History sheds light on what we can expect in coming years. The first observed opposition between these two planetary heavyweights came in 1931. Fascism, racism and genocide took hold across Europe. This Saturn/Pluto opposition was in the paternal/maternal signs, Capricorn and Cancer.  Some commentators believe Hitler never could have developed into the monster he became without the psychological patterns which existed in prewar German family life; specifically the dominating, often emotionally cold, disciplinarian father. In the years that followed, this culture would be dramatically altered, as would others around the globe. Events reached a climax with the dropping of the atom bomb (a device ruled by Pluto) in 1945, a full fourteen years after the opposition. By then Saturn had entered Cancer, opposite its position in 1931, and a new reign of fear had begun, institutionalized in the Cold War.

The 1965 opposition, in Virgo and Pisces, saw a huge increase in the number of American troops in Southeast Asia. The following years brought death to millions. The carnage went on long after US troops headed home in 1972, through the actions of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.  These evildoers were not chased from power until the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in 1979, another fourteen years after the preceding Saturn/Pluto opposition. In the earth sign Virgo, Pluto triggered the back to the land movement and major changes in healthcare, diet, nutrition and lifestyles swept much of the planet.

Now we are engaged in the third such opposition and those who look for a quick resolution are likely to be disappointed. Presently, Saturn visits the information sign Gemini. While most strong Gemini types will normally not rush to embrace Saturn's discipline and toughness, here is a chance to get serious and consider difficult issues. Saturn will favor realistic thinking and aid the decision making process for many folks.

Pluto holds forth in philosophical Sagittarius and of course extremists of all persuasions have been having a field day since it entered back in 1995. Does anyone remember days without Court TV?  The OJ Simpson and Louise Woodward trials, the Jon Benet Ramsey case, the trail of the Unibomber (terror by mail), and a number of other sensational trials helped create a growth industry as law and the legal profession fell under increased scrutiny. How appropriate for a time when Pluto was shining its penetrating light into the nooks and crannies of a sometimes unfair, often corrupt legal system. We learned that with enough financial clout, you can get away with murder.

As the opposition between Saturn and Pluto took hold last summer, I received a wave of phone calls from friends and clients who had reached their limit with various patients, customers and family members. They just weren't going to take "it" anymore.  Fair enough, I thought. But on a deeper level, we were all looking deeper into our own sense of fairness and values. Pluto has a wonderful way of making the obscure obvious. Inequity, whether in the courtrooms, the mosques, churches, synagogues, or government policy simply cannot be ignored. Abuses of power, hypocrisy, double standards, all call out for attention and correction. We are witnessing, as we did in the 1930s and 1960s the birthing pains of a new world order taking shape. 

It would be lovely if our leaders would take a more enlightened approach. Developing alternative fuel sources would be brilliant, but with Big Oil in the White House, that route seems an unlikely one. A commitment to justice can be made. But the question remains, by who's standards? Tolerance and respect are called for but there can be no compromise with terrorism. It will take more than love and light to correct social, political and environmental injustice, each a major part of the battles to be fought.

Each of us can do something, in however a small and personal way. Begin at home or in your neighborhood. I host a Thursday afternoon astrology class/support group. Many attendees have the natal Moon or ascendant in the middle degrees of mutable signs. Many have been strongly impacted by the Saturn/Pluto opposition. Each of them, I can say happily, is making good headway in the area of personal growth. They are getting stronger, more resilient. It hasn't been easy. Many tears have fallen. Relationships have stretched and some have broken. But again, Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, has afforded previously unknown strength and insight. Personal powers of healing and perception have accelerated to meet new challenges. We are presented with an opportunity to flex our spiritual and psychological muscles. New philosophies, politics and religions will surely emerge, with their leaders and heroes too.

We ourselves are being tempered. Years ago, my teacher Isabel Hickey said that as the vibrational rate increased and things sped up here on planet Earth, many souls would be leaving. For those of us who remain, life will go on. It promises to be very different. 

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