The Daily Astro for March 19, 2013

by Valerie Sylvester

TODAY’S ASTRO:

The day begins with the Moon in Gemini. Somewhat discordant Moon/Saturn and Moon/Venus aspects start the day off on a restrained note. This is one of those mornings where we REALLY don’t want to get up and start the daily routine. The Moon joins Ceres; remember to feed your soul as well as your body today.

A Venus/Uranus connection at 11:31 AM EDT is like the “runaway bride” scenario; erratic behavior may increase as people tune into the freedom channel! The Sun in Pisces squares the Moon in Gemini at 1:27 PM EDT. It’s the First Quarter Square, a crisis point, and as we’re dealing with mutable signs with a focus in the last degrees of their sign, we may find we’re cleaning up/ending/closing the door rather than making much progress initiating new projects.

The Moon enters soulful Cancer at 2:55 PM EDT and ends the day with a flowing aspect to Neptune in Pisces at 10:39 PM EDT, so take some time today to catch up on the home front. We may be feeling nostalgic or a bit sentimental at the end of the day. It’s the perfect time to get together with family or friends. Creative endeavors, relaxation, and communing with nature (and that includes the family pet/s) are highlighted. Get some rest tonight as we gear up for Spring, A/K/A the Vernal Equinox, when the Sun enters Aries. Later in the week Aries’ ruler Mars gets chummy with Uranus and both oppose Pluto, so we’re bound to be jolted right out of our seatbelts. By the way, if you have a car, and it has problems that need to be attended to, get it fixed right away. In the words of Elvis Costello (Moon conjunct Uranus in Cancer), “Accidents Will Happen.”

THE SYMBOLS:

Sabian Symbol for today’s Sun: “The Great Stone Face. ”
Kozminsky Symbol for today’s Sun: “A man trudging along a rough road, dragging a mass of heavy chains. A strong horse in a cart standing idly near.”
The Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: “ DISCERNMENT.”
The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is: “MISCONCEPTION.”

Today’s Symbols relate to Saturn and Uranus and emphasize ongoing themes of freedom vs. being tied down, integrity, and “walking your talk”. The Kozminsky Symbol, connected to Uranus, shows someone who chooses a difficult path in an effort to break the chains that that keep him fettered. Kozminsky emphasizes that this person “binds himself in chains of his own making”, which strongly echoes the Devil card in the tarot, and brings in the Saturn energy. Saturn was considered the ruler of Aquarius prior to the discovery of Uranus, and some astrologers feel the two planets are co-rulers of  Aquarius. This Symbol also is associated with strange ideas and eccentric behavior (welcome to Uranus!), but ultimately, if he follows his own way, which is not necessarily the “normal” or usual (as symbolized by the other alternative, using the horse and cart), he will forge a new path. This Symbol seems to me to reflect someone who is ahead of his/her time, who must travel a rather lonely and difficult road during their lifetime, but who blaze a trail to the future through their actions.

The Sabian Symbol is literally “rock solid” (very Saturnian indeed), a portrait in stone of a hero or someone who has accomplished/inspired great things. The “Great Stone Face” is also the name of a Nathaniel Hawthorne story about a boy who lived near a rock formation (see the illlustration above) that took the shape of the head of a man. The boy projected all his yearning and aspirations onto this rock outcropping. This Symbol is connected with integrity, courage and living your beliefs no matter how much opposition is faced. Discipline, reliability, longevity (it takes centuries for the weather to wear down stone formations) and an ability to control the emotions are also key concepts here. It also symbolizes standing up for our beliefs, and, as in the Kozminsky Symbol, standing alone if necessary. Being famous, notable or rewarded are other concepts associated with this Symbol. On the down side, being a “stone face”, or someone who cannot feel or express emotion, is a danger here.  We can be too disconnected (a Uranus down side) or too stoic/workaholic (a Saturn down side).

THE DAILY DRAW:

King of Swords / Judgment

Here’s the Great Stone Face from the Sabian Symbol for today, embodied by the King of Swords. I see this combination as archetypal–the Great Surgeon coming forth to make the necessary cuts. It seems to reflect the upcoming Mars/Uranus conjunction squaring Pluto in Capricorn. Mars is a “trigger” planet and wastes no time, especially with Uranus, and when those two collide with Pluto (the Judgment card), huge changes occur. This is a truncation of  the old order, a cut to the bone.

Judgment is the “karma card”, and when it shows up we’re ready to take a look at how we got where we are now– the whole reaping/sowing scenario. It didn’t just happen to us, we played our part in making it happen. Suddenly there’s clarity as we cut through the layers of our past and begin to understand the cycles of life. We need to learn to let go and not judge as the images flash before our eyes for review.

This combination can also refer, in mundane terms, to the “end of the line”, the end of a dynasty or long-entrenched way of life as embodied in a figurehead who dies or is removed from power in a changing of the guard. It can relate to crimes being uncovered and brought to justice. Nothing remains hidden here, it all comes out, so we may read about ongoing scandals related to institutions, governments and corporations. Whatever comes up points to the area in which transformation is required.
–March 19, 2013