We are alive
We will fight to the end
You will be free
You will be free soon again
—The Thermals, “You Will Be Free”
It’s a week for self-updates and cosmic sea changes. Chiron the hurt healer moves into Aries on the 17th and will stay in that sign for eight years. In Aries, Chiron will help us shed shame and strengthen our personal power and self-sufficiency. Mars calmed down from its out-of-bounds status last week, but this week a rageful dwarf planet named Eris is provoking fresh anger. How—and if—you participate in furious exchanges is your choice. On the 17th, Saturn goes retrograde, causing Saturn-related topics to be highlighted throughout the 10-day period surrounding the direction switch. Saturn themes include long-term planning, wise restraint, and career moves. Grown-up stuff! Oh, and Pluto will go retrograde next week; April is not playing around. Though dealing with Saturn and Pluto is no party, these serious planets get us to make rewarding, lasting changes.
As we approach a new Moon in Aries on Sunday, we’ll continue to exfoliate, prune, and purge. This new Moon interacts with tough-customer planets (Uranus, Pluto, Mars, and Eris) in difficult angles of conflict. So keep weekend plans flexible enough to absorb shocks and quarrels. Also on the 15th, retrograde Mercury goes direct, bringing up topics or talks that happened around March 8. Though Mercury doesn’t clear its post-retrograde shadow until May 4, communication ought to improve noticeably after the 15th. Finally, Jupiter and Neptune will make positive angles throughout the week, creating a thick mattress to catch us if we crash. These two gas giants are sending us dreamy creativity and healing love to soothe our irritation.
SELF-HEALTH
Chiron is an asteroid-like planetoid that acts like a Roomba, cleaning up different areas of our life and leaving them healthier. Since 2010, the little vacuum Chiron has been in Pisces, where it asked us to examine our spirituality, empathy, self-sabotage, and substance use. Chiron’s curriculum happens both personally and publicly. For example, in 2012 I quit drinking alcohol. On a public level, a domino-fall of states legalized marijuana while Chiron was in Pisces. Substance issues! Now Chiron is suiting up in Aries’ battle gear until 2026 with just a brief return to Pisces when it retrogrades later this year. The last time Chiron took up residence in Aries was April 1968 through May 1976, a window that included the birth of hippie counterculture, hip-hop, punk, Gay Liberation, the Chicano movement, and the Black Power movement. Many of these movements sparked to life when people (often young people) asserted their right to freely exist, to define and express their identity with dignity.
Self-determination and self-respect are at the heart of Aries, a sign sometimes dismissed as “self-centered.” Sure, Aries may be a competitive fighter that knows its own strength. But Aries is also a loyal, protective tiger who will fiercely defend others and their freedom too. With Chiron in Aries, I suspect we’ll see increased calls for privacy rights. Over the next eight years, one scaly dragon you’ll have greater opportunity to conquer is shame about your identity, at a core level. Maybe voices have told you that you don’t deserve all rights because of who you are or whom you love. Chiron in Aries will embolden you to advocate for, and value, yourself. No One Belongs Here More Than You, says that book title by Miranda July. In this new Chiron healing story, you’re blasting away old self-doubts. Evaluate your actions, sure. But have faith in your abilities and potential. Make your personal website. Apply to that cool position. Be louder and faster than fear.
YOU CAN PLANET
On Wednesday the 11th, Venus and Chiron have one last tense conversation while Chiron remains in Pisces. You may be presented with a money/love choice that feels like Fear versus Love. Over the next two days, people may be itching for a fight. You can attend or decline! Thursday the 12th provides delightful aspects that you won’t want to waste. Plus a Pisces Moon is soft and loving. Plan a romantic or creative activity. On Friday the 13th, the Moon is void of course until 8:30 p.m., making concentration difficult. Listen to people’s concerns, even if you’re annoyed. It’s a good day to daydream and relax. From Saturday the 14th to the 15th, there’s a tight focus on your home and surroundings. Tidy up and get rid of junk. Jupiter and Pluto want you to create a new framework around how you relate to others. On Sunday the 15th, a new Moon in Aries is ripe for disputes and outbursts. This normally fresh-start new Moon makes a square to Mars and Pluto and has a spat with Uranus and Eris. Eek! Though Uranus may deliver shocks, it could also allow you to try doing things in a new way. Mercury goes direct today too. Monday the 16th features a Moon in Taurus that’s helpful for cooking, purchasing, and creating. You’ll be motivated to expand and grow today. On Tuesday the 17th, Chiron enters Aries and Saturn goes retrograde. Neptune, Venus, and even Pluto form supportive positions to help you make progress. But get important things done in the morning, because the Moon goes void just after 3 p.m.
spacewitch@seattleweekly.com
