The Sun entering Aries on March 20th signifies the Spring Equinox, the third and last ‘New Years’ celebration. Preceded by the calendar New Year and the Chinese New Year, the astrological new year is a rebirth through the zodiac cycle of life.
March 20 – Sun Enters Aries
at 9:16 AM PDT (17:16 GMT)
At the beginning of the astrological year, we are catapulted into a new cycle with the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Uranus all in Aries. The relaxed and dreamy world of Pisces is over.
The Aries archetype is about our relationship with ourselves — our body, our energy, our authenticity, and our true essence. The first sign of the zodiac, Aries is about discovering, invoking, and becoming conscious of the Self.
The Aries archetype is about discovering, fully experiencing, and honoring the Self through self-realization. Aries touchstones are Know Thyself. Be a lighthouse unto yourself. I am. I am.
The Gift of Fire
Aries is the first fire sign. We are born from and sustained by the cosmic fire of creation.
The fire of life endows us with the desire and ability to live and be original creative beings.
The element of fire makes us feel alive and gives us the energy to be active, take action, and be productive. Fire is the light of our soul that gives us radiance, charisma, and a dynamic presence.
In its unexamined and unconscious expressions, fire manifests as anger, frustration, and resentment, which result in conflict, aggressiveness, and violence towards ourselves and others. We are driven to fight, to win, to be the best, and to be right. Unexamined and misdirected, fire energy is destructive. When fire turns on itself, it is anti-life.
A primary concern for the Aries archetype is how to use our fire energy and how to direct and create an authentic life. What we do with our energy, both internally and externally, determines if we waste our inner resources and burn out, or if we wisely build, contain, and utilize the gifts that we have been given.
We relate to our fire energy differently at different stages of our life.
(1) In our younger years, when we have an abundance of energy, it is easy to not pay much attention to how we use our energy.
(2) In midlife we start noticing that our energy is not unlimited. If we are wise, we take better care of ourselves and make better choices on how we use our energy.
(3) Later in life the dynamic is different and sometimes very difficult. As our vital energy naturally diminishes, our attention shifts to how we can generate enough fire and keep it going. Out of necessity, we are more concerned with maintaining good health and cut back on activities that waste our fire.
Retrograde Dynamics Temper Aries
While the Sun shines in Aries, we feel more alive, energetic, and want to accomplish a lot. At least we have a lot of ideas about what we wish to do. However, Mercury Retrograde in Aries supports careful evaluation before we bulldoze forward. And Jupiter Retrograde in Scorpio makes sure we examine our feelings, motives, conditioning, and attitude to align our mind and emotions to support our endeavors.
March 22 – April 15 – Mercury Is Retrograde
Mercury has already slowed down when the Sun enters Aries. We don’t sprint out of the gate quite so fast. We are being given time to carefully evaluate our ideas, plans, and motives. To do so, we go inside, expand, and elevate our perspective of who we are and what we wish to accomplish this lifetime.
March 31 – Libra Full Moon
at 5:36 PDT (13:36 GMT) at 10 degrees.
The light at Full Moon helps us see more clearly what is going on. We can more easily identify fabricated stories, hidden agendas, illusions, subconscious patterns, and anything else that can sabotage our good intentions. At the Libra Full Moon, the theme is all kinds of relationships. Not surprisingly with the Libra Moon opposed by the Aries Sun, we must first look is at our relationship with ourselves. Then we examine how who we are interacts with and determines the underlying dynamic of our relationships with others. Are we allowing ourselves to be authentic? The extent to which we hide behind false masks often coincides with the magnitude of our illusions and judgments about others (and ourselves.)
Venus in Taurus reminds us that whatever manifests in our relationships as a reflection of our relationship with ourselves.
Mars and Saturn square this Full Moon, indicating that we will be shifting into a new direction in our lives. It is critical that we are aligned in our hearts with ourselves and with those who will travel with us. In collaborative endeavors, (1) everyone involved must be true to themselves, (2) our priorities and desires must be mutually supportive, and (3) we each must connect with and act from our inner authority. Control trips sabotage the game. If we can operate from our hearts, with both compassion and detachment, then we can move forward together. If not, a kind good bye is in order.
Venus in Taurus trines Mars and Saturn in Capricorn. This supportive interaction helps us give value to both our Mars masculine drives and will and our Venus feminine needs and values. We are invited to consider both how
we can achieve what is possible and what is valuable and beneficial for all. Will our efforts add value to ourselves, others, and the Planet? To offer what is truly needed, we have to factor in how we feel and the vibration that we will contribute. We need to be able to relax and enjoy the process of creating and sharing so we deliver love and peace as part of our ‘product.’
April 2 – Mars Conjunct Saturn in Capricorn – A New Two-Year Cycle
Already only 1 degree apart at the Full Moon, Mars conjunct Saturn in Capricorn slows down the show. Their careful influence will last through the week following their exact meeting April 2. Lively Mars in prudent Capricorn, working with Sage Saturn, tempers our climb up the mountain. They don’t stop the ascent. They just make sure we have all the right gear and are adequately prepared for the long trek.
Their conjunction begins a new two-year Mars/Saturn cycle for manifesting our goals. We may decide to head in a different or expanded direction. So we must carefully examine what we really want before we commit to our next two-year plan and beyond. It is important to clarify our long-term goals and consider what it will take to reach them. We need to develop Capricorn patience, persistence, strength, and focus for our journey.
April 15-16 – Aries New Moon
6:57 PM PDT (1:57 GMT) at 26 degrees
The Aries New Moon is fortified with Sun, Mercury, and Uranus also in Aries. This stellium endows us with courage, creativity, and the ability to commit to living life to the fullest. Aries likes lots of things and loves to initiate new projects. But none of them can manifest unless we take them from the ‘great idea’ stage to the ‘do the work’ stage. Therefore we must be clear and choose wisely what we want to devote our energy to.
This Aries New Moon is supercharged to support new beginnings, rebirth, and renewal. Conjunct the wildcard planet Uranus, we may be surprised with radical changes within our own psyche and with new circumstances, challenges, and opportunities that arise suddenly.
Last Wake Up Calls of Uranus in Aries
Uranus has been stirring things up in Aries territory since 2011. May 15 it will start stirring up things in the domain of Taurus. Now in the last degrees of Aries, we may complete the Aries journey with revelations about our true identity and our life purpose. The Uranus wake up strategy transcends our personal will and desires. The cosmic jolts oblige us to surrender our ego-defined ideas of what we think we want and submit to and trust cosmic instructions.
Eris, Goddess of Discord, has been traveling through the heavens with Uranus since 2016. Together they conjunct the Aries New Moon, disrupting the status quo. We can use all this fire energy to break through fears and resistance and awaken our passionate spirit. We could be in for a wild ride. But ‘creativity arises out of chaos, and our hidden gifts and powers are often revealed only through friction and conflict.’ *(1)
April 15 – Mercury Goes Direct
2:01 AM PDT (9:01 GMT)
Mercury in Aries goes direct at the New Moon, supporting our urge to move forward.
April 17 – Chiron Moves into Aries
Hopefully Chiron’s sojourn in Pisces has helped us gain an elevated perspective on our suffering and wounds, i.e. instead of being a victim, we open our hearts to learning with empathy and compassion for ourselves and each other. We must strive to maintain the gentle, loving Pisces attitude as Chiron in Aries helps us awaken to an expanded sense of our own identity and mission.
Take this chance to evaluate and consolidate your healing progress over the last seven years. Self-empathy, acceptance, forgiveness, and compassion are the glue that culminate and anchor in our healing journey.
(Chiron retrogrades back into Pisces September 25. Chiron re-enters Aries mid February where it stays through 2027.)
The Disciplined Hand of Capricorn and Saturn
Mars, Pluto, Saturn, and Vesta, all in Capricorn, help us direct Aries fire with discipline, focus, and productive persistence. To maximize the power and potential of this period featuring both completions and new beginnings, we must establish our own authority and take responsibility for what and how we create our lives. At the same time, we must relinquish limited ego ideas and need to be in control. We must patiently strategize and wisely plan for the future.
We integrate the strengths of both Aries and Capricorn by being willing to take strategic risks, doing the required work, and trusting ourselves and the process.
Retrograde Jupiter in Scorpio (March 8 – July 10) makes sure that we stay tuned to and follow our gut feelings. Make sure your emotional vibration aligns with love and kindness, not fear or anger. Honest inner assessment, an elevated attitude of trust, and a compassionate heart are our ace cards during this tumultuous and exciting time.
References
Trinkaus, Emily, Libra Full Moon – March 31, The Mountain Astrologer, February/March 2018, p. 103.
Trinkaus, Emily, Aries New Moon – April 15-16, The Mountain Astrologer, April/May 2018, p. 81.
1. Trinkaus, Aries New Moon, p. 81.
