March 20, 2021 will mark the second time the Sun has ingressed
Aries under the pall of the COVID pandemic, but astrological
indicators suggest that we have reason for hope in the year ahead.
We may even see a return to "normalcy" in some spheres of activity.
Getting everyone vaccinated is
the key, of course, and I’m happy to report that things are moving in the right
direction in my area; hopefully they’re doing the same in yours! The
percentage of the U.S. population that gets vaccinated over the summer
months will be critical for achieving that elusive “herd immunity”
within our borders. According to an interview in the Harvard Gazette,
“Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Wednesday that that estimate is dependent on significant numbers of Americans being willing to be inoculated with one of several vaccines in various stages of development. If 75 percent to 80 percent of Americans are vaccinated in broad-based campaigns likely to start in the second quarter of next year, then the U.S. should reach the herd immunity threshold months later. If vaccination levels are significantly lower, 40 percent to 50 percent, Fauci said, it could take a very long time to reach that level of protection.”
Of course, our borders mean nothing to the COVID virus and its increasing number of variants, so this is a case in which the more inclusively global the vaccination effort is, and the more every nation cooperates in supporting that broad effort, the better. If anything has become clear in this past year of restriction and isolation, it’s that what happens out there is also happening in here; there is no outside to this situation. We can’t travel ban ourselves out of this uniquely Neptunian situation, in other words—the “Golden Rule” has basically smacked everyone upside the head and demanded that we pay attention.
This past week, in fact, President Biden and V.P. Harris marked a grim milestone in our battle with COVID with a candlelight vigil and Biden cautioned the nation against complacency (very easy under Neptune’s sway):
“In his remarks, Biden pointed out that the 500,071 Americans who died over the last year from COVID-19 surpass the number who died in World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined.
‘As a nation, we can't accept such a cruel fate,’ he said, encouraging Americans to ‘resist becoming numb to the sorrow.’
‘We
have to resist viewing each life as a statistic, or a blur, or on the
news. We must do so to honor the dead, but equally important, care for
the living,’ he said from the South Portico of the White House. ‘As a
nation, we cannot and we must not let this go on.’"
It seems that the best way to make sure this doesn’t go on—at present—is to get vaccinated and to make sure everyone we know is at least on a list to do so. That might sound easy, but as we know, the challenges and distractions are many: vaccine supply never quite matches demand (it’s getting better, tho), misinformation about the vaccines abounds, and if that’s not enough, we’ve been experiencing one of the worst winters in years.
From my perspective here in Michigan, this winter has been severe, but no more crippling than any winter is; unfortunately, our topsy-turvy climate struck again: the big news from February 10-17th (if not beyond) was the totally avoidable disaster that submerged Texas and forced its people to deal with deep-freeze-triggered power outages, no heat, and serious water shortages for days on end. This one was personal for me—three of my sons live in Austin with their families and they all went through similar problems.
Texans huddling in long food lines during the deep freeze. |
The results were rolling blackouts and sky-high power bills due to supply reductions caused by frozen natural gas lines (unwinterized): this is what happens when even the nation’s leading energy producer tries to “go it alone,” but doesn’t create a sustainable private system for itself. Did they really think a severe winter blast would never reach them? Or did they just assume that the people would have to grin and bear the brunt of the inevitable, and pay for their power authorities’ neglect and greed on top of it? A lot of Texans would like the answers to these questions.
Meanwhile, and circling back to my original thought here, we have another astrological new year on the horizon, and even though there will be no crystal “ball drop” to mark the occasion, it will click into place when the Sun enters Aries on March 20th, producing a chart that could tell us something about the coming solar year. The onset of spring has a way of changing things, even in the worst of times, doesn’t it? If we’re lucky, we'll be able to throw open our windows for a good breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. Tradition has it that a fixed rising sign indicates a chart that will hold sway the entire year, and that’s what we have here. Let’s take a look.
Chart #1. Sun enters Aries, March 20, 2021, 5:37:19 a.m. DST, Washington, D.C. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node. All charts cast, courtesy of Kepler 8.0 Cosmic Patterns software.
Aquarius rises; Jupiter (Aquarius rises in 12th house and conjoins ASC. It appears that we have a change-oriented, but basically optimistic year ahead. Jupiter trines Moon (Gemini), so it also appears that We the People will be feeling this rising optimism, although with Moon also trine Jupiter/Saturn (midpoint, Aquarius), it’s possible that the optimism will be tempered by practical necessity and responsibility. A good time to rebalance priorities and adjust policy agendas to fit the most pressing needs. Structural changes (some that may feel repressive) are indicated here, especially considering both Jupiter and Saturn have recently entered their respective 3Q phases with Uranus (Taurus). In fact, Saturn is still within orb of squaring Uranus in this chart—attempts to use the law to overturn some important checks and balances are likely. More specifics about those cycles ahead.
Saturn (Aquarius) co-rules the chart with Uranus—Saturn from the 12th and Uranus from the 3rd house in Taurus, disposed by Venus in Pisces. Venus conjoins the Sun (Aries). The first quadrant is pretty intense in this chart, suggesting that basic human and local community needs will be the key focus. There will be continued push and pull over using legislation to fulfill those needs (Saturn-Uranus square), but there are powerful forces weighing in on the side of fulfillment, as well.
The Sun-Venus conjunction falls in the 2nd house of resources and values—helping people survive the rest of the pandemic economically is a major focus of Biden’s first COVID aid package, which should be passed and on its way into American bank accounts and communities by then. This Venus widely conjoins Neptune (Pisces) too—getting the vaccine (Neptune) into everyone’s arms will be the gift that keeps on giving, so we can hope that this conjunction bodes well for that. Venus—and more widely—Sun, sextile Pluto (Capricorn)--it appears that mortality rates will ease up, even if infection rates continue being higher than we’d like.
Jupiter (Aquarius) semi-sextiles Neptune (Pisces)--the last aspect this duo will form before launching their new cycle in April, 2022, so the infection numbers (Neptune) could still grow, but the overall thrust of the disease itself may be losing steam. Let’s hope that it doesn’t rebound with the new cycle in 2022. Jupiter and Neptune were in 3Q phase when the Spanish flu epidemic hit the news in October 1918, too and Jupiter (Cancer) had only recently begun a new cycle with Pluto (Cancer) at that time, too (as happened in 2020). Neptune rules epidemics and pandemics, but Jupiter favors lax regulations and looser restrictions on behavior, and these preferences can enable pandemic spread, so even though we see some of Jupiter’s lighter side in this chart, we have to be wary of some of its natural pitfalls, as well. This is life in a house of mirrors, folks!
More about cycles
We saw above that four key outer planetary cycles are in seriously waning state at this time and will continue waning as this Aries new year unfolds. As we’ve seen in numerous other posts, a few waning cycles can really drag down the public’s mood and outlook and can render the smallest bits of progress very difficult. With that in mind, let’s consider the cyclical index numbers for the Aries ingress.
Table 1. Cyclical index, March 20, 2021
Planetary cycle | Waxing (+) | Waning (-) | Index number |
Jup-Sat | 10.29 |
|
|
Jup-Ura |
| 282.27 |
|
Jup-Nep |
| 329.53 |
|
Jup-Plu | 24.25 |
|
|
Sat-Ura |
| 271.58 |
|
Sat-Nep |
| 319.24 |
|
Sat-Plu | 13.56 |
|
|
Ura-Nep | 47.26 |
|
|
Ura-Plu | 101.58 |
|
|
Nep-Plu | 54.32 |
|
|
Sub-totals | 251.26 | -1201.62 |
|
Cyclical Index |
|
| -951.36 |
The figures in Table 1 suggest that we’re slowly but surely working our way out of the worst waning times, but this captures only a frozen moment in time: things will probably feel considerably lighter when the 3Q phase cycles launch anew one by one over the next few years. Meanwhile, we have to work with the cosmic “hand” we’ve been dealt.
These cycles are key to resolving many of our current political and social issues—unfortunately, right along with the pandemic we’re seeing a strange parallel phenomenon of domestic terrorism—and the 3Q phase is an apt time for venting, airing out grievances, tying up loose ends and letting go of outworn realities (like white supremacist nationalism, perhaps?), so these 3Q phase cycles are worth exploring a bit further here.
To put all this into context, we’ll consider Triwheel #1 below, which sets the Aries ingress chart (Chart #1 above) against the U.S. Sibly chart and the Sibly chart, progressed to that Aries ingress moment on March 20, 2021. We’ll try to quickly extract some key highlights that speak to those waning cycles and see where they take us from there.
The connections between Jan. 6th and domestic terrorism are under investigation. |
The triwheel
Triwheel #1: (inner wheel) U.S. (Sibly) chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (middle wheel) Secondary Progressions, U.S. (Sibly) chart, for March 20, 2021, 12:00 p.m. GMT, Washington, D.C.; (outer wheel) Sun enters Aries, March 20, 2021, 5:37:19 a.m. DST, Washington, D.C.. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node. All charts cast, courtesy of Kepler 8.0 Cosmic Patterns software.
Ingress (outer wheel) Saturn (Aquarius) conjoins Sibly Progressed Moon (middle, Aquarius) and Sibly So. Node (inner, Aquarius). This progressed Moon (People) seems attuned to suffering (besides the Saturn connection here, it would have recently passed over Progressed and Sibly Pluto (Capricorn); the danger is that this suffering has and could continue to radicalize sentiments on the ground. This possibility is confirmed by Progressed Moon trine Sibly Uranus, but the Progressed Moon’s inconjunct to Sibly Venus-Jupiter (Cancer) suggests that financial assistance (even with strings attached) could help. The nation needs to “give back” (So. Node) to its People at this time—for them and for the economy.
This same Ingress Saturn-Progressed Sibly Moon conjunction squares Ingress Uranus (Taurus), pointing to a period in which there’s a push-pull between heavy responsibilities and liberation. Saturn falls over the Sibly 2nd, here, so this push-pull could manifest in material ways. Another reason for the Biden administration to focus on grass roots economic issues—the less reason for tension, the better.
Ingress Jupiter (Aquarius) conjoins Sibly Pallas-Moon and Progressed Sibly Mercury (all Aquarius). As we noted earlier, the American people should start feeling that harsh pandemic times are lifting a bit. Local communities should be feeling a lift, but the waning Jupiter squares to Neptune (Pisces) and Uranus (Taurus) may temper the optimism a bit. Some tendencies towards extremism may surface with the Jupiter-Uranus connection—Jupiter forms a Yod with Sibly Mercury (Rx, Cancer) and Sibly Neptune (Virgo), so our recent experiences with media distortion and misinformation (the “Big Lie”), which we saw in action at the Capitol on January 6th, will probably still be an issue. The news is filled with warnings about such things, so we should probably pay attention.
Ingress Sun (Aries) falls over Sibly 4th, conjoins Ingress Venus (Pisces) and Chiron (Aries), sextiles Sibly Pluto (Capricorn) and squares Sibly Venus-Jupiter (Cancer). The fact is, every Aries ingress Sun makes some of the same aspects to Sibly points, so the most significant connections here are between this Sun and the points it is sandwiched between, Venus and Chiron. This year is likely to feature some very wounding challenges to leadership (Chiron squares Sibly Sun/Jupiter midpoint). Because Aries Sun and Chiron are disposed by Ingress Mars, which falls conjunct Sibly Uranus (Gemini), with both trined by Ingress Saturn (Aquarius), it would be a good idea for everyone in leadership to enhance their security this year. Threats against the Capitol have already been reported in the news, so there are no surprises here, but these charts suggest they should be taken seriously.
Ingress Nodal axis (Gemini-Sagittarius) cuts across Sibly horizon (DSC to ASC) and the Sibly Mars/Uranus midpoint (Gemini). Ingress Mars joins the configuration, conjunct North Node (Gemini). The 7th house placement of all this on the Gemini side suggests a focus on allies and enemies—it's interesting from this perspective that the Ingress Moon (People) falls conjunct Sibly Mars in this house. That means the Moon also t-squares Sibly Neptune opposite Ingress Neptune (Pisces). People are caught in the crosscurrents of misinformation and unrealized dreams, and the results have already proven dangerous and disastrous. The lies and underlying resentments that fueled January 6th are far from resolved, and Trump is busily working behind the scenes to leverage that discontent (his Sun and Moon1 tie very neatly into this configuration).
On another note, could the pandemic and our less-than-optimal success at fighting it also have something to do with this precarious mutable situation? Again, the faster the vaccine gets to people, the more effectively things will calm down.
Over the long run
The timeline for truly resolving and coming out on the other side of the above situations is dotted with many key planetary cycle milestones, including of the cycles that are now in waning condition. Here’s a quick guide to the cycles timeline between now and 2032—please note that I’ve highlighted the new cycle launches in yellow. This gives us an idea about the ebb and flow of “interesting times.” Periods of greater tension and division tend to happen in the years prior to those cycle launches, during the 3Q phases. Tension isn’t limited to those periods, of course, because all of these cycles interact among themselves and then together, within the most collective cycles, including Uranus-Neptune, Uranus-Pluto and, most broadly of all, Neptune-Pluto. It’s a planetary symphony, y'all, and every player has its say. It’s up to all of us to put this “music” to good use!
Table 2. Planetary cycles timelines, 2020-2032
1/2020 | Saturn-0-Pluto (22+Cap) |
4/2020 | Jupiter-0-Pluto (24+Cap) |
12/2020 | Jupiter-0-Saturn (0+Aquarius) |
1/2021 | Jupiter-90-Uranus (3Q, 6+Aq-Tau) |
2/2021 | Saturn-90-Uranus (3Q, 7+Aq-Tau) |
4/2022 | Jupiter-0-Neptune (23+Pis) |
5/2023 | Jupiter-90-Pluto (1Q, 0+Tau-Aq) |
4/2024 | Jupiter-0-Uranus (21+Tau) |
6/2025 | Jupiter-90-Neptune (1Q, 2+Can-Ari) |
2/2026 | Saturn-0-Neptune (0+Ari) |
7/2026 | Jupiter-180-Pluto (2Q, 4+Leo-Aq) |
9/2027 | Jupiter-90-Uranus (1Q, 9+Vir-Gem) |
6/2028 | Saturn-90-Pluto (1Q, 8+Tau-Aq) |
9/2028 | Jupiter-180-Neptune (2Q, 7+Lib-Ari) |
11/2029 | Jupiter-90-Pluto (3Q, 8+Sco-Aq) |
12/2029 | Jupiter-180-Saturn (2Q, 19+Sco-Tau) |
1/2031 | Jupiter-180-Uranus (2Q, 19+Sag-Gem) |
1/2032 | Jupiter-90-Neptune (3Q, 12+Cap-Ari |
6/2032 | Saturn-0-Uranus (28+Gem) |
Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former educator. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years; see the Publications tab on the home page for her two most recent publications, A Silver Lining in Aquarius: Engineering the Future with the 2020 Jupiter-Saturn cycle, and Pluto’s Sibly Return: Revisiting Paine’s Common Sense for Transformational Times..
For information about individual chart readings, contact: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2021. All rights reserved.