Personal Growth and the Cardinal Climax

Previously, I’ve written about the rough and tumble energies that are present in the Saturn-Pluto square and the earthquakes — both personal and physical — that have been disrupting our lives. However that energy is going to take on a new tenor when the planets Uranus and Jupiter join the party in late May 2010, commencing what astrologers have been calling the Cardinal Climax.

Pluto, Saturn, and soon Uranus too, are all in the early degrees of the cardinal signs of the zodiac. The cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) are all about initiation and mark a change in the seasons. With this t-square shape of energy, the new forces coming in are aligned in such a way that they’re demanding change. Call it a celestial mosh pit if you will, but the bigger forces at work are all pushing us towards some very deep transformation and healing. It can be very uncomfortable to face our shadow selves — the part of us at our core that represents our earliest woundings — but the Universe is giving us a rare gift. And how many of us are going to step up to the challenge?

The greatest gold comes through the darkest energies and boy oh boy are Saturn and Pluto dark. One look at the Lord of Karma and the Lord of the Underworld and you’d be forgiven for wanting to run the other way. Not to mention Uranus, the planet of sudden shocks and revolutions. What fun! But by hiding under the covers and not answering the phone we miss the window of opportunity that these guys are presenting us with.

So how can we initiate this alchemical process of transformation and do right by the Universe and ourselves?

Step One: Be Present!

We’re all living and breathing right now — you are reading this after all. But are we mentally and emotionally checked out? Going through our day in an automatic series of maneuvers and impulses? If we we’re so dazed that we miss the signs and the nudges from the Universe, we miss the boat all together. And we miss the window of opportunity of the Cardinal Climax.

Step Two: Get Grounded!

Like lightning striking a tree or the antenna of a New York skyscraper, the energy you need to transform won’t reach you if you’re not grounded. How do you get grounded? First, envision yourself as that tree with roots deep into the earth ready to receive that jolt of energy. Second, breathe. I mean seriously breathe — breathe so that it courses up and down your body, pushed up by the depths of your diaphragm and not shallow breaths that pool around your heart and the top of your chest. Another way to get grounded is to make contact with the earth whether it’s through walks outside or getting your hands dirty through gardening.

Step Three: Let Go and Trust!

Fear blocks us from taking the necessary steps in our lives for transformation. Fear is the ego telling us that we’re not good enough or we’re not smart enough. The Cardinal Climax reminds us that anything that is a false belief and anything that takes away our personal power needs to go. The more we can set the intention and actively shed our fears and negative core beliefs, the more we can be receptive to the powerful transformation behind these outer planets.

By taking these three steps, we’re actively setting the stage for some amazing breakthroughs in our lives. In fact, 2010 is going to be a pivotal year for many people. Remember, the Universe is not setting us up to fail — we are, or rather the ego is, because we’re letting our shadow selves dictate our lives. The Universe is pure love and acceptance and if we learn to trust and surrender to that energy that wants nothing but the best for us, we become the radiant selves we never knew we could be.

Check out Donna Cunningham’s excellent “Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit” series on Sky Writer for more insights on how to deal with the Cardinal Climax.