Angels' Hands

It’s 74 degrees here today with a soft breeze under bright, clear and sunny skies, and the air is filled with the sound of birds chirping away. In short, it’s the kind of day that urges one to get outside, a prelude to spring. There is a brand new park not three houses down the street from me. So at 5 o’clock, I grabbed my little harp and headed for the green grass and fresh air, clear that such beautiful opportunities are not to be missed.

Bristling with folks also feeling the call of nature to get outdoors, the place was brimming with activity. One group of middle aged women did calisthenics (God love them) and counted off their sets in unison, the playground was covered with kids playing on the slide and monkey bars, and lots of solitary runners and walkers briskly made their way around the new jogging path. I found a quiet spot near some trees, tuned the harp and began playing.

Soon a little boy quietly crept up to the left of where I played and politely sat to listen. Within a song or two, there were six boys seated and listening attentively. A little bashful about having an audience, I began to chat with them as I played them songs. Before I knew it, they warmed up to me enough to play the harp themselves. One stood up to hold it and the others stood up to gather around him to play along. They plucked and poked very respectfully, finding parts to songs they had learned on other instruments, and they played original music. One announced that the new work he had just composed was in fact, “The Chinese Harp Song.” At one point I looked up over my left shoulder to watch them as I was seated beneath the raised harp, and what I saw I marveled at. Beneath a wide-open blue sky was a cluster of little hands gently and sweetly playing the harp. It was like an image from art. On the way home, I felt guided to share this with you along with the message to put your cares into the hands of the Angels. They are with us.

Sun into Aries: Spring It On and Curb Your Enthusiasm!

Bill Gates is taking a breather in the VIP lounge of a major international airline when an Aries enters the room. Outgoing and direct, our Aries friend brazenly bounds right up to Mr. Microsoft "Himself" with the following greeting: "Hi Mr. Gates, great to meet you! Here's how to make Vista work better."

Wouldn't you know it? Across the very same room is none other than Robert Gates.

"Hello, Mr. Defense Secretary, so nice to meet you," begins audacious Aries. "Here's how to win the war in Afghanistan."

Her saucy style and the dynamic beeline she makes straight to the power players is likely to ruffle more than a few of the conservative feathers in this lounge. Some folks on the other hand, will find her boldness and honestly positively refreshing, and even a little admirable. Either “Mr. Gates” will be intrigued by one of her original suggestions. One thing is certain; Aries will make an impression.

In her heart of hearts, she is not being obnoxious, excessively forward nor self-important. She's genuinely trying to help, naturally gravitating to leaders and sees no point in wasting an opportunity. We have something to learn from her sheer gumption, teflon-coated courage and sincere innocence -- the ability to act fearlessly. Saturn and Pluto however, have a few lessons of their own in store, and Uranus, with a little encouragement from Jupiter, has her own agenda altogether.

Like mounds of molasses mired in cosmic fluid, for the past three months the majority of the planets have hovered along the winter horizon of the zodiac as they have made their way to the start of spring at a pace that has put snails to sleep. Even spirited Mars in cheer-leading Leo was in reverse gear for the winter, and tenacious Saturn in Libra also went retrograde back in mid-January. On March 20th at 10:32A.M. PST, the life force returns as Sun enters the cardinal fire sign of Aries. If you've felt stuck, blocked or stagnant for the past few months, all of that is about to change. But your dreams are unlikely to come true overnight.

This year's Aries cycle can be likened to a Cosmic boot camp, one in which your aspirations will be put through the rigors of warrior training under the watchful guidance of some the Universe's toughest drill sergeants, namely Saturn and Pluto. Completing this Aries cycle with dreams in tact and a belly still full of fire will assure you that your ambitions have passed muster, and you and they are well prepared for this summer's T-square. That series of strong configurations will find many of the planetary themes visited during the solar Aries cycle ahead amplified. Ready to be all you can be?

Back to inspire us to kick ass and take names, the proverbial "great ball of fire" in Aries will find willing and rowdy companions in Venus and Mercury, already transiting the sign of instigation. The Aries' ruler Mars will also be picking up speed in indomitable Leo. This rambunctious bunch are ready to rumble to give us some gusto. Themes of personal power, strength and confidence are great morale builders during the first leg of this solar sojourn. To curb our enthusiasm or to sustain Aries blazing ambitions, the Sun will be opposed by Saturn on March 21st and squared by Pluto on the 25th. Venus will move into more sensible Taurus terrain on March 31 and Mercury will follow on April 2nd before turning retrograde in this fixed earth sign from April 17th through May 11th.

All signs have what respected astrologer and author Steven Forrest refers to as a shadow. For Aries, a penchant for starting fights for the sake of provocation is part of its shadow. Failing to read the room and exercise some degree of awareness of others, let alone sensitivity toward them, is another alienating quality. The Cosmic mechanism for illuminating the shadow is a sign's opposite sign. Together the two energies create a polarity, one that integrates the attributes of both signs. For example, where Pisces is too out there and wishy-washy, Virgo, its opposite sign, demands definition and practicality. Conversely where Virgo is too rigid and too much of a perfectionist, Pisces offers flow and compassion.

The antidote to Aries aggression and self-absorption lies in its opposite sign of Libra. With impeccable grace, Libra must relate to others and create harmony for the whole. Presently Saturn, the planet of restriction and lessons, is in Libra opposing the Sun, and during this cycle, it will make its way back into Virgo. Aries, which is never fond of being bogged down in either committees or details, will be forced to reconcile is freewheeling ferocity with austere Saturn transiting both Libra and Virgo. This Saturn transit back into Virgo, in fact, is also highly likely to ask Aries how it intends to fund its ambitions, in real financial terms. Remember, the Saturn through Virgo cycle of September 2007 through October 2009 was the time of the housing bust, the initial bank bailout and the global economic crisis. Saturn in Virgo keeps extremely meticulous books and demands the same of us.

Also checking Aries temerity is Pluto in Capricorn, sitting 90 degrees away and thus forming squares to the Sun, Venus and Mercury as they transit Aries. If Aries is the life force, Pluto is the Cosmic death threat. Without hesitation, it will lay waste to unfounded, overinflated Aries assertions. Now in the sign ruling business, government and institutions, this battle-hardened drill sergeant of planets, along with war buddy Saturn, will push young warriors with all 75 pounds of gear up to the top of the hill, even when the temperature soars well-over 100 degrees. They believe that hard work and discipline are how to make great leaders of their troops. And so it is with the Cosmos during this solar Aries cycle. Only she doesn't think of it as preparation for battle. She is throwing a springtime garden party. To assure that it is a lively affair, she has invited some judicious, sober and heroic guests. She wants to enjoy the hearty discourse amongst them.

Never predictable, always electrifying Uranus is crashing the party. Game-changing Uranus, now in impossible to pinpoint Pisces, is on her way to give Saturn a run for his money and perhaps a boost to some of Aries unorthodox methodology. Though the next Uranus Saturn opposition is not exact until April 26th, its slow-building influence will be in increasing effect while the Sun transits Aries. Uranus, like Aries, lives to liven things up, and the two are equally appalled by "the rules." Buoyant Jupiter, traveling close in Uranus' entourage, will also help check Saturn's more stodgy tendencies. If there is a short cut to getting that gear uphill, Aries, Uranus and Jupiter will exploit it. And they'll receive a medal for their innovation. Just wait until these forces are fully activated in early June when Uranus and Jupiter enter Aries. This battle of creative new strategies versus tried-and-true traditions is just getting underway and it will play out all summer long.

Certainly spring's upbeat beginning with four planets moving forward in fire signs is inspirational and enlivening. The snails are celebrating! But what this cycle's aspects suggest is that our designs are still very much in process, one that will intensify this summer. Old Aries paradigms of act first, think later are met stiff resistance from stern Saturn and Pluto. They argue that shooting out of the gate is the surest path to burnout and they are aiming for a more sustained plan. Yet a Uranian impulse to brush off outmoded rules and unwarranted, cumbersome authority, in lockstep with Jupiter's expansive optimism, will keep our spirits high, ideas flooding in and convention in check. Mercury and Venus moving into grounded Taurus during this solar cycle add some helpful stamina to our visions as well. After such a slow winter, this is bound to be one entertaining garden party. You are cordially invited, and PT is at O six hundred!