We’ve been living under a very watery sky for a few weeks now, but today the elements begin shifting with Mars ingressing Aries — a fiery planet in the fiery sign it rules. (The ingress occurred at 2:26 am EDT.) There is some other fire in the sky today. The question is, does this feel like energies are beginning to balance, or does it feel more like pressure to you — like steam starting to build and needing an outlet?
Mars in Aries can be assertive (even aggressive), physical and confident. But with the Sun — representative of our will and ego — still in Pisces, there is a caution against getting ahead of ourselves. This could also shift any question of confidence you’ve been experiencing, including becoming a crisis of confidence. Whatever is going on for you in that realm may be more pronounced, so track it carefully.
That awareness is especially important since the Pisces Sun is square Pholus in Sagittarius today. Pholus is one of the centaur planets, which in mythology were part civilized human, part wild beast. Pholus is associated with small causes having big effects, runaway reactions, and the way that alcohol can exacerbate such things in social situations.
When the emotional, sensitive, expressive Pisces Sun squares Pholus in Sagittarius, there’s a caution to stay aware of the possibility for one’s will or ego to run unchecked; getting drawn into self-righteousness; and a potential inability to see oneself as the cause of one’s own difficulties, tension, challenges or arguments. Emotional control may be a real issue today, as is the need to keep an eye out for small triggers. Sometimes it’s the little things that get you, and this could be one of those times.
That is, watch for seemingly small triggers in yourself but also remember that everyone around you is experiencing this astrology, too. Of course, you can’t control anyone’s reactions but your own, but today may be a day to head anything off at the pass that you can. This isn’t about making yourself smaller or being inauthentic, just remembering that sometimes timing is everything, so pay attention to yours today, choose your moments consciously, and understand that not everyone you encounter will be acting with the same awareness.
Possible ways to work with this tension, since this is a square we’re talking about, involve action — though given the planets and signs involved, self-directed action may pan out best. Think physical exercise, since Mars is in Aries and we might as well use what it has to offer, or some really intensive artistic immersion given all the Pisces planets.
With Pisces and Sagittarius involved, I keep thinking some higher-plane, loving sex could be a release — except that the presence of Pholus suggests that any misunderstanding in partner sex could get blown out of proportion and simply exacerbate any triggers you’re trying to tame. Probably best to stick with the solo version of sex if you choose that route.
The idea is to find an action you can take that will help slide you past your sticking point, like a lever or a shoehorn — which suggests trying things that minimize direct confrontation and allow you to move sideways or find a creative third option to your own ego-blindness.
And speaking of misunderstandings: remember that Mercury is, in fact, still retrograde but will be stationing direct on March 17 (just five days from now). It can be hard for us to know what we want under ‘normal’ circumstances. Mars moving into Aries ahead of the Sun with Mercury preparing to enter its storm phase and the station direct gives a clear caution not to think you know what you want too soon. Can you let yourself hang loose for a few more days and continue exploring your options and trying on different points of view?
One last tidbit: at the same time that the Moon ingresses Aries to conjoin Mars (amping up the impulsiveness for those who are actually awake at that time), minor planets Pallas Athene and Eris form an exact conjunction in Aries. I haven’t quite sussed this one out, though it’s definitely adding to the fiery nature of the sky.
I was thinking it could be an urge to defend all facets of ourselves — no matter how chaotic they may feel — as whole and belonging, rather than being willing to cast off or cut off what isn’t fitting another’s conception of us. Eric suggested that they seem to be completely opposite energies: Pallas is about law and Eris is about disorder. What do you think?
Whatever it means, the conjunction is trine Pholus — so chances are it’s going to have a greater effect than it might have otherwise.
yeti — what a cool way of thinking of a new, wider perspective for pallas and eris. thank you for broadening the conversation.
and i love these updates about your vocalization practice. keep going — it sounds wonderful!
Excellent your study Amanda with Pholus square to the Sun and these small triggers that threaten us I really appreciated your thought. Now I look read Pholus in the same way, thanks
As to the first question, I’ve felt things building for awhile and have been focusing through the outlet of cultivating bardic skills. My voice practice isn’t just an aesthetic thing- my relations with birds are becoming more delightful. While walking, or slowly waking up in my tent I often find myself in the midst of a bird orchestra. When I vocalize in ways that tell the birds I’m listening to them they respond with chirps that sound like cheers and laughs and they sometimes make me laugh and cheer. Dogs, cats and children often respond to me with interest while parents usually ignore 😉
I guess it’s side effects of practice: singing is freeing my throat which means my head experiences fewer distortions in my heart’s magnetic field and the two can more easily understand each other. Guitar and singing at the same time tunes further brain function. Then Tai Ji practice and biking bring the tuning all the way down to the toes and out to the edges of my qi field. The Berlin Wall may have fallen, but far too many impenetrable barriers stand between human identities and the older brains just behind them. I’m tearing down the wall between my cortex and animal, the thicket of thorns between my head and heart, and the fear and loathing between head and guts.
Law and disorder- asteroids are heavily influenced by Jupiter. A human standing on Eris would have a hard time picking out the sun from the backdrop of stars. Order and disorder are the same thing seen from different zoom levels, or two phases in a journey of transformation. Coming together in Aries perhaps disorder can be refined and directed with the help of Pallas to free a few more minds from the bondage of the default culture’s assumptions. Some could use this force as in disaster capitalism where Mars is directed toward keeping people scared but controlled. Others could use it to face what is first perceived as disorder with courage in order to find a new pattern to bring back in service to the tribe. I’m feeling that the mindful way to channel the energy, what some would call the ‘higher’ (what’s high and low in space, traveler?) is to not lose your head when you encounter novelty. Pallas sprung fully formed from the 3rd eye of Zeus; the real laws of experience can be as malleable as a dream. 3rd eye is the seat of mindfulness and compassion.
Being able to feel stars other than the sun while still existing as a part of the sun’s body is like the edge of a human’s qi field. When you tune into it your ego expands to include other sentient beings within its range. This can appear as chaos when the previously shielded ego realizes there’s a universe beyond its walls containing things its language software has no words to describe.
Eris has been on my 7th house cusp for quite awhile. I think this is a long lesson for my Libra parts in facing the fact that you can’t control other people, or rather other sentient beings.
Hi, really sound interesting: “Pallas is about law and Eris is about disorder.”
Related to Hungary, it is obvious, isn’t it?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21740743
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/12/hungary-constitution-changes-warrant-eu-action
what a lovely article amanda…and be what a great image of the astrological happenings….you made me think of my childhood where in my extra large family of hundreds, no wedding was complete without a drunken brawl and a fist-fight or two inside AND outside…we could have used someone like Pallas-Athene to whisper some sense into people’s ears …and take the cervezas out of their hands LOL
Amanda: Thank you for helping us to discern the importance of looking ahead without getting ahead of ourselves. That will be an important human skill to cultivate and practice for days to come in order that our humanity may prevail.
thanks, be — you should really be writing for PW. 😉 the wedding analogy is great, as are the connections to last summer. lots of food for thought there.
and marymack — also a great way of thinking of things! sometimes it really does take a strategy to get where we want to go through the chaos without cutting off our nose to spite our face.
If I may, (and thank you for the invite, Amanda), Pallas for me is about strategy (in intense situations); so perhaps the conjunction with Eris is about finding our way through the chaos so as to make our way to individualize (aries).
me
Okay Amanda, here is another thought regarding the conjunction of Pallas Athene and Eris this morning. Last summer Saturn stationed direct in Libra opposite where these goddesses in Aries are right now, and next month the New Moon+Venus+Mars will take place in Aries where they are right now. I’m thinking that whatever decisions or actions taken last summer regarding relationships (all kinds) will be tested next month at New Moon time. Since Venus and Mars are part of that lunation, it suggests auspicious new beginnings for relationships. Because Eris and Pholus are trine right now, it suggests problems could be brewing.
Imagine a wedding taking place on or around April 10 (New Moon), with plans for a reception where alcohol will be served. Yeah, you’re getting the picture. At the wedding reception in walks an ex partner from a relationship that ended last summer, when Saturn went direct and headed for Scorpio. Perhaps Eris (who has a way with weddings) has been working with Pholus (who has a way with liquor) regarding that reception for some time (their trine has been going on for a while). Now, today, along comes Pallas-Athene in her warrior garb and takes Eris aside to suggest that maybe alcohol might not be such a good idea for the reception after all. In fact, Pallas-Athene might just provide some plans for a quiet ceremony at home with no reception whatsoever, just as a precaution. Of course, one would have to be conscious of these troublesome possibilities in order to stave them off.
True, a Pisces Sun doesn’t want an Aries Point Mars (personal is political) to get too far ahead of him by broadcasting the wedding news. After all, Pholus is also square the Sun today and that could be a reminder of just how out of hand things can get when some folks smell the wine. Maybe it would be wise to skip the newspaper wedding announcement too since Mercury is retrograde and semi-sextile Uranus! Just sayin’.
be