Aries Power Punch, Neptune enters Pisces and Richard Branson buys Pluto!

WOW. There is sooooo much happening cosmically, that I didn’t even mention in this blog’s title that it is Mercury Retrograde right now. This phase runs from March 30 to April 22. Mercury is reversing through Aries: sign of initiating endeavors, idealism and yes, war. Aries does not like to sit still. So the retrograde this month will be especially challenging. Even as I write this, (or should I say, “re”write this as my original blog was lost in one of the retrograde’s infamous communication snafus) it will be difficult to follow the retrograde’s usual “re”commended “re” activities: rest, restore, relax, revisit, etc. Life certainly demands us to carry on with daily living but “re”member: the best time for major purchases or signing documents is after April 22nd. Traveling back over the collection of planets in Aries, Mercury will touch Jupiter, the Sun and Mars before turning direct later in April. In its reverse path, the messenger planet asks us to review our plans for growth/expansion, identity and action. Along with yesterday’s New Moon, it is best to visualize new seeds you want to plant for the future. Then after the 22nd, move forward with gusto! The planetary stellium in Aries is joined by Uranus, planet of surprise, upheaval and revolution. Is it any wonder that so many Muslim countries, typically bound by religious tradition, are witnessing explosive change? Or that the United States and its NATO allies decided to take military action in Libya recently. With four planets plus the Sun in Aries now, man is on the war path. Somewhere in your chart this group of planets in Aries is impacting you. Where are you experiencing change? In your home, at work or with friendships? Perhaps you are trying a whole new philosophy or approach to living? With Uranus new 84-year cycle beginning in Aries, each of us is asked to start fresh. Where is this occurring for you? Clearly, for Sir Richard Branson, one of the most successful risk-takers, Uranus is asking him to stretch himself even further: by buying Pluto. I, for one, did not know that it or any of the other planets (dwarf or not) were for sale. Astrologer Shelly Ackerman reported Sir Richard’s recent purchase stating, “Exactly who Branson bought Pluto from and what he paid for the Lord of the Underworld remains a mystery.” But evidently part of the deal is that Pluto is to be reinstated as a planet. You may recall that in 2006, astronomers demoted Pluto to a dwarf planet (whatever that is…). Along with astrologers, Sir Richards apparently disagreed with this demotion. Still, his purchase of Pluto begs the question: are Venus and Mars for sale, and if so, for what price and whom does one contact to place a bid? For more information on this story, please see: www.virgin.com/travel/news/branson-buys-pluto-reinstates-as-planet/ Last, Neptune moved into Pisces today. Neptune rules Pisces. Think of this movement similar to you being in your own home rather than being a guest in someone else’s house or staying in a hotel. Neptune in Pisces is a very comfortable fit. They rule the subconscious, water, music and unity, among other things. So we are now moving toward collective understanding that we are all ONE. That each of our actions creates a ripple in the ocean. With so much motion, we create great waves affecting each other and ultimately our entire planet. (Think Japan’s nuclear mess impacting all of us). Neptune in Pisces teaches us that we are part of a greater whole, our differences reflected in one another like water reflecting our image back to us. We watch the rise in ocean temperatures and sea levels and know that we are responsible for one another, the planet, its resources that we share and other creatures it sustains.