Today Uranus ♅ enters Aries ♈ beginning its new 84-year cycle through the zodiac. Uranus comes like a flash of lightning, generating change and urging us to break free from stagnation to discover a more authentic self. Aries is about bravely pioneering into new territory and taking action quickly and passionately. This is a powerful and exhilarating, possibly raw or volatile combination.

Today Mercury, the god ruling over daily life’s transitory thoughts and conversations, touches freedom-loving, radical, and electric Uranus right before entering bright and wide-eyed Aries, the sign of spring. We may feel new inner urges beginning to awaken within the mind as Aries inspires & emboldens Mercury to talk, possibly before thinking! This is just the beginning of an exciting, maybe erratic time!

A New Moon - joining the Sun, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, & Chiron (that’s 6 celestial bodies!) in Pisces - sign of oceanic merging and morphing, creative imagination, and divine union. Though it is the beginning of a monthly lunar cycle, we are still completing something of the past, as Pisces rules endings. Next month several planets will all be in Aries, marking a monumental leap forward into new beginnings!

“Anyone seriously interested and willing to do a bit of systematic research can easily verify that the natal chart depicts the basic psychological and emotional makeup of the individual...The configurations of the heavenly bodies do not, however, enable us to foretell future events. They are maps of individual and collective psychological probabilities. Events occur in synchronistic conformity at such times as the field dynamics of the progressions resonate with the individual’s readiness.” ~Edward C. Whitmont in The Alchemy of Healing

Jupiter square Pluto, one of the most significant transits of the year, felt strongly Feb thru Mar. Pluto is about death and rebirth. Pluto demands transformation in the most profound way. Jupiter optimistically seeks growth & freedom. The square between the two creates friction. It is a turning point; perhaps decisive action must be initiated. We see this in the collective, but it applies personally as well.

During this week core wounds could surface or perhaps new ones could occur. We might feel we are on the receiving end or the delivering end. Concurrently, however, new opportunities for deep healing on the spiritual level abound (2/19: Sun touches Chiron, 2/22: Mercury touches Chiron, 2/24: Mars touches Chiron - all in Pisces ♓). Being extra mindful in words and deeds makes sense.

The myth of Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is rich with symbolism for insights into one’s own birth chart and path towards healing and wholeness.

Mercury (communication), Mars (action and/or war), and Neptune (spirituality and/or illusions) all meet today. This combination of energies has the potential to stir up a whirlwind of intense interactions, with the possibility of confusion being part of the mix. It’s a good time to seek direct knowledge from experience, while maintaining awareness of egoic impulses, and without having one’s head in the clouds.

These three planets are meeting at 29º Aquarius. The Sabian Symbol for this degree is: “The beautifully winged insect has just come forth into glorious adult being on completion of its metamorphosis.”

Full Moon in Leo ♌. At the New Moon (last New Moon was on 2/2) there is no light in the night sky - likewise we may be in the dark in some area, yet we have inspiration to plant a seed, imagine possibilities, and embark on a new cycle of growth. At the Full Moon, there is a full body of light in the night sky - light is shed revealing what has unfolded and allowing sight of the new reality that has grown forth.

The Sun touched Neptune ♆ before moving into Pisces ♓ (ruled by Neptune) tomorrow. This is one of a series of planets already or soon to meet Neptune, then enter Pisces - supporting the momentum for all things mystical - connecting with the divine, listening to intuition, and contemplating unconditional love. At the same time, it is equally important to be aware of blind spots, use discernment, & stay grounded.

*side note: obviously referring to the Sun or Moon as “planets” is not technically correct, but a a matter of speech in astrology... When astrology was developed in ancient times, it was based on observing the bodies of light in the sky from earth’s perspective...

Interpreting astrological symbolism cannot predict character per se. It only suggests influences with many possible manifestations. Each placement and aspect in a birth chart can be read on the high side and the low side. It is my practice to always focus on the inherent higher potentials, but occasionally I am reminded to stay alert to the more negative possibilities.

That goes for interpreting current planetary transits (influences) happening for an individual as well. There are often both high and low manifestations at the same time, which sometimes may only be fully understood after the transit has passed.