InnerSelf.com

Highlighted Aspects for The Week

Monday: Pluto square Sun, Saturn opposite Jupiter

Tuesday: Chiron conjunct Venus, Mars square Nodes

Wednesday: Mercury stations retrograde 1:38pm PDT, Neptune semisquare Jupiter

Thursday: Neptune semisquare Mercury

Friday: Mars enters Aries

Saturday: Pluto sextile Venus

Sunday: Uranus conjunct Mars, Saturn opposite Sun 

Active Planets: Pluto Square; Saturn Opposition

THE PLANETS are very active this week, continuing to inspire us to make important internal and external shifts. Starting with a Pluto-Sun square on Monday and finishing with a Saturn-Sun opposition on Sunday, we are challenged in various ways -- and almost every day -- to take our game to the next level.

We hit the ground running on Monday, working with the energy of two confrontational aspects. The Pluto-Sun square challenges us to rise above petty tug-of-wars, to be honest about what we want without needing to disempower others as we work to achieve our desires.

Realism & Optimism: Saturn Jupiter Opposition

AT THE SAME TIME, we also will be feeling the influence of the third and final Saturn-Jupiter opposition. This aspect (which has been working with us intermittently since the first opposition on May 22, 2010, when Saturn was in Virgo and Jupiter was in Pisces) gives us access to what may appear to be opposites -- the polarities of realism and optimism. 

The challenge is for us to use both perspectives in equal measure, without falling prey to the extremes of pessimism (negative Saturn) or denial (negative Jupiter). And, now that Saturn is in Libra and Jupiter is in Aries, this aspect also calls for a balance between self-interest and commitment to others, requiring us to find the healthiest expression of both.

The middle-ground we want to aim for is "enlightened self-interest," which honors and acknowledges our own needs, while also finding ways to honor and acknowledge the needs of significant others -- needs that may, at first assessment, seem to be in conflict with ours.

Bridging Gaps: Chiron & Venus in Pisces Align

ON TUESDAY, Chiron aligns with Venus in Pisces, focusing our attention on the need to bridge gaps that may have arisen in personal relationships, and reminding us of the healing power of compassion. As with all alignments, this joining of Chiron and Venus marks the beginning of a new cycle between the planets, one that will last about a year. It is an opportunity to make a new start in our ability to be open-hearted in our relationships, and in our trust of the knowing that we are all One.

Spiritual Knowing: Mars in Aries Squares Nodes

Also on Tuesday, Mars squares the North and South Nodes (using the "mean nodes"), one of the red planet's final aspects before leaving Pisces on Friday. The North Node, now in Sagittarius, invites us to live in wisdom and with more reliance on intuition than on logic or fact. As Mars squares the Nodes, we'll be challenged to make our ego needs secondary to our spiritual knowing, while not falling into patterns of martyrdom and self-sacrifice.

Mercury Retrograde: March 30th, 2011

MERCURY STATIONS RETROGRADE on Wednesday, beginning a three-week journey backwards through Aries. Mercury's retrograde phase offers us a rest from the need to always be planning, thinking, worrying about the future.

When this planet retraces his steps, we are encouraged instead to review where we've been, and to allow our inner knowing to take precedence over mental workings. And, with Mercury in Aries, we are gathering and building the inner courage needed for the road ahead of us -- while also taking these three weeks to reconsider what it is that we really want to create going  forward.

Pushing Forward: Mars in Aries, April 1st 2011

IGNORING MERCURY'S CAUTION about initiating forward motion at this time, Mars enters Aries on Friday. This placement of Mars further amplifies the urgency many are feeling about the need to push through any obstacles that have been holding us back. 

Like the Ram, we may just put our heads down and run with full force, counting on our momentum and hard-headedness to get us where we want to go. There may be trouble, however, if we don't at least look up once in a while to make sure we're going in the right direction.

Breakthrough? Breakdown? Uranus & Mars Align

SUNDAY'S ALIGNMENT between Uranus and Mars amplifies the potential for either breakthrough or breakdown as we wrap up the week. With Uranus, the advice is always to "expect the unexpected," so it is by definition hard to predict how this influence will manifest.

In the positive, we can access the energy of this planetary twosome to help us find the courage to initiate change. If we're usually conservative, we can call on Uranus and Mars to inspire us to take risks. If we're already the nonconformist type, we may find ourselves being even more willing than usual to shock and appall the establishment.

Planning and Action: Saturn Sun Opposition

A QUITE DIFFERENT aspect also occurs on Sunday, complicating the energetic field. The Saturn-Sun opposition reminds us of the importance of disciplined action and practical planning before we carefully open the door and step out into new territory -- at the same time that the Uranus-Mars alignment is telling us to become the Ram and break the door down if it is standing in the way of our full-throttle motion forward.

It will be an interesting dance next weekend. We may experience immediate consequences for any risks taken or changes made that have not also been well thought-out. Then again, our impatience may be so strong that we don't really care about what does or doesn't happen after we take action.

Awakening Process: Six Active Sunspots This Week

IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE the sun is becoming more active again -- The SpaceWeather.com website shows six active sunspots on our side of the sun, with two of them potentially emitting M- and X-class solar flares over the coming week.This will be our opportunity to monitor those flares, and see how they correspond with additional earth changes -- and our own awakening process.

About the Author

Pam Younghans lives in a log cabin outside of Seattle, Washington with her two dogs. She has been interpreting charts professionally for over 25 years. If you are interested in an astrology reading, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call 425-445-3775. For more information, please visit http://www.northpointastrology.com   

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