“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.” Joseph Campbell
The past two weeks for me have been a process of attempting to empty but constantly filling up again. I have felt the need to slow down, open up inner space, cut down on my to-do list. I’m in transit to an unknown destination and need to watch my step. So I began to trim away the excess. The minute I unsubscribed from one thing, another popped up. I let go of my meditation teacher and a new one appeared within hours. I decided not to sign up for anything more and promptly enrolled in an Astronomy Class, began an eight-week course with A. H. Almaas on Presence, committed to a 40 day Yoga challenge and started writing a book which prompted me to schedule a class on memoir writing. While I failed completely on my agenda, somehow I had groped my way forward and discovered my path. I know it’s mine because it’s not yet clear.
This morning I met with a group of astrologers tracking the current cycle of Venus. Venus is indeed the Queen of this Full Moon and her superior conjunction with the Sun occurred on the night of March 25th. The theme of our group experience was “finding our own pace.” That’s what I’ve been seeking since I realized I was caught up in the swirling chaos of the last few years, driven by fear, anxiety, confusion, and a desperate need to do something that just might help.
The pace of the last two years is not my natural pace. I have been on a manic quest for understanding, trying to penetrate the fog of illusion to get a glimpse of the best possible future. I felt the full force of Pluto erupting within, inspiring Saturn to get engaged. We have all felt it whether we recognized it or not, this rising inner pressure, this Evolutionary Impulse pushing through our ground of being.
We are evolving but we can’t see the destination yet. All we have to navigate by are our values, our instincts, our willingness to be present and meet the moment with the best of ourselves. It’s about who we are in the world, not what we know or do. We are so caught up in the drama of our physical life that we respond by resonating with its vibration. We live at its pace. We react to its story. If we truly want to be free to find our own way, we have to disengage from the mayhem.
Disengagement began for me the night Venus was furthest from Earth, the moment her Transmutation phase began. Instead of opening Netflix, I chose the New Year’s Eve Concert from Vienna I had recorded months before. It was a Strauss program complete with ballet dancers, light as a feather, waltzing in the Baroque splendor of the Concert Hall. I didn’t have to think. There was nothing to learn. I just sat and listened and watched and let my imagination off her leash.
The next evening I didn’t want to watch the news. I have felt honor-bound to keep up with the world but suddenly I let it go. I was feeling inner peace and a sweet sense of well-being. I just couldn’t pollute it with discord. That’s the transmission from Venus as she shifted phase. When she aligns with the Sun on its far side, it’s called a superior conjunction. It marks the half-way point in her cycle which began at 13 degrees of Gemini last June. This Gemini/ Sagittarius axis is about perception – how we see the world based on the information we gather. With Neptune squaring this axis, it’s been a challenge. Neptune blurs the boundaries, envelops clarity in its fog, challenges us to distinguish truth from illusion.
As Venus peaks in her cycle, we begin to see clearly. We are reacquainted with our desires. We remember what is important to us, what we value. Transmutation refers to an energy shift, a frequency adjustment. Venus is passing from her Morning Star incarnation of love and passion to her Evening Star persona of empathy and compassion. She becomes visible around May 15th and will shine bright in our summer sky every night to remind us that we are One in Love.
The Full Moon in Libra
On the Full Moon, March 28 at 11:48 a.m. PDT, the Sun will be conjunct Venus and Chiron in Aries in the 4th House of the USA chart. The fourth house is about our human family. How can we help heal our collective suffering? How can we cultivate compassion for one another? How can we learn to celebrate diversity? How can we move beyond our self-preoccupation and recognize the suffering of our national siblings? We can begin with a single act of kindness. These planets are in Aries – let’s try something new. We can take a moment to empathize with someone else’s predicament, or fully appreciate someone who tirelessly serves. We can cultivate our gratitude and express it. We can be gentle and loving to ourselves as well. It’s time to let down our defenses against love and open our hearts to let in the healing.
The Moon meanwhile is in Libra, the sign of balance, the scales of justice, and purview of Venus herself in her relationship mode. The Moon is part of a Grand Trine in Air involving Mars in Gemini and Saturn in Aquarius. Communication, fairness and cooperation are the focus of this Super Moon, large and extremely bright as she is closest to Earth.
“Scientists have discovered that the small, brave act of cooperating with another person, of choosing trust over cynicism, generosity over selfishness, makes the brain light up with quiet joy.” Natalie Angier, NY Time Science Columnist
Mars and the Nodal Axis
On April 7th the transiting nodal axis will align with the USA ascendant/descendant axis. The South Node will cross the Ascendant. It has been transiting our first house for a couple of years asking us to take a look at ourselves. What does it mean to be an American? Who are we as a national identity? We have certainly witnessed the gamut of expressions, but it is becoming clear that we care about Democracy and human kindness. We believe we should help each other out. We believe in justice and equal rights. We care about the health of our planet. We want to mend our relations with the rest of the world.
The South Node carries our karma into the 12th house – the house of our collective consciousness. We’ve gained clarity about who we want to be, now we can begin unraveling and healing the damage we have inflicted in the past. There is a collective evolutionary imperative as well as personal ones. We need to work together.
Mars has recently crossed the Descendant heading north into the 7th house where we encounter one another and learn about ourselves through relationship. The North Node will cross in the other direction, having opened a portal to the future, and enter the 6th house where it will encounter our natal Uranus and set to work changing our lifestyle and work habits.
On the Full Moon, Mars is conjunct the North Node telling us to look to the future, put our energy into creating a peaceful world. Mars will come home to its natal position at 21 Gemini on April 8th. What actions have we taken in the last two years and what are the fruits of those actions? What do we want to accomplish in the next two? It’s a great time to set a course. What do you want for our country two years from now? Don’t worry if you don’t yet know. Mercury moves out of dreamy Pisces on April 3 and gets energized in Aries. The clouds of illusion will lift and our path will begin to appear.
Saturn in Aquarius
We have to think globally in the coming years and take into consideration the health of the human family, not just our tribe or personal well-being. Saturn asks us to become more responsible for the impact we have on others, not just to avoid dumping negativity or literal toxic waste into our environment, but asking what we have to contribute. And that brings me to a personal favorite quote from Dane Rudhyar, Astrology’s Sage:
“When you don’t follow your nature there is a hole in the universe where you were supposed to be.”
I’ve been listening to the complete audio works of John O’Donohue. If you are not familiar with this brilliant man, treat yourself to an audiobook. His lilting brogue, exquisite mastery of language and soulful wisdom will fill your heart with joy. The following are a few gems from Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom:
“When your Soul awakens, your destiny comes to meet you in a new and adventurous way.”
“To be born is to be chosen. Each one of us is sent here for a special kind of destiny . . . Each of us has something to do in the world that can be done by no one else.”
“When you are in rhythm with your nature, then nothing can touch you because the providence of your destiny is at one with you and it’s minding you and bringing you exactly where you should be brought.”
This is our work now as spiritual pilgrims – discovering our true nature and sliding into its rhythms which probably do not keep the pace of the world. With this Full Moon we enter our Holy Week. Religions all over the world mark this time as sacred. It is a reminder of suffering, death and rebirth. We can surrender our fear and bitterness, our regret and shame, our hostility and defensiveness and open to the possibilities that this Full Moon chart reveals.
Wishing you an open heart filled with the illumination of Love . . .
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