Moon Will Make It a Grand Cross in Cardinal Signs in August, 2010

by Milky Way Maid

A Grand Cross is not the end of the world kind of aspect, but it a challenge. Fortunately, the cardinal signs rather like a challenge. As a personal reference, I once knew a first-degree Aries whose hobby was shopping and holding rummage sales. She often offered an item that was her personal challenge piece, by that I mean something that she challenged herself to sell. I recall one time it was a small Christmas tree, something so pathetic it was cute, in a Charlie Brown kind of way. She was eventually offered two dollars for it, and she had to force herself to not seem overly eager to take the money. So then once she sold that, she took on another challenge piece; I think it was a pair of black tiki god tumblers, the kind you sometimes get as a souvenir in theme restaurants.

Looking down the road at August, we find a Grand Cross forming in early degrees of the cardinal signs. On August 6, 2010 Uranus and Jupiter will be in Aries (at zero and three degrees, respectively); the Moon will be at three degrees of Cancer, opposing Pluto at three degrees of Capricorn, and then there is a trio of Mars, Saturn and Venus in Libra (at 5, 1 and zero degrees, respectively).

President Obama’s natal Venus is at 2 degrees of Cancer, and in have natal Mars in an early degree of a cardinal sign, too. I will let you know how that plays out for me. I recall Saturn transits over that Mars which left me feeling extremely tired; had to make myself get plenty of sleep to cope with that one. Fortunately that was a short transit!

Possibly some of you know cardinal natives who are rather difficult to be around lately. Aries natives particularly did not like when Saturn first ventured into Libra, their opposite sign. Oh, do they hate when their way is blocked! Right now I have some Capricorn friends who have been going through some tough times; one has been dealing with a divorce and forced sale of his home, and another has been getting sporadic work. Please try to exercise your compassion muscles wherever you can.

Please also note that on Aug. 3, Jupiter squares Pluto, and the following day, Mars squares Pluto at three degrees Libra/Capricorn. Kaye Shinker of astrologicalinvesting dot com believes that the public (Moon) will be incensed that they have been hoodwinked by the Wall Street crooks. She feels that the scandals perpetrated by Bernie Madoff, Enron, Worldcom et al have been just the tip of the iceberg.

Astrologers all over cyberspace are weighing in with their predictions and interpretations. Maurice Fernandez says in his article, “Time of Radical Shift: A Look into the Coming Cycle” that “the situation heating up is like a piece of molten iron that can be beaten into a better form, personally and collectively.” Raye Mathis, writing in Venture Inward magazine, states that the cross is a time of great change when life is giving you a kick in the behind to force you to deal with the deep hole you have dug for yourself. She states that it is a time when one can re-create oneself and make deep inner changes.

What else might be affected by this Grand Cross? I have speculated that since Libra is the sign of marriage, and Jupiter rules law, and Uranus is the unusual or the shake-up, that same-sex marriage may be a burning issue this summer. Either same-sex marriage will become the law of the land or it will be outlawed. On a personal level, many of us may face trials in our marriages, and some may break up/separate (Uranus) or have a divorce finalized (Saturn).

Rather than sacrifice a long-term marriage that has been basically happy, it might be better to go off to separate retreats during this transit, to avoid saying terrible things that one cannot retract. Wait until after the transit has passed before making any final decisions on separating. Go to couples therapy afterward, or to a marriage enrichment weekend, to relearn how to reach each other emotionally.

Carl Jung described the cross as two pairs of opposites, which only meet at the center. I am reminded of the sages of India, who point out that the only way to keep from getting unmercifully tossed off the spinning Wheel of life is to move toward the serene center, from which vantage point one may observe the maelstrom churning around you.

So again, try to keep the image of the spinning wheel of life in your mind’s eye as all of us get tossed around this Grand Cross this summer. The center is the place to be. Whatever works for you to get tuned into your center is what you want to do plenty of. Some options: Meditation, craniosacral massage (or just using your still-point inducer), or going to a quiet nature preserve or a daily nature walk.