The relationship between the archetypal and material realms presents us with a timeless, irresolvable irony. Unseen, intangible, and not directly knowable, the eternal dimension of the archetypes seem to have little or no consequence when juxtaposed with the realm of the material and tangible. However, that which is unseen and intangible is more foundational than the concrete structures that we base our lives upon and seem as bedrock as the rising and setting sun.

The images of the two jet planes crashing into the World Trade Center-imprinted not only upon the U.S. national psyche but upon the consciousness of the world-is a painful and tragic reminder of the ironic relationship between form and formless, archetype and manifestation. These archetypes-these castles in the sky-are prompting us to remember that even that which seems permanent, powerful, and stable can crumble within an instant. More established and secure than the tons of concrete and steel which comprised the World Trade Center is the message of the aphorism, "All things must pass."

Astrology is first and last the study and illumination of patterns, cycles, and relationships with the intent of increasing awareness and accruing wisdom of the deeper workings of the dynamic nature of the cosmos. This essay will attempt to place the events of September 11th in the current astrological context and within the larger framework of similar planetary alignments that occurred in the 20th century. A deep knowledge of the events of September 2001 can only be gained by viewing the catastrophe as residing in a continuum of seemingly disparate events across a relatively long stretch of time. By simply isolating the terrorist attacks and superficially embedding the occurrence within a straightforward socio-political analysis loses the deep meaning and structure of the events. Through retracting the lens of awareness, patterns emerge, greater insights can be had, and, therefore, transformation of the pattern can truly begin. And this is the central message of the current events-transformation.