THE SPRING SEASON, FROM AN ASTROLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Who doesn’t look forward to spring?

There’s a freshness that lifts our chin and puts a touch of bounce in our step. And this spring - with vaccines rolling out! - is a whole different spring than last year.

That’s why I had my seasonal conversation with my favourite karmic astrologer, Marielle Croft (croftastrologer.com) the other day - a few days before the Spring Equinox. I knew we all wanted to peek around the spring corner and see what possibilities lie ahead.

JONNI:  Happy Spring, Marielle. So does this spring start off differently than last spring, according to the planetary influences?

MARIELLE: Happy Spring! At this time last year, we were knocked out by the powerful trio Saturn-Pluto-Jupiter in Capricorn, a conjunction that held together during all of 2020. 

Now we are just barely starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the different vaccines that came to life in record time. 

So in 2021, we’re still not out of the woods yet, but the year is progressively becoming much more palatable. 

The Spring Equinox is when the day and the night are each 12 hours long, making it a time of balance and poise. The Spring Equinox will occur on Saturday, March 20th, 2021, at 2:39 am, PDT. That’s when the Sun moves into the sign of Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, a fire sign full of vitality and passion.

As the Sun sits happily in Aries, it is well supported by Saturn in Aquarius and the Moon in Gemini. 

Saturn is at home in Aquarius, and is more open and creative. It brings an energy of creativity, invention, originality, and willingness to try new things. It’s helped by Jupiter which is also in Aquarius, and marching ahead just like an avatar, preparing the way for an important person or project or event to come.

Jupiter is the most benefic of all the planets. This year, it’s gaining in power as it traverses Aquarius ahead of Saturn. Indeed, when Jupiter leaves Aquarius in the Fall it will culminate in more goodness as it arrives into Pisces, its own sign. 

So, its job, for now, is to ease the way for important innovative work that Saturn is in charge of. In other words, Jupiter brings the blessings, and Saturn follows as if walking on sacred ground.

So basically, what comes from Aquarius this year is a general renewal in all sectors of our society. 

Change is inevitable and everywhere. We are beginning to adjust and to be changed by the emergence of a new culture, the age of Aquarius. This is an age of more inventions, more technology, more space exploration possibilities, etc.

No doubt, there are potentials in the fields of discovery, science, and technology that will take our breath away. 

Just the other day, a report was presented on the possibility to create 3D printing of human organs. If that becomes possible, there won’t be the need anymore to wait for donors! We are not there yet but… hey…

JONNI: That sounds amazing! Okay, can you talk about the lunar nodes at this time? I know how significant they are in the grand picture of it all.

MARIELLE: Oh, yes. So our Spring Equinox is also supported by the Moon in Gemini as I said. Lunar nodes are the magnetic points made by the Moon. They’re not planets, but they do have an influence on our life. 

The South Node - where the energy takes its starting place - is in Sagittarius.

The North Node - where the energy is moving forward to - is in Gemini. 

This is a very good placement for them. It’s as if they are with their best friends in those signs. It suggests collaboration, communication, and open-mindedness are more natural and present than in other times.

Now, the Spring Equinox Moon in Gemini is very close to the North Node which is helping people find ways to work together as a collective or in groups. There’s no doubt that during the spring season, some associations and projects will come together in a way that may not seem as powerful at first, but may leave an important breakthrough in the near future, one that will be called ‘pioneering’. 

In Gemini with the North Node and the Moon, there is also Mars - the very ruler of Aries. Aries is the initiator of the spring season. Mars gives courage to people with new ideas. And time will reveal some of them as global triggers for positive change. 

This really feels like a big spotlight at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

The feeling of benevolence really permeates the spring atmosphere as well with human-love Venus and divine-love Neptune together in their best sign of Pisces.

JONNI: Ahhh. You paint a lovely picture, Marielle. And I know that the themes of resolution and renewal keep coming up, and I know it’s not just about the season of spring, but rather a dramatic change in the planetary influences. Can you confirm and elaborate on this?

MARIELLE: Absolutely! The spring season will definitely give it a good kick start. The sign of Aquarius, as well as people born in that sign, seems to be the leading force for change throughout the year. 

Aquarius is a sign of high frequency associated with Soul desires, as opposed to Ego desires which are coming from self-serving inspirations. Soul desires are for the welfare of all, including nature, life in all forms, evolution.

Aquarius has two rulers: Saturn and Uranus. This year, these two planets are not in agreement. From Taurus, Uranus can be somehow erratic with unexpected possibilities. 

Taurus rules nature, the environment, shelter, food, clothing, money, economy, and wealth - all sectors that have been suffering during the peak of Covid-19. Taurus is the only sign where Uranus is not at all comfortable. 

Uranus is fast, light, electrical, intuitive, inventive, and very free. In Taurus, Uranus is pulled down into the most earthy and grounded atmosphere where it seems to be choking. It’s a prisoner of circumstances more than in charge of them. We can easily see how this has manifested globally with businesses closing down temporarily or permanently, people off work, back to work, off work again, and the government investing more and more money to help people, to buy vaccines, to support here and there - all this money coming in the end from our own pocket through taxes.

The global economy appears to be in a state of disorganization which nobody was prepared for: how to rebalance finances, create new jobs, invest in projects that are more environmentally friendly, invest in humanitarian structures to end abuse, racism, poverty, and what not… 

Uranus is a planet of renewal and sometimes of rebellion.

The cacophony created from its passage in the sign of Taurus is probably the shake-up we needed globally so we had no choice but to review how we manage our survival needs. And this time perhaps, being more attentive to the needs of ALL humans as well as the environment.

Uranus will hold its grip (struggle) in Taurus until later in 2025. Its tension with Saturn in Aquarius will only last during 2021 though. The two Aquarius rulers are not in harmony together but, in a way, their lack of collaboration will only highlight where we are left from the old culture that we are now moving out of, which is now progressively transforming.

Global consciousness could be much more prominent in the coming few years because of that crisis.

JONNI: Got it. Okay, and what about Pluto? We’re still being influenced by Pluto for a while yet, right? What does that look like?

MARIELLE: Ahhh Pluto, Pluto, Pluto!

Pluto's style is to create chaos before bringing about a new order.

It always works for the highest good even if that might not be so obvious while we’re in the middle of it.

Pluto is in Capricorn from early 2008 to spring 2023. Capricorn represents the structures of society, culture, education, general systems that we are familiar with which create a sense of order and safety. Basically, it is the archetype of what is known as the ‘patriarchal system’. 

In a patriarchal society, there are leaders and followers. There’s discrimination too causing some to judge others as being less than. For example, women have long been considered inferior to men; different cultures may have caused some to be suspicious of the difference, and perhaps even becoming racists, to name just a few.

Pluto is also the master of war. It tends to prefer violent manifestation to reach a goal.

Quite frankly, Pluto's the prince of darkness and hell. 

Pluto's influence has been much amplified during the trio of Saturn-Pluto-Jupiter in Capricorn of 2020. The visible impact of Pluto in action is that the world has become extremely polarized. Much more so than in recent years. 

In the past couple of years, and particularly in 2020, extreme reactions on social media, as well as extreme radicalism, have emerged more violently than ever before.

On January 6th, 2021, the riot at Capitol Hill, in Washington DC, was a perfect example of Plutonian chaos. The angry mob was not protesting toward a clear goal; they were forging ahead in the most chaotic way possible. 

These are the final manifestations of the patriarchal culture. They are not pretty expressions, but they’re probably the final survival efforts of a time that is now already over. 

The cleansing of the patriarchal karmic shadows will continue with this polarization for a little while yet. Meanwhile, though, the Aquarian era is making its way and will soon inspire differently, bringing new light into the world. So this current spring Equinox already carries lots of fertile and creative force for us to be hopeful and inspired.

JONNI: Yes! Now, the themes of change, change, change, continue to come up for me in my discussions with others. What influences are really promoting this right now? 

MARIELLE: Change is everywhere and inevitable. Sometimes with grace, sometimes with chaos. But, in the end, it’s all going as it should and where it should. 

It’s worth mentioning that Neptune, a planet of deep spiritual love, continues to be in Pisces since 2012, and for 13 years. 

Neptune is at home in this sign. Neptune and Pisces are very low profile. It can be likened to the hermit lifestyle of meditating in a cave. 

So, while there is all this noise and chaos out there, there’s also more and more people invested in their spiritual advancement. 

Modern spiritual Masters are bringing together amazing techniques based on advanced knowledge in psychology, brain functions, DNA potential, scientific research on the frequencies of brain waves in meditation, the frequencies and alignment of the chakras, of the increased vibrancy of the human magnetic field, and access to the unified field, and more. For those aspiring to spiritual awakening, progress can be really fast because of all this new knowledge.

Covid-19 has been helpful in that thousands of people were able to gather online all at once to study the same spiritual topics and to meditate together from all over the world. Thousands of them, at once! The global impact of such activity is immensely powerful to elevate humankind’s frequency significantly. 

Although very real and known by those involved, this amazing fact is not presented in the news where we are exposed mostly to the dark side of the global picture. This vibrant spiritual energy builds and builds rapidly and, yet, in true Neptune-Hermit-in-Pisces-Cave fashion, it is not visible out there yet, except for those who recognize the signs. The time will soon come when the scale will tip and the world will lean more towards holistic life consciously aligned with heart, soul, and body. This too is an important dimension in this time of global change.

JONNI: Amen. Okay, everyone wants to know about the next Mercury Retrograde and I know there’s one coming in spring. Can you give us the dates and what to expect?

MARIELLE:  Mercury is a planet of communication, paperwork, decision-making, signing contracts, monetary transactions, running errands, writing and studying, and more.

Being closest to the Sun, Mercury has a smaller orbit than any other planet. From our perspective, as it travels around the sun, it’ll be moving this way when in front of the sun and that way when on the other side of it. Of course, it always moves forward, round and round, but from Earth, it’s as if Mercury goes direct, then backward (retrograde), then forward again (direct). That’s what we call direct and retrograde cycles. These will happen three times every year.

When Mercury is in its retrograde cycle, mistakes, misunderstandings, forgetfulness, and delays are common. You’ll want to try and be more focused to avoid such inconveniences.

What works well during these cycles is to review, research, study, undo and redo, explore, and prepare but wait for the direct motion before launching or engaging officially.

The coming Mercury retrograde cycle will be in May/June. It’ll begin to ‘slow down’ in its pre-retrograde phase on May 14th.

Mercury will be officially retrograde from May 30th to June 22nd.

Then it will slowly resume its normal speed from June 22nd to July 7th in the post-retrograde phase.

This is an important cycle since Mercury will be at home in its own sign Gemini for the entire duration of the three phases from May 14 to July 7th. The activities of the mind and communication dominate. No doubt that excellent new ideas will emerge during this time that may make a huge difference later. 

Writers, public speakers, artists, reporters and journalists will certainly be more inspired and busy during this time. It’s an excellent opportunity to get some training and to take classes in any direction that pleases your fancy.

People may feel more nervous in general and talk before thinking or could make decisions on the whim of the moment. That’s not a good idea! As we say in French - turn your tongue seven times in your mouth before speaking (wink!).

JONNI: Haha. I love it. Thank you so much for this head’s up, Marielle. I wish you all the best this spring and let’s have a follow-up conversation at the beginning of summer later in the year. Bye for now.

MARIELLE:  It’s always a pleasure to share this way. Looking forward to our next conversation.