A Potent Pluto Retrograde Station Square Mars in Aries - This One's Packing Some Heat

The Mars in Aries - Pluto in Capricorn square is the dominant aspect in the zodiac at the moment and will be until it moves fully out of orb April 23. Mars in it's own sign of Aries disposits the Sun, Mercury Rx, Jupiter and Uranus also in Aries, which means working the Mars in Aries energy successfully under its current scorching hot conditions is key.

What's going on with Mars is the most influential factor in the zodiac right now.

We're just coming out of a crazy potent Aries New Moon amidst Aries stellium along with the Mars-Uranus conjunction (still powerful) that infused the atmosphere with raw, new potential along with blazing realizations, both inspiring and traumatic/horrifying, about our future, together, on this planet.

We're all a little on edge as far as the radically new territory we sense on the horizon and what it will mean, and action planet Mars is not all that happy to find itself enmeshed in a dark and condensed Plutonic force field, moving against the tension and pressure of the Pluto in Capricorn square. This is like going full tilt for a matter of moments and then being sucked back to an almost stand-still by a giant Pluto in Capricorn magnet. It's for the best, though. Mars in Aries with all those other planets in the sign is a bit too much masculine-oriented forward propulsion and would have a tendency to go off half-cocked. There's a danger of being so eager to get into new territory - ANY new territory - that we neglect to connect our movements to the broader Plutonic context, making our motivating goals shallower and less relevant and our actions toward them far less effective that they could have been with a more complex understanding of the surrounding circumstances.

Making our new forays a success requires uncovering and understanding the underlying Plutonic context on this planet as well as in our personal lives and applying it well. Going deeper means making more progress in the long run rather than spinning wheels, ramming things forward and burning out in an overload of fire.

This isn't straight-up, unfettered Mars in Aries activity. This is Mars in conjunction to Uranus and in opening square to Pluto - our personal directions are completely tied to the broader forces and directions that are going on on this planet currently.

We want to get the show on the road, but we're held in check, purposefully, by the applying square to Pluto in Capricorn. Our personal directions are not as free-moving and Point A to B direct as Mars in Aries would like within a broader collective climate of orchestrated global economic collapse, concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, institutionalized unemployment, spiralling poverty, deadly unnatural disasters, irradiation, record food inflation, starvation, riots, and new crimes against humanity being brought down by the military industrial complex every day.

You know, the usual. How could we forget?

If we take this broader context into full consideration, we understand how important it is to be true to ourselves right down to the bone, core, soul at this time. We're on the edge, facing down the annihilation of the whole kit and kaboodle - again. Our supposed leaders are intent on leading us right over a cliff, trashing the joint behind them. So what is there to lose in taking a shot in a direction that truly matters to you? What is there to lose in being exactly who you are, saying exactly what you feel - and relating to the people around you in that way?

Pluto stationing kicks up a lot of stomach-churning fear and paranoia, and its icy fingers are digging deeply now as it slows to station retrograde at 7 degrees Capricorn April 9. Pluto will be almost stopped in the zodiac at the time of the square from Mars (April 11), infusing the astro atmosphere with its energy and making its influence highly felt - especially for those who are sensitive to Pluto's movements. Accept the Plutonic icy grip when it comes upon you, ride it out, but don't succumb. Don't give your power away here.

The fears and paranoia triggered by this Pluto station are made bigger by the connection to collective unease and waves of panic due to the current global situation. These can magnify to overwhelming proportions if we're not careful, so keep in mind, under this station and square, that no matter what, it's not as bad as you feel it is. Use the instinctive Aries energy to keep yourself out of isolation and paranoia. Talk to the people you find grounding. Turn off the TV and Internet. Get some fresh air and exercise.

At the same time, in a way, the emotional edge we're living on can only be tolerated if we hold the awareness of the broader context of what is going on on this planet. It's only by doing that that we can understand the extent of what is being asked of us under these conditions.

The Mars-Pluto square is affecting our bodies and energy levels strongly, combining super-charged, almost manic boosts propelling us forward with pressurized Plutonic slow-downs designed to purge the sludge from our systems (guh) and crank out our most potent and effective directions in light of the collective circumstances in which we find ourselves.

As we're being held in check, revving our way out of the sticky Plutonic tar, we're moulting, burning off older versions of life and self, anything that might keep us from the lean, mean, forward-ho machines we need to be now as we set the cruise control on this planet to freedom.

There is also a sort of on-edge, shattering energetic effect still potent from the conjunction to Uranus. Teeth on tin foil. Fingernails on chalkboard.

Expect demanding extremes in energy levels over the next three weeks, and work with them. Get moving when you can, but take the time and rest you need, also, to work with the behemoth Plutonic force stripping and honing us from the cellular level out. Our poor bodies are rocketing through so many changes right now, so give them all the time they need to process and adjust.

Luckily, we also have a contingent of receptive, spiritually-oriented, feminine/yin energy emphasized in the zodiac now with Chiron, Ceres, Venus and (by tonight) Neptune in Pisces. This is a refreshing and cooling mist, spritzing all the masculine Aries energy raring to get out there and put its mark on things when it gets a bit too blazing hot and full of itself.

Neptune dips into Pisces tonight and stays on the zero degree of the sign of the fishies, turning retrograde June 3, moving back into Aquarius August 4, and re-entering Pisces for good in early February 2012.

This gives us a four-month window of spiritual fortification with Neptune in its own sign to reconnect with and bathe ourselves in our personal faith and guidance in light of the new territory into which we have just stepped.

Uranus entering Aries for the duration March 11 marked the end of the strongest Pisces-to-Aquarius overlay and the eight-year Uranus-Neptune mutual reception. The last of that Uranus-Neptune mutual reception pretty much tapped us out as far as inspirational spiritual mojo. Now comes a bit of a rejuvenation as Neptune takes a quick dip into new territory and its domicile Pisces.

This is Pisces for the astrological Aquarian era, which is vastly different from Pisces for the astrological Piscean era. The masculine-heavy, spiritually-hierarchical control mechanisms start to crumble in earnest now - but only for those not clamouring to maintain the pedestal-sitting positions of their favourite gurus, masters or saviours. That paradigm will be propped up as long as people are willing to pour their own spiritual energy and power into propping it up.

As much as 'Pisces for the Aquarian era' has the potential for spiritual egalitarianism and utter self-responsibility, Neptune's 15-year transit of Pisces also has the potential for the worst-of-the-worst abuses working the same old true believer blind spots with the masses falling for the same old smoke and mirrors into the same old regressive downward spirals that we've seen in the "spirituality" realms thus far. Under the Aquarian umbrella, it's a big mistake to place anyone above yourself on the superiourity ladder. There's a big impetus on people taking responsibility for their own inherent spirituality, but many people just won't want to make the shift...

Neptune's entry into Pisces is marked by a conjunction to Chiron, Ceres and Venus, which is a very interesting mix.

The spiritual healing and healing of the whole on this planet very much has to do with fully addressing and discontinuing the mistreatment, subjugation, disregard and forced invisibility of the feminine, especially within spiritual paradigms. We're bringing the feminine force (and women) into positions of new prominence as the hierarchies crumble.

The feminine influence was always there, was always equally important, of course.

But how many know it is feminine Ceres that is the largest body among the asteroids - not masculine Chiron, which is very well-integrated into current astrological analysis and is often erroneously bestowed with the title?

How many know that Ceres is no longer even considered an asteroid and is actually on par with masculine Pluto as a dwarf planet, though nowhere near its astrological prominence?

The invisibility of Ceres astrologically in relation to Chiron and Pluto indicates to me societies getting in touch with their wounds and needs for healing, empowerment and transformation - but dysfunctionally disconnected from the fundamentals of life on this planet including food sources and feminine grounding and nourishment. This leaves us starving on multiple levels but unable to put our fingers on exactly what is going on.

NASA is currently sending one of its nasty probes (appropriately called Dawn) to explore Ceres - without her permission, I'm sure! - so perhaps this probe will give the Goddess of grains and Earth's fertility a boost in position and prominence.