2010 PLANETARY INFLUENCES

I’m not going to sugarcoat the difficult astrological influences presently in effect or ahead in 2010 but I am going to focus on how we can make the most of them.  You know the old expression, if life hands you a bunch of lemons, add sugar and make lemonade.  So 2010 is going to hand most of us some lemons but how we respond and what we make of the circumstances which life or fate hands us is what defines our character and shapes our life experiences.

Here are the transits that will transpire in 2010 (using ±10 degrees for planetary aspects):  Jupiter transits the sign of Pisces from mid-January – early June and from early September – year's end (see a link to an article about this transit below), Saturn is square Pluto (see links to articles about this transit below) from November 2009 – March 2010 and late July – mid-November; Saturn is opposite Uranus again (see links to articles about this transit below) from April – May and mid-July – mid-August; Jupiter is conjunct Uranus from April – year’s end; Jupiter is opposite Saturn from mid-April – early June; Jupiter is square Pluto from June – early September; Uranus is square Pluto (see links to articles about this transit below) from June – mid-August, Mars is retrograde from January – early March, and Venus is retrograde from early October – mid-November.  From the above time frames, I deduce that the most challenging months this year will be April – August.  In the coming months of 2010, I will explain each of these influences individually but the last time the world experienced similar, challenging aspects between Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto was 1965.  During that year, Malcolm X was assassinated (Uranus-Pluto), Dr. M.L. King, Jr. demonstrated for voters rights in Selma, Alabama and elsewhere (Jupiter-Saturn), a major riot that lasted for six days erupted in the Watts section of Los Angeles (Uranus-Pluto), a cascading power failure darkened parts of eight U.S. northeastern states (Saturn-Uranus), and Lyndon Johnson escalated the Vietnam debacle into a full-scale, overseas war by ordering 184,000 American troops to fight there (Saturn-Pluto), which resulted in the military-industrial complex making billions of dollars (Saturn-Pluto).  Sounds a lot like Iraq and Afghanistan to me.

Because they are involved in the above aspects and both Uranus and Pluto symbolize change, this is a primary theme for 2010.  What kinds of change will occur this year?  Economic for one, so we can expect a financial reversal of the so-called recovery and another economic (some economists will argue continuing) crisis, perhaps of greater proportions.  Changes that occur during a Uranus square Pluto transit (1874-1878, 1929-1934, and 2010-2017) are painful, urgent, and chaotic but they are absolutely necessary.  These are typically times when disadvantaged and unemployed workers rise up against the capitalist robber barons who run huge corporations (and the U.S. government) in demonstrations, strikes, and riots, which ultimately lead to sweeping changes in the way workers are treated and compensated and the creation of jobs for the unemployed.  In 2010, continually rising, high unemployment will force many of us to be more adaptive (Uranus) and hopefully will empower us (Pluto) to survive the coming “perfect storm” (Uranus square Pluto, Saturn opposite Uranus, Saturn square Pluto, Jupiter opposite Saturn, and Jupiter square Pluto).

Here are some strategies that will make 2010 easier:
• Pay down your debt (Saturn) and don’t assume more debt unless absolutely necessary.
• Reduce your consumption (Saturn) – use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.  The best weapon (and the only meaningful vote) Americans have against big corporations and the robber barons who run them is to not buy their products.
• Save as much money as you can (Saturn) but NOT in accounts of big, ubiquitous banks because the next banking crisis will likely bring unexpected results (Uranus and Pluto).
• Don’t start projects during January – March that you can’t finish during that period.  If you do, expect the project to be difficult or to progress slowly and you may not finish it (Mars retrograde).
• Live a more sustainable lifestyle by bartering, exchanging, repairing, and buying locally produced or used goods and locally or organically grown food (Uranus is creative networking).
• Don’t “invest” (gamble) in the stock markets or other high-risk ventures (Saturn-Jupiter).  If you are gambling by owning stocks or retirement funds and you don’t get out soon, losses are likely (Saturn-Uranus-Pluto).  Play it safe and smart (Saturn).
• Do some volunteer work in your community to help those who are less fortunate than you – it will help you appreciate what you have (Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces).
• Look for ways to cooperate and work together with other people (Jupiter-Uranus) rather than to compete or dominate.  Win-win outcomes are so much better than win-lose.
• Look for ways to be helpful, to empathize, and to lower the stress level of others – making someone laugh is a good example (Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces).
• Count your blessings every day (Jupiter) because there is always someone who is struggling more than you (Saturn).
• Vote against politicians who support war and corporate robber barons (Saturn-Pluto) and who vote against laws that would benefit most Americans (Jupiter-Uranus).  In north Florida, Allen Boyd is an example of a politician to vote against.
• Spend more time with those whom you love and enjoy (Jupiter), since you may be spending more time at home.
• Remember that a positive attitude creates positive results (Jupiter), which is also known as the metaphysical law of attraction.