©11-18-09 by Donna Cunningham, MSW
We’re sitting at a crossroad just now, collectively. In the distance, we can hear the mournful whistle of a big, old freight train. It’s just got three cars—honking huge tankers with signs on their sides saying Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus.
They’re filled with powerful industrial solvents for a reconstruction project that’s vital to the future health and growth of our communities and our planet. The trouble is, they’re potentially toxic if not handled correctly.
That’s why there are big, bold warning signs on the sides of the cars, and why there are billboards leading up to the crossroad. That’s why the signals are lit up with flashing red lights, and why loud bells are sounding. Is the Pluto-Saturn-Uranus train on a intersect course with your path—that is, do you have planets, the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Midheaven in early degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn? If so, are you reading and heeding those warning signals?
Or are you sitting there, stalled on the tracks, affirming and visualizing that the train won’t come after all, that it’ll be diverted onto a side track just in the nick of time? Or maybe praying that because you’ve been a really good, hardworking person your whole life, God will just make it go away?
Are You Still Holding on to a “Clunker?”
When it comes to crossroads in our lives like this one, a whole lot of us are driving “clunkers” that aren’t only environmentally unfriendly, they’re outright liabilities.
By “clunkers” I mean life patterns and strategies that are so old and beat up that their usefulness is long past. We have a pretty good idea they’re going to break down at the worst possible time. (They’ve done it all too many times before.)
You probably already know, instinctively, what I’m talking about. Astrologically, you’d find those worn out patterns in the areas of life represented by the houses Pluto and Saturn are transiting or the houses where the affected natal placements are located.
Still, we hang onto those clunkers because we’re used to them, even though they’re a lot more work to maintain than they’re worth, but we don’t know what else to do. Unfortunately, Congress isn’t likely to pass a “Cash for Clunkers” program to allow us turn them in for something better.
What Are Your Options?
If the Pluto-Saturn-Uranus train is on your path—that is, if major chart features are located at those early degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn—you have three options for coping with the clunkers in your life:
- keep the pattern but invest major sweat equity in fixing it
- junk it and walk to work for a while
- carpool.
I know many of you wise readers are already doing something about your own clunkers. I know it from the comments you leave or the emails you send me privately:
- You’re sharing how the Pluto-Saturn square is affecting your life.
- You’re talking about the challenges and the courageous ways you’re facing them.
- You’re celebrating the growth that’s resulting from your actions.
I salute you. You’re FaceBooking and Friending Pluto and Saturn. That’s how it works best—I always say, take care of Saturn and Saturn will take care of you. (I don’t have a similar pithy slogan for Pluto, so help me out!)
Are You one of the People Who Stalled on the Tracks?
Some of the rest of you, I sort of worry about. More than a few of you are stalled on the tracks and ignoring those flashing red lights.
I don’t know you individually, but that’s the conclusion I’m drawing from the statistics on this blog. See, the BlogStat features on WordPress aren’t just dry numbers to me; they’re valuable tools for understanding what’s going on with my visitors.
By registering the number of page clicks for various posts on a daily, weekly, quarterly, or all-time basis, they tell me a lot about what you do when you come to this blog. What you read and don’t read, what you love and what you ignore. What touches you personally enough that you comment on it.
Based on the stats, you seem to love this series, or at least parts of it, and I’m gratified that you’re finding it useful and informative. But take a look at what’s happened since this series began on 10/30. Subscribers aren’t counted in the page clicks, but here are the numbers of other viewers for the first three posts in this series as of 11/18:
- The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 1 (Houses and Areas of Life Affected) 952
- The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 2 (Best Case/Worst Case Scenarios) 509
- Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #3 — Taking Concrete Action to Change your Life 327
What those figures say is that almost three times as many people have read Part #1 as Part #3. It isn’t just a matter of Part #1 being older, because Part #3 was published 11/1, just 2 days after part #1. And it isn’t a matter of people leaving once they read what they needed—the longer this series goes on, the more the number of visitors to this blog increases.
What concerns me is that these stats hint that while many of you want to know what’s coming with this transit (Part #1), only about a third of you are ready to do anything about it (Part #3). Oh, I know, lies, damned lies, and statistics. Numbers aren’t facts, yadda, yadda. But it’s a rather telling set of numbers, all the same—don’t you think?
You can’t afford to be stalled on the tracks, if you’re one of the people this transit is touching in any major way. I ‘m convinced that action is not optional but a necessity now. I’ve experienced a full cycle and a quarter of Pluto-Saturn aspects during my lifetime. I’ve reviewed and analyzed 50 years worth of major aspects of this combination through the lens of astrology, historically and sociologically. I’ve observed their effects, not just in my own life and the lives of my loved ones, but in client’s lives as well.
So I know that you can’t just hope Pluto-Saturn aspects will go away. You have to take concrete action—well thought out, cautious, effective action. Brave, determined, gritty, gutsy action. And to begin to get a handle on what those actions could be, you might get some useful ideas from Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #3 — Taking Concrete Action to Change your Life.
Look, I’m not saying I have the answers you need—I don’t. You may very well need hands-on, face to face helpers for that. But I do know a lot of the questions. And I know about people and things that you can turn to. That’s what the Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit is for.
Waiting for the Caboose?
Folks, if this series of transits is doing something major to your chart, don’t ignore the two cars at the head of the train—meaning the current Pluto-Saturn square—because Uranus is the caboose, and that’s scheduled to arrive in early Aries in April. The time between now and then is a valuable asset that you cannot afford to squander.
My long experience of Uranus transits in people’s lives is this: change is inevitable during Uranus aspects. Take the initiative to make the changes you need and secretly want, or else outside events and circumstances will make the change for you. It’s your call. And guess what: somewhere deep down in your soul, you know you need a change and you embrace it. It’s just kinda rough while it’s happening.
More Posts for your Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit:
- The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—an Overview of the Series
- The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 1 (Houses and Areas of Life Affected)
- The Pluto-Saturn Square—Two Examples of How It Works
- The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 2 (Best Case/Worst Case Scenarios)
- Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #3 — Taking Concrete Action to Change your Life
- Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #4: Key Players in your Drama
- People who Misuse Pluto and Saturn—Don’t be Fooled by Scare Tactics!
- Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #5: How to Use these Energies Well
- From Clutter to Closure–Using the Pluto-Saturn Square
- How the Pluto-Saturn Square may Affect People born with that Aspect
If this post was helpful, DON’T MISS THE NEXT INSTALLMENT IN THIS SERIES. Sign up for a subscription, and get a FREE EBOOKLET for Skywriter Subscribers Only: Mothers, Daughters, and the Moon, a 50-page excerpt from The Moon in your Life. Read more about it here: NEW: FREE BOOKLET FOR SKYWRITER SUBSCRIBERS!
If you’re already a subscriber and want a copy, forward the most recent email post to me at moonmave@spiritone.com. To sign up for a subscription, go to the top right hand corner of the blog and click on “Subscribe.” Then send me an email with your subscription confirmation or an email post with a request for the booklet in the subject line.
Hi Donna,
Yes I definitely get it. Change is here and unavoidable. To me, it’s good news. Seems like I’ve been waiting a long time for this much help from the stars 🙂
Anyway what’s still a bit mysterious despite all your gorgeous articles on this topic is just what to do with the energy. I suppose I could use some examples???
I’ll continue to study the series more and see if I can get a couple of “Aha’s!” out of them.
Thanks more than I can say.
Nancy
By: Nancy Boyd on November 18, 2009
at 1:47 pm
Your point about examples is well taken, Nancy. I know there’s lots more to come in this series, but I have to confess that when I go to bed at night, I have absolutely no idea what’s next in the series. I wake up in the middle of the night with the new post unfolding in my head, and I have to get up right then and there and write it down or it will be gone when I wake up again.
There’s no order that I can make out, even though I have a dim idea of what “ought” to be included. It’s as much an adventure and a mystery for me as it is for any of my readers. We have wise, loving helpers on the other side who are our partners in this enterprise. Donna
PS. It’s 4:00 AM and I DO know where my examples are. I’m working now on a post for tomorrow about how to put the pieces of the transit together. thanks for suggesting it.
By: Donna Cunningham on November 18, 2009
at 5:30 pm
Donna,
Hello. I want to thank you for the blog I am getting about the Pluto-Saturn square. It helps give me insight. I have the square in my 10th (saturn) and 2nd (pluto) houses. I’ve been out of work for over six months and am facing the possibility of losing my home. I’ve gone through significant transformations in my life but I must say, this has been one of the most difficult. I am also an Aries sun and Cancer moon (late degrees though). Thank you again for all the information!!!
Tracey
By: Tracey on November 18, 2009
at 3:35 pm
dearnTracey, i dont know which house system you apply, but i have also saturn in tenth square pluto in 2nd ,
my experience,
i ve been out of work for fourteen months and i am also facing the possibility of losing my house (you see we bought it with a loan)
interesting? plus frightening?
Scorpio sun Canser moon (late degrees)
christina
By: christina on May 31, 2010
at 1:09 pm
Christina,
Hello. Sorry to hear of your experiences which are similar to mine. I did find a job which is a huge pay cut but happy to be working. Actually, I am learning to view money differently which I think is part of the what is happening with Pluto transiting the 2nd. Jupiter and Uranus transiting my 4th will result in something with my home environment. Around the time of my birthday I made a decision to free myself of emotionally holding onto my house and I can’t tell you how much better I feel…even thinking of moving out of state. I am Cancer Moon like you so that was a touch decision to make but oh how I feel so much better. A home can be made anywhere. Still don’t know if the bank will offer the modificaiton but either way, I have peace. I wish you many blessings!
Tracey
By: Tracey on June 1, 2010
at 3:15 pm
My husband and I had a store where we offered classes. It was clear that the more effort that was expected in terms of participation, the fewer the number of people that would attend.
By: Susan on November 18, 2009
at 3:57 pm
Yup, that sounds about right, Susan. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on November 18, 2009
at 5:24 pm
“Take care of Pluto, or Pluto will sneak into your house in the middle of the night and smother you to death with a pillow.”
How’s that? 🙂
By: Lucy on November 18, 2009
at 7:12 pm
LOL!! LOL!! If you were here, you’d hear my maniac laugh. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on November 19, 2009
at 3:38 am
hmm, well for a generation born in 1989 the Caboose is or will be having a Pluto transit very soon. 11/22 for my youngest.
Hint, hint !! 🙂
By: belle on November 18, 2009
at 8:15 pm
Oh, big time!!! The whole generation of children who were born in the 1980s with Uranus and Neptune in Capricorn and maybe some personal planets in that sign as well are having a pretty rough coming of age over the next few years. For some, their parents have both had careers and haven’t been around to supervise them much, but have overindulged them out of guilt. That’s about to stop, suddenly, and they’re likely to have a head-on collision with reality. To them, reality might very well seem like the end of the world, when for a lot of others, reality is just business as usual. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on November 19, 2009
at 3:38 am
Brilliant entry! Lit up with energy! Way to go, DC!
By: nray on November 19, 2009
at 9:36 am
perhaps we need a chat room? (lol!) then we can really get down and dirty with these transits and aspects!! those would be some INTERESTING conversations (and of course, everyone will want to be anonymous).
By: kristy on November 19, 2009
at 1:49 pm
If you like the idea of conversations, one place you might enjoy visiting is ElsaElsa (listed on my blog roll). Her regulars have some very personal sharing about their lives and especially about their relationships from an astrological viewpoint. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on November 19, 2009
at 4:28 pm
Thoroughly enjoying these articles, Donna, as well as everyone else’s comments, too. I’d like to second Nancy’s request for examples. I have transiting Pluto in my first house and Saturn passing through my ninth. I find that I’m questioning everything — from my belief in God, the hereafter, etc. (especially after my father’s death last month) to today’s news about mammograms. I don’t want to say I see conspiracy theories everywhere but I do think more and more through the lens of “what’s behind the fear, who’s to gain from it?” Hope I’m not repeating myself:) I could be missing the point but in my case, I don’t see myself doing anything in particular in response to these transits; it’s more internal, thinking, examining, re-assessing….IF I’m supposed to be doing something, then along with the transits, the Universe may have to send a 2 x 4 to get my attention!:)
By: Trishia Jacobs on November 19, 2009
at 6:34 pm
The examples are already published–see today’s post. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on November 19, 2009
at 11:48 pm
My motto for a Pluto transit: Sweep the dirt out of the house (chart house!) and take out the trash!
By: Millie Heym on November 26, 2009
at 6:07 am
That’s a good one. You aren’t by any chance, the reader who proposed a counterpart to my Saturn slogan (Take care of Saturn and Saturn will take care of you.) She joked, “Take care of Pluto or Pluto will come in the middle of the night and suffocate you with a pillow.” Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on November 26, 2009
at 11:16 am
No, although I like her response too! Sorry it took me so long to see your reply to my post … Pluto moved into my husband’s 4th house (also tenanted by his Moon) and within less than a week he was diagnosed with large kidney stones (luckily treatable with a new form of surgery so he didn’t have to try to pass them) AND a bad hernia. Three surgeries within 4 weeks, and long recuperation from the hernia. Saturn had also moved into his 1st house. How classic is that!!! I can make astro jokes about it now, but it’s been a rough 2010.
By: Millicent Heym on June 1, 2010
at 12:59 pm
Per Donna’s OK, I’d like to point out that she has added a link to a chat room I started called Planet Earth Gets Real. I’d like to invite everyone to join in.
http://chatroll.com/planet-earth-gets-real
yes, Kristy, you gave me the idea:)
Trishia
By: Trishia Jacobs on November 26, 2009
at 9:34 am
Tracey thank you for your sympathy, it is really strange that i am also thinking of working abroad, , which means that i would miss my kids during my working periods of time. you see, they are everything to my life but on the other hand i feel like moving on into my life…. if this opportunity turns up i would take it, no matter heartbreaking would be for me
By: christina on June 2, 2010
at 12:27 pm
How do you get un-stuck from this Pluto/Saturn transit? Things in my life seem to be slowly getting better. But this one has hit me hard. It has been horrible. Being stuck is an understatement. Will it be over by January 2011?
Thanks for the great site.
Deborah
By: Deborah on September 3, 2010
at 8:12 pm
It’s moving out of range for the last time, Deborah. It’s been rough, no two ways about it, and some things will never be the same. We just have to sort out what to do now. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on September 4, 2010
at 2:44 am
Thanks for all the heavy, heavy Pluto & Saturn & Uranus information.
Elisabeth Barry
By: Elisabeth Barry on October 12, 2012
at 5:52 pm