The New Years Chart for 2003 reveals a year of contradictions. There are some very different energies at work here. Jupiter's oppositions to Neptune (2/10-22 & 5/27-6/09) and Uranus (8/25-9/02) in Aquarius represent an idealistic, independent, humanitarian spirit. On the other hand the Moon in the New Years chart is conjunct Pluto in Sag opposition Saturn in the 9th house. This indicates a repressive intellectual atmosphere, the suppression of dissent and an ever increasing stranglehold on the media. There's a real polarization going on in society.

Mid February through March is a key period of 2003. This is the real climax of the Saturn/Pluto opposition that started in August of 2001. The planet Saturn has been in retrograde since 10/11/02 and this has brought it back to within 3 degrees of Pluto. Starting in the beginning of February and lingering for almost 2 months, the Saturn/Pluto opposition will be activated by Venus' and Mars' transiting conjunctions to Pluto. Venus conjuncts Pluto on Jan 25th. Mars conjuncts Pluto on Feb 16th at the next Full Moon. The period between the Venus/Pluto conjunction and the Mars/Pluto conjunction will be the final build up to war. The Full Moon in February (2/16) is volatile and this is likely to be the point at which the US begins its attack on Iraq.

There is some hope that the lack of consensus among nations or popular support at home may hinder efforts to begin a war at this time. In the US chart Mars is at 21 degrees of Gemini and as transiting Saturn slows down and goes direct on Feb 22nd it spends a month sitting right on top of the USA's Mars. Saturn on Mars is a time when aggressive, action-oriented energies are held in check or frustrated. The sign of Gemini indicates public opinion, so it may be very hard for the US government to gain any ground in the public opinion polls now.

Interestingly the New Years chart points to this period in February being more about inflation and the huge cost being incurred now. This gargantuan spending spree will put America in debt for a long time. Saturn will be moving into Cancer this summer (6/03/03) and it won't be long before the bill comes due. But this inflation is not specific to the US, inflation and the devaluation of the dollar, a mainstay of international economics, will be effecting everyone.

In mid March personal freedoms are being curtailed in an increasingly repressive atmosphere as the Full Moon (3/18) highlights Saturn and Pluto. Americans will begin to see what the Patriot Act looks like in practice.

On April 27th Uranus moves into the sign of Pisces for the first time in approximately 80 years. This will be revolutionary for individual Pisces as well as for that particularly Piscean institution, the Christian Church.

In May the Jupiter/Neptune opposition is activated and the peace movement gains momentum across the country and the world. An idealistic spirit will be galvanizing people to act on their beliefs. There'll probably be many protests and peace marches. The New Moon in Taurus on May 1st makes this an especially powerful May Day, whether you're celebrating the druidic holyday of Beltane or marching for peace. There's lots of emphasis on Neptune this month and Mars in Aquarius conjuncts Neptune on the day before the Full Moon (5/15). On an individual level this can be an incredibly creative and inspirational time when you can reach for the moon and make a dream come true. Also Neptune usually makes for lots of precipitation, so hopefully this will be wet month for the drought stricken SW.

Saturn moves into Cancer on June 3rd. At least the Saturn/Pluto opposition is over now. That this transit altered the face of American democracy so drastically really gives credence to Dane Rudhyar's Sagittarius rising chart for the USA. Pluto on the ascendant for the first time in US history would account for the dramatic change in our society in the last 2 years.

As Saturn enters Cancer it conjuncts the USA's Venus at 3 degrees of Cancer, Jupiter at 5 degrees of Cancer and the Sun at 13 degrees. In an individual's chart this would indicate a general lack of funds, fun and energy. For a nation this translates into tight times, consumers with no cash to spend and an energy crisis.

Looking back to Saturn's last pass through Cancer (August of 1973 to September of 1975), the headlines of that time show that in 1973 there was a petroleum shortage, compounded by an Arab oil embargo precipitated by US support for Israel, and the dollar was devalued. In 1974 the gasoline shortage had drivers waiting in lines at gas stations, worldwide inflation caused major price increases and the Dow Jones index fell dramatically while the net profits of the top 30 oil companies increased almost 93%, President Nixon was impeached and resigned. In 1975 unemployment was at it's highest point since 1941, oil prices were raised by OPEC, violence escalated in Beirut and the USA evacuated it's troops from Viet Nam, ending the war.

History does have a tendency to repeat itself. It's a good bet that as Saturn enters Cancer this summer we will be dealing with many of these same issues; inflation, higher unemployment numbers, an even lower Dow Jones average, the possible devaluation of the dollar and fuel shortages.

As the summer progresses Uranus in Pisces moves to the forefront, activated by a series of Mars conjunctions (6/23 & 9/10-10/03). This is a hot tempered, impatient energy, ready to take chances and act on impulse. Mars/Uranus is the ultimate adrenaline junkie, risking all for a dare or a dream. Discovered around the time of the French and American revolutions, Uranus represents the struggle for independence and human rights and the freedom fighters willing to risk their lives to make their dreams of freedom a reality. From the left wing to the right, everyone seems to be in a fighting mood this fall.

Since these Mars/Uranus conjunctions are happening in Pisces, a sign connected with religion, spirituality and, most especially, the Christian Church, it's a good bet that the religious right will be on the rampage in this country and there could be quite a storm brewing within the Catholic Church. Also with this hot blooded pair aligning in watery Pisces it's likely that temperatures will be rising worldwide and there will be a more rapid rate of glacial and polar melting.

Though the line up this fall looks warlike, there is a revolutionary spirit afoot. With Mars and Uranus opposing Jupiter, the freedom fighter aspect of this alignment is emphasized. If we are at war, it will develop a guerilla warfare aspect that could be very difficult to defeat, as in Viet Nam. Certainly the growing antigovernment protests in this country will be reminiscent of that era.

So, interesting times are upon us. Despite the magnitude of what is taking place, many of the major aspects this year emphasize personal power and vision. We all have more power to create our own realities now and with that comes more individual responsibility to use that power to make a difference in the world around us. This does not necessarily mean joining the fight, holding the light and praying for peace can have a much greater effect than many imagine. Look around and see how you can make a difference.

An important new influence is softly sliding into place. As different from Saturn/Pluto as you can get, Jupiter/Neptune is about Spirit, faith and compassion. It's about the place outside of time where we are all One. It's the source of transcendent vision, where all religions have their beginning, the place we are born from and where we return after death.  Neptune represents Spirit and Jupiter's expansive influence evokes its highest potential.

A Jupiter/Neptune alignment in a birth chart suggests someone with a strong connection to transpersonal forces, someone who has a natural ability to connect with something beyond the narrow confines of the individual ego. Opening one to dreams, intuition and mystical experience, Jupiter/Neptune can bring the most ethereal and purest states of awareness. It is the mark of mystics, poets, philanthropists, musicians and saints.

But because Neptune's higher states don't translate very well into the density and separateness of the material plane, it can also represent alcoholism, addiction, insanity and illusion. From this perspective all addictions are a desire for Spirit, a desire to escape from the confines and loneliness of individual experience to a half remembered place of bliss and unity. Many deemed insane are experiencing other realities. They have an inadequate anchor into our physical world and these other planes seem just as, or more, real to them.  

Contemplate the difference between psycho and psychic. (Yes, there is one).  It's the ability to differentiate where you are, to understand which world you're walking in, to be anchored in your physical form so that you can function in this world as well as others. To walk this fine line its necessary to retain enough ego and sense of self that you're not fragmented by psychic experience. But if you retain too much ego and experience the mystical, you run the risk of developing a megalomania, a god complex, an inflated, distorted sense of self.

Jupiter/Neptune can be a hard influence to live up to. There are many criminals and con men with this alignment in their charts, particularly the conjunction. They have relegated all the darker aspects of their psyche to some subconscious basement while they show the world a bright, angelic face. They seem brilliant because they've divorced themselves from their negativity, meanwhile their demons fester in the darkness. I have the charts of several sex criminals with Jupiter and Neptune conjunct. They were addicts to a certain type of sexual experience but seemed so innocent, so charming that it was hard to suspect them until the evidence became overwhelming.

Jupiter/Neptune folks can be wonderful con men because they actually (almost) believe their own lies. Another example of Jupiter/Neptune aberration would be the preacher or guru who charms his congregation while sexually abusing certain members of his flock. An inflated sense of self engenders a belief that due to ones specialness the rules don't apply to them.  

Neptune is said to rule the most exalted and the most debased states. It is so antithetical to ego that it can be a difficult energy to balance. It demands a renunciation of selfish motives and in return it gives an experience of the highest, the bliss states that saints and mystics know.

Politically Jupiter/Neptune brings out a humanitarian idealism in people, galvanizing them to stand up for their beliefs. The peace movement will gain a lot of momentum under Jupiter's opposition to Neptune. This is more of a nonviolent pacifism than an armed revolutionary spirit.

Neptune will be in Aquarius for several more years. And Aquarius has a special importance in the chart of the USA. This Jupiter/Neptune idealism strikes a chord deep in the heart of the American people and, though it starts quietly, it may indicate a real turning of the tide of public opinion.

Among other things, Neptune has been associated with the invisible world of microbes and Jupiter's expansion of Neptune indicates an increase in disease. As Jupiter approached its opposition to Neptune West Nile virus became more prevalent and will probably grow in proportion over the next year.

On the positive side for the drought stricken West, Jupiter/Neptune should bring relief. Expect a wet winter with lots of precipitation during the periods that Jupiter/Neptune is active.

The first Jupiter/Neptune opposition occurs Sept 7-16th, exact on 9/11. (Did we observe excessive sentimentality at this time?) Then on Dec. 5th Jupiter goes retrograde, moving backward to oppose Neptune once again from Feb 10-22nd, exact on 2/16. Finishing up with a final pass May 27-Jun 9th, exact on 6/03. So the Jupiter/Neptune influence is in effect from Sept. 2nd, 2002 to June 3rd, 2003, about 10 months. For some it will be a retreat into emotionalism and cheap sentimentality, many others will be inspired to act on their beliefs and transform their lives in the process.