Dark Nights of the Collective Soul

Spring of 2020 has begun with an enormous feeling of trepidation. Fear of the unknown and the unseen, the natural foes to human security, permeate life around the globe. There’s an enemy out there in the darkness, and although the Sun has shifted into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, there’s still a heavy breeze of winter in the air– the lingering winds of introspection, withdrawal, and cold, hard survival.

Over the course of the next few days, as the Sun moves through the first degrees of this new territory, we have a union of planets joining forces in serious-minded Capricorn, as well as Saturn shifting into air sign Aquarius. The weekend ahead is pressure-filled, calling on the best that we have to give. Aries season is, by nature, a time of strengthening and revitalizing– the beginning of spring in the north. This year that energy is magnified by Mars (the ruling planet of Aries) forming conjunctions with Jupiter and Pluto on March 20th and 22nd, respectively. Mars is the “right use of power”– the ability to exert and express our will, our desire, and to prove our courage in the face of adversity. As it meets with Jupiter, the mythological god of heaven; and Pluto, the mythological god of hell, we are faced with a crisis of faith. Mars is in a battle to keep hope alive, to keep love alive, in light of the darkness ahead– the very struggle for resources, for caretaking, and for protection. Remember there’s a way forward, even if you can’t see it. Our conviction matters.

Saturn changes sign about every two years or so, and it will be in Aquarius for spring and early summer before it retrogrades back into Capricorn in July. We’re getting a preview of Saturn’s lesson plan for us, which will play out in 2021-22. Saturn represents tests of time– we are challenged and blocked by reality and perceived failures in order to refine our weakness and establish our excellence. Innovation is demanded. Aquarius embodies the spirit of the people– it represents a humanitarian, “for the good of all”-type of attitude that strives for greater independence and civil liberty. Saturn is entering Aquarius to reveal our lack here, where the modern civilization we’ve created falls short of human rights. The hysteria over toilet paper masks a deeper problem lying at the root of our societies: abuse of power and the torment of powerlessness. ‘Social distancing’ is the perfect term to come into consciousness as Saturn, the planet of barriers and boundaries, moves into Aquarius, the sign of the collective. Isolation and loneliness are pulsing through the world, straining hope that things will get better. But planets always continue moving. And we should never fear difficult skies, as I once heard an astrologer say.

As we move toward the end of March, Mars will catch up to Saturn in Aquarius, and then will cross paths with Uranus in Taurus during the first week of April. Mars requires bravery. While it transited Capricorn we learned how to defend our dignity, and now in Aquarius we are being tested in the fight for our people. Stay home and stay connected. Stay tuned to the pulse of our global nation, not just what the spokespeople are saying. The ingenuity represented within these symbols will manifest, we can take comfort in that. Astrology always reflects the truth, and these aspects speak of the universal need to resist tunnel vision, to question and think for ourselves, to put the good of the collective first, and to change our relationship with our physical resources.

Wishing you wellness.

Elizabeth