Dancing the Pisces-Aries edge

The edge between Pisces and Aries is a place of stark contrast, where water meets fire and the entangled meets the singular. We’re exploring that deeply this weekend, with Mercury, Venus, Neptune and a solar eclipse all focusing our attention on these liminal degrees.

Pisces is oneness, Aries is individuality. Pisces synthesises, while Aries separates. Pisces dreams of returning to the intangible realms, while Aries is alive and awake right here, zinging with boldness. To move from Pisces to Aries must be what a baby feels like in birth, coming from connection to universal source into the harsh yet exciting realm of individualism in human life.

The invitation now is to move into that place of individuality without forgetting the divinity we arose from and can be connected to, if we just ask. As humanity is ruled more by the basic survival urges, there’s a temptation to believe compassion can wait or sensitivity is weak. But courage, true courage, is aware of vulnerability and invites choices that bring us closer to life and love, not fear and fighting.

I am grateful for both Venus and Mercury retrograding through this space right now, as the cosmic reminder we need to not forget where we come from. As Jill Bolte-Taylor puts it “you are a life force power of the Universe” and who doesn’t want to remember that about themselves?

Aries Solar eclipse

Saturday brings the final eclipse in Aries for almost 8 years, with the North Node having brought out the shadow side of Aries this cycle – aggression, war and heightened individualism. With Mars in Cancer ruling this eclipse, and most of Aries season, expect emotional reactivity to weave through Aries bold yet impulsive states. Knowing and loving our baser traits of anger and fear allows us gentle yet form self-control. Like a fretful wild horse met with calm gentleness, a loose rein and tender touch allows the yearnings for connection and belonging to be met without the misguided “us-versus-them” our fears tricks us into.

This weekend may be where a last stand is needed, or you learn which battles are not worth fighting. That North Node hunger can light fires to initiate, create from passions, and take bold action, perhaps attending a protest or using Mercury in Aries to win a war of words. Keep your reason why close, as the impetuous drive of this sign which may push you into choices that forget others in the face of your own needs.

Venus retrograde continues

The Warrior Princess retreated from the battlefield on 2 March, knowing she doesn’t yet have what she needs to win the war. Needing more allies on her side, and the firm, wise counsel of her elders, she knows she needs to rest and recuperate before trying to win the war.

Venus in Aries is a firecracker, ready to go after what she wants, and damn the consequences. Yet in the innocent Evening Star mode, she doesn’t yet have the knowledge to find the right allies and partners.  She needs to retreat back to safer ground and seek wisdom, either from quiet inner knowing, or perhaps in counsel from her elders.

Yesterday Venus retreated into the calm, mystical Pisces, and straight into the arms of Neptune, an elder who guides through intuition and inner reflection. Her herald, Mercury, will do the same on Sunday, bringing the subconscious to the surface.

On Monday Venus passes the North Node again, and charm will get your everywhere, but be careful of false flattery that will fail in the cold light of day when she meets Saturn again on 7 April. Saturn as an elder advises cautious control and guard rails, advising Venus to choose her allies careful and not for the sweet honey they may drip in her ear. Venus stays near Saturn until she moves direct and then crosses back into Aries on 1 May, so his influence may cause relationship reckonings or consolidation of successful partnerships. Choose your fighter wisely, he’s whispering in her ear.

I will say, there is a shadow to all this – in Pisces we flop into escape while Aries will turn and fight. If you’re stuck in one or the other right now, or flip-flopping between both, it indicates a need for self-soothing. Rest rather than escaping. Get active consciously rather than creating conflict.

Neptune in Aries

I once had the privilege of diving in the Red Sea, and remember the contrast of calm, azure sea and rocky desert cliffs. I’d rise up from colourful coral reefs teaming with life to the barren vista of desert shores. Below the surface, all life weaves together in a connected flow. Above the surface, it’s a fight to survive in the hot, harsh desert.

I was amazed as I watched bedouin women, in flowing black robes, move easily between the two landscapes. Catching octopus in the tidal pools and returning up steep rocky slopes to their camps. Or laughing at the local goats, who would move together like a school of fish to steal food from the plentiful local market stalls and disappear to devour their feast in their desert home.

This is the epitome of Neptune in Aries, as the sea god tries to find a place in the dry heat of a Martian land. After the last 14 years in the warm waters of Pisces, Neptune in Aries will be like pouring water into a desert. It will either flow away, evaporate or be soaked up hungrily by the soil. Themes of compassion and sensitivity will find it harder to flourish over the coming 14 years, as the dryness of Aries 

Other themes include:

• Glamorisation of aggression
• Dreams of individuality
• Fighting for the greater good
• Compassion in action

I am writing a longer article on this, so keep an eye out for days to come.