Astrology and the Australian floods, April-May 2021: Jupiter’s first ingress into Pisces

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A shorter version of this article was published, in late March, on the Uki Village News

Astrology and the Australian Floods In ancient times the art of predicting the weather was one of astrology’s most valuable uses. In the absence of scientific instruments astrological weather forecast was naturally of the greatest importance for early agricultural people who relied on it to decide the best times for sowing and harvesting. Meteorological astrology is an art in itself, with very complex sets of laws of its own. I am not an expert in this specialized topic, but I can very much appreciate the cosmic synchronicity that I observed at play during the recent Australian floods.    Astrology is an amazing mirror of both ‘reality’ and ‘psyche’. In its cosmic mirror the two merge: the outer life of events and experiences and the inner life of thoughts and feelings. Becoming aware of this underlying nexus is at the heart of our art, opening up a fascinating view of the world and ourselves. That is why for me it’s not farfetched to hear the sound of rain in the Water Signs; to feel warmth, dry weather in the Fire Signs; temperate, moist weather in the Earth Signs; cooler, windy weather in the Air Signs; as well as identify possible extreme events in some intense planetary configurations. The lunar cycle, during which the peak of the floods has occurred, began at the Pisces Water New Moon, on March 13, with increase in rain activity in many parts of the country. During that phase the Moon and Sun weren’t just transiting a Water Sign but were also in close conjunction to Venus and Neptune in Pisces too. At the time I began writing, March 20, day of the Aries Equinox (yearly ingress of the Sun in Aries, a crucial time in the cosmic calendar), Venus was still in Pisces and again conjunct the Sun! Early on March 22 the First Quarter Moon, another crucial phase of the lunar cycle, fell in Water Cancer, at a significant distance of 120 degrees (trine) from Pisces Mercury. All the above suggests water events and also translates as a highly emotional period, when compassionate and loving feelings prevail (Water), within families (Cancer) and communities (Pisces).  April 2021 During the first two to three weeks in April the focus will be on the Fire and Air Signs: Venus transiting Aries from April 1 to 15; Mercury will be in Aries also, April 4 to 19; Mars, in Gemini since March 4, will be in this Air Sign until April 23; Jupiter will remain in Aquarius until May 14; Saturn will be in Aquarius all the way to early 2023; Chiron in Aries until 2026. Only the trans-Saturn planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are found in Earth and Water Signs. The Fire and Air Elements cause a planet to express its particular power in an outgoing and sometimes even forceful manner, showing more oomph, but also less sensitivity. This will be a great time then to walk the talk, putting into action our ideas with confidence and optimism.  Aries Mercury and Gemini Mars are in fact bouncing off each other by occupying each other Signs for a while, what is known in Astrology as ‘mutual reception’. Venus in Aries encourages us to be more assertive in our relationships, if less emotional and diplomatic. Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius remain a great stimulus for everyone to participate more in the life of the community, getting involved in collective projects, making new friends and trying new and exciting things, including social dissent. Independence and self-motivated actions are the keys to make the best of this period. By far the most important transit, exact on April 7, will be the 45°angle (semi-square) between Aquarius Jupiter and Aries Chiron. This difficult transit between the planet of expansion and the planet of illness and healing, peaking again in mid August and mid November, seems significant, with the world still in the grip of a pandemic and the southern hemisphere entering the year’s colder months that have proven so difficult for many during the North American and European winter. On April 19 Mercury and on April 23 Venus will enter Taurus, the same day Mars will leave Gemini to enter Cancer. Mercury and Venus’s transits in Taurus will last only until May 4 and 9 respectively; while Mars will remain in Cancer until June 12.  These are the three faster planets, affecting the way we deal with life from day to day and week to week. Their shift into the Earth and Water Signs indicate a less independent period for many, when relationships and feeling will come more to the fore, helping us to establish stronger emotional connections with family and loved ones.   May 2021 The month of May opens with the yearly conjunction of Sun-Uranus in Taurus, in itself a sign that some unexpected and sudden events are on the cards. The Sun will become, at this time, a powerful catalyst for the energies of both Uranus and Saturn by also squaring Aquarius Saturn on May 4. These transits could anticipate the challenges of the upcoming second pass of the Saturn-Uranus’ 90° angle, exact again on June 15. Escalation of personal and collective conflicts is likely, as we have seen happening around the world recently. The need for change in our social structures, laws, cultural bias etc. are compelling this year but also enormously challenged by the world’s most conservative mind set. As it was impossible to sugar coat the difficult transits of 2020 so it is for the Saturn-Uranus square, the most powerful and difficult transit of 2021, another clash of Titans. Jupiter in Pisces, May 14 to July 28 The Mutable Signs will become more active this month and in June-July. Mercury and Venus will enter Mutable Gemini in May 4 and 9 respectively. Most importantly, on May 14, Jupiter will leave Aquarius, Sign it entered only on December 19 2020, to enter Mutable Pisces. Jupiter’s stay in Pisces will not last long, covering only the first two degrees of the Sign. Jupiter in fact will re-enter Aquarius in retro motion on July 28 (until December 29). Jupiter will end its transit in Pisces on May 11 but will return to this Sign again for a short period, between October 28 and December 21 2022, date of its final ingress into Aries. Jupiter enters the last of the Water Signs about every twelve years, ushering a period when we are encouraged to listen more to our inner self, be inspired by heightened imagination and sensitivity. We could also become more responsive to the feelings of others, seeking to identify with their souls, their emotional needs and suffering. And, on a grander scale, we could become more open and receptive to the soul of the planet and all its creatures; an especially urgent need during the immediate drama of the Covid pandemic and the ecological tragedy looming on our world.  Feeling of collective empathy and compassion should inspire our life philosophy if we are able to respond to Jupiter’s amazing prompting. Of course there is always another, darker side to all coins, including ‘beneficial’ Jupiter’s. Pisces sensitivity often means a lack of boundaries and proper discrimination, the qualities of its opposite complementary Sign of Virgo that Pisces is in great need of consciously cultivate. We could then run the risk, as a collective, to be contaminated (for lack of a better word) by all sorts of fanciful notions, from wild conspiracies theories to actual physical infections. These could in fact spread even more readily under this influence. Let’s hope that rational thinking and Pisces’ uplifting spiritual insight will prevail, for the good of the planet. Upcoming Mercury’s retro period in Gemini and the first Eclipses of 2021 The Mutable shift will be also significant because of Mercury’s Gemini retro period (from May 30 to June 23), causing our little brother to transit Gemini for a protracted period, until July 12. To add to this, the first Eclipses of 2021 will fall in Mutable Signs too: a Lunar at the Full Moon in Mutable Sagittarius, on May 26, and a Solar at the Gemini New Moon, on June 10. The emphasis on these Signs will make this period feel more transitional and uncertain, on the bright side stimulating us to adapt better to swiftly evolving circumstances.