Pluto Turns Retrograde

Pluto Turns Retrograde - Archeological Expedition

"Not knowing when the dawn will come
I open every door."

—Emily Dickinson

Pluto turns retrograde on Monday of this week, which could provoke a feeling that our opportunities are somehow slipping away. The retrograde Mercury is offering us the space to take stock of our existing resources but we may also be feeling an imperative to get more — whatever we can wherever we can. Mars in Cancer is intensifying the urgency to acquire a stockpile of extra security. The retrograding Mercury in Taurus can compound the focus on security but is generally encouraging a more stabilizing, methodical approach. As Pluto turns back towards Capricorn, we may begin to believe that we should shift our focus away from innovation in an effort stabilize our overall position. For the most part, such sentiments are short-sighted and threaten to blind us to the profound opportunities that we being offered. Friday's Scorpio Full Moon (10:33 AM PDT 14° Scorpio/Taurus) does, in some ways, compound the urgency and intensity to lock down resources and dig in. However, the intensity quickly breaks down and opens the door to numerous breakthroughs, particularly with the Sun approaching a conjunction with Uranus by next Tuesday, May 9th. Nonetheless, in the meantime, our challenge is to look for ways to make adjustments based on new information and maintain the willingness to stay adaptable. When we are able to sidestep the inclination towards entrenchment, we will find intriguing lines of inquiry which lead to profound new insights. In essence, this week produces the classic stand-off between faith and fear: Faith that grace will show us the right path versus a fear that leads to entrenchment and defensiveness. The retrograding Mercury is offering lessons about the power of positive thinking by helping to shift our focus towards understanding the value of the resources that we already have at our disposal. The temptation for much of this week is to focus on acquiring even more resources in a short-term, short-sighted effort to shore up our security and safety. In doing so, we are likely to miss the remarkably creative avenues that lead to new insights and bold, innovative new solutions. Pluto's dip back into Capricorn (June 11th, 2023 - January 20th, 2024) will simply serve to provoke further reconsideration of the past structures which are no longer serving us as they should. This period will allow us to retrieve elements of those old structures — something like an archeological expedition — that may hold value for the future. If we can embrace the 'power of positive thinking' this week, we will recognize that even setbacks can offer opportunities to see a better way forward.

Sunday's easy-going, optimistic atmosphere provides some space to reexamine our options. However, the optimism may encourage short-sighted 'snap judgements'. We may feel some indication that our window for innovation is closing on Monday. We may feel some instinctual sense that we are 'running out of time'. A sense of destiny pervades the environment on Tuesday. We're likely to try to 'dig in' in order to protect our position. Any adaptability seems to begin slipping away on Wednesday. There is a general feeling that we somehow need to 'hold the line'. There is a clear need to make adjustments on Thursday but facing facts is difficult. Teamwork offers the best solution for continued progress. Friday's Scorpio Full Moon may lead to breakdowns which will eventually lead to breakthroughs. Defensiveness surfaces when we fear our efforts have been futile. We gain a significant boost on Saturday from an intellectual capacity for positive thinking. We get a glimpse the 'other side' of the bridge that we are crossing under the current lunar cycle.