We need to stop reacting, which is the bane of the present Aries/Taurus mood, and make room for creating, which is its gift, but want to finish this week singing “We Did it Our Way”.
All this year are seeing the end of old chapters and the beginning of new ones, a pattern that kicked in with an eclipse on Jan 4, increased as Jupiter and Uranus entered the fire-sign Aries this winter and catalyzed political, technological and tectonic shifts that changed our maps. But whether the new chapter will be any better than the last is a work in progress, it won’t be any better unless we make it so.
Even though the Sun is now in earthy Taurus, these winds of change heated up another notch over the last few weeks as Mercury, Venus and Mars joined those two slower planets in raw and impatient Aries, the most macho of fire signs. Here they catalyzed some major Mars events, brave and/or brutal moves, wild weather and macho military action that reorganized our landscape. Aries infuses the culture with extra ambient testosterone and volatility that needs to be carefully directed.
Some people just got feisty, others energized or worried, and many lived out their macho side vicariously, whopping and hollering at world events or baseball games as if they were the ones that pulled off the maneuver. In our personal lives we may feel this fire power as a certain irritability and impatience to get on with our lives. We can notice a strong need to take the reins of our life back into our hands and will consider decisions that could rearrange our life in both small and large ways. Any instructions that ask us to follow other people’s ideas will be resisted. It is a time of action; people are proactive to sit still and listen for long, they’d rather participate.
Our energy levels may feel stronger but our reactions to irritants, whether pollen or people are more easily inflamed. Although there’s a lot of nervous energy flying around, we can get tired or depleted if we’re juggling so much or because it can be hard to let go of our concerns and truly rest, thought eh dreams may be wild once we get there.
It’s a good time to meet new people or break into new territory; people have more guts to be open and are generally positive when they are not set off. More intimate relationships need extra room for autonomy and freedom of movement; we can feel brave enough to love and still hate to feel hemmed in by expectations. So give each other a lot of room, respond enthusiastically to overtures, and dance with the breath of spontaneity.
This firepower peaked last weekend but continues to inspire or inflame us all this week. If we have an adolescent reaction to events, we need to forgive ourselves and then move onwards.
This weekend we may feel a tension between an old reality and a new one. It may the family of our past or home, family, and friends we used to know, or an old aspect of our identity that pulls against the person we are becoming. We may see this in the headlines as a tension in our American understanding between the realities of 2001 and the realities of this very different 2011. We’ll feel better if we can now let go of our preconceptions, let go of who we used to be or who our dear ones and our enemies used to be, and embrace who we all are now.
Mother’s day can make this particularly poignant, it will be lovely if we can enjoy the present moment and appreciate what has been done in the past even as we let go of what that might mean about the future. Emotions run so high they spoil over, defenses kicking quickly so do not play any guilt cards with family. Let people have a maudlin or emotional moment and they recover quickly.
Emotions stay full to over flowing as the week begins, we may need to revel in self-centeredness briefly to really understand how we feel, express it, and then drop it to reach out to share what others feel. The beginning of the week is a great time for a promotional push to a prospective partner or employer.
During the middle of the week people speak from their hearts as Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury conjunct. This emotional truth may not be the whole truth, but it is how we feel right now. It helps to know our audience. We’ll get a lot of information about who people truly are, for better and for worse. The carnival barkers of society will be as loud as the truth speakers, and we have to sort the difference. Let’s keep our ears open for good news and share whatever optimism we have. It’s a great time to let someone know we love them as long as we don’t load it up with expectations or responsibilities.
The energy drops down a notch after Wednesday as Mars enters earthy, fertile Taurus and adds a note of stubborn determination. We’ll have more access to strength as well as nerves, and can feel our efforts begin to take root and grow.
Friday, May 6: Notice what’s going on and talk over what needs to be done. This is a good day to travel, communicate and make adjustments to get on the right track as the Gemini Moon sextiles Jupiter and Mars. Keep plans flexible, we’re excitable this afternoon, but the mood shifts toward home and comfort tonight as the Moon enters Cancer. We have a chance to either heal an old sore point or make it worse, depending on how we handle a touchy subject as Venus aspects Chiron. If our defensive streak is activated, look to the tenderness or worry underneath.
Saturday, May 7: We can make a difference this morning. Look for an opportunity to have one’s say in a healing and caring way. Midday stormy moods swing through, made more difficult if we have trouble letting go of what was. Let emotions wash through like a spring tide as the Moon opposes Pluto and squares Saturn and can bring a wave of existential homesickness. Stop pushing ahead and lean on something familiar for a minute. Notice feelings, but suspend judgments. Later tonight the future looks more promising.
Sunday, May 8: Feelings unsettle this morning as the Moon squares Mercury, Jupiter and Mars, if it is not productive, don’t say it. Life is flux as the Sun semi-squares Uranus; changes can excite us but leave us ambiguous and nervously restless. Don’t test one another, there’s too much to be said. We need to listen with the heart more than the ears and talk it all out later. Look at unconventional behaviors and trust there is a reason underneath.
Monday, May 9: It’s all about us this morning, it’s hard to get out of ourselves no matter how generous we’re feeling as the Moon enters Leo, and so we might as well take care and do our own homework. We need to be our own best audience. If we do so, this afternoon can bring a more generous compromise and clarity as Mercury conjuncts Venus. Tonight our eccentrics show in pointed ways.
Tuesday, May 10: Lessons reviewed about our temper or tendency to rush; watch flammable substances and people. A certain naivety can leave us both strong willed but tending to make either more sacrifices than needed or to make suggestions which aren’t unhelpful. Let’s not rush in to offer, but listen for what’s really needed first. Listen and listen again. Worry softens as understanding improves late tonight.
Wednesday, May 11: Time to get grounded and get in our senses as Moon enters Virgo. As Mars enters Taurus it slows down but deepens our temper and desires. We can get back to work, will feel more reliable and expect more concrete results. It is a time to release some hardness in our hearts and open to new possibilities as Venus, Jupiter and Mercury conjunct. But watch out for those that want something they do not have and reach to grab it; offer a firm but compassionate response.
Thursday, May 12: There’s work to be done, and our ability to discern the wheat from the chaff will be tested. But it may be time to abandon an argument, even one with ourselves, and meet in that field beyond right and wrong. Drop judgment and seek a more harmonious way, and it may just happen as Mars sextiles Neptune. If feelings roll and thunder, stay in the moment and don’t inflate the importance of events. Reassess the situation tonight with more distance.
Starcodes 
Hi Heather,
Wow you hit the nail on the head with the May 6 – 12 Starcodes! I had to take 2 mental days from work b/c I was suspicious of my co-worker (Aries), was she conspiring against me? It was not pretty, I felt like such a baby after all the dust cleared. I still question what I was feeling. Was I picking up on something or just something I made up? One thing I do know is there will be a big change coming soon for my spouse and me. Wonderful site, thank you! Blessings Ellen Gallegos