Category: Aries

Venus Conjunct Sun – A New Venus Cycle, A Rebirth Of The Hearth

Astro Butterfly

Venus will conjunct the Sun on March 25 at 4° Aries, marking the beginning of a new Venus cycle. A Venus cycle is about new beginnings in love, beauty, money, and personal values.

What is a Venus cycle? Just like the Moon,  Venus also goes through different phases, depending on her relative position to the Sun.

A conjunction of Venus to the Sun -when Venus is retrograde, is called an inferior conjunction and it is the  equivalent of a New Moon. But if a Moon cycle lasts for 29 days, a Venus cycle lasts 18 months, and a complete cycle (a series of 5 Venus cycles) lasts 8 years. Eight years ago, in March 2009, Venus and the Sun united at 7° Aries. What happened to you then?

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The pattern of Venus around the Earth draws a 5-petalled rose in the sky, as viewed from the Earth. Every 8 years, when the Earth and Venus “kiss”’ to form another petal, Venus comes back to the same position in the sky. The patterns of Venus are extremely beautiful – the heart and the rose,  revealing one more time what Venus stands fore: pure beauty and love.

This particular Venus cycle starts in Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, so expect a lot of new beginnings in love.

Set your heart free by Christian Schloe
Christian Schloe “Set your heart free”

Aries, or “The Fool” as depicted in the Major Arcana in the Tarot, represents the unlimited potential of life. His journey is unknown but he embraces it with innocence. Every day is an adventure and each moment is lived to the fullest.

Venus,  starting a new cycle in the first decan of Aries represents the innocence and the purity of our heart. We are now  ready to leave the past behind, and start over with a newfound confidence that will manifest over the next 8 years.

This transit of Venus reminds me of David Bowie’s song “Absolute beginners”:

“I’ve nothing much to offer

There’s nothing much to take

I’m an absolute beginner

I absolutely love you

If our love song

Could fly over mountains

Could laugh at the ocean

It’s absolutely true”

I “absolutely love” this aspect and I believe it is by far one of the most important aspects of the year. Not only Venus starts a new cycle, but the conjunction takes place just after the Equinox and just before the first New Moon of the astrological year (2 days later, on March 27th).

We have so much fresh energy in the skies that is impossible to stay still, we MUST go and pursue our heart’s desire.

Spiritually, this is the point at which we experience a metaphysical rebirth of the heart. All new phases (New Moon, new Venus) are “dark” because the planets are not visible in the night sky. The depth of the night, just like the depth of the sleep, is the best time to connect deeply with the essence of the planet.

Venus will be invisible in the sky until March 29th so in the coming days take the time to reflect what “Venus” means to you. What role does love play in your life? What about beauty? Personal values? What about money and resources?

In the next three weeks (until Venus turns direct) dare to ask yourself the right questions and ponder what really matters to you. More clarity about what this new cycle is about will come after the New Moon on March 27th  and two days later on March 29th when Venus will start to rise again, now as a morning star.

Venus’ direct station  on April 15th is a good time to take action on whatever has been the outcome of your reflection.

January 9th 2018 will mark the half-way point of Venus’ cycle, when Venus  – now direct – will conjoin the Sun at 19° in Capricorn.  This is just like a  “Full Moon phase” of Venus  – a culmination of what you started on March 25th.

The theme of this new Venus cycle is Passionate Love. Passion for your lover, for your career, for what you like, for who you are. It is a time to get in touch with yourself and literally go to the heart of the matter. Now is the time to tell the world “this is what I want, this is what makes me happy” and then go and get it.

Venus in Aries is in mutual reception with Mars in Taurus which means that the two lovers get the best out of each other. No more settling for what others expect out of you. No more waiting. You will all feel an urge, an “all or nothing” desire to honor your heart and let your true self emerge.

Marked by the new Venus cycle, 2017 will be the YEAR OF LOVE. Those of us with planets or angles around 4° in Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) will especially be blessed with love this year. For all of us this new solar cycle will bring something new in your life: romance, relationships, beauty, money and possessions, values.

Anything is possible now: a new love, a new source of income – let the door open and Venus will shower you with her gifts.

Whatever is coming up for you right now is coming up for a reason.

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Why The Spring Equinox Is The Start Of A New Astrological Year

Astro Butterfly

A new astrological season is about to come along. The Spring Equinox of 2017 – or the first day of Spring arrives on March 19th/20th (depending on your time zone).

The Sun will enter the first sign of the zodiac, Aries and mark a change of seasons as well as the start of the Astrological New Year.

In fact in many cultures The Spring Equinox is celebrated as the start of a new year. Spring is the time of year when the cycle of life, death, and rebirth is complete.

As plants bloom and new life returns, the theme of resurrection is ever present. For example, the Christian tradition of Easter is celebrated soon after the Sun moves into Aries.

Equinox literally means “equal night.” At the Spring Equinox, day and night are the same length.

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And although most of us have already written our New Year’s Resolutions early January, NOW is the best time to start something new.

Aries (the first sign of the zodiac) definitely has the power to lead the way and is a powerful manifestor. That’s why Aries season is the best time for new beginnings, for expressing oneself and making bold moves.

Don’t throw away your resolutions. You wrote them just after the Winter Solstice, another important astrological date.

If the Winter Solstice (period just after Christmas and beginning of January) is the best time to conceptualize things and aim high (yes, Capricorn), the Spring Equinox and the start of a new Sun cycle is the best time to make these goals tangible and put them into action. So if you haven’t done much with your resolutions by now, no worries! Now is the time to bring them to the next level!

Let’s take some examples…

  • If early January you set the goal to find a new partner, the Spring Equinox is about getting clear about what kind of partner you want (maybe you met some interesting ‘prospects’ 😉 since then), where can you find him/her, and then go and get them!
  • If you set a goal to double your income this year, now is the time to decide what are you going to do about it: ask for a raise, get another job, become self-employed, go and invest in the stock market.
  • If your goal was to learn a new language, now is the time to enroll to a language class or download a language app and start practicing.

History gives us so many examples about the importance of the Spring Equinox in the ancient world. The Great Sphinx of Egypt and many other sites around the world were positioned facing the Rising Sun at the Spring Equinox.

These sites used to be power spots, meant to attune to the eternal, everflowing energy of the universe.

Ancient Celtic and Mediterranean people celebrated the Spring Equinox as a sacred marriage between God and Goddess, yin and yang, day and night.

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The reason why the Equinoxes are so powerful is that they are the only times of the year when the day is equal to the night, no matter where you are on Earth.

And it is only when the day and the night are equal, when the sacred feminine and sacred masculine come in the same doze, that life can emerge.

It is this perfect equilibrium that allows the universe to manifest itself.

The Sun’s journey throughout the course of the year signifies an universal journey, undertaken by people throughout the world, and throughout time – the journey to enlightenment.

Take your time now and put your attention on what you want to create. Take advantage of this natural life force that arises with the Spring Equinox and the start of the New Astrological Year. This is a chance to manifest your soul’s desires.

Your intentions are like seeds that if planted in fertile soil and taken care of, will grow over the next season, to bloom at the time of the Summer Solstice in June. The harvest of the fruit will come at the Autumn Equinox in September when you will get the chance to ponder over what you’ve done  -and reap what you’ve sown. And later in the dark of the winter months, you can finally take the time to reflect on what is really important for you and prepare yourself again for the Spring.

The new Astrological year 2017-2018 arrives on March 19th/20th and will end on March 19, 2018.

To get a glimpse into how the New Year is going to look like let’s have a look at the chart of the Spring Equinox. If we focus on the closest aspects we notice that:

  • The ruler of the Equinox, Mars, is in Taurus
  • Sun is at the mid-point between Venus and Chiron
  • Moon exactly conjuncts Saturn at27° in Sagittarius and both conjunct the Galactic Center
  • Jupiter square Pluto
  • Jupiter opposite Uranus

This New Astrological Year will be about emotional maturity (Moon/Saturn) and breaking through the conditioning (Jupiter, Uranus, Chiron, Pluto) so you can fully shine your light of your true self (Sun, Venus, Chiron). The world needs you and your gifts!

The New Astrological Year will be dominated by Mutable and Cardinal energy, signifying change and a desire to move to the “Next level”. When it comes to elements the new cycle will be dominated by Fire and Water – there is a very “conducting” energy in the air this year meaning that our creative pursuits will ask for expression.

We have a lack of Fixed and Air energy, meaning that objectivity and persistence can be challenged this new Sun cycle. We are so eager to try everything that we can lose our head and skip important steps.

If natally you have a lot of Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) or Fixed energy (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) this year will ask you to find creative ways to deal with the environment around you.

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The very high concentration and Cardinal and Mutable energy will make us all restless – we will want to move forward and start new things.

The trouble is, we won’t have the discipline to focus on our initiatives because we have a surprising low amount of “Fixed” energy.

On top of this, Mercury “the quicksilver” is the most active planet of the month. March is a month of action, but wait for April to start setting foundations (in April we will have Sun, Mercury and Mars in Taurus adding some stability).

The first part of 2017 is high on ”Mutable” and “Cardinal” energy, because the “big planets” that change sings slowly are all in Mutable and Cardinal signs: North Node (in Virgo, Mutable), Jupiter (in Libra, Cardinal), Saturn (in Sagittarius, Mutable), Uranus (in Aries, Cardinal), Neptune (in Pisces, Mutable), Pluto (in Capricorn, Cardinal), Chiron (in Pisces, Mutable).

Things will start to slowly stabilize when firstly in May we will have the North Node changing sings and moving into Fixed Leo and few months later in October when Jupiter will move to Scorpio.

Those of you that natally have a lot of Mutable and Cardinal energy will feel at ease because the environment will be on the same frequency with you. You will miss though some opportunities for profound transformations because it won’t be anything out there to get you out of your comfort zone.

If natally you have a lot of Fixed energy, and less Mutable and Cardinal, the opposite stands true – you might not feel “at ease” because the world will miss the stability you dearly need, but in the same time you have plenty opportunities for growth and personal transformation.

What should you do during the Spring Equinox (hint: wait for after the Spring Equinox kicks in, not before).  Here some suggestions:

  • Light red candles and speak aloud your intentions for the Astrological New Year
  • Do a brain dump: get all your goals and TO DOs out of your mind and onto paper
  • Prioritize: What are your top 3 goals? And what is your Number 1 goal for this year? How does everything fit together?
  • Start something completely new. If you don’t have inspiration, throw a dart, or simply pick randomly and event to go to or a class to enroll (of course everything you do should be legal and moral…but hope you get what the expansive and “beginner’s mind” Aries energy stands for 😉
  • Enroll in a gym, take up a sport or find something to do with your body. Aries is a highly active sigh dominated by Mars and Mars loves to make use of energy
  • Plan a date with your partner or with your new romantic interest. Don’t forget Venus is very close in the sky 😉
  • Gather with your close friends around a fire to share stories, music and dance. Dance around the bonfire. Do a ritual to celebrate the symbolic rebirth of the world around you.

Mercury in Libra is opposite Uranus in Aries

Astro Butterfly

Our thoughts, ideas and opinions will be a little bit “different”, if not unusual!, and our mind will shine brighter during this transit. Both Mercury and Uranus rule the intellect, with Uranus being the higher octave of Mercury. Uranus transforms the logical processes of Mercury into sudden shifts of awareness. Together, the two will look at mundane things from innovative, highly interesting perspectives.

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Image: Michael Cheval – Swing of Love

Speaking our mind, not matter what, will become more important than ever. The Mercury / Uranus aspect is found in the natal charts of Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, James Madison and other epic figures that have set the foundations of what we call now “freedom of speech”.

Mercury in opposition with Uranus will also manifest in some sort of “rebelling” on a mental level. We can get easily distracted and disconnected from activities that bore us, and let our mind instead take off to some more interesting places. And because Mercury is in Libra, these places will tend to be beautiful and have plenty of socializing opportunities.

Things to do during this transit:

  • Question anything that society says is “the way it is”. Or, how Buddha puts it: “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” Doubt everything, find your own light 😉
  • Write a blog / conduct a research / communicate about an idea that no one has explored before. Research studies such as “Couples who drink more red wine stay together longer and partners are less likely to develop dementia “ or “How chicken feathers can be used to determine the speed of a tornado” were probably conducted during a Mercury /Uranus transit 😉
  • If single, check some internet dating websites – Mercury is in the sign of partnerships and Uranus can make anything possible 😉