The Sun enters the third and final face of Aries on April 10th, and will preside over the final degrees of the Ram’s sign until April 20th. The first face of Aries casts its light on the ax-wielder; the fierce potency within every soul to cut a path through any terrain, and the second decan illuminated the power of Will by which we impress our vision into the world around us. The third and final face of Aries swims with images of radiant Queens, divine bards and skillful craftsmen. It provides a glimpse not of divine strength or sovereignty, but of creativity and glory. To create is indeed a royal power, for what is the point of dominion if not to shape the space one resides within?
Creative power can be emanated directly through the performance of song, dance and speech. Yet we can also see it made permanent in craft. Crafts glow with the radiance of their creators, while the performer embodies it. The mother of fire dwells here, she who incubates the animating and transforming flame within matter, and gives birth to it dance and song.
It is in this space that the Sun and Moon rejoin each other. The New Moon in Aries occurs on Sunday, April 15th at 6:55PM (PDT), and sees Sun and Moon conjoined not just each other, but also shocking Uranus. This restart of the lunar month thus seeds a cycle charged with Uranian lightning. Long-latent changes hum beneath the surface, ready to rend the egg shell.
The glowing egg laid by the Sun and Moon’s copulation will hatch surprises, revelations, break-downs and break throughs. Within it lie overdue rebellions and revelations, for Uranus has almost come to the end of its time in Aries, and has not much time left to make the final changes proper to this portion of the cycle. Soon, by the time the next New Moon arrives, Uranus will have moved into Taurus and begun plowing the fields to sow a new 7-year round.
Together Sun, Moon and Uranus fertilize an Orphic egg. Developing, coalescing, concretizing in latent darkness — the egg is a seed, an infectious alchemical stone. Once hatched or sprouted, it will mutate the world around it and gives birth to a new pattern of reality. The moment of emergence is a glorious one, for out of the Orphic egg emerges first-born, all encompassing and brilliant Eros. In Orphism, quite literally the first light. This is a time for hatching new creations.
This is a moment of initial victory or glory, as glimpsed in the Rider-Waite Smith Tarot card given to this decan, the 4 of Wands. It is a celebration of the first stage completed, of the birth of the healthy child. It validates the efforts which came before it, the long months of gestation. A point of marked, excited achievement, yes, but one which we should not be too attached to, for it will soon give way to new challenges.
A new pattern, once hatched and enacted, will inevitably be changed by the world, and the world by it. In one account, primordial Eros immediately proceeds to mate with fertile Chaos. This too shall be the fate of our intended seeds, for cast into the world, their fruit will not be wholly as intended, but quickened and changed by Chaos, without whose blood and womb there would be no fruit.
There are other factors which bid us to turn our thoughts to seeding new patterns; Mercury’s direct station just previous to the New Moon (Sunday, April 15th at 2:21 AM PDT) among them. The planet’s retrograde arranged a tour of past actions and their problematic fruit, its direct station bids us look forward again. Freshly risen in the East and in fiery, cardinal Aries, it signifies the mind aflame and ready to conceive, discover and create new patterns.
While Mercury stations direct, Saturn slows to a halt and then stations retrograde (Tuesday, April 17th at 6:47 PM PDT). Direct in motion since before he entered Capricorn, the slow planet has made it all the way to the 10th degree of the Goat’s sign, the limit of its first decan. The time-keeper has since declared the challenges native to the portion of time during which he dwells upon the mountain. The first signs of winter have already arrived.
The challenges and limitations of this time period have been initially revealed, but there is a gap between signal and reception, and it is easy to miss the meaning of events whilst involved in the grind of daily labor. Saturn is thus kind enough to clarify these matters, by retrograding back to 3rd degree of Capricorn, so as to illustrate once more the dictate of Necessity. The retrograde station is, in a sense, a blessing, for it brings to an end the introduction of new Saturnian requirements, and begins the revisitation of those already highlighted. But Saturn is a harsh schoolmaster, and his reminders about challenges issued tend to come in the form of their intensity redoubled. So look wisely back, for that is what you will see more of, from Saturn, moving forward.
The creative nature of this New Moon begs that we participate in it. Yet the patterns we seed must be planted in the soil of life. They must be answers to the questions posed to us, and medicine for what ails us. So while the Sun, Moon and Uranus call for creation, what we seed must ultimately answer to Saturn’s cold gaze, and the difficulties and duties he outlines.
This notion of creation as medicine resonates with the lunar mansion in which the New Moon takes place, which in Jyotish is called Ashwini. It is the home of the Ashwin twins, a pair of divine doctors who descend to earth in order to restore vitality, and to purge toxins with the swiftness of a racing horse. It is a place of brewing medicine and taking it. The changes we seed, the new realities we plant within, should be medicinal. So let us plant those of strength and healing, whose effect is that of a virus inverted: infectious vitality.
While the New Moon provides us the time to conceive these patterns, the seed itself would best be planted in the two days following, for they hold a pattern of uncommon excellence. 5 of the 7 visible planets will be in either their signs of exaltation or rulership, making a chart fit for a King. When Aries rises at dawn, it will be time for works of sovereignty and power, and next, when Taurus ascends, the time will be ripe for works of stability, fortune and pleasure. For best results, plant those lightning-laced seeds offered by the New Moon at these times.
The days of this decan see the end of difficult patterns from the last month. Mars and Saturn, whose conjunction exerted such pressure, have parted, and the breathing room between them widens. Mercury, whose retrograde further confused matters already stressed, rises again in the East and stations direct, his underworld journey over. In this space, between the last month’s challenges and those yet to be introduced, there is an opportunity to craft medicines, tools, and patterns which we will be glad of later in the year. Other eggs, already long in gestation, will take the opportunity to hatch. So welcome and nurture the new, but remember that infancy is but one phase among many.
6 Comments
When you have the time, far deeper analysis on Rx would be appreciated–and if you don’t foresee having the time, a quality source or three on Rx would be nice.
I am apalled by the lack of/shallow emphasis on Rx/shadow. If a degree is being emphasized three times by the Cosmos, it’s likely there is a tremendous importance implied as subtly as a scream from the mountaintops. I am not convinced slow-moving Rx’s are not major themes simply because, well, they’re “collective” (or “social”) planets and are “retrograde every year/approximately ~1/3 their natural cycle,” to roughly encapsulate the “logic” I’ve seen most usually-reputable astrologers use. I suspect it’s more likely the average professional astrologer, if not the bulk of astrological dictum, is simply weak and lacking in this area and, rather than dare to admit they don’t know “X” as well as they know “Y,” they just go with the flow/status quo and, being professionals–extremely limited in free time–rarely get the opportunity to brush up on this gap in knowledge.
Feel free to prove me wrong, and please cite sources if you do decide to take up this challenge.
Adam,
Gary Caton just wrote a book on the subject. Here is a discussion with Adam Sommers:
http://www.holestoheavens.com/exploring-the-hermetica-triptycha-with-gary-caton/
I spent about 7 years plumbing the depths of the secrets of Mercury’s triple passages
https://www.amazon.com/Hermetica-Triptycha-Elemental-Ephemerides-1925-2050/dp/0473416883
…and did a damn fine job. Gary’s book comes highly recommended.
[…] Creative power can be emanated directly through the performance of song, dance and speech. Yet we can also see it made permanent in craft. Crafts glow with the radiance of their creators, while the performer embodies it. The mother of fire dwells here, she who incubates the animating and transforming flame within matter, and gives birth to it dance and song. ∞ Austin Coppock […]
Hi Adam,
Understanding retrogrades is such a basic part of understanding Astrology that it would be irritating to have to read an explanation of it in each article, each time it happens. I like reading Austin’s work because it’s more advanced than that. Maybe you’re a bit out of your depth on this site, so I’ll break it down for you:
Saturn represents, among other things, the capacity for individuals to develop authority over themselves. So let’s say, during Saturn’s first pass of a point, you try to assert yourself as an authority in a field, but it’s clear to everyone that you haven’t done enough work yet to actually be the authority figure you imagine yourself as. When Saturn retrogrades past that point, you might find yourself confronted with that reality. Hopefully, between that moment and the time Saturn stations direct and passes the point for the 3rd time, you will have read a few books and done some work on yourself to address the issue. Then you could start writing your own articles from a place of true authority, rather than idly criticizing the good work of others.
Hope that helps!
“May your bucket have wheels when the toaster-bot attacks.” -Saturn