Feeding the Birds
Do you find the give and take of human relationships challenging? When I got married, the biggest adjustment I faced was getting used to running things past another person before I took action. I find it difficult to let others do things for me. Working in groups is tricky because I’m inclined to move at my own pace, and that pace is usually pretty fast. Plus, if I’m honest, I just like to have things my own way.
But I’m getting to that age when you begin to think about what will become of you when you get old and perhaps have no choice but to rely upon the kindness of others. Will I handle it gracefully? Or – the more chilling question – will there be anyone who is willing to show me these kindnesses? Will all these years of standing on my own come back to haunt me when I can no longer stand up by myself?
This New Moon is a dramatic, total Solar Eclipse in Aries (April 8, 2024, 11:20 am PDT), the sign of the lone wolf who asks no quarter of any man and who gives none. In our Aries selves we stand alone, unencumbered by attachments that might slow our trajectory.
American culture particularly romanticizes this lone wolf superhero, one who lives and dies on their own terms, with other people supporting players, at best, in the great drama. But that’s a narrow view, one that implies that you can’t be your own person and still be part of a society. As my wise and sensible mother said, “We’re all individuals. But when one of us falls, we lift him up.” I think that perspective gave me the courage to be more independent. I took it for granted that there would always be someone there if I failed, and when you know that you have a soft place to fall, you are willing to reach higher and dream bigger.
These are scary times to dream. The streets of major cities are filled with those who don’t have homes, who can’t afford life’s necessities. Even those who used to take it for granted that if you played by the rules, you could have a good job and a nice place to live, are increasingly finding that simple dream almost out of reach.
But this eclipse falls on the Sabian symbol 20 Aries, A young girl feeding birds in winter. The heartfelt innocence and valor of Aries can be seen in the child rushing to the aid of creatures in need. Likewise, in our tiny, hand-picked communities, when someone gets sick or suffers some other tragedy it’s heartening to see others rushing to their aid. It’s good to be reminded that for all our fierce independence, we haven’t completely lost the knack of community; that we’re all members of the family, if we’ll just let ourselves be. And that the best way to ensure that you won’t ever have to face the worst that life can give you on your own, is to make sure no one else has to, either.
The Capable Warrior
Think of Mars moving through the sky or your birth chart as an aggravating factor. On the plus side, aggravation can be motivating. If we’re complacent and comfortable, we won’t get much done. Mars symbolizes the galvanizing force that urges, “Let’s make something happen.” But when it comes together with Saturn, Mars initially triggers… Saturn. Inertia. Procrastination. Blockages.
When you really look under the hood of inertia, procrastination, and blockages, what you’ll find is fear. And nothing can make you face that fear and get to the other side of it quite like Mars.
When Mars in Pisces joins up with Saturn (April 10, 2024, 1:36 pm PDT, 14º40′ Pisces), it’s on the Sabian symbol 15 Pisces: An officer preparing to drill his men. What an elegant image of soldiers (Mars) receiving the training and leadership (Saturn) necessary to perform their duties.
The sorts of battles that Mars leads us into vary from speaking up when someone says something you disagree with, all the way up to the life and death scenarios of actual combat. Wherever we face conflict, whatever the stakes, we have to summon the courage to act, even if we’re afraid. Mars with Saturn speaks of the preparation and discipline that make us, at least, capable warriors – until courage catches up and makes us inspired ones.
News from Down the Block
Mercury turns retrograde when it’s reached its maximum distance ahead of the Sun. Like a little kid attached to its parents by an invisible leash, it races back toward the Sun with news of what’s just ahead. Some of it’s important, some of it isn’t. “There’s a big white dog about two blocks up the road!” and “The Wilsons are painting their house red!” spills out alongside “There’s a group of scary looking guys hanging around the bodega!” It’s not really Mercury’s job to sort out the important from the trivial; it’s all just news.
When retrograde Mercury reconvenes with the Sun by conjunction (April 11, 2024, 4:03 pm PDT), we get to ask ourselves whether any of its news is important to us, and how much energy we should put into preparing for what lies ahead. Meanwhile, Mercury continues on its way backward through the past couple of weeks of our journey, looking for missteps. Did we forget to pay a bill? Overlook an important page on the document we signed? Neglect to make a service appointment for the car?
What needs to be addressed? Start with the things that will put you in a better position to deal with what you know is just around the corner. Pay the bill. Get the car serviced. And it wouldn’t hurt to take some dog treats along with you.
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
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