On Sunday, March 20th at 4:21P.M. PST the Sun rolls into spirited, action oriented Aries where it will find Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus already transiting the sign of the Warrior. Fearless, agitating upstart Mars will arrive in enlivening Aries on April 1st and a new Aries moon on April 3rd will bring the planetary total in this Cardinal fire sign to an impressive six. Stern Saturn will sit opposite of Aries in Libra and reforming Pluto at a hard right angle to Aries in Capricorn, and the T-square formed by these planets will be highly energized during this solar transit. We will have a Mercury retrograde from March 30th to April 23rd, and Neptune will return home to watery Pisces on April 4th where it will merge with healing Chiron. Lately much attention has been given to the term Spiritual Warrior. The forthcoming mixture of Arian courage and leadership and Piscean insight and compassion offer this archetype sustenance.
When Uranus reentered Aries on March 11th one of the more volatile forces in the cosmos reconnected with one of the more explosive sources of energy. Uranus’s new location also added kindling to an existing Cardinal sign T-square. Uranus is associated with disruption and chaos as well as innovation and radical breakthroughs. A T-square is an alignment under which planets oppose and square one another, and in astrology oppositions and squares represent tensions between the forces involved. This T-square is considered an especially potent one because two of the planets forming it, Uranus and Pluto, are outer planets and all of the planets involved are in the Cardinal signs of the zodiac. Outer planets express generational and collective experiences and the Cardinal signs initiate the four seasons and thus reflect times of great change. Uranus is in Aries until 2018, Libra is in Saturn until October 2012 and Pluto is in Capricorn until 2023, So as of March 11th we entered a powerful 19-month-long T-square. During the Aries solar cycle immediately ahead, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, the Sun and new moon of April 3rd will be adding energy to the impulsive Aries component of the T-square. Mars and Mercury will continue to fuel it on into May and Jupiter through early June.
March 11th was also the day of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the beginning of a nuclear crisis. By March 16th the literal forces of uranium and plutonium had forged to pose the threat of a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ich facility. While the planets of astrology do not cause things to happen, they are symbolic reflections our reality. In this case, the erratic energies of Uranus in provocative, irrepressible Aries began forming a rough square to the planet of destruction and renewal, Pluto, in Capricorn, the sign ruling governments, business and institutions. Severe Saturn, the planet representing both lessons and limitations, was and continues squaring Pluto and opposing the planets in Aries from Libra, the sign of balance, diplomacy and the collective good.
That in the wake of the unfolding Japanese nuclear event, we see a global review of nuclear safety underway is not surprising. However, Aries is infamous for getting all fired up and instigating change, but then lacking the resolve to see it through. It will be interesting to see if the initial reaction to Fukushima will be sustained long enough to institute meaningful or permanent reform in energy policy. On the bright side, original and progressive Uranus in trailblazing Aries offers great potential for technological breakthroughs and advances, and this transit will last for seven years.
Mercury is associated with quick thinking and Aries with rapid action, and together the two can prove rash and reckless. Helping us slow down enough to review conditions on the ground and the possible consequences of our actions will be a Mercury retrograde from March 30th through April 23rd. Since Mercury entered Aries on March 8th you may have noticed that people are doing a lot more talking than listening, with little to no editorial exercise. The forthcoming Mercury retrograde will give us a chance to pause between sentences, collect our thoughts and consider our options before acting. Given the array of planets in impatient Aries, Mercury’s retrograde and slowing influence should prove beneficial. But don’t expect boredom to set in any time soon.
The planet of drive, power and passion, Mars, bings its audacious brand of excitement home to fiery Aries on April 1st where it will be until May 11th. Fierce and fearless, Mars represents raw force. Often through anger, it puts us in touch with our needs and desires. It also inspires bold and decisive action. Where and how we direct its power is up to us. Saturn in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn will be poised to combat Martian aggression. But the planet of War, in step with five fellow Aries travelers, will fight unjust restriction and authority in his push for independence. Even during times of conflict, the Spiritual Warrior remains aware of his motives. He then consciously directs his actions to a greater purpose.
To assist us with tapping into a deeper source of awareness, as well as vast stores of serenity, compassion and creativity, oceanic Neptune will return home to holistic Pisces on April 4th. Named for the Greek god of the sea, Neptune is another one of those influential outer planets. An immeasurable source of guidance, it represents our dreams, psychic abilities and connection to the collective psyche. Being the final sign of the zodiac, Pisces promotes understanding, unity and wholeness. Healing asteroid Chiron moved into its curative waters back in February. Together Neptune and Chiron will remind us of the human dimension of any challenges we face. Moreover, and oddly enough, this combination of Neptune and Chiron in intuitive and inventive Pisces and quirky, ingenious Uranus in Aries may prove to be the perfect elixir for our Spiritual Warrior. Empathy, insight and imagination blended with original leadership may be just the concoction She needs for the tenuous days ahead.