The Aries Ingress

The Aries Ingress

(Aries wheel - location not specific)

As the Sun enters Aries on March 20th at 10:19am (UT/+0) life shifts into a basic – some would say primal – mode. ‘Basic’ is probably a better word for it as primal suggests acting on instinct where the zodiacal quality which carries us through its first three signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini) is more about ‘basic exploration’ and ‘exploration of the basics.’

People born with a Sun in any of these three signs know just how basic they are…Aries wants to get to the point and/or get things done, Taurus wants to know what’s its worth and if it’s worth their attention and Gemini wants to discuss it, think about it, investigate it and in general, see what the implications might be.

Those of you who are Taurus, Aries and Gemini types are probably laughing by now – go ahead, laugh! But remember – this is the time of year when your own ability to be you gets challenged!

Okay…so the rest of us get challenged too. But we aren’t likely to take it as personally as you will!

Yes, we all get a bit touchy when the Sun is in our sign.

Limelight lovers or shy, retreating types, there’s a quality of having the ‘spotlight’ on you when the Sun is in your sign.

Anyway…so about this ingress. I know you’re going to be totally shocked to hear this, but it’s got a few indicators in it that life – especially as concerns how we relate to others and/or how we are treated by or responded to by others…those areas of life have a few problems which need working on.

This we know…how? We know this first and foremost and up one side and down t’other by the fact that in this chart, Moon and Saturn are conjunct in Libra.

Not to mention how we know this because the Sun is absolutely conjunct Uranus in the moment of this ingress. And since 0 Aries is opposition M87, the supermassive Black Hole at the entrance to Libra, we know this is a time of extraordinary change – or changing (perhaps fluctuating) dynamics.

There’s also the idea that any time you get Moon and Saturn conjunct in a chart, you know there’s a lot of emotional (Moon) focus (Saturn) in that area. Saturn will also bring the need to grow into this mix, against which the Moon will go through its ‘phases’ on the subject.

In this case the venue is Libra – which is good on one level as its’ an air sign, indicating ‘the idea of the thing’ and discussions there-upon. Of course, the down side of Libra is that people have died for ideas. That Libra is the sign of lawyers, for instance, tells us that the idea is sometimes what you make it and then again, a tool for getting what you want.

The ‘wanting’ part is Scorpio, which as the sign right after Libra (aka ‘the 2nd harmonic’) is what is really desired because that’s what sets the ‘Libra vibe’ at ease. Generally that points to agree with me or… 

Or what? See, that’s where the Libra issue comes in. If you have a good Libra (person or dynamic) on the line, the simple agreement is to disagree and on everybody goes. But when you have a hard-nosed Libra person or dynamic on the other end of the discussion, control is basically the question and someone is being asked to give it up and no one wants do and…well, this doesn’t exactly tend to bring out milk and cookies coziness – let’s just go there.

 Sunrise by Margret Hofheinz-Doring (1991)

Let’s also not forget that Neptune is at 29 Aquarius in this figure…social and societal doings are in a great upheaval. And this isn’t just about Neptune. In fact, Neptune is conjunct Ceres at 29 Aquarius: expect a critical need for care and caring in these next few months. And well that may be the case – with Black Moon Lilith at 29 Pisces conjunct Scheat, emotional ideals are being fought for (in various manners) and just as often, rejected.

There is also going to be a big quotient of people who just don’t want to be bothered with caring about what is right. This is not just about whether they want to be involved, but whether they even want to ‘be bothered’ with knowing. Or with discerning right from wrong and good versus bad.

For some – and maybe many - the theatrics and/or drama of the moment are sufficiently exciting to make wanting to recognize the realities of what this means (or what it will perhaps inevitably lead to) not only unnecessary, but unwanted.

While the Sun remains in Aries (March into April), Mars is our symbolic ruler. And in this chart, Mars is pictured at 20 Pisces, conjunct Amphitrite and in opposition to Juno/Atlantis at 19 and 22 Virgo, respectively.

The degrees here matter muchly as Mars at 20 Pisces begins this scenario by saying what we do (Mars) is in reaction to that which is going on…but that in the whole of the process, we are not in control; the process is. We react, the process takes our reaction and makes something of it, we react to that, the process makes something of/out of that… 

It’s something of a self-feeding cycle. Some would call this a ‘vicious’ cycle – and that’s certainly one point of view. But does it have to be vicious, per se?

Juno’s leadership/leading energies being at 19 Virgo is a lot of pushing for things which work. But with Atlantis at 22, there’s a whole tale to be told of the old which doesn’t work and the having to let go of the whole old way of thinking and living in order to really get ahead, or ahead of the game.

The opposition to Mars pretty much guarantees that isn’t going to be popular. That Juno is in the ‘subordinate’s’ sign of Virgo suggests this is about the worker, the one in service…and that they all will benefit greatly if they can just get past some idea of loss of identity which they think goes along with letting go of everything they have known how to long for.

Yet that’s exactly what’s holding them back. We all tend to go through life with goals and ideas of what’s good and right and workable thinking that’s the way! without really wanting to think about maybe we don’t know all the choices which are really out there. And if we don’t know all the choices, how can we really know what is really the rightest of all right things?

With the Sun of this ingress conjunct Eurydike, there’s a price to pay for whatever gets done or doesn’t get done. The question here is whether the price is a cost to ego…or the price of real courage, that being what we do because it needs to be done even if it’s something we don’t know how to do just yet!

Because Mercury is going to go retrograde at the end of March, we know this first month of the quarter is going to have a lot of questions and lack of hard facts and mulling over in the mix. With the Mercury in this ingress pictured conjunct Mnemosyne (reflection), Eris (discord), Phaethon/House (being accustomed to haste or things happening quickly) there’s an Eris/Phaeton/House restlessness which especially being in opposition to the Moon part of the Moon/Saturn Libra thing is an indication that many things will be tried and one of the problems will be impatience itself – an unwillingness to see if something will or can work.

A funny thing though…as Saturn (which is in retrograde as this quarter begins) continues backing down through degrees, it will arrive at an opposition with Jupiter (at 12 Aries) just about the time the Sun moves on into Taurus.

Ah, the dawning of hard facts – which in this case involves societal systems (infrastructure) and income…which when you put them together, among other things equals “economy.”

Not economics (the study), not ‘economies’ (as in, let’s put some budget-trimming ‘economies’ into place) but The Global Economy: that worldwide thing which nations live and die by, that thing which supports or undermines the ability of people here there and anywhere to survive – and while doing so, support the system.

The Garden of Earthly Delights (prior to 1568)

Attributed to Michiel Coxie

That, by the by – that equal trade (aka monetary cause/effect: I sell, you buy) is very Libra.

Oh, shades of Saturn/Moon in Libra, right? And let’s remember, the Moon a ‘phase-driven’ satellite: we can expect the whole concept of phases (oh Marge, it’s a PHASE…! Don’t worry…they’ll grow out of it) to be alive and living and part and parcel of this quarter.

Venus as ruler of Taurus is part of this part-and-parcel as Venus is in Aquarius and conjunct (gulp!) Damocles and Nessus – a famously difficult pair. (LINK to article on Damocles and Nessus).

Oh yes – and did I mention Hel?

Damocles at 21 Aquarius speaks to the difficulty of dealing with individual and societal beliefs, especially when those beliefs tend to create an ‘isolated state’ (or state of isolation). With Venus at 22 Aquarius, we might hope that the ‘seeing the danger’ represented by Damocles has been passed by – except that Venus is sitting at 22 Aquarius with Nessus, a figure of ‘poisonous jealousy.’ In a degree which polarizes towards violence at one end of the spectrum or a passionate potential to overcome huge difficulties, Venus/Nessus asks us singly and as members of any group, nation, or race (i.e., ethnic or human) whether we are so ‘married’ to our own ego and ‘personal saga’ that we are willing to drag everyone into our own pit of malice or whether we are going to victimize ourselves with poison of our own greed, selfishness, or egotistical point of view.

Sounds unlikely, right? Just wait. We’re all going to go through at least one or two of these moments.

The ‘intermittent step’ in the process is symbolized by Hel/Eros – the difficulty (Hel) promoted by (Eros) passion…or a passion (Eros) which though it may create ‘hellish difficulties’ leads – as do all paths here – to Neptune/Ceres at 29 Aquarius: the nurturing of the delusion (or deluded), the care of the needy, the devotion to the process, the care taken in dissolving or disassembling of the problem.

Aquarius is ruled first by Saturn, then by Uranus. And as we started out by saying, Uranus is at 0 Aries, conjunct the Sun. The object is innovation and freedom. The innovation is ‘breaking away from the status quo.’ But how we get there? That’s the question. Given Taurus’ affinity for comfort, security and satisfaction and all which allows that to happen, we can expect any sort of resources or allowance or means by which our comfort, security or satisfaction is achieved, protected or EARNED to be tested.

Why so LOUD with that word earned? Because Taurus is both the start and the finish of a process of becoming satisfied and becoming secure and acquiring a comfort in and with life. We tend to think of it in terms of the result, but Taurus is the start and finish of the fixed sign (earning) process.

(In your personal chart you should also look at how you operate the 2nd, 5th, 8th and 11th houses and their rulers, but that’s another thing!)

Anyway…this Taurus thing is portrayed in this ingress chart as being challenged by the ruler of the sign (Venus) being poised not just in conjunction with two of the real astrological bad boys (Damocles and Nessus) but also in a sign which is square (challenging) to Taurus’ aims.

This is a challenge to comfort and security from the Aquarian quadrant. The question thus is who is integrated and who is not. Who is isolated and who is not.

Not to put too fine a point on this however, the real question is also whether we are as people and as “a people” more or less stuck in our ways. And this is sort of the good news (I cringe as I type that…) because Venus is sextile Eris (aka Eris-Phaethon-House-Hera) in this chart. Are we willing to see where we have gone too far too fast? There’s obviously plenty of blame to go around here…we’re all somewhat guilty of living in our own little worlds.

One interesting note amidst all this is that pretty much as soon as the Sun enters Taurus, Mercury goes direct. That implies that information comes to light during the latter part of April which allows all of us to comprehend (Mercury) our position and part in various dramas. Double-interesting: as Mercury then clears the shadow of its retrograde on May 10th, the Sun transits the Sedna of the ingress chart (on the 11th).

Link to ARTICLE on SEDNA

A week or two before this happens, Saturn will by ingress progression have come to its perfecting the opposition to Jupiter. This is prime territory for the building up or tearing down of lasting structures  from relationships to businesses to nations, religions or societal movements. It’s a moment of clarity and decision which is part of a 19.86 year long Saturn/Jupiter synodic cycle which goes allllllll the way back to May 2000, when Saturn and Jupiter met up in late…Taurus.

Specifically, at 22 Taurus - on May 28th, 2000.

And where is Sedna…dear old sulky, creative Sedna in this ingress chart?

At 21 Taurus.

And when is Sedna going to reach 22 Taurus – a highly decent question seeing that Sedna takes 975 years go go once around the Sun?'

Sedna will reach 22 Taurus on April 20, 2011 – the day when the Sun enters Taurus.

Wailuku and Iao Valley

by Edward Bailey (c. 1903)

Just for the record, 22 Taurus is a pretty nice degree: it promotes a sense of mission and destiny. It’s known for creative skill and an ability to inspire confidence in others through consideration for the realities of their situation.

Since Taurus is really about self worth and values (which manifest in the efforts which earn us security, satisfaction and comfort) and since there really has been a rash of pretty rancid (read: selfish, greedy, dismissive) behavior since the turn of this here-now millennium, does this mean this ingress quarter could bring a real turn-of-the-tables?

It could. For some of us, these next weeks may bring big moments of come-uppance in which the price of feeling we’re ‘entitled’ to live a certain way gets faced. Or shoved in our face. Others may go through white-knuckle clinging to the boat you rode in on. Desperate not to be tossed into cold water, such people are likely to get ‘cut loose’ and become ‘cut off’…but over time, this will be a giant step towards finding their power and a far, far better way of life. Maybe not easier, but far, far more productive and functional…

…which rather recalls that Juno/Atlantis issue we discussed in connection with Mars.

But we shouldn’t expect this process to be easy, simple or without a bunch of bruised feelings…not to mention some pretty disquieting costs. Privilege is not released quietly – nor do those unaccustomed to power tend to use it all that graciously.

And yet…and yet…and yet..by the time the Sun enters Gemini on May 21st (UT/+0) Venus will be in Taurus, Mars will be in Taurus, and Mercury will be in Taurus.

That’s a lot of Taurus. Considering that all three planets cited here are personal planets, this is a clear indication that individual folks will be focused on their own self worth and “worth" (as in external resources) and what their prospects really are.

But that this happens just as the Sun moves on into Gemini tells us that the last third of this ‘ingress quarter’ is about finding common ground with those around you, your ‘world,’ the world, and peace of mind.

Gemini being at its heart a sign about becoming informed and making a choice which you then see through (glitches, stubbed toes, minor victories and all), this is a sign which talks to what is easy to do, what might well be useful to do and the parameters (internal and external, present and projected into the future) we need to take notice of in making any given choice(s).

Into this comes the fact that June starts with a Solar Eclipse at 11 Gemini and Saturn going direct on the 13th – which together spell the ‘setting in motion’ of much which has been burbling, brewing and building up during previous months.

We are definitely in a life/world process of breaking out of old molds. It’s not always a pretty process, it’s not mistake-free and it certainly takes tons of effort and personal sacrifice…in some cases, irreparable sacrifice.

If nothing else, what we go through – and the whole of this time will hopefully get us to appreciating what we have and what we are capable of. There are a million ways to sell ourselves short and cop out because that’s easier than challenging ourselves, but in the end only growth works. Only innovation, only evolution, only changing with time so as to become our changing times spells surviving to thrive in our – and this – life.

Welcome to the Aries Ingress. Let’s hope we all use all it symbolizes well and thoughtfully!