By Amanda Painter

By now, you’ve heard about (and likely watched a video of) the man getting forcibly hauled off a United Airlines flight, as well as the public outrage surrounding it and United’s initial defense of the action. You could say that this incident, and the mass awareness of it, is one way that the Sun passing through the Uranus-Eris conjunction in Aries is being reflected. But it’s not the only way this astrology can manifest; and indeed, it’s related to another important current astrological event.

Dahlia, blue vase and salt lamp; photo by Amanda Painter.

Since Uranus is separating from Eris, the Sun made its exact conjunction to Eris on Wednesday, and will make its exact conjunction to Uranus on Friday at 1:30 am EDT. Yet the aspect is still in force.

For sure, the Sun (which represents consciousness) seems to be heightening collective awareness of the current environment in this country: one marked by a kind of militancy. We see it in reactions to the launching of tomahawk missiles in retribution for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. We see it in how eager everyone is to jump into attacking or defending of almost any event on social media.

With Uranus often representing revolution and Eris often representing a subversive element, this can have its constructive side. Historically, consumer actions such as boycotts of a company needed significant time to have an effect, if they had any effect at all. These days, “we the people” seem to wield more power than ever thanks to social media. When a corporate misstep is brought to attention online, backlash can snowball at astonishing speeds.

Does that backlash have an effect on the company in question? Frequently yes; but how deep does the reform go? An apology is great; monetary compensation to an injured or aggrieved party is helpful. But once that happens and makes the news, how often does it lead to systemic reforms, or to a sustained, multi-level, intersectional movement?

Also, I’m curious: how much is that lack of sustained reform due to the unwieldy amount of money (and therefore power) that is in the hands of the few? Alternatively, how much is the “one and done” mindset of the greater population contributing significantly to short-term, superficial appeasement in place of deeper change? Clearly both factors are at play.

The fast pace of digital life, of always being plugged in, has its pitfalls: outrage is tiring, and there’s something new to be outraged about on a daily basis (or more). On one level, we’re being conditioned to take our “wins” as they come and move on.

Yet that cycle of distraction (or shifting of intense focus) and appeasement speaks to another facet of modern life that is exacerbated by our technology: the lack of inner space. Eric Francis Coppolino has written about this more than once with regard to the Uranus-Eris conjunction; he speaks to it again in this week’s Planet Waves FM broadcast.

Specifically, he notes how the Sun moving through the Uranus-Eris conjunction can represent the potential to instigate an internal revolution: one in which you consciously create the inner space that perhaps has been missing for you. It’s hard — and probably impossible — to expand your consciousness if you’re habitually over-focused on what is external, and projecting all of your energy outside of yourself.

You might feel like you don’t have time or interest in meditation or yoga; maybe you get impatient or anxious with stillness and quiet. There are other ways in, however. Activities like journaling or sustained reading can help to build the habit of creating internal space (especially in a book, rather than online where links and ads and messages can draw you back out of yourself).

Interestingly, the Sabian symbol for the degree where the Sun will exactly conjoin Uranus is, “The possibility for man to gain experience at two levels of being.” The keynote is, “The revelation of new potentialities.” (The Sabian symbols are a set of images channeled for each of the 360 degrees of the zodiac.)

The very meaning of this degree is one of living in both the inner and outer planes of experience. To do that, however, takes openness. And plenty of people these days are not truly open to the idea or the feeling of making contact with their inner experience.

If that describes you — if you get anxious or impatient with stillness and introspection — what exactly is it that you’re avoiding? Would you call it fear of the unknown? Or is it more that you do have some knowledge of what’s in there, and you’re afraid you won’t be able to deal with it, or with the reality of who you are?

I ask, because these questions have a direct relationship with the other major astrological event this weekend: Venus stationing direct in Pisces, conjunct Chiron (at 6:18 am EDT / 10:18 UTC on Saturday). Eric explores the themes of this event in depth in Planet Waves FM as well.

As he describes it, receptive, emotional, feminine (and retrograde) Venus in sensitive, emotional, feminine Pisces, conjunct the centaur of healing and teaching, is opening the way for you to feel all the feelings that lie just beneath the surface layer of technology and the panic it induces. Whether you feel like your deepest core hides agony, distrust, fear, sexual pain or some variation, Chiron is there to remind you that you truly possess the capability to heal that.

Eric notes that it could be a long process, and you may have to deal with root causes that go back generations, or that stem from a single incident. But you do have the ability to do so, and it is worth it to reclaim your inner space again, and redirect your energy toward creativity and genuine connection. Just imagine what you could do with all the energy you’ve perhaps been using to avoid yourself and to clamp down against the chaos of the world.

After all, the more one addresses emotional healing, it’s amazing to see how the body responds. Emotional “holding” and physical “holding” are closely related. And with Mercury currently retrograde in Taurus (a sign ruled by Venus), it would seem that our intellectual focus is likewise directed toward a uniquely embodied “review and remember” mission.

In between backing up your hard drive and practicing patience if someone forgets their appointment with you, see if your body can remember what it feels like to be open, even if your heart is still cautious. There is always more than one way in. Choose your method, and let the revolution begin.

You may pre-order all 12 signs of the 2017 Spring Reading this week for just $39.39. What we’re living through today is not written about in any book. We’re its pioneers in consciousness, and INVOLUTION will be your guide.