ARIES 2019

Warrior and wound. The two go hand in hand, don't they?

The warrior inflicts wounds, and no matter how well they parry, the warrior cannot help but receive some wounds now and again.

And what of the original wounds that led the warrior to become the fighter they are?

Most importantly -

How does the warrior heal?

What are the right fights for this warrior to engage in, and where might they need to call a truce?

These are the questions of this month.

Sun in Aries: 3/20/19 - 4/20/19

The Sun aligns with Chiron as it enters Aries this year, which will infuse our entire Aries month with the tenderness of touching some deep space within that is calling out for resolution. This theme interweaves with the bold, vital and upstarting energy of Aries and early spring, which you may read more about here. In addition to the herbs recommended in that post, I also recommend calendula to help resolve deeply held pain if that's coming up for you. It also warms and brightens the outlook.

Vernal Equinox: 3/20/19 at 2:58 pm PDT

That Chiron theme continues throughout spring, in fact, so as you plant your metaphorical seeds this season, consider -

Am I planting these seeds based on heart-ful engagement and trust, or out of some reactive, fearful space?

Be patient, vigilant, and forgiving with yourself as you learn the difference between the heart's guidance and fear-based logic.

Throughout the spring, you'll feel your desires taking root in new and surprising ways, while established forms in your life dismantle - either into some endpoint, or into a process of reformation. Other influences offer deeper access to forgiveness, acceptance, and letting go. The moment you let go is the moment you see the way forwards, and new energy is able to come in.

Despite all these mixed messages of spring's awakening beginning-ness mixed with these processes of dismantling, letting go, and resolution, you'll feel this spring as incredibly fecund, alive, and full of GROWTH.

Super Full Moon in Libra: 3/20/19 at 6:43 pm PDT

A few hours after the equinox and the sun's entry into Aries, we experience a super full moon in Libra. While the Sun in Aries inspires self-awareness, assertion, and action, the moon in Libra requires restraint, grace, and awareness of others. Chiron's influence brings up wounds you may carry around these two sides of the I-and-Thou coin. Any wounds you feel in your current relationships are going to feel very present and raw right now, so do your best to communicate these honestly and tenderly with others.

In what ways do you compromise your needs to your own detriment?

Are there any ways you assert yourself that are hard on others, or even on yourself?

Most of us, even if we usually err more on one side of the compromise-assertion paradigm, inhabit both sides in different relationships or situations. Be curious, and see if you can identify more specifically how you operate within this dichotomy in various instances. Pluto's influence is in the undercurrents of this full moon, so we have an opportunity to upgrade how we express/hold/give-away, and ideally share our power.

Mercury stations direct: 3/28/19 at 6:59 am PDT

Mercury completes its retrograde in the first week of spring (3/5/19 - 3/28/19). This is a tender and illuminating retrograde cycle, carrying both the wounded energy of Chiron and the dissolving energy of Neptune. But Chiron's woundedness offers wisdom and innovative resolution, and Neptune's loss is followed by redemption. The way forwards with Chiron is to face the wound squarely, and know it; and with Neptune, the next best step is always to let go, let go, let go. Only then can the next thing emerge.

Mercury exits the shadow of its retrograde on 4/16/19, so we'll be continuing to resolve the themes we've encountered in March until then.

New Moon in Aries: 4/5/19 at 1:50 am PDT

We need the quiet of a new moon right now. This will give us a moment to:

☞ integrate the lessons we learned during Mercury's retrograde;

☞ be tender with ourselves as we recalibrate new awareness of our wounds, and how best to resolve them;

☞ notice what's shifted in the wake of any letting go, forgiving, and moving on we've done in the past few weeks.

☞ tend our "garden" - see what's sprouted, weed out anything that doesn't fit, and commit more deeply to what we've decided to keep growing

☞ galvanize ourselves with the courage of Aries, in order to take heart-ful action throughout the rest of this lunation

Jupiter in retrograde: 4/10/19 - 8/11/19

This influence will not make your life haywire in the way that a Mercury retrograde can, but it's worth noting any significant events that happen around the days of Jupiter's station (4/9 - 4/11). While Jupiter is retrograde (4/10 - 8/11/19), we'll be working on increasing our confidence and internally realigning ourselves with our beliefs so that we can take vaster leaps in our lives after mid-August. Jupiter is in its home sign of Sagittarius this year, so in particular, we're dealing with these themes:

What do you really believe in?

Are you living, acting, creating, and communicating in alignment with your beliefs?

What inspires you?

Are you actively engaging and interacting with the people, places, and activities that inspire you?

Where and how are you getting ready to take a leap of faith?

Full moon in Libra part two: 4/19/19 at 4:12 am PDT

We get two full moons in Libra this year. While the 3/20 moon was aligned with Chiron, this 4/19 moon is aligned with Uranus in Taurus.

Now, instead of wounding in relationships, we're dealing with processes of liberation in relationships. Any longstanding relationship - family, longterm partners, old friends, etc. - develops patterns of relating that crystalize into habitual responses. Habits are efficient in a way, but they are things we do with a lower level of consciousness, and therefore with less awareness and care. This moon will illuminate and inspire new ways of relating with others beyond your "auto-pilot" mode.

If you knew you would never see someone you care about again, how would you perceive them, and how would you relate with them?

In what ways do you feel you are taken for granted in your relationships, and how can you communicate that effectively?

Next month...

We enter more deeply into the impetus to unlock trapped energy from crystalized formations as we rethink the structures of our lives. Feel free to schedule a consultation for a more personalized look at these patterns. Here's wishing you an awakening, revitalizing, & resolving month - Rae