Astrology: Spring Equinox, March 20, 2022, part 1

Renewal and Resistance

Welcome to the Spring! It has been a long, difficult Winter season, with many Covid-related complications and political turmoil, but the pandemic problems have been easing up and the new season has many positive developments to offer.

This chart (which can be considered a kind of snapshot of the next quarter) is very powerful because there are two stellia formations (at least three planets in conjunction), one stellium in Aquarius, the other in Pisces, and the remaining aspects all more or less form aspects to these two groups of planets. Moreover, there are four very tight aspects, so the chart can be analyzed in four parts.

1- Moon (in Libra) square Pluto (in Capricorn)

Moon in Libra is about solving problems through diplomacy, using relationship skills. Pluto in Capricorn is about a driving ambition for political power. Moon square Pluto is about complicated emotional struggles, financial struggles, obsessions, with jealousy, suspicions, intrigues, with mind games. It can be a time of intensity in relationships and a time of deep personal transformation. Overall, this gives a conflict of diplomacy versus political power that brings out deep, complicated emotional baggage and manipulation.

2- Mars (in Aquarius) square Uranus (in Taurus)

With Mars in Aquarius, there’s a drive for reform, invention and engineering and a need to assert one’s individuality and freedom. Uranus in Taurus brings a practical sense of innovation including finances. Mars square Uranus brings a sense of frustration, restriction, a forceful expression of the need for independence and originality, and a general sense of rebellion, impatience, and risky impulsiveness. Moreover, this aspect is one the twelve more volatile aspects in astrology (comprised of oppositions and squares with any combination of Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto) with violence, accidents, surprises, natural disasters. It is somewhat easier to see the effects of these aspects as the more spectacular ones tend to give heavy media coverage.

This aspect is one part of a Mars-Venus-Saturn stellium in Aquarius, which serves to galvanize the Aquarian energies, which is focused on progressive, collective ideals. Mars and Venus bring a very emotional, passionate quality to this, but a dominant Saturn here tends to mute or even frustrate those energies, but also provides balance and focus. This stellium can also serve to re-activate the Saturn-Uranus square to a certain extent. Overall there is a desire to express one’s originality and social freedom, that often feels frustrated and repressed.

3- Sun (in Pisces) sextile Pluto (in Capricorn)

Sun in Pisces gives an  inclusive compassionate, sense of  empathy and tolerance. There is a self-sacrificing spiritual outlook, with an abstract, holistic outlook. Pluto in Capricon, gives a drive and ambition for social and political power and deep organizational transformation. With Sun sextile Pluto there is a strong drive for pursuing transformative ideals of self-respect, empowerment and honesty, with a need to renew relations with authority figures. This idealistic impetus can be overwhelming and there is can be a tendency for overbearing excessiveness.

This aspect is part of a larger Sun, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury stellium in Pisces, which galvanizes the Pisces energy very strongly. An idealistic, mystical, spiritual outlook is prevalent with an very intuitive feeling. Compassion and empathy are strong, with a effusive, eloquent communication and interaction. Artistic creativity is very inspired. There may be tendencies for being impractical, absent-minded, vague, confused and imprecise. There could be tendencies for delusion, fanaticism and paranoia as well.

4- Mercury (in Aquarius) sextile Uranus (in Taurus)

Mercury in Aquarius brings an intuitive, eloquent, communicative sociability. Uranus in Taurus brings a practical innovative knack. Mercury sextile Uranus encourages meetings and social interactions. Topics of science and metaphysics are favoured. Fertile for intuitive, original progressive ideas. Unexpected gains could occur.

This is aspect is again part of the larger Sun, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury stellium and so brings a strong impetus for innovation and transformation in terms of compassionate spiritual values and holistic, global perspectives. (See also  the recent Jupiter sextile Uranus post).

Summary

With Sun, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury stellium in Pisces, the Spring rebirth period is certainly bringing an exceptional opportunity of strong spiritual renewal and growth. As positive opportunities inevitably entail a shadow side, lately Mars (currently close to Pluto and Saturn) has been re-igniting energies of rebellious power struggles (how this affects the current Russian invasion of Ukraine will be the topic of the next post), which bring obstacles  that need to be addressed (which can involve untangling deep issues in past relationships) as some of the year's most important favourable aspects are due to occur in the upcoming weeks: 

Apr 12 – Jupiter conjunct Neptune
Apr 30 – Solar Eclipse
May 03 – Jupiter sextile Pluto
May 16 – Lunar Eclipse  

References 

https://cafeastrology.com/

painting by: Mikhail Vrubel , Kiev 1887

Addendum 

This chart has an interesting (and very tight), but more obscure triangle pattern comprised of the Moon square Pluto, Moon Quincunx Sun, and  Sun sextile Pluto aspects. This can be interpreted in the following three-point resolution process:

Conflict:  diplomacy versus political power, complicated emotional struggles

Striving for resolution: accepting your needs for autonomy and self-expression and your needs for comfort and closeness 

Harmonization: pursuing transformative ideals of self-respect, empowerment and honesty, with a need to improve relations with authority figures.