Let’s talk about 2014. With the difficult astrology in the works for the first half of the year, I wanted to take a moment to break things down — not to make you anxious or fearful, but so that we’re all on the same page and, more importantly, that we create the highest good.

In astrology, a cardinal grand cross formation is one of the most difficult alignments. It happens when four planets hold the same (or close) degree in the four cardinal signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn — each planet making a 90 degree angle from each other. Not sure what I mean? Just think of a big square in the sky and you’re in the middle and everyone is arguing around you; everyone has their own agenda and not cooperating. It would be hard to be in that vortex of energy, right?

From January 2014 to July 2014 there will be a cardinal grand cross in the sky. This is big news not only because of the duration (approximately six months), but because of the heavyweight players involved — Uranus, Jupiter, Mars, and Pluto. What does this mean? Change. Total gut level, hyper focused change.

I know, you’re tired of change. You’ve been doing change since Pluto went into Capricorn in 2008 and Uranus entered Aries in 2010/2011. And if that wasn’t enough, the last couple of years have been particularly difficult as Uranus and Pluto expanded and contracted in tight square formation, rippling seismic waves out across your life. So, here comes Mars (action, aggression) and Jupiter (expansion) to join the party, lining up around 9-13 degrees of Libra and Cancer. On top of that, we have a pair of eclipses in April, which will move events along. Awesome!

Here’s the thing — if you’ve been doing your work, clearing, healing, moving forward into new territory, getting rid of fears, leaving behind dualistic thinking, and embracing this fuller version of yourself, then the spring (or autumn if you’re in the southern hemisphere) may be exhilarating — a time when all those things you’ve been working towards are that much closer. But if you’ve been holding onto your old life, held back by fears, caught in the illusion of the 3rd Dimension, then the grand cross will bring a lot of energy to the surface for release and healing.

The peak of the grand cross in March and April will feel like a centrifuge. And if you’ve ever seen one, the spin of the vortex pushes density up and out. So all this 3rd dimensional density is going to come to the surface, pushed out by the cardinal grand cross. It will also be a real testing point — are you still living in 3rd Dimensional energy or are you stepping into the heart centered creatorship of the 5th? This isn’t easy business. It’s spiritual mastery in action. But don’t forget, we are all spiritual masters made physical. We can’t forget that. For some of you this is old hat while others are just waking up to this reality. If you’ve been hitting the snooze button, this spring it will be time to wake up.