One of my biggest fascinations with astrology is how meaning can be derived from seemingly meaningless observations. Think about it. The movement of giant spheres of rock and gas, in one way or another, have influence over our behavior, the events that occur in our lives, and even the way we look! Sounds a little creepy, almost like the universe engineered us and programmed us like robots, and by looking at the placement of the stars and planets, your programming can be read like an owners manual. As strange as that sounds, it is not that far from the truth. Astrology shows us what energies were present when we were born. At the moment we burst forth into this world, we absorb that cosmic energy, and it becomes one with us. This energy seeps into our DNA and our psyche. It pushes us to behave and act in a way that, often times, we have absolutely zero control over. This idea has threatened the great religions of the world. After all, if the energies are preordained to force us to act a certain way, where is the free will to choose our spiritual salvation? For that matter, where is my personal responsibility if "the planets made me do it?" I have always been taught by my teachers that the planets never compel us to do or be anything. They simply influence. Through the energies that the planets channel to us, we are given the opportunity to choose what we do with them. The planets may say that someone is destined to be a liar, but if that person becomes aware of his or her lying tendencies, those tendencies can be overcome. Of course, it must be done with conscious effort and strength directed towards overcoming them, but this change can be achieved. The month of Aries offers us a very special gift. Through this month, we can achieve and overcome our selfish tendencies, and through that, we gain freedom from the negative influences the stars and planets can inflict on us.
In Kabbalah, the New Moon of Aries is considered to be the seed of the entire year. The first day corresponds to the entire month of Aries. The second day corresponds to the month of Taurus. The third day is Gemini, and so on and so forth. This means that our behavior for the first twelve days of this month set the pattern for the entire astrological year to come. In just twelve days, you can determine how easily you will be able to handle what the cosmos has in store for you. It will not be easy, though. The universe is going to send many tests our way in order for us to earn the control we so desire. But how do we overcome outside influences? Truthfully, there are many times when life provides us with situations that are completely out of our control. Accidents happen, and people make mistakes. The key is not to control the world around us by manipulating the world around us. They key is to control the world around us by controlling how we react to it. For example, you just got to work, and you have your entire day planned. You feel up beat, happy, and ready to take on the day. Then, suddenly, someone walks over to your desk and throws a curve ball at you that knocks your plan off track. That curveball being thrown at you is out of your control, right? Right. But what you do with that curve ball is what changes your universe. Do you dodge it, or do you swing with all your might to hit it out of the park? When we let go of what we want to happen and approach our lives with openness and flexibility, we open the doors to new opportunities for achievement. By letting go of our "plan" we expand ourselves and our universe so that we can actually achieve more! That is how we take back our control.
There are many planetary aspects that are going to throw those curve balls at us. By examining what the universe is asking of us, we can be better prepared and better armed to treat each situation with openness and flexibility. The most prominent characteristic of this new moon is the abundance of Aries energy. We have the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury, and Uranus all in Aries. This stellium of energy will give us a tremendous amount of initiative, action, and impulse. The cosmos is saying GROW, GROW, GROW! There is no coincidence that Aries is the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Since Aries is a fire sign, we will experience a lot of heat this month. Our desire to advance our agendas will be insatiable. This opens the door for conflict and fighting. The best thing we can do during this time is to channel all of that strong energy into new and exciting projects. Mars is the ruler of Aries, and he is currently in Taurus. This means that if we want to start a new venture, we actually have practical assistance to make it a reality. The problem we will have is learning to be patient and take things at a normal pace. Aries is notoriously impatient. So, try hard to keep your head on your shoulders, and remind yourself that the process of building is necessary and takes time. The Aries energy will make us what to skip this process, but if we can embrace it with practical steps that give our goal a solid foundation, we will see success. Now is the time to start new projects and get them moving forward. It is NOT the time to see their completion. That will arrive in the months to come. For now, we are planting the seeds of what we want to grow.
The presence of Venus in Aries is also notable. She is still retrograde and will move back into the last few degrees of Pisces where she will square Saturn in Sagittarius. This is the continuation of the reevaluation we started last month of our self worth and what we value. We have been questioning what it is we feel we are worth and how we derive that worth from within rather than from what we own or who we know or love. We will dive deeper into these waters in the next few weeks, and we may encounter some unpleasant feelings. These feelings were most likely suppressed from previous experiences that left us feeling disappointed in ourselves and our choices. This is the time for us to find that place of hurt and look for the way in which we can either begin the healing process or complete it and let it go. There is a beautiful dance Venus started with Mars last month on March 4th. Just before she went retrograde, she almost reached a full conjunction with him, but since that conjunction was never exact, we may feel like we are still in a process of trying earn that which we almost received. If we can find our true self worth during this time, and let go of our selfish need for approval and physical materialism, we may just get what we hoped for. The difference this time is that we would have a deeper appreciation for it. The work of discovering our self worth allows us to have an internal sense of fullness. When we come from this fullness, we no longer "need" that external thing to make us happy since that happiness already shines from within. And when we do not "need" it, we allow our light and its light to shine. Had we gotten what we wanted while we were feeling empty, we would have sucked the light out of it, and it would not have lasted. Venus will turn direct this month on April 15th, and the day she does, she will be at a beautiful sextile with Mars. This aspect is tremendously harmonious and will assist us to retrace our steps with wind in our sails and a skip in our step. Take this opportunity to discover what it is you can offer your world, your community, your friends. Finding it may mean the difference between staying stuck in regret, or moving forward with excitement.
There is also the second of three squares Jupiter is making with Pluto that is exact on March 30th. This series of squares is alerting us to how we use our power and our influence. Jupiter in Libra wants us to reach out to others and form alliances. He asks us to seek balance with those around us and find what makes us alike, but he can also turn and create enemies with those who do not adhere to our vision of fairness. Pluto in Capricorn has been breaking down outdated infrastructures and bureaucratic systems as well as shaking up our formalities over the last nine years. His ingress into Capricorn in 2008 heralded the Great Recession. These planets are asking us what it is we are doing to build bridges with each other, rather than burning them. This alignment can result in hard nosed approaches and a determination that things must be done a certain way. It can also give us a thirst for justice over mercy. Just remember that in order for us to achieve what we want, we have to work together and listen to each other. Preaching platitudes and refusing to let go of outdated thinking will only serve to drive us apart from those we are meant to connect with. Many of us have lost a lot over the last decade, and the severe trauma and pain can feel overwhelming. We can be tempted to fear for the future, and in our fear, alienate ourselves from those who could help us the most. We may feel the need to dominate others or to cower under the domination of another. No matter which side you are on, keep your ego in check, and remember to treat others and yourself with human dignity. Power does not lie in how we control others, it lies in how we control ourselves.
One last notable ingress this month is that of Mercury into Taurus on March 31st and his subsequent retrograde on April 10th until May 4th. Mercury retrograde has a pretty nasty reputation for being a time of frustration, delay, traffic jams, computer malfunctions, misspoken words, and hurt feelings. But this manifestation of his retrograde energy is simply misplaced intention on our part. While Mercury is the planet of thought, communication and daily procedures, which are all affected during his retrograde cycle, he is also the planet of analysis and review. This is a time for us to see where our communication patterns, work procedures and logic have weaknesses and are inefficient. Wherever things breakdown is where these inefficiencies exist. This is the best time to go back over those plans we made to see where we missed something. It is also all the more reason why we should pace ourselves with the Aires energy we spoke about before. We will be tempted to skip steps and push things out that are not ready. This will only lead to frustration and wasted time and money. Use this energy to see where the holes are and how you can perfect your plan. Luckily, the Taurus energy will give our thoughts and communication stability and help us bring our ideas down to earth with a taste of class and beauty. Just remember to be flexible. Taurus is a fixed sign and terribly stubborn. Mercury will retrograde back into Aires on March 21st, so, keep your mind open, your words loving, and your pace steady.
Ultimately, if we can push ourselves this month to overcome our stubbornness and open our hearts to love ourselves and others, then we have a shot at taking back our control and setting a pattern of strength. With patience, love, and a solid, but flexible plan, we can set things up for an amazing year ripe with success and achievement.
With all my Love,
Josh
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