Pluto, until recently considered the outermost known planet of our Solar system, has a most unique nature. It orbits around the Sun every 248 years, coming inside of Neptune's orbit, bringing it closer to us, for roughly 20 years at a time during each of its 248 year orbits. The last time Pluto was inside Neptune's orbit was between 1979 and 1999. Unique to our Solar System, Pluto (1412 miles in diameter) revolves around its own Moon called Charon that is close enough (12000 miles away) and large enough (700 miles in diameter) to share a center of mass between them as they continuously rotate around each other, showing the same faces towards each other. Pluto's Moon, Charon also shares the same atmosphere as Pluto.

Just as our Moon, Luna, reflects sunlight ( and our unconscious nature) towards us on Earth, so Charon reflects back to Pluto. Pluto also orbits around the Sun in the opposite direction and at a 17 degree tilt from most of the other planets. Certainly, it does not conform to our solar system's normal "rules."

In energetic terms, Pluto is the harvester and sower. It is the bridge between life and death, decay and rejuvenation, the process of crash-and-burn and then rising from the ashes like the mythical Phoenix. If Pluto engages with something and finds part or all of it to be insubstantial, it takes it out by the roots, leaving only the consequential. When something's time is done, and Pluto calls by, that is it!

Wherever Pluto transits, it brings adjustment, cleansing and transformation.

In the past few years, Pluto has transited through the Design wheel moving from Gate 26, into Gate 11, retrograding (seeming to travel backwards in the sky from Earth's vantage point) back into the 26, and is about to move freely into Gate 11 again and onwards through the heavens and the wheel. From October 28, 2005, it is exiting Gate 26 and is not visiting again for another 248 years.

In Design terms, Gate 26 is recognized as the Gate of Accumulation, the place in humanity of the aggrandized ego that can be either boastful and/or manipulative in its lowest sense, and brilliant and extraordinarily assisting without seeking reward or recognition in its higher sense. Everything that we have been accumulating in the past few years, all the deals, situations and people we have been manipulating or assisting, consciously or unconsciously, are being exposed to a final round of Pluto's scrutiny to see whether they have integrity or not. When Pluto's Design shadow, seen in the unconscious human realm, finally moves out of Gate 26, it will be January 21 of 2006. This date will mark the completion of Pluto's cycles through Gate 26, and much will shift in our perspectives of the world between now and then.

In the Design body graph, Gate 26 has a very special place. It is one of the few "transpecial" Gates, and in particular the one that allows interaction between birds, reptiles and fish with humans.

There are other single Gates that have a transpecial connection for humans with plants (Gate 5), rocks (Gate 51) and with animals, (Gates 17, 49 and 22), but Gate 26 is specific for fish, reptiles and birds. With the passing of Pluto through and from Gate 26, we are symbolically leaving the Fish ( and also dinosaurs and those inclined to behave like dinosaurs and other reptiles ) high and dry. The Piscean Age is done, along with all of its belief systems, many of which I have listed at the beginning of this article. Pluto is cutting the line and the dead fish is going to be flapping ... Beware of those belief systems... and the people who want to hang on to them and call them something else! Be aware!

Pluto's arrival in Gate 11 for the next two years opens our reality towards Peace, reeducation and reexamination of our beliefs. Gate 11, in IChing Hexagram terms is composed of chop marks signifying Earth on Heaven. (We generally have an association with Heaven on Earth, but the 11th Hexagram has the image of Heaven rising into Earth and Earth sinking into Heaven.)

Pluto's sweep through Gate 11 heralds a time for a return to the use of wisdom as opposed to scrambling in an information overload; statesmanship as opposed to "politicking;" philosophy instead of garbled logic and "double-speak;" education as an alternative to fact-stuffing; and philanthropy in place of greed and exploitation, and, with Pluto's knack for removing the superfluous, a worldwide movement away from useless beliefs.

Neptune (31,000 miles in diameter), orbits at an approximate distance of 2.8 billion miles from the Sun every 165 years. Composed mostly of frozen methane on its surface, it gives off a blue color by absorbing all red light.

Energetically, Neptune is the planet of service to humanity and sacrifice of the ego. Whatever our split-vision, beliefs and logic want to assume, Neptune relates to the third eye, and the singular viewing that, "All is Love." Embracing Neptune's true gift implies that the more we give of ourself, the more we have to give, defying what we know as regular mathematics!

Neptune has been transiting backwards and forwards ( appearing from our vantage point here on Earth to progress and regress over a portion of the sky ) through Gate 13, called "Fellowship with Man," one of the gates of leadership that implies listening to each other and what goes on around us so that we can be better informed of humanity's progress and direction.

Within Gate 13, there exists access to a particular phenomenon : that of being able to experience past lives. This experience comes about when the listening becomes so deep that one actually recognizes a whole dimensional shift. Of course, our place is in present consciousness, but when we access other dimensions and lifetimes, an enormous chasm can be bridged... things that we have never resolved and integrated into wholeness suddenly have the means to be complete.

Experiences into past lives or other dimensions can be extremely unnerving until one becomes detached enough to handle seeing ourself as criminal, beggar, slave, murderer, man, woman, child, soldier, hero, statesman, historian, artist, healer, goddess, courtesan, farmer or any of the myriad expressions life on Earth offers! Some of the greatest healers I have met have this access to reviewing past lives, particularly in their clients, assisting them to easily transition into the 21st century!

Since February 12, 2004, Neptune has been moving backwards and forwards over Gate 13, giving us all, if we are open and willing, a completely different viewing of ourselves in many known and unknown aspects of our own nature, and the nature of everyone around us. We have the opportunity to recognize enormous wisdom being offered to us if we can embrace everything that appears to be happening to us, without taking any of it too personally (or Heaven forbid, too seriously!). Neptune gives us the opportunity to give back what we might have taken in times before. It also offers to us the chance to receive what might have been taken from us... For those of us who desire it, it is a great time to be considering wrapping up our appearance as a human in 3D on planet Earth, especially when we get a sense of all the roles we have played... "Been there, done that..."

On March 22, 2006, around the Spring Equinox, Neptune transits into Gate 49, the Gate called "Revolution!" Revolution can imply "what goes around comes around," or it can suggest that having become wise to our past and who and what is important to us, we are no longer going to put up with people and their systems when they are not attuned to our essential needs... which are : Love. Love heals all things, and causes all things to flourish.

In late July, Neptune transits back into Gate 13 for a last review, finally emerging into a full transit through Revolution, Gate 49, on January 23, 2007. Anything that has ever been considered "of service" is going to be redefined. Those who were considered "in" are going to find themselves "out," as all of the values of the world family are redefined.

Uranus has a diameter of about 32,000 miles and orbits the Sun elliptically, rotating on its side, at a distance of approximately 1.8 billion miles every 84 years. Uranus' surface is mostly frozen hydrogen, helium and methane, which give it a red-light-absorbing characteristic, making it appear pale blue in color. It has rings around it like the planet Saturn.

Energetically, Uranus has the strongest power of any of the planets, and as such it operates independently to anything we can do for ourself. Uranus brings great and sudden change, shaking us out of old ruts into new directions, taking old forms and delivering new ones (often much better ones) in their place. Uranus has a particular effect on us when we arrive at the age of around 40 in that it tips the course of our destiny into a new direction, which is sometimes experienced as being quite - and even extremely - contrary to what has gone before. Many people call this time of destiny shift "mid-life crisis," but it is more of a "coming of age." From the age of 40, we can dedicate ourselves toward what is truly substantial in our life's experience. Uranus is the Aquarian planet, bringing abrupt, exciting innovation, inspiring us into a golden age. It compels us to raise our awareness to higher dimensions of consciousness.

For the past few years, Uranus has been transiting through many of the "Emotional" Gates found in the Emotional/Solar Plexus Center in the Design body graph. Presently, it is passing through Gate 37, the Gate of Family and Friendship. We have all been forced to give a greater awareness in our attitudes toward family and friends, whether to embrace others more closely, or to allow stronger boundaries to come in to place because of prevalent circumstances in their life.

For real family/community values to exist, every member of a family/community must play their part. The moment a family member reneges on their part, the family is that much weaker, as the underlying support and mutual understanding is taken away. Consequently, a family will only tolerate a few infringements before that member is excluded. As Uranus transits through Gate 37, we have all been called to appreciate what form of family really suits us. If we are working in a large corporation, are we able to give and receive our best in the company of others we appreciate and admire? Are we honored for being ourself or treated just like a replaceable cog in a machine? In any familial situation, are we taken for granted?

On March 11, 2006, Uranus transits into Gate 63, the Gate of critical perception and the potential to doubt our future and the choices we make. Many of us appear to have a lifestyle that is so fast-paced it might be said to be completely out of control. When Uranus arrives in the Gate of doubt, we find ourselves bombarded with the sensation that we are spinning our wheels without having much to show for it, except exhaustion.

On October 13, 2006, Uranus retrogrades ( appears from Earth to be moving backwards in the sky ) back into Gate 37 for a final evaluation of our familial circumstances and who and what really gives us support in our life. If our family circumstances are perceived as not having strong purpose, then we can expect Uranus to rearrange things for us... expect the best!

From December 26, 2006, Uranus goes flying back into Gate 63 for us to examine our perceptions about the future before entering Gate 22, the Gate of Grace, both physical and spiritual, on April 17, 2007... Uranus will reside in Gate 22, with short turns back into Gate 63 and forward into Gate 36 through 2008.

Gate 22 is one of the transpecial Gates that access the animal realm. A reevaluation of our contact with all mammals will come about at that time, enabling us to experience much of another layer of our consciousness. Also, a recognition of our affection for others and adornment and rejuvenation for ourself and each other will be strongly enhanced with Uranus in the Gate 22. Expect to see a fantastic surge in fashion and social styles in all areas of life!

In conclusion
Times change, ages change, and we find ourselves alive in pregnant times! It is time for us to allow ourselves to say a farewell to the Fish and its Age that brought us an expansion into the world through putting aside superstitions and embracing faith. Faith has its limits, and we are now being called on to recognize and empower our own consciousness, to take on gladly the Aquarian Age in which we are responsible for ourself and whatever Existence deals out for us as individuals. It is time to recognize ourselves as co-Creators. We have all the tools we might require and what is needed is that we be available to all the circumstances that facilitate our journey of consciousness. Consciousness, in human form is coming of age!

Anything and everything is possible!


© Chetan Parkyn, 2005