The Surge Forward

Feeling dreamy?  Foggy?  Crystal clear?  Inspired?  Sleepy?  All of the above?

March begins in a Neptunian wonderland as the Sun makes its annual conjunction to Neptune on March 1^st.  This watery outlying planet rules the highest and lowest of humanity:  the saints and sinners, the glamorous to the guttural; mysticism and mysterious malaise.  Somewhere in the middle resides the truth, the facts, the actual essence of life.

Neptune and its sign Pisces increasingly infused our cosmic landscape and lives as February drew to a close and March commenced.  Rather than dominate (as would Taurus or Aries), gentle Pisces and Neptune wash over us, alluring, inspiring, tantalizing us with imaginative solutions, fantasy, the possible.  There is a reason it rules extreme polarities of human behavior:  It is a test of human judgment to cut through life’s fog, discern what is real from what is not, fact from fairy tale.  Those born with challenging aspects to Neptune may often spend a lifetime addicted, pursuing escape promised by any given drug (power, sex, money, and substances), or in a hazy confusion. Those with good, or no aspects, to Neptune may be possessed of pristine insight, artistic gifts and deep healing abilities.

Neptune and the sign it rules Pisces are so often misunderstood.  This energy may prompt dense misunderstanding if we do not slow down, take time to sort through details, give ourselves over to the source, root cause of the matter at hand.

Take for example the recent Academy Awards announcement for Best Picture which took place under a Piscean eclipse.  Pisces and Neptune rule fantasy, Hollywood, image….Warren Beatty was handed the wrong envelope to open and paused when he read the incorrect printing; instead of believing his eyes, asking for clarity…where is the envelope for Best Picture? to avoid the whole debacle, he and Faye Dunaway were eager to “get on with the show”, rushed to judgment and a major (or minor, depending on your viewpoint) error occurred.

Extend this scene to your own life:  where do you rush to judge?  Your job, co-workers, your neighbors, partner, children, personal health or finances?  Popping a pill with the desire to make the pain go away (or any other quick-fix cover), rather than hitting pause, taking time to sort through what is real, what is not, sourcing out the truth, will only lead you in circles until you run into yourself.  “Wherever you go, there you are” says the title of a wonderful book by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Neptune and Pisces are water.  What do we see in the water?  Our reflection.  Ourselves.  Do you like what you see?  If not, how do you go about changing your image?  What is on the inside reflects on the outside.  If your interior is not clean and whole (notice I did not say perfect), then your exterior will not present, reflect, as clean, whole, honest, real, true.

Pretenders take note.

And so it is with this steep dose of Neptunian energy that we wade into March.  We’d prefer to day dream; but to the contrary, we feel positively pushed, internally incited to DO on Day 1 of March.  Despite the Pisces Sun-Neptune pairing, an abundance of fire dominates the cosmic force field.  Serious Saturn in Sagittarius aligns beautifully with Motivating Mars and Change Agent Uranus in fiery Aries.  This combo says change and change now.  Like a match to gasoline, the emotional Moon joins Venus in this active Aries mix on March 1^st.   All things are possible.  Don’t like what you see in that Piscean reflecting pool?  No time like today to get going.  Make your move.  For some, this energy will feel like standing in a swamp or strong ocean waves, fighting to move ahead one step at a time.  Our feet (Pisces) get pulled down and under with each step and yet we push on, driven by tasks and to-dos.

Tempering our rush to pull the trigger is Generous Jupiter in judicious Libra.  Playing tug of war directly opposite Mars/Uranus, Jupiter’s placement is all about temperance, evaluating your options carefully before deciding how to move ahead.  Also helping us to clarify and discern reality is Mercury in Pisces.  Take a moment to meditate, pray if you like, ponder your situation.  Ask your inner authority for insight.  The answers (contrary to popular belief) reside within you, not externally.  Messenger Mercury in mystic Pisces says “follow the trail of breadcrumbs to find the answers.”  It is a magical journey if you allow.

Then, on March 4^th, Venus turns retrograde motion.  Talk about hitting the pause button.  Wow.  Every eighteen months the planet of love, money and relationships shifts into reverse gear, a giant re-wind to re-view your relationships (to money, other people and yourself).   The next six weeks is a great time to give yourself a makeover while Venus moves backward in Aries before turning direct motion on April 15.  Take stock, of yourself first.  What works and doesn’t work about you, your behavior, habits and patterns.  How do these impact (for better or worse) your life, including the most significant parts of your life – relationships to others, at home and work.  How do your patterns negatively or positively impact your ability to earn money, to earn a living?  This six week stretch is not a great time to start a relationship…of any kind.

It is also worth noting that Jupiter, the other great benefic planet is now retrograde in Libra, ruled by Venus, lending double emphasis on reviewing relationships, negotiation, diplomacy, art and beauty.

Having Neptune (imagination/escapism), Mercury (communication) and the Sun (our will) in dreamy Pisces will slow us down to ponder, wonder, and reflect.  Meanwhile, Saturn, Mars and Uranus fire signs are pressing the gas pedal to go, go, go ahead with changes.  How to manage this contrarian energy?  This clash of emotions and internal forces?

Take turns.  Be inspired and flow, then do, act.  Control what you can control and let the rest go.

Give each wave their due so neither feels squashed/suppressed.  Make like a painter:  apply that paint to the canvas of your life as needed.  Then step back and take in your picture.  Where do you need to make changes or adjustments, more here but less over there?  Paint accordingly.

Steadying our hand is Motivating Mars’ shift into earthy Taurus on Friday, March 10^th.  Pragmatic and real, Mars in Taurus lends a practicality to our thrust forward, especially in the areas of finance, how we bring home income, the kind of people and possessions we surround ourselves with.  Mars in Taurus wants us to make the most of our skills and talents.  Are you?

This is an especially vital question as it occurs under the light of a waxing Full Moon on March 12^th, in analytical Virgo.  This Full Moon really tempers our emotions, the clash of cosmic planetary cycles in fire and water, colliding within us.  Eminently practical, she makes a gorgeous alliance to transformer Pluto guiding us emotionally to plot and plan our future steps.  What is your vision?  asks Neptune, Sun and Mercury in imaginative Pisces.  Ok then, here is how you get from A to Z say Capricorn Pluto and Virgo Moon.  The Lunar North Node (True North on our internal guidance mechanism) aligns beautifully with the Taurean Mars right now.  What is realistically accomplished?  Small steps forward every day.

Two days later, Messenger Mercury moves into Action Aries.  Feel the surge?  From now through the end of March our minds are on fire, igniting the urge to push ahead.  Blaze a trail.  You feel you’ve had just about enough of the delicate dance, that pause and reflect business.

Not so fast cupcake.

In all things, nature and life, there is balance and temperance, remind titans Uranus and Jupiter.  Still directly opposite in the sky, change agent Uranus demands new growth, new methods, new…well, everything.  In Aries, its predisposed radical tendency is heightened that much more.  Meanwhile Generous Jupiter in Libra says, all in good time.  All in good time.  First things first.  In our post-modern, stressed out world, we are well to remember nature – the natural cycle and rhythms to life.  For everything there is a season.  Divine timing.  Do what you can, when you can and give a rest to the rest.

There is tremendous healing potential now with the Sun (our will) conjoined to wounded healer Chiron in a prominent degree of Pisces.  What, how, whom will you heal?  Good question.  Especially on the Equinox as the Sun shifts into Aries on March 20^th.  Spring is a time for giving birth, new life, a vivid reminder that the only constant in life is change.  Our will now joins Venus, Mercury and Uranus in the primary sign of the zodiac and we feel a seemingly irrepressible mandate to forge on.   And, the angry challenge between change agent Uranus, transformer Pluto in Capricorn and Jupiter in measured Libra, just got a whole lot tighter.  Feeling squeezed?  Put upon, constantly under siege?  Many of us are.

All that Aries Warrior force lashes out:  no defense here, only offense, offense, offense.  Forward we go.  Attention readers, a public service announcement: do not be offensive.  Think before you speak, consider how the other person will receive your message.   Pluto in practical Capricorn says:  take the long LOOOONNNGG term outlook.  What will be the consequence of your actions a day from now, a week, a month, a year…or longer?  Aries is mighty impulsive.  It is great for blasting out of ruts we may be stuck in, starting anything new and leading the charge where you are so called.  Just be mindful of fallout from your actions, intended or otherwise.

The shift into action mode is complete with the Aries New Moon on Thursday, March 28^th.  Tightly wedged between Venus, the Sun, Uranus and Mercury, this brave New Moon makes 5, count ‘em, FIVE, fully half of our planets in the solar system, cycling through raw, shot-gun Aries.  If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, says this New Moon.  It is an excellent time to set intentions for what you want to manifest in the month and year to come.

Just be careful rushing into any endeavor riding on the chariot of this New Moon.  You will not feel inclined to slow down though.  In your racing around, think of the Big Picture and long term.  You don’t want to have an accident, undo all the work you’ve planted to date, turn in sloppy work or incite arguments.  Please be especially careful with heat-based appliances or equipment (cars, dryers, stoves, grills, furnaces, anything with a switch) in the home for the next few weeks.  Take caution with fire:  matches, candles, cigarettes, fireplaces.  Late March offers highly energized but combustible energy.  Watch your words.

Words DO matter.  Not just for Mr. Trump, but for us all.