Mercury Retrograde and Revelation

“Revelation is a window on the journey of the soul.”  F. Aster Barnwell

“Lightning strikes maybe once, maybe twice
And it lights up the night.” Stevie Nicks

Mercury stations retrograde today 3/22 EDT. Mercury stations can represent a culmination of information. It is wise for two or three days before and after  the station to be in tune with any information of this kind that surfaces.

Through next week there are some testy aspects involving Mars, Saturn and the Sun.  These aspects bode well for a revision or reassessment of plans. It is wise under these influences to look at the way you put plans in motion and how you carry them through to see if any improvements can be made.

And do watch for people who may enter your life under the Venus/Uranus aspect which is building and will reach a conjunction next week. Uranus governs lightning and unexpected events. It is the planet of evolution and the future and governs technologies and inventions – such as cyber technologies – that are ahead of their time and often, the legal system.

When paired up with Venus, Uranus  is a game changer aspect in terms of love and friendship.  It can bring someone into your life who can open up a more innovative way of approaching life and relationships.

The Vernal Equinox

“I’ll light the fire,
You place the flowers in the vase
that you bought today.
Staring at the fire
for hours and hours while
I listen to you play your love songs
all night long for me.
Only for me.”  Crosby, Stills and Nash

At 12:16 PM today, Tuesday 3/20, the Sun moves into the fiery sign of Aries marking the time of the Vernal Equinox.  Aries rules beginnings and the start of a new season. The noted Jungian astrologer, Richard Ideman, has described the fire element in astrology this way,”Fire is the life-force, the prana force. It makes us feel at one with the universe. It gives hope, enthusiasm, joy, creative force and great  joie de vivre. Passion, energy and vitality are all connected with the fire signs- romance and creativity coming from the heart – the passion for creativity… It is the idea that life is beautiful and I can deal with it.”

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Two lovers are strolling through a secluded walk” Lynda Hill

Hello Mercury Retrograde!

“Some say a squadron of horses, some infantry,
some, ships are the loveliest thing
on the black earth. But I say
it’s what you desire.” Sappho

“Listen, are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?” Mary Oliver

Mercury stations retrograde this Thursday March 22 at 16 degrees of Aries. The retrograde period will last through April 15 when it will station direct at 4 degrees of Aries.

When Mercury stations retrograde it will be conjunct Venus and Uranus and squaring Pluto and Saturn. This indicates that it bodes well during this period (through April 15) to extra take care with communications about relationship issues –  and by this I mean relationships of any kind. Venus in Aries is very much a “can do” aspect, likes action and can be highly motivated to push things forward and make progress. This retrograde period is likely to be a time when there can be a stronger than usual need to discuss or try to mediate relationship issues.  Venus in this sign wants what she wants and is not afraid to go for it.  Both Venus and Mercury in Aries can be bold and direct.
Under the retrograde influence it bodes well to avoid impulsiveness in speech and go into discussions like this well prepared. Progress can be made with a willingness to commit to change and transformation. Just make sure everyone is on the same page. Do be open to innovative solutions.
Venus is conjunct Uranus and this indicates the potential for surprise meetings. This aspect governs unconventional love affairs and love – at first – sight occurrences. It has a very highly charged energy and an unpredictable nature to it. It’s best with the Saturn and Pluto influences to  approach any situation involving potential partnership at this time by integrating what you know and have learned rather than responding impulsively. There can be good and surprising outcomes to situations with a  wise and savvy approach. Do entertain innovative ideas and approaches.

One of the Sabian symbols for the station is,”Brightly clad leprechauns dancing in the warm dying light.”

 

The New Moon in Pisces

“I’m going out to clean the pasture spring;
I’ll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I shan’t be gone long- You can come too.”  Robert Frost

“We have this way of talking and we have another.
Despite what we wish and we fear may happen
We are alive with other life, as clear stones
Take form in the mountain.” Rumi

Saturday’s New Moon is at 25 degrees of Pisces conjunct Chiron. The New Moon is shortly followed by the Vernal Equinox on March 20 when the Sun enters Aries. A good use of the time between now and then is to do a little mental and emotional housekeeping and make room for new inspirations and ideas to surface.

Chiron -the asteroid of the Wounded Healer- has been in the sign of Pisces for seven years. It will enter the sign of Aries in April.  Pisces is the sign of sacrifice, of compassion and empathy. It also governs the transpersonal and collective realms. Under this influence there can be a  heightened awareness of the pain and suffering in the world which can be felt personally. There can be a longing for a return to transcendant – type unity.

Chiron is often highlighted in the charts of holistic healers as their work involves bringing the levels of body, mind and spirit into a more balanced or unified state.

There can be increased emotional sensitivity when Chiron is conjunct the New Moon. With Chiron’s theme of the Wounded Healer it provides a good time to review how personal wounds can not only trigger growth and healing but also increase awareness, compassion and empathy for the suffering in the world.

It also bodes well under this influence to consider what sustains  hope and inspiration in your life.

It’s time to write a new script for the journey forward as we approach the Vernal Equinox on the 20th.

One of the Sabian symbols for the New Moon is, “Light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism.” Lynda Hill

Mars and Chiron – This Week’s Astrology

“The human self is not a finished thing, it is constantly unfolding. Experience is, then, essentially creative.” John O’Donahue

“Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” e.e. cummings

This week Mars, the feisty war god in mythology, is in Sagittarius and squaring Chiron in late Pisces.  Whenever a square aspect  occurs in astrology, it indicates there is a  need to overcome something.

Sagittarius is the sign that rules established religions and philosophical beliefs.  Chiron is the sign of the Wounded Healer and in Pisces speaks of  life as a process of wounding and healing – an evolutionary journey of healing fragmentation and moving towards increasing wholeness.

This duo indicates that this week it bodes well to look at belief systems in your life about “how things have to be” and whether the beliefs or “rules to live by” have become overly rigid or calcified to the extent that perhaps they no longer serve you.  For example when you think, “I will never do that again,” does that rule out something you would actually like to do if you could make it work out differently?  And does exploring how to do that awaken curiosity?

The down side of  the sign of Sagittarius is known for being overly dogmatic or rigid. Entwined with the mystical sign of Pisces, though, there is an opportunity to get a glimpse of opportunities that may not be visible ordinarily if you take a more flexible approach.

One of the Sabian symbols for this aspect is,”A harvest moon illuminates the sky.” Lynda Hill

Spring and This Week’s Astrology

“Mars is the god of desire: eros, feistiness, aggression, heat and action. We draw upon Mars for courage, dynamism, passion and kinship with life.  Mars reminds us that spiritual life is not some passive, safe, wimpy tour; it is bold, active, heroic and completely engaged adventure.” Caroline W. Casey

 This week on Tuesday both Mercury and Venus enter the Mars-ruled  sign of Aries – a harbinger of Spring.  Spring officially  arrives on March 20 – the Vernal Equinox – when the Sun enters the sign of Aries.
Aries is the sign of beginnings and is known for its laser like focus and drive. It is a good time to clarify your journey forward and any new endeavors under the influence of this energized sign. This bodes well as the planets tie up their transit through Pisces – the dreamy, creative, diffuse sign which bridges endings and beginnings.
Jupiter, the sign of expansion and learning, stations retrograde this week on Thursday at 23 degrees of Scorpio. Jupiter will travel retrograde through July 10.  Retrograde periods are good for review. Do take some time during this period to revisit areas where your life has expanded and consider how the process is going and whether the direction is desirable or needs to be adjusted in some way.

One of the Sabian symbols for the planets moving into Aries is,”A woman has risen out of the ocean, a seal is embracing her.” Lynda Hill

Thursday’s Full Moon in Virgo

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” Mother Teresa

The Moon waxes full Thursday March 1 at 11 degrees of Virgo. The Virgo/Pisces axis is about the evolutionary journey of more closely aligning higher principles or spiritual beliefs with everyday life and actions.  It is also the axis of service to others and to  the world.

At the time of the Full Moon two asteroids are particularly powerful – Vesta and Pallas Athene. This pair is associated with the re-emergence of the Feminine- in men, women and the world at large.  Under this influence there can be information about how to move your life  in a direction of increased inner wholeness and how to advocate more effectively for what is important to you. It is possible to see more clearly obstacles that have been holding you back.

Vesta in Sagittarius is indicating it bodes well to work or volunteer (even in a small capacity) for a cause that you believe in. Pallas Athene is in Taurus indicating that the resolution of conflict works best by being receptive and open to inspired ideas and approaches in addition to pragmatics.

With so many planets in Pisces striving for higher aspirations is indicated. It bodes well to keep communications very clear. And to avoid the pull of addictive behavior which can be strong at this time.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A sword used in many battles is now in a museum.”

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill

 

The Sun, Venus, Mercury and Neptune in Pisces

“A Sufi story tells of a student who complains to his teacher about the cruelties of the world. The teacher replies,’Yes of course. but if it weren’t for the hidden work of those who imagine, dream, pray  and act compassionately when the opportunity presents itself, things would be much worse.” Caroline W. Casey

‘You are not the oil, you are not the air – merely the point of combustion, the flash-point where the light is born.” Dag Hammarskjold

The many and varied cultures throughout the world value levels of consciousness differently. In the industrialized western world view, the cerebral approach is prioritized over a  dream like, imaginative or reflective state. In many circles a sense of mystery seems to have vanished entirely.

This week and for much of this month, as planets transit through the ethereal sign of Pisces, is a good time to be more in touch with these  dreamy, intuitive realms.

Venus in Pisces is conjunct Neptune this week. This combination is often seen in the charts of mystics and artists – like  Michelangelo- who, in their work, are trying to make manifest a higher vision or an awareness of higher realms. It is a muse like energy – similar to when an artist receives inspiration from an intermediary to a source of inspiration. It governs platonic love – as seen in some of the stories of the Knights of the Round Table – where love for an unavailable woman inspired the brave deeds of the knights.

Neptune also rules illusion and disillusionment. It’s a good time to rethink  moments or times when disillusionment has occurred or has a pattern of recurring, and if indicated, to find a better approach.

When Neptune has transited through the sign of Pisces before there has been an increased interest in spirituality on the planet.  In more recent times during that period the knowledge and understanding of Buddhism and eastern spiritual practices spread throughout the western world.

One of the Sabian symbols for planets entering Pisces is,”Moonlit fields, once Babylon, are blooming bright.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

 

Valentine’s Day

Once when I was the marketing director for a  radio station, I had made an appointment to meet with the owner of a night club.  He had told me on the phone how to find his office. It was in the very back of the club which was in a renovated train depot.

It was quite dark and cavernous inside the depot. It had that feeling of a place that only comes alive at night. I walked  through the dim light and knocked on his office door.

I was quite taken aback when he opened the door and I saw his face because he looked exactly like my husband who was out of the country for an extended period of time. And I missed him.

His office was small and plain. It had probably not changed much since the train station had been  there. Adorning the walls were small, framed painted pictures of frogs that looked a bit comical.

But he couldn’t have been more gracious and welcoming. And he directed  me to the chair near his desk.

He was fun to talk with and I don’t know how we got onto the subject of birthdays – maybe I asked him his because he reminded me so of my husband. But then he asked me, “When is your birthday?”

And I said,”Today,” at which point he suddenly  jumped up and said in a very loud, excited voice, “Today? My God I didn’t know it was your birthday! ” and he tore several of the frog pictures off the wall and handed them to me. They were in kind of an awkward stack because he had torn some of the sheet rock off too. He smiled at me glowingly and said,”Happy birthday!”

Appointments in my workday could at times be terribly boring- I had never had much of an interest in business and seemed to have crafted a career where I engaged in business discussions for most of the day.  So meeting him was a very welcome relief indeed. We became fast friends. He told me he was an inventor and that the latest project he was working on was something kind of like a boomerang. He didn’t describe it that way, of course, because to him there had never been anything like it and he was applying for a patent and it was all a very big secret. He asked me if I would like to see it fly sometime and I said,”Sure that would be fun.”

So we set up a time and he came to my house and we went to a beautiful neighboring field and he showed me how it flew.  He explained his ideas  about aerodynamics and why it was unique.

Later that day, when we were talking, he told me that he had just been through  a very contentious divorce with his wife and he really regretted the way things had turned out. (She was furious and wouldn’t talk to him.) But he had done something that he had hoped would endear her to him once again. He had written a book of poems for her and published it. The title of his book was, “I  Love You Whether You Love Me or Not.” He gave it to her for Valentines Day.

And he gave me a copy too.

I didn’t see him much after that because I stopped working at the radio station. But I have kept that book and sometimes remember  him and wonder how things turned out. And I think about the sentiment behind the title.

 

Love, Relationships and the Upcoming Aquarian Eclipse

“Aquarian love is Uranian- it is the love of the awakener for the awakened. It awakens you to truths about yourself that you’ve never seen before.  The sign of Aquarius says,’ I love you enough to let you more fully and completely be yourself. This is because the more you are fully and completely who you are, the more  I can be fully and completely who I am… I love you the best when you are being who you are even if that means that you may leave me.” Richard Idemon

“Poles apart,  I’m the color of dying, you’re the color
of being born. Unless we breathe into each other,
there can be no garden.
So that’s why plants grow and laugh at our eyes,
which focus on distance.” Rumi 

We are living in times of great change here on planet earth. It’s a time when the old models for “business as usual” appear to be crumbling in many areas of life – especially the old reliable ones.

It’s time to find a new, more innovative direction. And not that it will be easy.

At the time of Thursday’s eclipse – at 4:50 pm EST on March 15 , the Sun, Moon, Juno and Mercury are all conjunct in Aquarius. This eclipse is a powerful threshold  in terms of the  personal journey towards  inner wholeness. That journey impacts on the world at large as well –  as it did the Sixties when Uranus and Pluto were powerful players in the sky. Then as now “the personal had become political.”

Venus is conjunct Neptune which speaks of the integration of spiritual values.

This New Moon eclipse  is a good time to reset or tweak intentions and aspirations if needed. It’s wise with Mercury widely conjunct the South Node to avoid  or disavow thought patterns that can drag you back into a sense of disempowerment, disillusionment or unproductive ways of being.

We are living in a time when it’s best to be evolving new models of thinking based on fairness, balance and a holistic approach.

Best also to keep moderation in mind with Jupiter’s involvement at this time. Watch for overshooting the mark and for overindulgence.

Uranus is a powerful player now in terms of moving things forward in an innovative or unanticipated direction – particularly in terms of commitments – personal and relationship wise. It’s best to avoid rigid role models unless you are clearly committed to them in a conscious way.

It is wise to remember that there is positive growth and evolution going on all the time around the world which is not widely covered in the news. It is good to align your energy and aspirations with endeavors like that.

One of the Sabian symbols for this eclipse is, “An ancient pottery bowl, filled with fresh violets.”

Sabian symbol reference from Lynda Hill