Going With the Retrograde Flow

By Randi Hausken from Bærum, Norway (In the stream) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes, life seems to be at a standstill. This might be one of those times. Currently, five planets are in retrograde. They appear to be moving backwards. This is an optical illusion. Planets don’t actually move backwards. If your life appears to be slogging along, that is an illusion, too. There really is no time. Time itself is an illusion. But illusions are convincing, and our entire existence depends on them. What you’re feeling is likely convincing and real. That’s okay. You’re probably not alone.

Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto all appear to be moving backwards. The most significant of these are Mercury and Mars. These two cycles are overlapping, and that is rare. It’s rare because Mars turns retrograde only every two years. And its correlation with Mercury retrograde enhances all this retrograde energy that saturates the air. Some things get stuck during retrograde cycles while others actually begin to move. It all depends on what it is.

But at the moment, both Mercury and Mars have just recently changed direction, that is, moved from forward to backward motion. And when that happens, things often feel stagnant and possibly frustrating. Mercury relates to communication and commerce while Mars deals with passion and willpower. Mercury is in Taurus and Mars is in Sagittarius. Uncertainty about resources and your personal values are likely. Lost passion and subsequent frustration (and anger) over a lack of perspective or adventure in life are likely too.

The good news? Retrograde periods are moments of revision and an opportunity to do things differently. They open new realities and worlds to us. But there’s always a transition. We are at such a time. Use this time to pause and step back. Take a break from how you typically approach what it is that’s not doing what you want it to. And over the next few weeks, you’ll find that a new approach is emerging if you are open to it.

For Mars, you are building up some momentum that will carry you far. That will relate to something specific in your life. If you know some astrology, look to the house in your natal chart that Mars is currently in. If not, trust your impulses and desires right now (the ones that won’t get you into serious trouble). This is an opportunity to change your life in some drastic way. Think about something you have always wanted. Now is the time, over the next two months, to build the foundation for its attainment. This is powerful magic.

With Mercury, over the next three weeks, tune into your body. Take some time to relax and trust that there aren’t many things in life that can’t wait three weeks. You are on the threshold of a potential breakthrough in many ways. And that is exciting. Make more illusionary time in your life over these three weeks for flexibility and changes of direction.

Keep your mind open to new perceptions regarding your body and the natural world around you. The universe will give you extra time for whatever you feel you don’t have time for. Get it? Good. Trust it. I’ll leave you with a quote from Lewis Hyde, author of Trickster Makes This World, “the agile mind is pleased to find what it was not looking for.”

Primal Wisdom: Full Moon in Scorpio 2016

Wall art in the caves of Lascaux; by Prof saxx (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0, via   Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 02 Scorpio 31’
April 21, 2016
10:24 PM Pacific
April 22, 2016
1:24 AM Eastern

April’s Full Moon reaches its climax in the tropical sign of Scorpio just after the planet Mars turns stationary retrograde in Sagittarius. In many ways, this lunation points to Mars, not because it touches it in any direct way, but through Mars’ resonance with the sign of Scorpio. As I’ve discussed in detail in my article on Mars retrograde, this rare cycle is always somewhat pivotal. It occurs roughly every two years and there’s a significant association with its occurrence and particular karmic circumstances that tend to develop around it. These situations have probably already emerged for you, in the weeks leading up to its reversal of direction.

I suppose everything in life is a result of our karma. But Mars (and even Venus) retrogrades tend to stir up a particular kind of karma we share with other people, and with Mars that can be sexual or involve the need to resolve conflict or pent up anger we carry share between us and those we relate to. But at the root of it, Mars deals with the most primal components of the human psyche. Yes, sex is certainly a part of that and something the modern world places a lot of restrictions on.

 The psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich proposed that the repression of sexuality led to the emergence of political figures who we (as a society) projected god-like status upon. That might sound rather strange at first, but if we understand the true power of sex and infatuation, it doesn’t seem too far off. The feelings and emotions stirred up through sex give us the sense of a spiritual bond with someone; they often stir up a longing to return to the womb. We unconsciously equate the womb with the source of life.

 Whether “spiritual”, theistic, or atheist, every human being can identify with the womb as the most primordial archetype that is ubiquitously shared within the human psyche. It appears that no matter your spiritual or philosophical orientation, no one is immune to the hormonal magic (or trickery) that certain people create for us when we become intimate. Sex is how we all got here anyway. Sexual repression is perhaps a major cause of war and violence in the world. That certainly seems to be a theme associated with the newly discovered planet Eris (which I wrote about in my last article on the New Moon) that will conjoin Uranus this June. And in this lunation chart, we see Venus conjunct Uranus and Eris!

A Full Moon is a moment of climax and culmination. It brings to a head some process that began at the New Moon two weeks prior. But with Mars retrograde now, and this Full Moon’s presence in Scorpio, you may notice that situations may be coming to a head from some time ago, perhaps other lifetimes, or perhaps merely situations that have been brewing for a while in the background. We also can’t forget Scorpio’s resonance with Pluto--the outer planet that was demoted to dwarf planet status by the Astronomical Union when Eris was discovered.

I think we’re all feeling this collectively now, that we are on the brink of some unknown and mysterious transition point. Every moment of change and transition is accompanied by a sense of fear and uncertainty. Scorpio certainly contains an archetypal resonance with primal fear: whether that’s being torn apart by saber-toothed tigers, grizzly bears, carried away by a tsunami or abandoned by those we trust and love. The fears stirred up by this Full Moon, should they arise, may involve fears connected to our relationships and the commitment required to hold them together. Venus, Uranus and Eris in the sign of Aries significantly highlight freedom, independence, and autonomy. And yet Scorpio also relates to intimate bonding and exclusivity. How do you make space for both? It starts by making clear boundaries and asserting your right to be yourself in whatever situation you find yourself.

Fear is a useful ally when it comes to our survival, but it appears to direct many people’s choices and decisions in the modern world, especially in the U.S. since the events of 9/11. Mars retrograde invites you, until the end of June, to face some fears head on. When you do that, you’ll find that you’ll have more courage and freedom to pursue your authentic path--free from the dictates of unconscious controls you may have placed upon yourself. And as this Full Moon culminates, it invites you to get real about what you really want and need to evolve. That may be a little painful, to cut through all the crap that’s been in the way, but when in doubt, listen to your primal wisdom, your gut instincts. They will guide the way to clarifying your intentions.

The Price of Freedom: New Moon in Aries 2016

Day 40 of Occupy Wall Street; photo by David Shankbone.

New Moon @ 18 Aries 04'

April 7, 2016

3:23 AM Pacific

6:23 AM Eastern

April is an interesting month and one in which you may find catalytic for many new experiences. On a collective level, April’s New Moon symbolizes a prelude to a significant historical marker: the conjunction of Uranus and the newly discovered dwarf planet Eris. These two planets will first conjoin this June, but April’s New Moon occurs within the vicinity of this building conjunction, giving us a preview of the archetypal energy that it will embody in our personal and collective lives.

Eris was discovered in 2005 and was responsible for demoting Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet. Eris made headlines in major news publications and completely altered the solar system. While there have been many new and significant discoveries, Eris stands out as the object that single-handedly brought so much upheaval within the astronomical community. I personally think Eris is a powerful archetype and that it has much to teach us. But what does Eris mean?

As with any new discovery, it will take time before we have a working interpretative framework, but for now we have some key themes associated with the mythology. Eris is named after a trickster goddess, a goddess of discord, chaos, and strife. In the most popular Greek mythos, Eris threw a golden apple inscribed with the phrase “to the fairest” into a wedding party (that she wasn’t invited to) causing a competitive tussle between the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena that resulted in the Trojan War.

 It appears that Eris may have an association with some of the deepest layers of the primordial unconscious involving fierce competition, primal sexuality, and themes relating to the survival of the fittest. On another layer, Eris may embody issues surrounding wealth inequality and the social problems connected with status and privilege. And as a trickster goddess associated with Chaos, her influence often correlates with disruption and upheaval. We can also say the same of Uranus, and these two planets coming together are bound to create some turbulence within the collective psyche.

As the current lunar cycle comes to a close, you may notice that feeling of something ending and yet something unknown and mysterious taking its place. This is a common feeling during a New Moon, and to make things even more ambiguous, we have the presence of this new object that we are being invited to integrate into our consciousness. The New Moon occurs in tropical Aries which begins the zodiac cycle. Aries may symbolize the need for new adventures along with new stress and challenges.

With the presence of Uranus, we get the symbolism of trailblazing for the sake of independence, personal freedom, and autonomy. But the path you may find yourself following may feel uncertain, even a little scary. That’s because you’re encroaching upon a new evolutionary threshold—one in which the modern world has yet to touch upon. To do that requires immense bravery and courage. It requires staring into the unknown without allowing fear to hold you back or to keep you from achieving your goals.

The New Moon’s trine (a 120 degrees relationship) aspect to Saturn will help facilitate rapid growth and maturity—as long as you step up to the challenge that lies before you without taking short cuts or avoiding the need for discipline and focus. Pluto in Capricorn also squares (makes a 90 degrees relationship) with this lunation as well.  If you take the initiative with this New Moon, you will find that you have an opportunity to completely alter the structures in your life in some profound way.

And always with Pluto, you must confront deeply embedded feelings and fears. As you charge forth this month, you may encounter what appears to be a brick wall that seems impenetrable. But if you can imagine a wall constructed out of beliefs and limitations inherent to your own mind, you can see that perhaps there’s a way past it through the intentional transcendence of fear. Uranus conjunct the New Moon asks you how much you would pay for freedom. How much are you willing to give up to direct your own life? That might require stepping up and becoming your own authority, and releasing the need for others to take care of you. The price is that void of uncertainty that lies before you.

The current lunar cycle is one in which you can initiate some big changes in your personal life—whether drastic or subtle. Those changes are probably frightening and uncertain. Remember that whatever Eris ultimately embodies is something in which we must, collectively, become conscious of. Consider that in your own life, too. What new realities have you yet to glimpse? It’s both an exciting and unnerving process. To become conscious of anything is often uncomfortable and sometimes even painful. But Aries stirs up your inner warrior. This New Moon can give you the boost of courage and stamina you need. And once you set things into motion, the universe will take care of the rest.