Year: 2017

“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

Venus recently moved back into the sign of Pisces but not before forming an exact conjunction to the asteroid Pallas Athene at 0 degrees of Aries. This is a very powerful point of action and beginnings and Pallas Athene in mythology was known for her strategic mind, her leadership in the area of compassionate justice and for being victorious in battles of all kinds.

Throughout time occultists have written about the power of desire to motivate and attract. It is a good time to tune into this energy in your life and clarify thoughts and feelings about any new initiatives and aspirations.

Venus is now in Pisces and that is a good time to review and reconsider growth of a  spiritual, creative and emotional nature. It is a good time to consider how you interact with the world in terms of love and compassion in a general sense.

Mercury is in Taurus now and will have longer journey through this sign than usual due to the Mercury retrograde period which starts 4/9. Mercury in Taurus  is about the appropriate use of resources to create a life which is stable and secure in areas that are important to you. Taurus is an earth sign and understands the time in takes to cultivate and grow things. This can include growing aspirations into manifestations. It can be a stabilizing influence mentally.

One of the Sabian symbols for Mercury’s entrance into Taurus is,” A clear mountain stream flows steadily downstream” and for Venus in late Pisces, “A fertile garden under the full moon.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill

 

“The eternal feminine is thrusting her way into contemporary consciousness. Hers are the ways of peace, compassion, reverence for life and death in the oneness of nature. Knowing her has nothing to do with stumbling towards a fate we think we cannot avoid. It has everything to do with developing consciousness until it is strong enough to hold tension as creative energy.” Marion Woodman

“We can know the dark and dream it into a new image.” Starhawk

The Moon waxes New Monday EDT at 7 degrees of Aries. New Moons are traditionally the harbinger of a new cycle beginning and there is a lot of initiatory energy in the air now. The asteroid of the Dark Moon goddess Lilith is very strong at this time – making harmonious aspects to the Sun, the Moon and Venus.  In astrology Lilith has to do a sense of frustration, and limitation about living a life in tune with the soul’s yearnings and deeply held personal values and desires. It can also be be related to a sense of powerlessness which results in discouragement in areas of self esteem, autonomy and the ability to act freely.

Under this influence much may be revealed about why and how you can hold yourself back from things that are very important in your life. Normally unacknowledged limiting beliefs about what you are entitled to in terms of finances, love pleasure and abundance can be revealed, reviewed and changed if necessary. There is much supportive energy for this process of unveiling from the Sun, the Moon and Venus. It can lead to an evolved sense of wholeness, clarity and empowerment. With Mercury and Uranus together there can be surprising revelations, connections and communications.

And just a reminder that with Venus retrograde it is best to reflect on and review this area of life now and take any new action after April 15 when Venus goes direct.

One of the  Sabian symbol for this New Moon is, “A woman successfully expressing herself in two worlds at once.”

 

“There is a thread that you follow. It goes among
Things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder what you are pursuing
You have to explain about the thread.
But it’s hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.” William Stafford

“Intuition has ears that hear beyond the range of mundane human understanding.” Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Venus is retrograde now – the retrograde period started out in Aries and will end in Pisces. It bodes well for the next two weeks or so (through April 15) to take some time to step out of your normal framework of thinking about your aspirations/goals/life path as it is a good opportunity for hidden or missing information to emerge under this influence. The information is likely to emerge in an intuitive way rather than through a linear or directed thought process.

The Sun entered the fiery, dynamic sign of Aries on the Vernal Equinox and one of the Sabian that both the Venus station and the Equinox  share is, “Light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism.”

“Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.” Emily Dickenson

Friday March 17 the Sun will move up to an exact square to Saturn. We are living in fast paced and sometimes surprising times and this aspect indicates it is a good time to get clear on commitments in the present. It is very much a time of shifting tides when former commitments may seem to have less importance and new priorities may have evolved or surfaced.

One of the Sabian symbol for the Sun/Saturn square is, “A sculptor’s vision is slowly but surely taking form.”

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill

“Women’s spirituality is wild and free, matured, earthy, relational. mystical, embodied, intuitive, sensuous, compassionate.” Joan Borysenko 

“We are volcanoes. When we women offer our experiences, our truth, all the maps change.” Ursula La Guin

The recent discovery of the asteroids in astrology is correlated to the re-emergence of the Feminine or the Divine Feminine in both men and women as well as in the world.  One of the asteroids that is a particularly powerful influence this week is The Dark Moon Lillith. Lillith was the first wife of Adam and came into conflict with him by insisting they were equals.  She then left him – choosing freedom and autonomy over domination. and control – and was labeled a trouble maker and known for her seething anger. She is one of the goddesses associated with anger over the repression of the Feminine.

This week Lillith squares the Nodes –  meaning that it is a karmic time and it is wise to heed information emerging now in general about issues of freedom and autonomy as well injustice and the abuse of power. It is wise to factor in a strategic approach with any related communication.

Lillith is at 3  degrees of Sagittarius and one of the Sabian symbols for that is,”A little child learning to walk with the encouragement of parents.”

 

“Only with winter-patience can we bring about the deep-desired, long awaited spring.” Anne Morrow Lindburgh

Mars recently entered the sign of Taurus and will transit through this sign through  late April.  This placement is often seen in the charts of landscapers and gardeners – who are attuned to the rhythm and pace of natural cycles of growth – from seed to flower. Mars, governed by the god of speed and action is frustrated in this sign as it can slow things down and require patience when Mars wants to rush ahead.

Mercury enters the sign of Aries today and the Sun is moving up to a square with Saturn – exact on Friday. It is wise to make sure planning is sound,  details have been taken care of and to avoid impulsiveness.  Saturn is about being in it for the long haul – and being prepared and committed to that process with each incremental step.

One of the Sabian symbols for the transit of Mars into Taurus is,”Natural steps up to a lawn blooming with clover.” And one of the symbols for Mercury’s ingress into Aries is, ” A seal has risen out of the ocean and a woman is embracing her.”

Sabian symbols for Lynda Hill

“There was an owl
who lived in an oak.
The more he heard,
the less he spoke;
the less he spoke,
the more he heard-
We all should be
like that wise old bird.” English nursey rhyme

The Moon waxes full Sunday March 12th at 22 degrees of Virgo.  The Sun will be conjunct both Chiron and Pallas Athena at this time. In mythology Pallas Athena- the goddess of justice and wisdom- was known for her strategic approach to conflict and for her invincibility in battle. The City of Athens was named after her and she brought a civilizing influence to humanity by teaching how to peacefully resolve disputes and uphold the law with compassionate justice and wisdom.

Owls are known for their acute vision in the darkness and Pallas Athene is often depicted with an owl on her shoulder. This served as a reminder of what she could not see or what she might have overlooked.

The veils are thin at the time of the Full Moon and Chiron, the asteroid associated with the journey towards wholeness through a process of wounding and healing is powerful at this time.  It provides a good opportunity to look at your personal journey towards wholeness  and to get a glimpse of some information about a missing piece or fragment that may shed the light on the path forward – particularly information related to the emotional life, creativity or spirituality. Saturn the taskmaster is nearby so it is likely any new initiatives related to this will soon encounter challenges. It is wise to take concrete steps and strengthen your resolve.

The Sabian symbol associated with this time is, ” A lion tamer rushes fearlessly into the arena.”

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill

 

 

“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone;  it has to be made and remade all the time, made new.” Ursula Le Guin 

Venus the planet of love, desire and beauty will station retrograde on March 4 and the retrograde period will last through April 15. Venus retrograde periods occur roughly every 18 months for 40 -43 days.

As with the better known Mercury retrograde periods this transit provides a good opportunity to pause and reflect -this time on the Venusian areas of life – those having to do with love, pleasure and desire and how you make these things manifest in your life. In general it is a good time to reflect on blind spots in your thinking and behavior in these realms.

Often old friends and lovers can surface during this time. It is not generally thought a great time to initiate new relationships but if this does occur it is likely that steps might need to be retraced in order to asceratain what might have been overlooked in the beginning.

Venus will station in the sign of Aries and retrograde back into the sign of Pisces.  Aries is an independent, assertive,  warrior like  sign – Venus knows what she wants in this sign and goes for it. She is quite capable of thinking and acting autonomously. Venus is Pisces however is extremely sensitive, impressionable, compassionate and romantic. When hardships come Venus in Aries can be assertive and fight whereas Venus is Pisces is more likely to retreat.

In general it is an opportunity to get clearer about your values – what you value in life – and how that might have evolved or changed over time. And how you advocate for what you believe in now.

“The Pacific Ocean was overflowing the borders of the map. There was no place to put it. It was so large, wild and blue that it didn’t fit anywhere. That’s why it was left in front of my window.” Pablo Neruda.

Mercury the planet of thought and communication is now in the sign of Pisces – the sign ruled by the Sea God and planet of dreams – Neptune. This indicates a good time for creativity and the imagination and speaks of symbolic thought. It bodes well now to engage in activities that inspire – listening to music, reading or writing poetry, meditating or pursuing spiritual growth and awareness.

One of the Sabian symbols for Mercury’s move into Pisces is,”Moonlit fields, once Babylon are blooming white.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“Is my soul asleep?
Have those beehives that work
in the night stopped? And the water-
wheel of thought, is it
going around now, cups
empty, carrying only shadows?

No, my soul is not asleep.
It is awake, wide awake.
It neither sleeps nor dreams, but watches,
its eyes wide open
far off things, and listens
at the shores of the great silence.” Antonio Machado

Neptune the planet of dreams and illusions is very strong at this time and at the time of Sunday’s eclipse in Pisces. Jungian astrologer Liz Greene has noted that when Neptune is a strong influence there can be a sense of a “lost Eden.”
With the many other very powerful forces at play now there can be a sense of the customary order being upended with confusion left in its wake. With Venus and Pluto involved there can be a strong pull to frame things in old, habitual ways which result in a sense of discouragement, loss or dis-empowerment.
Pluto is square Venus though and this aspect speaks of  Ganesha and his putting obstacles in the way to forment change or transformation. This time provides a good opportunity to review progress along your path as there is a strong influence now to be soley future oriented and moving with great speed – and sometimes this can contribute to missing information and wisdom that can be gleaned from past and more recent experiences.
Amanda Painter, writer and astrologer has noted that the meaning of the Sabian Symbol for Sunday’s eclipse. ” A jockey pressing his horse, intent on outdistancing his rivals” concerns self quickening. And she continues with the thought that self quickening is always best achieved by traveling light – unhindered by unnecessary baggage from the past because the important information has been gleaned and carried forward in a new form.