Return of the Cardinal Cross
The Cardinal Cross (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto) was starting to relax its influence by 2013. Then Jupiter moved into Cancer, stirring it up again. In July 2013 Mars conjoined Jupiter, bringing it back into sharp focus!
Article Series: Back to the Cardinal Crossroads
Cardinal T-square ~ August 2013
While you're basking in the glow of the Grand Sextile, Jupiter and Mars conveniently provide some good old fashioned stress and motivation to balance yourself out with. ;-)
When Mars conjoins Jupiter (Jul.22, 2013), they pick a fight with Uranus and Pluto in a T-square aspect pattern that persists long after Mars has waved goodbye and eased on down the road. Mars is part of the T-square from Jul.22 to Aug.08.
However, Jupiter stays behind until Sep.15, and then returns next year for a final round from January through May (when Mars completes a Grand Cross with them...but we're getting ahead of ourselves).
For Mars, the T-square is closest from July 27 to 31, from when Mars opposes Pluto (9°) until it squares Uranus (12°).
For Jupiter, the T-square is closest from August 7 to 21, from when Jupiter opposes Pluto (9°) until it squares Uranus (12°).
Uranus square Pluto has been discussed, analyzed and endured since they began around 2008, with the first of seven exact passes happening in June 2012. You only have to check out the news to see the social, political, moral and planetary upheaval that is happening.
At best, this is a crossroads where deep rooted change will result from breaking free of limiting attitudes and policies. At worst, this is a crossroads where deep rooted change will result from breaking free of limiting attitudes and policies. ;-)
Jupiter moving in to square Uranus and oppose Pluto gives the gruesome twosome another energy to polarize with, react to and do battle with. This is actually a new phase of the Cardinal Grand Cross and T-squares that came together 3 years ago (2010-2011). At that time Jupiter conjoined Uranus and squared Pluto; now Jupiter moves to the next corner of the Cardinal Square.
At the time of the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, these energies urged freedom, expansion and release of pent-up urges and ideas, both personally and globally. Now they are in the waxing square (meaning they are growing more distant from each other and will eventually oppose each other). This is a crossroads when we all must decide what to do with the direction we began at that time. Do we stay the course? Do we adjust our direction? Do we decide to do something different with the energy that has awakened since 2010?
With Jupiter and Uranus now adversaries instead of allies, some of the former promise of freedom and liberation may be looking a bit complicated or tarnished, as the reality of the implications starts to set in. Pluto in realistic Capricorn is only too happy to remind Jupiter that it is essential to act with the long-term goal in mind — otherwise it's all too easy to get tangled up in having to adjust and readjust, which is a waste of energy and resources. On the other hand, Pluto's promise of stability and durability can easily start to feel like a jail sentence to visionary Jupiter, so Pluto's solution won't work entirely either.
Uranus in Aries is still madly waving placards and chanting "All for one and one for all...as long as I get to be the ONE!" This resonates with Mars who is the ruler of Aries and currently in Cancer. Mars feels Cancer's pain at the thought of having all tradition and connection to the past uprooted and destroyed, and disagrees with Uranus' overkill approach to change.
Mars and Jupiter are feeling attacked and stuck in the middle of a fight that wasn't theirs to begin with but is definitely affecting them. They vow to wage a righteous war to defend what's good about the past in the name of strengthening the spirit of family — both an individual's need to belong within a family and a more global common ground within the Family of Humankind.
The upshot is that the turmoil around us could become more complicated, as secondary reactions, implications and consequences start to emerge. On a personal level, you are challenged to explore ideas about the kind of nest you want to build in your life that will support and sustain the broader changes, ambitions and transformations you are going through. On a collective level, we may see more emphasis on finding and strengthening the bond of what we all share, especially the factions that are at odds with each other.
What could further complicate this is that one way to find common ground and alliance is through a shared enemy, so what starts as an attempt to unite and bind together could instead result in further polarization. Awareness, as always, is the key to finding the path that works best for you.
© Wendy Guy 2013, all right reserved. Beyond brief quotes or strictly personal purposes, please obtain written permission from the author before reproducing this article or using images.