We've had meteorological Spring, and a rather wintry one at that. On the 20th March this year, we will have astrological Spring, at long last. The Spring equinox occurs at 9.24pm on 20th March this year, when the Sun is directly over the equator and the days and nights are pretty much the same length. The solstices represent the extremes of the cycle, the equinoxes are the balance between dark and light. And at the Spring equinox the days are getting longer, and the nights shorter, so this is a time to build up energy and harness our intentions. The winter period of rest and regeneration is coming to an end, and seeds can start to germinate, bud and grow.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Spring equinox also heralds the start of a new astrological cycle. On the 20th March the Sun moves in to Aries, which is the first sign of the zodiac. Ruled by Mars and the element fire, Aries carries a great deal of energy.
It is the first and also the sign of the self. As the first fire sign I tend to think of Aries as pure energy, and everything requires energy. It is the energy that breathes life into the rest of the cycle. Wherever Aries is in our natal chart is where we start our own personal cycle. For me Aries rules the second house, resources. It took me a while to figure this one out, as I don't think of myself as particularly materialistic, but I do worry if I can't pay my bills, so it is correct that for me having enough resources is where it starts and the cycle goes from there. For others it will start in another sphere of life.
Fire represents our passions, what gets us up in the morning, what drives us forwards.
The positives of Aries are its directness, energy and drive. Represented by the ram Aries goes for what it wants. This is not a sign that stands still. As the sign of the Self Aries can be very independent, and stride out alone. Mars, the red planet, rules Aries, so there is something of the warrior here. This is a sign of courage and pioneering. Every sign also has its negative traits, and Aries can be too impulsive. Also in the desire to go for what they want, if there are no cooling factors in the chart, there is the risk of trampling over others, and there can be a lack of tact and diplomacy.
When dealing with the negatives it is always helpful to look to the balancing sign which is Libra. Where Aries is the sign of the Self, Libra represents the other and relationship. No-one is truly independent, we all need to co-operate with others in some way, so sometimes we need the harmony of Libra to counterbalance the Aries tendency to ride ahead maybe not reading the room as well as we could.
It is always worth remembering that we are far more than our Sun sign. An Aries, will have these traits in their consciousness, however it is very likely that others planets will be in different signs, which will also be having an effect.
At this Spring equinox the Sun is sharing it's sign with Mercury and Jupiter. Mercury is just moving out of a conjunction with the Sun so our consciousness is growing. It is just moving behind the Sun, so rising just after the Sun. The Sun is beginning to light the way for our consciousness, so this is a phase for the integration of ideas rather than bold news ones, that have not yet been thought through. Jupiter is also in Aries, and best seen at sunset, as it is rising after the Sun so will not be visible in the morning.
Jupiter expands, so in Aries is expanding our sense of Self. Working well, this is a good time to really gets to know ourselves. Working badly there is a risk of egotism, so awareness is key.
Interestingly this equinox all the planets are direct. I had to look twice, but no retrogrades! Everything is moving forwards, so this Spring really is a good time to look ahead, and turn our attention outwards, and we have a new Moon in Aries the following day.
Namaste, enjoy the return of longer days and energy, and much love and best wishes with whatever path you choose to take and build on. The next blog with be Taurus, which brings in the resources needed.
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