Daily Astrological Currents

Innovative, individual initiatives are given a powerful 'launching pad' today under the Mars-Pluto conjunction. The Moon's sextiles to Saturn and Neptune, from the Taurus/Gemini cusp to the Pisces/Aries cusp, further intensify the potency of today's opportunities. Nonetheless, the Mars-Pluto connection has the potential for both genius-level creativity and intense destruction. In the sign of Aquarius, there is a surprising level of detachment in today's connection — despite the extraordinary level of unstable nervous energy here. The Moon goes briefly VOC this morning, from 9:57 AM PST until 12:54 PM PST, suggesting temporarily stalled progress. The Sun's forming conjunction with Vesta echoes the elements of responsibility folded into the current lunar cycle. Although there are intense desires to break free of a myriad of restrictions, this atmosphere demands extraordinary responsibility and heightened awareness in order to avoid seeing our initiatives 'explode' on the 'launching pad'.

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Weekly Summary

"What is a fear of living? It's being preeminently afraid of dying. It is not doing what you came here to do, out of timidity and spinelessness. The antidote is to take full responsibility for yourself - for the time you take up and the space you occupy. If you don't know what you're here to do, then just do some good."

— Maya Angelou

We reach the active, First Quarter phase of the current lunar cycle that began with last Sunday's Capricorn New Moon (11:51 AM PST 28° Capricorn). The New Moon was in a trine with Uranus, grounded in the Earth signs of Capricorn and Taurus but spontaneous and unpredictable nonetheless. The current lunar cycle demands a great deal of responsibility as we work to move out of the past and actively participate in the restructuring process that will create the future — symbolized by this week's intense Aquarian energy. Mars connects with Pluto in Aquarius on Tuesday, following up on last week's intensity of the connections to Pluto already made by Vesta, Mercury, and Venus. Innovative, individual initiatives are given a powerful 'launching pad' under the Mars-Pluto conjunction. The Mars-Pluto connection has the potential for both genius-level creativity and intense destruction. In the sign of Aquarius, there is a surprising level of detachment — despite the extraordinary level of unstable nervous energy that we are likely to encounter. The powerful intensity of the Mars-Pluto conjunction is made even more potent as Neptune returns to Aries on Tuesday — ruled by Mars — and begins to hold 'space' for the return of Saturn into Aries next month. Before Saturn joins Neptune in Aries, we may find that there are some tendencies to pursue the crusading fanaticism of the past. However, as we approach the 'New Beginning' initiated by the Saturn-Neptune conjunction at the first degree of Aries, awareness will continue to tell us that the the past is behind us and we need to 'Let It Go'. In essence, this a compressed birth process. The hard shell of Capricorn's 'spirit in the seed' is beginning to break apart, preparing to sprout. The arrival of Neptune and Saturn in Aries is signaling that we are on the precipice of new cycle of growth that is beginning to unfold in front of us.

Facing the unknowns of this new cycle can seem extraordinarily disorienting...

"There is light, too, at the core of the seed which waits for the promise of renewal in the Spring but this light is a strange and disconcerting glow which makes all things take unexpected shapes and all events become mysteriously symbolic"

— Dane Rudhyar

This week is showing us that a birth process has begun — a metamorphosis is underway. We are challenged to expand our awareness enough to see beyond the fear in order to stay 'present' in the process of 'birthing' as it unfolds. As the week progresses, we begin to see fascinating interactions between the signs of Aquarius and Cancer. In the sign of Cancer, we seek to draw boundaries around our 'Home', our family, or our 'tribe' — those boundaries tend to be tightly drawn. But in Aquarius, we recognize a 'broader community', an expanded sense of 'family' — archetypically, the connectedness of everything. By the end of the week, Mercury and Venus in Aquarius make quincunxes to Jupiter, still retrograde in Cancer. These interactions will be followed up by Mars at the time of next month's Saturn-Neptune conjunction. The Aquarius/Cancer interactions raise important questions about how to adjust the boundaries around what we consider to be our 'Home'. We are challenged to better understand the nature of our connections with others — both near and far. The more expansive and 'all-encompassing' that we can recognize our connections to others to be, the better we will be able to understand the value of the gifts that we are offered. The immense responsibility inherent in the current lunar cycle carries with it the need to recognize our interconnectedness — indeed, the interconnectedness of all things. Next week will begin with a Leo Full Moon (2:08 PM PST 13° Leo/Aquarius) that seems to leave us with many unanswered questions. We are likely to face challenges in balancing our individual identity with our interconnectedness. Moving through these challenges will eventually lead us to broader understanding of how we can productively participate in the new cycle of growth that is being initiated.