Astro Tips for March 2011

The Midnight Hour: the 29th degree of Uranus in Pisces

We are living through a midnight hour. There are 360 degrees in the Zodiac and the planet Uranus, The Awakener - ruler of revolution, the unexpected, change and freedom - is traveling through the 359th degree. Pisces is the last sign. It contains the final 30 degrees of our Zodiac. The big thing happening this month is this: Uranus is finishing up its work in Pisces and then will transition into Aries, the first sign, on March 11th.

Uranus entered Pisces in 2003. During these final days of the transit we have an opportunity to contemplate what changes Uranus has brought to our lives, to our society and to our planet. It’s a lot. Uranus made its ingress into Pisces on March 11, 2003. On March 20th the United States initiated the War in Iraq. Think back over the past seven years. Think about your life, think about what has happened in our country and think about all the turmoil in so many countries in the recent past.

In late January, when the young Egyptians said they were demonstrating for the freedom to elect their leaders, they were expressing the energy of Uranus. Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781. It was the first planet discovered with a telescope. The American Revolution was already in process (1775-1783) and the French Revolution would begin very soon (1789-1799). In Greek mythology Uranus is the father of Saturn, and Saturn is the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Whenever a father/ruler/leader becomes too controlling or tyrannical, the people rise up and rebel to create a new order. In other words, there is a connection between the discovery of planet Uranus and the ongoing drive for freedom that continues to this day and will continue. The uprising against the tyrant is idealistic. A Uranian uprising has no plan beyond “dethrone the beast.” When Mubarak finally stepped down, Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy said: “Egypt is finished with these old men.” What is to follow in Egypt is up to the people of Egypt. It will take time. It will take attention to Saturn (order, stability) and then Jupiter, the integrator, will help bring a new government into being.

As we live through the 29th degree of Uranus in Pisces (the midnight hour for Uranus), we see a harsher revolution in Libya. Muammar al-Gaddafi might be called the archetype of the 29th degree of Pisces: intense, unstable and delusional. It might even be crazy. It will break the rules. Uranus always has dominion over the unexpected. Gaddafi is the epitome of unpredictable.

The 29th degree

Since October of this past year, every full moon has fallen at 29 degrees of the sign. Full Moons throw light on the subject of that sign. When the flashlight falls on the 29th degree we are asked to take in everything about that sign very quickly. It’s almost too much to take in and then it’s over and we are on to the next Moon sign. The light isn’t there long enough so it feels unsettling and unstable. Life on planet earth has been anything but stable. When an outer planet moves through the 29th degree it can take several weeks. We have time to experience and to contemplate the fullness of the planet and the sign. That is what we are currently doing with Uranus in Pisces. In the coming weeks we will study Neptune’s completion through the sign of Aquarius. Neptune is sitting at 29 degrees of Aquarius! There are many endings and many beginnings on the horizon.

So much Pisces energy!

The New Moon on Friday, March 4th, has an interesting horoscope. The Sun and Moon at 13 degrees of Pisces are joined by Mars (7 degrees), Mercury (20 degrees) and Uranus (at that 29th degree). This is a lot Pisces energy sitting in one room. Pisces is emotional, sensitive and even touchy; and with all this Pisces energy we are feeling the effects of emotional trauma on a collective scale. It’s enough to manage your own little life, right? Pisces is the sign of the collective unconscious. During the passage of Uranus through Pisces we have experienced increased global awareness and compassion. The world has truly grown smaller. What happens over there happens here. What happens to you happens to me. Think about Katrina. Think about that Tsunami in The Indian Ocean. Think about all the soldiers who have died in Iraq. Think about all the innocent Iraqi people who have died since 2003. Think about Haiti. Now thousands of people are leaving Libya and they need a place to go. Everything is connected. That is one of the messages of Pisces.

What has Uranus in Pisces meant for you?

What Hurricanes and Tsunamis have you had in your personal life during the past seven years? What has died? What part of you has allowed yourself to have some Uranian rebellion in your life? Where have you cried out for freedom? Have you had your own uprising? Have you thrown out any internal or external tyrants? What kind of revolution have you lived through in the past seven years?

Uranus transitions into Aries on March 11

Revolution continues of course. It just takes on a different assemblage of energy. On March 11, Uranus steps into Aries. Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac so it represents the self…. the individual. Pisces represents the collective. We have lived through seven years of being changed by the earthly collective. Now it is time for individuals to act based on what has been assimilated during the years of Uranus traveling through Pisces. New beginnings. New ideas. New enterprises.

Aries is the sign of the hero. When you put Uranus in Aries you have a pioneering energy that won’t stop until it finds a solution. Aries has courage and fortitude. Aries is not afraid. Revolutions continue with heroic leaders. Individuals in Lybia have expressed their resolution to die rather than live under tyranny. In short, Aries is not afraid to stand up and fight. When a planet moves into a sign, it takes on the personality of that sign. Uranus in Aries: people want individual freedom! Aries is the ME principal. Uranus in Aries is impulsive: act first and think later. Uranus in Aries can be the political fanatic, but I figure we are used to that by now. Aries, a fire sign, has a temper. Aries is probably the sign for the NRA. With Uranus transiting Aries, firearms will be in fashion for another seven years.

Think back on the past seven years. Uranus in Pisces might have caused you to suppress your need for freedom and change. Perhaps you shut down. Maybe you turned off your feeling faucet. Maybe you ended up in denial about some area of your life. Maybe you went numb. Uranus in Aries is sure to be a wake up call if you have rolled into a stagnant Pisces pool and shut the gate. Uranus in Aries will awaken us to grab our destinies and go!

Full Moon in Virgo March 19

When we reach the Full Moon on March 19th, the Sun will be at 28 degrees of Pisces (well it’s pretty close to 29 degrees!) sitting with Uranus at 0 degrees of Aries. The Full Moon is opposing at 28 (just about 29!) degrees of Virgo. All month long Uranus squares Pluto. This is a challenging aspect. Pluto is that area of life where we want control and maybe we don’t get control. It is a challenge to let go of needing to control everything. Somewhere in each of us resides a tyrant! Pluto in Capricorn struggling with Uranus and Saturn represents the old men that journalist Mona Eltahawy refers to. We all have an old man inside trying to hold us in a pattern we are comfortable with but we know is no longer functional. It doesn’t work anymore. Uranus in Aries is the awakener of the individual. The past seven years have taught us something. Now what? Get ready.

Vernal Equinox March 20

When the Sun goes into Aries on the first day of spring, Uranus will be right there hugging the Sun. Spring ceremonies might focus on the awakening of the spiritual warrior.