Signs: The Second Building Block

Saturn represents deep thought and seriousness, allowing us to bring humanity back to a place of common sense after many years of heightened emotions.

This period will be like waking up with a hangover after an unhinged binge, dealing with remorse and regret, but also the desire to make right whatever has gone wrong. As a society, we have been in a state of decay for quite a while, particularly in terms of basic civility and courtesy. We now have to regain a sense of responsibility in order to pick up the pieces and set things back on the right course, which will happen by choice or force once Saturn enters Aries in 2025.

Saturn in Pisces marks endings of cycles. The years 1935–38 saw the final years before the beginning of a new globally interconnected world driven by technology with the advent of World War II in 1939. Likewise, the years 1964–66 bookended this era before 1967’s Summer of Love completely transformed society yet again. Saturn’s last transit of Pisces in 1993–96 marked the last truly “human” years prior to the mass adoption of the internet, when the online world became inextricably intertwined with real life.

Last but certainly not least, Pluto enters Aquarius on March 23, where it will remain until June 11, when it transits back into Capricorn. Pluto won’t occupy Aquarius for the long haul until 2024, so we can consider this a sneak preview of what’s to come. Pluto’s change of sign is by far the most important planetary shift of the decade.

Pluto’s entry into Capricorn in 2008 was felt immediately with the global Great Recession. During Pluto in Capricorn, cracks began to show in the facades of Big everything: Big Media, Big Business, Big Government, and Big Tech proved themselves to be largely out of touch, while also becoming increasingly authoritarian, censorious, and unjust to compensate and maintain a firm grip on their lapsing powers.

In the previous Pluto in Capricorn era, which took place in 1762–77, the British government levied many unfair taxes on the American colonies, causing increasing unrest and skirmishes, leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. There has been a lot of talk of this momentous date with the US Pluto return that occurred in 2022, but it must be remembered that it was at the beginning of the

Finding Opportunity Periods

by Jim Shawvan

There are times when the most useful things you can do are ordinary tasks such as laundry, cooking, listening to music, reading, learning, or meditating. There are other times when the universe opens the gates of opportunity. Meetings, decisions, or commitments during these “Opportunity Periods” can lead to new and positive developments in your life. Most people are unaware of these subtle changes in the energies, so they wind up doing laundry when they could be signing an important contract, or they go out to try to meet a new sweetheart when the energies for such a thing are totally blocked.

I developed the Opportunity Periods system over more than thirty years, as I tested first one hypothesis and then another in real life. In about 1998, when I studied classical astrology with Lee Lehman, the system got some added zing, including William Lilly’s idea that the Moon when void-of-course in the signs of the Moon and Jupiter “performeth somewhat.” The signs of the Moon and Jupiter are Taurus, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Pisces. For those who want to understand the details of the system, they are explained here. If you simply want to use the system, all the information you need is on the calendar pages (you don’t need to learn the technicalities).

An Opportunity Period (OP) is a period in which the aspects of the transiting Moon to other transiting planets show no interference with the free flow of decision and action.

Opportunity Periods apply to everyone in the world all at once; although, if the astrological influences on your own chart are putting blocks in your path, you may not be able to use every OP to the fullest. Nevertheless, you are always better off taking important actions and making crucial decisions during an Opportunity Period. Signs of the Moon and Jupiter

Taurus: the Moon’s exaltation

Cancer: the Moon’s domicile and Jupiter’s exaltation

Sagittarius: Jupiter’s fiery domicile

Pisces: Jupiter’s watery domicile

Steps to Find Your Opportunity Periods

Under Sun’s Beams Step 1: Determine whether the Moon is “under Sun’s beams”; that is, less than 17 degrees from the Sun. If it is, go to step 7. If not, continue to step 2. Moon Void-of-Course Step 2: Determine when the Moon goes void-of-course (v/c). The Moon is said to be void-of-course from the time it makes the last Ptolemaic aspect (conjunction, sextile, square, trine, or opposition) in a sign until it enters the next sign.

In eight of the twelve signs of the zodiac, Moon-void periods are NOT Opportunity Periods. In the other four signs, however, they are! According to seventeenth-century astrologer William Lilly, the Moon in the signs of the Moon and Jupiter “performeth somewhat.” Lee Lehman says that she has taken this to the bank many times—and so have I.

Stressful or Easy Aspect Step 3: Determine whether the aspect on which the Moon goes void is a stressful or an easy aspect. Every square is stressful, and every trine and every sextile is easy. Conjunctions and oppositions require judgment according to the nature of the planet the Moon is aspecting, and according to your individual ability to cope with the energies of that planet. For example, the Moon applying to a conjunction of Jupiter, Venus, or Mercury is easy, whereas, for most purposes, the Moon applying to a conjunction of Saturn, Mars, Neptune, Pluto, or Uranus is stressful. However, if you are a person for whom Uranus or Pluto is a familiar and more or less comfortable energy, you may find that the period before the Moon’s conjunction to that planet is an Opportunity Period for you. (Since this is true for relatively few people, such periods are not marked as OPs in this book.)

Oppositions can work if the Moon is applying to an opposition of Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, or the Sun (just before the Full Moon). The Moon applying to a conjunction with the Sun (New Moon) presents a whole set of issues on its own. See step 7.

Easy Equals Opportunity Step 4: If the aspect on which the Moon goes void is an easy aspect, there is an Opportunity Period before the void period. If the aspect on which the Moon goes void is a stressful aspect, there is no Opportunity Period preceding the void period in that sign. To determine the beginning of the Opportunity Period, find the last stressful aspect the Moon makes in the sign. The Opportunity Period runs from the last stressful aspect to the last aspect (assuming that the last aspect is an easy one). If the Moon makes no stressful aspects at all while in the sign, then the Opportunity Period begins as soon as the Moon enters the sign, and ends at the last aspect. When Is an Aspect Over? Step 5: When is an aspect over? There are three different answers to this question, and I recommend observation to decide. I also recommend caution. • An aspect is over (in electional astrology) as soon as it is no longer exact. For example, if the Moon’s last stressful aspect in a sign is a square to Saturn at 1:51 p.m., the Opportunity Period (if there is one) would be considered to begin immediately. This is the way the Opportunity Periods are shown in this book. • Lee Lehman says an aspect is effective (for electional purposes) until it is no longer partile. An aspect is said to be partile if the two planets are in the same degree numerically. For example, a planet at 0˚ Aries 00' 00" is in partile trine to a planet at 0˚ Leo 59' 59", but it is not in partile conjunction to a planet at 29˚ Pisces 59' 59", even though the orb of the conjunction is only one second of arc (1⁄3,600) of a degree. • An aspect is effective until the Moon has separated from the exact aspect by a full degree, which takes about two hours. This is the most cautious viewpoint. If you have doubts about the wisdom of signing a major contract while the Moon is still within one degree of a nasty aspect, then for your own peace of mind you should give it two hours, to get the one-degree separating orb.

Calendar Pages

How to Use Your Daily Planetary Guide

Both Eastern and Pacific times are given in the datebook. The Eastern times are listed in the left-hand column. The Pacific times are in the right-hand column in bold typeface. Note that adjustments have been made for Daylight Saving Time. The void-of-course Moon is listed to the right of the daily aspect at the exact time it occurs. It is indicated by “@ v/c.” On days when it occurs for only one time zone and not the other, it is indicated next to the appropriate column and then repeated on the next day for the other time zone. Note that the monthly ephemerides in the back of the book are shown for midnight Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Opportunity Periods are designated by the letters “OP.” See page 77 for a detailed discussion on how to use Opportunity Periods.

Symbol Key

Planets/ [ Sun Asteroids @ Moon O Mercury

T Venus N Mars V Chiron M Jupiter R Saturn S Uranus P Neptune q Pluto

Signs a Aries b Taurus c Gemini d Cancer

e Leo f Virgo g Libra h Scorpio i Sagittarius j Capricorn k Aquarius l Pisces

Aspects t Conjunction (0°) Z Trine (120°) 2 Sextile (60°) : Quincunx (150°) p Square (90°) u Opposition (180°)

Motion r Retrograde D Direct

Moon Phases ) New Moon ! 2nd Quarter # Full Moon $ 4th Quarter