Changing Skies: As Above So Below
In New Age philosophy (even in physics) we hear “everything is connected” but most often don’t view it through a personal lens. I frequently hear people repeat it almost like an affirmation but rarely fully take it in and digest the profound meaning behind it. In other words, within our own sense of separateness, we don’t fully consider “everything is connected” as being intimately connected to our own lives.
This is actually an ancient concept. One might truly say primal in origin. The actual words as above so below come from an ancient Hermetic text named the Emerald Tablet, or Secret of Secrets which was considered to be the foundational philosophy behind the alchemical process.
I begin this way because June is one of those rare months where we can slow down a bit and work to consciously integrate the significant changes that affect all of us collectively as well as having a more personal tone if it is hitting your chart directly.
On Sunday, June 11, Pluto, an archetype of death and rebirth, truly an evolutionary force within all of our lives, moves back into Capricorn until it firmly rolls into Aquarius in 2024. These last couple of months (Pluto entered Aquarius on March 23, 23) have given us just a taste of some of the changes ahead over the next 20 years. The rise of AI is just one example of what Pluto in Aquarius is potentially bringing.
One of the many reasons Pluto is such a profound transit is the length of time it spends in any sign. When a planet moves that slowly it has a much deeper impact because we are speaking of a longer more profound process. The outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are often referred to as the Gods of Change because they move so slowly. Where the Moon will touch briefly upon every point within our chart once a month a Pluto transit is a process that unfolds over several years. We feel it much more deeply.
I think I have shared before that several years ago I began to see the chart as an atlas of this pilgrimage we call life. As Phil Cousineau said, “Pilgrimage is a powerful metaphor for any journey with the purpose of finding something that deeply matters to the traveler.” Yes, you can use the chart simply for the predictive work of “what happens next?” To me, this barely scratches the surface of the power and mysteries contained within astrology. Actively working with it in a process-oriented manner opens you to the treasures contained within you. As I have said before your chart is a map, your life is the territory. Yes, essentially your chart is a treasure map waiting for you to make use of it. It's not required but it certainly is helpful.
One of the things you might consider doing is journaling about how you personally have evolved since 2008 when Pluto first ingressed into Capricorn. How have you restructured your life? (Capricorn rules structure) What new forms are in place? In this way, you bring your own awareness to your own ongoing evolution. It is a way of honoring as above so below, a way of documenting your personal intimate evolution that is also connected to our collective evolution.
Particularly for those of you that have planets or an angle in your chart in a cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn). For example, if you have your Sun in a cardinal sign how has your identity, your sense of self changed? If your Venus is in Libra have your priorities deepened and shifted? Let me also remind you that even if you don’t have a planet in one of these signs Pluto was moving through one of the areas within your chart. In my case, Pluto was moving through my 10th house, which among other things rules our career, and during this period I moved to professionally practicing astrology full-time rather than having it be my secondary business. As above so below.
To consciously acknowledge how you have been altered is to recognize and honor this larger connection between all of us and life itself which I am speaking about. Doing this actually helps us lower both our known and unconscious defenses that leave us experiencing the world through the lens of separateness. It can help you feel more connected to the process of your life…this is key because while we often see our life through the lens of events, our life is actually a process of unfoldment. We are alchemically altered as we move forward along our individual pilgrimage. We get so caught up in the events, often the most dramatic ones, or the circumstances we are yearning to manifest that we miss the greater context that lies at the core of our journey through life.
Venus has already moved into Leo, where because of a retrograde she will remain for several months. This retrograde is complex but offers great treasure. I will share about that more deeply over the next couple of weeks but will note here that as I alluded to earlier among other things Venus is about our values and priorities at her core. She personally asks each of us what is truly of value to me? This is process is heightened during her symbolic journey to the underworld (Pluto’s domain) which is part of the retrograde process.
June is a month of preparation.
