UPDATES// Astrology of CoVid19
In lieu of recent events and the civic duty to social distance, I have made the decision to transition ALL astrological consults to digital format until the time feels right. If you read my previous blog post, you already know that I was planning to do this once my baby is born, but the times are calling for an immediate transition. I love connecting with locals face-to-face, but what many people don’t know is that I have been consulting with people from all over the world via Skype or Facetime for years now. And fortunately for us, technology allows these connections to be just as personable. I feel that this is the right call for our health and responsibility to flatten the curve. I hope you all feel at greater ease too!
Due to social distancing, my classes at Coven (a local witchy wares shop) are suspended until further notice. As well, I also work as a part-time hairstylist and our salon is discussing a temporary closure. As a result, my creative gears are turning as I contemplate the possibility of offering webinars and expanding my astrology reading offerings during this time. Stay tuned!
An Astrological Perspective
I find it interesting that the last solar eclipse we had was an annular, or coronal, eclipse. This type of eclipse occurs when the moon is at its furthest distance, apogee, from the Earth, resulting in an eclipse in which the sun’s corona, or crown, or ring of Fire is visible around the eclipse. This eclipse occurred on 12/26/2019 at 4°06’ of Capricorn.
The weird thing about eclipses (besides everything) is the timing. Eclipse degrees remain hot for several months following the eclipse. In my years of observation, I find that when the lunar nodes activate this degree, it’s the most earth-shattering. Currently the south node is activating the (coronal) eclipse degree and interestingly has been since Thursday when the governor of Ohio announced mandatory school closures for 3 weeks. The south node will continue to travel within this degree until Monday 3/23.
Also by 3/23, Saturn will have left the anaretic degree of Capricorn, entering Aquarius, thus signaling a new wave of energy versus the frantic nature of the 29°. By the end of this week, I suspect we will turn some sort of corner in dealing with this crisis. Saturn represents fear, caution and yes, quarantine! Saturn moving into an air sign is quite literally concern for the air, or let’s be real, what’s being transmitted in the air. Aquarius is fixed air, and when I think about that symbolism, my mind immediately goes to an airplane- the circulating, recycled air that always breeds some sort of insecurity whether from the person eating Burger King behind you, the person coughing across the aisle, strong cologne or the smells emitting from the bathroom. Not comfy! The plus side of Saturn in Aquarius is the symbolism of a think tank, or an Escape Room Challenge - it’s the symbolism of putting our heads together to solve societal problems. How can we work with the resources we’ve got to move ourselves forward? Saturn is practicality, but Aquarius represents human progress and innovation. Saturn is at home in Aquarius and promises practical solutions, however, Saturn never rushes into anything. This could take time, but we are seeing the problems now.
Still by 3/23 date, Mars is finishing a conjunction with Jupiter and Pluto, which seems to agitate and expound on recent hype. This is not a cozy energy. Mars and Jupiter together can incite a sense of stir-crazy, overreaction— in earth signs, we’re talking materials. Case in point? Toilet paper. We might expect to learn of new shortages around this time (perhaps liquor). Mars and Pluto together is not friendly either, but can be incredibly resourceful. Here, we might see more pressure for state and national governments to help those financially affected by social distancing. Pluto deals with resources, deep-pockets and yes, also shady behavior and hidden agendas. Pluto is also deeply psychological and with Mars, there is a lot of anger here, or a desire to step in and assist. We can expect the gamut of greed and generosity on mass and small scales this week.
ALSO on 3/23-3/24, the Sun rounds the bends of the nodes and heads into a conjunction with Chiron just in time for the Aries new moon. On a mundane level, we can expect to see fated decisions by world leaders at this time. On a personal level (and yes, collective too), new moons bring a sense of renewal. Chiron anchors in themes of woundedness and healing, and in Aries, sovereignty and self-responsibility.
I suspect that the New Moon will help us turn that corner from fear of the unknown to confidence in our ability to be resourceful and to depend on ourselves. Yes, this pandemic is a very big deal. But at the end of the day, there will always be reasons to stress in life and the only thing we can control is how we respond to it. The challenge is to take every challenge in stride, to breathe through it and try not to let our worries overwhelm us. Let us be reminded of what we do have, and how much harder life was on humans hundreds of years ago. We are all born of a lineage of survivors and we can get through this one day at a time.
Fortunately, the planets remind us that nothing is permanent. Eclipses are fated events. It’s not to say we will go back to normal at the end of the month, (because it’s truthfully not looking like that’s the case at all), but we will move forward and integrate the new awareness into our collective and individual experiences. All of 2020 is intense. Significant breakdowns and rebirths are underway. So take a deep breath and let’s breathe through this together.
It looks like we will be here for a while. Jupiter and Pluto make their first of 3 conjunctions on April 4th in Capricorn, and the Libra Full Moon squares off with Jupiter/Pluto on April 8th. Mercury and Neptune conjoin also on April 4th, which can indicate a lot of confusion or a sense of overwhelm. Venus enters her retrograde shadow on April 8th, giving us a preview of what our Venus retrograde story will highlight.
Venus is our social planet, and in the witty, brainy, inventive air sign of Gemini, we will see her moving backward from May 13th until June 25th. This symbolism seems to suggest that we will still experience the effects of social distancing here. Venus retrograde in Gemini can indicate time alone reading, writing (lots of great texts were written in quarantine!) -or- Venus retrograde could suggest that now is when we are able to finally RESCHEDULE all of the social events we had to cancel in the months prior. Retrogrades are opportunities to revisit or redo, and in the social sign of Gemini, with relationship planet Venus, it seems we could be ready to REsume social engagement “as usual.” Conversely, it could indicate social distancing as well. Likely, the symbolism of Venus retrograde may vary city to city.
Overall, 2020 is a year of big change and we are along for the ride.