Description
Learn more about “Rumbling in the Cosmos”
In 2023, a cosmic window will open, bringing a gust of change that we will experience personally as well as collectively. New planetary impulses can begin to sweep through entire groups, shifting our attention and focus, consequently influencing the types of choices that are made socially, politically, and individually. We are asked to find our footing over and over again, as formerly stable circumstances are upended. This is a potent but brief overture to a 22-year period of Pluto In Aquarius, where new energies will shape our very identity. New myths are calling us, while the old agreements begin to crumble.
We don’t yet know what will be swept away, and what will remain. Our souls are asked for steadfastness, as we are pulled between fear and hope, exaltation and weariness. We are at the beginning of an archetypal battle to reclaim our own authority. Pluto in Capricorn will be ending, but not without resistance. Not just yet. How do we mend the splits in the soul that arise during times of uncertainty?
The squeeze of the Dragon’s tail, as I described in Being Swallowed by the Dragon, will remain influential as we embark upon 2023, and those subtle astrological currents can pull us into dark emotions and deep patterns of fear. The dissolution of an old world always begins before the birth of the new. A magnetism of shared ideals and hopes will draw individuals together, briefly at first, then again and again in the years to come.
Lesson 1:
What is on Top Begins to Come Down
A back and forth between two ruling archetypes will be ongoing in 2023 and continue into 2024.
The ruling archetypes of our world are shifting with increasing influence. 2023 marks the very beginning of this process, where the old rules will slowly, perhaps reluctantly, give way to new impulses that will express themselves in social, political and individual life events. Such movements will gain in power as Pluto briefly enters Aquarius in March. Since Pluto entered Capricorn 15 years ago, these archetypes have been glamorized; the CEO, the all-powerful company founder, and the autocratic leader. In much the same way, we may have given priority to certain aspects of our lives, equally defined by Capricorn; to work, to ambition, to success and accomplishment. All wonderful values in and of themselves, except when they become so imbalanced there is no room for anything else. The end of Pluto’s stay in Capricorn can empty meaning from those drives and behaviors that have dominated our lives for the past fifteen years. Most likely this period will reveal corruption at the top, since Pluto simultaneously empowers a sign, while also revealing its shadow side. Pluto in Aquarius wakes up a whole new way of being. It’s as if one person turns to light a candle belonging to the person next to them, and then the next candle is lit in turn, until a whole force for good is illuminated. At its best Aquarius works for the common good, and enables the flowering of the individual. People are waking up to what is possible, inspired by acts of individual daring, and a renewed desire for freedom. The astonishing courage of young women in Iran, pushing against unbearable authority, is an early sign of the spirit of Pluto in Aquarius. However, this wave of new energy also comes with a long period where we are “undoing” what has subtly held power over our lives for the past fifteen years. A back and forth between two ruling archetypes will be ongoing in 2023 and continue into 2024. In this first session, we will discuss:
- What have I given authority over my life?
- Have I unwillingly given over control to people or structures that are unworthy?
- Does the system serve the needs of all, or only a few?
- What is calling my spirit?
- What is the nature of freedom?
Lesson 2:
Erasing Boundaries
Letting go of rational explanations is always a powerful moment on the spiritual path
The universe works in mysterious ways. Sometimes the entire cosmos seems to work together to hold things in place. And then a process of dissolving, shifting, and erasing ensues. In the past five years, the cosmic energies of Saturn have generally worked toward containment, towards keeping things in place. And note that during the pandemic, Saturn’s influence literally kept us locked away at times, a phenomenon that could repeat itself. In March 2023 the planet most responsible for rules and boundaries, Saturn, slips into the shapeshifting sign of Pisces. The old rules are upended, or suddenly lose their coherence. This can come with a sense of relief, at last we can let go. At the same time, if limits, rules and boundaries evaporate too quickly, it can lead to a flooding of unwanted energies, such as panic, anger, and fear flooding into society. Even anarchy is not out of the question. Change that happens too rapidly can wake up an irrational conviction that someone or something is responsible for the chaos. It can single out a particular group as a scapegoat, and yet this process of dissolution, of letting go of rational explanations is always a powerful moment on the spiritual path. As well as a necessary condition for the birth of the new era.
- Are we letting go of familiar patterns or are we being consumed by chaos?
- When fear arises and we feel overwhelmed, how do we keep a sense of connection to others?
- Are we seeking control, or moving with the changes that come our way?
- How do we learn to flow with change?
- How do we recognize what needs to be released?
Lesson 3:
The Whole is in the One, the One is in the Whole
All of creation is encoded in our cells.
Pluto in Aquarius changes the way we see each other. Aquarius is both an equaliser and a sign that acknowledges individual difference. It will change the way we come together, the way we feel connected. We will be asked to rely on others so that a new society can emerge over time. If we have felt trapped by a narrowed vision of “the other” that began to dominate as Pluto moved through Capricorn, Pluto in Aquarius will invite us to look again. This could come with the shock of the unrecognizable, or the excitement of discovery. We are called spiritually to reinvent ourselves, to reexamine the idea of what it means to be human. And yet we can also fear the new, as too “different”, too strange, too unfamiliar. We could take refuge in “insider groups” to protect ourselves from a perceived threat. Our task is to see that the one is in the whole, and the whole is in the one. Pluto in Aquarius asks us to welcome the incoming genius of invention. It will, over the next 20 years, reorganise society and our place in it.
- How do we imagine the future – filled with nightmares or possibilities?
- New inventions may give rise to the unexpected, at the same time we long for a healthy environment. How Can these impulses work together?
- The new human is part of the sacredness of change.
- The birth of a new template for beauty.
- The new challenges for the Self/Individual and the relationship with the group.
Lesson 4:
Carrying the Divine
We are in the passage between the old world and the new.
As we let go of what we no longer need, choices will need to be made by all of us. How do we value things, monetarily and otherwise? Uranus is in the middle of Taurus, changing our relationship to what we have and what it is worth. It will leave this sphere of influence for good in 2026. What is worth fighting for and what is not? What values we will carry with us? What will we leave behind without regret? We are looking for a new guidance system, one that is shaped by cosmic law. We are carrying the divine within us, and protecting it in others, whether we know it or not. This is the task given by Saturn in Pisces.
- What is it time to let go of?
- What is most important to us?
- What should we make sure to preserve and carry forward?
- How to turn our attention to what truly matters?
About Lynn Bell
Lynn Bell is a Paris-based astrologer whose work spans multiple cultures as a speaker, teacher, author and consultant in astrology. As a master consulting astrologer with a multi-layered approach, Lynn’s work combines psychological and spiritual perspectives. Lynn is interested in many aspects of astrology, from mundane cycles to archetypes and mythology, the relation between soma and psyche, to reflection on the psychological implications of traditional astrology. Outside the world of astrology, she has often collaborated with Caroline Myss, and her CMED Institute.