Spring Equinox, March
20, 2017 at 6:29am EDT.
Astrology tracks the
archetypal energies, symbolized by the signs and planets, that shape our world. They are constantly moving in cycles
and shifting patterns and whether we call them vibrations, holograms, energy waves or synchronicities, they shape our reality. These energies are neither good nor bad--they just are. It's how we relate or react to them that makes all the difference. Astrology gives us a heads up: if we look at our birth chart we can see how the present energies affect our birth energies. Since we are always growing and changing, knowing
which energies we’ll be dancing with helps us co-create our lives
rather than being victimized by our lives. Astrology helps us work
with these energies in the most conscious, positive ways. So let’s
look at the Spring Equinox chart to see what the next few months look
like.
The Spring Equinox occurs on
Monday, March 20, 2017 at 3:29am PDT/ 6:29am EDT/ 10:29am GMT, when
the Sun rises above the equator and enters the sign of Aries. Aries
is the archetypal fire
of life
energy that gets renewed in
the Spring. Aries, the Ram, is a cardinal fire sign; fire is the divine spark of power and passion, the creative force of life. Cardinal fire means fire that wants to move and shake the world. So Aries is ready to explore
new frontiers and make new beginnings. After the gentle flowing,
dreamy energy of Pisces, the fire and excitement of Aries can make
those dreams an outer reality.
The Sun, Venus retrograde,
Mercury and Uranus are in Aries. The Sun in Aries calls us to
adventure. It’s time to explore and find out what we’re made of.
Each new adventure adds to our ‘identity’ and gives us a sense of
possibilities – I can do that! Aries wants to experience life on
his own terms. And she wants to be free.
Venus cycle (ending this March)
Venus' orbit does something amazing - every 7 1/2 years or so it forms a pentagram in the sky. The pentagram contains the Golden Ratio and symbolizes the elements: air, earth, fire, water and spirit. It is sacred to the Goddess in many traditions. And because of her brightness, Venus is called both the Morning Star and the Evening Star. I once saw Venus shining on the water on Christmas morning. That's how bright and brilliant Venus can be.
Venus goes retrograde once
every 18 months and during this phase the archetypal imperative is
to take the journey to the Underworld and reclaim those parts of
ourselves we’ve repressed and ignored. Like Inanna’s descent to
her sister Ereshkigal, we have to face the repressed loneliness, rage
and despair within the psyche that our modern lifestyle can’t
afford to acknowledge without breaking down. During this Venus
retrograde, embrace your dark emotions, allow them their say, and
come back up to the outer world knowing your value and
worth. Since Venus retrogrades back into Pisces from Aries, the
energy helps us align ourselves with our deepest spiritual values of
truth, authenticity and wisdom.
Marilyn Monroe had Venus in Aries.
Venus retrograde in Aries is a
force to be reckoned with. A daring, passionate, leader in Aries,
Venus is more assertive and goal oriented, so watch for all the women
coming forward as leaders in the coming years. ‘Western
(awakened) women will change the world’ Dalai Lama. All
things Venusian want to be renewed so that we are true to ourselves –
so acknowledge your true feelings about love, sensuality and sex,
fairness, compassion, the arts, beauty and your relationships to
people and to money.
Venus turned retrograde on
March 4th
– did you have an
interesting dream since then? It will show you the areas of life that
Venus wants to rehabilitate. Has some issue come up about your
relationships or money? You might need to look at your Shadow. With
U.S. Republicans wanting to defund the Arts, how can we make the Arts even more
relevant to a fearful society?
Venus has an 18 month cycle: when she
is retrograde and close to the Earth, she begins a new cycle as a Morning Star and
after 9 months meets up with the Sun on its far side to begin her
journey as an Evening Star. As Venus descends in the western sky each
night now, her bright light dims and she will disappear as she joins
the Sun to start a new cycle on March 25th.
Being close to Earth makes Venus’ energy more powerful. which will
give us a very feisty Aries Venus, ready to defend her world --the
Women’s March on Washington was only the beginning. Women are
awakening to our power and with this new Venus cycle, we will not be
shut down or out. Don’t forget – self-care is a must now, so take
Venus as your mentor. Venus turns direct on April 15 at 27* Pisces: A harvest Moon illumines a clear autumnal sky.
Mercury is orbiting out beyond
the Sun, having just become an Evening Star after its conjunction
with the Sun on March 6th.
Mercury’s archetypal energy resonates with how we use our Minds:
our ability to think rationally and perceive what our senses tell us.
Mercury is the archetypal source of our intelligence and ability to
communicate what we’re perceiving. With Mercury in Aries, our Mind
quickens, often seeing things before anyone else does. An Aries
Mercury is really intelligent, quick-thinking, fast-talking and often
impatient to get his ideas out there or else move on to something
new. During this season, think outside-the-box and listen to the
imagination since Mercury semi-sextiles Neptune in Pisces. Let
Mercury move between the inner and outer worlds since he is the
Messenger of the Gods, so pay attention to your dreams now. Mercury enters Taurus on April 1st,
but it soon turns retrograde from April 10th—May
3rd and goes back into Aries where it will join up with Uranus at 25* Aries: The possibility to gain experience at two levels of Being. Here's another indication of the possibility to evolve this Spring.
Green Man
Mars, the ruler of Aries, is
in grounded Taurus, ready to take up the hard tasks awaiting us. Mars is our archetypal warrior energy, ready to protect and defend those who can't. Mars grapples with issues, not giving up until he has understood what's needed. Mars energy engages in life and does what is needed for life. In Taurus, Mars becomes the Green Man, spirit of Nature and rebirth in the Spring.
Mars'
only contact in this chart is with Venus in Aries; occupying each other’s signs
helps us to integrate these energies of the divine feminine and
divine masculine, our ‘being’ nature and our ‘doing’ nature.
Mars, the Sun’s ruler, is determined to protect and defend the
heart (Venus). It’s a good time to bring our values (Venus) and
desires (Mars) into alignment with who we really are. Shake off the
rules and manifest what you want.
Uranus
Uranus is still engaged in its
square to Pluto in Capricorn and its opposition to Jupiter in Libra.
We feel compelled to stand up for our freedom and our beliefs as the
old patriarchal structures try to assert themselves one last time
before they die out. For it will die, one way or the other, as Pluto
continues to bring up the dirt and hypocrisy of our cultural
institutions. If anyone has planets from 19* – 25* Cancer,
you will ground in the fourth leg of that T-Square, bringing big
changes to your door.
Saturn
The Moon at the Spring Equinox
is in Sagittarius conjunct Saturn. On one hand, Moon/Saturn contacts
can feel very depressed and rigid, limiting our ability to nurture
ourselves. It can be an emotionally challenging time. On the other
hand, when you make friends with Saturn’s limits and discipline,
the Sagittarius Moon’s beliefs will grow stronger and over time,
our emotional growth and resilience will stand us in good stead.
Saturn needs time to ground things in so make sure you take some
alone time when you need it.
Saturn conjunct the Moon is
another sign that women leaders (Moon) are necessary for stability
(Saturn). Both the Moon and Saturn form a fire trine to Uranus,
making sure we stay stimulated yet stable. Planets from 23*- 29* Leo
will make this a strong fire grand trine, creatively nourishing your
new story. Saturn turns retrograde this year on April 6th
until August 26th.
This will be a time to strengthen your inner resolve.
The Saturn/Moon conjunction
forms a waning square to the Aries Sun. This is a time to examine our
beliefs and know what it is we value so we can bring them on our
adventures. Will we grow into our power or try to hide under the
covers? Everything is conspiring to wake us up to take charge of our
lives. We don’t have to go into Fear (Saturn can bring that) when
we read about what’s happening in our world; we can create a
fear-free zone where our beliefs keep us grounded in the NOW. From
there, we can plan our response to the changing world.
Saturn/Moon is also being
challenged by Chiron in Pisces. Chiron was the mentor of heroes, the
change agents of their world. He was especially known as a wise
healer. In Pisces this energy wants to heal the rejected aspects of
life that shelter in the Collective Unconscious/World Soul, working through
the Arts, through compassion, through a reconnection to the cosmic
laws of the universe. Chiron challenges the Sagittarius Moon/Saturn
to heal our fears, strengthen our beliefs and take responsibility for
our lives so we can really live our spiritual values.
Jupiter
The Uranus opposition to
Jupiter puts tremendous pressure on us to change. This is the big
astrological aspect of the year. Jupiter’s archetypal energy
expands and accelerates processes while Uranus’s archetypal energy
works to awaken us to our freedom, undermining the status quo. While
Jupiter is retrograde, meaning it’s close to Earth, its energy
affects us strongly. All retrograde energies operate more strongly in
the inner world. As we examine our inner life, Jupiter’s intuitive
knowing wants to find the Shadow blocks and negative habits that keep
us from having strong relationships. Jupiter in Libra is all about
our relationships, so our social networks will also expand, but
Uranus in Aries will only want to hook up with like-minded, awakened
individuals.
This year's Equinox chart
shows us how the archetypal energy field continues the process of
change and transformation, both in the world and within ourselves. The more we ‘know
ourselves’ the easier it is to deal with the turmoil of the outer
world changes we face. Both the Venus and Jupiter retrogrades are working
to break up old behavior patterns around all our relationships -- personal and collective. This chart
resonates to a freedom frequency -- the more we face repression in the outer world, the more freedom we need within. We all chose on a soul level to be
here at this time on Earth to help humanity’s initiation into
higher consciousness, to help us be free. What is happening in the
world is an adventure your spirit has chosen to take. Be courageous in
the face of fear, be consistent with your spiritual practice and be
creative in your thinking and responses. Because there is no stopping evolution.
Beginners -- Denise
Levertov
Dedicated to the memory of Karen Silkwood and Eliot Gralla
“From too much love of living,
Hope and desire set free,
Even the weariest river
Winds somewhere to the sea—“
Dedicated to the memory of Karen Silkwood and Eliot Gralla
“From too much love of living,
Hope and desire set free,
Even the weariest river
Winds somewhere to the sea—“
But we have only begun
To love the earth.
We have only begun
To imagine the fullness of life.
How could we tire of hope?
— so much is in bud.
How can desire fail?
— we have only begun
to imagine justice and mercy,
only begun to envision
how it might be
to live as siblings with beast and flower,
not as oppressors.
Surely our river
cannot already be hastening
into the sea of nonbeing?
Surely it cannot
drag, in the silt,
all that is innocent?
Not yet, not yet—
there is too much broken
that must be mended,
too much hurt we have done to each other
that cannot yet be forgiven.
We have only begun to know
the power that is in us if we would join
our solitudes in the communion of struggle.
So much is unfolding that must
complete its gesture,
so much is in bud.
~ Denise Levertov ~
(Candles in Babylon)
Cathy Pagano
Jungian Dreamworker
Wisdom Coach
Archetypal Astrologer
www.wisdom-of-astrology.com