c) October 4, 2001 Linda C. Black

Many people have asked me to explain what happened, astrologically, on September 11th, 2001. Could we have foreseen the terrorist attack on the White House, the Pentagon and the World Trade Center? Could we have prevented it? What does it all mean?

Well, I don’t know about you, but I sure didn’t see it coming. I saw stresses, but I figured we’d find a way around them. After all, that’s my job. I’ve been looking at the extra-terrestrial aspects for the past thirty years as an astrologer, and for the past twelve years writing the horoscopes for Tribune Media Service. I track the planets, the Sun and the Moon, and explain how their ever-changing positions affect us, here on Earth. If there’s a problem, a difficult phase, I figure out a way to turn it into a learning experience. That’s all I am, really. A teacher. A translator. God writes what’s “written in the stars.” I just try to read it, and explain it to you.

But, I confess, this horrible massacre was outside the realm of any possibility I’d imagined. Yet, in retrospect, I can see how it built up, and how it was astrologically triggered. And, true to my character, I’m sure we can get through this difficult phase in our lives successfully. I’m also convinced we’re being tested on a larger scale than ever before.

Since the end of July, 2001, the whole Earth has been in a stressful phase. Pluto, the planet of transformation, explosions, completion and new beginnings, is transiting through Sagittarius. That’s the sign of truth, liberty, justice, and long distance travel. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, representing the loving, beneficial parent.

Saturn is called the stern teacher. It’s the planet representing restrictions, and lessons learned the hard way. It’s now in Gemini. That’s the sign of communications, local travel, and e-commerce. Saturn is another celestial parental figure, by the way. The one who enforces the rules.

Nobody who’s alive today has ever seen this configuration before. Both Saturn and Pluto are potentially malefic, but they can also be simply instructional. A friend who’s an astrologer and a stock broker thought the airlines and e-commerce might take a hit when this happened. He said it last October. Well, he was sure right.

I see all the planets and signs as prototypes of the different personalities of the Universe, by the way. I’m convinced that the living Universe is all of them, in brilliant perfection. And, each of these characters has the potential to manifest for good (helpful) or for evil (hurtful). Every individual chooses which side to be on, through our actions. Don’t worry, we can change our minds at any time. The hard part is changing our behavior, too.

Anyway, since late July of ‘01, Saturn in Gemini has been directly opposed to Pluto in Sagittarius. On September 11th, 2001, the Moon was in Gemini, having just passed between the Earth and Saturn, exacerbating the stressful condition. But, that moment didn’t stand alone. The stresses had been intense for months, and slowly building up for many years.

Saturn in Gemini will oppose Pluto in Sagittarius for much longer than such oppositions are usually in effect. This is because after Saturn opposed Pluto once, it appears to turn around and go backward, making the opposition again. (This is called a retrograde condition. It has to do with our view of Saturn’s orbit, from here on Earth. Saturn isn’t actually going backwards, but it does seem to affect the magnetic energy fields around the Earth as if it were.)

After it’s been retrograde for several months, it will seem to turn around and start going forward again, opposing Pluto for a third time. In late June of 2002, Saturn’s faster motion finally sends it past the opposition with Pluto, and on around the zodiac.

This is not the end, however. It’s more like the beginning of a new level of understanding, for the entire planet. The lesson we’re supposed to have learned over the past couple of thousand years (known as the Age of Pisces) is compassion. We should know the rules we’re supposed to play by (we got those in the previous Age of Aries), so we can be ethical people in productive societies on a healthy planet. We were told we should treat one another as we want them to treat us, remember? And, that means all of us.

Now, we’re entering the age of Aquarius (science, computers, working together as a team). And, it’s time for the Piscean final examination. Can we ethically handle the awesome technology we’re developing? Everything from now on is based on how well we’ve learned the past lessons. We can emerge as a healthy planet, with liberty and justice for all, or we can be overtaken by tyrants and lose all our freedoms, or we can blow ourselves to smithereens. Hovering and hoping the problem will go away is not an option.

This does not mean that more disasters will occur. Through astrology we can plot potentially difficult times, but we can’t foresee what individuals, with their own talents and weaknesses, will choose to do in each situation. How we act makes all the difference. We do have free will, after all. That’s one of the things that makes life on this planet so interesting.

Astrologers, like meteorologists, can tell when a hurricane is brewing, but we don’t know exactly what damage it will cause. The people who make it through any storm are the ones who have taken precautions. They’re prepared. Don’t wait for others to do this for you. Protect your own family, your own community, your own country, and your own planet. We are being tested individually as well as collectively. Nobody gets a free pass to the next grade level.

Our security, the box we used to live in called reality, has been shattered. We’ve been rudely awakened, and we’ve discovered that we’re vulnerable. But, we’re not defenseless. We have our heritage, our intelligence, our courage and our faith. And, we have each other.

This war is not only going to be fought by the people in the armed services. It’s been laid on our doorstep, in every home in America, and everywhere else in the world. There’s no place to hide, for any of us.

One side says people can’t be trusted to make their own decisions. They must be told what to do, and they must obey precisely, or die. They must be so committed to the dominant philosophy of their culture, that they willingly sacrifice their own lives to prevent disagreement.

This is a good example of the lower manifestation of Scorpio. And, Pluto is Scorpio’s natural ruler. But, neither Pluto nor Scorpio have to show up in this way. The higher evolution of Pluto and Scorpio is symbolized by the Phoenix, a bird that is reborn from it’s own ashes. The tears of the Phoenix can heal injuries. This magnificent magical bird is a power for good. It represents eternal hope, and reminds us that love always wins over hate. Good is stronger than evil. Liberty and justice will triumph over tyranny. But, not without our help.

We’re all part of the winning team, and there’s never been a generation better suited for this task. Let’s build a monument bigger than the Pentagon or the World Trade Center. Let’s build a healthy planet. Let’s show that we’ve evolved to the point where we can work together. And, co-incidentally, survive. This is no longer a philosophical discussion, or somebody’s good idea. The game’s been moved up to the next level. Now, it really is about life and death.

Unfortunately, one of our first jobs is to isolate and neutralize those who have judged and condemned us of crimes they say are punishable by death. And, partially, we may do that by hearing them. Have we been evil? Have we been selfish? What might we have done that we didn’t? What did we do that we knew we shouldn’t have done? Wherever they’re right, let’s put in the correction.

It’s not okay to massacre innocent people, not for us and not for them. It is okay to surgically remove a cancer that’s infesting a healthy organism. But, of course, it’s good sense for the organism to live a healthy life, eat right, etc., from then on. Or, the cancer will come out of remission. (Sometimes it does that anyway. So, we’d better keep our consciences healthy, too.)

This will not be the only test. We don’t get to go back to our old lifestyle, any more than the cancer patient can. We protect ourselves not only by hunting down the criminals and bringing them to justice, but also by cleaning up our own lives, our own acts.

Astrologically, there are beneficial transits going on, too. Jupiter, for good luck and abundance, is in the sign of Cancer (of all things)! The disease is named after the sign, because Cancers are acquisitive. The Cancer cells gather more cells around them, eventually controlling everything.

The good manifestation of this sign is represented by the mother. It symbolizes food, the home, and a healthy, productive family. This is one of the reasons I think that women will be such a strong power in the winning of this war. And, one of the ways we’ll win it is by providing food and shelter to people who have been horribly oppressed. We’ll win their hearts, through their stomachs.

Of course, the men are also crucially important. It’s not an either/or situation. We need the talents of every person, no matter what their race, religion, ethnic background, sexual orientation or astrological sign. We’ll all have to work together, in order to win this one.

Our greatest strengths, I believe, will come from the water signs. We’ll need to manifest their power positively. We will use secrecy, covert actions, selective surgery. These are all Scorpio talents. We’ll also draw heavily upon the compassion and strong faith of the Pisces. We’ll care for and identify with others. We’ll win them through love, perhaps more than any other way.

And, this is how we’ll heal, and build a healthy world. Not just the water signs, but all of us will show we can live up to our highest standards. We’ll keep our word. We’ll treat others as we’d like to be treated. We’ll hold ourselves and each other accountable. We’ll not cheat, steal, lie, be stingy, or murder the innocent. We’ll treat each other like family. And, the whole world is part of that family, remember? Even those who are behaving horribly. They mustn’t be allowed to do that any more, for their own good. And, ours.

We’ve been given a challenge. Can we rise to meet it? Can we pass this judgment? Can we prove that we really are the good guys, and not the epitome of evil? That’s the test.

No problem, right?

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