Mars Opposes Saturn; Sun trines Pluto

The movement of the Sun and planets through Taurus and Capricorn and through Pisces and Scorpio, have created an energy that is thick with meaning, almost tactile in feeling (like velvet), and passionate and deep with spiritual, emotional, intuitive, and psychological depth. How might we use this time to deepen our connection to our True North and to grow and heal so that we are more fully able to relate, create, share, and feel gratitude for our lives? 

Tonight as we move through the last day of April,  Mercury is semi-square to Chiron (Pisces). This aspect today, between the planet that represents communication and Chiron, the Wounded Healer, may leave us feeling like we do not quite understand what others intend nor what we are feeling. Ambiguity leaves many of us at odds with ourselves and with others.  Each of us is searching for balance and harmony, at a time when things are heavily weighed against finding serenity or calm.  The best that may be said for this influence is that this type of energy reminds us that we need maintain an ongoing sense of mindfulness. Using our senses, our breath, and our daily activities to help us stay focused and grounded, is probably best. Taking time to reflect on what it is that we really seek and desire in life, is called for now, more than ever. 

Late tonight (or early tomorrow morning) Mars in Taurus opposes Saturn in Scorpio at 10:12 PM (PDT); 1:12 AM (EDT). We may feel that we are blocked and challenged by people and circumstances. Mars in an earth sign, and Saturn in a water sign, muddy the waters and cloud our judgment with feelings of fear, frustration, and resentment.  Whatever we are blaming or reading in others is probably something we are having trouble recognizing in our own experience.  This is a time when the lessons may be difficult and the teachers may appear in ways that we find disturbing. The greatest lesson may be found through self reflection, though for many, it may feel easier to blame someone else for our lack of fulfillment, failure to thrive, or inability to find happiness. Look for the hidden opportunities in the lessons which seem to be the most difficult right now.  

Mars opposition to  Saturn transit arouses emotions and thoughts of frustration, failure, self doubt, anger, resentment or despair. Depending upon what areas of your life/chart this transit is activating, and depending upon how aware you are of those areas that are undergoing change, alteration, and transformation, this transit can be more or less upsetting and disturbing.  When we are aware that even under the harshest circumstance, we need to find some calm and peace, and we need to trust that we are able to submit to the Divine Will and allow ourselves to be at peace regardless of how upsetting or chaotic things may appear. Using our spiritual practices to help us center, discern, and calm our emotions, minds, and bodies as we feel the heavy energies of transformation working on all areas of our being and on levels of society. 

The Moon conjunct Pluto in Capricorn (earth) grounds deep into the transformative emotional energy active in Pluto’s ongoing transit. Everything may feel more like moving through molasses today, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  When the pressure and stress is weighing heavily on us, the best we can do is sit peacefully where we are, move slowly and with grace, and allow ourselves to be present and mindful in each moment. Our ability to accept with grace and act in reverence to the gifts of the present active within us, allow us to better appreciate the beauty and passion that is welling up from within.  If it seemed more difficult to get things done or if ideas seemed more confused and less clear than usual, take the opportunity to allow yourself to settle down and simply breathe.  It truly is not the time to push against things, but it is a time to pay attention to whatever thoughts, emotions, memories, desires, or unfulfilled dreams require your attention now. As we have been in the long process or clearing, cleaning, releasing, and letting go, we are now in the throes of dealing with that which we have cast out on the waters and that which we have become disconnected with. 

On Wednesday, the Sun trines Pluto, making it easier for us to come to realizations, finalize plans, and understand that which has escaped us until now. We gain a greater sense of clarity than we have experienced in quite some time. We find ourselves more decisive, and we have a greater ability to concentrate and focus once again. Where we had been feeling thwarted, we now feel freed and supported in our desires, dreams, and intentions. We have endurance to accomplish what we set out to achieve.  This requires that we become clear, intentional, and specific about what it is we really want, need, or wish to release from our experience.  

Sun in Taurus trine Pluto in Capricorn is one of the most positive aspects for beginning a new project or starting a money-making business or partnership.  Support, leadership, and focus are working together for you at this point, if you are wisely discerning and setting your goals and direction. We also find others being more supportive than in the past, and depending where this falls in your life/chart, you can see major changes and transformation manifesting in bold and decisive ways now. 

Mercury’s semis square to Jupiter tends to overload us with ideas, so it’s probably wise to spend some time prioritizing and organizing your time so that you don’t try to do too much all at once. Whatever you begin will turn out better if you take your time being meticulous in the way you express yourself and in the way you approach new ventures.  Take care of details and pay attention to the broader spectrum on any project, situation, relationships, or decision you are involved in right now. Our minds are stimulated and we may feel a touch of spring fever in the Northern hemisphere....making us feel restless, anxious, and overstimulated. Find healthy ways to let off steam. Get out and take a long walk, go swimming, get some exercise, and channel your energy in prayer, meditation, or some other form of body and energy work (yoga, pilates, tennis). Mantra meditation is a useful tool for handling this type of energy, as is singing and dancing. Use your own judgement as to what works for you to settle down. I personally find singing and dancing stimulating, so neither is appropriate when my mind is racing. Find the ways that settle, calm, and center you so that you can make the best use of the energy within and around you at this time.

The Sun in Taurus sextiles Chiron in Pisces, indicating that you may find a greater sense of purpose or more clarity of mission at this time. Look for areas where your healing in some area of life can lead you to grow and change in ways that make you happier, healthier, and more fulfilled.  Be willing to ask yourself what needs to change in order for you to live more according to your desires, purpose, and true nature.  What would it take to be a healthier, happier you?  When the Sun is in Taurus, we are reminded by the beauty of the earth, the elements, and the welling up from within, that our Divine Creator has infused us each with spiritual truth and longing that guides and motivates us throughout our lives. Like the newborn child, the flower in bloom, or the seed that is beginning to sprout, we require care, tenderness, and nourishment to grow. We require love and security to affirm and bless us, and we require courage and trust to allow our lives to be infused and guided by Divine Love.  Chiron in Pisces reminds us on the deep soul level of our Divine nature.  We reflect love. Love is our birthright, and the sacred connection which allows us to love one another and live according to the Divine plan.  Trust that you are being loved, guided, guarded, and blessed right where you are at all times. Allow yourself to receive Divine inspiration, to enjoy the life you’ve been given, and to share the love only you can express.  Create, love, and give thanks for the gift of life.

Mercury is in sextile aspect to Neptune, heightening our intuitive senses. Allow the gifts of knowing, however you experience them, to well up within you and lead you to the perfect expression of your being. Be creative. Do your art. Allow your imagination to brim over and fill your life with ideas, beauty, and treasures. Be inspired, and be yourself so you can inspire others by moving and operating from the integrity of your true being.  Put some flowers in your hair. Dance around the May Pole or out in the garden. Walk along the river or stand by the ocean or at the foot of the mountain, and give thanks for what you have, for what you can give, and for those who have filled your life with love. 

Afterglow                                                                                                                                      Catherine Al-Meten

Eclipse Cycles and the April Full Moon

You can order your copy of Elements of Tarot: A Guide for a Spiritual Journey
by Catherine Al-Meten at Amazon.com

Pink Sky                                                                                                                                     Catherine Al-Meten

This last week has been an example of how the explosiveness of the Crown of Fire can be misdirected with tragic results.  When we are not consciously aware of how our actions and responses affect others, we release energy in ways that can be, at the very least hurtful and at the most, destructive and damaging to ourselves and others. Using the information astrology can provide is one small way of becoming more informed about how we use our energy.  Already I am reading ‘dire warnings’ about the upcoming series of eclipses.  Again, by reacting to negativity rather than using signs and energy as guidelines and warnings, we miss the point.  While the events of the last week have been upsetting and stressful for many, they have given us all an opportunity to observe both how others respond to tragedy and violence, and how we process and deal with the associated stress and trauma. 

If we can remember that astrological information (transits, aspects, planetary and solar and lunar movement) give us indications of what is possible or what energies are prevalent, then we can alleviate some of the fear, sense of helplessness or hopelessness that many have fallen into over the last week or so.  What we have experienced in this country over the events and aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, is what people in many parts of the world live with day to day. In countries that have been torn apart by war, what we have been experiencing is the daily routine. 

Having lived on the East Coast for a while, I understand too how much these events triggered the memories and responses of the terrorist attacks of September 11. We are all caught up in the cycle of violence that threatens to shape our entire psyche if we do not learn the lessons inherent in these times. We have the opportunity to change the course of human history if we learn how to channel our energies, deal with conflicts and meet challenges without the use of war and terror.  We, as humans, have perpetuated the cultures of war and violence, and we, as humans, have the opportunity to turn things around. We now have the challenge before us to create healing, understanding, compassion, and tolerance while setting limits on the kinds of disorder we can allow each other to inflict on one another.  This is a testing time, and how we respond as individuals, as communities, organizations, nations, and as one common humanity, will determine our future.  Rather than live in dread and fear of the future, let us learn how to use our energy for the betterment of ourselves, of one another, and of our entire planet. Let’s start by learning what some of the influences are that are affecting how we feel, what potentialities are arising, and what challenges and limitations may need to be dealt with.  

The Eclipse Cycle for 2013.

At 3:58 EDT/12:58 PDT, a Lunar Eclipse will occur on April 25, 2013 at 5 degrees and 46 minutes of Scorpio (opposite the Sun in Taurus), affecting people born with personal planets and points at approximately 1 to 11 degrees of the Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) most significantly. Lunar eclipses occur at the Full Moon while Solar eclipses occur during the New Moon phase. A Lunar eclipse is always in the sign opposite the Sun, while the Solar eclipse always occurs in the same sign as the new Moon.

The house/houses where the Sun and Moon are transiting during an eclipse indicate the area/s of life that will be affected. For the Lunar Eclipse of April 25, 2013 the Sun is in Taurus and the Moon will be in Scorpio. This is the case every year at this time, though there is not always an eclipse. When there are a series of eclipses in a given year, they signify a trend of a certain type of energetic changes and movement. The current cycle which began last November, signifies a need to release and repattern our ways of dealing with all areas of our lives. It deals with the expansion and transformation of ways of knowing, ways of believing, and ways of doing.  

Eclipses have captured the imagination of humans since the beginning of time, in part because they are clearly visible. An eclipse occurs when the Sun and the Moon come into a direct oppositional alignment to one another. They form a straight line, where in a Solar Eclipse, the Moon casts her shadow on the Sun. A Lunar eclipse results when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon at roughly 12 degrees of the lunar nodes during which time the Moon loses her reflected light from the Sun (the Earth blocks it). The Moon appears to turn dark red in the Earth’s shadow.  A lunar eclipse follows the Solar eclipse in roughly two weeks. Lunar nodes refer to a point of intersection, not to an actual planetary body. 

To get a visual idea of how eclipses work, visit NASA’s website. 

When are the eclipses in 2013? 

Last November 28, 2012 at 6:46 AM (PST) there was a Full Moon eclipse at 6/47 Sagitarrius/Gemini. 

The New Moon of May 9, 2013 A Solar Eclipse occurs on May 9, 2013, at 19 degrees and 31 minutes of Taurus, affecting people born with personal planets and points at approximately 15 to 25 degrees of the Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) most significantly.

Full Moon of May 25 

A Lunar Eclipse occurs on May 25, 2013 at 4 degrees and 8 minutes of Sagittarius (opposite the Sun in Gemini), affecting people born with personal planets and points at approximately 0 to 9 degrees of the Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) most significantly.

A Lunar Eclipse occurs on October 18, 2013 at 25 degrees and 45 minutes of Aries (opposite the Sun in Libra), affecting people born with personal planets and points at approximately 20 to 30 degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) most significantly.

A Solar Eclipse occurs on November 3, 2013 at 11 degrees and 16 minutes of Scorpio, affecting people born with personal planets and points at approximately 6 to 16 degrees of the Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) most significantly.

To view the Eclipse Charts for 2013 visit Cafe Astrology’s website. 

What is the Significance of the Eclipse Cycle of 2013?

Eclipses symbolize what needs to change and what is being birthed. If we have planets, the Sun, or the Moon within 2-7 degrees of an eclipse point, they will have a greater significance. The eclipse signs are Scorpio (the north node) and Taurus (the south node). Traditionally in astrology, the North Node represents the areas of strength in your chart; the South Node denotes an area of challenge or weakness. Scorpio’s rulers, Pluto and Mars, represents the archetypal energy of power, passion, action, and depth. Taurus, ruled by Venus, represents the archetypal earthy energy of peace, order, and beauty. When the eclipse makes an aspect to one of your natal or progressed planets, houses, Moon or Sun, you can expect a change. 

The nature of the change depends upon which area of your life is affected and is affected by the nature of the sign and aspect of the planets, Moon or Sun and of the transits/aspects.  For example, I the Moon triggers your Natal or Progressed Moon, the nature of the change may be on an emotional level. If the transiting Moon is in the same house/sign as your Natal/Progressed Moon, then whatever area of life that house rules will likely be affected. For example, if my Natal Moon is in the 7th house and the Transiting Moon and eclipse is in the 7th house, then the area of marriages and partnerships  will be affected. In order to understand how an eclipse, or any other transit or aspect might affect you, you need to know something about your own natal and progressed chart. [If you need your chart done, contact me at Intuitive Insight Pathways, c.j.almeten@gmail.com]

Eclipses occur in families. The ancient Babylonians discovered how eclipses function in cycles/families. They are better understood as a cycle of events rather than as one event. The cycle, has a beginning, middle, and end, and represents a certain type of energy being released, dealt with, and synthesized into the energy, lives, and movement of the times. Since any one eclipse could set off energy that could manifest over thousands of years, the Bablyonians refined their understanding by breaking down the patterns within the cycles themselves. By 747 BCE, the Babylonians had developed a system whereby they could accurately predict the cycle of eclipses in a series. In the 10th Century CE, Greek lexicographer, Suidas, named this cylcle, Saros, meaning repitition or repeated. Each Saros was repeated every 18 years (plus or minus 9-11 days). For more information on the Saros cycles, read  Bernadette Brady’s paper on Saros Cycles. 

There are a number of Saros series eclipses for both the Solar and Lunar eclipses. Each Saros Series lasts for 6, 585.3 days over the course of its more than 1000 year cycle.  Something to be said for “the past is always present.”  

The Lunar Eclipse of April 25, 2013.

The Lunar Eclipse with the Moon in Scorpio and the Sun in Taurus, affects our minds and our emotions. It is a good time to do inner work using prayers, meditation, yoga, long walks, or some other form of reflective and centering energy work.  The eclipse awakens areas of discomfort and stress bringing us into greater awareness of anything that is off center, disturbing, or in need of change.  Our emotions become like a barometer for our intuition at this time, so listen to what your inner being is signaling. 

The Sun moved from its final degree on April 18 into Taurus April 19 at 6:03 P.M. (EDT), 3:03 (PDT), almost to the hour of when the Boston Bombing manhunt ended. Mercury remains in Aries until May 1. Venus just moved into Taurus on April 15, and will remain there until May 9. Mars is completing her transit through Aries on April 20 at 7:08 AM (EDT) 4:08 AM (PDT) when she entered Taurus where she will stay until May 31. Saturn is in Scorpio (8 degrees) , Jupiter is in Gemini (15 degrees), Uranus remains in Aries (9 degrees) , Pluto remains in Capricorn (11 degrees), Neptune and Chiron in Pisces (4 degrees and 12 degrees). 

The Full Pink Moon.

The Full Pink Moon gets its name because of the wild flowers that appear around the time of this moon. The moss pink or wild ground phlox, is one of the first spring flowers in some parts of the country. On the lawn outside my house in the Pacific Northwest, small pink daisies are in bloom, and the sunsets are full of pinks and purples at this time of the year. The Full Moon of April is also called the Sprouting Grass Moon and the Egg Moon. The coastal and river tribes call this the Fish Moon for this is when the smelt and shad swim upstream to spawn. 

The Full Moon at 5 degrees Scorpio, trines both Neptune in Pisces and Ceres in Cancer. It is exact on the star Gacrux in the Crucifix or Southern Cross. It is said of the Southern Cross, ‘[it]  gives perseverance, but many burdens, trials and responsibilities, together with much suffering and many hardships.”  Though we in the Northern Hemisphere cannot view the Southern Cross from where we live, it nonetheless signifies the archetypal energy of guidance and releasing and letting go. The eclipse is crossed by Neptune in Pisces trine with Ceres in Cancer. If any of these aspects land in your 1st (Ascendent), 4th (IC), 7th (Descendent) or 10th (MC) axis, this is sure to be a time of great change in your life.  This same point will be reactivated again on November 1 when Uranus and Pluto square one another shortly before the Solar Eclipse of November 3, 2013. 

What does all this mean?  

Neptune represents self sacrifice, or selflessness. We can be a martyr or we can act out of compassion and selflessness. Chiron, also in Pisces, will be transited by the Full Moon in Scorpio, further focusing on our need for healing and taking better care of ourselves. Whatever house the Moon transits or aspects will be highlighted by the need to tend to unaddressed issues, conflicts, problems, or hidden desires. You may find yourself asking yourself about your real purpose, the direction and manner of your choices and lifestyle, and whether or not you need to make adjustments so that you are able to be more productive, happier, healthier, and purposeful in all you do.  Ceres in Cancer’s trine to Neptune in Pisces energizes wisdom that helps us find greater security, a sense of safety and connectedness, along with deeper, more insightful kinds of wisdom from the Divine, the subconscious, and the Unconsciousness---all calling to create, connect, conceive, and express greater compassion in all areas of life, but particularly where the eclipse take place and areas it activates. 

To learn more about the Soros Series cycles visit this website. 

After two very heavily-laden full moons, the first in water the second in fire, the Scorpio Full Moon brings a greater balance of earth and water. The Taurus Sun grounds us in pragmatic, solid, and intractable energy while Scorpio infuses us with tenacity and insight. The Scorpio-Taurus axis provides energy that puts us in touch with the the cycles of life, the elements and energies of our earthly home, and the thresholds and turning points that signal change and movement.

The Sun in Taurus is conjunct Mars, and the Moon in Scorpio conjuncts Saturn.  Mars is being cooled and slowed down after its fiery transit through Aries. Our emotional energy also deepens, and any effort to ‘push the river’ or force issues through ill-advised actions or speech, will not serve us. Saturn in Scorpio is moving us inward to use our inner resources to think things through and to carefully consider any choices, decisions, or directions we are contemplating making. This is a more reflective time than we have been through recently. Keep in mind the Pluto retrograde, another element that is affecting us deeply right now. Pluto’s transformative journey through Capricorn, and its recent retrograde (until September) reminds us it’s better to use this time for reflection, planning, and reconsidering our actions and decisions so we do not get ourselves into areas we will regret later.  Truly a time of submission to the Divine and “tending to our knittin’” as my Great Grandmother said, so I am told.  We each have enough to deal with taking care of business without upsetting everything now before we have had time to reflect and discern.

Neptune and Chiron in Pisces sextile the Sun and trine the Moon, encourages us to act out of compassion, treat others with respect and kindness, and be more tolerant and understanding with others and with ourselves.  One of my writer friends, Hope, wrote a beautiful piece in her end-of-the-week newsletter.  Sometimes doing the work, whatever it may be, is the easy part. She compared the job of marketing one’s own work, in her case, her books, even though she is a shy person.  We are all a bit like a shy person in some area of our lives, usually the area that matters the most to us.  We want to be safe. We want to not make any mistakes. We don’t want to put ourselves in jeopardy. Hope used the following example:

“It's like walking onto a bus, trying to determine who's safe to sit next to. We choose the sweet old lady with matching shoes and purse, avoiding the sour middle-aged man in the wrinkled trench coat. We dodge discomfort, thus making us make quick determinations on what part of life to engage in. All too often, we avoid wonderful opportunities because of the pinch of uneasiness that accompanies the experience.” 

Notice where you are setting  aside your own desires and true talents and gifts in order to do the safe, familiar, and often unfulfilling alternative to choosing the right path. This Full Moon in Scorpio and the eclipse offers an awakening from deep within, a call to listen and consider how you can more effectively choose. The Full Moon and all the planetary movement and energy awakens and moves us. What is needed is the clarity to know when it is time to speak, act, decide, or change. If we are muddled or overwhelmed in any way, making positive and healthy choices becomes more difficult. 

As the Full Moon rises to its peak, we need to channel our energy, ideas, and actions with thought, focus, and intention. It is vital that we use our resources to heal, create, connect, and nurture ourselves and others. Both the energy of the Full Moon and the eclipse remind us that we stand on the threshold of movement forward. We have reached a turning point, and if we don not understand that we have no choice but to proceed onward and to root ourselves in the truth of who we are right now, we have no hope of becoming what our minds envision or our spirit imagines.  Being at peace with ourselves, wherever we are, and turning away from the negative emotions, thoughts, or experiences that threaten to define us, is the salvation we need. Choose life and turn away from fear, anxiety, hate, injustice, inequity, or cowardice.  Choose life in each step.

Symbolism of the Full Pink Moon.

Astrology provides us with a symbolic and archetypal way to characterize and understand the energy, movement, challenges, and gifts that we all have access to for the way we live our lives and for the way we experience and process the energies at work in and around us.  

Astrology has been used for eons to interpret and symbolize different aspects of human understanding of the world in which we live and in our relationship with the Divine and sacred. Symbols, both in images and words, help describe different types of energy, movement, and aspects of our life journeys. Two systems that are often used by Astrologers are the Sabian symbols and the Kozminsky Symbols. The

Sabian Symbol for 5 degrees of Scorpio.  

A massive rocky shore presents its unchanging face of the centuries to the furies and coaxing calms of the sea.

(Learn more about the Sabian Symbols)

Kozminsky Symbol: An ancient temple from which shoot forth forks of electricity.  

“Isidore Israel Kozminsky was born on 25th October 1870 into a Prussian Jewish family who had emigrated to Australia via London a few years before his birth. Kozminsky was a well-known Jewish occult and esoteric author, reputed to have been a leading member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. His works reveal a very broad knowledge of esoteric tradition and astrological knowledge. During his life Kozminsky wrote several valuable books on astrology and numerology.”  Kozminsky’s symbols highlight the different degrees of each degree of the astrological cycle. 

Pluto's Retrograde Phase begins April 12, 2013

Shadow Time                                                                                                                Catherine Al-Meten

Pluto, the Great Transformer, stations direct on April 12, 2013, and stays in its retrograde phase in Capricorn until September 20, 2013.

In its retrograde phase, the pressure eases off and we enter a reflective period. In Capricorn Pluto, the archetype of how we use our energy and power, brings us into direct contact with major power issues. In its retrograde phase, Pluto remains intense in the retrograde phase. That intensity acts more on the subconscious than  in disruptions, major power plays, and confrontations in our lives and on the world stage. Our senses and intuition are heightened, making us more aware of other people’s motives and more trusting of our own intuitive knowledge and our understanding of situations, people, and ourselves. In other words, we are now processing some of the changes that have been brought about by Pluto’s journey through Capricorn.

In its retrograde phase, our attention moves from clearing the path before us or cleaning out closets, storage to changing the patterns of behavior, thinking, and basic perspective. We have several months to reflect and clear out our inner closet. We find we have much to process from all the changes that have been taking place. Pluto’s ground-breaking work in Capricorn together with Saturn’s movement through deep, dark, intuitive Scorpio, drives us deep into the unconscious realms of our own being...the point of departure for

all real change and restructuring of our personal lives.

We will find this time one of the deepest and most powerful times for self awareness. We are each on a journey into the realms of our own unconsciousness. What we find will enlighten us and change the course of our lives as we are able to see the patterns that have caused us to feel a loss of control in our lives. Pluto’s lessons come around power, and the retrograde phase is a particularly powerful time for making  necessary changes in our personal lives. Discover in your journey just how you tend to give your power away, allow yourself to be manipulated, or run away from direct confrontation at times when you feel under threat.

Pluto’s retrograde phase is a time of great potential for getting down to business in our spiritual journey and personal development. As Pluto moves into its retrograde phase, it also moves into a square alignment with Uranus, direct in Aries. That square becomes exact on May 21, 2013, and between now and then, we can expect to see a clash of ideas and wills on the world stage that comes to a head about that time.

The gift of Pluto in retrograde is the opportunity to spend some serious time looking at what needs to change within ourselves for our lives to evolve and transform in a direction that can enable us to  experience deep and lasting change. Letting go of self destructive patterns of thinking and behavior, releasing ourselves from attachments and bonds that no longer serve our highest good and excellent health, and making every effort to understand and alter the shadow side of our nature helps us make the most of this phase. Pluto’s underground, transformative work connects us each to one another in ways that the unconscious manifests in and around us. When we are attempting to live on the level of superficial and cosmetic alterations or cover up, we live a life of ignorance. Pluto’s archetype is such that we are plunged into the realities of that require us to deepen our understanding, broaden our view of the world and one another, and prepare ourselves to reshape whatever area of our lives Pluto is in the process of transforming, so that that area of your being is able to sustain and support your journey. 

Examine your image of the Divine. Do you view God as some tyrant or jealous anthropomorphic father who abuses and reigns fire and brimstone on you, or is you idea of God a loving and supporting source of light, energy, Love, Intelligence, Life-giving and Life-sustaining.  What archetypes of power, especially Divine power, reign in you and your life? Now is the time to align yourself in the perfect Light of the God of Love, who infuses you with all you need to choose Life. 

New Moon in Aries triggers the Crown of Fire

Hill of Daffodils                                                                                                                 Catherine Al-Meten

A thought about how to understand fire energy:

"The most visible joy can only reveal itself to 

us when we have transformed it, inside."

Rainier Maria Rilke

On Wednesday, April 10 at 2:35 AM PDT/5:35 EDT, the New Moon peaks in Aries, in 20/41degrees. As the Moon moves into Aries this week, she will conjunct first Mercury in Pisces at 24/47 degrees and then Uranus at 9/11 degrees of Aries hours before coming into conjunction with the Sun 20/41, Mars 22/23, and Venus 23/55. All of this is setting off fireworks, lighting up and highlighting whatever area of life/chart Aries is for you. This New Moon particularly affects those of us with key points and aspects in our charts in the Cardinal signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn between 17-25 degrees. 

The Moon will also aspect, that is make direct angles (squares, semi-squares, sextiles, quintiles, and trines) to these degrees in the Cardinal signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn). Everyone has Cardinal points in their charts; it helps to understand what areas of our lives these are. Understanding that cardinal points are in certain areas of our lives enables us to determine where and how we can deal with such active energy. For example, if you understand that a cardinal point is in your 12th house, the house of the unconscious, the hidden, areas that are not yet understood, secrets, and the not-yet-manifested aspects of our shadow self and that which is needed to encourage our growth, this might be a time when a great deal of activity, change, and growth is happening, with our without your intention.  Whatever needs to happen, be released, or changed, is now being triggered. 

To understand how this affects us, we also need to see that all areas of our lives are interconnected, just as we are connected and interacting with a wide array of people, conditions, and energy moving within us and throughout different areas of our lives. Last night, for the first time, I traveled back in time looking at a family line on Ancestry.com.  With my great fascination with history, culture, and family, I wonder why I hadn’t done that sooner, but it was such an interesting experience to learn about and even see the faces of some of the people whose blood runs in my veins. I traced one aspect of my Mother’s family, and found a photograph of women, who on first glance, looked very stern and not too happy. As I learned more about them, I looked at their faces again, and recognized myself, and the women in my family in their faces and narratives. When I realized in real time just what it means to be ‘connected’ to one another, I understood more deeply why it is that we have such a difficult time figuring out all the interactions with people whom we know nothing about, and who are not directly linked to us in some direct biological way.  All of this to show how the 12th house exploration can open us up to deeper, more intense longings, explorations, and revelations, if we are willing and ready to pay attention.  For those of you with Libra sitting on or near your Ascendent or resting in your 12th house, this same type of energy calls you to discover, more deeply, what is rising up within you to be discovered. 

When planets, the Sun, and the Moon crowd together accentuating certain houses/areas of your life, that entire area of your life will be dramatically affected. Think of your chart, the wheel or circle of life, as having different directions, North, South, East, and West.  Each of the four directions on the chart/life, represents a different area of life: A stellia, group of heavenly bodies in a group, affects the entire region of our lives where the stellia occurs.

East, the Descendent (7th house), affects  6th 7th and 8th houses. The 6th house issues include: physical health and how we spend our daily energy/jobs/lifestyle and its affect on our health; The 7th house issues include: our marriages, partnerships; and our 8th house issues include:  relationships with other peoples’ monies, goods, and energy, and in general, our orientation to others.  

West, the Ascendent (1st house), affects 1st, 2nd and 12th houses. The 1st house deals with self awareness, how we come across to others. The North (Midheaven, Cusp of the 10th house) affects the 9th, 10th, and 11th houses, representing how we experience, grow, learn, develop, and come to wholeness in life. The South (IC or Cusp of the 4th house) affects the 3rd, 4th, and 5th houses, and the learning processes of our early life, and how that carries over into how we feel at home, grounded, and comfortable in our own skin as we live life.  

Determining where the Stellia of fire is building up to its fireworks display and release of powerful energy within and around us, helps us see what areas of our lives need attention.  For myself, this is falling into the Southern section of my chart, and any unhealed issues that have been carried over into adulthood, are being worked out and processed through what is going on. The challenges come in areas of processing and communicating ideas (3rd house), creating and maintaining a home and a sense of being at home with myself (4th house), and of expressing creativity, feeling pleasure, connecting with children and giving birth to new ideas and projects. Also connecting with  needs for sensuality and affection.  Notice the areas of your life that are “taking a beating” or “arousing and awakening” you.  Notice what areas of your body are feeling the stresses and strains, or what details of life are getting more difficult to deal with, and that will probably point you into the direction of where this Stellia is moving now.  Ideally, get your chart done, and learn more about how you can understand the trends and influences we meet in life so you don’t feel you are at the mercy of outside forces. 

We can also understand what issues are affected most by the different areas of our chart/life.  In our relationships, the Eastern sector of our chart, we deal with issues of ego justification, defense, and the struggle to maintain one’s personal sense of safety and identity within relationship and intimacy.  If you think you have no relationships, notice what may be holding you away from intimacy. 

In the way we project ourselves and the way we are perceived, Ascendent (1st house), we deal with issues of giving ourselves away, projecting our ideas on others, or becoming so self-effacing that we have no sense of who we are. We mirror whatever anyone wants us to be so we don’t have to ‘be’ ourselves and take the responsibility for being our authentic selves. Ooooh! Hit home with anyone of you ‘people pleasers’? In the Northern section of our chart (10th) we deal with issues of settling unfinished business from childhood or any areas of the past that remain unhealed, dysfunctional, or blocking our full and authentic expression of self In the Southern section (4th house) we deal with issues of feeling victimized, controlled, at the mercy of forces beyond our control, or being bullied and pushed around.

On Sunday, April 7, Venus in Aries conjuncted Mars (late last night or early this morning, depending where you live). It had been building and will leave a lasting impression as we move closer to the New Moon. It raises issues, questions, and brings things to a head when challenged or confronted. This conjunction releases a lot of passionate energy. We take the initiative in areas that bring us great pleasure. Sexual and sensual energy combine as we seek to find greater satisfaction and expression of our feelings and desires in relationships, art, all areas of creativity, love, and intimacy. Since the  energy is so potent and powerful, it is vital to seek harmony in using the energy so it doesn’t knock us off-center or exhaust us. In the right combination, we can use the softening power of Venus and the activating energy of Mars to join together to make beautiful music, literally and figuratively. We may enjoy using some of this energy in friendly, evocative competition.

Everything in our chart/life affects and interconnects to everything else. Not only are the planets, the Sun, and the Moon lining up for a dance of fire in Aries, but other planets are making aspects to this Stellia.

On Monday, April 8, the Sun in Aries semi-square Neptune at 4 degrees Pisces, may be felt as a lowering of physical and emotional energy, particularly if we need more rest and relaxation. It may be a good time to break with routine, engage in more creative and artistic pursuits, or drop down into some deep meditation or prayer to revitalize your spiritual energy. Allow yourself some time to escape from a rigid schedule, and spend some time in reflection, taking a walk, going for a swim, or lazing about a bit, contemplating what really matters in the grand scheme of things. Use the time to further clear your head and shelves of unwanted clutter, so that you enter the New Moon time with a peaceful, restful mind.  This is the last day of a very long and active lunar year. The New Moon in Aries finds us, once again, at the gateway of a new year, a new phase of life, and a new opportunity to move on and create the life we came here to help build.  For today, take a break, pat yourself on the back, and let go of all your “cares and woes...”!

On Wednesday early morning (or late night Tuesday), Mercury forms a seisquadrate aspect to Saturn in Scorpio. With Saturn in Scorpio, many of us are getting some pretty interesting messages during our dream time.  If you’re not awake when this happens, you might find your dreams a bit intriguing. This aspect deals with dealing with red tape and  finishing unfinished business.  It triggers hypersensitivity about any area of our lives where we are even a teeny bit insecure, or leads us into the realm of negativity. We may notice difficulties with different forms of communication.  Notice what arises, and use your ability to meditate and channel your energy into positive outlets, relieve you of some of the stress of life.

The Stellia of Fire. On Wednesday, the New Moon in Aries, conjuncts the Sun in Aries at 20 degrees. Again, this will directly impact any of the Cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, especially those with planets, or aspects between 17-20 degrees.  The Moon conjuncts both Venus and Mars in Aries, signaling impulsive behavior, and the desire to take immediate action. This could affect romantic, financial, and creative ideas and efforts, and could lead to some competitive or rash decisions and actions.  Whatever you act upon during this New Moon, will have long-lasting effects. If in doubt, don't. If you can't help yourself, expect there to be some interesting consequences. While we tend not to take advice when given, it might be wiser to wait than to act impulsively and lose something of great value.  What will be, will be however. 

Thursday can be quite a healing day, following on the energy of the New Moon in Aries.  The Moon, moves into Taurus, grounding our energy as the planets continue to make some very positive aspects, first a sextile to Neptune in the morning. We may awaken with some fresh insights, interesting and fruitful dreams, or a new perspective. We can help this along by using our spiritual practices (prayer, meditation, yoga, ritual, inspirational reading, singing, dancing, or creating something beautiful to prepare yourself and your home for the new lunar year. By late afternoon, Venus semi-square Chiron (the Wounded Healer) in Pisces

On Friday, as Venus in Aries continues in its semi-squares Chiron in Pisces, our tendency is to focus on conflicts and differences, rather than mediation and peacemaking. We may feel blocked in our efforts to feel connected with those we love, or to be misunderstood or unappreciated. Using this energy to weigh situations and seek a greater understanding is probably more effective than getting deeper into confusion, conflict, or disagreements. We don’t change people by our will, or any other way quite frankly. Venus is Aries wants to fix, to do, to get things done, and to move on ahead. 

Chiron, the Wounded Healer, moves very slowly, and in this case is teaching us all how to slow down, allow ourselves to come to healing the ‘take it easy’ way. Stop beating yourself up, or expecting everyone else to do what you need to do now. Use this creative and passionate energy to work on coming to wholeness within yourself. Treat yourself with kindness, understanding, and compassion. Bring yourself into a place where you can heal what needs to be healed within you so you don’t expect others to live up to your ideal. Work within for now; that’s where the healing place is. Sit by the fires of your own hearth. Hold counsel with your Higher good. Sit in the Presence of the Divine, and let that Divine Love pour into you, bringing you to wholeness and health.

Late Friday night, Mercury enters Aries, so you might begin to receive messages about whatever you have been waiting to hear or understand.  Mercury in Aries coincides with a quickening of our thought processes and all forms of communication. Mercury is the ruler of communication, including our thought processes. Our mental chatter picks up. We feel more compelled to ‘tell it like it is’ or express ourselves now rather than later. Time to use a little discretion and find ways to channel the ideas, writing them down, using them for creative projects, or slowing our mental chatter with some meditation or other mind-relaxing and releasing forms of activity.  Physical exercise may help. It’s not that the ideas aren’t good; it’s usually that there are just too many ideas and not all of them are equal. Allow the ideas to come forth, and then set them aside for discernment and reflection. At the same time, because we are all feeling this energy, others may become more demanding, and it may become harder to say ‘no’ or ‘you’ll have to wait’ than it normally is. Learn now how to handle this type of energy. 

Mercury in Aries lends itself to getting things done quickly, and doing a number of projects at one time.  Nothing is ever as urgent as Mercury in Aries seems to make us feel. Slow down, be more cautious, and learn to use the energy efficiently.

On April 15, Venus enters Taurus bringing with it some of the most beautiful energy and the desire for fine things. Graciousness, refinement, and a taste for beautiful things, defines the Venus in Taurus transit. When Venus transits the warm and earthy sign of Taurus, we long for experiences that endure, we desire the richest of what the earth has to offer (walks in the forest, being close to the rivers and the ocean, sitting on the porch under a starlit sky).

This will be a time when we want everything we do, all our relationships, our work, our homes, and ourselves to be lavished with gifts, grace, and beauty. We may come to value ourselves more, and see that we are the ones who came here to love us.  We connect to our value as a gift of Divine Love, and welcome with openness and receptivity, all the the Divine longs to shower on us and infuse us with.  Enjoy this lovely week, and give yourself time to ponder what matters most to you. What needs healing? What desires do you have yet to fulfill? What can you give yourself of value that will improve and foster growth in your life? What seeds have you planted? What bounty awaits you? Welcome your highest good, and receive the gifts of life that are meant for you to use to grow, love, and develop. Welcome this time to come to greater wholeness and healing within. Turn your heart and eyes toward harmony within.

First Quarter Square of the Moon in Capricorn and the Sun in Aries

Walking into my morning yoga class, a friend asked me what was happening, astrologically. I quite honestly don’t spend my time thinking about the planets and movement of the moon and sun and nothing else.  Astrological information is part of the information take in, and some days I barely consider where the Sun is or what Venus is doing or how Uranus is lining up. However, when people ask those kind of questions, it usually indicates that something is affecting people. When I came home and was doing business on the phone, I noticed I was edgy and some of the people I talked to on the phone seemed off kilter too. The bus driver was even cranky this morning, so I thought, “Maybe I need to look and see what’s going on.” 

The first quarter square of the Moon to the Sun is occurring today, and that often makes us feel a bit tense and out of sorts. The Moon governs our emotional life, the tides, and a great deal of the water energy of the Earth.  The Moon is in 13 degrees of Capricorn today, lending a rather heavy feeling to whatever we are doing. The Moon squares the Sun in Aries at 13 degrees, and the Moon also squares Venus and then Mars.  Right after that last early morning transit, the Moon goes Void of Course until tomorrow morning. This VOC time often lends itself to a period of feeling the need to finish up old projects, to get more rest and proper nourishment, or to take a break from starting new projects or activities. Together with the square aspects to the Moon and other close planets, we may be feeling a bit out of sorts. Time to slow down, take better care of ourselves, and not push ourselves beyond the limits of our resources, energy, and time.

On April 5-6 Venus moves into conjunction with Mars in Aries. We may be attracted to more exciting and exotic ideas, people, or activities. This influence sets off sparks around those areas related to what we love to do, how we love to be, and what we long to feel. Mars signals the desire and inclination to act, sometimes rashly. We may feel more passionately about whatever area of our lives/charts Aries is hosting these two planets, the Sun and Uranus. A few days ago when Venus conjuncted Uranus, we may have felt a desire to live more freely, act more according to our desires, and take greater risks. Something may have happened to change your entire perspective on your life and how you are living it, and that may have signaled the opening of a new path before you. Venus conjunct Mars may find us feeling greater satisfaction and fulfillment than we may have felt in a great long time. Experiences of love at first sight, or an awakening of one’s true desires and events that seem to direct us toward the fulfillment of those desires, are both likely with this powerful aspect. Again, depending upon where this activates your life/chart, you are at the very least going to be feeling better and wanting to enjoy your life and work more than usual.  Routines, ruts, and stagnant patterns of behavior are just disintegrating all around us right now. We see for ourselves, what is working and what is not, and we are adapting, making necessary changes, and moving forward the way the river is flowing rather than against it. 

On April 6 when Neptune forms a semi-square to Venus, there may be some confusion, doubt, or self-conscious fears about new feelings and experiences. Butterflies in the stomach, or second thoughts about your feelings, are common expressions of being thrown for a loop emotionally, as can happen when we become more aware of our deep inner being waking up and connecting with that which is right in our lives. There may also areas where we become more aware of how we have been misled or how we have misinterpreted the meaning and intentions of others.   From April 9-10, the doubts disappear and we get caught up in the passion of new ideas, romances, feelings, and desires.

Mercury, the planet of communications, has been in Pisces and will continue this watery transit until April 13 when Venus enters Aries. It continues to be a time of heightened intuition, creativity, as well as a time of deep awakening of the unconscious. We begin to learn more about our deepest desires as we become more open to the Universal Consciousness, the greater energies of the Universe and the deeper connections we are feeling for one another, our homes and the environment around us, and for our ability to reach beyond the limits of home to receive the gifts of what once seemed strange and distant. Still a time that is highly emotional and deeply imaginative, we are better able to express ourselves through symbols, archetypal forms, and more intuitive, expressive means. When Mercury moves into Aries next week, this energy that has been building within us, rising up from our unconscious, and streaming into our being and experiences will begin manifesting through our actions and through more outer expressions.

If we can give ourselves permission to do more than tend to the tasks at hand. Some of us overwork ourselves, spend too much time worrying, fretting, or feel that we have to “take care of just one more thing” before we give ourselves the needed rest, exercise, companionship, and pleasure we need.  Our work suffers. Our relationships suffer, and we certainly suffer when we aren’t aiming for a more balanced life.  Stretching ourselves to learn, to grow, to discover, and to connect in ways that allow our expansion and spiritual growth to propel us forward are necessary elements for all of us right now. 

Take time to walk in the grass, dig in the earth, let the streams wash our feet and carry us with the tides that move us closer to the openness of life. It can only do us good right now. Avoid being with those who dampen your enthusiasm or who live out of fear, shame, or negativity. Shake off that which slows, harms, or drains you now.  Not the time to feel compelled to give more energy than we have or to take on more than we can handle.  Sort, sift, separate the archetypal shaft from the grain at this point, and select the seeds that hold the most promise. Then prepare the ground, plant the seeds, and tend the garden of your dreams as you watch it grow. 

Tend to the details that require your immediate attention. Allot some time on a schedule to take care of business, giving yourself a time budget so you know your intention is connected to a specific time to handle that business, and then disconnect  the mental, emotional, and physical energy and live in the present allowing yourself time to communicate, meditate, pray, dance, swim, walk, clear and clean, putter, live more beautifully, make a nice meal, and enjoy the beauty of being who you are. As one of my dear friends said to me last night, "I revel in the life I am living. "

Life in Bloom                                                                                                                               Catherine Al-Meten