Fixed Grand Cross
You can run but you can't hide.
This is not the inspiring, light hearted post that I set out to write about the trine between Salacia and Varuna that we’re experiencing at this moment. It doesn’t feel appropriate for this current time, and I will share those insights later. Instead, I want to share how I see an important aspect playing out between several dwarf planets and how it speaks to the current events that are continuing to escalate. This is the fixed grand cross being formed between Jupiter in Taurus, Pluto in Aquarius, Varuna in Leo, and Haumea in Scorpio.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with a grand cross, this is an aspect between four planets that helps us understand what kind of a conversation they are having. A grand cross represents a situation that is incredibly challenging and unavoidable. The energies of the planets that are involved are working against each other and this aspect will be highlighted and amplified by the full moon. The signs involved in this particular grand cross are fixed signs - arguably the most stubborn and immovable and inflexible in the zodiac.
If you read my last post, you’ll remember that I discussed Varuna, a dwarf planet named for the Hindu creator god. There are many stories about Varuna, but there’s one in particular that stands out to me right now. In the Ramayana, there is a story of Rama in deep despair over his wife, Sita, being kidnapped. He was able to determine that she was being held on the other side of the sea, but he had no way to reach her. Rama called out to Varuna for help, but Varuna ignored him. He knew that the situation would resolve itself and did not respond to his pleas. Rama became enraged and prepared to attack the sea, where Varuna was hiding. Varuna attempted to placate Rama with a logical explanation for his inaction and he agreed to help him by keeping the waves calm while he found a way to cross. The people were so upset that they punished Varuna by relegating him as the god of the waters and the sea, removing his sky god status. Thus, Varuna symbolizes our need to act and to engage in the political process when it’s necessary for the benefit of others involved. Varuna reminds us that true leaders cannot remain hidden in times that demand their presence and their voice. Those that blame others, act helpless, or refuse to speak meaningfully and act from their internal sense of justice will be punished by Varuna. This myth alone can shed so much light on our current political situation, right?
In opposition to Varuna in Leo, we have Pluto in Aquarius. I spoke about Pluto in Aquarius in my last post but it’s important to mention that Aquarius is the sign that is willing to question authority and it won’t shy away from standing up for the rights of others. Pluto in Capricorn demonstrated the shadowy underbelly of our societal systems and the people that run them. Pluto in Aquarius is going to demand answers. Aquarius is a genius at recognizing patterns and Pluto will use that power to get to the core of our societal issues and share those horrifying details with the entire world. I am picturing information leaking out that about people in power that is so damning, they have to shut the whole internet down to avoid it spreading. Something very extreme is called for when Pluto is involved and the situation is not willingly faced. While I can see more regular people than ever talking about their inner worlds and wanting to heal and change themselves, we don’t see an inkling of those changes happening to people in power. In fact it’s starting to feel like all the sob stories we hear from politicians that they use to humanize themselves are really just a ploy for our vote.
Haumea in Scorpio is squaring both Pluto and Varuna. I tend to romanticize Haumea, but I truly believe she might be our saving grace. Haumea is a Hawaiian goddess of childbirth and fertility. She has the ability to birth babies from all over her body, and can recreate herself to become young over and over again. Haumea represents the psychic oneness of all humanity that we can feel in those moments where we are simply glad to be alive and to have survived all that we have. Those moments of awe and wonder that nourish our soul and ground us back into our bodies. I believe that Haumea, also newly in the sign of Scorpio, is showing us the depths of despair and inequity that is happening around our world. I believe this is responsible for the feeling many of us are having around needing to find peace and meaning in our day to day lives all while reckoning with the fact we’re living through genocide in real time. She is providing this experience for everyone that is willing to listen and see - violence committed on any human is a tragedy for all of us. When will we open our eyes and see? Haumea is beckoning us towards a whole new world, one where every human is respected and vulnerability and intimacy is valued and not used to manipulate or coerce or destroy others.
Finally we get to Jupiter in Taurus. Taurus tends to value nature, food, comfort, and consistency. Jupiter represents our approach to life or our philosophy. It can indicate areas where we may over compensate for other areas of life that aren’t going so well. It tends to inflate everything it touches and that can have disastrous results. Jupiter will bring us opportunities to grow in some way, but we have to be sure that we haven’t committed to something we can’t follow through on and we better make sure that we’re prepared.
Let’s bring all of this together to uncover how this is speaking to our current moment in history. Please know that I am attempting to be as diplomatic as possible here (my Libra Moon) but the current events are nothing short of devastating and enraging. Additionally, I know that there are many world events that are worth speaking to but I am choosing to speak of the things that I know the most about. That doesn’t mean they aren’t also important.
We have world leaders (Varuna in Leo) attempting to downplay the genocide happening in Gaza. We have previously treasured progressive leaders in the United States, like AOC, mocking people for being “angry on the internet” and trying to sell us a President for re-election in a way that illuminates her having fallen prey to the system instead of fighting for change as she promised us she would. We have a Vice President who tweeted about us needing to re-elect Biden if we want to protect women’s rights in a blatant disregard to the fact he has been president for years and hasn’t done a damn thing. I seriously think they are either delusional or they think we are stupid. We have the power of the people (Pluto in Aquarius) to take a stand against the actions (or inactions) of our government. Yet many people are stuck in a reality where as long as they have the newest iPhone or Stanley Cup (Jupiter in Taurus) they can’t be bothered to understand what’s happening out in the world. Those that are cracked open due to tragedies in their own life (Haumea in Scorpio) can catch glimpses of this pain and how unreal our lives seem while other people are living through complete destruction or their entire lives.
Honestly, I don’t know where I’m going with all of this and of course I don’t have the answers. But I want you all to know that it’s so important to speak out on this. We can’t live this way. I know many spiritual folks that are trying to love and light their way out of this war and that is not the way we get people on board with our cause. (Our cause being every human matters and deserves to live regardless of the actions of their government, their faith, beliefs, race, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, etc). People that haven’t woken up to our reality need help to wake up. You can love and light on the side, but please don’t be silent. If you have a platform, share your position. You don’t know who might need to hear they aren’t alone in feeling crazy living their life this way. People need a sense of community in order to be brave and take a stand for what they believe to be true. Perhaps that is the real message from Pluto in Aquarius.
I am proud to share my knowledge of the Dwarf Planets - as I have mentioned before, I am a student of Alan Clay and
of the Dwarf Planet University. I will always try to cite my sources and inspiration when I can and I am honored to have learned so much from them both. e
This is really beautifully written and exactly reflects how I feel about the state of the world right now. Thanks so much for the insight. 🩵