The following is a reading of the major transits active during the 2012 Aries Equinox season, the Sun’s journey through Aries, Taurus and Gemini, March to June 2012. The June 21 Cancer Solstice will mark the end of this astrological period.
The image on the right is Pandora by Odilon Redon (1840-1916). I have chosen it, for the Art of Healing, thinking of the Retrogradation of Venus and also of her magical rare conjunction with the Sun on June 5/6, 2012 (read more under the Venus’ heading).
Highlight on the Mutable and Cardinal Signs
The Mutable Signs are coming to the fore this season, Gemini in particular: Mars will be transiting Virgo until early July; Venus will be retrograde in Gemini for six weeks, transiting this Sign between April and August; two Eclipses will fall in Gemini and Sagittarius (Solar of May 21 and Lunar of June 4); Mercury will conjunct the Sun in Gemini at the end of May; and mighty Jupiter himself will step into Gemini on June 12.
Of course the Cardinal Signs are still highlighted too (Uranus in Aries, Saturn in Libra, Pluto in Capricorn) and will remain so for a long while. The combination Cardinal/Mutable gives a sense of restlessness, those Signs being very much in flux, Cardinals beginning things, Mutables finishing things off. The sense we get is one of not much stability or certainty, but rather of movement, with the need to be very adaptable and mentally resourceful in order to handle the pace and the changes.
At the bottom of the page you’ll find a bi-wheel with two Horoscopes: the Aries Equinox Chart in the inner wheel and the Cancer Solstice Chart in the outer wheel, to show the motion of the Sun and Planets between March 20 and June 21 2012.
Many Retrogradations
Mercury, Venus and Mars are just leaving or just entering their respective retrograde periods. This adds depth and complexity to the season’s picture. More: Pluto, Neptune, Uranus and Saturn are also retrograde between mid-April and mid-July. Though not a rare occurrence, many Planets retrograding mark a period when old issues will need to be revisited and the consequences of previous actions and thoughts will have to be addressed in order to move forward once the planets turn direct again.
So, for instance, during a retro period Mercury’s linear and rational thinking function becomes infected and enriched with intuitive feelings. This could well be the hidden cause, I believe, of some of the disruptions in communication we experience during such periods. On average three times a year, for three weeks at the time, creativity and intuition challenge our ‘normal’ way of thinking. Used wisely these experiences can open whole new ways of perceiving reality and expressing it in words. Because this backward motion is happening through the dreamy and non-linearly thinking Pisces (Mercury will be in Pisces from March 24 to April 17), the inversion or introversion effect could be even more marked this time, especially for people who have Pisces, Virgo, Gemini and Sagittarius emphasized in their Birth Charts.
Mercury will be retrograde between March 12 and April 4, re-entering Aries on April 17. Afterwards Little Brother will be rising in the East before sunrise, allowing for more direct and effective communication, greater ease with the spoken and written words, enhanced logical understanding and mental stamina. Business transactions could benefit from this position too.
After his Superior Conjunction to the Sun on May 28, Mercury will appear instead as the Evening Star, a mature, inward looking God, leading us to deeper layers of thought and communication.
A historical Venus’ Transit
In Gemini since April 4, Venus will be retrograde from May 16 to June 28. This will especially affect people with Gemini-Sagittarius-Virgo-Pisces highlighted in their Birth Charts, and also the Air/Fire Signs Libra-Aquarius-Aries-Leo.
In this phase of her journey around the Sun from Earth’s perspective Venus is edging now closer and closer to the Sun visually, passing in fact between the Earth and the Sun, the closest she can ever be to us and the planet we inhabit. Now that’s something! And that’s retrogradation for you, not just a visual illusion fancifully imbued with meaning! The actual Inferior Planet (either Mercury or Venus, I mean) disappears in the glare of the Sun, but it is actually closer than ever, and therefore somewhat more influential, or better, more penetrating. Venus is no exception.
Venus in Gemini is usually described as light and flirty, seeking independence and variety in relationship, rather than heavy emotional ties and dependency. Retrogradation adds a deeper dimension to this placement. It is time perhaps to trim from our lives those friendships that are superficial and do not satisfy our real needs and longing. During the retro phase of her journey around the Sun Venus is as close to our planet as she can ever be. Thus we are given a chance to penetrate better the nature of love and relationship.
A special event is also connected with this particular retrogradation: Venus’ conjunction to the Sun on June 5/6, depending where you are in the world. This will be the second of a pair of conjunctions, separated by eight years, when the tiny disk of Venus will be visibly moving over the Sun. The first of these conjunctions occurred in June 2004. Try not to miss this event (wearing sun protective glasses, of course) because another one like it will not take place until December 2117!
At the time of a ‘normal’ conjunction Venus is too far North or South of the Sun to be visible. During a conjunction like the June’s one instead Venus is aligned to the Sun. These special conjunctions are sometimes compared to Eclipses, because Venus’ dark body becomes visible on the face of the Sun as the Moon does more dramatically during a Solar Eclipse.
This is conjunction is also the beginning of the 585 days Venus-Sun-Earth cycle, and the end of Venus’ inward journey as the Evening Star. After the conjunction Venus rapidly separates from the Sun and for 260 days will be Lucifer, Light Bringer, rising in the East before the Sun. This is a bolder and even forceful aspect of the Goddess, not at all passive. This Venus is adventurous and impulsive, ready to take risks in relationships but a bit naive and not so aware of emotional undercurrents.
The ancient astrologers from Babylon and the Mayas looked upon the morning appearance of Venus as a perilous phase for the world, portending wars and natural disasters. This is because Venus’ usually Yin energy becomes more Yang, upsetting the balance between feminine and masculine, with an excess of Yang energy. Adding to this, Venus and Mars will square each other twice, on April 8 and again on June 5. Around these periods we can expect some fireworks in our emotional lives, exciting or disruptive. While aspiring to achieve greater clarity in our communications and efficiency in our daily tasks (Gemini-Virgo), we run the risk of becoming overly critical and/or to be subjected to negative criticism.
End of Mars’ Retrograde period
Retrograde in Virgo since November 2011, Mars will finally turn Direct on April 14, on the third degree of Virgo, avoiding by a hair the opposition to Neptune in early Pisces. During retrogradation Mars shows a degree of introspection and caution usually not associated with the Red Planet, fact that could have hindered some of our activities. The retrogradation would have been more keenly felt by the Mutable Signs, Virgo-Sagittarius-Pisces-Gemini, and also by the Earth Signs Taurus and Capricorn.
For my interpretation of the Retrogradation of Mars in Virgo please navigate to one of my previous articles HERE.
From mid-April we are all been given permission to resume our normal pace of activities and hopefully start getting the sort of results we expect from our efforts. Mars is still in Virgo though, meaning that we still need to be humble and prepared to work hard and consistently. The Virgo-Mars’ period can work like a strong stimulant to take care of all those things that too often we tend to put off, while busy with supposedly more important things. But are often the little things that can wreck our health, that can clutter our life, and also create a sense of guilt from the awareness of a job not too well done.
If in business, work on your books, tax returns, loose ends, here and there. Dust the corner cupboard. Clean the computer, inside and out. Empty your wardrobe of all clothes you have not worn in the past two years (or more if you are like me). Look after your body, do that liver cleansing you always wanted to do, That colonic irrigation. Or simply book a visit to a good naturopath, or iridologist, chiropractor, Reiki healer, etc. Have a general health check with your doctor. Or that pap/prostrate test, that breast screening, that colonoscopy?
Even more important than all the above, give up unhealthy habits of all sorts, including, of course, psychological bad habits. Who doesn’t have some? Even eating too much carbohydrates is an addiction. Be discriminative and selective in your choice of food, drinks, work habits etc. Mars will help big time while transiting in Direct motion in Virgo.
Jupiter enters Gemini
Jupiter is moving Signs on June 12, from Earthy Taurus to Airy Gemini.
Until the end of June 2013 Jupiter will provide a time of opportunities and risk taking for people with a Gemini emphasis in their Birth Charts; also for those with Planets and/or Angles in any of the other Mutable Signs (Virgo-Sagittarius-Pisces). The other Fire/Air Signs (Aries-Leo-Libra-Aquarius) will be much stimulated by this transit too.
It was about twelve years ago that Jupiter transited Gemini the last time, 2000/2001. Looking back at those times, or even a further 12, 24 or 36 years earlier, we could all gain a better understanding of the way this placement of Jupiter is likely to manifest in our life.
Suitable choices to express Jupiter’s energy positively would be to study, travel, expand your business, take action aiming at bettering your circumstances, or embark on a metaphysical search of some kind. Jupiter will help you to get more out of life, giving meaning to your personal experiences, improving your general mood, inspiring you with confidence. In fact the negative side of this transit could be to become too optimistic and overly confident. If this is the case whatever enterprise you may begin this year could prove more difficult to realize than you imagined or hoped for. It would be wise to make a conscious effort to stay grounded to handle the Giant Planet’s exuberance. On the other hand, if you habitually lack confidence, not to waste Jupiter’s blessing, it will be important to curb any old fears that prevented you from achieving your goals in the past. Trust Jupiter to help you do just that.
If Jupiter was in Gemini in your Birth Chart you will experience a Jupiter‘s Return between June 2012 and June 2013. This is an astrological way of saying that you are turning 12/24/36/48/60/72/84/96 years old (born in 2000/01, 1988/89, 1976/77, 1964/65, 1953/54, 1941/42, 1929/30, 1917/18; consult an Ephemeris for exact dates). Greater confidence in your intellectual abilities and a keener desire to learn and know could help you this year with exams and tests; also to put pen to paper if you are so inclined. New interests may also introduce you to new people with whom to share them.
I remember a special Jupiter Return year for me, when I turned 36. With my Return in the IX House accompanied by other exciting transits, I made a leap of faith that year, choosing to leave a ‘normal’ job that provided a modest but secure income, to embark more professionally into Astrology, an interest and hobby of mine for a number of years. The sense of excitement, the renewed confidence I needed for my brave move and also the high hopes that I then held for my career (many later quashed by some hard realities) are all clear Jupiter’s signatures. Despite the fact that the reality of things didn’t quite match Jupiter’s promises I would not go back on my choice at that time, because it has transformed my world in very meaningful ways.
Master astrologer Steven Arroyo says of the Jupiter Return that it ‘liberates vast new energies for self-improvement …for it is a time of committing oneself to a new vision of the future’.
A great amongst contemporary astrologers, if you haven’t read Arroyo yet, please do so.
Communications of all kinds are highlighted by the passage of Jupiter through Gemini. I wouldn’t be surprised if some unusual networking will take place, perhaps involving the disclosure of information of value to many people. A novel way of networking might emerge, allowing even greater connectivity. More and more people, from all countries, cultures and socio/economic backgrounds, will join the world wide web, to share ideas and learn from each other. This could be the year of self-publishing and free-lancing on a grand scale.
Jupiter’s transit through Gemini also highlights the risk that a lot of what circulates and is shared in our brave new cyber world will be crap, gossip, or useless, repetitive, unoriginal information. To hopefully counteract this tendency in the months of June and July Jupiter will form a positive aspect to Uranus in Aries and a challenging aspect to Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, contacts that will permit a more exciting, visionary, innovative and inspired use of this placement.
Uranus square Pluto
Future events also are beginning to take shape in this Equinox season: the effects of the long awaited, with trepidation, Uranus square Pluto (first pass June 24), are likely to begin manifesting in May. This will be a test, one of the most difficult in recent years, not to give in to the temptation of solving the world’s issues via conflict and war. Unless a majority of people remain vigilant and committed to peace, this transit warns that the global situation could deteriorate in the near future. Not a pretty picture, considering that right now more than thirty large scale and localized conflicts are already raging around the world.
I’m leaving the proper analysis of this aspect to another time. I have already discussed the square Uranus-Pluto in many of my previous articles: in the 2010-2011 Astrological Forecast Page HERE, and the 2012 Astrological Forecast Page HERE)
The Eclipse Season
A Solar Eclipse on the very first degree of Gemini will take place on May 21, more evidence to the fact that Gemini is really the main character in this season’s astrological tale. The Eclipse will be an important event for some early Gemini (May-20/22), Sagittarius (November-21/23), Virgo (August-22/24) and Pisces (February-18/20).
Solar Eclipses are special New Moons, indicating not just the start of a new lunar month but of a whole new life phase. So, wait for exciting changes that will urge you to move, embracing a course of studies, moving house or even country, travelling, socializing, meeting new people, and all together having a busier and more stimulating time.
A Lunar Eclipse is expected on June 4, making the first week in June an eventful time astrologically, for all of us, but especially for some Gemini (June-2/8), Sagittarius (December-3/9), Virgo (September-4/10), and Pisces (March-2/8), or anyone with Moon, Planets and/or Angles around the middle of the same Signs. The Gemini Sun, conjunct Venus, and the Sagittarius Moon will be in aspect to Mars in Virgo, making this Eclipse a somewhat stressful or overly exciting climax for you. Something is coming to a head, positively or negatively, a big realization or a big disappointment, all providing valuable insight.
Love your transits, everyone.
Here is the bi-wheel: the Aries Equinox Chart in the inner wheel and the Cancer Solstice Chart in the outer wheel, to show the motion of the Sun and Planets between March 20 and June 21 2012.
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