looking back:
the astrology of 2015

by Juliana McCarthy

As we reflect on 2015, remembering the global events is overwhelming—mass shootings, the attacks of ISIS and other militant groups, the Syrian refugee crisis, police brutality, people coming together to protest and defend their rights, working hard to create a new paradigm. Before delving into more personal realms, it feels important to address these large issues and the astrological event that correlates with them: the notorious square between Pluto and Uranus (which began in 2012, and culminated in 2015). With an aspect this strong, we feel the effects before and after, and the seeds planted during this time continue to take effect, particularly into the coming year.

Reviewing history, we find major events lining up with the broader dance between Uranus and Pluto. The waning square between the planets spawned the Great Depression, Hitler’s rise to power, and eventually World War II. The social revolution of the sixties occurred around the Uranus-Pluto opposition of 1965-66. And now, we’ve just come out of the waxing square that began in 2012. 

The effects of our latest Pluto-Uranus square have been obvious. Pluto is the planet of power, slow karmic transformation, death and rebirth, while Uranus is the planet of rebellion, the public, sudden change. During this time, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders rose to acclaim with their public outcries against the current paradigm (with Trump, in typical Uranus-Pluto fashion, playing into the public’s fears); ISIS was born, an organization so extreme and murderous that there’s been talk of a potential third World War; and grassroots organizations fought diligently against corporate and governmental structures that have been deceptive and harmful to our planet and people. These examples barely skim the surface.

Because the angle was waxing and not waning, we will hopefully find that the calamity we’ve faced is leading towards the paradigm shift many of us have been craving. As Eckhart Tolle has said, compassion and tolerance spring forth in cultures that have endured self-inflicted strife, and the sandpapering effect of suffering softens our societal outlooks. We may see that we have undergone this type of shift when we look back to the Middle Ages compared to now. We see Syria and Afghanistan undergoing unspeakable brutality, but the hope is that when they come out the other end, their collective outlook will be softened, and ours will continue to grow softer.

Along those lines, a more positive effect of the Uranus-Pluto square is that more and more of us have been coming into our power as spiritual beings. In the face of global horrors and while working with the pain of our daily lives, we are learning how we can harness our gifts of transmutation (Pluto) and love. Some of us have been struck with Uranian lightning during this time, suddenly understanding the reasons we are here: to help raise the spiritual frequency, to understand the power of our minds, the power of planting everyday seeds of peace, joy, and love. In flashes of Uranian insight, we are waking up to knowing we are so much more than our physical bodies. Perhaps this is the silver lining to our calamitous Pluto-Uranus square.

To book a reading with Juliana McCarthy, write etherealculture@gmail.com.