The Vernal Equinox
The final week of Pisces season takes on a further surrealist quality when Mercury enters Pisces, the sign of its detriment, on Monday, March 15. Mercury is the only planet that is both at home and exalted in the same sign--Virgo. This is Mercury’s most comfortable and favorite place because it prizes order and precision above all. Pisces is a dreamy, intuitive sign that ponders great emotional depth and spiritual complexity. Mercury is unable to apply its usual style of analysis when moving through Pisces, but like all planets in detriment, the God of Communication in the sign of the mutable fishes has its own hidden magic.
Mercury in Pisces is a signature of poets, artists, and musicians, like Kurt Cobain and Billy Holiday. Those who give voice to emotional truths buried deep under the surface, profound angst, and transcendent melody. As Cobain sang in Smells Like Teen Spirit, “I'm worse at what I do best, and for this gift I feel blessed.” For the next three weeks, until Mercury enters Aries on April 3, let yourself wonder, muse, and explore. The places your mind takes you may not make sense, but they just might lead you home.
The Sun enters Aries on Saturday, March 20, the pagan holiday of Ostara, and the wheel turns again. Spring is here, and we enter in the solar time of year when there is more day than night. For the next 6 months we’ll be drawn out of our burrows like little bunnies who want nothing more than to scamper and play together. The Sun is exalted in Aries the sign where it can burst forth like a bright orange blaze and boldly declare--I exist! For the next four weeks you’re encouraged to live every week like its shark week. Pisces season was a soggy slide through our end-of-Winter feels, but Aries season is a joyful ride back down the shoot towards life. Potential and promise are calling you. What do you hear them say?
The Sun always rises in the East, but ancient people celebrated the solar festival of the rising dawn. To learn more about how practices evolved from celebrating the Goddess Ostara to Easter, and fun rituals for kids and grown-up alike, check out the latest version of Pagan Baby: Spring Equinox.
Aries is ruled by Mars, the planet of action and assertion, that drives us through life. Mars is connected to our vital energy and force, and while Mars is in Gemini from March 3-April 23, we seek to express ourselves through communication, speech, and the written word. Our minds can get a bit overactive, disrupting our nervous system, while Mars is in Gemini, heightening stress and anxiety. Gemini is the sign of the twins, so its especially important right now to share your thoughts and feelings with someone you trust. If you keep a journal, be sure to confide in it every night so you can go to bed with a peaceful mind.
The first week of Aries season is appropriately active. Mars trines Saturn in Aquarius on the first full day of Spring, March 21, and then squares Mercury on March 23. Trines are beneficial aspects that facilitate the flow of energy in positive directions. You may feel motivated to move forward with insights you gained during Aquarius season, and intentions you set during the Aquarius New Moon. The square from Mars indicates there is an obstacle to be overcome or an angle that needs to be considered. It may be of an emotional nature, since Mercury is ruling Gemini from Pisces, so make room for the feelings, but continue to focus on achieving your vision. Saturn structures are built to last and with the Sun in Aries you’ll have plenty of motivation to do so.
Venus enters Aries of March 21,ending its delightful dive through Pisces. This is a bit of a bumpy transition because Venus moves from the sign of its exaltation, which increases our capacity to connect in love and desires transcendent experience from relationship, to the sign of its adversity. Venus in Aries is a completely different kind of lover. Independent, desiring freedom and new experience, Venus in Aries is a passionate and fierce warrior who will go to battle to defend what is precious to her.
Venus will stay in Aries until April 14.For the next three weeks it is important that you know your mind and listen to your heart. True compromise can only be achieved when both parties understand what they want, hear the others point of view, and consent to finding a middle road. If you agreed to things while Venus was in Pisces that now feel like they don’t work, this is your opportunity to reestablish boundaries. Venus in Aries knows that true happiness comes from pleasing oneself. As always, avoid doing things that you know will cause harm, but let yourself be your number one priority. You’ll find its a powerful place to give from.