4 Planets at 4 Degrees: Chaos to Creation

a look into the much anticipated astrology of the ‘basket’

The Jupiter/Pluto opposition and all of the talk online of the basket formation is spectacularly interesting, specifically since I am an astrologer that sees the specifics in the degrees as well.

I like to really come at astrology as a energy reader that goes deeper into what does the energy of the times really ask the human for, and what precipice you are standing on in order to really understand it. Practical intuition put out for regular people.

I’ve had trouble with this configuration, and I have been leaning into why. This ‘basket’ is actually a typical cradle aspect in astrology, which a quick internet search can reveal is like opportunity framework; working within walls that are supportive and protective for you. You are being supported by the configurations that are beneficial for you, but it’s truly up to you to work this energy.

And how do we work the energy of Neptune, Pluto, Uranus and Jupiter at 4 degrees? Considering there are two T squares in the chart, one to Venus in between Mars and Mercury and one to Chiron and the nodes of fate. Now these are BIG squares, something other astrologers are kinda glossing over in favor of this wildly supportive cradle with all of the trans-dimensional planets, but I’ll get to that later.

In short, Barbeau was right; the Saturn/Neptune conjunction we had at the beginning of this year was the turning point. Everything that is sitting right in front of you now is waiting to be built with all of the planets in the early degrees of the sign, which takes them years to traverse. This is new energy that we are putting on for the first time and we are looking around to see where the usual pitfalls may be and are recognizing that we are not finding them; the newness of the landscape has yet to dictate itself. This is the doorway to something brand new that has never been seen before.

Enter the importance of 4 degrees.

4 is a Uranian number. More specifically, it speaks to the energy of like attracting like, which is the Aquarian super power to command on this planet. It is a gigantic mirror of energy that is literally showing you in real time how your energy reaps what you sow. And it’s a frustrating place to be on the receiving end of all of this if you are not sure how to navigate it.

It’s like holding a light in the dark and watching every single moth by attracted to it; you have to watch what things are attracted to you at the same time that you are conscious of what light you are putting out. A dim one won’t do much and a bright one may attract too much.

So the only thing to do when things are unsure, as they are in the middle of this continued Mercury retrograde (keeping in mind that Neptune and Pluto are also still retrograde in this basket configuration also), everything is up for review. And I mean REVIEW. It’s all data. I have been walking through this energy asking myself where I can tell folks to point, and honestly, I have just been keeping my eyes open and looking for what is being attracted back and taking it all in as needed information. I feel like that is what is happening right now; like we are at the tip of something so new that we don’t know how to navigate it and we are being shown how NOT to navigate it.

Outer planets take years to cover degrees. Even the big boys like Jupiter and Saturn often cover a 10 degree swath over a calendar year while the outer rim, Neptune and Pluto, take multiple years to cover a single degree and often running over and under it for months at a time. This particular cradle is being held by planets that will be working the 4th degree for at least another year. Uranus will be there for also another year; just Jupiter and the Sun are passing through this configuration, as well as any other planet that traverses the early degrees of any sign (Venus faced off with this last week).

We are practicing this energy right now for the long haul. Not only this, but this gives me a framework of how long this mirror will be held up for solutions to be attracted into your life. Astrology, if nothing else, is the study of stars and cycles of time and heavenly bodies. This cycle will last for a minute, although the peak is right now.

And it would be, honestly: we have Mercury retrograde in Cancer and the Sun in the master degrees of Cancer. The moon is cruising around the zodiac during this time testing out all of the approaches. We are being told to navigate this doorway astrologically in the most apt way to navigate the new as possible: through your feelings.

You cannot create the great new until you have felt out what is worth creating, right? Hence why feelings can change moment to moment; you have to know what the new ceiling is in order to dictate to that.

To navigate by using your feelings, you have to look to what you are attracted to right now, moment by moment. What is coming back? Is it good? Is it self sabotage-y? Is it complicated and it doesn’t need to be? What do you actually get out of it? What do you actually want if these are the actions that you are taking? What actions do you need to be taking instead in order to make you feel a certain way in order to attract in the future that you are looking for?

…and so on.

Pluto’s entrance into Aquarius was the first mention of thinking 5 dimensionally in new age circles, back in 2023 I started seeing that talk a lot. As Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius and the ruler of 4, it seems natural to be considering how the law of attraction may be playing out in unconscious ways in your life that are not always so life affirming.

That is what this time is about; noting what you can change and actually doing it, or in the case of Neptune’s presence holding the tip at 4 Aries retrograde, it is thinking of differing ways to behave to get the desired result you want as the truth is coming to the surface about what needs to be surrendered.

This is meant to be a spacey time, whether or not your astro du jour feed is crying out for power struggles and NOW being the time for great support, et cetera. No moves should be made now. This cradle configuration is for your dismantlement of what you have been attracting in for perhaps your whole life up until February 2026. Maybe this is a larger release that you thought you needed, maybe this is setting sights on a new project, maybe it is a new way to be that is being contemplated. Just know that this is part of a larger story, and Jupiter and Uranus’s forward motion through this is a way for us to see what is needed to be reviewed so it can change.

…and change (Uranus) can be counted on. Just be open to what is presenting and let the feelings be surrendered. That Chiron wound is getting poked right now as well, and will be by Pluto for years to come, so know that this is part of this stew as well, but it is for the healing. Always all for the healing. Venus’s transit through Chiron’s sign, Virgo, is square to Mars and Black Moon Lilith speaks to her fear and resistance to change, yet knowing that only good can come from that healing.

Right now, note what is coming in and recognize the fluidity that everything is moving. It may feel stagnant right now, or the popping of solutions are coming in. Nothing is set in stone, just what you want to be set in stone. So use this time to note what gaping holes there are in your attraction energy and work to fix the leaks. You can dictate the future you want by protecting the vision and the feelings that accompany that. We are all getting an opportunity to mastermind our futures but that requires seeing how we have created everything that we have in front us that we do not like. Saturn is taking responsibility for that, turning backward in the sky as soon as the Sun moves into Leo to know what the heart wants out of all of this.

For me, personally, I am recognizing how my protective elements are not great. I bleed out everywhere in almost every activity due to my need to be in control to feel safe. I am looking at ways to relinquish some of that control, but it has been difficult due to my own inability to face some fears. Yet…I am not sure if I just don’t want to or if I am sabotaging my growth sometimes. I am a pusher, I am an Aries rising, so I go for it and punish myself to do so most of the time. So this is all foreign to me and I am realizing that it all needs to be rewritten, and therefore leaning towards the ‘not wanting to’ also has its merit right now.

If this is relatable, then you are reading the right thing for you. Just some thoughts and how I am feeling this chart, and am recognizing what this formation is actually all about.