Ploughing Through the Murky Mud for the Lotus to Bloom

by Chiron Yeng

Realignment to Nature and Embracing Death Through Pluto/Saturn in Capricorn

We are approaching an imminent turning point in our lives collectively and personally. With global crises awaiting at our doorstep, the knocks get louder and louder as we approach the infamous 2020 Pluto-Saturn conjunction. The pressure to rise up to the expectations of our worldly concerns is leaving us very little room and time to fool around with our life. Many of us feel very cornered in our lives – how are we to contribute to make this world a better a place when the very foundation of our security is under threat? In this transit, unless we find a way to make the harmonious connections between our worldly concerns and the concerns of our personal life, we will crack under pressure to a point that we may give up on this world and even our own life. We have no choice but to be completely transparent about our dire situation.

Listening to these grim reports about our collapsing world and seeing no evidence of improvement in our own lives, we can’t help but to keep looking for answers. Every time we have an answer it seems like we are just putting a patch of band-aid on top of what will inevitably burst open. Some take this situation in by falling apart, further numbing themselves into the land of hopelessness; some turn a blind eye, and adopt a naïve optimism that someone else will come out with a super technology or solutions that will reverse this situation; some get worked up about it, complaining and being righteous about what is the right thing to do but got nowhere; some work their lifeforce off and sacrifice themselves for this cause, and yet find their efforts are futile; some continue “business as usual”(1) and take no concern for the wellbeing of the Earth. Many, for the fear of failing, feel that they are not ready or up to task to carry such responsibilities. Not only are we on the verge of a 6th extinction (2), but this existential crisis may prompt many into escaping through numbing, substance abuse, or even suicide. However, there is no escape into any virtual reality, the Earth is in grave danger.

We are dying, we are falling and failing really hard. Maybe this time, we cannot get back up on our feet after what we might have done is irreversible. With Pluto and Saturn conjunction drawing near in 2020, we can’t help but feel that some form of Judgment day is coming. What is truly the underlying message of this planetary connection?

It is existentially troubling for souls to enter a world where everything is almost at its demise, where many of the systems created that were promised to work did not. This propels these souls to find their own answers, solutions and guidance, to figure what truly works and what does not. People born in the generation with Saturn, Neptune and Uranus in Capricorn during 1988-1991 experience this strongly as they go through a Saturn return with Pluto nearby. This configuration indicates that they are carrying a heavy burden on their shoulders, a deep sense of responsibility, and many of them lost their innocence very early on in their life when exposed to failing systems. For some, the pressure is prompting them to act together quickly to tread new paths for innovative solutions, quite often while being rejected, disregarded and not supported. And in their upcoming Saturn return, it is crunch time to rise to their newly found authority and leadership. At its best, this configuration represents the pioneers and mature young leaders who can contribute to an enlightened society. In less enlightened scenarios, they may be seduced by power and perpetuate old systems that are dysfunctional and destructive, and at worst, they may lose motivation and hope, giving up when confronted with the monumental tasks at hand.

This transit can be personalized further in an individual’s life when we look at where transiting Pluto-Saturn transits in the natal chart. This planetary conjunction shows us the area of our life that is calling for renewal in our values and approach, because what was existing no longer function holistically.  The call for change usually shows itself when this area of our life starts to fall apart and painful emotional breakdown is inevitable. The loss of power of our authority can happen, the credibility of our leadership will be tested, cycles of failures and rejection can keep occurring, and the longevity and sustainability of our approach to life may start to lose its potency to function. In receiving this transit smoothly, one has to learn to press pause to stop perpetuating old habits and conditioning, and reflect on where one needs redirection. It can be a humbling moment as we finally realize what was sabotaging our growth all along. But also, it can be a moment of turmoil as the process of transformation and empowerment to turn over a new leaf can be emotionally painful and cathartic. In this upcoming transit, whether we are ready for such initiation is not up to us anymore, and change will be imposed upon us if we do not take the initiative. We are on the clock and the Capricorn theme calls for our readiness whether we feel ready or not. Through personal experiences, change that is initiated by us is less alarming and shocking than the change initiated by life itself. Despite the grim outlook of no gain no pain, Pluto-Saturn’s radical transformation aims to create a more functional life that can provide more credibility and depth. This transit will affect any planet in the Cardinal signs and can be particularly amplified if it lands on the chart angles (Asc/Dsc/MC/IC).

On a personal level, being born in this generation, I suffered from chronic auto-immune disorders and in search for solutions, I realized that many physical or existential crises boil down to a disconnection from our natural environment, from nature. I managed to overcome my condition and found that the root of healing this particular ailment is no different than healing global and collective issues. I may say that until the management of our natural environment and human systems work cohesively and is aligned with natural laws, my disease and global crises will not recover fully. 

The question remains how do we know what is natural law? Who or what determines that?

As far as I can understand it, we intuitively know natural laws as we are nature and are connected to the consciousness of nature. The task of realigning our lives to the natural systems is simpler than we think it may be. And because it is simple, it is difficult as our human complexes tend to complicate things. And yet, If we are nature, why did we stray so far from our harmonious living with nature in the first place, and what gain did we find in that? Is it still serving us? What makes it productive for some of us to live in separation from nature? I believe these are questions worth contemplating as we continue to decode the mysteries of our world.

In a scientific perspective, we can scope into how our human existence is connected to nature. Nassim Haramein, a quantum physicist discovered the Scaling Law for all Organized Matter which he measured the frequency of a matter with its radius (size) from the scale of the Black Hole to subatomic particles (3). The results show that everything shares the same constant between these two variables, and it is the Phi ratio which can be found all over nature including our biological body (Haramein, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agW5jywXAms). Through this perspective, Mathematics and Science had proven that we are not random and that we are deeply connected to nature.

My take from this is that our existence is purposeful and meaningful in the place of the cosmos. We are the embodiment of natural law, and thus, it is a responsibility to live from that sacred connection. Only through our efforts to observe and have direct experiences with nature can we slowly start to see its intelligence and its sentience. Potentially, through such practice, we can start discovering nature’s brilliance and start treating the natural environment with respect and dignity rather than commodities for human exploitation. And in that process, maybe we can begin to recognize natural law as a something that binds us all. To begin a simple practice of nature-connectedness, one can take 5-10 minutes of quiet time to breathe deep into the belly each day and observe the changes. This mind-body connection is foundational to begin to notice subtler occurrence in nature.

From a Saturn in Capricorn perspective, grace and harmony occur when we are in the right cosmic order; in this seeming material alignment, ordinary miracles take place. My direct experience of grace happened when my biological system began to regenerate immediately after my body was supplied with the right nutrients and conditioned in a pristine environment. The outcome is almost instant. However, when that is taken away, symptoms reemerge. In another example, soils that are damaged with chemicals or mechanical means for many years of GMO farming can regenerate within a single growing season of rest when those means are removed and replaced with true organic methods of farming. This shows how powerful the force of healing in nature when everything is in the right alignment.

In Dr. Zach Bush’s words,

“If we don’t reconnect to nature, we will just destroy it again… You are going to make mistakes and you are going to heal faster when you make the change to live according to the principles of nature.” (4)
(Rich Roll Podcast with Dr. Zach Bush on Science and Spirituality on Human and Planetary Transformation)

In the line of thought that Pluto-Saturn brings us back to a natural order inevitably compel us to also embrace death. We tend to avoid the subject of death the same way we may disregard our own limitations. The fear of pain draws us to what is convenient or comfortable to us. Death is a process of recycling what is no longer viable in our life into supportive nutrients and catalysts for new growth and transformation to occur. It does include experiences of loss which cause grief; notwithstanding, death provides space for new possibilities and potentials to happen. This makes the process of grieving more important as any unprocessed grief may haunt us at later stages of our growth.

This notion also depicted in Linda Tucker’s description of Laws of LionHearted Leadership as the 13th Law is the Law of Elimination. She refers to 13 laws of life and leadership essential to the foundation of enlightened governance. The active service of the last 13th Law refers to cleaning up any corruption to restore health and order for our lives and ecosystem (5).I would personally say that if there is anything we should eliminate first, it would be our anthropocentric worldview that nature that engenders a sense of entitlement, instead of seeing humans as part of nature. This process of realignment and purging is partially within the realm of Pluto in Capricorn.

Saturn is nudging us to outgrow our discomforts and assume our responsibilities as noble custodians of Earth – we need to take our responsibility and be held accountable. Along with the force of Pluto, crises become more and more prevalent in individuals’ life in order for the adjustments to take place and embrace an ecocentric approach. This transformation can shift the destructive trend and restore a healthy order. Hence, it is time to buckle down as Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn comes together with a message, “We have to plough through the murky mud in order for the lotus to bloom.”

References:
(1) Joanna Macy: Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in Without Going Crazy
(2) Elisabeth Kolbert: the Sixth Extinction, an Unnatural History
(3) Nassim Haramein
https://resonance.is/wp-content/uploads/SU.pdf (Research paper)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agW5jywXAms (Video from the documentary Black Whole)
(4) Dr. Zach Bush
www.zachbushmd.com
Podcast - https://www.richroll.com/podcast/zach-bush-414/
(5) Linda Tucker
White Lion Academy for LionHearted Leadership (1 Month Workshop)
LionHearted Leadership the 13th Laws (Book)

Image sources:
Wood: Image by Jerzy Górecki from Pixabay
Footprints in mud: Image by Friedhelm Brandenburg from Pixabay
Lotus in pond: Image by Pexels from Pixabay
Lotus big: Image by ykaiavu from Pixabay

Published in: The Career Astrologer, June 2019.

Author:
Chiron Yeng graduated with Interdisciplinary studies in Contemplative Psychology, Environmental Studies and Religious Studies from Naropa University. He is a Nature-Connected Life Coach trained under Earth-Based Institute in Colorado, and an avid Buddhist practitioner who continues to deepen the wisdom of Buddhism under the instructions of FaIn Energy Association in Taiwan. Besides that, he is a LionHearted Leadership practitioner, trained under the White Lion Academy which aims to integrate the laws of nature to heart. All these disciplines are assimilated into his studies in Evolutionary Astrology under the tutelage of Maurice Fernandez. Completing the picture, Yeng is a dancer, a movement-enthusiast and a somatic practitioner that integrates spiritual practices into physical being. With that, his astrological service holds a framework of uniting Sky Knowledge of Astrology and Earth Wisdom of the Body and Nature to create the personal growth his clients are looking for.

© 2019 - Chiron Yeng - The Career Astrologer

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