A Uranus-Infused New Moon in Aries Conjunct Mars and Venus: The Rebel Yell

Derby, baby!

Venus and Mars are currently travelling through the zodiac in a conjunction in late Aries, which is exact April 6 at 19 degrees of the sign. This conjunction involves Mars in its domicile - in one of the signs it rules - and Venus in its detriment - in a sign opposite one it rules. Mars is in a strong position here, and Venus is in a more difficult position.

The masculine energy is quick, easy, direct, and confident.

The feminine energy is trickier, on edge, uncertain, hot and cold, wearing a hat that doesn't feel completely comfortable.

The difference in these positions and conditions is to be kept carefully in mind as we open into a new expression of Aries at the New Moon April 10. The Aries New Moon at 20 degrees falls closely conjunct the Venus-Mars conjunction, and this indicates a new mix of competition and cooperation, self-interest and relationship focus opening here. This new mix is intricately tied to the new rules for relationships developing under a stronger Aquarian-era umbrella, and this is immediate, right now, going on as we speak.

New relationships and new directions within existing relationships are the theme for Aries season
2013, but there's some definite bite to the relational paradigm shift.

Venus formed an exterior conjunction to the Sun on March 28 at 7 degrees Aries, just after the Libra Full Moon opposite Aries stellium and square Pluto in Capricorn on March 26/27. The Libra Full Moon and exterior conjunction of the Sun and Venus in Aries infused our directions in relationship with the impetus to break old and stagnant moulds, to sidestep old patterns and bad habits, and to move into a more fluid, workable, and egalitarian model for love, romance, relating, and partnership. We're living through epic and complicated times. Our relationships reflect this. Love is not all that simple now. Partnership is not all that simple. But this is nothing to be discouraged about. In fact, it's a big part of why we're here - especially if you are a member of the Pluto in Libra or Pluto in Scorpio generations.

The exterior conjunction of the Sun and Venus on March 28 was the first conjuction between these two bodies since the interior conjunction on June 5, 2012. That interior conjuction, with Venus retrograde in Gemini, also marked the Venus Transit, an event that will not be experienced again for more than one hundred years.

From a previous post:

"The Venus Transit is an eclipse of the Sun by Venus during which we are able to observe Venus passing across the surface of the Sun as it orbits between the Sun and Earth. Astrologically, this event will be marked by a conjunction of the Sun and Venus retrograde at 15 degrees Gemini on June 5, 2012.

Venus Transits occur in pairs in the same sign, eight years apart (one Venus cycle), and they do not happen often. The last Venus Transit - the pair to this one - occurred June 8, 2004. The most recent Venus Transits prior to the 2004/2012 set occurred December 1874/1882 in Sagittarius. The next set will occur in December 2117 and 2125, also in Sagittarius.

Suffice it to say, it's a noteworthy event during our stay on planet Earth...

[T]his indicates a shift in relationship cycles - one closes, another begins. Because the June 5 Sun-Venus interior conjunction in Gemini is also a Venus Transit, this shift in relationship cycles is profound and far-reaching. The upcoming Venus Transit acts as an official relational backdrop change between astrological eras. As of this event, we're no longer one foot in, one foot out. We officially move beyond Piscean-era relationship ideals and constructs and are propelled into the early stages of a new relationship paradigm - relating within the astrological Aquarian era. New tracks emerge that were previously unavailable. Relationships and we within relationship are not the same coming out of this June."

The March 28 conjunction of the Sun and Venus in Aries indicated a new chapter in Aquarian-era relationship has been opened, fresh and new, stemming from the monumental Venus Transit.

Now, at the Aries New Moon April 10, we have a beautiful mix of masculine and feminine coming together in our most fundamental astrological symbols. The Sun, our primary yang body, comes together with its natural match the Moon, our primary yin body. Venus, another primary feminine body, joins with Mars, a primary masculine body. All these bodies come together in the sign of new life (Aries) to create one pure and true and blazing yin-yang fire energy. The earliest and freshest of fire. The initial sparks. We open into new territory here on the relationship front and new shared battles for the masculine and feminine, the male and female.

We turn and face the beast together...or we find someone who can face it with us.

There is a fundamental and primal and natural merger of masculine and feminine energy, goals, direction, and fight taking place at this New Moon. New partnership and harmony coming about within the heat and the hell of the battles.

But at the same time, in Aries, we each have to stand alone in it. We have to fight our own fights. No one can do it for us. No one is fighting exactly the same fight we are, and we forget this to our detriment now.

Uranus is also in Aries, moving to the third of seven exact squares with Pluto in Capricorn on May 20. The Moon will conjunct Uranus during the Dark of the Moon/Balsamic phase on April 9, drawing the raw energy of rebellion, revolution, shake-up, and disturbance into the New Moon.

Uranus in Aries demands self-sovereignty.

There's no one to defer to here. We have to do it ourselves. And that's a very good thing.

Our voice is raised in rebel yell, and it's heard around the globe.

After the harsh transits and aspects of winter of 2013, many fresh, new directions become fully activated at this New Moon, the first after spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, and this is a welcome relief. 

However, these fresh, new directions are going to require our fight, our feistiness, our independence, as well as the outpacing of competitors.

We're at war - literally and figuratively - with forces that would like to cement more of the same on this planet - more top-down patriarchal control, more violence, corruption, and illegitimacy, more manipulation, more attacks against the people, both insidious and overt. We're at war with those who trample our rights as self-sovereign and natural human beings.

In a world full of people swallowing an official line that men and women have reached full equality, the female/feminine warriors are having a hard time shouldering the full weight and blaze of the battle. Many people have given up any effort at all because they erroneously believe there is nothing left for which to fight.

I'm not an astrologer who believes conjunctions are always good and easy aspects. And the Venus-Mars conjunction is not all good and easy, either. There is imbalance, injustice, and anger at this New Moon which may or may not be addressed.

Venus in a position of detriment at this New Moon indicates that women are in the more difficult position, required to stand up, speak up, exert themselves, and be more aggressive about what they really want - all the while being battled for doing so. They are forced to fight for rights of self and identity that are naturally bestowed on men. And they are required to do all this on their own terms, rather than following templates laid out for them in a male-directed world.

 

Venus, the planet that represents women, has a hard time knowing exactly what it wants. As a planet, its themes are more strongly related to the needs of others as well as to what others need or want from it. 

The same aggression, confidence, and strength of self accepted as natural in men are often singled out and remarked upon disfavourably when displayed in women.

(No one has a problem with Willow as long as she minds her place. But when she declares her equality with the Big Names of the astrology world, people get downright pissy...)

The female identity, and the feminine identity, are burning clear and pure and strong at this New Moon. We naturally step into new strength here. Things we have attached to ourselves because others wanted us to be something we are not can go up in smoke here. Aspects of identity related purely to conditioning, projection, or the expectations of others can be dropped, purged, burned free.

This New Moon is asking us to be who we are - no guilt, no explanations, no compromises. It's raw. It's real. And it takes courage.

My friend, the captain, started the entire roller derby league in our area with her boyfriend. Joining roller derby has empowered women in this very traditional area to leave crappy marriages and crappy jobs. They want more, and roller derby helps them get it.
 

At this New Moon, we have one planet strong in its domicile and one weaker in detriment. There will be people who are easy and confident with the energy of this New Moon. Others will be dealing with the more difficult themes involved.

No, finding this New Moon easy doesn't mean you're more enlightened, more awakened, or more impressive than anyone else.

It means you're getting off easy.

That's usually the way.

The goal here, if you are finding the Aries themes more difficult, is not to get carried away by the confidence, assertiveness, and activity of those who are finding things easier. This is about standing our own ground, as difficult as it may be, not falling in line behind someone with more charisma, assertiveness, or an overpowering identity.

This New Moon is about how we fight. The battles take on new intensity and new direction here. And in particular, it's about how women fight. It's about how women, as well as more yin men, are taught to subvert their own desires, their own aggressive natures, their own instincts, in deference to males and male-created templates.

This New Moon is about opening new and productive avenues for anger, rage, aggression, desire, instinct, energy, assertiveness, activity, motion, and identity, particularly for women and emotionally disenfranchised men.

This New Moon involves a new orientation to competition. Aries is naturally competitive, but with the influence of Venus at the New Moon, it's fairly easy to sidestep competitive jockeying for supremacy. We're really only in competition with ourselves.

The current influence of Saturn Rx in Scorpio in the zodiac teaches us the long-term gains brought about through self-control and shrewd strategizing, deepening the immediate, in-your-face battles of Aries.

With Venus transiting Aries until April 15, we're learning about ourselves based on the ways in which we relate to other people. This is the challenge of being ourselves and being true to ourselves when relating to those we love, to those we would like to please.

In detriment in Aries, Venus has to deal with things it would prefer not to deal with, and this particularly involves how women relate in traditionally male arenas.

Venus transiting Aries stirs anger and rage related to the crap women (and more yin men) put up with from other people and from society. It draws attention to the subversion of this anger, without healthy and productive outlets, which can lead to passive aggressiveness, depression, addiction, and frustration.

Venus in Aries gets right up in our faces, showing us the ways in which women dull their own flames in order to keep the peace with those around them. In order to be "good women," "good girlfriends," "good mothers," "good wives," "good daughters." The way women will automatically, without question, take the back seat. The way a woman's personal desires are put on the back burner so that she can tend to the desires of others. The way a woman's identity and natural instincts are automatically subjugated to bolster a man's - or a more patriarchy-friendly female's. The way a woman's battles are downplayed in favour of a man's. The way a woman's goals and achievements are considered less heroic or impressive than a man's.

From a previous post:

"There is a societal tendency to demonize those Arien things when speaking in relationship terms, especially for women. Putting yourself first is considered a bad thing (selfish!). Exerting your personal will in relation to another is considered a bad thing (pushy!). Being honest and direct in situations is considered a bad thing (not nice!). Even knowing who you are and what you want in a strong way is looked at suspiciously."

When Venus was retrograde in Aries in March 2009, I wrote about anger as a necessary guiding force, motivating us to make necessary moves in our lives. You can read more about that here: Venus in Aries Retrograde and Anger as a Guiding Force

There is a tendency these days to demonize anger and aggression, especially in women. Anger is considered "unenlightened" by the New Age set. It's considered unladylike by the conservative set. It's considered unpleasant by polite society.

But this New Moon is all about the new territory we're moving into, fully in touch with our own anger as a guide. Unashamed of our anger. Fuelled and bolstered and motivated by our righteous motherfucking anger.

With the right channels opening through which to direct it.

Four years out of the Venus retrograde in Aries, are we any closer to women participating at full identity?

Last month, world media was glued to a bunch of elderly men throwing off smoke signals in Italy.

They were electing one of their most conservative members as the new leader of the Catholic Church. This new leader is anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, anti-women as priests. He's more than likely not going to ruffle many feathers on the pedophilia side of things, either.

As the media was glued to this ritual, the women within the Catholic Church were still holding subordinate positions, unable to come into any real power within that old boys club. Forced to sit back while festering corruption and crime are given sanctuary within the power structures of that patriarchal hierarchy.

With Mars and Venus joining forces in Aries at this New Moon, there is a portal opening: a new expression of anger as well as new outlets and directions for that anger.

 

If you don't register at least some slight annoyance with the state of affairs on this planet, you're not paying very close attention.

At this New Moon, it's time to speak up and to stand out and to do so without guilt. It's time to let our own flames burn free and true, just as we are, no more, no less. And it's time to do this with the ones we love most, allowing the space for their flames to burn free, too.

Women, in particular, but also men who have more yin themes, have to grab hold of this Aries New Moon and ride that sucker into the sunset. We have a chance to exert ourselves here, our true selves. We have a chance to stand our ground and to stand up for what we feel is right in ways that will set a new tone for those around us.

Hold your position. Hold your full identity. Hold that beautiful rebel yell. Be proud of who you are and what you do. Set the tone that will be carried forward.

There will be no more pushovers and no more letting things slide.

We're flipping the bird to a whole lot of things at this Moon.

Just keep in mind that as you're exerting your hot and righteous little self, so is everyone else. Allow some space. Avoid drama and dick-swinging dynamics.

The mixing and mingling of male and female anger and aggression continues with the next New Moon in Taurus on May 9. That New Moon at 19 Taurus will occur exactly conjunct female warrior asteroid, Pallas Athene, and it will also be conjunct male warrior planet Mars. The New Moon will also be conjunct Mercury and the South Node in Taurus.

So the battle themes will shift from identity, self-sovereignty, anger, aggression, and exertion at the Aries New Moon to finances, earning potential, economic independence/dependence, and tradition at the Taurus New Moon. There's plenty of work to be done there.

Whatever form it takes, the battle continues...

This Moon is new life after a lot of old, painful Pisces, but we have to be willing to fight for it - both on our own and together.