Impeachment and the Long Game: No Magic Bullet

If you have been thinking that the recent talk about impeachment means you can relax and celebrate, I have some astrological words of caution. Don?t open the champagne just yet. We are in a time of profound change, but one that will not create itself.

The big-picture astrological themes on our collective and societal plate right now require consistent active, conscious focus. They require engagement. They require us ?getting it? that we are the agents of the changes we wish to see.

Hard Work Brings Reward

Both Pluto and Saturn are in Capricorn. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, which has to do with systems, structures, and institutions. Pluto in Capricorn brings transformation to the ways we do things, the ways we see things, and in fact the very ground we stand on. Across the board, this includes all of our systems and structures from government to health care to financial systems and more. Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008 making it clear that we can no longer rely on business as usual.

With Saturn joining Pluto in Capricorn from December 2018 through much of 2020 we have the addition of real-world brick walls of reality showing us there is no way out other than to transform how we operate. This shows up in corruption in politics, in the environmental crisis, and the #metoo movement.

Saturn and Capricorn both bring awareness of limitations. We might feel literally or metaphorically imprisoned, as victims of our circumstances. But it also brings us the ability to see what we have to overcome and pressures us to generate creative new solutions and feelings of accomplishment.

No Escaping Transformation

In addition to the collective astrology?what is true for everyone alive at this time?we also have the awareness that the United States, which has its natal Pluto in Capricorn, is entering into its Pluto Return. No human beings live long enough to experience a Pluto Return, but a country or an institution can. The Pluto Return is an approximately 245-year cycle that brings a life-and-death confrontation with the truths upon which something is based.

And this Pluto Return for the United States happens to coincide with the 2020 Pluto conjunction with both Saturn and Jupiter. This coming together of three planets brings an important seed time for the future. Near the end of Capricorn and in early Aquarius, each pair of planets will meet in close proximity to one another bringing the end and the beginning of the three important cycles: Pluto-Saturn, Pluto-Jupiter, and Saturn-Jupiter. These three cycles are shorter-term than a Pluto return, but do represent long-term change, ranging from more than one to a few decades.

When any one of these cycles meets in a conjunction, it is similar to a New Moon?an important time to consciously set intentions and plant the seeds of the new cycle. In this case we have three long-term cycles that require our focus and intention if we want to make the most of them.

Opportunities to Grow and Create the Future

Furthermore, in a general sense the energies of Saturn and Capricorn indicate that effort is required. Saturn offers us two choices: rely on an external authority and hope it protects you, or develop your own internal authority and take care of yourself. When we are placing our faith and trust in ?Daddy??that parental authority or an outside rescuer or institution (or constitution) to save us, we are avoiding the invitation and missing the opportunity presented to grow in strength and self-confidence: to invest in who we are becoming.

Impeachment may or may not result in the removal of a U.S. president from office. But the astrological energies are telling us to beware: there is no magic bullet here. We don’t get to rest. Regardless of what happens with the impeachment process, we still have a long game to play and a future to create.

The good news is that by doing your own personal work of stepping into your own power and authority, you are doing your part to create the future you want. Each of us has a part to play, and we need all of it. We need activists, politicians, visionaries, innovators and inventors, healers, community participants, and those who feed and care for them. We need parents who are nurturing future generations and grandparents who share their experiences and wisdom. We need each individual to live the best ways they can.

What You Do and How You Live Matters

Another background astrological factor is the placement of Neptune in Pisces. In a nutshell, the Neptune in Pisces period brings confusion, illusion, and delusion. It also brings the potential for new spiritual awakening and truths. Look to art for inspiration and validation of the reality you choose. How you respond to gaslighting matters.

Finally, Uranus in Taurus also represents a need for grounding, engagement, and following instinct (Taurus) as we proceed with the methodical work of bringing revolutionary change (Uranus) step by step. Its position past a recent waxing square to Pluto means we must be active participants in transformation.

In summary, the world needs you. It needs you to keep walking your talk, loving more completely, and learning what it means to trust yourself. News headlines for better or worse do not determine the future. You do. You are doing it right (the work of being you) and you must continue. You are worthy of support, self-care, breaks, and the deep nourishment that will keep you going, for the long game.