The Cosmic Story: Aries New Moon & Spring Equinox 2012
Spring Equinox, the day the Sun crosses over the Equator into the Northern Hemisphere, occurs this leap year on Monday, March 19 at 10:15pm PDT and on Tuesday, March 20 at 1:15am EDT and 5:15 am GMT. In the Southern Hemisphere, people are celebrating the Autumn Equinox and the harvest.
Both the Spring and the Autumn Equinox bring us to a balance of day and night as the Sun sits on the Earth's equator. Now the days will grow longer north of the equator, and shorter south of it. Spring Equinox begins with the Sun's entry into the sign of Aries. Our western, tropical astrology is earth-based and so we work with the symbolism of Aries starting the astrological year at Spring Equinox. In sidereal astrology, based on the constellations, Spring Equinox changes with whatever constellation rises on Spring Equinox. Right now the early degrees of Pisces are rising, due to the earth's wobble and the precession of the equinoxes. Soon, the stars of the constellation of Aquarius will be rising at Spring Equinox, heralding the dawning Age of Aquarius. The easiest way to think of the discrepancy is to understand that Pisces is the backdrop to our tropical zodiac. There is a more Piscean flavor to our Arian warriors than back when Aries was rising at Spring Equinox.
Spring Equinox is a rebirth of life and energy, and is often a time of religious celebrations, such as Easter and Passover. Spring Equinox is the celebration of the return of Persephone from the Underworld. Most of our religious celebrations are related to the changing position of the Sun as reflected in the Wheel of the Year: the solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarter holidays of Imbolc, Beltaine, Lammas and Samhain. In Mexico, we can see one of the most beautiful examples of the return of the light at the famous main pyramid at Chichen Itza, where along the sides of the staircases, an enormous snake of sunlight appears to slither down the stairs at the precise moment of the equinox.
We begin the astrological new year with the Sun going into Aries at the Spring Equinox. Springtime is a season of renewal - new life bursts forth in Nature, sending up crocuses, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths and unfurling new leaves and blossoms on trees. It is a time of hope and optimism, of renewed confidence that life will go on with good times to come.
But first there must be the death of the old life so new life can grow. Just as the outer Winter is about to end, so too your inner life wants to be renewed. At the equinoxes, there's a reduction in the Earth's magnetic field, making it easier to release old patterns and awaken new ones. It's a good time to clean out your energy body and allow new fertility and life in.
For a Spring Equinox meditation to clear your chakras of the old you and open you to the energy of new possibilities of 2012, please go to:
http://wisdom-of-astrology.blogspot.com/
The Sun in Aries
Just as Aries starts the astrological year, the energy of Aries is all about new beginnings and a new sense of identity. Aries' energy is like the Sun's light in Spring: energizing, exciting, driven, self-confident, enthusiastic. George Harrison's song, Here Comes the Sun, is definitely a Spring anthem. Aries are the explorers, the pioneers, the scouts, and the leaders of the zodiac. And this year, Aries carries a primal spark of lightning, because the Aries New Moon on Thursday joins with Uranus to bring us an awakened sense of ourselves, as if we've been hit by a lightning bolt. Like George Malley, the ordinary man in the 1996 movie Phenomenon who becomes a genius, this year we're called to a new, expanded identity that makes use of all our capabilities. This year become the hero/hera of your own story. Just as Spring is the most exuberant
season of the year, Aries is the most exuberant of the three fire signs of the
zodiac. When my Aries' son was 2 - years
old, we moved to Zurich, Switzerland. A
few days after we moved into our apartment, he stood next to me on our balcony
and saw children out on the playground.
He turned to me and with great enthusiasm told me he was going out to
play. Then he asked me, "Should I speak
English or Swiss?" When I told him he didn't
know Swiss yet, he said something that sounded vaguely Swiss German and smiled
at me, daring me to contradict him. I
watched as he went out, ran down the hill howling like Tarzan and started "talking'
to the kids. They didn't know what he
was saying but he had a great time. There
was a new world to explore and conquer!
I was watching an Aries in action.
He's all grown up now and still goes on adventures.
Aries is the great "I Am" of the zodiac along with the Sun (which symbolizes our sense of identity and purpose). Like the Ram which is Aries' symbol, Aries energy is an irresistible force which wants to move and shake the world. Aries is the hero/hera who goes out to conquer the world and set up his/her private kingdom. Aries, ruled by the planet Mars, is a warrior and a leader, driven to excel. Aries is always on the move forward. The past holds no interest for an Aries. It's all about what lies ahead.
But did you know that the spiritual Aries is also the Logos, the owner of a logical mind. Just as Aries rules the head in astrology, many Aries have reached the stage in their development where they work consciously with the Logos, the principle of order and knowledge. This makes Aries a conscious seeker, who has developed and disciplined his intellect to control and focus his Mars energy. Mars is the planet of desire and Eros, the energy which grapples with life to achieve our goals. When we use our higher Aries' consciousness, we can step back from our immediate situation and reflect on how best to achieve our goals.
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