The context at the beginning of Aries Season:
The Sun enters its sign of exaltation Aries at the end of the day on March 19, just minutes before the stroke of midnight (in the Eastern time zone, anyway). Mercury, having recently finished a rough retrograde period, is in it’s shadow period retracing its steps through Pisces and approaching a disorienting conjunction with Neptune in that sign. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto are gathered in Saturnian Capricorn along with the inauspicious South Node. One bright point in the chart is Venus in her home sign of Taurus, just far enough to be mostly out of the influence of disruptive Uranus (also in Taurus).
Notes on Coronavirus/COVID-19:
The Saturn-Pluto conjunction is a big deal. It only happens every few decades, and it historically coincides with periods of war and oppression (including World War I and World War II). We've been experiencing the effect of Saturn and Pluto sharing the same sign for over 2 years already through the themes of oppression, borders, nationalism and xenophobia—Saturnian themes blown out of proportion by Pluto—but the exact Saturn-Pluto conjunction was in January (as the spread of Coronavirus was picking up momentum).
There are currently multiple signifiers Capricorn indicating “massive expansion” or “exponential growth.” Pluto is associated with extremes of scale (like a grain of sand compared to the size of the galaxy), and astrologer Alan White used to say that Pluto makes big things small, and small things big. A perfect example: something as small as a virus becoming as big as the world. Jupiter, another signifier of expansion, joined Saturn and Pluto there at the start of December, around the time of the first known cases in Wuhan, China. Jupiter is usually a positive influence, but is pretty much doing the bidding of strongly placed Saturn, who rules the sign they are sharing. Mars joined the group in mid February, lending speed and malefic influence to an already dire situation.
In early to mid January, the Sun and Mercury were also in Capricorn. Around the time of the Mercury cazimi (Mercury conjunct the sun, usually indicating a moment of clarity), The CDC published an emergency health advisory regarding the alarming outbreak of pneumonia cases of unknown origin in Wuhan, China (which was seemingly largely ignored). The Saturn-Pluto conjunction went exact in mid January, and the first known case in the US occurred shortly after, with Saturn and Pluto still sharing the same degree.
Saturn and Mars in Aquarius
After 3 years in Capricorn, Saturn enters Aquarius late on March 21 (just before midnight Eastern Time). Slow moving Saturn will stay in the early degrees of Aquarius This will hit everyone’s chart a little bit differently, but many will experience this as a slight decrease in the combined intensity of the difficult Saturn-Pluto-South Node-Mars activity in Capricorn. If you’ve been denying or resisting the difficult times we have found ourselves in with the Coronavirus pandemic and it’s economic and social impacts, the beginning of this transit (March 21-March 31) may come in the form of acceptance—or at least resignation.
Subsequently, we can anticipate an overall re-escalation of difficulties and conflicts (both internal and external) as Mars enters Aquarius and conjoins Saturn there on March 31—especially with Jupiter applying very closely to a conjunction with Pluto in Saturns other sign of Capricorn at that time. In other words, the planets together in Capricorn that have been most relevant to Coronavirus will have divided up into 2 signs, but remain intensely interconnected.
Mars tends towards speeding up while Saturn tends towards slowing down, and the two often don’t combine well (as we have seen from their time together in Capricorn since mid February. We’ve seen a will to quickly get individuals tested for the virus come up against regulatory tape and delays and problems with the tests. We’ve seen the rapid spreading of this disease simultaneous with the slowing down of daily life and economic activity as more and more people are staying in. Given present circumstances, it’s safe to say that many will experience the exact Mars-Saturn conjunction on March 31 as intense stir-craziness. But I fear it may also indicate a further acceleration of the pandemic combined with further stalling of the world economy.
Notable Transits:
Mar 20 Mars conjunct Jupiter in Capricorn. Good for tasks requiring assertiveness. Experiences will be mixed, depending on whether you are on the giving or receiving end of the aggression.
Mar 21 After 3 years in Capricorn, Saturn moves into Aquarius, for a temporary stay through early July. More details below.
Mar 22 Mercury in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus. Venus in Taurus sextile Neptune in Pisces. Moon in Pisces. Looks like a potentially dreamy, creative day—if you allow yourself the freedom to daydream.
Mar 23 Mars conjunct Pluto. Escalation of hostility and conflict. If there were specific martial events in your life on March 20, this may be a continuation (and intensification) of that narrative.
Mar 24 New Moon in Aries square the nodes. Changes in fortune/momentum. Things look like they are going one way, but begin to go another. A new beginning.
Mar 27 Moon and Venus in Taurus trine Jupiter. This is a very strong position for the Moon and Venus. Could be a good day for love, friendship, creativity, gatherings, and potentially finances.
Mar 30 Mars ingress Aquarius, transiting through mid May (more below)
Mar 31 Mars conjunct Saturn in Aquarius.
Apr 3 Venus ingress Gemini
Apr 3 Mercury conjunct Neptune (retrograde-like)
Apr 4 Jupiter conjunct Pluto
Apr 7 Mars square Uranus - struggle against restraints
Apr 7 Full Moon in Libra with sun in degree of exaltation in Aries
Apr 10 Mercury in Aries
Apr 14 Sun square Pluto and Jupiter
Apr 17 Mercury sextile Venus (in Gemini)
Apr 18 Mercury (in Aries) sextile Mars and Venus
Moon Phases:
Mar 24 New Moon in Aries square the nodes. Changes in fortune/momentum. Things look like they are going one way, but begin to go another. A new beginning.
Apr 7 Full Moon in Libra with sun in degree of exaltation in Aries