We are being fired up with the raw vitality of the beginning degrees of Aries, awakening us from the gentle dreaminess of Pisces and getting us raring to go. The week begins with the Sun and Venus already in Aries; by Thursday the Moon and Mercury have moved in as well. The doldrums of winter are over; our egos and desires (and soon, our emotions and minds, too) are bursting with energy and excitement. The Aquarian dominance of the skies awakened us to intellectual awareness of the possibilities that lie before us. The current push into Aries makes them feel real and immediate and motivates us to start pursuing them actively.
The major activity of the week follows three major, energy-amping themes: Plutonian purification, the influx into Aries (including the first New Moon of the zodiacal year) and, throughout it all, more processing of the ongoing Saturn/Uranus opposition. Let’s start with Pluto’s role. The lord of the underworld is acting as a gatekeeper, because of the degree he is occupying in the sky, which is the earliest degree among the outer planets. Every time a body changes sign now (and for the rest of the year), it will quickly come into contact with Pluto and trigger deep, deep transformation. This will be especially noticeable now with the influx into Aries. Every planet or luminary that moves into Aries is going to make a hard aspect to Pluto in Capricorn that doesn’t merely trigger transformation, but demands action.
This demand hits the Sun, the Moon and Mercury this week (on Monday, Thursday and Friday, respectively). Pluto is stripping down our egos, then our emotions and sense of security, then our minds and communications. The contacts have a purifying, streamlining and intensifying impact. Withered, outmoded or extraneous concepts and characteristics are being cut away, like dead vines and branches in a garden, so that what remains stands the best possible chance of surviving and thriving. We’ve been in a process of identifying our most basic priorities; be prepared for aspects of your life to be sorted into ones that support those priorities and ones that don’t, then watch how your grip releases on the second category. Whatever remains will be focused and potent and will enjoy the force of our commitment.
Mid-process, some people will experience power games, when the Sun and the Moon make this square on Monday and Thursday. Any development is a power game only if you choose to engage with it on those terms. Instead, look at what happens as step-ups in your personal empowerment, and watch the metamorphosis that results in internal patterns and external events when you react from that position. Keep this in mind when Mercury squares Pluto on Friday. Communications will not be trivial under this influence. Words will carry more weight and power than you might intend, so a statement you make that seems short and simple to you may hit your audience deeply, perhaps painfully. Bottom lines, subtexts and secrets can be revealed; listen with your newly focused ego and heart and you could gain information of great value.
All but one of the conjunctions that take place in Aries this week will happen after each participant has gone under the knife with Pluto. This means these fiery, galvanizing meetings will involve bodies that have been stripped down to their basics, and the resulting fires of inspiration will burn clean. The one exception is Moon/Mercury conjunction, which happens early in the morning EDT Thursday, right after she enters Aries. Energetically it will feel as intense as the others, because it takes place less than five hours before her brush with Pluto, when the square’s effect will already be palpable. Watch for messages and information that hit you like the sound of a pistol at the starting gate. Don’t be surprised if you sit upright in bed as explosions go off in your dreams. News that excites or ignites you now can set you sprinting for the next four weeks at least – and may affect the course of the year.
The Sun and the Moon meet in Aries around noon EDT on Thursday, bringing together the male and female parts of ourselves in the invigorating, self-propelling energy of Aries. This New Moon inspires a pioneering, adventuresome and entrepreneurial spirit. Be mindful of what you wish for under this Moon. There are no pebbles or duds among the seeds we sow under it, because they have been cleared out of the pouch. The Sun and the Moon are newly focused and still resonating with Pluto’s touch. Mercury is part of the action, since he is conjunct the New Moon, and he is resonating with the square to Pluto that he will make the next day. He brings Pluto-sharpened manifestation to this New Moon. Our thoughts will directly and powerful shape the fate of the seeds we sow now; narrow them to the ones that are most critical to you.
Venus is part of the New Moon equation, too, because she is conjunct it and is the first planet the luminaries greet in its aftermath. She has already undergone one round of transformation with her first square to Pluto last month and is headed for another next week. She instills the New Moon with issues of what we value and echoes the counsel of focusing on what matters most to you. Relationships play a role in the seeds we sow, too. Which relationships will we nurture and develop? The relationship angle has another aspect: We are acting independently in sowing the seeds we choose (setting our individual projects in motion), but the support of others may well be required to bring them to fruition. Money will be necessary, too. So consider relationships, money and other reflections of your self-worth as you set your New Moon intentions or simply think about what you’d like to create this month, this spring and this year. The new growth that is possible for you in these areas come into focus when the Sun meets Venus Friday; look for messages and information about them when Mercury joins her Saturday.
The involvement of the goddess of love and money in the first New Moon of the zodiacal year underscores the prominent role that the feminine now plays. The masculine and feminine have been moving more into balance; now love and receptivity play a guiding role. Allow your heart to lead you now, particularly if a matter was one you used to approach logically. For more on the New Moon, read my New Moon article on the site.
The week’s astrological activity also includes more processing of the latest Saturn/Uranus opposition, with contacts to one or the other of the warring outer planets happening almost daily from Monday through Sunday. Mercury, the planet of communication, finishes his work with them from last week by meeting Uranus by declination midday EDT. More insights, changes in perspective and out of the blue communications are on the way. If a message startles you, consider how its ramifications liberate you. (They do, in some way.)
The Moon moves into this process on Wednesday, when she opposes Saturn in the wee hours EDT, then joins Uranus early in the afternoon. She’s switched sides from her position during the March 10 Full Moon, when she stood by Saturn and faced down Uranus. Then she was more susceptible to Saturn’s constraints and chafed at change. Now she is viewing them from a distance and choosing to break free. Wednesday morning’s dreams set the stage by exploring ways in which we feel held back. Taking notes when you wake up will capture important clues. Even if you don’t, the blast of fresh air will come all the same midday. Whether an external event knocks you loose or the snap originates within you, a change of heart is on the agenda. Emotions sometimes take time catching up. On Wednesday, they do. If you’ve been wrestling with what was churned up by the March 10 Full Moon, inner resolution is likely now – not just acceptance of what is developing, but a willingness to embrace it. Grounding in this comes quickly, when the Moon meets Saturn by declination on Thursday, after the New Moon.
The Sun takes over the process come the weekend. On Saturday, he stares down Uranus by declination, a contact that challenges us to adopt a different perspective about our selves and our lives. There’s no chance of slipping back into old definitions; anything that irritates you today is prodding you to maintain an open mind, most of all regarding yourself. On Sunday, the Sun trines Saturn and sextiles Uranus and brings us to a plateau of resolution. Though it’s not the end of the journey (three more exact oppositions between Saturn and Uranus are ahead between now and July 2010), it’s a moment to be savored, when we’re in the position to get along with both ends of the spectrum. For now, our egos are enjoying an easy, harmonious flow of energy with the cosmic builder of structures and, at the same time, receiving an opportunity from the cosmic awakener and bringer of change.
Contemplation could be extremely fruitful. Become aware of the structures you are assembling; thinking over the past two weeks may be helpful in gathering evidence of this. What new ideas are coming to you now? What are you seeing in a different light? What opportunity is at hand that you could incorporate into the structures, to allow you more freedom of movement or suit them to the life you are entering?
And remain mindful of Saturn. The planets are still in a bucket formation, with Saturn in Virgo as the handle, as he has been for months. Every move forward that we make, no matter how small or how bold, begins with Saturn. How far and fast we travel depends on the shape we’re in when we set out. What happens now is a progress report on the attention you’ve devoted to putting your environment, routine and health in order and maintaining intact personal boundaries. You may zoom along without incident in some areas; you may trip on a shoelace or stumble on a loose paving stone in others. If something slows you down, it’s worth pausing to retie your shoe, reset the stone or clear the impediment. Even though Aries prefers to rush into the moment’s impulse, you’ve got time to straighten up, particularly if foundational details are involved. Saturn is retrograde and won’t turn direct until May, which leaves more than a month for rearranging your base to suit and support you.
Kathy’s astro-overview of 2009 is now available on CD or in an mp3 from FortunaWorks.com. To join her mailing list, send e-mail to kbiehl@fortunaworks.com.
© Kathy Biehl 2009. All Rights Reserved.