April 25 to May 1, 2016
By Pam Younghans
Photo: My sweetheart Terra, now with me in spirit (January 3, 2005 - April 17, 2016)
Highlighted Aspects This Week
TUE: Pallas Athene enters Pisces, Venus semisquare Neptune
WED: Sun quincunx Mars
THU: Sun semisquare Chiron, Mercury goes retrograde 10:19am PDT (5:19pm GMT), Venus sesquiquadrate Jupiter
FRI: Venus enters Taurus, Mercury quintile Neptune
SAT: Venus sesquiquadrate Saturn
SUN: Mercury conjunct Vesta, Sun sextile Neptune, Neptune quintile Vesta
WE BEGAN the current lunar cycle with a potent Aries New Moon on April 7. That lunation, being aligned with Uranus, indicated we were embarking on a new journey, one that involved major changes and an initiation into a new phase of life.
Last week, we experienced the Full Moon, which marked the height of the lunar cycle and the culmination of the process that was set in place by the New Moon. As we begin this last week of April, the Moon is in its disseminating phase and our energy and thoughts turn inward. Other planets and asteroids also step in to assist us in adjusting to the shifts that have taken place.
THE ASTEROID Pallas Athene sets the stage on Tuesday, entering the mystical waters of Pisces. As the goddess of wisdom and justice, Pallas represents a way of perceiving reality that enables us to find meaning and purpose in life's events.
Astrologer Demetra George tells us that Pallas Athene in Pisces helps us perceive by "merging ourselves in between the spaces of dense reality and experiencing direct contact with the subject." While Pallas is in the twelfth sign, we are supported in engaging more fully in our meditation practices and creative endeavors, as we are more open than usual to the unseen realms of spirit and the imagination.
(Pallas will be in Pisces until she retrogrades back into Aquarius on August 12; once direct, she will again be in Pisces from December 27, 2016 through March 29, 2017.)
MERCURY plays a very important role in the energies this week. On Tuesday, the Messenger Planet forms a quintile aspect with Neptune, helping us open our minds and our imaginations to experiences of a spiritual or magical nature.
Usually, this quintile would be a short-lived and somewhat minor influence. However, Mercury is virtually standing still this week, getting ready to go retrograde (backward) on Thursday. After going retrograde, Mercury will again be exactly quintile Neptune on Friday.
This means that the effects of this quintile are much stronger than usual, and that we can take advantage of its energy all week. We may want to be especially in tune around the times the aspect is exact to the degree -- at 11:24am PDT on Tuesday (6:24pm GMT) and at 9:23pm PDT on Friday (4:23am GMT on Saturday).
THIS SUPPORT for opening to a more creative or mystical perspective is reinforced next Sunday, when Mercury aligns with the asteroid Vesta, the Sun sextiles Neptune, and Neptune is quintile Vesta. Vesta represents our capacity for concentration, devotion, and commitment, especially of a spiritual nature.
The Mercury-Vesta alignment in Taurus next Sunday can help us ground our spiritual practice and bring it "down to earth" so that it has more tangible benefits in our daily lives. At the same time, the Neptune aspects can help us maintain our focus and our commitment with regards to a spiritual path or creative project.
INTERSPERSED with these lovely Piscean/Neptunian influences, there are a few bumps in road this week. On Wednesday, a Sun-Mars quincunx can bring out a defensive response that threatens to derail us from the positive track we've been riding. This aspect requires an adjustment in how we assert ourselves, so that the ego's need to be "right" doesn't interfere with the potential for positive outcomes.
On Thursday, doubts may arise as to the validity of our recent mystical experiences (or the viability of our creative projects) when a Sun-Chiron semisquare stirs up some remnant fear and lack of trust. This is our opportunity to soothe and heal our inner child, the aspect of self that believes that something must be seen to be believed. We can engage our adult self to step in to comfort the child self, for this more awakened aspect of our beings knows that in truth, things must be believed to be seen.
Other doubts may arise briefly on Saturday morning, due to a Venus-Saturn aspect that corresponds with feeling alone and unsupported. But, the Aquarius Moon can help us look at emotional issues with more objectivity than usual, which can free us up to enjoy the rest of the day, as well as the benefits of the supportive planetary aspects on Sunday.
In peace,
Pam
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