The Astrology Blog 21 March 2016
What’s happening this week?
All times in GMT
If you have natal planets or angles at or close to any of the signs and degrees of the aspects featuring this week, then unfolding events will be especially significant for you. Here are the usual links for checking the position of your own planets and angles:
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
You can also try this calculator, which lists all your planets and angles rather than bringing up the visual of the horoscope, so for non astrologers it’s easier to use.
http://astro.cafeastrology.com/cgi-bin/astro/natal
It’s now officially spring as the Sun entered Aries yesterday at 04.31 GMT. As I commented last week the spring equinox is the astrological New Year, the moment the Sun arrives at 0 degrees of the first sign of the zodiac. This “fresh start” message is underlined with Mercury following suit –
Tuesday Mercury ingress Aries (00.20)
From Be Your Own Astrologer –
“If you want to get the vibe of Mercury in speed freak Mars’ sign then look no further than Anita Renfroe. She’s born on a New Moon (Sun and Moon) in Aries as well as having Mercury in this sign. She condenses everything a mother would say into less than three minutes and belts it out to the tune of William Tell. It made her a U Tube sensation.
https://www.youtube.com/anitarenfroe
This Mercury thinks in straight lines and gets to the point. Speech is quick fire and incisive…The downside is impatience, snap decisions that are not properly thought out or difficulty with entering into debate. Oh, you mean there are other opinions?… A client with a partner with this Mercury stated that the biggest problem was listening to him having his say but then finding it impossible to have her own. He always went first and once he had got things off his own chest he simply assumed that the “conversation” was over. Nothing was ever properly resolved and the relationship ended, to his mystification and her relief. “
So why not get your week off to a humourous start with Anita Renfroe’s “Mommisms” – funny and incredibly talented, well worth a watch – and then do everything you can to make sure that you catch spring fever. Mercury the mind planet is ideas, thoughts and communication in all its guises, including the written word. A textbook way to use this “clean sheet” Mercury is to write your own to do list and start with a few easy things so that you can start ticking immediately. This definitely fits for me as I’m leaving for London in five days time and my own to do list runs the whole gamut from “book hotel” to “vital things to tell house sitter”.
Bear in mind the need to negotiate if you have personal or business issues to resolve, but essentially the Aries modus operandi is “do it now” and keep it incisive. This is not the time for long winded explanations or epistle type emails when a few sentences will do the job. There are also some very positive Mercury aspects coming up this week as he starts his full speed journey through Aries (22 March to 6 April) with the Sun and Mars as companions. Here’s the sequence –
- Wednesday Sun conjunct Mercury 3 degrees Aries (20.12)
- Thursday Mercury 4 degrees Aries trine Mars 4 degrees Sagittarius (22.46)
- Saturday Sun 6 degrees Aries trine Mars 6 degrees Sagittarius (10.34)
Note that any planet conjunct the Sun (to within 17′ of arc) is said to be “Cazimi”. This means that the other planet involved sits in the heart of the Sun, drawing immense power. The Sun illuminates so pay close attention to whatever comes to light for you on Wednesday evening. Mercury – Mars aspects can be contentious, but by good aspect – like the trine – we have the chance to get to the point and say it how it is. The Sun – Mars aspect, harmonious and in fire signs, is practically unbeatable for swinging into action and going places, mentally or geographically. It’s the day that my sister and I leave for London.
However, there is a lot of tricky stuff to negotiate along the way, starting midweek, and which makes for a contradictory picture –
Wednesday Jupiter 16 degrees Virgo square Saturn 16 degrees Sagittarius (10.16)
Don’t be surprised if a plan hits a speed bump. Jupiter is in one of his signs of detriment and retrograde, and Saturn is “stationary retrograde” – in other words, appears to be standing still in readiness for switching to reverse. The exact moment for this is Friday (16.49). These two planets are opposite in nature anyway – Jupiter being expansion and “yes”, Saturn being contraction and “no” – and the square indicates friction, roadblocks, delays or cancellations.
When the slower moving planets collide this in turn usually signals a milestone in a slow moving situation, a crunch point and the subsequent need for a longer term plan rather than quick fix solutions. The sign of Sagittarius is linked to travel and all things foreign. In the news the most obvious showing for this symbolism is the desperate plight of thousands of migrants, thousands of whom remain stranded on the Greek – Macedonian border.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35858392
In terms of using astrology as a planning ahead guide, Sue and I were originally going to travel midweek, but I delayed it by a few days so that at least this square would be “separating” (not completely out of the way but already been exact) rather than “applying” (yet to be exact), and also because the Lunar Eclipse is on the same day –
Wednesday Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse at 3 degrees Libra (12.02)
To recap from the last few weeks Eclipses hunt in pairs and are two weeks apart, approximately every 6 months. The next Eclipses will be in September. Here’s the current sequence –
- A Solar Eclipse – occurs when the Sun is obscured by the shadow of the Moon at the time of a New Moon. This event took place 9 March at 19 degrees Pisces.
- A Lunar Eclipse – occurs when the Moon is obscured by the shadow of the earth at the time of a Full Moon. This happens on Wednesday at 3 degrees Libra.
Again to recap, Eclipses are considered as “power points” in a developing situation but also have a way of revealing new pictures. They signify events that are bound up with the symbolism of shadows, falling and then lifting again, lights being switched off/on again, and with Mercury/Mars also in on this act new information coming to light could easily swing a matter in a new direction and very quickly. As ever, any triangular situations (Sun/Moon/Earth) are likely to be highly sensitized – such as affairs or any matter involving three parties. Eclipses definitely have a role to play in sorting out winners and losers. At a universal level Eclipses are traditionally also linked to changes within the monarchy.
Finally, Venus plays into the Jupiter – Saturn aspect at the end of the week –
- Friday Venus 16 degrees Pisces opposite Jupiter (11.59) and square Saturn (16.49)
- Saturday Venus 17 degrees Pisces sextile Pluto 17 degrees Capricorn (11.11)
So whatever love, money or personal issues that make themselves known midweek are likely to come up again at the end of the week, and in finer detail! Similarly, any of these Venus things that you’ve been ignoring or putting off may also catch up with you at this time. However, this picture urges us to recognize our limitations and to remember that “good enough” is often just as good as “perfect”. If you can walk that line between recognizing and moving with the Aries sense of urgency but not forcing pegs into round holes you’ll be on the right track. Overall it’s a very complex week ahead so save your energy for the people/things that matter to you, and cut others some extra slack this week too as we’ll probably all be on overload in some way or another… on with my to do list! And if I don’t manage to blog for next week you’ll understand why … but will post again when back from London 5 April,
Take care until then, with love from Greece
Joanna