Grand Earth Trines and a Solid Dose of Bovinian Energy Provide Us With a Breather

 Moo.

 
There is currently a very strong grounding influence in the zodiac with the Sun, Mercury, and soon Venus (in its own sign as of April 29) transiting fixed earth sign Taurus. This is farmer-ly energy. Sensual energy. Earthy energy. It follows a natural and routine course. It's matter-of-fact and sturdy in a nurturing and comforting way. It is fairly unshakeable, fairly unflappable.

This Taurus energy, which will include Lesser Benefic Venus in its domicile, slows things down to real time in the physical world, and this is something most of us need in the days of constant technology and artificially sped-up nervous systems.

This Taurus has a nice feeling of putting one foot in front of the other in very basic and simple ways, anchoring us in the physical world and in the five senses.

Taurus doesn't get too worried about what lies beneath. It isn't all that interested in research or psychological context or the unseen realms. It's more than content to work with what's right in front of it, with what it can see, feel, taste, hear, and smell. It's more than happy to work with the magic of concrete, physical, Earthly reality.  

All this Taurus is highly welcome after a month of (potentially) frayed nerves, emotional breaking points, and/or Plutonic meltdowns, outlined in earlier articles.

We've been through some stuff, folks. The astrology shows it. A heavily karmic Pisces eclipse season, followed by the jingly-jangly, overloaded synapses of strong Uranus energy with multiple activations of the Uranus-Pluto square by the personal planets in Aries.


This is an excerpt from the article, "Grand Earth Trines and a Solid Dose of Bovinian Energy Provide Us With a Breather." It is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons.

A Gorgeous Grand Earth Trine with Benefics Venus and Jupiter Conjunct March 12 to 14

After navigating the grease fires, irritations, and provocations of Aries, culminating in a trying opposition to Saturn Rx in Libra March 4, Venus will exit the feisty sign of its detriment for almost a month of home sweet home in earthy Taurus starting March 5. Venus is a very comfortable Earth Mama in Taurus, all soft curves, bare feet, baby slung on broad hip, bread baking. 

As Venus slides into this home turf, it moves to a conjunction to Jupiter in Taurus March 13, and the two benefic planets collude to shower us in pleasantness. Not only do we experience a conjunction of the benefics, but the conjunction also happens within an exact Grand Earth Trine, increasing its influence considerably. Efforts made in the right directions (and there's the key) are rewarded handsomely as Venus and Jupiter form this exact Grand Earth Trine along with Mars Rx in Virgo and Pluto in Capricorn at 9 degrees of the earth signs. If you've been digging and working and getting your hands dirty, major gears can turn here both personally and collectively. Things come together. Increased efficacy, precision, craftsmanship, practicality, and attention to detail, being honed through the Mars retrograde in Virgo, start to pay off, and our yokes are seemingly lifted off us for a time, made light as a feather. 

Gorgeous. 

At the very least, outside any gorgeousness, the influence of the benefic conjunction offsets most of the difficulty associated with retrograde Mars (malefic planet) and Pluto (potential dirty bugger). 

This formation is exact between March 12 and 14, influential through most of the month. Trines are 120-degree aspects usually between bodies in signs of the same element - in this case earth - and the themes work together almost effortlessly. Grand Trines generally involve bodies in all three signs of that element (fire, water, earth, or air) forming a triangle and creating ease on multiple fronts. 

An exact Grand Trine like this one is something special, made even more so by the Venus-Jupiter conjunction in Taurus with Venus in its own sign. 

Mars in Virgo first formed a Grand Earth Trine with Jupiter in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn in mid-to-late November, 2011, though it was not exact. Progress made at that time gets a major boost here as Mars backtracks and picks up where it left off, triggering new developments. This isn't just the goal, the dream, the far-off vision. This is real life, here and now, right in front of us. 

The final Grand Earth Trine formation involving Mars in Virgo happens May 13 to 16. It is very close to exact, also, as Mars in Virgo moves direct into a Grand Trine with Mercury in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn at 8/9 degrees. At that time, benefic Jupiter will have moved into late Taurus and will be out of orb. 

The formation in May finalizes the details, solidifies the earthy progress made earlier, and grounds us fully within the new two-year goal cycle initiated by the Mars retrograde in Virgo. 

The only caution with the upcoming Grand Earth Trine with Venus and Jupiter conjunct would be taking this energy for granted. It won't last long at its height, so be sure to enjoy it and use it to your benefit by building on the events, themes, and progress of November, 2011 during this time of grace in the earth signs. 

Background: Mars in Virgo Retrograde: Precise Re-direction Within Grand Earth Trines

Mars in Virgo Retrograde: Precise Re-direction Within Grand Earth Trines

November 10, 2011 - Mars enters Virgo
November 18, 2011 - Mars enters the retrograde shadow
January 23, 2012 - Mars goes retrograde at 23 degrees Virgo
April 13, 2012 - Mars turns direct at 3 degrees Virgo
June 19, 2012 - Mars leaves the retrograde shadow
July 3, 2012 - Mars enters Libra

The Mars transit and retrograde through Virgo involves an eight-month period of mutable, transitional energy that requires our precise and active participation to direct, re-direct, adjust, and re-adjust our courses. Throughout this time, we'll be directed down only the most pertinent and effective channels in our lives, honing and refining our courses and withdrawing personal energy from anything that is not necessary, valuable, or vital moving forward. This process is happening, specifically, in the house or houses where Virgo falls in your natal chart. That's the area where things need to be tightened.

Virgo is one of the quieter placements for Mars. Mars is active here but only in the ways that count. No excess of motion, exertion, words, mental function, or use of will. Small movements, adjustments, and re-direction have big effect, and temperance rules, as too much effort in one direction results only in energy expended for self-correction.

The energy on the planet will be getting very bizarre and out of control at times over the next years, and things can really go haywire if we allow them to. This is why we need the Virgoan qualities applied through the iron will of Mars to set our courses now, doing battle on the fine points.

If we're oh-so-careful and diligent, smoothing every screwy detail, critiquing every glowing illusion, attending to every nagging issue, we set a tone with this retrograde that can keep us grounded and out of the worst of the hyped baloney and utter bullshit being amped up on this planet.

Clean, crisp, clear. In Virgo, every detail matters. Virgo is a sign that needs things to be just right, and with Mars here, we're going to have to take it personally when they aren't.

If it hits our ears as incorrect, it's rejected, no matter how many people are saying it, doing it, or believing it. Anyone trying to fill our minds, bodies, societies, or environments with useless crap is viewed as an enemy of our health.

Enemies of our health. There are many. Under Mars in Virgo, we're consciously fighting to maintain health in a world increasingly toxic to living things. Our systems are quite literally being attacked on multiple fronts. There's an immediacy with this Mars transit. There's no more time to put off the changes necessary to fortify our health. It's on. In order for our systems to continue processing and metabolizing what's going on, they need to be in tip-top condition.

Diet, exercise regimes, habits, routines, work conditions, the quality of our food and water, our mental and emotional environments - a crucial analysis and refinement is on the docket during this transit, fighting to maintain systemic health while preparing us for the next years on the planet. This involves the removal or at least strong limitation of anything that weighs our systems down: excess alcohol, drug use, cigarettes, perfumes, air fresheners, chemical cleaners, electromagnetic pollution, noise pollution, pesticides and additives in food, refined sugar, artificial colours, genetically modified food, fluoride, excessive internet, TV, music, shopping, socializing.

Mars is a hard-ass in Virgo, and with good reason.

Even things touted as healthful should be gone over with a fine-toothed comb. With Virgo, less is more. Be careful what you add to your life and to your system. In most cases, Virgo is about what needs to be taken away.

There is a sexual element (Mars) to health (Virgo) here. A more precise application of sexual energy is required. A new understanding of the effects of sexual activity on health and on the surrounding energetic environment as a whole comes about here. The "too much, too fast, too soon" sexual ethic constantly shoved down our throats is rejected by those who use this transit well, and the application of sexuality is streamlined with a new awareness and focus on the health of the individual, the partner, the relationship, the immediate social groups and society, and the spirit, in general. There's a re-wiring of attractions and sexual habits here, a clarification, and a removal of toxic sexual connections. Holistic sexual health.

Our work is infused with a necessary level of fight during this transit. We fight to overcome the redundancy, uselessness, and listlessness forced upon so many through mass institutionalized unemployment, underemployment, and lack of meaningful paid employment.

Charting the course for the next two years correctly requires our absolute focus over the next eight months.

Mars entering Virgo sets off a grand earth trine with Jupiter Rx in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn that will be in effect most strongly November 16-23.

Mars retrogrades back into this grand earth trine in March when the configuration will be exact. Jupiter in Taurus, Mars Rx in Virgo, and Pluto in Capricorn will be exactly trine each other at 9 degrees of the earth signs from March 12-15, 2012.

Mars in Virgo will trine Pluto in Capricorn one last time May 15-17, 2012 with Mars moving direct. At that time, Jupiter in Taurus will be out of range.

Needless to say, within these grand earth trines, the application of specific choices and actions - including what we choose not to do or say - has big ripple effects, creating real, concrete, structural changes.

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