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Aries and goals…wanna know more? My latest post for Your Career & the Cosmos is here.

OK, you have been warned. For anyone who hasn’t yet done anything serious about their New Year Goals and strategies, you have another few days left of excuse making…actually, if you really wanted to, you could probably stretch it out until Saturn turns direct, but that would really be pushing it.

Anyways, tomorrow the Sun moves into Aries. If you want to be exact, it is at 3.14pm Sydney time. I guess that makes it in the early hours of the morning on the 20^th for Northern Hemisphere Readers.

In any case, it is essentially New Years Day as far as the Astrological Year goes. Which, come to think of it, makes tonight New Years Eve…again. So, what better reason to raise a glass to the end of the Astro year and rashly declare some new resolutions on the stroke of midnight, or thereabouts.

This is especially the case given that the Moon will have moved into delusional, illusional Pisces just an hour or so before. So we have fresh Pisces Moon energy (how hard can it be?) and brand spanking new Aries energy (Just flipping Do IT!). Put them together and you have some pretty interesting resolutions…

Essentially you have until the New Moon, in just a day or so, to finish off anything that needs finishing, banish anything that needs banishing, and letting anything go that needs to be let go.

The entry of the Sun into Aries also marks the Autumn Equinox (here in the South) and the Spring Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere). Both are marked as seasonal gateways.

Spellbox, my favourite place for all things wiccan and pagan had this to say on their facebook page this morning:

“Although many people associate this tradition only with Samhain, the falling leaves of autumn reminded the ancients of the cycle of life and death. The Druids cut willow wands for divination at this time and fires were lit for protection from negative spirits. In Scotland and Wales the spilling of wine was a symbolic sacrifice to the god at Madon and the ancient Romans marked this date with wine at the Festival of Dionysus.”

Personally, I intend doing as the Romans did and mark the date with wine.

The Sun moves into Aries tomorrow. To whet your appetite a little, last years Aries’ post (with a few minor tweaks) dedicated to my favourite Aries peeps- you know who you are…after all, it really IS all about you

Astrologers’ attitudes to Sun signs are a little like parents who have a heap of kids- you love them all and even though you know that you shouldn’t, you do have your favourites. Just like parents, there are days where you would sell certain ones for the price of a cupcake. We clash with those who are either most like us, or are so different that we can’t understand them. Then there is always the one who is so exasperating and so annoying and so frustrating and yet so goddamn irresistible that we can’t help but lavish a little extra attention.

For me, this is always Aries. I make no apology. I have Venus in Aries so Aries type things and Aries type people make me feel good and excited and alive- which is lucky as I am surrounded by Rams. My daughter has 4 Aries planets (including a 4^th house Sun) and my 6ft whatever baby brudda and my absolute bestest male friend are both 1^st house Aries Sun & Mars.

This post is especially for my favourite Rams, with my love- you know who you are- as chaotic, exhausting and addictive as you are.

For Aries winning, being first, leading the pack is not a preferred option, it is a birthright, a destiny almost. Aries is about life force, will, courage and an absolute desire to achieve- at all costs. With this will come independence, assurance and unapologetic selfishness.  The biggest challenge for Aries is to learn to pick which battles he really wants to fight, to learn what can and what can’t be controlled or changed. On the rare occasions he loses or stuffs up, he will quickly turn it around and move on.

Aries will blaze trails, fight fires and accept dares. In doing so, the Ram is a stress magnet and manages to create crises in order to solve them and prove his courage. Sometimes it is as if he is whirling from challenge to challenge simply for the sake of perpetual motion. As such, “burn out” or adrenal exhaustion is the most common health problem for Aries- when your body just says it has had enough.

Similarly, Aries can be quite accident prone- again because of carelessness as a result of physical exhaustion or fearlessness. Aries Rising, in particular, will carry scars from previous battles, mishaps or tree climbing incidents, or- as in the case of my Aries Rising brudda & Aries Rising (Capricorn) sister- train throwing, toy gun throwing or bike/clothesline collisions. As the Ram usually charges head first, horns down, most scars will be around the head. This is usually an Aries Rising give-away.

At the other end of the spectrum, Aries can easily become depressed or ill when he feels that he doesn’t have a challenge or has lost “himself” in the service or responsibility of others. Aries can also have health issues when fear replaces courage. He may also have little tolerance for the health issues of others in fear that it might be catching and his vitality will be diminished as a result. In order to keep the flame burning, Aries does have to keep moving. A bored Aries will pick a fight or create a crisis just for the sake of having a fire to fight. A fearful Aries will hide behind excuses and coulda woulda shouldas. But Aries asserting his will? Well, that’s just plain remarkable.

Aries loves impetuously, completely and quickly, but needs challenge and movement to keep the fire alive. For Aries of both sexes, the hunt is the most exciting part of the game. Space and personal freedom is also important for both sexes to stay healthy and creative. Aries will respond to confinement and loss of independence and purpose with chronic poor health.

If he wants you an Aries man will chase hard and fast. I dare anyone (let alone an impressionable naive fish with a faulty man radar) to resist his impulsive, impetuous, energetic and completely whole hearted pursuit for long. You will believe every line he spins and every “us together forever” dream he shares. He will be so totally there and unable to be ignored that when the passion of the hunt moves to another you will be devastated…and just a little exhausted.

The Aries man has an almost domineering sex appeal- you can’t help but notice or be affected by his presence- especially if Mars is also in Aries. This doesn’t mean that he will be a “no neck”, “knuckle-dragging” hunk of insensitive testosterone and missing links- this is definitely not the case, although if you follow the cliches, you might be confused into thinking this is who he is. Sure this is a physical sign, but that is way too one dimensional for this man. He will, however, usually be body conscious, works to maintain his fitness and has, shall we say, huge amounts of energy. He will encourage you to look after yourself as well and will make an excellent training partner. He will sweep you off your feet, and will pop you up on a pedestal and blame you if you fall off. He will take charge, solve your problems and inject you with some of his enthusiasm. He can be tactless, honest, incredibly competitive and totally irresistible. He is a knight in shining armour.

He will need space to move and will run a mile if he feels that he needs you too much or if he feels you are trying to control him. The only way to keep an Aries man is on a very long leash and with him believing that he is not in any way dependent on you for anything. He likes to think your world revolves around him and will want to know that he is the best you have ever had… and, if you can handle the pace, he very well may be! Challenge, mutual discovery and the occasional battle of wills (followed by make- up sex) will keep his interest. Although he wants to win, he wants the outcome to be worth the effort and is suspicious and bored with easy victories.

One of the most asked questions on the search engine is How do I keep my Aries boyfriend? Second only to “how do I piss off an Aries?” (I’m serious…) The answer (to the first) is simply that you can’t- not if he doesn’t want to be kept…ever tried to move a merino ram? And seriously, why would you want to? You fell in love with him and all of his wonderful, willful and frustrating habits. Why would you want to constrain or contain that? The answer to the 2^nd? Quite easily… and covered here and here.

The Aries woman is independent, self assured and direct. She will say what she thinks and is prepared to suffer the consequences. She knows what and who she wants and can’t be faffed waiting for him to make the first move. She doesn’t play games and will tell you clearly what she needs. She has energy to burn and will fight for her man and her children. She will, however, suffer if locked in a relationship where her own needs are secondary to those of others. This is not a woman who thrives in a boring or unchanging relationship.

She will push to achieve in the workplace, as long as she can withstand external pressures of what and who she should be. In such instances fear can overshadow courage. Even if not in the workplace she needs external meaningful interests and causes or battles to fight. The Aries woman can look after herself and needs a man who appreciates her strength and who is prepared to give her personal and creative freedom. Without this, resentment will breed and despondency and ill health will follow.

The Sun is said to be exalted, or exaggerated in Aries. The Sun is dramatic and creative in “look at me, all about me” Leo, but in Aries it is pioneering, adventurous and very much “this is my life”. Aries takes the energy of the Sun and turns it into something amazing. Embrace this, and act- don’t just think about it or talk about it… get out there and do it. No regrets, no excuses.

Check out the lyrics from “Pandemonium” by the Pet Shop Boys. See the video on YouTube.

There’s only so much you can learn in one place,

The more that I wait the more time that I waste

Symbalon Cards

Uranus is now in Aries, albeit briefly. He turns retrograde by July 6 and will be back in Pisces for one last burst by mid August before leaving the sign of the fishies in March 2011.

Uranus takes around 84 years to make his way around the zodiac, so spends around 7 years in each sign. Because of this, Uranus (along with the even slower moving Neptune and Pluto) are referred to as being generational planets- rather than defining an individual, they have the ability to define a generation. How they become individual to your chart is by their house position and aspects to any personal planets.

Because they move so slowly, anytime that any of the big 3 outer planets change signs, it becomes a pretty big deal. It is the aspects they make to your personal planets and chart points by transit that makes astrologers sit up and take notice when it comes to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Their speed (or rather lack thereof) is such that the change they bring when they connect with your chart is karmic and major.

On the flip side, transits by the quicker moving planets affect little more than your general mood on a particular day. For example, a connection by transiting Venus to your ascendant should mean that on that particular day you will feel pretty oh so pretty. At the very least, your hair will behave itself and that looming pimple won’t raise its angry head.

If that transit to the Ascendant was made by Uranus, expect some major changes. The transit may last for a number of months as you can get up to 3 hits (possibly more if we are talking about Neptune and Pluto) as Uranus may cross the same point direct, then in retrograde and then re-tracing his steps when he turns direct again.

As an example, Uranus was within 2 degrees of my ascendant (and squaring my mid-heaven) for a couple of months in 2006, most of 2007 and through to around April 2008. During that period of time, my physical appearance underwent massive change. In short, something clicked in my brain and I had a restlessness in my chest that couldn’t be ignored. I grew my hair long (for the 1^st time in my life), discovered curls I had no idea existed and refused to straighten it. I started adding a few blonde foils until I was virtually blonde, lost 15kgs extremely quickly (and unhealthily) and added some ink to my hip. My corporate suit separates went into the charity bag and I began studying astrology seriously. I did some other pretty stupid things too. Essentially by the time the transit was complete my mask had been transformed and the new me was no longer bright and shiny.

My husband has been heard to comment that at times during that period he had no idea who he was married to (but is now getting used to the new substantially more defiant and less pliable version). I get questioned by Immigration every time my passport is examined (thankfully it is nearing expiry and can be refreshed) and my mother is still says how much more sensible Joanne looked when her hair was shorter- so much tidier and more professional. When I first started studying astrology my poor father spent some anxious moments trying to work out where they had gone wrong: “where does she get these ideas from? She was more sensible before she grew her hair”. And as for my work access card…well, suffice to say that needs to be updated as well.

Indeed, the impact of a Uranus contact is substantially more life changing than a good hair day.

Uranus is the Joker in the planetary pack. He shakes up life, coming at you from completely unexpected directions, all the while causing havoc wherever you need a nudge to get moving. The area of life that will be taking the impact will be the house that Uranus is moving through. Sudden flashes of insight will come from nowhere. The only thing that is predictable with Uranus is his very unpredictability.

The other thing that can be expected with Uranus contacts is that the more you resist the harder you make it for yourself. This is probably the most important take home message about Uranus. If, like me, you have always been the good girl, done exactly what has been expected of you, studied hard and followed the path that was neatly laid out, if that path is not right for you, if you have been faking it or living someone elses idea of What Your Life Should Be, a Uranus transit will come along and knock you for absolute six… and there is no going back- no matter how painful and disruptive the whole thing feels at the time.

Uranus is asking you to be real and individually you in whatever area of life he is transiting. In my example, he moved straight from my Mercury to my Ascendant to my Sun, Chiron and my Moon (which will get another two passes before Uranus leaves Pisces for good) and between them all a few times. This is a pretty major 1^st house transit by any standards. Because of the way my chart is structured, every planet and chart point has been directly impacted by Uranus over the last 4 years. That is, with the exception of Saturn who, in the 1^st degree of Aries, is enjoying all the attention now.

So, what can we expect with Uranus moving into Aries? What happens when the Great Individuator (yes, that is a made up word, but given that I am talking about Uranus, it is perfectly acceptable to invent words) moves into the most staunchly independent sign of all?

Uranus demands rebellion and revolution… and in JFDI (Just Flipping Do It) Aries, that is exactly what can happen. Absolute Pandemonium. Cool.

Just about every sports advertising slogan has been based on Aries. No Fear. Write Your Own History. Don’t Back Down. No Way Back. Losing is Not an Option. Aries is the adventurer, the pioneer, the warrior. Aries is impatient, intolerant and has to be first with no time to wait. Absolute Pandemonium. Cool.

I haven’t got much time to waste
It’s time to make my way
I’m not afraid of what I’ll face
But I’m afraid to stay
I’m going down my road and I can make it alone
I’ll work and I’ll fight till I find a place of my own

My friend AstroSparkles had this to say about the global energy:

“Do not be surprised if this energy, combined with that of Pluto in Capricorn, causes more uprising, more revolution, more war. Primarily because Pluto is shaking things up on the authority front – and Uranus is bringing about the challenge, change & revolution, courtesy of the sign of war. Aries is not a tolerant sign – and tolerance, the domain of Pisces, is being left behind.”

If you have planets or chart points (in particular the Ascendant, Sun or Moon) in the 1^st few degrees of Aries, Libra, Cancer or Capricorn get ready for a wild but hugely exciting ride. Those with planets in the early degrees of Leo and Sagittarius will also get a wake-up call as Uranus will form a trine aspect to these points.

A Uranus transit can be the roller-coaster thrill ride of the zodiac. Will you be jumping into the carriage and belting yourself in with anticipation or offering to stay below and hold the bags? Personally, I hold the family record for the most number of times on the Corkscrew at Sea World in a row (14 in case you are interested) and am the first to grab the adrenaline rush that is rides like Extreme Speed at the Easter Show, so really there was no question of hesitation. Will you?

 Are you ready to jump
Get ready to jump
Don’t ever look back oh baby
Yes, I’m ready to jump
Just take my hand
get ready to jump

…Life’s gonna drop you down like a limb from a tree
It sways and it swings and it bends until it makes you see
…I’ll work and I’ll fight till I find a place of my own
It sways and it swings and it bends until you make it your own

Lyrics from Jump, by Madonna.

This Aries New moon, do it like the Babylonians- by returning borrowed farm equipment. WTF? Findout here.