Two Steps Forward And One Step Backward This Week: Mercury And Mars Go Direct And Pluto Goes Retrograde

With perceptive Mercury moving direct last week, ideas and planning were once again given the green light for new starts. That means that all the reasoning, analyzing and information-gathering of the previous several weeks can now be put to use as we take steps to put things into action! By the end of the week, we'll have the energy and hopefully, the resources, to apply to our plans, as active Mars turns direct late on Friday night.

You may be feeling anxious about the direction our government, financial structure or any other support structures may be taking presently and in the near future. That's due to underground reverberations from Pluto, as he slows way down in Capricorn, turning retrograde tomorrow for the next five months. Pluto is known as the "Lord of the Underworld" and his job, as unpopular as it is, is to shake things up that aren't working and break them down to make way for new growth - someone's got to do it, right?! The big issue is that while Pluto travels slowly backwards over the next several months, he'll square off with revolutionary Uranus and possibly shake a few major secrets loose or cause some destructive changes to familiar foundations, including the Earth. Expect anything from deep government secrets coming to light, to major earthquakes and/or volcanic eruptions around the globe any time between June and mid-September as the Cardinal energies of Pluto in Earth/Capricorn are triggered by Uranus in Fire/Aries!

As you may recall, Mars, ruler of initiative, desire and assertion has been retrograde since January 23rd in the analytical Earth sign of Virgo. If it has felt like every idea you have wanted to act on during this time frame has been subjected to scrutiny beyond what seems rational, you're probably right! Only now, the gate is being opened and you have a few days to decide how you want to proceed through it. Will you charge ahead, will you make a preemptive strike, or will you simply apply the appropriate amount of pressure to your plans? Mars is involved here, so be careful of how aggressive you may be in getting things to go in the direction you favor.

We are also now on the waning side of the moon cycle which cautions following through on projects rather than instituting new ones. The Last Quarter Moon can bring illumination as we prepare for the next cycle which begins on April 21 at the next New Moon. Before then, it's important to recognize whether past restrictions are still holding you back mentally or physically. I sometimes think of this phase as a time to untangle knots. With the Moon currently in upbeat Sagittarius until 7:05 am on the 11th, let any buoyant feelings or friends help you with flexibility. From 1:02 pm on the 11th through 1:05 pm on Friday, work and similar obligations will be the necessity of those two and a half days under Capricorn Moon.

Serious Saturn is in charge half of Wednesday, all day Thursday and the first half of Friday, reminding us to take care of business, set limits on our time and use our resources wisely. The Moon becomes VOC ( void-of-course) at 1:05pm until it moves into Aquarius at 5:48 pm Friday. Just decide to clear off your desk or finish whatever project, like tax returns... that needs to be completed, then go out and be sociable with friends or at a fun fundraiser Friday night! What until the Moon is active again to send in tax returns though; Saturday morning would be good.

Remember, keep your head in the stars and your feet on the ground~

Easter Week After A Full Moon in Libra

The Full Moon in Libra highlighted the need for balance within and without, in relationship to ourselves and others. By its very nature, a full moon can only be illuminated by the opposite sign where the Sun currently resides and that is in Aries. The challenge here is one of harmonizing our desire to jump out into the world as we seek adventure and action, with the awareness of our involvement(s) with others, especially our close partnerships. Maintaining equilibrium isn't always easy, but it is certainly important! Easter symbolizes rebirth and this is the appropriate focus at this time. How do you want to be reborn, or where do you want to see new growth in your relationships?

Now that Mercury, ruler of communication and interaction, is moving in direct motion and the Full Moon has just passed, we find ourselves with more direction for following through on the insights we may have received while Mercury was retrograde in Pisces. Granted, the "messenger of the gods" is still in the watery, sensitive and intuitive sign of Pisces, so we do still have some feelings to deal with. Let's look at what that may entail and when it ends. The feelings that Pisces brought up, uncovered or reminded you of could have to do with nostalgia, unfinished business or where you need to develop more compassion for yourself or others.

At any rate, whether it's an issue of caring for yourself or someone else, the point is to recognize it, accept what you can do about it and get ready to move on next week! If that feels too difficult, ask yourself why you're hanging on and what purpose it's serving in your life, also, how it may be holding you back from living in the present. If you've considered professional help with your emotional issues, now may be the time to act on this awareness. Or, maybe you know that it's time for forgiveness, of self and/or other(s) as the only way to move on. I'm not just talking "I'm sorry" here, but real, true asking for forgiveness and/or forgiving someone else, deep in your heart,in order to let go of the pain and suffering of the past. This can be done in a meditative state with your higher self. You don't want or need to keep carrying that burden, so set it down once and for all and feel the stress, physical pain or worry leave you.

I once heard a Bishop in Westport in County Mayo, Ireland speak on Easter Sunday about "rolling away the rock" that we keep from the entrance to our hearts. He asked, "who are you keeping out, or shutting in?" It had a profound affect on me and I took the question home and did some real work with it. Every now and then, I still check in with myself to see how I'm doing with that. You may borrow this wonderful tool today!

Mercury will stay in Pisces until the 16th, when it moves into Aries, the first sign on our journey through the zodiac. So, there's a little over a week to acknowledge the insights and wind up the emotional work uncovered during the last several weeks in preparation for a much faster whirlwind tour of Mercury in the fiery and searching sign of Aries.

That feels like enough for now. Tomorrow, I will share some thoughts on how to deal with Saturn, Pluto and Mars, the miscreants trying to take center stage this coming week! In the meantime, remember to keep your head in the stars and your feet on the ground~