Planet Earth has arrived at a powerful, critical point of change.  

Some will experience it as a time of beneficial, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities; others as an intensely painful, disruptive time, loaded with challenges to the familiar status quo. Whether seen as opportunity or challenge will, of course, depend on the eye of the beholder. 

In astrological terms, starting now through mid-August, astral energies are forming an extraordinarily rare triple conjunction with long-lasting effects.  It includes: 

Uranus, futuristic planet of vision and invention,  

the North Node, a point that defines collective human destiny, and  

Mars, the planet of initiative and action.  

It occurs in Taurus, the down-to-earth sign of wealth, commerce, agriculture and food-supply issues. An abbreviated Sabian symbol tells you the precise location’s significance in plain English: 

18° Taurus: DETOXIFICATION. Using cleansing techniques to rid the subconscious of toxic, negative residues from the past. 

The last time this exact combo occurred was 2,300 years ago. Then, it was marked by the world-changing conquests of Alexander the Great. As a by-product of his consolidations, trade routes between East and West were opened. Resulting cross-culture exchanges stimulated major shifts in awareness.  

Perhaps, just perhaps, once again, it’s time for a collective paradigm shift. 

Now I know astrology talk is foreign, even alien, to many. Which is unfortunate. For even predating written history, as a matter of survival, those who lived close to nature watched the sky, observed changes in the weather, and lived in harmony with cyclical seasonal change.   

Why is it so useful?  

Because those who read the signs know to prepare for shocks, storms and earthquakes — be they geographic, social, economic, or political. They’ll be the ones who ride the waves of change, balanced like agile surfers, harnessing the currents of dangerous times to reach a far shore safely. 

Whereas those who are caught unawares run the risk of being crushed by tsunamis of massive change, dragged down and under.  

Which option do you prefer? 

If you’re unclear about the place of astrology in the larger scheme of things, let me reintroduce the Quantum Paradigm. It images the Unified Field Theory which Einstein already had, but for lack of yoga training, missed. Plugged into the archetypal Life Wheel found throughout time, in every culture, it looks like this:  

The Quantum Paradigm is exquisitely simple, satisfying the standard of Occam’s razor — optimal inclusion, optimal brevity. Like a laser, it illumines the field wherever it’s pointed. Since today I’m looking at an astrological pattern, I’ll describe where astrology – whether solar, lunar or literally star-based – fits within the Life Wheel, defining both what it is and what it is not.  

Astrology fits exclusively within the middle, e=energy level of the Quantum Life Wheel. Along with similar ancient sciences of change, including the preeminent Chinese Book of Change, it uses symbolic language to map the dynamics of Natural Law. 

Natural Law (in case no one taught you this in school), is an extension of Divine Law. It’s distinct, neither a substitute for nor a threat to inner light. We experience its influence on the m=mass surface of the Life Wheel as continuous flux.  

For this reason, aware-ones intentionally link the m=mass material level of their personal Life Wheels with the Center. They anchor in the eternal which abides deeper than change to remain stable from within no matter how challenging life on the surface becomes. 

As subtle astral energies radiate outwards to influence the physical, manifested world, applications branch in many directions. For example, leaders in every walk of life query to see the big picture, make wiser decisions and get better results. Therapists read charts to understand personality dynamics and improve relationships. Financial traders analyze transits to anticipate fluctuations in the stock market. Farmers observe the natural dynamics to predict weather patterns. They plant and harvest their crops accordingly to achieve higher yields. 

Then there’s medical astrology. Again, it’s nothing new. Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, regarded it as basic science (a term whose pristine definition is simply “with knowledge”). The ability to read natal charts is essential to correct diagnosis. A quick glance allows the competent physician to recognize the difference between discomforts which are “transit-ory” and those which are chronic, life-long concerns.  

Would you be interested to know, BTW, that COVID came in right on schedule, along with the upheavals resulting from lockdowns and social distancing? Or that the U.S. natal chart reveals what’s called a Pluto return – a “breakdown to breakthrough time” likely to spark revolutionary rethinkings of the nation’s purpose and values? 

Looking ahead, I’ll give you another heads up. Globally, through 2022, everyone everywhere is at the midpoint of massive political challenges. Corruption that’s been going on for a very very long time is increasingly being exposed like never before, the better to be purged and replaced by healthier options. Astrologers who’ve long foreseen this period of purification are rejoicing. Sadly however, many caught unawares are left disillusioned and in shock.  

And according to astrologer Pam Gregory, “We’re just getting started.” She likens the triple conjunction to eclipses, which are also pivot points of change. Eclipses usually come in threes, moving direct, retrograde and then direct again. The most dynamic set of the year completes exactly on November 8.  Uranus, the planet of sudden surprises of all kinds, is a direct hit.  

In the U.S., it just so happens to fall precisely on Election Day.  

So let’s take a collective deep breath and center ourselves. It’s time to put on our observer hats, expect the unexpected, and set the intention to make the best of our “interesting” times.  

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Patricia West’s B.A. is from Oberlin College; the M.A. and Ph.D. are from UW-Madison. Author of The Common Sense Book of Change and Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, she’s currently working on The Phoenix Response: Dying To Be Reborn – in the Same Lifetime, offering a magical antidote to post-COVID trauma and alarming increase in suicide rates.