Galactic Anvil

 Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. The Great Initiator, it is the spark igniting our fire to begin fresh, or anew.  As such, this month we may feel we are in the cosmic forge being hammered, bent and twisted into form like a hot piece of iron. No, the weeks of April do not make for an easy time.

Our work started at the end of March, with the lunar eclipse on the 25^th, in Aries and Libra, focusing on relationship, asking where we end and where others begin.  How do we bring ourselves into balance, our needs, wants and agenda in relationship to everything else:  our work, family, friends, and community?  Are we in sync and centered? Or are we out of kilter and in need of realignment?

This is an especially fragile time.  The Spring Equinox invites us to charge forth, energetically bursting ahead with plans and projects. But the eclipse gives pause, stirs up the ether, often throwing curve balls into our best laid ideas.  And then, giving us ample opportunity to make the best use of this cosmic pause, Messenger Mercury slows to a halt and shifts into reverse gear on Day One of April. 

You might think this an April Fool’s prank; but alas, no.  You read correctly:  Mercury retrograde starts on Monday, April 1^st.  Try as we might to push forward with our life, this April has other plans.  You can fairly hear a giant collective groan…, “but I don’t want to slow down. Not now just as the days are getting warmer…” 

Yet here we are. 

A reminder:  the best use of Mercury retrograde time is to use the RE words:  Rest, Research, Restore, Refresh, Relax, Renew, Rebalance, Reflect, etc.  I know, I know… It’s springtime and I want to get going and get on with my life too.  But for the next three and a half weeks, until April 25^th, cosmic energy invites us elsewhere and otherwise.

It is especially helpful to know this in advance in the event that your plans don’t go as exactly as you hoped; particularly the first week of April when we may feel like our wheels are spinning in mud.  We can’t get any traction.  Please know that any details you lock into place between April 1-24^th may need to be re-worked or revised down the road.

So it is best to hold off on major purchases now:  cars, homes, booking big travel arrangements, appliances, and definitely wait to buy communication devices such as laptops, cell phones and tablets.  Of course, if yours happens to break and you need to replace it, make sure to get a warranty as this is one time you may need it. 

It is also to your advantage to wait before signing significant documents and contracts. This is doubly emphasized during the first week of April which is particularly dicey; not only is mercury retrograde but we are between eclipses which is a notorious energetic black hole. 

Our urge to get on with life is underscored by Valuable Venus turning into Aries on Friday, April 5^th.  Can you say impatient?   Artistic Venus is not at her beautiful best in this brash, fiery sign.  We want what we want and we want it now.  We feel like our lives are on fire (and in some cases they are); that we cannot wait for cosmic timing to get things done.

So how are we to BE instead of DOING, while urgent, emergent fires burn under our feet?   Just because it is Mercury retrograde doesn’t mean we have to put our lives on hold or sit in meditation all day.  Rather, put the most active RE words to work for you: 

Research:  Research your plans, compare prices, products, vendors, practitioners. Ask questions.  Be open-minded and willing to explore and learn. 

Renew and Refresh:  April is spring cleaning time!  Open your cupboards, closets and windows and let the fresh air in.  Feel how good it is to clean out and organize just one drawer, one room or get the car detailed so you can make way for the new season.

Rebalance, Replenish and Restore:  Time to fill up your cup and do something for you!  And I’m not talking about getting your hair cut or routine exercise.  Try learning what you’ve always been curious about, or exploring somewhere you’ve never been before.

These are active uses of an otherwise wonky stretch culminating in the New Moon total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8^th in, you guessed it:  Aries.  This is one strong eclipse highly visible from Texas straight across the Northeastern United States.  With both Sun and Moon in trail blazing Aries, our engines are LIT and rarin’ to go.  So please take caution with fire or heat-born appliances:  stoves, electrical tools and outlets, heaters, dryers, over exposure to the Sun, barbecues, fireplaces, and firepits. 

Aries is impulsive and impatient; wants to be done already, to cross the finish line but uninterested in any how or why, directing others to work out the details.  Remember:  Haste makes waste.  The risk now is rushing into commitments without thinking through impacts; or worse, violence in the wake of not accomplishing the desired results.

So it is imperative to take your time.  There is no hurry.  The more others push your buttons and flip your trigger, the greater the need to take a breath, sleep on it, or go on that proverbial walk around the block to cool off.  While you are doing so, contemplate what your desires are.  Then, hand write 3-5 intentions and either plant in the ground or set safely alight.

Because we are only just getting started! 

For the last two months, Generous Jupiter and Radical Uranus have been moving toward each other.  The Great Jupiter-Uranus conjunction occurs once every 12 years and during April, they meet up in Taurus adding to the already complex energy.  Jupiter rules all of the good stuff: learning, travel, abundance, prosperity and expansion.  Meanwhile Uranus is the rebellious child of the galaxy, favoring upset, re-direction, surprise and shock.

So imagine what these two have in mind when they come together around the third week of April, from the 17^th to the 25^th.  This is one gargantuan cosmic stretch so fasten your seat belts.

In earthy Taurus, we may expect one heck of a ride for the stock market, along with earthquakes, truly profound eureka scientific breakthroughs, and sudden changes of fortune both in the plus and minus columns.  Anyone off-path, as in:  not following their soul blueprint will be realigned and redirected now.  This stretch will be most notable for fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.

Breakdowns and breakthroughs are the watchwords.  Keep in mind:  you have to break down in order to break through.  This is especially vital to bear in mind as we approach the Full Moon in Scorpio on Tuesday, April 23^rd, when we will be feeling ALL of the feelings.  Make sure to ground yourself:  get outside into nature; plant and play in the soil; wear grounding crystals:  hematite, obsidian, onyx and tigers eye; and walk barefoot on the earth. 

The release of this Full Moon is particularly immense.  Feel the tension subside or pop.  And as the cosmic clock would have it, immediately following the Full Moon, Jupiter starts to move on from Uranus just as Messenger Mercury turns direct motion on Thursday, April 25^th.  Thank Goddess!  You will feel one giant collective sigh.

Take a beat.  Count to ten. Look around and assess where you stand amidst the post-cosmic upheaval. 

You made it through.  Now where to go from here?

Of Special Note:

Want to learn how an astrology session may benefit you?  Curious about the theory and philosophy behind astrology?  Join my recent conversation with Gary Langley and Sally Taylor on their podcast Soul Explorers where we dive into the how’s and why’s of this ancient art and its relevance for a modern audience:  https://youtu.be/K5Lvypiyx_o

Curious about the realm beyond the veil but don’t know where to find answers?  Searching for community among like-minded folks?  Welcome to The 3 Wise Women! Join your fellow seekers for conversation and connection on the first Tuesday of every month @6 PM eastern.  My colleagues, Medium Cathy Ripley Greene, Life Coach and Psychic Veronica Drake and I share our combined 60 years of experience and knowledge.  To learn more or to sign up: https://www.cathyripleygreene.com/cathy-ripley-greene-community/65h5d

Saving Graces

Cosmic momentum sweeps us forward as March begins.  Every single planet continues to cycle direct motion for the entire month ahead.  Use this forward thrust to initiate projects, relationships, launching products and major purchases.

March notoriously roars in like a Lion and rolls over into April like a lamb; at least as far as the weather is concerned.  The same applies to the roaring cosmic energy on March 1^st.  Watch that any push and pull does not turn into a tug of war, or worse, conflicts over resources and power dynamics.  A difficult tangle between the Scorpio Moon, Venus-Mars in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus may have people dug in, refusing to compromise or fighting mad.  Take a breath. Hit the pause button. This resistant energy dissolves by March 3^rd.

As the month begins, think before you respond, lest you say something out of turn that has long-term consequences.

Fortunately, in this same moment, we are enveloped and surrounded by four planets in gentle Pisces, offering a saving grace, an ocean of support indicating all will be well.  The Sun, Messenger Mercury, Taskmaster Saturn and spiritual Neptune pull us along the river of life in their boat of dreams. They remind us to believe, to keep the faith, that there is indeed a wiser, invisible divine hand at work.  Do you believe?  Will you trust?

Amidst our conflicts and struggles it is vital to remember when it is better to let go rather than continue pressing, pushing and hammering onward.  Think of a time when you’ve stewed over a vexing problem.  SO frustrating!  Then, you go to sleep and the next morning, freshly rested, the solution to your problem surfaces, seemingly out of nowhere, like clouds parting after a rain storm letting sunshine stream down.  This is Pisces, that invisible divine collective wisdom.  Soul, spirit, consciousness itself. 

While it is human nature to charge forward with life, the month of March offers an invitation to surrender to the greater timeless knowledge always available to us.  Surrender and flow with what comes are the primary themes all through March. This requires blind faith, believing that everything will work out for our highest and best interests, whether despite our best efforts to make life happen, or sometimes in spite of our efforts.  Realize that we are operating on divine timing rather than our own contrived schedules and plan.  As the Yiddish saying goes, we plan, God laughs.

Our guiding star is a continuous thread of Yang and Yin, also known as the Masculine and Feminine principles.  Some may feel a battle between energies, that they are pitted against each other, Yang versus Yin:  the strident urge to move onward conflicting with the need to let go and flow.  Heading into the New Moon on March 10^th, we feel these energies wrestling mightily.

The Moon joins the Sun and Saturn in Pisces just as Messenger Mercury shifts into impulsive Aries. Talk about Yin and Yang in cosmic action!   Aries Mercury urges our minds and mouths to really get on with life now; yet not so fast say the Pisces trio.  It can feel like an ON and OFF switch, or a heavy gas pedal and brake.  The trick is knowing when to press that gas pedal and go for it and when to coast along on the brake.  Good timing comes with maturity and life experience. 

We are wise to combine the quickening impulse of Aries and the considerate inspiration of Pisces Sun, Saturn and Neptune while handwriting three-to-five intentions and goals for the season ahead.  Plant your written goals in the softening earth or alight safely in a fire proof container.

Only days later Venus joins the Pisces planets on March 12th.  Here, Venus is considered exalted, meaning, she generously and selflessly shares her gifts of love.  Can you say compassion?  Earth angels abound.  Soak up the love.  Humanity certainly can use all the angelic love that Venus has to offer through the rest of March.  The week between March 13^th and 20^th is one hopeful window where humanitarian crises and concerns may be resolved.  May all war end now.  So be it.

Music and water are vital to our well-being now.  Make use of their gifts as much as possible:  listen to magical mood-shifting music to re-set yourself, your thoughts and frame of mind.  Walk by a body of water, kayak or canoe, swim, water or snow ski to shape shift out of who you no longer are into the person you are becoming.

The Spring Equinox is upon us.  Wednesday, March 20^th the Sun turns into fiery Aries marking our exit from winter into warmer days just as Motivating Mars now joins the three other Pisces planets on Saturday, March 23^rd .  These are heady days indeed. Especially as we move toward the first eclipse of 2024 on Monday, March 25^th. 

As a reminder:  eclipses are neither bad nor good.  They are windows, like portals of energy and IF they connect to a planet or angle in your astrology chart, serve as a significant marker or turning point.  The lunar eclipse of March 25^th occurs in Libra; so relationships, judgment, decisions and balance are drawn into sharp focus.  If you have any planets at 5 or 6 Aries and Libra, you will feel this eclipse!  Watch for key decisions you are making, especially those involving relationship or partnership.  Be sure to factor your own needs into all decisions as Libra tends to forget about itself.

Make the most of the final few days in March. We are between eclipses now, with the second of the pair occurring on April 8^th and Mercury turning retrograde in between them.  Uneven energy leading to dicey days lay ahead. If you can hold off now on purchasing large items such as homes, cars or appliances, it is best to do so until the end of April. 

The ocean of life always contains us, safely holding us in her waves with the stars above to guide our way.  Steer your boat with great care.