March 20th ~ 27th
“The Joys of Spring” by René Lelong
i thank you God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes.
(i who have died am alive again today. and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth day of life and love and wings and of the gay great happening illimitably earth) ~ e e cummings
On March 20th, just a little over a day after the New Moon in Pisces, the Sun enters Aries and falls into the embrace of the the modern Pisces ruler, Neptune. And so we enter the Astrological New Year on fairy wings and a prayer. This is Earth’s birth day, the birth day of life and love and all those wings.. The Sun’s Ingress chart into Aries each year sets the tone for not only the first quarter of the astrological year, but the full year ahead.
Here in the Northern Hemisphere we celebrate Spring, while in the South, Autumn is descending. For the entire globe, the earth is tilted towards the Sun in such a way that days and nights are equal, or as equal as they can be. The Sun rises due East, sets due West and crosses the equator at high noon as it ekes its way back North. And so we wait here with bated breath in the northeast for the crocuses to emerge from the underworld and the cherry blossoms to bloom. Meanwhile in the South the trees will be shedding their leaves, and the Summer is ending, giving way for cooler seasons. And so a new cycle begins.
This year is the first time that Neptune (and Saturn) are also in Aries for the Ingress. For the past few years, although Neptune was conjunct the Sun, it was still in the final degrees of Pisces. Those final degrees of the zodiac are symbolic of a time for releasing, ending, and withdrawing from what once was. When major planets such as Neptune and Saturn enter the sign of Aries there is a resurgence of raw energy heralding a rebirth in society. With the Sun conjunct both Neptune and Saturn at the Equinox, it is shining a light on the proceedings in anticipation of these nascent new beginnings.
Neptune is neither positive nor negative. At its worse, it can lead us astray by scattering false promises, idle hopes and misguided tropes. When Saturn and Neptune are conjunct we must be wary, for often what seems like the truth is proven to be false, while the false is believed to be true. In its highest expression Neptune so closely conjunct the Sun can also be when the sacred and the spiritual take the helm, allowing compassion and faith to be our guides. Saturn in Aries can bring the commitment to make these manifest.
Fate is strange. And our destinies can be shaped by very small decisions.~ Emily Rodda (The Golden Door)
Just hours after the Sun enters Aries, Mercury our celestial navigator stations, ending its retrograde phase, while also conjunct (in the same sign and degree) the North Node in Pisces. In the classic text, “Astrology for the Millions” Grant Lewi describes Mercury in Pisces as seeing, hearing, feeling and tasting what you want to. If you have a piece of pie made by someone you love, it will taste like the best pie ever. But if you see a drawing, drawn by someone you dislike, you will find fault with it. There is something unreliable about Mercury being in Pisces. Are we truly seeing things as they are? Or are we being deluded by our biases? And as Mercury (finally) makes its direct station on Friday, it will be conjunct the North Node, making us realize how even small decisions and choices can have more long-term consequences.
Mercury combined with the North Node as it stations direct can have all sorts of consequences, effects and ramifications. Often what seems like a really good idea while Mercury is in its retrograde phase, will have its faults revealed later on. All the more so within the orb of the North Node. At the very least, what we can hope for with this station, is that we are able to see the the ways that we are being blinded by what we want to see, as opposed to the way things actually are. Within the bounds of the North Node in Pisces, there is so much more involved here. The ramifications can be magnified, the ripples cascading endlessly, the inevitable conclusions reshaping our destinies in almost unfathomable ways.
In the days leading up to the station of Mercury we begin to see our minds, our lives, and awareness returning to what we usually associate with normal. It’s a gradual shift in consciousness, which brings our minds more squarely into the present moment. And with it comes clarity. Kind of what it feels like when you’ve slept on a problem and then wake up in the morning with all the answers. Things come together. You can create something of a plan.
Mercury, while in its retrograde phase was urging us to make a connection with our higher selves. Whether you call that Spirit, or God(dess), Conscience, Compassion, the Good, that spark within our own hearts and minds, it is this that will be the light that can lead us through the treacherous valleys of deception, hidden trip falls, doubts and fear. Allow that Absolute Goodness to guide you in all that you do: to use your voice, your hands, your feet, your heart and your mind. And you will have no regrets.
It takes incredible courage to be the light in the darkness. To stand out and be separate. And yet in this weather, we have the capacity to make tremendous strides. Next week Saturn in Aries makes an exact sextile to Pluto in Aquarius. As a result the promises, commitments and oaths we are making now have incredible longevity, strength and determination to succeed.
Therefore use this time to create your own individualized plan for the year ahead. Use the Pisces Mercury to visualize the future that you desire, but then hand it over to Saturn and Pluto. Saturn loves details, and organization, schedules and maps. Make it something you feel passionately about. Pluto is keen on having a mission. We will speak more to this next week. However, what better time to map out the year ahead, than when the Moon is waxing, the Sun has Ingressed into Aries, and Mercury finally stations direct? The future awaits.
For this week’s horoscopes, click below: