Cardinal Climax

I write the 2010 forecast with awe and trepidation as there is more planetary activity in the heavens in 2010 than in any year in my 20-plus years as an astrologer, and perhaps more planetary activity than any of us have lived through in our lifetimes. This level of celestial action portends a period of great change here on Planet Earth.

The celestial alignments of 2010 set the stage for the dramatic planetary transformation in 2012 to a higher level of consciousness and greater dimensions of thinking and feeling. Contrary to what you may have heard, the world is not coming to a cataclysmic end in December 2012. All that will be ending are old, ineffective ways of living on the planet. We have much to look forward to.

But, before the new and better can come in, the old and unproductive must be cast away. I wrote about this phenomenon more than a decade ago in my book, Astrological Secrets for the New Millennium. I spoke optimistically of the culture we would begin to create together, one where we would intuitively understand each other’s feelings and ideas, where we would exchange goods and services with each other in mutually beneficial ways without the use of conventional currency, where all religions would reach a mutual understanding about our need to bring awareness of God into our daily lives, where our thoughts could heal and our words could create a new and loving reality.

The world, however, fought tenaciously to hold onto its old, warrior-like, money-oriented ways. And the need to create a healthier, cleaner environment has been stymied by those who opted for more money and power rather than clean air and water.

Still, we have the opportunity to use the powerful energies unleashed in the heavenly spheres in 2010 to create a better world. There is really nothing to fight about. The wellbeing of everyone on the planet depends upon our working together as equals rather than working against each other, no matter who “started” it.

To give you an idea of the magnitude of the planetary pyrotechnics in 2010, there will be more than 20 powerful planetary alignments concentrated in the late spring and summer, involving Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. This celestial phenomenon is called “The Cardinal Climax.” In a normal year, only a handful of powerful planetary alignments occur – and they are spread throughout the year rather than concentrated in a few-month span.

The most intense planetary activity of 2010 will begin on May 22, 2010, when Jupiter and Saturn oppose each other in the heavens, bringing to fruition changes initiated in the year 2000. This planetary alignment, which occurs every 20 years, brings significant changes to government, business, entrepreneurial projects, and relationships.

The celestial activity continues on May 27, 2010, when revolutionary Uranus enters fiery Aries and expansive Jupiter enters Aries on June 5, 2010. The two planets join together on June 8, 2010. Uranus was last in Aries from 1927 to 1935. The conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus speeds the evolution of ideologies and technologies and realigns social hierarchies, economic fortunes, and alliances.

The energy intensifies when Saturn opposes Uranus on July 26, 2010, and squares Pluto on August 21, 2010. These will cause dramatic social change.

Powerful Mars also opposes Uranus on July 30, 2010, conjoins Saturn on July 31, 2010, opposes Jupiter on August 3, 2010, and squares Pluto on August 3, 2010, bringing buried aggression to a crescendo. Jupiter also squares Pluto on August 3, 2010, which also will bring long-held discontent of the populace to the surface. Jupiter then opposes Saturn on August 16, 2010, and Uranus squares Pluto, intensifying the disorder – and the desire for order – in conventional, organized social structures.

To add to the volatile mix, a full moon lunar eclipse occurs on June 26, 2010, and a new moon solar eclipse occurs on July 11, 2010. Finally, Jupiter conjoins Uranus on September 18, 2010. (See below for list of planetary alignments)

This level of planetary activity will stir passions in each person and in nations. People will be willing to make great sacrifices for their ideas – for good or ill. It is very important for us to focus on the highest good for the greatest number rather than on narrow selfish interests. Fortunately, beneficial Jupiter will be in the soothing sign of Pisces from January 17, 2010, to January 22, 2011, bringing spiritual protection and peace to those who pray for it.

The planetary alignments also will rebalance out-of-balance power dynamics and will rectify inequality across the globe, redistributing resources from the “haves” to the “have-nots.” These planetary alignments, especially with the active involvement of Mars, will give those who have been out of power the energy and courage to confront those who are in power.

The year 2010 also will be filled with remarkable technological innovations and punctuated by a continual erosion of established conventions and cultural mores. Brilliant innovations will alternate with the weakening of governments, corporations, financial infrastructures, and an erosion of the health of Mother Nature with periodic and unusual cataclysms in nature.

New and better styles of life are waiting to emerge to take the place of unsupportive ways of living and thinking. For those concerned about finances, a new system of currency will naturally replace the faltering system in which we previously have placed so much faith, causing us to see that old habits are not necessarily good habits. Agricultural, healthcare, educational, service-oriented, technological, and planet-supporting endeavors, including those involving air and water purification and new sources of energy and food, will eventually displace heavy industry, the military machine, and a heavily-polluting manufacturing sector as top priorities.

The process of transforming the world as we know it will begin with a series of reversals of fortune for many across the globe, which will level the playing field by shifting resources from the haves to the have-nots. Global power will naturally flow from North to South, and from West to East. You will see China, India, Australia, Indonesia, South America, and even Africa, play an increasingly powerful role on the world stage. Simultaneously, the leadership role of the United States will diminish.

Women, young people, and people of diverse ethnic backgrounds will increasingly ascend to powerful positions in businesses, governments, and influential grassroots movements. Older, white men may continue to appear to be “in control.” Time will prove, however, that the true power will progressively lie with groups that have been historically disenfranchised and appear weak from our current perspective. Within these groups are the seeds of change.

Social networking groups on the Internet also will play a powerful role in defining a more inclusive and egalitarian future society. First, however, the powerful will fight to stay on top. Power struggles between the old and the new are bound to ensue. Governmental and financial chaos and disorder will escalate. As a last-gasp attempt to maintain order, governments may try to exert greater control, yet their attempts to manage the masses ultimately will prove unsuccessful. Freewheeling, and as yet unorganized, youth will prevail in their quest for autonomy and freedom as older structures begin to fade away.

In support of these necessary changes, a global financial contraction culminates the expansionary economic cycle that began in 1982. Some of the wealth created since that time will naturally flow in new ways, to new people in new places, to bring the cosmic scales back into balance. Economic conditions from 2009 to 2020 will parallel the economic cycle established from 1973 to 1982. This includes contraction and stagnation in real estate markets, followed by a period of inflation. This is part of a global cycle of correction. It will balance any excesses that occurred in the last several decades.

Rather than hold on tightly to what you have, or to fears about what is coming next, try to practice feeling relaxed and peaceful, by holding on loosely and with non-attachment to what is currently abundant in your life, and by feeling gratitude for the gifts you possess. Be willing to accept change and stay open to possibilities you had not contemplated.

As these planetary influences become stronger, you may question previously held assumptions or feel differently about something you always thought to be true. You may no longer want something you have always wanted. You may want something you’ve never wanted before. Or, you may suddenly stop doing something you have always done. Or, you may have thought you would never do something – only to find yourself doing it!

Your normal habits and routines, when they become too rigid, will be disrupted to help you see the greater purpose for which you are striving: a deeper connection to your soul. All that is lost will not truly be lost, but instead will be a gateway to receiving that which you truly need.

Practice doing, thinking, or feeling the opposite of what you have done, thought, or felt in the past. Stay open to exchanging goods, services, and ideas with people with whom you previously have not had contact. You will be surprised at how much you learn, and how much you gain from unexpected sources! Everyone will be taken care of, in new and more simplified ways, and from new sources of abundance.

Meditate and pray to be guided to the actions that will bring your highest good. Everything you deserve, desire, and need will come to you at the appropriate time for your growth and evolution. Think clearly about what you truly need. It might be quite different from what you have habitually assumed in the past. Again, be receptive to alternative solutions – there are many of them!

When you look back at this time in future years, you will see how positive these changes were for your sense of self, your confidence, and your faith in the universe. Even if you think you are letting go of many things, everything will return to you in a higher form. Strive to practice patience as you transition to a higher and more beneficial way of being! Despite our desire at times to return to the way things were, the cosmic plan is not meant to unfold that way.

It is a law of physics that the greatest chaos precedes the greatest order. From the disorder will come the opportunity to rearrange your life according to a higher truth, one that is closer to the vision of your soul.

So, try to find comfort in the changes, in the situations you are unable to attain or control, in the rearranging of those things you had depended upon, and in the things you appear to be “losing.” If you are unable to attain something during this period, it may be delayed for a more opportune time, or it may be in your highest good not to have. If you let go of something, know that something better is coming to take its place. Consider that what is leaving your life may not have been truly yours in the first place. Or, consider that it has outlived its useful purpose. Simply hold on to the love and peace in your heart as you patiently wait for the next chapter to unfold.

Here are dates to remember for the Cardinal Climax 2010:

· January 17, 2010 – Jupiter enters Pisces

· January 31, 2010 – Saturn in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn

· April 26, 2010 – Saturn in Virgo opposes Uranus in Pisces

· May 22, 2010 – Jupiter in Pisces opposes Saturn in Virgo

· May 27, 2010 – Uranus enters Aries for the first time since 1935; Uranus was last in Aries from 1927 to 1935.

· June 5, 2010 – Jupiter enters Aries for the first time since 2000; Jupiter was last in Aries from early 1999 to early 2000.

· June 8, 2010 – Jupiter in Aries conjoins Uranus in Aries

· June 26, 2010 – Lunar Eclipse * Sun in Cancer – Moon in Capricorn

· July 11, 2010 – Solar Eclipse * Sun and Moon in Cancer

· July 24, 2010 – Jupiter in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn

· July 26, 2010 – Saturn in Libra opposes Uranus in Aries

· July 30, 2010 – Mars in Libra opposes Uranus in Aries

· July 31, 2010 – Mars in Libra conjoins Saturn in Libra

· August 3, 2010 – Jupiter in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn

· August 3, 2010 – Mars in Libra opposes Jupiter in Aries

· August 3/4, 2010 – Mars in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn

· August 16, 2010 – Jupiter in Aries opposes Saturn in Libra

· August 21, 2010 – Saturn in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn

· September 18, 2010 – Jupiter in conjoins Uranus in Pisces

· December 21, 2010 – Lunar Eclipse * Sun in Sagittarius – Moon in Gemini

· January 4, 2011 – Total Solar Eclipse, Sun and Moon in Capricorn

· January 4, 2011 – Jupiter in Pisces conjoins Uranus in Pisces

· February 25, 2011 – Jupiter in Aries Square Pluto in Capricorn

· March 28, 2011 – Jupiter in Aries opposes Saturn in Libra

The heavens calm down in late 2011 and we prepare for a peaceful entrance into 2012. During that year, beneficial Jupiter in Taurus makes a positive angle to transformative Pluto in Capricorn on March 13, 2012, and beneficial Jupiter and spiritual Neptune align on June 25, 2012. On September 19, 2012, Uranus in Aries once again squares Pluto in Capricorn, bringing to a crescendo all of the changes initiated by the Cardinal Climax of 2010. Finally, a stabilizing alignment between karmic Saturn in Scorpio and Neptune in the soothing sign of Pisces brings stability as 2012 comes to a close.

Written December 31, 2009

Remember, the distance between the problem, and the solution, is the distance
between your knees and the floor!

(March 21 – April 19)

You are an adaptable, quick-moving soul who thrives in changing circumstances. The new year will support your high-spirited nature as 2010 ushers in a period of rapid, and perhaps, unprecedented change. Uranus, the planet of revelation and sudden change will enter Aries on May 27, 2010. Uranus was last in Aries from 1927 to 1935. Beneficial Jupiter and revolutionary Uranus will conjoin each other in Aries on June 8, 2010, bringing rapid change to you and many others. Your role may vacillate between leader and follower. Be ready to change direction at a moment’s notice. And as always, try to remain as non-attached as possible to the outcome of your endeavors. Your life will unfold in a way that is in the highest good of many people around you, even if it does not seem so as your projects unfold. Have faith. Greater clarity about how to resolve your problems will come. This also is a good time to commit to an important relationship.

(April 20 – May 20)

You will find the balance you are seeking through a person born under the sign of Scorpio. A planetary angle in early 2010 between Mars retrograde in Leo and Neptune in Aquarius will temporarily pull you away from your primary purpose. But your association with someone of an opposite nature to your own will help you regain your focus and equilibrium. Try to let go of expectations so you can see the larger plan at work. As you practice a more objective attitude, positive events you previously had not imagined will enter your life. The entrance of Mars into Virgo in June 2010 will support your positive efforts to change in your life. It is a fortunate time to commit to a new work regimen or endeavor.

(May 21 – June 21)

Your clever mind will be called upon as you and people around you nimbly navigate the straits of change in 2010. You are flexible and mentally agile, and will enjoy the creative possibilities engendered by a plethora of planetary alignments in 2010. The greatest changes will begin in late May 2010 under the sign of Gemini when Jupiter and Saturn oppose each other in the heavens, bringing to fruition changes initiated in the year 2000. This planetary alignment every 20 years brings big changes to government, business, entrepreneurial projects, and relationships. The position of the planetary alignment in the heavens will give you plenty of opportunity to participate in the changes. A multitude of other dramatic planetary alignments will continue throughout the summer months, including Jupiter’s conjunction with Uranus, and Saturn’s conjunction with Mars. Use your good sense of humor, charm, and wit, to gracefully and generously find inventive solutions to unanticipated predicaments. Think about where you want to live. Soon, you will be making a commitment to a new location from which to launch your activities.

(June 22 – July 22)

A series of planetary alignments and eclipses during the summer of 2010 will spice up your year and help you feel gratitude for the many blessings you already have in your life. As you watch a multitude of changes sweep the planet and the lives of people closest to you, you will cherish memories of the past. Simultaneously, try to feel optimistic and envision what you would like to create in the future. Your positive visualizations will attract positive opportunities to you. The reasons for much of what is happening will be initially perplexing. But you inevitably will welcome changes to the status quo because they will reconfigure your life in a positive way for you and your loved ones. This is a good time to reevaluate whether your home serves you and your future goals. If not, it’s time to make a change. A full moon lunar eclipse occurs under the sign of Cancer on June 26, 2010. A new moon solar eclipse in Cancer follows on July 11, 2010. These eclipses will bring positive opportunities to you and will help you re-visit and resolve issues you last considered in 1991.

(July 23 – August 22)

The year of 2010 holds much promise for you to rise to a leadership position as circumstances change quicker than a lion can blink an eye. Your desire to lead others toward a brighter future will be your response to the inevitable changes prompted by intense celestial activity during the summer of 2010. Energetic Mars turns retrograde in Leo from December 20, 2009, to March 10, 2010. Rest well under this influence in the first half of the year. Delays and conflicts will be resolved by mid-May 2010. A succession of planetary alignments from late May 2010 to mid-September 2010 will alter your perspective in a positive way and bring you the ideas and resources you will need to bring a creative project to fruition. This also is a good time to travel or go to new places in your local area to connect with people of foreign backgrounds or who are different from yourself in some way. Exposure to exotic customs and ideas will appeal to your noble sensibilities and will accelerate your personal evolution.

(August 23 – September 22)

A positive angle between transformative Pluto in Capricorn and your Virgo Sun will help you learn to use old resources in new ways. You will learn to create more with less. Your greatest assets are your natural ingenuity and mental awareness. Try to see a stagnant situation from a new perspective. The change in your outlook will attract support from people with whom you previously had no contact. Your can-do, hard-working spirit will lead to many new opportunities in 2010. Make sure to alternate periods of hard work with periods of silence and solitude to support your sensitive nervous system. Jupiter in your opposing sign of Pisces from January 17, 2010, to January 22, 2011, will bring new people into your life and promote peace and harmony among those closest to you. The opposition of Saturn in Virgo and Uranus in Pisces on April 26, 2010, will help you bring to fruition a change you have been contemplating for as long as 40 years. Jupiter in Pisces opposite Saturn in Virgo on May 22, 2010, will help you create a new foundation from which to move forward. When Jupiter conjoins Uranus in Pisces under the Virgo Sun on September 18, 2010, you will feel free to creatively take action on a new direction in your life. Don’t hesitate to change patterns from the past.

(September 23 – October 23)

With Saturn in Libra for the first time since 1983, you are completing a karmic cycle in which you will reap rewards for past efforts and fulfill obligations left over from the past, as long as 27 years ago. While many people will be available to assist you in your worthy projects, some of these people will behave in less than a reliable manner with the revolutionary planet Uranus entering your opposing sign of Aries for the first time in 75 years on May 27, 2010. Uranus was last in Aries from 1927 to 1935. But never fear, the protective planet Jupiter also enters Aries on June 5, 2010, where it will provide you spiritual and logistical support for your worthy endeavors. Jupiter was last in Aries from early 1999 to early 2000. As you learn self-reliance, others will rally around you – just as you decide you no longer need their assistance! Your way of communicating with the world also will become more forthright and direct – as a practical response to changing circumstances that may confront you. You also will begin to modulate the quality of your voice to make your influence felt. A role reversal may occur in a relationship that you thought would never change.

(October 24 – November 21)

You will receive much spiritual inspiration during times of quiet reflection. Allow yourself to periodically withdraw from day-to-day activities to access your deeper, more profound, contemplative nature. This is the source of the enormous regenerative energy you possess. Your greatest accomplishments in 2010 will occur when you first map out your strategy in your mind. You do better when you anticipate consequences and plan in advance than when you react spontaneously. Understanding this about yourself will enable you to integrate deeper layers of your personal power into your daily routine. Your planetary ruler, Pluto in Capricorn, will be under the karmic influence of Saturn in Libra, which forms a square angle to Pluto on January 31, 2010, and August 21, 2010. Under the influence of Saturn square Pluto, accounts are settled, power imbalances are re-balanced, deeply held feelings are brought to the surface to be rectified, and unmet needs are tended to. Beneficial Jupiter and energetic Mars square Pluto on August 3, 2010. This planetary alignment will give you the energy to confront any obstacles that are creating delays.

(November 22 – December 21)

People around you do not seem as reliable as they once were as your beneficial planetary ruler, Jupiter, conjoins the erratic energy of Uranus in Aries on June 8, 2010. You are a good-natured soul who generally goes with the flow. But you may sense that the usual rules do not apply as the summer months approach. You are correct in your assessment, and quickly changing circumstances will give you an opportunity to re-sculpt your philosophy of life. This new worldview will help you reorganize your thoughts so you can see positive outcomes in the upheaval you potentially are witnessing in the world around you – both close to home and in the world at large. This positive re-framing of your perception of reality is the magic that attracts many new positive opportunities to your life. You also will have many opportunities to create material and financial changes when Jupiter and Saturn oppose each other in the heavens on May 22, 2010 and August 16, 2010.

(December 22 – January 19)

You will have no choice in 2010 but to let go of any rigid patterns that have restrained you. Like jumping into a pool of cold water, you will initially feel resistant to any changes. But you will re-adjust quickly and will enjoy the swim! Try to change one habit every day as a way to prepare yourself for the planetary alignments of 2010. These include a square angle to Pluto in Capricorn from Saturn in Libra on January 31, 2010, and August 21, 2010. Additionally, beneficial Jupiter and energetic Mars square Pluto in Capricorn on August 3, 2010, enabling you to confront obstacles with deep resources within yourself. Physically stretch your bodies in new ways to bring more flexibility to your joints and muscles – this will help open and relax your mind and help you organize your thoughts so you can confront the future with ease and comfort. Gently experiment with lifestyles and patterns you always have been attracted to. Follow your dreams. You will experience the happiness you have always longed for. Enjoy!

You may not be sure whether to work hard and save your money or take off and leisurely enjoy life in the coming year. You easily sit back from a detached perspective and enjoy the events swirling around you as if they were a spectacle of which you are not a part. You will walk a fine line in 2010 between active participation in events around you and a philosophical distance that enables you to help others because you do not feel emotionally involved in the outcome of the situations at hand. Your planetary ruler, Uranus, traverses the spiritual sign of Pisces and the active and warrior-like sign of Aries in 2010. This will enable you to vacillate between active and passive roles in outer events. Take breaks to practice silence and solitude in between bursts of intense social and communal activity. Uranus, your planetary ruler, has been in Pisces since 2003, enabling you to access the quieter, reflective side of your nature. The revolutionary planet will enter Aries on May 27, 2010, and conjoin beneficial Jupiter in Aries on June 8, 2010, bringing out the more active and participatory aspect of your nature. Uranus will retrograde into Pisces on August 13, 2010, and will re-enter the Sign of the Ram on March 13, 2011. Uranus will remain in Aries until 2019. Uranus was last in Aries from 1927 to 1935. As you learn the art of balance, you will find a perspective that nourishes your soul.

You will get a break from the successive changes that have affected you since revolutionary Uranus moved into the Sign of the Fish in 2003. The revolutionary planet Uranus enters Aries on May 27, 2010, and conjoins beneficial Jupiter in Aries on June 8, 2010. Expect the unexpected under this celestial influence. You have the gifts of compassion and an understanding of the larger meaning of human existence. Combine these beautiful qualities in order to flow with the period of unprecedented changes that will affect you and many others in 2010. Uranus will retrograde back into Pisces on August 13, 2010, and will leave Pisces for Aries on March 13, 2011. Despite the cosmic drama, you will feel abundant spiritual protection throughout 2010 as beneficial Jupiter traverses the Sign of the Fish from January 17, 2010, to January 22, 2011. As always, your greatest contributions come from your empathy, kindness, generosity, and the power of prayer. Engaging these innate qualities will enable you to feel as if you are fulfilling your destiny in 2010.