The Daily Astro for March 14, 2013

by Valerie Sylvester

TODAY’S ASTRO:

The Moon starts the day in Aries, still Void-of-Course until its entry into Taurus at 3:08 PM EDT. The day begins with the Sun in Pisces contraparallel Uranus in Aries, which may make us feel uncomfortably electric, as though we have to discharge the energy or we’ll go nuts. It’s a jangly, jittery connection and can also mean there are “disturbances in the field” in our environment. Of course, we’re probably creating many of them by our reactions. The Moon/Jupiter aspect that follows can make us motormouths, or maybe we blurt out something we shouldn’t.      The 12:01 PM EDT Moon/Saturn connection takes it all down a notch. Normally this might be depressing, but today it’s probably a good thing as it provides some restraint. C lear your desk of aging files, finish what was started, and close out accounts today while the Moon is Void and Mercury’s still retrograde.

I was ruminating about the newly-elected Pope in yesterday’s Daily Astro. I wondered what significance Mercury Retrograde at the time of his election might have. While watching the news last night, I learned that the new Pope was actually the #2 choice in the previous papal election that ushered in Pope Benedict. They obviously took another look, went back and reconsidered the contenders from the last election and decided that Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis) was the best choice. All those “re” words definitely reflect Mercury Retrograde. It often involves looking at things differently or seeing things from a different angle. This time, their #2 choice moved up to the #1 spot.

We may issue a sigh of relief when the Moon enters Taurus at 3:08 PM EDT. The Moon’s considered  exalted in Taurus, so we’ll feel more comfy-cozy, even if we’re really just resting in the stillness of the hurricane’s eye.  The pressure’s been bearing down on us this week, so this afternoon is an ideal  time to decompress. Get a massage, relax, go back to basics, immerse yourself in anything that makes you feel safe and secure. All those recent “out of body” experiences may can leave us feeling unmoored, so it’s time to reconnect to Mother Earth. A Moon/Neptune sextile at 9:09 PM EDT, combined with the Taurus Moon, helps us channel our creative spirit in a very constructive way. Your mantra should be “make it beautiful and useful”.

THE SYMBOLS:

Sabian Symbol for today’s Sun: “ The purging of the priesthood.”

Kozminsky Symbol for today’s Sun: “ An unfurled flag on a shaft of forked lightning.”

The Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: “REFORMATION.”

The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is: “SUDDENNESS ”.

Well, ain’t that a kick! The day after there’s a new Pope in town, we get lightning and priesthood purging in the day’s Symbols. Lightning is associated with Uranus and all things shocking, unexpected, and revolutionary. I don’t think the new Pope is will turn out to be a wild-eyed revolutionary. What this probably symbolizes is a period of instability and enforced change due to internal problems.  He’ll have to deal with it and institute some major changes in structure or function, and the magnitude of the problems may prove alarming.

The Sabian Symbol’s “purging” is a very Plutonian concept and as noted yesterday, Pluto plays a part in both the Pope’s natal chart and the aspects under which he was elected. Uranus and Pluto together bring to mind the current Uranus/Pluto square, which is in the middle of a series of exact hits, which  continue over the next few years. These two outer planets don’t mess around, and if anything’s rotten in Denmark (or the Vatican), they’ll find it. This Sabian Symbol, in essence, means we have to act with integrity and delete anything that’s festering or doesn’t live up to ethical standards. The mask is removed; the true essence is revealed. Priests and other spiritual leaders take vows, and breaking those vows is a serious offense. They’re dedicated to serving both their God and humanity, so they must live up to a higher standard.

We are all being prodded to step up, to measure up. Release, get rid of, throw out anything that no longer serves. The down side here is to practice what you preach. Don’t be a hypocrite or attack others to cover up your own failings or shortfalls. Don’t accuse others of things you’re doing yourself.

The Kozminsky Symbol relates to making a mark through sudden, inspired action or by doing something shattering or unexpected. It’s about innovation, invention and the shock of the new. Bravery and energy are other attributes associated with this Symbol, so it depicts the explorer, the wanderer, someone with a mind that makes unusual connections. Here’s someone who comes to power unexpectedly, through an unusual set of circumstances, and changes the path of history. Think of revolutionaries, reformers and futurists. Considering today’s two Symbols, we may hear of someone in a high position suddenly and unexpectedly being forced to step down due to improprieties. We’re also being put on notice here that we can’t operate on auto-pilot or expect the “same-old, same-old” any more. Think : changing of the guard, French Revolution.

THE DAILY DRAW:

Death / Queen of Wands

“Unraveling.”  In ancient Greek myth, the Fates were the spinners of the destiny engine, weavers of life and death, knotting and unknotting the cords that tie us. The Death card, associated with Pluto, relates to all forms of transformation, cycles and purging the past (see the Symbols section above). The past is gone, it’s irreversible, and we’re set free at last from its shackles. We’ve shed our old skin.

In the Mythic Tarot, the Queen of Wands is associated with the myth of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, who wove her missing-and-presumed-dead husband’s shroud during the day and un-wove it at night.  (She was the original Deconstructionist!)  Again we see the theme of the web of life, weaving and unweaving, and the connections that tie us all together. Penelope symbolizes the faithful heart (she told her crowd of suitors that she’d marry them when she had finished the shroud and properly mourned her husband), devotion, determination, strength, and dedication to an ideal. The Queen of Wands is connected with Leo and the Sun (ruler of Leo) combined with Pluto/Scorpio themes of rebirth and the journey to the Underworld (the Death card), tells us we’re dealing with the eternal mystery of life, death, healing and transformation.

–March 14, 2013