April 2018 Celestial Climate

Is your role getting in your way?

Before examining ‘roles’— April is another month with two retrogrades, plus one return to direct motion, and a New and Full Moon ruled by Mars. Not to mention Chiron dipping his hoof into a new era, leaving the wet spaciousness of Pisces and testing the fires of martian Aries.

First, we figure out what this Mercury in Aries Retrograde cycle means prior to mid-month’s new lunar cycle. This occurs as the Sun and Mercury conjoin April 1st. The Sun sheds some light on the situation with Mercury Rx, who symbolizes the Mind, linear thinking, youths, tricksters, teachers, information gatherers, short travels, the sense of touch, wellness, libraries, technology and communication.

What’s up with this battle of the mind anyway? I use the word ‘battle’ because it is associated with Aries, and has been my personal experience this time around. A battle between Mind and Spirit and all the fears of how to live a good life in the right way following two significant changes in the last couple of months.

For you, the Aries symbolism may be about mental risks or honest conversations or putting out fires caused by misinterpretation. This week someone told me he learned in a workshop that we misunderstand what someone tells us 1 out of 17! times. To fine-tune making sense of this period, it is helpful to know what house in your birth map Mercury is traveling through. That’s where an astrologer comes in handy, or software or an app.

Still we can get a lot from the Aries symbolism if we pay attention.

After Mercury is Direct

The vibration of Saturn’s shift backwards can reverberate as earthquakes and other natural disasters close to the 17th, then continuing through most of the rest of the month as Pluto Retrogrades on the 22nd and Mars conjoins with Pluto on the 26th.

Capricorn is an Earth sign and Saturn is structure, therefore the reference to earthquakes. We don’t want to make this an absolute or negative. From a symbolic perspective, what shake up is required to make structural changes, of all kinds, in our life?

And what about Chiron trying out Aries for a while until September 25? Chiron, the wise and injured Centaur, centers attention on our identities. Any chance we will bravely understand and accept who we are NOW? Aries, Cancers, Librans, and Capricorns born in the first 3 days of these signs receive a sneak preview of initiations, decisions, awarenesses and releases related to old hurts to selfhood.

Back to: Is your role getting in your way?

I’m going to use Canada as an example for this Saturn Retrograde cycle lasting until September 6, because Saturn Rx will oppose the Sun in Canada’s horoscope. Canada has Uranus and the Sun conjoined in Cancer. (Read more about Canada’s chart here: Independent and Pioneering. Compassionate and Protective. )

This configuration makes me wonder what decisions are being considered which reflect a past versus future energy and purpose? Saturn versus Uranus.

What conflicts must be resolved and how could Canada’s presence in the world appear later in the year? Saturn represents maturity, elders, and wisdom gained from years of experience and work. What on the world stage or at home will seemingly create a necessary balancing act between responsibility and freedom of expression (Uranus)? What role is part of Canada’s destiny?

(If you know of an astrologer who has written about this opposition relative to Canada, I would love to share that link here. Note: The retrograde also resonates with the United States chart though with a wider, more diffuse orb.)

In a human’s chart, we might think, when Saturn opposes the Sun, is responsibility getting in the way of unique presence, purpose or Light? Is there an imbalance on one side or the other? Too much me-time, not enough taking care of business or vice-versa.  The dilemma of doing the right thing or balance between personal creativity and the world or familial expectations can bog us down temporarily. If you are a Cancer born around June 30, give or take some days, this may be especially relevant for you. March 29 Aries, October 2 Librans and December 30 Capricorns may resonate to pressures about what a successful role in life is… for you.

For the rest of us, we have a Lunar cycle, this month, focusing on Passion and Will. The New Moon is in Aries, the Full Moon in Scorpio. Two sides of Mars, the extroverted, instinctive, courageous side; and the introverted, deeply emotional, focused and intense side. Combine these two and, wow, you can get a lot accomplished, which makes Saturn happy in the end.

Will you be happy too? My feeling is that to be happy, it is helpful to deeply understand and accept who we are beyond the roles we’ve assumed according to parental conditioning, culture, gender, and so on. That’s where astrology comes in— a symbolic language useful for engaging a conversation with our Spirit and Imagination.

Get those two connected and anything is possible. In passionate heart to hearts between the two, we get down to the bottom line of who we are. We recognize our Shadow and Light. The nasty and the sweet. The core of our being, warts and all.

Using zodiacal symbols, archetypes, our intuition and right brains, we become clear about our desires for ourselves in this Life regardless of what anyone else wants for us. Through inner resolve our Will is strengthened to attain our earthly desires, so we may reconnect with our natural divine marvelousness.

Living life is more than just reflecting on the symbols. Action! That is where the Aries side of Mars comes in. Deep understanding of one’s True Emotional Self. That’s where the Scorpio side comes in.

Understanding the True Self without the roles assigned to us, or those we take on during our life willingly or not. We are more than our circumstances.

This leads me to the Book of the Month written by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler. Life Lessons: Two Experts on Death and Dying Teach Us About the Mysteries of Life and Living.

Kübler-Ross, who wrote about the five stages of grief and explored near-death experiences, was born into triplets and speaks to how invisible she felt early in life. One of her lessons was to discover who she was outside of the triplet dynamic. Kessler, an end-of-life specialist, writes brilliantly about roles and how we look to other people and our cultural background to define who we are.  So often it is not until close to our deaths, when we discover our real identity.

Isn’t it up to us to know who we are if we want to lead good and happy lives? There may be strong reasons to play a role. My perspective is, if I choose to play a role, I better also have a good understanding of why and know who I am. In this way, my essence, my identity is not lost or hidden. So way before I die, I know myself and am delighted to have a most special, fully accepting relationship with myself.

• Use this Saturn Retrograde transition to not be frustrated by lack of motion or a possible, but not inevitable, crumbling life structure. Rejoice in the time to plan the rebuilding of you.
• Invite in Chiron to consider deeply who you are beyond the inevitable conditioning we all have out of necessity to live on this planet reasonably harmoniously.
• Dance in the dark at the New Moon in Aries, which is energized by Uranus and lends to the idea of a break-through or identity revolution.

• Awaken to who you are.

And, if it speaks to you, read the Book of the Month for more inspiration and learn the bottom line to the most important lesson of life is according to these authors. I’ll give you a hint. It starts with L. I doubt you will be surprised.

Peace.

 

P.S. Want to learn more about Saturn and Chiron read Saturn, Chiron and the Centaurs by Melanie Reinhardt.

P.S.S. A Facebook video resonating to Jupiter in Scorpio. Best Kept Secret in Medicine.

 

April

1. Vesta enters Capricorn. Sun conjoins Mercury Retrograde in Aries.
3. Mercury Rx in Pisces square Mars in Sagittarius (2/3).
5. Mercury Rx in Pisces square Saturn in Capricorn (2/3).
14. Jupiter in Scorpio Rx Last Quarter Sextile Pluto in Capricorn (2/3).
15. Mercury Direct in Aries.
15. New Moon in Aries.
17. Chiron enters Aries.
17. Saturn Retrograde in Capricorn. 9°
19. Sun enters Taurus.
22. Pluto Retrograde in Capricorn. 22°
24. Venus enters Gemini.
25. Mercury in Pisces square Saturn Rx in Capricorn (3/3).
26. Mars and Pluto Rx in Capricorn conjoin.
27. Juno enters Aries.
29. Full Moon in Scorpio.

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