The Astrology Newsletter - March 2022
Darlings,
It's Pisces season. As I write this, Russia's nuclear forces have been ordered into high alert. WT ACTUAL F??!!! Where I am on the tip of Africa, it's late summer. Days are full of sunshine, nights are balmy, yet the light is changing ever so slightly. In the northern hemisphere, winter is in its last throes and the hint of spring is close. That human urge to make sense of time and place always makes me think of my first astrology teacher, Rod Suskin, who explained that '...astrologers map space and call it time'. There is something acutely poetic to me about how we have a multitude of ways of relating to time; understanding it; recording it; segmenting and tracking it. With a palpable sense of calamity in the air, there is also something deeply therapeutic to me about philosophising about time.
WHAT TIME IS IT?
The ancient Greeks had two words for marking the differences between the experiences of time: kronos and kairos. Writer Marney K. Makridakis writes in her book 'Creating Time', "...Kronos (or cronos in the English spelling, from which we take our word chronology) is sequential time. Kronos is the time of clocks and calendars; it can be quantified and measured. Kronos is linear, moving inexorably out of the determinate past toward the determined future, and has no freedom. Kairos is numinous time. Kairos is a time of festivals and fantasies; it cannot be controlled or possessed. Kairos is circular, dancing back and forth, here and there, without beginning or ending, and knows no boundaries.."
March - and Pisces season - is a moment when these two meanings of time meld: sequentially, Pisces is the 'last' sign of the Zodiac. When we get to March, we have about three weeks before Aries season commences, the start of the astrological New Year. Conceptually, these weeks before the Sun's ingress to 0 '00 degrees Aries is the 'dark moon' phase of the zodiacal calendar, tied to the Northern hemisphere end of winter. It's the end of the end, so to speak, before new light and new life can spring forth. Pisces from the lens of kairos, is associated with the liminal space between last darkness and first light; an otherworldly place incubating the seeds of new creation for a new season. The Pisces vibration is receptive and porous, absorbing all that has gone before and knows no boundaries. Kronos is our linear understanding that Pisces follows Aquarius and precedes Aries in the zodiac. We also experience Pisces' temporality as kairos.
Practising Astrology binds one inextricably to kronos and kairos. Astrologers depend profusely on organised, calendrical time - inceptions also known as katarche - for divination. We always insist on a date and accurate time (and place) in order to cast a chart. But also, divination depends on what Geoffrey Cornelius expresses in his book 'The Moment of Astrology' as "..that experience of reality that is essentially and of its nature irreducible to quantification..." which to me speaks of that subjective, circular, eternal and mysterious quality of time, which prompts relationship to a living cosmos, to a sky in perpetual motion offering celestial bodies and their myths as the symbolic language to explain the stories of our lives.
We have undeniably entered into an epoch of crisis, the roots of which we try to trace and whose themes are a progression of crises from previous generations from which we attempt to extrapolate what the future may hold. Astrology helps us straddle past, present and future, but while astrology is divine, it's not The Divine. Astrology helps us decode some of the mysteries of time, but it is not The Mystery. What better moment than Pisces season to grapple with this, to live kronos and kairos, to hold duality, collectively and personally. It's also precisely in this season that we are grappling once more with devastation: news of war, violence, invasion, suffering and fear. How could a contemplation of time be a panacea for the magnitude of facing what feels like a world in decay, an end of times? Karen Attiah, journalist, put it best when she tweeted "The thing about history is...these times we are living in are very, very precedented." Planetary transits remind us of how the ages repeat themselves - indeed the energies and archetypes of the planets are precedented too. The gift of Pisces season, especially this year's edition, is HOPE.
TWO FISH SWIMMING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS JOINED BY THE THREAD OF CONSCIOUSNESS*
This lunar cycle is seeded in Pisces - the double bodied, feminine water sign that is ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter currently in domicile in Pisces strengthens this lunation. Neptune is also co-present, sprinkling its mystical flavoured mist. I almost want to say it's Pisces vibes on steroids, but I think psychedelics would be more like it. The Moon, the Sun, Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces have the potential to usher in an amplification of creativity, sensitivity, compassion, hope and healing. This is Christ consciousness with a capital L-O-V-E that is the perfect companion to staying with the trouble. You see, Pisces' infinite benevolence - especially with Neptune so close to the Moon - can sometimes be the slippery slope to slipping away. It's all fine and well to traverse other realms, to seek escape and exquisite inspiration especially when we feel close to the apocalypse, but how about we try to bring Heaven down to Earth this season? Prayer, meditation, dreams, music-making, painting, poetry, pottery, peaceful protest, acts of kindness, being of service - all very Piscean practices to help you raise your frequency and feel plugged-in to your highest good.
On 2 February 2022 at 7.35pm SAST, we have the New Moon at 12 '06 Pisces. This comes just one hour after Mercury's exact conjunction to Saturn at 18 '58 Aquarius. Venus and Mars are partile conjunct Pluto at 27 degrees of Capricorn, with Mars conjoining Pluto at exactly 27 '50 Capricorn on 3 February 2022 at 10.39am SAST.
*This is the symbol for Pisces, reminding us of the mutable (changeable) triplicity of this sign, and also its spiritually attuned quality.
KEEP THE FAITH
With Mercury conjoining Saturn in Aquarius, there is great potential for common sense to permeate; for tackling issues with great tact and caution. While it also indicates worry and negative thinking, it could counter any gullibility or deception that is part and parcel of the lineup of planets in Pisces at the New Moon. Venus and Mars edging closer to Pluto, with Mars the God of War in the lead, suggests intense assertions of power - think ruthlessness and rage and taking by force. As I write this, Russia is bombing the Ukrainian capitol city. Venus closely follows Mars in conjoining Pluto, speaking to intense power plays in relationships (and politics), manipulation and the deep stirring of passions. As the potential for an escalation of aggression grows, we see the Sun culminating to conjoin Jupiter in Pisces at 14 '58 Pisces on 4 March 2022 at 3.55pm SAST. Jupiter at the heart of the Sun is elevated to benefic regal status and calls in the dichotomy between optimism, goodwill and exuberance (Sun/Jupiter) and destruction and violence (Mars/Pluto). I would hope, however, that Sun/Jupiter signifies a visionary leader, someone powerful and influential who perhaps can mediate this crisis.
The next day on 5 March 2022 at 8.23am and 8.29am SAST, Mars and then Venus, respectively, ingress into Aquarius. Expect a vibe shift: Mars is no longer in his exaltation and the Aquarian breeze may cool him down and chill him out. Interesting to note too, is that Mars and Venus conjoin at 00 '00 degrees of Aquarius, the same degree of the Great Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn in December 2020. This hints at a new beginning, an opportunity to start afresh, particularly in terms of relationships (and politics). In addition at 00 '01 degrees of Aquarius on 6 March at 9.12am SAST, Venus overtakes Mars. With Venus gaining in speed and leading the way, it may indicate emphasis on diplomacy, inclusion, agreement and accord.
AS THE MOON GROWS IN LIGHT...
At the first quarter Moon in Gemini on 9 March 2022, Mercury, the moon's ruler, moves into Pisces at 3.32am SAST. The first quarter of the waxing Moon is a time of definite action. Mercury in Pisces is in fall, debilitated. The messenger planet is slowed down here - scattered - needing to work harder in finding ways to express itself clearly. At this point in the lunar cycle, it could feel a bit mercury retrograde-y - there is the impetus to act and express, but there may be delays, so watch for frustration. The rest of the week, the Sun applies to Neptune, becoming exactly conjunct on Saturday, 12 March 2022 at 22 '52 Pisces at 1.33pm SAST. The potential for visionary leadership continues, but with Neptune involved, it's good to keep your bullshit radar on high and be cautious of god complexes and delusion. Stay woke!
By the time we get to the Full Moon in Virgo on 18 March 2022 at 9.17am SAST at 27 '40 Virgo, Venus finds herself besieged (a traditional term used when a planet is between two malefic planets) by Mars and Saturn in Aquarius and applying to a square with Uranus in Taurus. Relationship (Venus) limits may be tested (Saturn) due to conflicts (Mars). Expect relationship breakthroughs and disruptions (Uranus). The Virgo Full Moon brings us back into fact-checking (or nit picking) territory. What better time to try to create some order out of the chaos - both 'out there' but also within us. The Moon's ruler, Mercury, now in Jupiter's sign of Pisces, is helpful in centering thoughts of hope, expressions of kindness, while the Virgo Moon encourages an outpouring of pragmatism, attention to detail, no-nonsense analysis and reminder to stick to the FACTS!
AN EXALTED SUN & HAPPY NEW YEAR!
On the 20 March 2022, the Sun enters Aries at 5.33pm SAST and a New astrological Year commences. Aries season unveils one of the 'transits-to-watch' of 2022, when Venus enters Pisces, its sign of exaltation and is co-present with Jupiter in domicile and Neptune. It's abundant refinement, deeply attuned inspiration and compassion. It's aching beauty and belief beyond all borders. But more of this next month!
The remaining week of March looks a little like this:
21 March - Mercury conjoins Jupiter at 7.52pm SAST at 18 '44 Pisces = an optimistic and expansive outlook with a tendency to over-promise or exaggerate
22 March - Mars in Aquarius squares Uranus in Taurus at 10.30pm SAST at 12 '26 = think back to April 2020, the last time these two planets in the same signs butted heads. There's an electric feel in the air; the revolutionary impulse ignited and an impatient desire for freedom can spark.
27 March - Mercury ingress into Aries at 9.44am SAST = After Mercury's wade through the Pisces fog, this ingress into cardinal, fiery Aries gives our communications some heat and spice! Messages are clear, concise and direct, words are sharp. Verbal wrangling is the new art of war.
28 March - Venus conjoins Saturn at 9.16pm at 24 '44 Aquarius = Venusian matters like love, money or relationships require integrity and a responsible approach. In Aquarius perhaps a negotiation of separateness in togetherness. Addressing fear and loneliness in partnership.
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