23rd / 24th April 2014: Cardinal Grand Cross - Part 2

Oppositional Angst

Earlier today I was talking about the square aspects which form the outer barrier of the current Cardinal Cross. Now I want to add in the oppositions, that is, the two internal diagonal lines, to provide the ‘filling’ so to speak! (You can see the chart for the Grand Cross here)

So how do they play into all this? Well… in a sense they provide the ultimate answer, because oppositions show us where we need to adjust within ourselves in order to more fully embrace all that we are. The energy of an opposition is most often experienced in and through our relationships. Its qualities exist fully within us and yet, because they consist of opposing forces, we deal with it by projecting one end of the opposition onto someone else. So, for example, we perceive ourselves to be patient so we project our impatience outward and find ourselves surrounded by frustrated and judgemental people whose presence in our life increasingly becomes a burden. Or we identify with being a ‘doer’, a go-getter who takes charge and makes things happen, and we project our ‘lazy slob’ onto others and criticise them for their lack of commitment and inactivity. In essence, an opposition reveals where we contradict ourselves and contain paradox, and challenges us to own and express that paradox fully without needing to dissociate ourselves from part of it in order to feel acceptable (to ourselves or other people).

A further way we manage oppositional energy is to swing from one extreme to the other. In this case we express both extremes at different times, and yet still cannot contain them both in a state of dynamic tension which enables us to be fully who we are. As we swing to one end of the spectrum the other is ignored, denied or projected. As we swing back we do the opposite and so on. We can spend a lifetime swinging to and fro on an opposition, but far better that we wake up and recognise what’s really going! The inherent task of an opposition is to develop the self-awareness necessary to recognise that we can be two very different things and still be one person; that human nature contains all manner of contradictions and that acceptance of this fact can enable us to get along a whole lot better, not only with other people but, most importantly, with ourselves.

So when under the influence of a Grand Cross we have two very powerful oppositions in progress, challenging us to embrace our paradoxical nature, recognise our inner contradictions and spot when we’re polarising our psyche by identifying with only part of it and projecting the rest onto our environment in some way. If, for example, we increasingly find ourselves criticising others over certain things that we’re very clear are something we ‘would never do in a million years!’, we should begin to hear some alarm bells ringing! We may just have more in common with them than we would like to admit. Or we may be focusing upon their failings as a way to feel better about ourself or avoid some of our own glaring issues that we’d prefer to ignore! Likewise, if one minute we feel and think one thing and then the next we’ve done an about-turn and everything looks completely different, we may just need to accept that both options are possible but a blend of the two may be more conducive to inner peace and self-acceptance!

Whilst the squares I spoke about earlier today require that we take action and deal with issues presented by our environment, the oppositions demand that we make adjustments within ourselves in order to rectify imbalances in our relationship with others. If we can manage both at the same time we unlock the doors to exponential change in ourselves and our lives!

With the current oppositions existing between Uranus (radical freedom) & Mars (assertiveness and aggression), and Jupiter (expansion) & Pluto (power issues & deep transformation), we may well be facing challenges to our freedom or others agitating for theirs, angry outbursts, suppressed emotions bubbling to the surface to create unrest, and/or unexpected occurrences which give rise to a whole new order of existence. If so, it is vital to remember that inner adjustment is as important as dealing with the external manifestations of change. Attitude counts for so much when dealing with oppositional energies. A willingness to recognise that the world is never as polarised as we may like to think, and everyone is a seething mass of contradictions and paradoxes which make life increasingly complex until we can more peacefully accept that fact, will go a long way to making these times more manageable and less fractious for all concerned!

Indeed, if we can look within and see ourselves for exactly who we are, warts and all, right now, accepting it all with an open mind and a peaceful heart, the insights available at this time could change our life in the blink of an eye. The Grand Cross reminds us that no pointed finger will ever lead us to the truth unless it is pointed back at ourselves, gently and with a compassionate heart, ready to embrace the whole world as self and self as the whole wide world.

Sarah Varcas