**Times where noted are for the Pacific Time Zone; degrees where noted are rounded to the nearest whole degree.
As we open this period the Sun, Venus, Mars and Uranus are still stacked up on top of each other like tenement housing and stay that way for the next couple of weeks. With all of them in Aries that means a lot of self-determining energy going on, individuals everywhere staking a claim to exist. From the core of our being, the archetypal warrior energy may erupt in our relationships and endeavor to break through any barriers that threaten to hold us back. Aries likes pressure and lots of it. He actively seeks chaos and danger so that he may develop his greatest gift – courage. Give fiery Aries a crisis and he’s all over it in seconds with guns blazing. The best way to harness this raw life-affirming vigor during this time is to ask ourselves what monster is bearing his teeth at us at this very moment? What fear is in our face challenging us to conquer it? When the master Warrior is confronted with a life-threatening situation, he won’t think about it, he just acts with amazing clarity and with no doubt in his mind. It is as if something more than the sum of who his is takes over. His will becomes the unfiltered will of the universe. The key for all of us as the momentum builds is to fight the fights worth fighting while also being aware of the nomadic shadow side of Aries that wanders aimlessly and rebels without a cause relegating friends and loved ones to collateral damage of a misguided war. Swinging the pendulum to the opposite direction, what trials are we refusing to take up? Aries’ idle sword may lead to un-manifested dreams. Somewhere each of us has Aries in our chart. This is the opportune moment to pick up the golden gauntlet.
The power of attraction and the power of desire join forces when Venus conjuncts Mars on April 6th at 20 degrees Aries. United in the sign that exudes the innocence of new beginnings and the playfulness possible when the weight of the past is just not there, the Lovers may leap into relationship or any situation that inspires them, lighthearted and carefree. Their passionate pursuit, which could also be tinged with impatience, may be more fruitful when channeled into art or a social setting as this dynamic planetary pair seeing through Aries eyes can fall out of love just as quickly as they fell in. Their intrinsic need for freedom from any kind of bond undercuts their ability to form alliances that even hint at compromising the relentless drive to identify the self. Opening to the moment however, could awaken the soul with a new born way of loving.
By April 10th, the Sun, Mars and Venus have pulled away from their conjunction with the slower moving Uranus, but they are still travelling in tandem, forging their archetypal energies in the Aries fire. At 2:35 am, when the Moon joins the Sun at 21 degrees Aries, the cycle of life shifts from Piscean endings to Arian beginnings at the starting point of the astrological New Year. This New Moon cycle sheds the past and starts us on a completely new journey, taking as an unconscious guide only the essence of what was gleaned from the previous cycle as it pioneers uncharted territory. The freshness of the Aries New Moon may be just what is needed to find innovative solutions to vexing issues. Any new plans or intentions we set at this time will have the full force of Aries’ initiating energy behind it.
On April 12th, Pluto stations retrograde at 12 degrees Capricorn. Already a deep and powerful force to be reckoned with, Pluto’s turnaround marks an intensification of his energies and being so close to the New Moon, his laser focus will reinforce this cycle with his fundamental message of death and rebirth. Retrograde for the next five months, Pluto’s influence turns inward and while it may be quieted down on the surface, his obsession for transformation will still operate behind the scenes. At the extreme edge of our solar system, Pluto has a unique vantage point from which to observe all that is going on inside it but also to see “out there” into the seeming void that is outer space. That “void” represents the unknown to us but if we can tune into Pluto we may find a channel to the Infinite.
The tone of communications goes full speed direct when Mercury enters Aries on the evening of April 13th, keeping the balance of fiery cardinal energy at a maximum. Ending his long meandering stay in Pisces, there will be no more slowing down to explore the deeper meaning of thoughts or offer fine nuance through metaphor. The lingering poet’s day is past. Thoughts and speech turn quite agile and full of energy with Mercury operating through Aries, which favors rapid-fire inspirations and responses over gathering all the facts or considering someone else’s viewpoint. While patience and diplomacy may not be his strong suit, the mentality of Mercury in Aries is like lightening – fast and briefly illuminating. Catch it while you can.
Shaking off the impatience of the Ram, sensual Venus comes home when she enters Taurus on April 15th. Here she is encouraged to stop and smell the roses, feel the earth beneath her feet and regain her voluptuous regard for life and its fruits. Venus in Taurus’ green pastures loves to be showered with affection and surrounded by natural beauty. She may take her time to ensure any alliance or acquisition is worthwhile but once its true value is proven and maintained, it will remain under her steadfast stewardship for eternity.
Will and action, strength and an irrepressible spirit unite on April 17th when the Sun conjuncts Mars at 28 degrees Aries. It may seem like nothing can hold back the impetus to drive forward with this dynamic duo in the sign of the Pioneer, no matter if the destination is not clear or is clearly dangerous. While the Sun and Mars together acting through Aries is often seen as courageous and willful, it could also be perceived as selfish and prone to frustration. There is no need for a bothersome Other who can only get in the way or hold back, no room for complicated feelings, no thinking beyond the moment about future consequences, just raw will manifesting into action for the sole purpose in that moment of self-assertion. Constantly forging ahead into unexplored terrain also means leaving something or someone behind, which may give this signature an air of instability or unreliability. If we are able to communicate clearly what it is we truly want, then we may have the opportunity to call upon the heart of the warrior to make it manifest.
Leave a Reply