In the words of Bob Dylan… “I feel like I’ve been through a kind of thing, man”
As ever, the poet is succinct and on task. These past few weeks have been FULL of an un-precedented amount of clearing; letting go of old and out-worn identities, habits, relationships – you name it! Lots of colds and flu’s cropping up, landing us in the no-man’s land of lurghie as our bodies re-tune to the change in season and energies which have been heralded by the conclusion of the seven-part out-playing of Pluto square Uranus over the past three years. So much has been revealed!
Here we are poised on the very brink of a whole new ‘thing’.
Tomorrow is Spring Equinox and is a particularly unusual one as it coincides with a Solar eclipse.
The astrology is important as it points us in a direction that will piggy-back on the energies of this time.
I’m going to speak to these two phenomena separately, with the understanding that nothing happens in isolation and so are inextricably linked with one another.
The Spring Equinox occurs at 0 degrees Aries, every year, without fail. This year it falls on March 20 at 10:45pm GMT. The equinox is when we enjoy the experience of perfect balance, equal day and equal night. It is an invitation to find balance, peace and to mark the crossing of a threshold into new life, growth and development. We are emerging from the primordial soup and collective unconscious of Pisces into a self-actualizing, focused, goal-orientated Aries expression.
Typically in our celebration of the wheel of the year we pause and acknowledge the shift in energy.
So, we’ll pause now and prepare to take ACTION. Actions that typify this festival are cleansing and clearing, not ‘just’ through reflection and metaphorically, but also physically. This is the time for a Spring Clean, time to open the cupboards and take everything out; review it. Has our food, our sustenance literally passed it’s ‘USE BY’ date?! Are these clothes still an accurate expression of who we are now? Is that project, long forgotten at the back of the shed, still relevant?
Emerging from Pisces and the watery, mystical world of creativity and illusion is always a bit of a shock. Nature is burgeoning and we are feeling the pull of longer days, warmer winds. Our noses are drawn inexorably above the parapet! It’s been a brutal winter, in some ways, such a lot of turbulence and the heaviness of the winter months has weighed us down. Time for a good clear out! Rousing us from a dream-time, our bodies may be feeling a little achy, unused to movement and the on-rush of sap. When ‘cleanses’ are embarked upon, fasting aids in the re-tuning of our digestive systems and enables us to process the new life force, on all levels. It’s a perfect opportunity to re-assess ourselves, our lives and our vision for the coming year.
The actions that take place at this time of year are not limited to clearing and cleansing though, this is also a time to avail ourselves of the yielding earth and to plant seeds in anticipation of a harvest at the Autumn Equinox.
What seeds will we plant? What have the past months of dark, quiet, dream-time brought forth to be transformed into matter? What have you dreamt of?
Inevitably, when I prepare to celebrate the Turn of the Wheel, I discover something that I have never considered before. My revelation for this Equinox is about the God, Mars. Associated with March (natch!) and war; strife, blood shed, anger and force. I’ve never chosen to invest too much energy with this deity. Lately, I’ve been challenged to really get to grips with the value of this ‘killing machine’. I have discovered however, that though I always thought of Ares (Greek) and Mars (Roman) were interchangeable, it emerges that they were slightly different, in motivation, if not expression. Ares is, in fact, a God of War and fulfills the profile of war-monger and brute. Mars, on the other hand, was originally an agricultural God who rose to prominence ‘in defence’ of his dominion, land, crops and community. I am splitting hairs, but it occurs to me that there is a very different quality to this expression.
So, how do we harness the energy of Mars; sheer, passionate force dedicated to protection and preservation of that which sustains us? When I ask this question I can see how we could immediately be drawn into a border skirmish resulting in the kinds of wars that are waged over resources and territory. For the purposes of this Equinox, I invite you to re-imagine an expanded version of what ‘sustains us’ and by that I mean our environment, nature, the planet or (an aspect of) The Goddess. Delicate, vibrant, nourishing, beautiful and powerful, our planet, as an embodied expression of the Goddess, is calling forth her consort, Mars, to battle those forces that would decimate her, to restore balance. It is only through the dynamic inter-action of the feminine and masculine that new life can be created and sustained.
A super-charged opportunity to manifest presents itself and looms large in our energetic and cosmological field at the moment. It is the Solar Eclipse combined with a New Moon in Pisces. This ‘event’ will take place at 9:36am GMT. It will be visible in parts of northern Europe.
A New Moon is associated with new beginnings and the seeding of intentions for growth and development, when it is found in Pisces it usually has an artistic or spiritual flavour. Meditations on what it is that we are wanting to ‘grow’ and harvest at the full moon (in two weeks time) are a powerful way to set our internal compasses in the direction of manifestation. When the sun is in Pisces and is eclipsed by the moon there is also a very strong emphasis on service (an attribute of Virgo), as in service to ‘the other’. Eclipses involve the occultation of the sun and as such have a longer journey to make to reach it’s optimal state. The essence of this occurrence is that we have the usual effect of seeding new projects/intentions but, energized and extended in significance AND in time of ripening. |The Piscean influence will be felt as spiritual and faith-based ventures will emerge.
Take time to ‘tune in’ to your quiet self, be mindful of what you wish for and be prepared to ACT on it in order to yield an abundant harvest!
Blessed Equinox and Eclipse Everyone!
marlowpurves.net 