Claude Monet Spring
As Spring whispers its emergence in the north and Autumn pipes retreat in the south, we feel Gaia’s energy shift and reverse gears. We feel intoxicated by the sight of tender emerald sprouts poking up through the ground or the musty heady smell of falling leaves.
In the heavens above, the stars and planets mirror the terrestrial changes heralding the advent of a new dawn. Birth is a challenging process. It is a painful delivery and a mystical birth. In a way, death is much easier. It just happens. Birth is another story altogether.
Astrologically, we are moving through the birth canal. There is the release of blood and the shadows of past trauma. As April unfolds, we will be visited by both.
On April 1st at 27° Aries, Hermes stands still, preparing to begin his backward march. Dane Rudhyar calls this celestial marker, “A large audience confronts the performer who disappointed its expectations. The necessity for mature preparation and self-criticism.”
At this degree, the Winged Messenger will trace his steps back to 15° Aries on April 25, activating complex personal geometry with Saturn in Pisces and Pluto in Aquarius. Saturn is uneasy in watery, boundless Pisces. Too many emotions flood the senses, weakening mental constructs, which will have a positive outcome. Pluto is enthusiastic in Aquarius, churning deep currents of emotional growth. Who we are becoming, individually and collectively, is directed to overcome what has become stagnant. The overflow of the Sun conjunct the lunar north node, and Chiron and Eris conjunct the Mercury station in Aries is the celestial petrie dish for self-actualized evolutionary growth. The planetary lineup of Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Neptune in Pisces is the fertile, watery abyss awakening new consciousness and connecting to Spirit.
A last-quarter “crisis in consciousness” Moon opposing asteroid Vesta and Astraea sets up a Cardinal Grand Cross squaring the lunar nodes. A “Finger of God” yod formation pointing at the Moon intensifies the necessity for resolving a “skipped” evolutionary step. Emotional distortions harbored from the past must be examined and reintegrated as a positive understanding of the potency and purpose of crisis and trauma. Authenticity and addressing injustice are high on the agenda.
An Earth Grand Trine to the Moon conjunct Ceres from Jupiter conjunct Uranus in Taurus and Juno Rx in Virgo speaks to reviewing our commitment to nurturing the process of becoming. Ceres carries karmic history with the Moon and lunar south node. Ceres evokes the mythology of Demeter and Persephone: divine Mother, her molested daughter, and the sexual misconduct of an older family member. Rape has many manifestations. Sadistic rape. War rape. Rape of the land. To name a few. We have been seeing evidence of this around us.
Saturn “kites out” the grand trine, emphasizing that the way forward is by taking responsibility for what we do.
A total solar eclipse occurs on April 8th at 20° Aries. It will be visible across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Its pathway will run from Mexico to Maine. This is the new moon event that initiates the next lunar cycle. The Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury, Chiron, Eris, Hygeia, and the Lunar North Node span the sign of Aries.
Mars, the ruler of the Aries array, is in Pisces. His fire never goes out. In water signs, it simmers below the surface or boils over. The archetype of Pisces is programmed for deep feelings and emotions. It is not always the most balanced. Boundaries are obscured or absent altogether, making us feel off balance and on shaky ground. Saints, saviors, and martyrs populate the cast. So do those who would betray, abandon, and misinform us. With a crisis-producing inconjunct from the Moon to Mars and Saturn, hidden agendas and aggression are possible.
Neptune is at Pisces’s anaretic (very last) degree and is the baseline for Mars and Saturn. This is a “ring not pass” condition. Some essential evolutionary changes must now occur for progress and resolution.
The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus makes a difficult angle to the Moon. Self-serving agendas can populate unexpected events and rattle personal boundaries for security and self-reliance. The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on April 20 is the major outer planet event of 2024, second in importance only to Pluto’s transit of Aquarius. This heavy outer planet cycle underscores and sets the evolving base note for Pluto over the next twelve years.
The Ceres-Astraea opposition sets up a Cardinal Grand Cross. Asteroid Astraea’s karmic burden involves the Sun and the lunar north node. Astraea was the virgin goddess of justice. During the Golden Age, she dwelt upon the earth with mankind but was driven away by the increasing lawlessness. Zeus then set her amongst the stars as the constellation Virgo. Astraea was closely identified with the goddesses Dike (Justice) and Nemesis (Rightful Indignation).
Neptune is at Pisces’s anaretic (very last) degree and is the baseline for Mars and Saturn. This is a “ring not pass” condition. Some essential evolutionary changes must now occur for progress and resolution.
An Earth Grand Trine from the Moon in Virgo and Ceres in Capricorn trines Jupiter and Uranus at their conjunction. Self-reliance, self-nurturing, and work on the self is the recipe for success through this timeframe. We need to ask ourselves some hard questions. Who am I becoming? Where have I not taken responsibility for my deeds and actions? What do I need to work on to be a better me?
An almost Star of David forms as Mercury stations and amalgamates the frequencies of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Ceres, and Astraea. This portends an open channel for deep personal examination, responsibility for our choices, and the direction our lives are going. However, these are trines, not squares or oppositions. We must consciously work with them to activate their potential. If we don’t wake up to what is happening, this opportunity will drift by in the wind.
