Dateblog: March 2013

The better part of March has a whole lotta Pisces going on! As the month starts, the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Neptune are ALL in Pisces. Mercury is even in retrograde. Oh – and there’s going to be a Pisces New Moon on the 11^th!

Life is fishy indeed. So are you in the swim of things? Or have you been totally swamped by some tsunami?

Since the astrological element of water is emotional, everything and anything which evokes or provokes emotionality is what’s basically at stake. Your physical home is an earthy, tangible thing. But the security you get from having a home and that sense of being settled, or getting cozy with your family – that’s water. Money is often thought of as a ‘water thing’ in astrology terms, most particularly in the sense of ‘wealth’ as it refers to security. Income? Income is Aquarian and airy as it’s a barter, a trade made in ‘theory’ or on a theoretical basis: I do this, you pay me that. I…SPEND this much time or INVEST this much of my knowledge in you or in your project and you give me XYZ.

Just to finish the thought here, people who have a water sign on natively airy houses always think of wealth in theoretical terms. This is why some people understood Mitt Romney (as a man with Pisces on his natively Aquarian 11^th house) when he spoke about economics and his ideas on earning while some people felt like his mental feet weren’t on reality’s ground.

 Mitt Romney at a February campaign stop

(photo credit: Gage Skidmore, February 13, 2012)

Anyway…we’re distinctly in an emotional time here. So those whose natal charts have such overlays will be gravitating towards whatever makes them feel secure: water signs on natively air sign houses (house numbers 3, 7 and 11) will be wanting to put things in a theoretical manner. Those with water signs on natively earthy houses (house numbers 2, 6 or 10) will be in that ‘if I just had ABC, I’d feel better.’  Those with water signs on intrinsically fiery houses (house numbers 1, 5 and 9) will be imagining better times and inclined towards philosophical discussions.

Bottom line, it’s still all about wanting to feel comfortable. But beyond that, this first week or so of March also offers a distinct opportunity to think through why whatever makes us feel uncomfortable makes us feel that way. If you can get to the root of that and solve that issue, you’ll not only feel comfortable in the short run, you’ll have ‘cured’ yourself of a little portion of human insecurity!

Not bad, eh?

One of the earliest items of specific note for March is the New Moon at 21 Pisces - yet another Moon in a series which is at 21 degrees of succeeding signs. Some of us will see this as a time to begin 'letting go' of something. Others of us will remain shy about anything which could expose us to situations which provoke those feelings we so don't want to feel. 

As of March 12^th, Mars moves into Aries: levels of assertiveness rise. We’re all going to feel more motivated (perhaps restless) during the next five-plus weeks of this Aries/Mars transit.

 Mars by Johann Baptist Straub (1772)

(photo credit Rufus46, September 2008)

But then Mercury goes on station (as of March 15^th) to go direct on the 17^th (UT/+0 time). Mercury’s going direct at 5 Pisces suggests actions based on faith and made as ‘offerings’ turn out best. Making this all the more interesting is the fact that March 16^th plays host to a Yod composed of Pluto-in-Capricorn, Saturn-(retrograde)-in-Scorpio and Jupiter-in-Gemini. The knee-jerk response here will be to talk more, scatter our bets or to spread ourselves thin where the successful move now is to do something very considered and responsible. And if you’ve put a lot of work and thought into it before you arrive at this point, so much the better!

Barely has this passed when we reach the Aries ingress – the change of seasons. But since as the Sun moves into Aries, transiting Mars conjuncts transiting Uranus (within orb of the Sun), life gets very unexpected. Maybe even explosive or chaotic. Thinking on your feet is essential, and we all can expect an emotional few days which start in a very ‘universal mode’ but which become far more personal and self-focused as Venus moves into Aries on March 22^nd.

 Known as 'The Venus de Milo,' this Parian marble statue was found

on the Greek island of Melos in 1820 and presented as a gift from the

Marquis de Riviere to King Louis XVIII of Frank in 1821. Thought to have

been carved somewhere in the vicinity of 130-100 BCE, this Venus

(which originally would have been an 'Aphrodite' as that was the Greek

name for the goddess) is now housed at the Louvre in Paris

(photo credit: Jastrow)

But as focused on ourselves as we may be, March’s last astrological ‘act’ is a Libra Full Moon on March 27^th. This is a moment when we will do ourselves a goodly favor by remembering others…and that how we act determines how others re-act.

Mercury’s still in Pisces. So we’re still thinking with our hearts, souls and feelings. That could be a detriment, but let’s hope it serves to make us all more aware of each other and aware that we all need and fear pretty much the same things.

The summary here is that this is a month which begins with emotionality and all the indecision or conflicted ideas or confusion which goes with that. But through events and moment large and small, we evolve and get on with things - hopefully for all the right reasons!

 

.

.

. 

Mars enters Aries: Blow by Blowing

Mars will enter Aries at 4:52am on April 2nd. Mars being assertiveness incarnate, this would seem to fit the common Aries ‘let’s do it!’ sort of energy.

Of course, there is the side of Mars in Aries which is all about that First Person Perpendicular…you know, the I-me-I-me-me-me sort of thing.

I think I’ve told you about the Aries friend I had who was given two coffee cups, one of which said “You” on it and the other of which was labeled “Me” – and how she lost the “You” cup?

(Lost? Do we even believe she really lost that cup?)

So I told another Aries friend of mine about this (I think that was while he was rescuing me from a recent rain flood invading my wee widdle Pisces home…) and his immediate reply was: ask her if she knows where to get one of those ‘Me’ cups. Never mind the ‘You’ – I just want the ‘Me.’ 

That, my friends, is the sound of Sun sign Aries. And sometimes they are hilarious when they do that…and sometimes they’re just insupportable.

What’s the difference? Well, granting that Aries will concentrate on the Self (it will – don’t even argue about that part!) …the question is to what end that  focus is put. In that long, long list of Aries folk (Sun sign Aries, that is) I’ve known over the years, one of the sweetest and nicest people I’ve ever worked…uh…with (he’d say ‘for’) was an Aries.

Technically, I was working for the head of the company – such is my general habit. But this Aries fellow, he decided he was my supervisor. In other words, he decided that he was going to interject himself as an ‘upper middle management’ figure between me (a one-person department and therefore by definition my own department head)(go figure, right?)… he was going to be between me and the head of the company.

Did I fuss? No. Why not? Because I’m into getting my job done without having to stop and debate things all the time and the local Aries loved defending someone he felt worth defending. After all, he was an ex-Marine…and if you know the Marines, once a Marine, always a Marine!

And what he showed by ‘deciding’ to be my supervisor was pretty much the Aries trifecta: he was courageously willing to defend and get in there and mix it up when/where necessary…he was willing to be the leader and he thought quite well enough of himself to not think anyone should even question why he should be interjecting himself into a process which, truth to tell, was working just fine.

Aries energy can be all about the self (or ‘the thing’) or it can be all about being willing to do something (all by yourself, if necessary) to get the job done – which is why Aries is the sign of the warrior, the knight who goes out to slay the dragon because they have the skills and the dragon needs to learn not to threaten a nice homey little kingdom.

 From "Charlemagne and His Knights" published

by JB Lippincott (1932) - Kathering Pyle

And no, sometimes slaying the dragon is not all that easy - which we find out only once we face the dragon!

However….! That Mars is making this ingress into 0 Aries with Uranus and calculated Lilith lurking at 1 Aries with asteroid Lilith about to go retrograde?

Hmmm….Let’s talk about this, shall we? There are a couple of different directions this combination could go in. The first would have some sort of revelation coming to light now. It could be personal, it could be global (to which you have a reaction), it could be a realization.

Mars rules Aries. So with Mars in Aries and the Sun bringing its willful quality to Aries and Uranus in Aries giving us not-so-behind-the-scenes notes on things which are going to change (or change us!) whether we want to think about it or not…with calculated Lilith (societal denial) showing up in buckets of different ways…

It doesn’t matter if what you focus on are the politicians who won’t listen, the people in power who frankly don’t know (and don’t care to know), leaders who plainly think they should have all and nobody else should have more than the occasional cupcake… you may be focused on health matters or environmental concerns or unemployment or whatever and the energy…the intensity and the outrage or the wish you could just get away from whatever you want to get away from….

…that’s all Aries. And the level of desire you express – whether that’s in tackling the issue or trying to avoid it? That’s Mars in Aires. Mars in Aries feels entitled to do. The ‘do what?’ part – that’s up to you. But the doing? That’s Mars. The feeling that you’re entitled to be you and have some peace, or a ‘piece of the pie,’ or a chance to do what you want or prove yourself…? That’s Mars in Aires.

 The Accolade by Edmund Blair Leighton (1901)

The heroics associated with Aries are often the 'fond dream' we associate

with this sign - we so WANT to be the hero! Like other Fire Signs, the

Aries dynamic is one which uses "rewards" and thoughts of 'what could be'

to motivate...and in Aries it's the big (BIG!) mistake to think that reality is a

'bad' place just because it isn't nirvana. That's really just the point - Fire Signs

are supposed to see the possible and try to improve things, not just be

unhappy because life doesn't measure up! 

Determining who you want to be is Mars in Aries.

Rebelling against what exists, or against what's proposed because it doesn't suit our particular fancy? That's Mars in Aries too.

Gaining awareness of ourselves, some greater possibility or some consequence of what we've already done? That's also Mars in Aries.

Usually we talk about an ingress and there’s some sort of modifying entity on the scene. Well, this time there isn’t. Yes, grandly giant Black Hole M87 is sitting just opposite in Libra, and that plus the impending turn to retrograde on the part of asteroid Lilith does suggest there’s an ‘oops!’ in the work which has to do with comprehending how you didn’t have all the answers right after all. Black Holes are always the mark of an 'alternative reality' and with one in opposition here...are we becoming aware of another way to go? Are we acting, or have we made choices based on some preconceived notion which is now proving to not be the "only" or indeed best way to go?

But the fluffle isn’t hitting the fan. At least not yet.

So today we take a breath and do what we can do, hoping that we have the courage to be who we want ourselves to be, not who we are simply out of habit.

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!

Kassandra, Uranus, Hidalgo, Niobe: Believing in Potentials

Uranus enters Aries March 12, 2011 at  00:53am UT/+0

With Bali now in retrograde, we know we need to rely on ourselves as our premier generator of all which produces achievement and satisfaction.

With Nemesis now having retrograded back into Virgo, we see what needs doing. Or what has gone wrong.

And now...? Well yes, Uranus is just about to enter Aries. The ticking of the clock seems louder than usual.

But before that happens, Kassandra moves into Aquarius. This asks us whether we really believe in this world. In our life. In our values. In others and ourselves.

Do we trust anyone? Do we think people will do the right thing given the chance? Is this altruism - or chance? Do promises matter? What is integrity - really?

Named for Cassandra, Apollo’s ill-fated priestess of Delphi, asteroid Kassandra is a main-belt asteroid. And because Kassandra is one of the thousands of main-belt asteroids, we know Kassandra represents one of the thousands of things we meet up with in life.

And how when we meet up with such things, we have to deal with them.

In the case of Kassandra, the question is belief. What, who and why do or don't we believe? This may be a question of 'faith' but then again, it may be about trust. About being trustworthy - are you to be believed? Is something 'too good to be true?' Has someone been duplicitous?

Do we believe in ourselves and what we're doing in and with our own life? Do we believe in this world? Our potential? Do we believe that the lives and values of others matter as much as our life and our values mean to us?

Bali having gone retrograde most likely will manifest for most people as a realization that life doesn't get handed to us. That fantasies aren't real and that reality is sometimes disappointing not because it's bad, but simply because it's not a living fantasy.

Since ‘paradise’ (Bali) isn't going to be provided to us by others, do we believe we are capable of creating a happy life for ourselves?

Kassandra enters Aquarius on March 12 at 36 minutes after midnight, +0/UT. Aquarius is a sign of society, freedom, anarchy, systemic functionality, energy, the marketplace, individuality, human collectives and income (among other things). Aquarius is also an air sign – it deals with the idea of the thing, not the reality.

This air sign quality is sometimes a blessing – it allows us to theorize. Then again, sometimes it undermines us by discouraging us with the ‘idea of what it will take’ to do something when the reality is not all that complicated.

Aquarius has two rulers. The basis of Aquarian accomplishment is rooted in Saturn: the effort, the thought, the dedication we are willing to apply to a project. Saturn asks that we take the required time and do each thing correctly. Saturn says make it work well. When we do, the we get the Uranian benefits, the results, the profits, the freedom of something which makes our life easier.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Saturn is retrograde at the moment. On one hand, that says we can take matters into hand…as a matter of fact, our job IS to take things into our own hands!

At the same time, this is also a celestial way of saying any free rides are absolutely over. Saturn in retrograde is always about the need to work on ourselves or to re-examine our priorities, our attention to and attitudes towards responsibilities.

 Saturn's rings - photo credit: NASA/JPL

Most of all, Saturn is about whether we’re being realistic. This doesn’t mean we have to like our reality…or the facts currently on our plate(s). No, we don’t like it – but we do have to deal with it, and the more realistic we are with ourselves about what life is and requires of us, the better off we’ll be…in the Aquarian individual or collective sense!

Of course this is just the appetizer. The real entrée being served up today is Uranus entering Aries, an event which happens not twenty minutes after Kassandra enters Aquarius – at 00:53am (UT/+0), to be exact.

Uranus being the kind of energy which pushes us towards the ‘new,’ this can either become a motivation or explosion. It can represent our suddenly taking hold and making more out of what is and what can be, or our rebelling against everything around us.

We look around us and we see old structures crumbling. Old ways of being being taken apart. Old ways of thinking no longer being upheld, honored or even acknowledged. For some, this means all the rules get thrown out the window. Given that Aries is the sign of “I Am” some will say they are the rule – that what they say goes. Some will go the nihilistic route and claim nothing means anything and whatever you want you’re entitled to take because in the end nothing means anything.

Frankly, that nihilistic concept seems rather easy to defeat. I've had it proposed, but the 'life is meaningless' idea seems the easiest of all to take apart! After all, if you believe nothing matters, aren't you investing belief and meaning in that very idea?

Acceptance of differences I can rent, lease or buy. The 'life is meaningless' Nietzsche sort of thought? That strikes me as an excuse to not try or getting involved.

But maybe that's just me. (sigh....)

Getting back to the subject however, let’s be real here – there are those who with or without having brought along their own soap boxes will claim they get to make their own rules here in this moment and over the next eight years or so while Uranus jolly-trots through Aries. That idea is in itself the Aquarius idea of freedom without any of the Saturn foundation-laying and taking on of responsibility. That’s freedom from responsibility and the honoring only of the individual in a world where we don’t live alone.

Such people will happen as we move forward – count on it. Some will be startlingly outrageous. We will be hearing now from people who seem to be out of touch with the mainstream and sometimes that will pique our interest and drive innovation in society, methodologies and human existence. This is the ‘thinking outside the box’ we all so admire.

Yet with those who color usefully outside the lines will sure-as-shooting be those who are just plainly off base. The nature of this time is to reveal those who are off base, and as difficult as this may seem, the lessons which go with realizing strangers hide in plain sight is really about learning more about what humanity is and what we’re capable of being, tolerating and creating.

Some of these ideas are very long term; Uranus will be in Aries for years now. But with Neptune at 29 Aquarius for the next few weeks (not to mention a few other astrological events which will be happening between now and then) we can expect to be surprised and daunted and enlightened as much as dismayed.

For the past eight years while Uranus has been in Pisces, we were being asked to become more adept with dealing with our emotions. Now we find out why.

Hours pass…tick, tock, tick, tock. Then at 10:18am (UT/+0) we enter Niobe’s station zone, an indication that the pride which goeth before the fall here begins to take its toll. With Niobe going retrograde in Scorpio, the platform upon which some will now meet up with their self-destruction will be defined by choice. Have we invested ourselves in others, in situations, in joint ventures wisely? Have we acted with intelligence and integrity, knowing our limits and what’s ‘too good to be true’? Have we overstepped our bounds? Have we been too greedy, too proud and too selfish?

Some will take a fall now. Others will see how people go wrong and learn plenty from that.

It’s a time for learning…and for learning better. And considering that this is Niobe entering it’s two-day pre-station allowance, what we are likely to hear first are the realizations. The recognitions. And more than a few defiant announcements which claim the higher ground, which in essence say I know better. I don’t have to listen to you! I don’t have to listen to anyone! I know!

Niobe et Enfants (Niobe and her Children)

Charles Gabriel Lemonnier (1770)

And those people will be wrong. Some will attempt to prove how right they are now and be taught lessons in short order. Others will take a stand and have their pillars knocked out from under them.

And yet...and yet...and yet...

At its best, this combination of Niobe’s station and Uranus’ Aries ingress would be a realization – a recognition that we have been in a dark of our own making, that there are changes which need to be made in our lives (or in the whole of life or our world) which we need to stop hiding from, or denying. In saying that, it pays to recognize that there are all sorts of ways we can hide from ourselves.

Or more to the point perhaps, all sorts of ways that we can hide…or may have been hiding from our own feelings. From our mistakes. From our vulnerabilities. From the reality that some dream we really, really, really wanted to be true is…in the end, just a dream.

Niobe going into retrograde in some lives will represent a moment when they drop the mask or the act or the pretense. For them, Uranus’ entrance into the innocent potency of Aries – the new life – will be reinvention of self.

And so long as they are able to own up to who they are, what they’ve done, what they haven’t done, with this day being when Hidalgo actually goes retrograde in Sagittarius…others will be more inclined to forgive them their humanity. That doesn’t mean they won’t have to make up for whatever they’ve done, but there is a special sort of quality which goes with this mélange, this collective confluence which suggests that honesty will beget begrudged agreement to at least talk about it.

In other words, it’s as good moment to lower intemperate temperatures of debates as it is to turn up the wattage when it comes to illumination in and about your own life.

And that’s just the point. We not only all make mistakes, but we need to make mistakes. That’s how we learn what works and what doesn’t work – and that’s part of the Sagittarian process. Sagittarius isn’t just about proclaiming ‘the truth’ but in finding it.

Uranus as discovery, Aries as new life plus Hidalgo as nobility of being with the reflective questioning of Kassandra.

Maybe Niobe’s approaching station/retrograde is all about accepting with a certain grace (Hidalgo) that sometimes we need to question (Kassandra) what we are or have thought and through that, become a new person. It doesn’t mean we won’t stub our toe, and it doesn’t mean we won’t cry or feel helpless or feel wonderment at how anyone lives through this life.

Or all that life can perhaps be…and become. That’s a really Uranus/Aries ingress sort of idea.

Pass it on!