is the leg that will help to stabilize the mutable T-Square going on with Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces this month. Think of a T-Square as a three-legged chair that is missing one leg. You need the fourth leg for stability. Even if there are no planets/bodies there, the energy represented by the fourth sign also plays a role.

So just in general, the tension created by all these mutable squares will activate Gemini during the first half of December.

Then we have a Full Moon in Gemini on December 12 turning the mutable T-Square into a mutable Grand Cross. This Grand Cross that we bear this month is all about adjusting, changing, and making it through the transitions. Juggling, keeping things moving, not getting stuck. We'll really be able to feel things changing now.

The Gemini Moon as the fourth leg of the Grand Cross is beneficial in that we will have a level of emotional adaptibility and intellectual detachment during the proceedings. Gemini understands many different perspectives, and with the Moon here, many different emotional perspectives. Gemini Moon doesn't generally get too emotionally attached to any one particular point-of-view. The ability to allow many different emotions and to have many different pasts co-existing should help us now. It will alleviate the “Grand Truth” tendencies of Sagittarius. All truths co-existing, converging, making one truth together.

With Gemini and Mercury involved so heavily, we're going to be talking a lot this month. Listening, gathering information, talking about the changes and the shocking events. We're going to need the outlet of day-to-day interaction with people to make sense of it all and to stop from going nutty, I'm sure.

As I said, the media will play a big role in the developing consciousness about what is going on. But it will also become clearer how the media is used as a tool for manipulating the people. How only certain perspectives (Gemini) or truths (Sagittarius) are allowable. How crucial context is left out of the story so that the public is kept confused with partial information, left to come to the conclusions laid out for them.

In order to successfully adjust to the shifting understanding of these times we're living in, communication is going to be key. Information will come to us from many different sources and many different perspectives to help us make sense of it...to help us understand our own perspective within it all. But we have to determine what is meaningful information to us, rather than letting external forces make that decision for us. We have to dig and search for the added context ourselves if we want it – it's not going to be broadcast on CNN.

(Sagittarian aside):

I've worked in both the mainstream and independent media. When I was 21 years old and on my journalism internship at a newspaper in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, I saw for the first time in “real life” how the news is filtered. I wanted to do a story on some local people who were travelling to Seattle for the protest against the World Trade Organization. I was told by my editor that this was a non-story.

How could this be a non-story, I wondered? I mean, that paper wasn't above re-writing a press release for a story. If local people doing an MS run or a fundraiser or erecting a statue in a city park was news, how could local people going all the way to Seattle to protest not be a story?

I had heard the buzz about it. I knew it was going to be big, and I knew this editor was wrong. But what can an intern reporter do about it? Not much.

Three days later the story had absolutely blown up. The Battle in Seattle. Tens of thousands of protesters from around the world had actually shut down the meetings! Unheard of!

And my editor came up to my desk and said...oh yeah. I guess you were right. Do you want to do a story on it now?

I did. It got censored. And that was my first understanding of how the news the public receives is filtered and shaped according to the standards of the powers that be. If it even makes it into the paper, it will still be shaped into what is considered “acceptable.”

But it also taught me that there is a timing for getting the word out, and you have to pick your shots.

With the T-Square keeping the communication planet in check this month, we have to choose our words and express only what needs to be expressed. With the Mercury - Pluto influence this month, exerting your truth and forcing it between someone's ears (or having someone do this to you) could be explosive. We just don't want to hear it. Holding the energy of your truth in every situation and acting it instead of actually speaking it will probably be more successful in most cases.

Psychic communication/telepathy will be on the rise...we won't need so many words, anyway.

Venus enters Aquarius December 7. Our involvement with others may have to take a detached, long-view approach now. Our relationships might not look how we expected them to look. We might be involved with people we never thought we would be, but it's tied to that Uranus in Pisces vision. Unexpected connections coming about in surprising ways. We're getting where we need to go through our relationship dynamics, but it may be a bit odd. Not what we had planned, maybe.

Venus conjuncts the North Node December 16, and we see that our partnerships and what goes on within them now is aligned with the way forward. Creating the community is at the forefront, not so much a focus on our personal wants (South Node in Leo). Relationships are taking on new dynamics. We're reaching a new level of equality and independence. No more Piscean feeding each other of energy. Now, we stand on our own two feet and come together as equals. Relationships are not about needing the qualities of the other person so much anymore. They are about being whole on our own and choosing to team up with our equals, our comrades. A new level of friendship in romantic relationships. A common vision for the future. Romantic expectations are changing, and were maybe more myth than reality in a lot of cases, anyway. No one is going to swoop in and save us from the problems of our lives. The way we have been taught to think about relationships and what they mean and how they are set up has changed. Love is changing and is no longer shackled with so much expectation and disappointment. It's a little more detached and is learning to accept and enjoy what exists, rather than trying to mold it into the expected shape.

All Sagittarius planets are heading, this month, to a conjunction with...you guessed it...Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto is the gatekeeper of Capricorn now, and nothing gets by it without a strip down. Going through tail-end Sagittarius and into Capricorn, the planets in Sagittarius are cleansed of any remaining detritus of the “crystallized belief system” variety. This is newly Plutonic Capricorn. Our cultural beliefs and truths shape our structures, and we can't carry the old forward. Anything left to purge before we get to work on our new structures will be purged here, in these conjunctions.

It will be very interesting to see what emerges from these conjunctions. I think we'll see the old guard ways getting some major karmic bites in the ass. Covert power plays becoming visible – maybe even in really embarassing ways. It just isn't going to work anymore. The old guard will continue trying, sure. Pluto is in Capricorn for 16 years, after all, and some will try holding on right until the bloody (and yes, it certainly could be bloody) end. But the manipulations by those in power will be ever-so-visible for those who have the eyes to see. And by the end of Pluto's tenure, even for those who don't want to see. Old ways of maintaining power – manipulation, deceit, domination, violence, coercion, collusion and dirty deals – will create increasingly detrimental setbacks for those who insist upon them.

Mercury enters Capricorn and then immediately conjuncts Pluto December 12. Another day to practise reserve and to hold your tongue whenever possible because the wrong words could trigger massive meltdowns and rage.

The Sun enters Capricorn December 21 and we have the Winter Solstice. The Sun then conjuncts Pluto December 22, making the changing guard all in our faces, in our conscious moment.

We have a New Moon in Capricorn December 27, representing the new structural framework and power dynamics. New forms of authority. New rules for holding power and using it legitimately. This New Moon is coloured, of course, by Pluto in Cap, and the things begun now will tie in to this whole 16-year Plutonic process.

Just seven minutes after the New Moon in Capricorn, Venus conjuncts Neptune in Aquarius, sign of the future egalitarian paradigm. Yep. We're on our way. The structures and powers that be are getting a transforming kick in the pants, and at the same time, we're moving closer to the changes we want to live. The old is dropping away in layers and we are aligning with where we want to be/go. But this New Moon could feel odd and spacey, as well, with the Neptune influence. There is a level of "surrendering to the oddness" that has to take place now.

Mars enters Capricorn December 26, and it conjuncts Pluto December 28. This is the coming together of both of Scorpio's rulers. Here we have a fusion of personal and evolutionary imperative. Getting our marching orders for Pluto in Capricorn so that the progress we're striving for on a personal level is in alignment with what needs to happen on in a broader sense. This could be another angsty day on Planet Earth. Power struggles. Unilateral moves and over-reaching along authority lines leading to disastrous results. Blatant displays of intimidation and force. When personal desire/action and evolutionary imperative are out of alignment, watch out. Ugliness will ensue.

The final day of December has Saturn going retrograde in Virgo until mid-May. We're going back over the territory we've covered since September. And a lot of territory it's been. I can barely believe that September was only three months ago.

Saturn in Virgo is heading to its second opposition to Uranus in Pisces on February 5, 2009. This time, Saturn will be going retrograde. Going back over the details and putting things in order as Uranus continues to rattle our cages. There is a lot to be done to continually restore the structures/system to health and sustainability, and Saturn will remind us to shoulder our duty there without complaint or lagging.

But the three transpersonal/outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are going direct. Full speed ahead, we are, until Pluto goes retro in April.

(Second Sagittarian aside: a little Pluto in Capricorn-flavoured story to cap off this Astro Perspective...)

After graduating from journalism school, I got a job as a researcher at CBC TV news in Regina, Sask. A conservative Torontonian from the privates (just so you know, CBC-ers often kind of look down on the private stations' news due to its more advertiser-friendly, watered-down coverage) had been hired as head honcho of the newsroom. He was basically there to impose the “VJ” or video journalist system as a cost-cutting measure. In other words, reporters were now expected to shoot and edit their own stories as well as writing, researching, interviewing, etc. It would make many camera and editing jobs redundant, not to mention the fact that it would make doing a decent, in-depth news story almost impossible due to time and energy constraints of the reporters. So this was a bit of a tense time at old CBC TV news. Just in time for Willow to show up.

This was around the time of another big protest, the Free Trade Area of the Americas meeting in Quebec City in April 2001.

Again, I was pitching stories about this. Again, I was brushed off. I learned that RCMP officers from Saskatchewan were being called in to be part of the police force there. In fact, I learned that Chretien was bringing officers from all across Canada, not to mention the army. The police presence was going to be immense.

Of course, this was of little interest. The public not picking up after their dogs in the off-leash dog park was a much more important story.

I ended up leaving CBC (umm...it was a mutual decision. haha) and going to the FTAA protest with a group of people from Saskatchewan. Driving day and night from Regina to Quebec City in a 15-passenger van. Not fun.

The powers that be had learned from the Battle in Seattle. This time, they had erected a fence all around downtown Quebec City. Police in full riot gear stood along the fence on the inside perimeter. Expensive cars filled with VIPs were allowed through the fence at a sort of policed checkpoint.

I was a little shocked by the show of force, I must say.

We were there to exercise our democratic right to protest our government making back-room deals. This was a trade agreement that had never been made public (as most of these “free trade talk rounds” are kept undisclosed). They were trying to extend already controversial NAFTA to Central and South America without public consent. There was also word that water and health care were to be turned into free trade-able commodities, subject to free trade rules (ie. no protection, no government subsidization).

The fact that the heads of state were now holed up in their meetings behind a huge chain-link fence patrolled by riot police was a pretty fitting symbol of the lack of transparency in our so-called democracy, no?

We just stood at the fence watching the police standing on the other side of the fence. That was it. But it wasn't long before the police were using CS gas like crazy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CS_gas - it made me sick for a week after the protest and all the women got their periods immediately following). Pepper spray powder. Shooting us with rubber bullets. Spraying us with a water cannon filled with chemicals that burned as it hit your skin. The gas was everywhere. People were being overwhelmed. I stepped in a mound of pepper spray powder which flew up into my eyes. They burned, and I couldn't see. There were some people going around rinsing people's eyes with water, and luckily someone saw me and doused me.

Again, all this seemed a little much. I couldn't exactly understand why this show of force. But we didn't back down. We stood there at that fence and stared them down. They weren't getting rid of us that easily. All that weekend, we stayed there watching.

One of the freakiest things I have ever seen was when a string of these guys, all in full riot gear and in gas masks, remember – shield and batons at the ready – came out from behind the fence. They moved in formation, like a centipede. No longer individual humans. They were like a machine. It was insane. And that was when I realized what was really going on in my country. And in the world. (Being a 22-year-old farm kid fresh out of university, keep in mind.) Sure this was lightweight compared to what is going on in other parts of the world where the bullets aren't rubber. I realized that even at the time, but at its root, it was the same thing.

What I also realized, though, was that: THEY'RE afraid of US! All those grown men in full riot gear, with batons and shields and gas masks in their big black boots and uniforms were sent to intimidate a bunch of people in jeans and T-shirts with apple cider vinegar-soaked bandanas across our faces to keep the gas fumes out.

The powers that be knew we knew what they were up to. They were scared because we WEREN'T scared! They couldn't intimidate us enough not to show up or to go away, and that freaked them right out. They were afraid of the people they supposedly represented. Afraid of a real show of democratic dissent. Even behind that fence, holed up in their luxury hotel, negotiating our country away...

And this is sort of how these times feel to me. The behind-closed-doors authoritarian regime is on the ropes. It may take all 16 years of Pluto in Capricorn (Capricornian progress takes a great deal of time) to fall, but fall it will, I reckon.

And the less legitimate the power, the more afraid they are. The more vicious and brutal they will be to try to hold onto their power. The more lies and manipulation they use.

But the beautiful thing about Pluto in Capricorn is that people are going to see through it.

Anyway, Happy Holidays to everyone. Happy 2009.

I've been writing these Astro Perspectives for a year now, so thanks to everyone who has read them and to those who have given me encouragement about continuing to write them. All the best.

Willow

Last Quarter Moon in Mutable T-Square Formation

Tonight, we are experiencing a very spicy, perhaps achy and ouchy Sun - Pluto square in the 28th degrees of Virgo (Sun) and Sagittarius (Pluto). This leads us into a Mutable T-Square formation and a Last Quarter Moon tomorrow night.

I've written tonnes of stuff about the squaring of Pluto in Sagittarius from Virgo planets over the last few months, but again, here we are seeing deeply embedded and often hidden beliefs, truths and philosophies (religious, cultural, and economic) coming to the surface for purging with Virgo focussing on and analyzing what is coming up.

With the Sun here, we are very much aware of this process in our conscious moment.

The big topic these days, of course, is the U.S. economic meltdown...with much more to come there once Pluto re-enters Capricorn in November.

Economics is far from a hard science. There are elements of mass psychology and cultural belief at work here, and here, as Pluto kicks up dust in its last pass through Sagittarius for 248 years, we are forced to take a hard look at the belief systems and ideologies underlying our structures - those structures (like the economy and money system) that will be on the transformational agenda of Pluto in Capricorn. Before we transform the earthy concrete, we have to understand the truth about the beliefs/ideologies that are the basis for those structures and how we set them up.

For now, we are (or are becoming) quite aware of the excess of optimism (some would call it delusion) in the capitalist "borrow/buy now, pay later" system getting a big old reality check from more grounded forces. We are starting to see the fallacies of the capitalist system more clearly...the idea that it would grow and grow without end...the idea that you can put off paying the piper inevitably...and the idea that ANY of this is healthy, functional or sustainable.

The piper's coming a-calling.

And for those of us who know Pluto's ways, we know a Band-Aid solution (government bail-out) isn't going to cut it. You have to get to the root of the problem, the root of the dysfunction and reef it out. Nothing short of complete, core-level transformation will assuage this power player. The system's rotten to the core...so right to the core we must go for the solution. Band-Aid solutions just make things worse. They just make the inevitable that much meaner. They just make Pluto ANGRY! (Not really...but they do amp up the Plutonic process.)

But as Pluto stirs up our mortal fears, we will see people clinging to the structures that have started to crumble...maybe in denial...possibly using force to hold onto dying power...definitely reluctant to face the reality of the situation and the damage that has been done.

Cripes.

Tomorrow, the final full day of Sun in Virgo, we build all day to a Last Quarter Moon in Gemini in a Mutable T-Square formation with Pluto at around 11 p.m. MST.

This means we have the Moon at 29 degrees Gemini squaring the Sun at 29 degrees Virgo (forming the LQ Moon) with Pluto at 28 degrees Sagittarius opposing the Moon and squaring the Sun.

(In effect, we have a very loose Mutable Grand Cross, as Uranus in Pisces is at 20 degrees Pisces, forming the fourth leg of the formation.)

The Last Quarter Moon is the portion of the lunar cycle where we initiate change in our lives/selves based on what we have learned and experienced during the earlier part of the cycle. This is the time where we start to let go and internally move for change, understanding what needs to die in preparation for the New Moon.

In the last degree of Gemini, in T-Square formation in the last degrees of Virgo and Sagittarius, we have a sort of Grand Finale feeling...the big push of mutable-sign change following the force of all the smaller changes dealt with in the earlier degrees. Whoooosh! The seemingly neverending work of Virgo - detail after detail, adjustment after adjustment, is coming to completion. The results of our focussed, sometimes navel-gazing, purifying and perfecting are becoming known...

All we can do now is let go and follow the momentum for change in our own lives, making the adjustments as we go toward new circumstances (especially emotional circumstances).

Monday morning (Sept. 22), the Sun enters Libra and we have the Fall Equinox. A balance point, as day and night are in perfectly equal duration.

As I said in the September Astro Perspective, the Libra energy has its work cut out for it creating any kind of balance or harmony out of this mess! But lead to that balance and harmony, it will. Or at the very least, it will attempt to lead to balance and harmony with all its ability.

Venus enters Scorpio September 23 and will rule the Libra Sun for almost it's entire transit. This adds a sort of bottom-line, no bullshit intensity to our relationships...forcing us to deal with each other in full honesty and integrity, even when dealing with the ugly stuff - unequal power dynamics, domination-subjugation themes, hidden resentments, subtle emotional and psychological abuse or power plays, betrayals.

All that fun stuff that "can't we all just get along??" Libra looooooves to deal with.

Then, September 24, Mercury goes retrograde at 22 degrees Libra. Yep. Not so fast! We're going back over everything that has gone on since September 4. This means Mercury will also be ruled by Venus in Scorpio, forcing confrontation and transformation of our relationships with others even further...bringing it out into our daily interactions. Also in the media.

Good times, kids. Good times. heh heh

Anyway, it's not all bad. We might not have the luxury of keeping it light and harmonious this Libra month...but we're doing the right thing in the long run. We're attempting to create real, soul-level harmony in full honesty and integrity. This might scare the Libra energy shitless, since the gloves will be off, but just like with anything Plutonic, it's best just to get it over with and do what has to be done. A Band-Aid solution just prolongs the dread of what's to come...which is generally not as bad as one conjures up in the mind's eye, anyway.

Willow's September 2008 Astro Perspective

We start September slowly progressing into the new post-eclipses lunar cycle after the New Moon Black Moon in Virgo on August 30. Slowly because Saturn is involved, and Saturn brings a certain sombre weightiness with it that can seem to make the proceedings slow to a crawl. Saturn relates to making concrete structural changes and progress, and in Virgo, it’s about perfecting all the nitpicky details, making all parts of the whole function together properly. Realistic progress here is slow, sometimes arduous and even depressing at times. But at the same time, things still feel uber rocky to me after the eclipses…nothing seems on solid ground. Not sure if this is a universal thing or if it’s because I just had my Saturn Return. Anyway…

The first major aspect of the month is the Moon in Virgo squaring Pluto in Sagittarius on September 1, as Pluto slows to go direct for the final time in Sagittarius for 248-odd years (and odd they certainly will be, I think). This square echoes the squares of Mars, Mercury and Venus in Virgo to Pluto in Sag last month (that I talked about quite a bit in the August update and the New Moon update) and brings up some emotional reconciliation related to the themes there. Again, this is related, partly, to getting to the bottom of what people really believe, deep down, and deciding how to refine our personal roles in relation to that. Being very precise about how we perform our function, what we say and just what/whom we will support, based on what WE really, deep down believe.

The emotional work shifts to outer-expression work (all that Virgo work, work, work!) as we move to a Sun - Saturn conjunction in Virgo on September 3. Again, this is a weighty sort of aspect related to growing up and taking on the responsibility of our roles and who we are. Can feel pressure-filled and stressful. Here, we’re refining and maturing ego, personality and self-expression as we come closer to self-mastery. Channelling who we are and how we express that into a role that serves a purpose for the whole. But also finding what is fun and inspiring within our responsibilities. Gleaning joy from a more grown-up role that only we, with our special talents and characteristics, can perform.

September 4, Mercury enters its retrograde shadow in Libra. All that happens now - from September 4 until Mercury goes retrograde on the 23rd - will be coming back up for our perusal and discussion. And a lot there will be, it seems!

September 5 and 6 are very quiet days. Almost no aspects at all, and I can see why. We’re leading up to both Jupiter in Capricorn and Pluto in Sagittarius going direct within about 24 hours of each other. We need some time to take a deep breath and prepare!

Late September 7, Jupiter turns direct in Capricorn, and there is a lot of action involved in the direct station. Throughout Sept. 7 - 9, we have Venus, Mercury and Mars in tight conjunction in Libra exactly squaring Jupiter. All three of these personal planets (moving in conjunction) will square Jupiter in turn and all three squares could create a squeezing, stressful feeling. Stationing planets are already very potent, appearing from Earth to be motionless in the sky, and these squares will create the tension necessary for a strong initiating energy. The things begun at this point forward, given a strong cosmic push, have legs and will for a while. The ways we are expanding the structures in our world, the ways we are broadening our public role or status and our optimism related to the concrete progress we are seeing are all getting a check from the Libra planets. Libra warns: Don’t forget, in the raised dust of all our expansion and business agendas and material goals, that it’s our relationships that really count! It’s our relationships with others and with nature that bring things back to a place of balance…rather than allowing for free rein of the full-speed-ahead expansion and plans of Jupiter in Capricorn.

Mercury conjuncts Mars September 8, as well, and will again as it slows to go retrograde on the 23rd. In Libra, this conjunction has a balancing, tempering effect. Balancing our interactions and actions so as to maintain diplomacy with the people around us. This is not a time for aggressive, blatantly ambitious moves or for focussing strictly on what you want. We’ll have to balance our needs with others in order to make the progress represented by Jupiter in Capricorn.

Libra energy has a tendency to passive aggressiveness, especially when being squared by either Capricorn or Cancer. Considering it is the sign of partnership, Libra can be pretty selfish…all the while claiming otherwise. Doing things for others it doesn’t want to do…while angry about it underneath and acting out in passive aggressive ways instead of being honest. Honesty is another thing Libra has to work on. It’s too concerned with how other people are going to react a lot of the time and this makes for wishy-washy behaviour that causes problems for everyone involved. Not being honest seems like a selfish thing to me, regardless of justification. This is the caution here. Our communications and behaviours could have a passo-aggro tone if we're swallowing something we don't like but don't have the balls to speak up about it. Don’t get poisoned or play into any of those games. If we don’t get sucked into tit-for-tatting passive aggressive behaviour, hopefully this conjunction, active throughout the month, will help us to verbally call out some of that behaviour and bring things back to a true state of peace.

The symbol for Libra is the scales of justice, and justice is what we need to keep in mind as Jupiter starts moving forward in material goal-conscious Capricorn. We must build and expand with an eye towards making things right, making things fair and just, living within a natural balance.

The capitalist system has run amok, and we now seem to be living in (and leaving, I hope!) a system that banks on inequality, injustice, the benefit of the few from the subjugated position of the many. The structures and the “way things are” are operating according to some bizarre man-made production march - very far from the ebbing and flowing cycles of nature. The mainstream of society no longer seems to take its cues from the world around it, and we can feel that. Things don’t feel right. We’re not all that connected to our food sources, our water sources, or to the origin of many of the products we use each day. The sun and moon are no longer comforting constants to be viewed throughout the day and night, giving us a sense of timing and grander purpose. Gazing at the celestial bodies no longer gives us a daily dose of soul nurturing. We can’t even see the stars from a lot of places in our urban centres! The production/consumption cycle keeps us disconnected, as we buy things in the store without much thought about where they come from or who made them (although, this is changing to a certain extent). Driving is the way of life for most in North America, and people sometimes spend only minutes a day with their feet on the Earth. All this adds up to a lifestyle that exists as a sort of veneer over the natural world - never touching the earth (literally and figuratively), never getting our hands dirty, never listening to the cues of nature. Not that this is the fault of the people - it’s the way things have been set up, how things have been structured. And this is what now needs to be addressed. The further we get from the wisdom of the natural world and its cycles, the more of an imbalance is created. Addressing this imbalance is Libra territory.

At the same time, with the Libra - Capricorn squares, there is tension between getting along and getting things done. Capricorn has the material goal in mind at all times and strives for it, sometimes to the detriment of those things Libra rules - balance, harmony, relationship with others, social justice, beauty, enjoying life for what it is. The old saying “business and pleasure don’t mix” is one theme of the Libra - Capricorn relationship…probably from the Capricorn standpoint!

Again, though, there is a balance, as with all things. And there is a holistic whole that must be kept in mind. Nothing exists in a vacuum. Nothing can be severed or denied for the sake of the progress of something else - although this has often been tried and possibly with great “success.” In the end, though, we always pay the piper. We can spend 60 hours a week at the office, living on coffee and processed food. But our health and our relationships will eventually suffer. We can pour ourselves into work and buy into the obsessive focus and drive that is so valued in a corporate capitalist system, but in the end, we will realize how much we have missed, how many relationships we have let slide, and how we have been duped.

Keeping in mind the health of the holistic whole is what Saturn in Virgo is asking of us these days. Virgo relates to living close to the Earth, to natural cycles, in order to live in attune with “the flow” so to speak. Saturn in Virgo trines Jupiter in Capricorn September 8, bringing these themes into play, as well, and infusing Jupiter’s steps forward with these considerations. Here, we are challenged to bring those Virgoan principles into our structures, especially into our business practises. All parts, all aspects of life and self, matter. They all need to be taken into consideration - something that needs to be worked on in our “anything for money, status and power,” yang-heavy structures. Sustainability, “greening” business and corporate responsibility are all things coming into focus during Saturn in Virgo.

Pluto goes direct at the tail-end of Sagittarius the day after the Jupiter station, in the evening of September 8, but because both Pluto and Jupiter are almost motionless in this window of time, in effect, they are stationing at the same time, combining potent energies of transformation and expansion. This sets up the work of Pluto in Capricorn, which begins again in November. We are dredging up the beliefs that we have based our structures upon in the past and getting rid of what doesn't serve us anymore (after first looking it square in the eye), so that we can transform those structures to better suit our needs now and in the future.

Pluto spends a little shy of three more months in Sagittarius, and that is it for 248 years! It will continue its work of dredging up the deep, dark stuff and bringing it to light, forcing us to address things we often would prefer not to, confronting us with anything that is detrimental to the unfolding of new cycles of soul growth. Once confronted, we can cut away any dead weight that is holding us to old dynamics and free ourselves for regeneration and transformation. Again, in Sagittarius, these are things related to belief systems, concepts of “the truth,” religion, culture, higher education, foreign countries, and philosophy, among other things.

I think we are seeing this tail-end Pluto in Sagittarius dredging up quite a lot in politics - especially with the U.S. election coming up. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how honest elected officials are having to be about their personal beliefs and how their beliefs affect how they do things and the decisions they make. It seems to be going beyond polished political veneer - we may just be getting somewhere! (Although…it is politics…let’s not be too hasty.)

Venus and Mars come together in Libra September 11. Should be a nice supportive aspect balancing our personal will within our relationships. Also making sure that we are valued for what we do, especially for those things that often don’t have a dollar value in our society - building relationships, maintaining peace, making things beautiful, keeping things harmonious.

The Sun in Virgo opposes Uranus in Pisces September 12. This sets us up for the Full Moon in Pisces September 15. The Moon conjuncts Uranus in Pisces just before it becomes full on the 15th, and this conjunction infuses the entire Full Moon phase.

This Full Moon seems to be a culmination of the shocking shake-ups we’ve been dealing with as we enter the Aquarian paradigm. We're being "handed off" from Pisces to Aquarius and the changes have been challenging, to say the least. Bizarre, confusing and exhausting to be somewhat less diplomatic about it. Things can feel unbearable during a Full Moon as everything is brought to an emotional head, and in Pisces (conjunct Uranus), anything is possible! The veils will be thinner than usual and could stir up some karmic unpleasantness…odd events or becoming emotional or overwhelmed as we deal with odd events...psychic powers are strong…we will be very aware of the suffering going on on the planet as we move through these bumpy times, but we should also have the strength of Piscean faith to guide us through. When Pisces is strong in the sky, we often have to surrender and be carried along. Of course, with Virgo (Pisces' opposite sign) also strong this month, we have to participate actively. So here is the balance theme again - determining when to coast and when to dig in. We have to know what we can influence with our actions and what is beyond our conscious control. Navigating these times as an active participant but also knowing when to "give up" and let go of the wheel for a while.

Sometimes, the only solution to our problems is divine intervention, and this feels like one of those times.

The Fall Equinox happens September 22. The Sun enters Libra and the day and night hours are of equal length, perfectly balanced. Our focus now turns from self-improvement, personal health, role, function, service and general nitpicky Virgo navel-gazing for the sake of perfection to our relations with others, partnerships, balance, justice, peace.

The Libra energy has its work cut out for it creating balance and harmony these days!

Venus enters Scorpio September 23, a few hours before Mercury turns retrograde in Libra. Our relationships take on a bottom-line intensity and either get stronger or break apart. Anything holding us back from our highest soul-directed growth potential will fall away…or sometimes be stripped away in gut-wrenching ways. The more we hold on to what is dying, the more it hurts, so we must go through the process of Venus in Scorpio aware that we may be asked to cut to the bone for the sake of our own soul survival. This gets annoying to hear, I know. But there are processes at work right now so powerful that to try to buck the flow would cause some damage.

September 29, we have a New Moon in Libra. A new relationship cycle…whether new people are involved or new dynamics with the same crew. Ruled by Venus in Scorpio, this New Moon will start us in the direction of our most important soul growth…bringing new soul mate work to us through other people and finishing old cycles of it. Disengaging from people and relationship dynamics that are done and have lost their charge.

I wrote this about soul mate relationships and thought I would include it:

“Soul mates are the people with whom you have relationships based on mutual soul work that can't be done alone. It requires the coming together with another person (or animal) and interacting with the hope of getting something done that your soul desires to do/work through/complete. The feeling of familiarity with the person comes because your soul recognizes the person as someone you are meant to merge with in mutually beneficial ways - not necessarily for a long time, but until the charge has been played out. There is a emphasis on busting through karmically entrapping energetic dynamics with these types of relationships, working through issues and traps in relationship dynamics. They are not the types of relationships that necessarily always feel good. They are more about being in it for the long haul, until the work is done, working through the events that come up with a strong commitment to seeing it through. Family members, friends, work relationships, lovers, marriage partners...any relationship that challenges us and triggers us to grow or become better or stronger in certain ways in the ways our souls most desire can be a soul mate relationship.”

Soul desire is a big theme of Scorpio, and since Venus in Scorpio rules this New Moon, this is part of the flavour of what is beginning now.

The Sabian symbol for Venus’ place in Scorpio at the time of the New Moon is: Deep-Sea Divers with Special Machinery. This adds a little more interpretation...

“In the situation facing you, you may need to get deep below the surface to find out what’s really going on. It is down within your subconscious and intuitive wisdom that you must search for solutions…You may feel a huge pressure from the world you have dived into…You can handle the pressure as long as you are not pushing against it, or by changing your perceptions of that pressure…Remember, you have special machinery which can help you in this other world.”

New Moon Black Moon in Virgo - some potentially tricky completions

The next few days involve some intricate navigation, so I thought I would reiterate some of what I posted in the August Astro Perspective to keep things fresh in our minds as we move through some possibly demanding aspects leading up to the New Moon.

There is a big emphasis until August 30 on bringing things to completion and clearing the decks, detail by detail, as we ready ourselves to move into newly refined and newly defined roles, more suited to who we are now. We are sanding, sanding, sanding things to perfection, smoothing and streamlining any remaining rough edges, keeping what works, rejecting what doesn’t, working out the kinks until things are functioning to our liking.

Then, after the New Moon in Virgo on August 30, we take a deep breath and blow the sawdust away, leaving us with the results of our work.

We are currently in the Dark of the Moon as we head to the second New Moon of the month (apparently called the Black Moon – thanks, MaryEllen!). The Dark of the Moon phase means the Moon's light is decreasing, as one lunar cycle "dies" and another is born. During the Dark of the Moon, we are asked to be still, to listen to the inner voice/intuition that is instructing us on what is left to be done. Our movements will be more soul-guided and meditative than usual, and it might be unclear exactly what to do from a strictly logical perspective. If you're confused, stay still and listen until your soul takes the lead toward completing what is left to complete. Feelings of depression and lower physical energy are common at this time.

This New Moon Black Moon in Virgo follows the solar and lunar eclipses of August, making this New Moon an even more powerful push than usual into a new cycle. The eclipses shook a lot of things loose. Things are not the same, and we need to listen carefully to our internal guidance to instruct the next steps.

Under the context of the completion theme of the next few days, we have Mercury (August 27) and then Venus (August 29) at 28 degrees Virgo repeating the square to retrograding Pluto at 28 degrees Sagittarius.

The Mars in Virgo – Pluto in Sagittarius square of August 16th (at the time of the Full Moon lunar eclipse in Aquarius) brought the powers of personal will and evolutionary will into a tense aspect. We were asked to define exactly what we would and would not support with our personal energies/roles in light of what Pluto was bringing forth.

Mercury and Venus squaring Pluto will now ask us to streamline our thought processes, communication and interactions within relationships along the same lines – to bring further into play the decisions we made in August. To function according to what is truly of value to us and to reject what is not. To make our decisions here final.

With Pluto involved, power struggles could come up. (Remember – everyone is undergoing this process.) To meet the challenges of these squares successfully, we have to stay true to the decisions we have made regarding what we will and will not do, what we will and will not support and further, what we will serve and how we will serve it. Doing this will mean being very precise in our interactions, communications and work. Acting/interacting/communicating according to our deepest beliefs and values, while stripping away anything keeping us from taking on a streamlined role that is a much better fit for us. Rejecting any service or role that has been thrust upon us to further someone else’s beliefs or agenda.

Mercury enters Libra August 28, and Venus follows suit just before the New Moon on August 30. This reveals a New Moon emphasis on bringing our newly defined roles and understanding into our relations with others. We’ve perfected things to the extent that we have, and now it’s time to put it into action.

Willow's June 2008 Astro Perspective

Well, I might have over-stated the feel-good Taurus aspects of last month a little. The 29 degree Scorpio Full Moon on the 19th seemed to trump the happy, happy springtime vibe a little…or a lot. And this was the case on the global scale, too.

A similar number of people died in the cyclone in Myanmar/Burma and the earthquake in China in May as died in the two nuclear bomb attacks against Japan in World War II. Just to put the vibe into perspective a little. Massive and violent energy shifts and a lot of horror and pain for the people in those countries (and around the world)…which continues…

So May’s forecast might have partially been a case of having my head in the wishful-thinking, Neptunian clouds a little (stationing Neptune was involved quite heavily in May), but it was also just a perfect example of the odd duality of our times…which Gemini, symbolized by the twins, experiences in spades.

As we start the month, the Sun, Mercury (going retrograde) and Venus are all in Gemini. So we have plenty of this theme to go around.

What is this Geminian duality, you might ask?

Watching a story on the news about 100,000 people dying in a cyclone amped up by global warming/climate change…and then jumping in the car to pick the kids up at soccer practice. Seeing masses of people buried under the rubble of earthquake-toppled buildings in China…as you munch on Chinese take-out for supper. Learning that Native people living around Alberta’s oil sands are suffering from an abnormally high rate of rare cancers, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus…but being really happy about your hard-earned raise at work, made possible by oil activity. Being able to access information through the media, the Internet, books, magazines, about atrocity after atrocity committed on this planet…and then having to live our daily lives, somehow integrating that information and including it in the context of our lives. The co-existence of absolute horror with mundane daily realities. The joy of creation alongside the brutality and grief of destruction. Pain and pleasure, light and dark. And the ability to just roll with it, Gemini-style…as two sides of the same coin. All part of the human experience, it seems.

For me, a symbol of this Geminian duality was selling a poorly-strung Burmese horse puppet at the store where I work to a woman who wanted to restring it as an act of support for the Burmese people. The strings were too short, leaving the poor horse’s legs all bound up and useless. I thought this was such a sweet and touching thing for her to do. (Especially being born in the Year of the Horse and feeling quite oppressed and constrained in my work situation at the time…a personal layer to the symbol.) And I was selling it to her, as she attempted in her own way to support people affected by yet another natural disaster (arguably) made much more severe by global warming, from a store in Calgary, Alberta - a town made rich through oil money. A town where Hummers and SUVs are plentiful as all hell. In a province now doing all sorts of hideous environmental damage while milking the oil sands for every last drop of black gold. Not to mention the oil that was burned getting that horse puppet from Southeast Asia to Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

This is a situation that exists, dualistic as it may be. You can throw down any judgement you’d like (and with Saturn currently in Virgo, we’re meant to be discriminating, to be sure), but it is what it is.

Gemini understands that there is not just one situation going on at any one time - there are many inter-related situations going on simultaneously. There is not just one perspective to take into consideration - there is angle after angle to bring into play. Our daily lives are shaped by layer after layer of information, ideas, perception, connection. Gemini, ruled by Mercury the messenger planet, takes it all in. It gathers information from all sources, all perspectives, in an attempt to tap in, to understand its own context and to engage successfully with the world around it.

Traditional astrology holds Gemini as the ruler of short-distance travel, while Sagittarius, it’s opposite, ruled long-distance travel to foreign lands. Short-distance travel includes the local, everyday travelling we do within our societies - to the store, work, home, the local watering hole, whatever. But it also relates, traditionally, to trips that took three days or less. Well, these days, with air travel, you can pretty much reach anywhere on the globe in three days. The local is global. Perfect example of how the Aquarian “global village” is affecting our day-to-day. At this point in history, we’re connected, and we know it. My life and actions affect your life and actions and vice versa. It’s sort of chaos theory at work. The connection between selling a Burmese horse puppet in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and a global warming-assisted cyclone killing 100,000 people in Burma. Directly connected or big leap in logic? A butterfly flaps its wings…

This month, we’re being asked to take a good, hard look at our everyday lives, in context, to make sure we’re really walking the walk AND talking the talk. Saturn in Virgo is going over every detail of ourselves and the lives we’re living as the Gemini planets energetically square it this month (so square it not by degree, but by sign). This continues the themes of the squares from May. Saturn in Virgo also disposits retrograding Jupiter in Capricorn and retrograding Pluto in Capricorn (until Pluto re-enters Sagittarius on June 13).

We’re being asked to look at what we’re supporting with the way we live our daily lives and with the interactions and connections we make on a daily basis. To follow those interactions/connections all the way around the globe if we have to, to see how our daily lives and the choices we make affect the daily lives of other people in our own societies and beyond. We’re being asked to understand our own context and to make refinements when necessary. The refinements don’t have a blanket application like, buy only organic! Go vegan! Stop driving! They might take that form…or they might be more subtle. There is no one cookie-cutter way to live. Everyone’s life has its own circumstances and Gemini knows this. It enjoys diversity, variety, choices. It understands that the guilt and pressure Virgo puts on itself to be perfect is worse than just indulging a little…in the right way. But there is definitely a theme of responsibly refining and making step-by-step improvements where necessary. The smallest adjustments can produce big results now, supported by these aspects. It might be improving the way you speak to or think about others (or yourself). It could mean being more respectful toward the person serving you your coffee in the morning (or mentally acknowledging the people who picked the beans!). It could mean noticing and appreciating the person who empties your office garbage can or the person scanning your groceries at the supermarket. Or thinking about all the people who had a part in getting that food to the supermarket shelf. Understanding that there are a million (often not-so-visible) ways that we are supported in our daily lives by the actions and work of other human beings.

Venus and the Sun in Gemini also square Uranus in Pisces this month on June 12. This is another aspect of the same theme where we have to take our big ideas for the future and our spiritual understanding of what we’re a part of (Uranus in Pisces) and bring it down to the societal level (Gemini). To use it as a guiding principle when making the multitude of choices we make every day. This is the way to carry our daily lives forward until they reflect our visions for the future. Big ideas don’t really matter so much if you can’t put them into practise and live them. We’re challenged with these mutable squares to make adjustments, especially in how we interact with each other on a societal level. Really cleaning up our own personal lives before we do anything else. Living our ideals and making our everyday lives a force for change in the world. The personal is political.

One of the big aspects this month is Pluto heading back into the last degrees of Sagittarius on June 13. This is the last crack Pluto has at Sagittarian themes for about 248 years, so you’d better believe there won’t be a stone left unturned. And you know what happens when you turn a stone over…the creepy crawlies come out! Eep!

For the first two-thirds of June, we’re building to first a Venus - Pluto opposition and then a Sun - Pluto opposition, both at the 29th degrees of Gemini and Sagittarius. Yes, MORE 29th degree aspects bringing up the themes of the Mars - Pluto opposition cycle. The 29th degree of all signs is the final, culmination degree, and this is culmination time related to the Gemini and Sagittarius themes we’ve been chewing on. At the 29th degree, we have to prove that we “got it” during the lessons of all the preceding degrees of the sign by putting what we’ve learned into practise. Anything we have glossed over, attempted to avoid, or half-assedly taken on…anything that needs to be brought to a conclusion…will come up as we attempt to earn our mastery over the themes and free ourselves from related karmic entanglements.

With Venus and Pluto interacting, we’re reaching a bottom line in our relationships, stripping down our interactions with each other to their core realities. Karmic dynamics within our relationships that have been set up to teach us about these themes will come to a conclusion one way or another.

With the Sun and Pluto involved, it’s gonna burn, burn, burn and build, build, build day-by-day, so we’d best stay on top of the proceedings all month. The Sun relates to creative force and how we outwardly express our identities and personalities in the world. Pluto relates to soul-directed, generational evolution and transformation and brings to the surface for purging and release anything that threatens our progress there - ego be damned! This opposition will transform the expression of who we are on a social level, alchemically burning away any attachments and personality glitches that are hindering our continued progress. It’s difficult when Pluto is cutting deeply into things as personal as our self-expression, our creations, our belief systems…but when personal ego goes head-to-head with Pluto…well, you know who generally holds the trump card. If you insist on clinging to the things Pluto is pulling from your clutches, you’re polishing the brass on the Titanic (to use a “Fight Club” line).

With Gemini and Sagittarius “playing“ together this month, it’s the alignment between what we say (Gemini) and what we hold as true (Sagittarius). It’s stripping away false social artifice that is disconnected from deeper understanding, while simultaneously keeping things functioning as congenially as possible in the day-to-day realm. Sagittarius can be too blunt and harsh, even to the point of rudeness. Even to the point of PRIDE about its rudeness in the name of “truth.” (And I’m not talking only Sagittarius Sun here, of course. We all have Sagittarius represented in our charts.) Well, truth is, we all have to get along and work together in society. There are things that need to be said and things that should be given a pass. There are times when we must take a stand, and there are times to yield for the sake of continued social functioning. There is a way to say things to take the edge off so as not to insult…a way Gemini knows well. On the other hand, it’s important not to fall prey to the “going along to get along” that Gemini sometimes does. We have to head off the Geminian tendency (which will seem especially attractive this month, as we squirm under Plutonic intensity) to playing to its crowd. Gemini has a slippery tongue at times, and we also have to guard against using gossip and playing people off each other as a way to gain the upper hand in any power struggles brought up this month.

So yes, here is the 29th degree culmination, it seems, related to these themes. The Venus - Pluto opposition just after midnight on June 18 and the Sun - Pluto opposition on June 20 should bring to light anything that still hasn’t been adequately addressed related to ugly tendencies to dividing people along the lines of race, class, sex, religion, culture, ideology, philosophy, education level, etc. These oppositions will make us aware of how that colours the way we treat each other in daily society - sometimes unconsciously and ever-so-subtly. Assumptions, dogma, fundamentalism, things that have been continued through our cultural lineage. Excessive cultural pride. Stereotypes - the falseness but also any grain of original truth related to them. The slight ways we extend more humanity to certain groups/people and less to others. Focussing on problems in other countries while overlooking and neglecting the ones in our own back yards. The “ruling” ideology and how it shapes “truth.” Condescension. The smugness of insidious superiority complexes related to culture, race, religion, sex, class, education level, etc. With Gemini involved, it will be the little things speaking volumes about these topics.

Under the context of the Aquarian Age (with the North Node, Neptune and Chiron currently in Aquarius), we’re all equals and really have to put that into practise, rather than just paying lip service to it. We’re all experiencing the human condition, and I don't believe there is any group of people, at this stage on the planet, that has not lived through oppression, injustice, degradation, violence and persecution, either personally or historically. People also experience these things within their own cultural/religious/racial/gender/class groups. They’re universal themes that cross these boundaries, and in order to move forward, we have to be motivated to improve the conditions of all groups experiencing these things, not just the ones we “belong to” or identify with. It doesn’t mean whitewashing circumstances or telling groups of people to “just get over it.” It means working together to overcome and taking all perspectives into consideration, not just the ones currently in a dominant position. Admitting this stuff has happened and continues to happen. Honouring and validating others’ experiences. Understanding that these things don’t just happen “over there,” in other countries…and that we have to look at and address the problems going on in our own societies. Macro reflects micro and vice versa.

As we move fully into the Aquarian era, we’re making a collective shift from a primary allegiance to our “categories” (race, religion, culture, class, sex, etc.) to aligning as human comrades, working to create a planet that works for everyone. We’re moving from the current winners/losers paradigm (My group wins because your group loses; your group wins because my group loses) to a win-win paradigm (I overcome because you overcome; I’m free of this because you’re free of this). Our backgrounds and histories are still important aspects of who we are within our personal contexts. They’re an imperative part of the perspectives we bring to the table as far as understanding the world and its problems. But they are not meant to keep us divided into certain groups and certain allegiances. Pluto in Sagittarius is breaking down rigid attachments here to allow for a broader understanding of family and community - one more aligned with shared soul-level ideals rather than shared skin colour, religion or class status.

Successfully navigating these themes means interacting with people on a real level, as equals, while taking into consideration varied backgrounds and ideologies and respectfully making that part of the context of our relationships.

We’ll see these themes reflected in the world at large, with sharp divisions along ideological lines (different versions of truth) coming to light…divisions that might have been more easily hidden or glossed over in the past, but no longer. Differing religions, cultures, political ideologies all fighting to dominate. The U.S. presidential election is a good example of divisions among people along these lines coming out into the open…and I guess it’s no coincidence that the election takes place in November, just as Pluto leaves Sagittarius for 248 years!

During the first two-thirds of June, the aspects build to the point of the Venus - Pluto and Sun - Pluto oppositions, keeping these themes at the forefront.

June 3, we have a New Moon in Gemini, starting a new cycle of information, ideas, people and interactions. However, the New Moon is ruled by Mercury, still going retrograde in Gemini, so there is a feeling that we are not quite in new territory yet. Communication will still have glitches. The mail/e-mail, electronics, transportation, interactions and even manual dexterity will have their difficulties, so allow for a little more breathing room here. No getting pissy and frustrated! Mercury has its reasons for slowing things down.

During the New Moon, the Sun and Moon in Gemini are exactly sextiling Mars in Leo, bringing into play the power of our personalities and our creative goals and the willful application of them in our daily lives.

June 6, Venus in Gemini repeats the aspect, sextiling Mars in Leo. This builds on the power of our personal will related to being ourselves and expressing ourselves within our daily relationships. We’re really tossing it around now! Egos could be flying around at this point, fuelled by airy and light-hearted Gemini. So far, it’s all fun. But we’re building, building, building to those oppositions with Pluto…so don’t get too cocky. You hear that, Mars in Leo?

On June 7, the Sun and then Venus pass retrograding Mercury in Gemini, and we catch up to our minds. We get clearer on what this Mercury Retrograde period is all about as Mercury passes on the information it has gathered. Some of the fuzziness created by the Mercury - Neptune trine last month will be burned away at this point. Pay attention to any realizations or information coming to you around this time. Because of the trines to Neptune, the North Node and Chiron in Aquarius at the beginning of its retrograde, Mercury’s information has a lot to do with the blueprints for the way forward.

June 8, the Sun and Venus come together in Gemini, increasing the focus on our daily interactions within our relationships. Combined with the sextiles to Mars in Leo, this should help with staying in a state of self-love. This could be very necessary with all the possible ego hits and tenseness in our relations this month. Just don’t push it to the self-glorification point…or, again, Pluto will nail your ass later in the month. Just a friendly warning!

Throughout June 7 and 8, we have a conjunction of the Sun, Venus and ever-potent retrograding Mercury (which rules the Sun and Venus at this point). All this Gemini energy bubbling away is setting the stage, creating interactions and putting the focus on communication within our relationships. This makes for a very potent Gemini force opposing an equal but opposite very potent Sagittarius force later in the month. So all our chatting, interacting, connecting and information-passing are not as light-hearted as they seem. The Gemini planets are greasing the wheels so there’s no holding back. We’re getting it all out there.

June 10 and 11, first Venus and then the Sun, still in close conjunction in Gemini, trine first the North Node and then Chiron in Aquarius. This develops the themes of the entire Mercury Retrograde period. With Chiron involved, we are understanding what needs to be healed within ourselves and within the larger communities as we move forward…the things that have been left unsaid, untended to…very much tied into the ways we have divided and been divided along the lines mentioned previously. Perhaps we will see some movement on the issues important to Native people…to start real healing and progress there. Healing for all our painful cultural roots. I hope so.

June 12, Venus and then the Sun square Uranus in Pisces, as was mentioned earlier in the update. This could bring crackling changes and insights.

June 15, Mars in Leo conjuncts the South Node, yet another indicator that we have to leave our old ego constructs at the door. Excessive pride, sense of entitlement, overpowering with personality, demanding that things be our way, use of personal will and personal talents to recreate the forms of the past…all these things are not going to work. Detachment from the reactions to our personalities and creative expressions will help.

June 18 is the start of what we’ve been building toward, and it’s seriously powerful. Just after midnight, we have the Venus in Gemini - Pluto in Sagittarius opposition at 29 degrees. Venus slips into Cancer less than an hour later and becomes ruled by the Moon, which, adding to the intensity, is about to be full. Just before noon, we have a Full Moon at 27 degrees Sagittarius (the Galactic Centre) opposing the Sun at 27 degrees Gemini, bringing to an emotional head the Gemini - Sagittarius themes we’ve been dealing with all month. Actually since August of 2007. My goodness. This is spicy. Just to make the opposition even more uncomfortable, we’ve got the emotionally-attached Moon involved, combined with Venus in Cancer, making us very vulnerable around these issues of cultural heritage, religious roots, philosophy and personal truth. This is feeling VERY personal. The Moon and Venus in Cancer keep the past close to their hearts. Lots of emotional attachment - to our relationships, our families, our roots, our hometowns, our early lives. We’ve now got the weight of our entire ancestral lineage, not to mention our personal histories, involved. Yeesh. There’s no place to run, no place to hide.

Less than four hours after the Full Moon, the Moon conjuncts Pluto at the 29th degree of Sagittarius. Yet more stripping down of our attachments to belief systems, cultural/religious divisions and philosophical tenets that are past their prime and an anchoring to what continues to sustain us. It goes to the root, and we have the support of our ancestors behind us. We’re here doing this work for all of us. Keep that in mind during the tough points because, honestly, this day has “emotional meltdown” written all over it.

The very next day, June 19, ultra-potent stationing Mercury heads direct at 13 degrees Gemini, going forward over territory it has been dealing with since May 11.

Then June 20, we have the Sun - Pluto opposition at the 29th degrees of Gemini and Sagittarius. Things are not letting up. There’s little rest when the final degrees are being nailed again and again like this. But if we’ve been diligent and done our work since August, this should have more of a clearing feeling, heading off any nuclear meltdowns.

Just after the opposition, the Sun heads into Cancer…again, ruled by the Moon, which is still coming down after all the stuff that was stirred up two days before. At this point, signalling the point of the Summer Solstice (can you believe we're here already!), daylight hours start to shorten and we consciously move inward, getting back in touch with ourselves emotionally and tending to any emotional wounds we’ve received during this whole Plutonic strip-down process. But at the same time, we have to take a hard look at any ways that we are holding onto the past. Cancer strives for emotional/soul security. It likes family, roots, home, familiarity, a nice, secure nest to surround itself in. It likes feeling nurtured and safe and often retreats back to what it knows. The problem here is when the quest for safety and security becomes motivated by fear - and fear is a definite possibility considering all the Pluto energy digging up our deepest, darkest. At this point, Cancer can go into denial about very real threats…avoiding what it would prefer not to look at, regressing emotionally back to a time when it felt more secure, falling into conditioned patterns and familiar roles. This is not successful, especially not with all the Aquarian influence right now. So while we can definitely connect with our roots at this point, we need to make sure we’re not avoiding the challenges and changes of the future.

June 26, Uranus in Pisces goes retrograde, going back over larger themes related to the Pisces-to-Aquarius hand-off stuff. In a fit of cosmic synchronicity, Uranus will turn direct November 26...the same day Pluto moves back into Capricorn. The planet of revolution and lightning-fast change going direct the same day Pluto starts the long process of transforming our hierarchical structures (business and otherwise). Hmm…

On the final day of the month, June 30, we have a trine between Mars in Leo and Pluto in Sagittarius. If we’ve taken on the work necessary in the earlier part of the month, this aspect should create positive results, transforming our social identities and propelling us forward through our hearts…stripped down to only our dearest hearts desires with no detritus clogging up the works. At least, that was the goal…