Evolutionary Transitions: Where the Past Meets the Future (A Case Study)

This article is about critical time frames, or evolutionary transitions, in which we must purge emotional/psychological dynamics that are creating situations of non-growth and stagnation. These are times frames in which we must evolve beyond what we currently are, or have become, in order to actualize the current evolutionary intentions for our life. The emotional/psychological dynamics that have been relied upon prior to these evolutionary junctures may have brought fruitful and successful results, yet at the same time can no longer be relied upon because of the Soul's necessity to continue to evolve to reach Its true potential.

These time frames are usually very stressful and difficult because we are confronted with the need to change the very patterns that have represented emotional security. However, it is exactly these patterns that are creating life circumstances of non-growth and stagnation and must be purged in order rid ourselves of the limitations of the past. Typically during these times we experience emotionally intense and difficult life circumstances in order to induce the necessary changes that must be made. In this regard, evolution can take two distinct forms: cataclysmic (sudden or abrupt change) or uniform (slow yet progressive change).

In evolutionary astrology, Pluto correlates with the Soul and the dual desires within the Soul (one to return to the Source and one to separate from Source). Pluto's polarity point symbolizes the current evolutionary intentions for this life, and how to transmute the limitations of the past into new patterns of behavior that allow evolution to continue. The existing patterns of behavior reflected by Pluto's natal placement in the birth chart are relied upon because they represent the known and familiar ways of operating, and thus provide a sense of emotional security. These patterns are habitual, and in some cases can become obsessions and compulsions. The South Node of the Moon symbolizes the prior-life egocentric structure of the Soul, and how the past life desires and intentions of the Soul were consciously actualized and emotionally integrated. The natal placement of the Moon, by house and sign, reflects the Soul’s current egocentric structure, and how the transition from the past the future is being integrated in the current moment in time. The North Node of the Moon reflects the evolving egocentric structure of the Soul, and how the current evolutionary intentions reflected by Pluto's polarity point will be consciously actualized by the Soul. The planetary rulers of the nodes act as facilitators to the nodes, and thus reflect how the nodes themselves will be actualized. We can therefore determine the core areas of limitation and points of stagnation for the Soul by analyzing Pluto's natal position, the South Node, and its planetary ruler. The individual's next steps, then, are reflected by Pluto's polarity point, the North Node, and it's planetary ruler. These will be the core points to focus on when counseling clients or friends through difficult times of evolutionary transition.

We can use our understanding of the natal birth chart and current transits to identify and understand the core themes and intentions of evolutionary transitions. Generally speaking, the transits of the outer planets (Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, and Neptune) tend to correlate with time frames of the most critical and significant evolutionary change. Pluto transits correlate with time frames of the deepest and most intense degrees of evolutionary growth. They reflect times when the Soul is desiring to confront and transmute existing patterns of behavior that are creating limitations and blocks to further growth. We must also use the transits of the nodal axis of the Moon when analyzing the core evolutionary intentions of current transits. The transiting South Node reflect where dynamics linked with the past are being experienced in the current moment in time, and the transiting North node reflects the dynamics that will be used to develop the necessary evolutionary intentions for the life.

In order to apply these principles, we will analyze the birth chart of a client who is currently experiencing very significant transits that reflect an intense time of evolutionary transition and change. It is important to include that in order to properly interpret transits and the birth chart we must include these vital factors: the individual's natural evolutionary state, his or her economic state, cultural/religious conditioning, and gender. These factors provide the necessary individual context that we must have in order to properly interpret a natal chart, and thus current transits (one size does not fit all).

The client I am using is a female transiting from the third state individuated into the first stage spiritual. She is in the middle class, and has had no specific religious conditioning. She has experienced sexual abuse by a step-brother, and a very abusive relationship with her biological mother (which resulted in a total breaking off from the relationship). Otherwise, she grew up in a very loving and supportive family environment that encouraged her to actualize her desire to help others and validated her natural capacities and talents to serve as a counselor to others in need. She has a very deep desire to serve and help others, and to establish her life purpose based on this orientation. She is actively working to establish herself as counselor for others using her innate psychological wisdom.

In her natal chart:

• A natal fifth house Pluto is in Libra
• South Node is in Capricorn in the eighth house ruled by Saturn in Scorpio in the fifth house (conjunct Pluto)
• Pluto’s polarity point is in Aries/eleventh house
• North Node is in Cancer in the second house ruled by the Moon in Cancer in the third house
• The Moon squares Pluto and forms an opposition to Mars in Capricorn in the ninth house (Moon and Mars form a T-square to Pluto)
• Transiting Pluto is currently conjunct her South Node, and transiting South Node in Cancer is conjunct her natal North Node, and the transiting North Node in Capricorn is on her natal South Node
• Transiting Saturn (planetary ruler of the South Node) is square her nodal axis

Clearly, these transits reflect an intense time of evolutionary transition. What are the current evolutionary intentions symbolized by these transits?

From this natal signature we can see the intense evolutionary need and desire to creatively self-actualize and take control of her destiny out of the strength of her will (signified by Pluto and Saturn conjunct in the fifth house, and Saturn ruling the South Node in Capricorn in the eighth house). She has a very strong need to align with her true life’s purpose based upon the desire to serve others, and in this way to actualize her Soul’s natural abilities and capacity. Pluto conjunct Saturn in Scorpio and the South Node in the eighth house symbolize the evolutionary need to transmute emotional compulsions and limitations of the past in order to continue to evolve.

In the context of the fifth house Pluto in Libra, she was compulsively dependent upon relationships (the need to be needed, symbolized by Pluto in Libra) and also the need for consistent positive feedback and validation from others that she is special (Pluto in the fifth house). She would unconsciously form relationships with others who seemed to embody the emotional stability, strength, and creativity that she ultimately desires to establish and actualize inside herself. Pluto’s polarity point is in Aries/eleventh house, and the North Node is in cancer in the second house; these transitions reflect the evolutionary need and intention to stand as a group of one if necessary, and to purge an excessively self-centered focus and orientation in life by linking her creative talents with relevant social needs. In this way, she could liberate from an overly subjective focus in life. In addition, through a process of self-validation she can eliminate the compulsive need for positive feedback and validation from others. Emotional self-reliance, and stability (indicated by the North Node in Cancer/second house, ruled by the Moon in Cancer/third house) will naturally manifest as a result of this process. Her self-image must shift from negative to positive in the context of validating her own self-worth and natural capacities (North Node in Cancer/second house ruled by a Cancer moon in the third house making the aforementioned aspects).

This signature also reflects a very deep social conditioning pattern of needing to conform or fit in with the majority of society in order to receive approval and acceptance. The pattern of conformity, of course, created a suppression and repression of her natural identity and also her innate psychological wisdom. Inwardly, she felt very alienated from her peers because she is actively embracing a deep liberation process and lives a life that the majority would harshly judge because it is drastically different than how most others live. However, because of the previously mentioned dynamics of conformity and the need for validation and recognition, she would compensate for these feelings by externally appearing to conform and adjust to the expectations of others. As Pluto conjuncted her South Node, she became progressively depressed, lonely, and isolated from those with whom she had relationships that reflected the dynamics of compensation and conformity. She withdrew emotionally from these types of relationships, and this resulted in some intense emotional confrontations. These confrontations occurred because she no longer met the others person’s emotional needs and expectations of who they said she should be. In addition, she was confronted about these emotional patterns and compulsions (and what changes she needed to make) by those in her life that did truly love her. She was then faced with the choice to make these changes or to sustain the negative and dishonest ways of the past.

Essentially, The Pluto transit to her South Node created a life experience wherein she could no longer sustain the social persona that she had previously projected because she realized she was not being honest with herself or others. The need to recover and actualize her natural identity was becoming increasingly stronger. The depression, isolation, and feelings of stagnation had reached a point where she was becoming suicidal. She knew she had to change these patterns in order to keep growing and evolving, and made an honest commitment to resolve these issues.

The South Node in Capricorn reflects an emphasized and intensified dynamic of inner guilt and shame based upon societal judgments and standards of who and what she should be. In other words, she need to purge internalized messages of guilt and shame relative to being different than the majority in order to accomplish the evolutionary needs and desires of the natal Pluto in the fifth house. She needed to find the inner strength and courage to withstand the judgment and rejection from those who could not understand or support her life path. Again, the evolutionary intentions symbolized by Aries in the eleventh house polarity point is to stand as a group of one if necessary, and to not be dependent upon positive validation from others.

Transiting Saturn in Libra in the fifth squaring her nodal axis reflects the decision she needed to make about continuing her life’s work that she is intended to do or to stay stuck in the need for social acceptance and validation by conforming to the social expectations of others. She was flip-flopping back and forth (square) between these two orientations, and again, needed to make a firm decision to make a total break from the past ways of being that are no longer serving her growth needs. Saturn is the planetary ruler of the natal South Node, which intensifies this transit. The square of transiting Saturn to the nodal axis reflects that she had skipped a critical evolutionary step that must now be recovered through re-experiencing, or re-living core dynamics of the past that were creating blocks towards further growth. By breaking away from the old conformity patterns of the past she could establish her personal voice based upon her true Soul’s potentials and gifts, and emotionally mature.

The transiting nodal axis of Cancer and Capricorn are conjunct her natal South and North Nodes. The transiting South Node in Cancer is conjunct her natal North Node, and the North Node is conjunct her South Node in Capricorn in the eighth house. These transits reflects re-experiencing a dynamic of the past that is blocking further growth (transiting Pluto on the South Node symbolizes this as well) in order to break free from these past patterns (transiting North Node on the natal South Node in Capricorn, and Pluto and the transiting North Node conjunct the natal South Node). During this time, she made a decision to not be in any relationship as a way of re-empowering herself, and to focus on developing her innate capacities as a counselor and teacher. In this way, she was able to break free from a deep pattern of feeling powerless because of the societal judgments she received about being different, and refusing to conform to the prevailing social norms and expectations (Pluto conjunct the South Node in Capricorn in the eighth house, and transiting North Node conjunct as well). The transiting South Node in Cancer conjunct her natal North Node in the second house reflects the need to identify her inherent resources to affect survival, and become emotionally self-sufficient in order to evolve. In childhood, she had mild learning disabilities that she was able to overcome through the help of her father. In fact, she was always on the honor roll because of his help and guidance. She decided to go back to school to earn her credentials in education to work with children with special needs as a way of giving back to others, which is in alignment with her current evolutionary/karmic requirements.