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The Weave of Seen and Unseen: Aries Prequel
Find your hope, then, on the ground under your feet.
Your hope of Heaven, let it rest on the ground
underfoot. Be it lighted by the light that falls
freely upon it after the darkness of the nights
and the darkness of our ignorance and madness.
Let it be lighted also by the light that is within you,
which is the light of imagination. By it you see
the likeness of people in other places to yourself
in your place. It lights invariably the need for care
toward other people, other creatures, in other places
as you would ask them for care toward your place and you.
~ Wendell Berry, excerpt from A Poem on Hope
Greetings from the moist, bursting turmoil of Spring, along with which, the Aries pulse, inviting us to gather our inner fires and meet life with a pioneering spirit and sense of mission. As such, some of us may be ripe for joining with the fiery Aries vibe, inspired to speak out and express passionate opposition to the political outrages, after the fluid and amorphous realms of Pisces that have preceded. Political protests are self-propagating! Others of us, on more of a contemplative track, may not feel quite so inclined to embody the bold, initiating thrust of Aries at the moment. I’ll be addressing this dilemma as we proceed.
I’ve written much over the past year, since Pluto moved into Aquarius for the first time, about changing times. With Pluto the driver of deep-rooted, transformative change in the sign of Aquarius—a change agent energy itself, Lord knows we’ve been feeling it. Meanwhile, if you’ve been reading my missives, you’ll know that we’ve been working with Saturn in water sign Pisces for the past two years, a signature exhorting us to get serious with a sort of dying process, a letting go within ourselves and of the world as we’ve imagined it. This in preparation for birthing into a new way of meeting life, an emergence that cannot happen without a spacious allowing of the pre-birth chaos and confusion—ours and our world’s—by holding a container for the light, and the seeding of inspiration that Saturn in Pisces quietly cultivates.
Speaking of chaos, as the Sun has begun its pass through Aries, we could be encountering in our own daily rounds the fiery whip of anger unleashed, an off-centered Aries mode of self-assertion being modeled in the top echelons in the U.S., and consequently coursing through the collective, where anger looks for those willing to hold projections of blame. If we find ourselves in the way of this flaming potato (as I have recently), best to flow with graciousness and disengage, Aikido-like. And, follow with self-reflection, inquiring what we might come to understand about ourselves in having attracted this. Each outer conflict has much to teach us.
For some of us, our primary work still remains with the purifying Piscean tumble and spin cycle of reflecting and clearing out, and engaging with the liminal realms of unknowing. Wendell Berry’s words above speak to this tending of the light within, as well as the need for care for all beings (including ourselves, I would add), each so critical at this crossroads time. Between his lines, too, I hear the whisper of compassion, an essential Pisces emanation. We are all in great flux.
The recent birth of a new ecological and zodiacal year heralded by the Spring Equinox (and the Sun moving to 0° Aries) arrived on the heels of a potent Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse, signaling, among many things (including top secret war plans!), new life ahead. And yes, even though each day’s glance at the headlines (or heaven forbid the full reading of articles) assures us that we are facing late stage cancer (and not the zodiac sign), the lens of astrology helps us hold to a different narrative, one that suggests we are in the difficult throes of hospicing the old and midwifing the new. This is the project of this time. (See my Pisces blog for more on this.)
We are neither helpless nor alone in this undertaking, there is ‘help at hand’—whether beaming our way through the cosmos, or deep inside, in the simplicity of our conscious breaths. Ultimately, the practice of weaving ourselves back into a sense of connectedness can, in the right timing, help evoke our own individual ‘seizing of the day’ energies—Carpe Diem being a good Aries warrior-crusader’s cry, on behalf of our noblest ideals.
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Scaling depths and heights, slowly
But no need to grab our Aries swords and shields just yet. The water sign energy still lingering persistently requires a slowing down of time, and a broadening of space, dropping into a consciousness not so whipped by the limits and prods of space-time as our conventional reality subscribes to. And while Pisces’ ruler, Neptune, transitions from Pisces to Aries on March 30, we still have quite the Pisces frequency in the skies. We might want to pour ourselves a cup of tea and linger here a while.
The biggest astrological event of this year and next—one that it’s suggested will shape the rest of the 2020s, is that Saturn will leave Pisces and enter Aries on May 26, and soon thereafter enter closely conjunct Pisces’ ruler, Neptune. These two bodies will be at a near-exact conjunction this summer, and exact next February. So what we have is Saturn moving from being in the sign ruled by Neptune (Pisces), to being conjunct Neptune itself—thereby deepening the relationship with the trident-bearing Greek god of the vast ocean depths. And this, at the 0° Aries inception point, making for a complex and powerful brew.
Dreamy, visionary, and delusion-prone Neptune, as a transpersonal, ‘outer’ and thereby slow-moving planet, impacts both our personal lives, as well as culture, politics, and the world stage (as do Pluto and Uranus.) Its conjunction with Saturn has great potential implications ranging, as anything associated with reality-altering Neptune would, from the dissolution of—and disillusionment with—trusted forms of stability (such as governments and their systems, as well as our own modes of framing reality) to the creation of new worlds not yet imagined, both within and without (although I know there are some busy with this!). At its best, Neptune calls us to our highest ideals and revelations of truth, and inspires our imagination, from whence new life is seeded.
Saturn-Neptune invokes a collaboration of the real with the seemingly ‘not real,’ of the visible with the unseen, the human and the Divine. It’s the work of navigating at “the place where the two seas meet,” as detailed in the Sufi tale of Khidr, the Green Man. And, while Saturn energy typically ‘trumps’ (aka, overpowers – sound familiar?) any inner planet it connects with, when met with an outer planet, the ‘bigger guy’—the one further afield— holds sway over Saturn. So while we can expect to continue seeing the stream of Neptunian deceit and ‘untruths’ flowing through the conventional news cycles, our work at keeping ourselves connected to the Source of real Truth, our intuitive knowing, is of utmost import.
One of Pisces’ associations is with spiritual work. In the Sufi tradition, it is told how when Shams of Tabriz (Rumi’s great love and master teacher) heard one of his disciples anxiously reporting, “the Mongols are coming, the Mongols are coming,” he replied, “I’ve taught you to be a duck, now swim.” This story invokes both the inner knowledge collected through the Pisces archetype, and the courage to enact it, through swimming into life, offered by Aries.
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Signals of change: outer planets
Of further import in this time is that the three transpersonal planets are all changing signs in close succession. Pluto just transitioned into Aquarius on November 19, where it will remain for 20 years; Neptune moves into Aries on March 30, where it remains for 14 years, and Uranus will move into Gemini on July 7, for six years. All this within an eight-month period.
Curious when this last happened, I checked three AI sources: two of them found no data, one posited a time that was incorrect (I verified by scanning several ephemerides), and the other posited a year, 1737, that does check out accurately, but none of the three outer planets had been discovered then!
The outer planets are the ‘big change’ agents in the sky. They have a significant impact on the mutations of epochs, both cultural and political, as written about in detail by cosmologist and astrologer Richard Tarnas in his acclaimed book, Cosmos and Psyche. When we apply ourselves to their influences, we too can be guided through big changes by these transpersonal energies—not always easeful, but surely growthful and regenerative. At this time on the planet we need as many transformed hearts and souls on deck as we can get.
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Faith, and the camel
Leading up to the Saturn-Neptune conjunction, we continue our apprenticeship to the work of Pisces, which involves surrendering to the falling away of both our stable structures, and any illusions we may have relied on. When Piscean waters touch Saturn, the ‘father’ archetype who presides over ruling systems and empires, we can expect the breakdown and collapse (aka flood) of our ‘solid’, traditional institutions, the likes of which we’re seeing with ever increasing momentum—as Aries (known for its vigor) enters the mix. In this time of great extremes, with radical change agent Pluto in Aquarius quickening the process, the watery forces of erosion are seeping into our systems of government, law, justice, consumer protection, education, healthcare, cultural preservation, you name it… the list grows daily.
However, the story of erosion of all that was held ‘tried and true’ is but one aspect of what’s going on. Given that in its shadow aspect, Saturn energy invokes fear, and that Pisces-Neptune can be prone to delusions and ungrounded fantasies, it’s important not to get carried off into terror-izing negative projections about what is to come. Undoing our “knowingness” about what is and should be happening is in order, while holding steady, staying with our own inner ‘Piscean’ curriculum that asks us to cultivate our creative inspirations, and our love and compassion, and share these out, even in seemingly unseen ways. And yes, we will continue to see great losses—a strong Neptunian theme—including suffering and death among the innocent. Tears of compassion and grief will be continue to be very much part of the river of life.
But at its best, the merger of the ruler of form (Saturn) with the ruler of formlessness (Neptune) can, if we allow it, inspire us to an expansion of consciousness and perspective that in turn will inform courageous actions and deeds (Aries). It asks that we discipline ourselves (Saturn) to keep focused and attentive to what arises within and without, as the energy of transformation requires space, and awareness. It also asks that we embrace and engage with our deepest longings and image-making capacities (Neptune), while tolerating the confusions and anxieties that arise. Here we can call forth the Pisces quality of faith, to keep us to our tasks, and Saturn’s willingness to engage with the mundane. Applied to the well-known Hadith in the Quran, we need trust in Allah, or God, (Neptune), but as well tie the knee of our camel (Saturn).
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Aries New Moon
Further calling us to Pisces’ nebulous inner realms, the upcoming March 29 Aries (partial) Solar Eclipse New Moon cycle involves inner planets Mercury and Venus in, or soon retrograding into Pisces. With both these planets retrograde and then moving forward through their Rx ‘shadows’ (the degrees during which they had been Rx) through April and into May, this spring will continue to favor the work of review and reflection. This is important, as we often need the medium of time to help us understand the lessons of past occurrences.
Additionally, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, and Neptune will all conjunct the Moon’s North Node in Pisces (where it will stay until July 2026). The North Node informs us of our directional ‘compass point.’ As Evolutionary astrologer Steven Forrest states, the North Node’s highest essence is “the remedy that can liberate us.” This means we want to lean into our Piscean capacities for accessing our Truth and deep knowing, as well as our creative imagination. Trusting in a source higher, or deeper than our ego selves is the way through.
With the North Node conjuncting not just Saturn and Neptune, but also Venus and Mercury, our relating and thinking may feel fuzzy and elusive, although percolating with intuitive breakthroughs. While disconcerting to the ordinary mind, if we accept this, we may find ourselves dropping below the level of the mind and happening upon revelations and new perspectives.
Meanwhile, as counterpart to the Pisces ‘underwater world,’ with the South Node in Pisces’ polarity partner Virgo, we want to be cleaning up any un-chill Virgo tendencies, like compulsive worry, over-dwelling on details and deficits, holding others and ourselves to a model of perfection, and being over-ready to acquiesce to domination. With the South Node in this sign, Virgo’s shadow qualities become our “soul cage,” as Forrest says.
So what might seem counter-intuitive (but which is actually very intuitive!) is that we need to de-emphasize our striving for efficiency and productivity, and emphasize practices that help us relax, unwind, and tune in (or out!). Ultimately, with this Pisces/Neptune work of shifting consciousness, we’re aiming to open up new spaces within that can help us imaginally sense our way forward.
Another aspect of the New Moon is what we call a “working wedge” – three planets forming a harmonious triangle, used as one could imagine, to help support ‘heavy lifting’. Mars, ruled by Aries is the ‘dispositor’ or executor of the work of the Sun-Moon in Aries. With Mars trine Saturn, the planet of instinctual action is gently reminded to stay aware of its guardrails (keeping explosive outbursts and impulsive undertakings at bay). Mars meanwhile sextiles Uranus, the agent of innovation and disruption. So while this could amp up the electricity in the air, because Saturn also sextiles Uranus, Saturn can be ‘the grownup’ in the room, keeping the disruption level perhaps more contained than what we’ve been seeing. We can ourselves expect to see some skillful and practical, yet innovative energies available to meet whatever undertakings we engage with in this cycle.
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Letting go to the drift
In the right timing, we will get to the engagement with Aries’ impulse to craft new life from the depths. For now, we are welcomed to remain present with this critical phase of surrender, release, and opening. This may simply look like accepting the presence of not knowing, or of doing without doing—potent quickeners of the inner planes.
In a recent, delightfully creative and irreverent romp through topics of time travel and love magic, Tyson Yunkaporta, Aboriginal scholar and author of Sand Talk, tells us that in his indigenous language, the words for space and time are one and the same. This heart place of nowhere and everywhere is where we want to be, I would venture. He says in his essay (I recommend the audio),
You can’t use magic or make magic; you can only swim with its currents, occasionally choosing which stream will take you.
Perfect Piscean instructions: allow the flow of magic (or love), but hone your intention. In this spirit, I consider music (a Piscean treasure) to be a great channel changer, expert in invoking other modes of being and feeling. Last week in the car, the oldie, If You Believe In Magic, came on—tickling my inner child believer, in spite of the news. Today, my phone shuffled up the Alexi Murdoch song, Blue Mind, which speaks to dropping out of time, and into the creative drift. (Great strings accompaniment!)
…the time is at hand/ When all things under the sky/ Go free of time
Time is passing you by
Got no time / And I am drifting / Yes, I am drifting
Remember when you were only a child, and/ Start to see with your blue mind
Start to see with your blue mind/ Don’t be afraid of what you find (Stop your crying)
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Call to play
In another aspect of the Aries impulse, at the moment I’m sensing that at the edges of all this contemplative letting go, the genius of the playful child is hearing from a distance the call to the dance (such as in the lyrics above). The wonder-filled fire sign Aries presides over the newborn child, in all its innocence and free self-expression. To embrace this childlike ethos of daring and instinct, we might spend some time reconnecting with our own child self, with its spirit of delight and innovation. What helps us drop into this space? This will be of great assistance to the rebirthing work we have before us, as we need the judgment-free, intuitive parts of our being to be liberated from constraints.
I will close with a beautiful metaphor for how the individualistic Aries spirit can join with the collective consciousness of Pisces, offered in a recent audio blog from dreamworker and author, Toko-pa Turner, titled What Slime Mold Can Teach Us About Chaos. Toko-pa points to the current “fire of outrage” (red hot Aries) in response to the time’s injustices, suggesting we not get fully consumed by protest and opposition, but rather use our heated emotions to fire up our creativity.
She uses the example of the slime mold which, when happy and nourished, exists as a singular blob, but when environmentally stressed, enters a disordered breakdown state into disparate individual bits, losing its unity in apparent chaos, while nevertheless retaining its “collective intelligence.” In this seemingly disordered state, she says, the slime mold
can better listen with many ears and see with many eyes and sense the emergent wisdom in chaos. Disintegration is not death. It’s a period of sacred listening at the living edge of change for what wants to be born. Once the forest floor has been remapped, we come back together each with our own essential piece of what is now possible.
The soul’s question in a time of upheaval might be, am I contributing to the chaos or to the order that is to come? Or am I reaching into the darkness to find a generous truth, a rare beauty, an expanded awareness, an unlikely kindness? The new world won’t arise from critique alone. It will emerge from the tender, stubborn act of creation in the dark. The artist, the dreamer, the poet, and the lover. These are the quiet warriors of this age and the architects of what comes next.
I love the notion of ourselves as little, discreet blobs of slime mold, all connected through a shared field of awareness, working in the dark, each in our own ways, at the ‘remapping of the forest floor.’ Work done through calling forth beauty, truth, and kindness, and accessing our Piscean artist, dreamer, poet, and lover selves, preparing for the next phase of “quiet warriorhood”! May it be so!
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