I have heard many people complain about squares and oppositions. I have found they are the means to make our spiritual awareness “real in the world.” And they operate on three distinct levels.

I was thinking a few days ago that my chart is a perfect example of that which does not kill us makes us stronger. It's how I learned to love oppositions for the awareness they bring, even if through "tense" circumstances which cause us to separate from old ideas, people, and ways of life. Without them, I’d have had no way to see how my planets were externalizing in the world. And while squares can feel somewhat paralyzing at times through the pressure of needing to act but seeing no convenient or comfortable way to do that, they also have helped me slam on the brakes and move in a different direction.

All aspects work out on three distinct levels for each of us; there is the personal level, the social level, and the spiritual level. Even if we’re not aware we’re operating on all three, each challenge, each realization ultimately works out in personal ways, in our social existence through the phase shifts indicated by the squares and oppositions, and on the spiritual level, affecting probable karmic events in the future by the moves we make today based in those realizations.

It is easy to see how a realization works personally; they become powers arising from awareness when we see how those realizations could be translated into activity in our social existence. This helps us set our own social trajectory and not merely cruise on the inertia of the past. Being proactive in applying our awareness allows us to chart our own course in life and not just crash from event to event.

Awareness on the spiritual level is conditioned by what we allow our minds to experience. If the personality is preoccupied with its own response to the opposition, then its focus will not be on the greater awareness which comes when “the Tension of Opposites” is seen from a holistic view of the process. However, the awareness is there whether the lower mind knows it or not. That’s why sometimes a period of months or years goes by before we get an “ah ha” moment related to that opposition in the past. Any given realization could yield countless forms of personal, social, and spiritual awareness as a result of training our mind to recognize when we’ve had a major realization.

If you’re experiencing an opposition from a transit to a natal planet, see it as a dance between “self and the world.” The natal planet is a part of our internal makeup; a transit is a “real world” circumstance, person, or thing which is opposing our natal Light. Each becomes the means to express the other productively. If our natal planet is functioning in a healthy way, there can be no harm done by an opposition or square from any other planet. (even if it accompanies a challenge!)

If Pluto opposes a planet, use purification and economy of energy to express the core power of the opposed planet. If Neptune, use compassion and an awareness of a greater connection in the collective field to express the highest idea of the opposed planet. If Uranus opposes a planet, find a new way to express the planetary energy in forms which demonstrate your uniqueness, your ability to take the lead in your own journey of Self-realization, and your freedom to express those planetary qualities in innovative ways.

As I gave you in Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, Saturn oppositions are excellent for throwing off chains and limits we no longer need. When transiting Saturn opposes one of our planets, we get to change that planetary response, letting go of all which is more trouble than it’s worth. When a transit opposes our Saturn, we get to see how our rules, duties, and ability to respond in a mature way is positioned relative to the awareness brought by the transiting planet. In those cases, if our Saturn is unhealthy, we’ll have trouble with the opposing energy; if our Saturn is healthy, we’ll have no trouble responding as needed, even if it means setting a clear boundary.

Jupiter oppositions challenge our vision, our ability to open an adventure or close a cycle as needed, and give us a look at the truths which beckon us to a larger life. Mars oppositions challenge us to be thoughtful and organized in our responses and not yield to impulse, impatience, or thoughtless behavior. While an opposition to/from either Jupiter or Mars often gets escalated quickly, they can yield awareness of how to act in ways which open the doors we want and close the doors which don’t need to be open.

Oppositions to/from Venus show us our values and vanities, or show how the world’s values and vanities are in opposition to our own. Great for learning a larger set of likes, and also for narrowing our enjoyment to those things which are truly enjoyable and not seductions and distractions. Mercury oppositions at best lead to the ability to be led to our Soul through resolving the contrasts in ideas and the many approaches to sending and receiving information.

Oppositions to/from our Sun are always illuminating. There could never be a dysfunctional response to a Solar opposition other than extinguishing the light, which is impossible. Either the transiting Sun is illuminating how our opposed planet needs to externalize, or a transit opposing our Sun indicates how we need to express our Light. And oppositions to our Moon show us how our transitory Lunar responses express in that circumstance, giving us a chance to experience that awareness in a personal and intimate way. Transiting Moon opposes all our planets each month, so provides a good mirror for those parts of us.

So rather than dread the oppositions of the outer planets, use those times to examine your planetary response to the potential awareness to be found in that opposition. We all grow through oppositions; the trick is to learn to steer our personality in the direction of greatest awareness of self, of our social responses, and of the spiritual truths which are ours to realize and apply.

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

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