2011 - A YEAR FOR BREAKING DOWN AND REBUILDING

ASTRO - OVERVIEW 2011: GROUNDSWELL

Change is rumbling underneath us, swelling from every crack in the culture and through every choice we make. We can resist and feel torn by its tremors or choose to roll with the waves, set our sails toward personal and cultural evolution, and see where the current takes us.

We are breaking down and rebuilding during an era-birthing T-square between Saturn, Uranus and Pluto, all in active Cardinal signs for most of 2011. These three have been dancing in and out of challenging aspects since 2009. Saturn then moves on and lets us lay new foundations, but Uranus and Pluto continue to square though 2015 to make sure we keep evolving.

The word disaster breaks down to dis=against, aster=stars. A real disaster this year would be to try to prevent change; the tectonic plates of the earth and of the culture continue to move, and we have to adapt. We can't predict the direction of the change with so many wild cards in play, but we can guide it. Each day we need to hold on to our vision for ourselves and our world, and make decisions to move us in that direction.

Momentum builds toward a new creative era as expansive Jupiter conjuncts change-maker Uranus, and both trine warm-hearted Venus as 2011 begins--an aspect that flavors the whole year with hopeful and creative innovation. Jupiter then enters awakening Aries 1/22. This winter we get to review a delayed hope or plan we had in the late 1990s, revise it and begin to manifest, if we're willing to do the work and don't take shortcuts.

The planet Uranus speaks of innovation and technology, our nervous system, and our capacity to create and withstand change. It was first brought to our consciousness during the industrial revolution, and it was conjunct Jupiter in 1983 as the internet came on line. As Uranus opposed Saturn for the last few years it broke down old systems and let us see where we needed to reinvent. Now, under these aspects, Uranus can help us find the ingenious alternative fuels and technologies, as well as the new social constructs we need in order to progress.

Uranus asks us to experiment and be honest about the outcome; use ideas to look ahead but don't get caught up in the theory. Instead, stay in the moment, take a step along the road and observe. Honest assessment helps us make progress, but stay balanced on the Beauty Way in the process.

We'll need this balance as old rules fall by the wayside. We're compelled to take risks, to drop old modus operandi and do it differently. If our culture is willing to be honest, this Pluto/Jupiter/ Uranus T-square can help us make the radical adjustments needed to ameliorate climate change. But it may be hard to get anyone to work together; we cannot tell others what to do. We can inspire, but have to let others find their way under this freedom-loving and rebellious aspect.

Find allies and help shift the collective imagination during February; imagination can find solutions our rational mind can't see, when Mars conjuncts Neptune in Aquarius on 2/20 and Jupiter squares Pluto on 2/25. Watch out for water damage or arguments over ideals; keep it real and compassionate.

Rebellion blossoms along with the crocus as Uranus enters Aries March 11th and joins four planets in feisty Aries. The energy is fresh and demanding, self-directed and unsubtle. Political unrest catches fire quickly, the demand for reform will echo from both sides, and so will resistance to reform imposed. We will not tolerate what doesn't work, but are tempted to see everything as struggle, tempted to think others thwart our progress rather than admit we need to form better plans and take on our power. Better to rebel against old limitations and break free into a new and more sustainable form.

Potential for beautiful change is ripe if we can avoid polarizing, both inside our soul and in our culture. Scientific Uranus strengthens in action-oriented Aries just as spiritual Neptune enters dreamy Pisces: high tech gets more efficient, and magic deepens. A rift between them can widen to the detriment of both. But if we can keep our mind and soul working together, inspired compassion will use innovation and technology to create practical magic.

Jupiter opposes Saturn 3/28 and can deepen the divide between political parties, or make it hard to get experience engaged with enthusiasm. We may need to let go of the past, let go of our old identity or skills, and strike into new territory. Kids won't want to follow the old ways. But everything lost is found again, in a new form and a new way; we'll be able to integrate past experience and future vision later in the year, and in the years to come.
 

Jupiter enters Taurus on 6/4 for the duration of 2011, supports our material resources and deepens our earth traditions. It promotes healthier crops and brings attention to our earth and all we grow. People want to feather their nest. As the material realm enriches, some see an excuse to spend, acquire or collect, but it's still a financially precarious time--all too easy to overextend. Business can get greedy and needs to be monitored. But if we nurture our material resources carefully and invest in the rich and fertile loam of life, we can begin to build a robust crop.

The Great Midwife needs to make adjustments under the summer's retrograde season: don't push now; instead, integrate, work and consolidate changes already in progress. Pluto retrogrades 4/9 through 9/16, Uranus retrogrades 7/9--12/9, and Jupiter 8/30--12/25; use this time to catch breath and deal with any psychic jet lag.

The era-change resumes momentum in the fall as Jupiter trines Pluto 7/11 and 10/28 and loans us confidence; make the most of any opportunities or chance to broadcast. As the ground swell gains momentum, change can begin to feel like freedom, not breakdown.

Heather Roan Robbins

© Mother Tongue Ink 2010

www.roanrobbins.com
 

Tonight it is a tale that explains why things are the way they. Why are there seasons? is the question answered in this story. Bear teaches us to rest, to look inside for our own wisdom. Bear represents that deep place of introspection and the dark of winter, when bear hibernates, a good time for musings and regeneration.

THE LONG WINTER

This tale comes from one of Canada's First Nations, the Slavey tribe of NW Canada.
Adapted by Elaine Lindy

Before any humans walked the earth, when the world was the land of the animals, a very long winter set in. The sun did not come out for three years. The air was always dark. Thick clouds hung low and covered the sky. It snowed all the time. The animals were suffering very much from this long winter. The lack of food was alarming enough, and the lack of heat made it all absolutely unbearable. They became greatly frightened.
 

The animals called for a grand council to be held. All the beasts, birds, and fishes of all sizes and shapes were invited. At the grand gathering, as the animals looked about, they realized that one creature in all the animal world was missing: Bear. Then they realized that no one had seen any bears for three years.

All the animals quickly agreed that the most important thing to do was to find out what had become of the heat, for without heat their sufferings would never end. Yes, the heat must be found! And it must be brought back again. They decided several quick and brave animals would go on a search mission to the upper world. That's where they suspected the heat had been taken. These are the animals chosen for the mission: Lynx, Fox, Wolf, Wolverine, Mouse, Pike (a freshwater fish), and Dogfish (a kind of small shark--dogfish is a funny name for a shark, isn't it?). After much traveling far and wide through the air, the group finally found the hidden doorway that opened to the upper world. Excited, they all climbed upward to the world above.

After exploring the upper world for some time, they saw a lake. By the lake a campfire burned with a tipi beside it. By the tipi were two young bears. They asked the cubs where their mother was, and were told she was off hunting. Inside the tipi, a number of big, round bags were hanging up. The animal visitors pointed to the first bag and asked the cubs, "What is in this bag?"

"That," they said, "is where our mother keeps the rain."

"And what is in this one?" the animals said, pointing to the second bag.

"That," the cubs answered, "is the wind."

"And this one?"

"That is where mother keeps the fog."

"And what may be in this next bag?" said the animals.

"Oh, we cannot let you know that," said the cubs, "for our mother told us it was a great secret, and if we tell, she will be very angry and will bop us on our heads when she returns."

"Oh, don't be afraid," said the fox. "You can tell us. She will never know."

Then the cubs whispered, "That is the bag where she keeps the heat."

"Aahh..." said the visitors. They glanced at one another, and stammered their good-byes. Outside the tipi, they rushed to a hidden spot and held a quick council. Their first agreement was that they should leave the bears' campsite at once, as the mother bear might return at any time. This they did, and found a safer spot to hide. The next topic was more difficult. How to capture the bag with the heat?

"We need to distract the old mother bear somehow," said Fox.
 

"I know!" said Lynx. "I'll change myself into a deer on the other side of the lake."

"Good idea!" said Wolverine. "The mother bear will see you across the lake and she'll want to hunt you. She'll have to paddle her canoe across the lake, and that will give us time to get the bag with the heat."

"Better yet," squeaked Mouse, "I'll chew a deep cut in the bear's paddle near the blade, so it will take her even longer to canoe across."

"Yes, yes!" cried the others.

So Lynx went around to the other side of the lake and turned into a deer. Now as a Deer, he wandered near the edge of the lake to attract Bear's attention. In the meantime, Mouse scrambled into Bear's canoe and chewed a deep cut in the handle of her paddle close to the blade. The others hid near Bear's tipi.

When one of the bear cubs saw the supposed deer across the lake he cried out, "Look at the deer on the opposite shore!" The old mother Bear immediately jumped into her canoe and paddled toward it. Deer walked slowly along the beach pretending not to see the canoe, so as to tempt Bear to paddle up close to him. Then all at once Deer doubled about and ran the opposite way. Old Bear threw her whole weight on the paddle to make it go faster, and the paddle broke suddenly where Mouse had gnawed it. The force of Bear's weight threw her into the water. The other animals were watching the hunt from the other side, and as soon as they saw the mother Bear floundering in the water, they ran into the tipi and pulled down the bag containing the heat. One at a time, they tugged the bag through the air toward the opening to the lower world from where they had come.

They hurried to get back to the opening as fast as they could, but the bag was very large, and none of them were able to keep up the pace for long. Whenever one tired out, another would take the bag, and in this way they hastened along as quickly as they could, for they knew that the old mother Bear would soon get ashore and return to her tipi, and that when she did she would discover the missing bag. Then she'd be furious and follow their footprints to catch them! Sure enough, the old mother Bear was soon in hot pursuit, and had almost overtaken the animals when they spied just up ahead the opening to the world below. By this time the stronger animals were all so tired, they could hardly move at all. Now Dogfish (the small shark) took the bag and pulled it along a good way, and finally Pike (the freshwater fish) managed to inch it along some more.

At that very moment, Bear lurched toward them. All the animals together pushed the bag until it tipped through the hole to the lower world and they each jumped in after it to safety, just in time. As soon as the bag dropped to the world below, it broke and all the heat crammed inside the bag rushed out. Warmth spread at once to all parts of the world and quickly thawed the ice and snow. Flood waters ran high for many weeks, but then the waters subsided. The trees and bushes and flowers which had been covered by ice grew green leaves once more, and springtime bloomed anew. From that time till now, the world has always seen a warm season returning after a cold one, just as we see it today.