Insights for the Month of Aries

March / April 2020

March 19
Sun enters Aries:  11:50 PM EDT: Equinox
Sun sextile Saturn
As always, Aries is a sign to be reckoned with. We are generally born head first into this world. There is a little Aries in each and every one of us. This year Aries brings more than the usual impulse to get on with it. Whatever ‘it’ is we are called to break new ground and dive fully into the new season (be it spring in the north or fall in the south) as well as a new world that is laboring to give birth to itself. Birth is scary at the best of times. This one is no exception.
As it leave Pisces today, the last aspect the Sun will make is a sextile to Saturn as if to remind us that there are opportunities in a world undergoing rapid, accelerated change: opportunities to nourish the soul as it prepares for birth rather than to line pockets. We can all benefit from the time out which has imposed itself on us. Eventually we will heed the call of self actualization which Aries suggest.
As the Sun travels through Aries it will square Pluto and Jupiter before it’s done. This suggests that breaking through will require great effort. Later in the second half of 2020 Mars will spend a long time in Aries, making the same aspects. We are getting s sneak preview of the issues that will be activated then.
During the time that the Sun is in this sign it will play host to Saturn as she takes her first step in the sign of Aquarius, as well as Mars shortly after. Change may be good, may be bad but there is no stopping it. Never was.

March 20 
Mars conjunct Jupiter
War is the fundamental myth of dominator culture: The war against this or the war to save that, the war against the ego, the war to secure our future. War fills us with enthusiasm which is to say we become possessed as if by (a) god. We rally round the flag. We suddenly realize the nobility of the ‘ultimate sacrifice’. Really? Is there no other way to combine the raw, fierce energy of Mars with the visionary passion of Jupiter? Now is the time. Capricorn (where they meet) shows us the perspective of their meeting. This suggests that our enthusiasm is best aimed at the task at hand however mundane it is. What is required is the better management of whatever situation we stumble upon (at the moment it seems to be the virus).  Could there be another way to see things besides as a battle? Possibly war is the one great trick of homo sapiens. If this is so we might as well become extinct.
If you weren’t at war with yourself, for example how would you engage the energy of the task of being human at this moment?

March 21
Saturn enters Aquarius
EXTRA! EXTRA! Saturn on the Move!
Saturn, the wise elder, who reminds us that we learn best what we learn through experience, who expects us to toe the line, is putting her own toe into Aquarian country. Saturn is as strong in Aquarius as she is in Capricorn. These two signs are her home places. In Capricorn for the last two years we have become aware of the enormity of the mess we humans have made and the corresponding enormous effort required to address it. It is the nature of Aquarius to see possibilities, to make blueprints. Saturn will only be here until early July at which time it retrogrades back to Capricorn. But it will step in and stay for two years in December, leaving Capricorn behind for another 28 years. Saturn suggests we need a better plan, and that we should get down to work figuring out what that is, despite the clowns and the disrupters. 

March 22
Mercury sextile Uranus
Venus sextile Neptune
Reach into the emptiness, the gaps, the forces that take you beyond your individual self. Reach for poetry, for simple raw truths that affirm that this is life, not a product to be bought and sold, not even a  mountain to climb or conquer. Simply, powerfully, undoubtedly expressing and fulfilling its mission through you but not simply to satisfy you alone. 

March 23
Mars conjunct Pluto
Conjunctions are the most powerful aspects. They are a fusion of energies. The will is a mighty force for ‘yes’ and for ‘no’. Intention matters. Delve into whatever it is that powers your intentions and be at the ready tomorrow when the Moon is new.

March 24
New Moon: 4 degrees of Aries: 05:28 AM EDT
The first New Moon of the new season encourages us to aim at the breakthrough point. To take a bold step over the next two weeks as the moon becomes round . Knowing the difference between arrogance and intention, many of us have figured out that human beings are not necessarily the crown of creation. What then? 

March 28
Venus trine Jupiter and Pluto
There cannot be a better day than this one to lean into what matters and make it so.

March 30-31
Mars enters Aquarius and conjuncts Saturn
We all have a sense that the real terrorists, the dangerous ones, can be the policy makers. What do you think these days of the invisible hands that are guiding our social and political lives? Are they level headed and acting for the greatest good? The impulse is there. It’s quite possible that terrible things bring out the best in people, even in our leaders. Mars wants to kick Saturn into gear. Who’s in charge (of your life)? The algorithms which corral us into boxes, rendering us powerless to see or knowledge of the authentic self which is a reliable guide to our ideals?

April 3
Venus enters Gemini
Mercury conjunct Neptune
Venus will be powerful in Gemini as she will spend more time than usual in this sign (April 3 – August 8) due to retrograde motion. Gemini is about language, its uses and misuses. Among the many crises besieging our planet at the moment is the one about fake news, false facts and the takeover of our minds. Choose your news wisely.
Mercury is the ruler of Gemini. As it wends its way through Pisces and conjuncts Neptune we are reminded that some of the greatest truth is found in our dreams, the ones we dream alone at night as well as our collective dreams which often reveal themselves in poetry, fiction and the stories we tell through the arts.

April 4
Venus trine Saturn
Jupiter conjunct Pluto
The intellect is a powerful tool, especially in service to what matters. Cut through the manipulations and wrest the essential goodness from your circumstances. No panic. Venus is at her best as Saturn reminds her to stay real. Jupiter may be hampered in Capricorn but it’s still Jupiter. It still aims to make the most out of what and where it finds itself. Down here, in the ‘below’ we get to decide and enact what, exactly that is.

April 7
Full Moon: 18 degrees Libra: 10:35 PM EDT
Mars square Uranus
Mercury sextile Pluto and Jupiter.
If the earth buckles beneath you, all you can do is run for solid ground. You can’t waste time on blame. But once you’re grounded, justice and fairness matter for everyone. Engage the challenges surrounding you with a good ear for listening. The ultimate end of justice is to restore love to the heart.

April 8
Mars sextile Chiron
All manner of suffering, great and small, confer wisdom if we can allow it. What have you learned about taking or not taking action since the end of March when Mars was conjunct Saturn?  

April 10
Venus sextile Chiron
Part of healing is understanding, which allows us to step back and have some perspective. It helps us slip the surly bonds of thinking that we are the only one: the only one who ‘gets it’, the only one who truly understands. Our supreme allegiance to the cult of individuality has become quite lonely.  

April 11
Mercury enters Aries
Some are good at thinking on their feet, others feel anxious at having to do so. It’s a good idea to look sharp and give the mind something to do that makes it stronger, not weaker. We all need time to zone out. We also  need to think critically, to know what we think and to speak with as much clarity as possible. A sharp mind can actually make things easier.

April 14
Sun square Pluto
It’s true, just because we are paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t after us which makes sorting through our projections and fears even more challenging. It’s the opposite of tilting at windmills. More like staring down demons many of whom are figments of the mind. Some of whom are real.

April 15
Sun square Jupiter
Mercury conjunct Chiron
Understanding our fears makes us wiser. Understanding the fears of others does too. Ignoring fear goes against the survival instinct. Sometimes we need heroes, first responders. Sometimes we need people who can distinguish what is worth keeping and what needs to be let go. Life, here on Planet Earth seems to have as its goal the getting of wisdom although you wouldn’t always know it from the powers that be. Maybe that is the wisdom we need most.

April 18
Mercury sextile Venus and Mars
Everywhere there are people to talk with about your experience. Some will help, others will be helped by what you say. In an attempt not to throw any babies out with the bath waters we may need to entertain more conversations than we think necessary. Words are transmissions of energy. Like seeds they carry blueprints for what may grow into being. Imagine them as dandelion fluff or milkweed, food for butterflies and all sorts of beings. We are beings too.