There is a huge number of planets roaring through dynamic, fiery Aries – so we should be revved up and roaring to go, right? Well, kind of wrong, as Saturn is in the opposing sign of Libra, putting the brakes on our enthusiasm and keeping our dreams spinning on cinder blocks in the garage.

Libran Catherine Zeta-Jones came out recently as bi-polar, and many Librans may have been feeling this way, especially since the beginning of this year when both Jupiter and Uranus moved into Aries. Saturn is the planet of restriction, conservatism and depression, while Uranus is the planet of surprise and unpredictability – the manic element. While Librans and Aries may be feeling this energy the most, it is causing us all to be pulled in two different directions.

Over the past month things have really come to a head with Venus, Mercury and Mars joining the party in Aries. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, and when planets transit this sign we want to blaze new paths with vigor and courage. Yet, Saturn is holding us back, making us doubt ourselves and keeping us lodged in old patterns of behaviour. This push-and-pull between the lure of the new while being trapped in the old can be filling us all with anxiety and despair.

Things start to get better, however, this week. First, Mercury had been retrograde since late March and as of this past weekend is finally moving full steam ahead. Projects that have been bogged down in the planning stages will finally start to go forward.

Also, on May 1st, Jupiter will conjunct fiery, impatient Mars finally forcing us all to get a move on already.

The planets will slowly start distancing themselves from Saturn and, in May, move into Taurus. Taurus is a sign that likes work and making things a reality. So if your dreams aren’t evolving fast enough, wait until May when changes will finally start to take shape.

The following is an article I was commissioned to do for another website. They never signed a contract or paid me to procure ownership of the piece. After several attempts at contacting them, no response. So not as to let it go to waste, here it is!

Copyright 2011 astrologydetective.com

INTRO

It takes Neptune about 14 years to transit one sign, which is a huge chunk out of anyone’s life. The big news is that on April 4th, Neptune will be changing signs for the first time since 1998, and can anyone even remember life before then? A major new era –  filled with poetic, epic love – awaits us all.

Dreamy, romantic Neptune is moving into its ruler Pisces, the sign in which it can express its energy in its most pure state. This will be a time when old-fashioned, soul-mate love and passionate romance will blossom.

Neptune will remain in Pisces until August 5th, when it will briefly retro back into Aquarius before returning on Feb 3rd. It will then stay in Pisces until 2025! That will be a long chapter in all of our lives, so what will it mean to you? Read on!

A return to romance Neptune is a highly romantic sign, and after the career-minded 80s, family values 90s and mean girls naughties, it’s time for true love to take its role as the supreme motivating force in our lives. This will not be a prissy, Jane Austin-type love concentrated on finding the proper suitor, but the wild, passionate love of finding your true soul mate. After a decade of internet dating and love by contract, it’s time to dissolve our own egos and merge as one with our ideal partner. Love will be its own goal, not money or social position, but all-encompassing, true, karmic love.

A cultural renaissance Neptune and Pisces both have highly artistic and creative vibes. We can look to a complete renaissance in the arts after a decade of relative blandness on the cultural scene, especially in the realm of film and photography, which are ruled by Neptune. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, so it is quite spiritually aware and a bit otherworldly. This is a time for unfettered imagination to take hold of the communal consciousness so we can understand the big, cosmic message of life. Last time Neptune transited Pisces (back in the 1850s), it was the hey-day of the Pre-Raphaelites and Transcendentalists.

A return to real real life  Neptune has been hanging out in techy, intellectual Aquarius, which was not the best placement for it. Neptune rules delusion and illusion, and all too often the lines between real reality and fake reality were blurred, especially in regards to the media and technology – whether it was reality tv shows, auto-tuned musical acts, internet friendships or on-line relationships. The era of having a “boyfriend” who you only talk to on an internet dating site or by sporadic sms are now receding. Isn’t it better to love in person and get your heart broken than to send text messages to a faceless beau? Neptune loves the pain and passion of true love and true experience; we only live once, so it’s best to do so with all our heart.

Move to a realm of feeling, and stop thinking too much  Neptune in Pisces will all be about making choices and navigating life’s highways and byways through intuition  and feeling. It is time to turn off the unending ticking anxiety of mental processing and let yourself follow your inner-instincts. Feelings will be seen less as a result psychological events, and more as an expression and guide of our own unique souls. When searching for a love partner, through away the checklists, and follow your heart.

Say goodbye to all those desperate housewives If you are sick of all those women who drone on and on about how great their couple life is, yet their husbands / boyfriends seem to be conspicuously absent from their lives (Gwyneth Paltrow anyone?), raise your hand! It’s now time to turn the tables and for the passionate girls to claim their right to love without judgment, while feeling sorry for all those boring goody-two shoes who will never live an epic love story with adventure and abandon. It is also a time for the men to come back to claim their right to be an equal romantic partner. Both men and women will want more from life than a perfect, well-cooked turkey and 500 thread count sheets – it’s what’s going on between the sheets that will be of upmost importance. Those women and men who are willing to take risks to love with all of their souls will be the one’s to finally emerge into the spotlight.

Part Two Sun in Aries

Sun in Aries
March 20 – April 20, 2011

By Astrology Detective

Happy Astrological New Year!

On March 20th, the Sun moves into Aries, the first day of spring and the first day of the astrological year. Out with the old and in with new!

For the past month, we have been dealing with dreamy Piscean energy. Pisces helps us escape the dark days of winter by setting our imaginations free, even if that means disconnecting from living in the thick of reality. It’s now time to stop the naval-gazing and daydreaming, as well as to stop focusing on our feelings – the call to action is at hand!

As Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, there is always a joyous exuberance whenever the Sun transits this sign. Aries is the eternal child, and this period will be filled with an innocent playfulness that blazes new trails by throwing caution to the wind. Aries has a boldness, curiosity and supremely charming self-confidence that we can all tap into – especially in love! They don’t call it Spring Fever for nothing. Use this month to move on from stale situations and jump into something new; the Aries Sun will be more than happy to come to your aid!

Aries is also the sign that rules courage and war, and the ability to fight for what you want. The ruler of Aries, Mars, will also enter this sign on April 1st, setting us on Aries overdrive. There is a lot of explosive energy about that will plant the seeds for personal revolutions. Don’t be surprised if there are many breakups of long-term, broken-down romances; life is too short to waste it on someone that brings you down and hems you in. It’s time to channel your inner Che Guevara and fight for the life and love you want.

Start the New Year off with a bang! On the 21st, one day after Astrological New Year’s, the Sun meets up with Uranus, the planet of change, on the Aries Point, the most powerful point on the zodiacal wheel. Uranus moved into Aries last month, after seven years in Pisces, and revolution is in the air. It’s time to make sweeping changes and throw your own coup d’état to oust all of those outworn, toxic people and partners from your life. The Moon in loving Libra will be sending good vibes to romantic Venus and Neptune as well on this day, so if you have any amourous aims – go for them!

The best night for a date is when romantic Venus conjuncts Neptune on the 27th

Shake up the status quo on the 28th when the Sun squares Pluto while Jupiter opposes Saturn. The principles of identity and society as well as expansion and contraction are at major odds today. This energy is pushing us all to topple old regimes and start from scratch. It’s time to take back your freedom from emotional tyrants. Other great dates to take action and fight for your rights are the 18th when Mars opposes Saturn and the 11th when Mars squares Pluto, with Mercury conjunct Jupiter, when new ideas will help you get rid of the confining cobwebs in your life.

Prepare for crossed-wires Mercury will be retrograde from March 30th until April 23rd. During this time, you may have to deal with a lot unforeseen glitches and your best made plans may go to waste. Computers may crash, so back things up! Travel may be chaotic, so remember it’s the journey, not the destination, that matters. It’s best not to launch new projects at this time, but instead concentrate on getting old work done. It’s also a good time to get back in touch with the one who got away…

Lose yourself in love This month promises both explosive passion and sweet romance, with dreamy Neptune and Venus, the planet of love, moving into amourous Pisces. This will be a very powerful time to fall in love, the old fashioned way. Pretend you are starring in a movie from the 1930s and allow yourself to be swept away into something epic and grand.

Love conquers all on April 2nd when Mars bursts into Aries as the planet of love, Venus, sextiles powerful Pluto. This is a good day to take the risk and profess how you truly feel, and you may be surprised that the object of your affection feels likewise.

Go after your dreams on April 3rd with the New Moon conjunct Jupiter and Mercury, with Uranus and Mars exactly aligned on the Aries Point. This is an amazing energy when you can shake it all up to pursue new dreams. Forget about the Nosy Parkers and judgmental Judys surrounding you and go after what you want in life and love. The actions you take on this first New Moon of the astrological year will come to fruition over the next twelve months, so plant the seeds now.

Expand your horizons on April 6th when the Sun conjuncts Jupiter. This is great day to think outside the box, be creative and daring, take risks and grow intellectually as well as spiritually. If you look beyond your normal, closed circle of friends, you may even find a fascinating someone with whom to explore the world.

Don’t let fear get you down on April 10th. There is a Lunar Grand Cross pitting the Moon, Pluto, Mars, Uranus and Saturn against each other. Exhausted by all the renegade energy this month, you may want to do nothing more than hide out in your shell. Just remember, the anxiety and panic you feel will pass quite quickly.

Sometime the greatest action you can take is just letting go The Full Moon on the 18th also sees Saturn opposite Mars. This is a good day to escape stagnation and dead-end relationships, not through fighting, but by simply walking away. Sometimes it’s best to just put the keys in the mailbox and move on from your losses with no regrets – the horizons this month are too expansive to be boxed in any more.

Sudden deaths of a myriad of celebrities, revolutions in Iran and Honduras, what is going on?

Well a lot, astrology-wise. There is a lot of intense, really rare energy this summer: the alignment of Neptune, Chiron, and Jupiter (so rare wont happen again until 2239), a series of eclipses in a new eclipse cycle (eclipses often mean random freak events or accidents up to a month before the event: MJ has both the rare conjunction and the eclipses hitting his house of health), the nodes are shifting signs, plus there is a Black Moon (normally there is only one New Moon and one Full Moon per sign per month; this month there are two New Moons in Cancer), to end it all off Saturn and Uranus are gearing up for another exact opposition (this leads to the upset of the status quo, revolution, change …Iran, Honduras)

The first 5 months of 2009 were so stagnant , just this lethargic, stuck energy and now things are moving at warped speed. I said it last month, that 2009 really starts in June; get ready for the ride.

Yesterday, transitting Saturn was exactly conjunct Michael Jackson’s natal Ceres. People.com is reporting that people have been shocked in recent weeks by Michael’s extreme thinness. When Saturn transits a sign, weight loss is favored, and it can be very easy to lose too much, if one is already thin. Ceres is an asteroid that rules the harvest and diet. Virgo, too, rules diet and health issues related to diet

Saturn’s exact transit over this critical point could have exasperated effects of deficient nutrition or other eating disorders. If Michael was dieting while also working out to get in shape for his upcoming tour, the combined effects may have depleted his system.

Moreover, with the present Neptune, Jupiter, Chiron conjunction in Michael’s solar 6th house of health, any misuse of medication or neglection of health problems could have suddenly spiralled out of control. A combination of drugs and a system weakened by poor nutrition could be a possibility.

Right now there is a very rare conjunction of Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter in Virgo’s sixth house of health. This planetary configuration is so rare it will not take place again until 2239. Virgos have a tendency to be gluttons for self-punishment. Their need for control can make them push their body to extremes, and their strong minds can make them create intellectual excuses for not listening to the body’s subtle signals.

Neptune is the planet of delusion and can make things very vague. There are many Virgos out there that may have been suffering from mystery ailments for the past decade or so. Whatever you do (Virgo I am talking to you), do not pass off symptoms as psychosomatic or think you can overcome things on your own. Get things checked out by doctors, as at this time you may finally make a breakthrough on treatment or diagnosis. If you refuse to seek a medical advice, things may suddenly spiral out of control. So get lots of rest and eat well, and as Virgo rules the nerves, try to destress your life and find a moment of Zen in your daily life.

The above also holds true for Virgo Ascendants.

I just published the May horoscopes at astrologydetective.com Enjoy!

Please make sure you put my email address: michelle at astrologydetective dot com on your anti-spam list or in your address book; if not I may not be able to get you your order. Spam features are really strong these days, esp on hotmail accounts or accounts provided by ISP providers.

Today, a certain Taurus with an earthlink.net email addy placed an ebook order, which I can’t fulfill because all my emails keep bouncing back to me; so if this you, please contact me with an alternate address.

The November 2008 US elections took place during a Mercury Retrograde period, promising confusion, mix-ups and vague results, as was the case in the still on-going Franken / Coleman Senate race in Minnesota.

Lots of times confused issues that arise during a Merc retro period are resolved during a subsequent Merc retro period / shadow period. Mercury enters its shadow period on April 22nd, before going completely retro on May 7. Merc turns direct on June 1st, and exits the shadow around June 15th.

We can look to this period for a decision to finally be made and winner to be declared, although there may still be hiccups in the future, and the power of the Senator selected (looks to be Franken) may be weakened during this term.

BTW, what happened to those hippie flower children that made them end up as such hateful, conservative, moneyloving b’strds? Norm Coleman’s year book pic was pretty hot!

I find I have two types of friends, those that hate twitter but love facebook, and those that love twitter but don’t use facebook as much. I also find that my friends who are more literary-minded to be solidly in the twitter camp. Facebook is a bit like hanging out in reality, you talk as you would conversationally, but Twitter’s restriction of 140 characters makes you hyper-aware of the language you use, and it’s great fun to toy around with sound, alliteration, spelling and punctuation. Geeky lit things that non-writers just don’t find too amusing.

In fact, twitter is giving birth to an entire plethora of new genres – from Twitter Haiku to Twitter short stories (yes, a short story in 140 characters). It also forces its users to rethink the “rules” of language, thereby allowing it to be much more fluid.

English is such an amazingly versatile and adaptable language – kind of like linguistic Play-Doh, it is the perfect vehicle for use on Twitter. It’s also short, direct and punchy. I just can’t imagine some languages like French, with it’s long words, passive structures, anal grammar policies, and fearful, super-perfectionistic users, working too well. It would be interesting to see which language areas around the world take to Twitter, and where it falls behind.

For more on the various literary genres being inspired by Twitter, check out:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/02/08/all_a_twitter/