by Benjamin Bernstein

Many thanks to my friend and fellow astrologer Eric Meyers, for allowing me to include his ideas from our "Big Change Now!" presentation into this article. We enter 2012 in an unsettled world. A world of economic uncertainty, recession, more frequent and powerful natural disasters, and increasing evidence of global warming. We recently had a tsunami and triple nuclear meltdown in Japan, the Arab Spring revolutions are still playing themselves out, and the Euro Zone is struggling with a massive debt crisis.

The global Occupy movements have focused public attention on the widening economic disparity between the "1%" and the "99%," American politics has become intractably divisive, and the "end" of the Mayan calendar looms.

Astrologically, we are now entering the most turbulent times of our lives - and the most exciting! From a cosmic perspective, all the breakdown, revolution, and crisis now in process are absolutely essential. They are necessary precursors to the new Golden Age of harmony and universal love now arising.

 As we examine the astrological influences now in effect, remember that any particular planetary alignment has many possible outcomes. By consciously partnering with the planets, we can create a new reality which serves the highest good of all!

The Uranus-Pluto square

The top astrological headline of 2012 is, without question, the Uranus-Pluto square. While the 90° angle between these two powerhouses is exact for the first time this year, its influence has been felt since the global financial crisis of 2008. As with horseshoes and hand grenades, "close enough" definitely counts in astrology!

Uranus and Pluto make exact squares twice in 2012, on June 24 and September 19, and will square a total of seven times 2012 through 2015. It is this aspect, more than any other, that makes our current era feel like "The 60s, Part Two."

To understand how these two planets work together, we must first examine them individually.... (To read the rest, click here.)