SFLP: Part 2

Guilt:  the gift that keeps on giving.  Erma Bombeck

This part of the journey toward being Simply Fit begins with the end.  Well, really, it begins with a notebook.  So, go get one, now.  You’ll need it.

Now we can begin at the end.  In this instance, the “end” is the last planet:  Pluto.  In astrological terms, Pluto symbolizes transformation, rebirth, destruction, and change.  It can also, according to some astrologers, represent that which we need to let go of in order to be renewed.

Think of “old baggage” that you have been dragging around with you.  (For the purposes of this program, please feel free to consider past lives too, if you so choose.  It’s not a requirement, though.)  Very likely, you’ve got some shame and guilt stuffed into that baggage.  “I shouldn’t have eaten the whole box of cookies; I’m such a loser!”  ” Julie stayed late at work to finish up the Jones file, so I should have too. . . . now everyone will think I’m a slacker.”  “I can’t believe I said that to my child; now I’ve messed her up for life.”

Shame and guilt pack a powerful one-two punch that can take us down for the count.  And with heavy burdens like that, we are not free to be Simply Fit.  So let’s look at an astrological explanation and solution for guilt.

The sign that Pluto was in at your birth describes the specifics of the baggage you need to transform.  Check the list below to see what sign Pluto was in when you were born:

June 15, 1939 – October 19, 1956  (Leo)

October 20, 1956 – January 15, 1957  (Virgo)

January 16, 1957 – August 19, 1957  (Leo)

August 20, 1957 – April 12, 1958  (Virgo)

April 13, 1958 – June 10, 1958  (Leo)

June 11, 1958 – July 30, 1972  (Virgo)

July 31, 1972 – November 5, 1983  (Libra)

November 6, 1983 – May 18, 1984  (Scorpio)

May 19, 1984 – August 28, 1984  (Libra)

August 29, 1984 – January 17, 1995  (Scorpio)

January 18, 1995 – April 21, 1995  (Sagittarius)

April 22, 1995 – November 10, 1995  (Scorpio

November 11, 1995 – January 26, 2008  (Sagittarius)

Now that you know the sign that Pluto was in at the moment of your birth, you can stare into the abyss, as it were, and uncover the deep, scary things that you might need to transform and release.  First, read the explanation for your Pluto placement below.

PLUTO IN LEO KEYWORDS:  youthful, spontaneous, powerful, autocratic, self-indulgent, fear of aging, self-respecting, confident, status conscious, pretentious, dramatic

PLUTO IN VIRGO KEYWORDS:  efficient, modest, perfectionist, logical, hypochondriac, judgmental, obsessive, service oriented, healthy, practical, critical

PLUTO IN LIBRA KEYWORDS:  balanced, refined, compromising, social, charming, indecisive, vacillating, superficial, cooperative, artistic, vain, flattering, fair

PLUTO IN SCORPIO KEYWORDS:  insightful, passionate, vindictive, intense, mysterious, secretive, paranoid, powerful, magnetic

PLUTO IN SAGITTARIUS KEYWORDS:  optimistic, restless, commitment phobic, inspiring, dogmatic, philosophical, procrastinating, ethical, outspoken

Okay, got your notebook?  Then jot down a few of the keywords from your Pluto that resonate with you.  For example, I have Pluto in Virgo.  So in looking at the Pluto in Virgo Keywords, the ones that jump out at me are efficient, perfectionist, judgmental, healthy, and critical.

Now that you have your keywords, write a few sentences using those words which sum up your “old baggage.”  Again, using myself as an example, I might write this:

I feel absolutely horrible when I make a mistake, no matter how big or small, and then I criticize myself harshly.  And when I see others make mistakes, I am judgmental and critical of them too.

You might need to take some time to choose your words and write your summary.  Maybe you might even want to observe yourself for a couple of days to see what things you notice.

Once you feel comfortable with your summary statement, you can begin to work on your “redemption” and transformation.  In many ways, transformation lies in finding balance, or the other side of the coin.  For balance, then, I like to look at the sign directly opposite mine.  Look at the list below to see the sign and keywords opposite your Pluto placement.

AQUARIUS KEYWORDS TO BALANCE LEO:  open-minded, rational, humanistic, reformer, innovative, holistic, unique

PISCES KEYWORDS TO BALANCE VIRGO:  forgiveness, compassionate, mystical, imaginative, transcendent, dreamer, serene, spiritual

ARIES KEYWORDS TO BALANCE LIBRA:  assertive, courageous, enterprising, initiating, confident, pioneering, energetic, independent

TAURUS KEYWORDS TO BALANCE SCORPIO:  grounded, patient, loyal, dependable, creative, practical, earthy, artistic

GEMINI KEYWORDS TO BALANCE SAGITTARIUS:  adaptable, versatile, communicative, bright, inquisitive, social, witty

Using your notebook again, write down the balance keywords that catch your eye.  In my notebook, keeping my own Pluto in Virgo in mind, I would choose Pisces words such as forgiveness and spiritual.  And once again, as you did above, write a summary using your balance words.  Here’s mine:  When I make mistakes, it’s an opportunity for me to forgive myself and understand the spiritual value of failing and learning and growing; in this way, I can have compassion for myself and others when we make mistakes.

Now the tricky part. . . . It’s one thing to “get it” in theory.  It’s another thing entirely to put that theory into practice.  So here’s your homework!  Keep your notebook with your for the rest of the week.  Now that you’ve got both your summary statements, keep track of all the opportunities you have to put your words into action.  Use your notebook like a diary to record instances where your Pluto stuff comes up.

Please feel free to share your statements, to ask questions, and to pass along your observations from the week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Uranus-Pluto Square

Have you noticed that everyone and everything seems to be breaking down to the foundations lately?  That structures (both literal and figurative) are cracking and crumbling?

It has seemed this way to me for a while now.  In my own life and in that of my friends and family, I have seen some serious rug-pulling-out-from-under and some big upheavals.  Divorces, deaths, career shakeups, you name it.  Of course these things are always present, but in this case I am noticing that the EFFECTS have been rattling people to the core.  These events have been creating such havoc that the persons involved have been thrown into Major Overhaul mode.

Right now–and since 2012 actually–Uranus and Pluto have formed a square.  They are literally at a right angle to each other, and in astrology terms this arrangement means friction.  The Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn square can be interpreted to mean great shakeups and major transformations in both our personal AND our social structures.

First, Uranus in Aries represents big changes in the Self:  Uranus means upheaval, and Aries means the individual.  So that translates into big turnover in how we view ourselves and in what is REALLY important.  Second, Pluto in Capricorn means transformation in authority figures and in society.  And that translates to big changes in what we individuals want and expect from our leaders.

This square will last until 2015.  My takeaway from this is that we should all be very careful and discriminating in what we want our new foundations to be.  What about you?  Have things been stripped down to the concrete slab for you?  What will you use to re-build?  What should our collective foundation be as a society?  Can we build something that honors both the individual and the group?

Vultures

Is it just me, or does it seem like everyone’s in a funk lately?  At the end of 2012, I saw post after post on Facebook by people who were all too happy to put the year behind them.  When I chat with friends, everyone has a story of a sick relative, a financial crisis, or a personal struggle with the blues.  The news headlines certainly reinforce my feelings that things are tough all over:  school shootings, acts of terrorism, even the Pope is stepping down because he says he lacks the strength.  All this “funk” reminds me of my vulture story.

A few years ago, I was out for a run on a country road.  It was early spring, so there weren’t too many leaves on the trees yet.  As I headed back home on my out-and-back route, I ran under a canopy of maples, whose branches reached across the road.  I looked up and saw four vultures perched on the boughs and peering down at me.  Perhaps I should have taken their presence as a commentary on my fitness level or the slowness of my run.  But instead, I ran straight home and pulled out my dog-eared, well-worn copy of Animal-Speak by Ted Andrews to help me figure out the meaning.

Vultures are seriously misunderstood creatures.  Most people think only of gross, nasty things that eat roadkill.  But think of the value of this service.  By fulfilling their role as scavenger, they limit the infection and bacteria from the dead animal that would otherwise harm other creatures.  They keep the environment clean and prevent the spread of disease.  The Greeks considered vultures to be the descendants of the griffin, who represented heaven and earth, guardian and avenger.  In short, vultures are all about transformation.  (Incidentally, the number four symbolizes “foundation.”)

Now, fast forward to last week and another vulture story.  While driving home from work, I saw four vultures again, this time on the ground, making short work of a dead deer.  The connection of this vulture scene to the earlier one got me thinking.  What did these two events, if taken together, mean for me?

In the first encounter, the vultures were just sitting; in the second, they were actively working their circle-of-life magic.  Four vultures could be interpreted to mean a transformation of foundation.  And that has certainly been true for me for the past few years.  I feel as if external and internal events have conspired to strip down all my old beliefs and philosophies, to make me examine what is really important and true for me.  After all ,when the going gets tough, we can’t afford the luxury of frivolous things.  It’s as if the friction wears away the unnecessary things.

So I’ve interpreted the first vulture encounter as a message saying, “now is the time to sit patiently, examine your foundation, and prepare for change.”  And I see the second, where the vultures were doing their work, as a message saying, “now it’s time to get to work and operate from that new foundation you’ve created.”

Whether it’s true or not, it’s still a good message to take to heart.  There will always be funk, always be roadkill.  And there will always be a time to sit patiently and reflect, just as there will always be a time to roll up the sleeves and get to work.

Transformation

Man’s task is to become conscious of the contents that press upward from the unconscious.  Carl Jung

 

Saturn on the Move

Poor Saturn.  He gets such a bad rap from some astrologers.  I can understand where this reputation comes from.  After all, some of the words associated with Saturn are “limiting” and “restrictive.”  No one likes a party pooper, right?

My astrology teacher had a much more balanced view of Saturn, though.  She imagined one’s spiritual path as a train route and called Saturn the karmic conductor.  Saturn keeps the train and us on track and helps us reach our destination.  (For more on this, read her book:  “Discovering your Soul Mission” by Linda Brady.)

Saturn has an orbital cycle of 29 1/2 years, and so, astrologically speaking, we do not even become adults until Saturn returns to the same sign of our natal chart (called a Saturn return).  In other words, Saturn spends 2ish years in each sign, and after we’ve experienced Saturn in all twelve signs, we should have reached some maturity.

On October 5th, Saturn will leave the sign of Libra and head into Scorpio.  Saturn in Libra asks us to take responsibility in relationships.  We need to understand our actions and their consequences in relationship.  However, it also reminds us to learn boundaries in relationships, i.e. this is where I end and you begin.

Reflect on your past couple of years.  Have the lessons of responsibility and boundaries come up in your relationships?  How have you responded?

When Saturn moves into Scorpio, then, we will be asked to turn anger into passion and chaos into intensity.  Scorpio is all about emotions and transformation.  All too often, we forget that emotions are meant to be messengers, and instead we BECOME our emotions.  But with the solid and concrete qualities of Saturn on our side, we can take those emotions and transform them into something useful.

Enjoy the ride!

 

Transformational Scorpio