Aries in all its glory

Fri 8 April – Thurs 21 April


Sun in Aries; Mercury in Aries retro; Venus in Pisces; Mars in Aries

The mighty, self-centred yang energy of Sun, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus all in Aries at present is counteracted only by Venus in self-sacrificing Pisces and Saturn in opposing you-centred Libra. When visionary poet and artist William Blake said “Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained” he was talking like a man under the influence of the Aries potencies upon us now. The drive to fulfill our personal ego desires is so strong now yet opposing this is Saturn in Libra obliging us to treat each other fairly and strive for balance and integrity. Also our ability to play by the rules in relationships will be tested. This is a time during which we explore our personal boundaries in partnership. Just how much a partnership limits us becomes glaringly apparent, in the usual ways but also in terms of our own fear of losing someone, or fear of rejection, and how that fear might limit our personal freedom. Fortunately Saturn moves slowly and will spend more than a year in Libra still, allowing us time to deal with and master these relationship challenges. However, it is the current fast-paced planets in Aries that bring out the personal ego desires which may create challenges to relationships with others. On the positive side though, there is courage and an adventurous spirit to go out and make new friends, so don’t be shy to make the first move.



South Africa’s President Zuma, with Sun in Aries, was well placed as leader of the military wing of the then terrorist ANC and here he is at the head of the ruling party today. However, his growing collection of wives suggests that fairness and equality in his partnerships is taking second place to the satisfaction of his personal ego desires. Of course his warrior Zulu nation sees nothing wrong in these actions, and his wives seem to tolerate him having extra-marital sex with HIV-positive young women, although I wonder how many other South Africans are embarrassed to have such a leader representing them on the world stage? The Aries Archetype makes natural leaders. However, a good leader is a servant of his subjects or followers and – more importantly – a role model, for as Bhagavad-gita says, “What great men do others will follow”. With Mercury still retrograde in Aries, we have the ideal time to rethink, reflect and review our leaders as well as research the options before re-electing when Mercury goes direct in the month ahead.



Generally the mind will continue to be rather excitable and want to express itself on impulse now, so be prepared for possible heated words and Trickster tactics. Right brain activity is favoured along with the inner subjective experience of things and ideas may get lost in translation, so if you can’t get your point across, try drawing a picture. Besides that, Venus in Pisces now may find us more sensitized to pictures, music and moods of others, hopefully inspiring compassion without making us feel overly vulnerable or dependent on the need to be loved and feeling at a loss without that. All this is possible so keep an eye on how many stray dogs you adopt and balance the simultaneous ego inflation possible under all the Aries influences by setting the trend and taking a leading role in being of service to those who are vulnerable or oppressed, whether by society and circumstance or by their own minds and bodies.

FRUITIVE REMIX
Due to his particular type of body, the materialistic living entity wanders from one planet to another. following fruitive activities. In this way, he involves himself in fruitive activities and enjoys the fruits incessantly. The living entity gets a suitable body with a material mind and senses, according to his fruitive activities. [Srimad Bhagavat Purana ]

I SING THE BODHI:
Oh my bodhi I dare not desert the likes of you in other men and women, nor the parts of you; I believe the likes of you are to stand with the likes of the soul, (and that they are the soul); I believe the likes of you shall stand... they are my poems. [Whalt Whitman remix]

Sri Sri Radha Capetownishvara

 "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock’s feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids."


[Bramha Samhita] 

The Great Sankirtan in the sky

Hold onto your hats

Fri 25 March – Thurs 7 April


Sun in Aries; Mercury in Aries (retro 29th); Venus in Aqua/Pisces 27th; Mars in Pisces/Aries 2nd

Listen, let’s not beat about the bush here, Sun and Mercury in active Aries means it’s time to forge ahead along new paths, lead the charge and start the ball rolling in the direction of your choosing. Oops…hang on a moment, what about Mercury’s retrograde from March the 29th? Telling the ram to halt his charge is like trying to put a tsunami on pause. Someone is going to get very hot and frustrated and blow the lid to his reactor. Even more so from April 2nd, when Mars also enters his own sign of Aries. Talk about an impulsive urge to push forward without forethought. This is a great time for those who see or need to see life as a battlefield, (or more civilly as a cricket field). The mood is brave, bold and courageous though not always courteous. Since there is no use in trying to curb your enthusiasm, or your competitive drive at this time, the best one can do is redirect that explorative pioneering spirit from the world out there to the inner path of the self. Mercury retrograde in Aries is best used to look at yourself. Aries is, after all the “I am” archetype, where “me first” has its roots. Forge ahead by all means, explore new and uncharted territory, go where no man has gone before, but realize first that the most important direction, the largest expanse of the unknown waiting to be mapped, the newest and most exciting realm filled with unimagined treasures asking to be discovered, is within. Any new external projects started now under the influence of the retrograde may have to be redone or repeated in some way, but by turning the explorative, initiatory impulse inward on yourself, and making your Self the centre of attention in the spirit of Aries, you harness the current trend in a positive way that prevents butting your head against a brick wall or locking horns with others.



Your mental trigger finger is likely to be not only itchy now but also quick to draw conclusions and once out there the bullet of your thoughtless words said in the heat of the moment will be hard to retract and could lead to injuries you later regret. Therefore, with the competitive masculine libidinal energy of Mars in Aries at its strongest from April 2nd onwards, by all means strive forth with all the enthusiasm and impulsive courage available to you, but remember the retrograde Mercury pulling the thought processes inward and become a pioneer of consciousness. The world always needs more explorers bold enough to enter still further into the uncharted territory of the psyche and return with a map, samples of the potential treasure available and the audacity to say “I did it first, and where I am, you can also be”. The triple Aries influence facilitates going it alone as opposed to team efforts so give yourself the time and opportunity and harness the unrestricted drive available to you. “I did it my way” could be the theme song of the moment, and God help those who get in the way of this independent, headstrong, spontaneous and easily aroused mood. Patience, self-control and humility are the qualities you will be most challenged to cultivate during this fiery time. Fortunately we have been here before and previous spiritual warriors have put warning buoys and sirens to alert us. The alarm bells are ringing, it’s time for fight or flight and fortune favours the bald.

Equinox but twice a year

Fri 11 March – Thurs 24 March 2011

Sun in Pisces/Aries 21 Mar; Mercury in Aries; Venus in Aqua; Mars in Pisces
The difference between this and last fortnight’s Pisces influences is that, although Sun and Mars are still floating on those same Neptunian tides, led by an unseen call or uncharted star, Mercury - now at the helm in Aries – is feeling much more decisive and to the point, up for a challenge and inspired by the competition of an opposing idea or unexplored territory. This can be a tricky combination, for until the equinox around the 21st, the Pisces Sun and Mars may be irrational or impractical, while the fiery Mercury intellect just wants to act, unable to be calm and contented with things as they are. This is where “active foolishness” may be considered more dangerous than “lazy foolishness”. Unless your dreams, whims or inspirations are well thought out and grounded in facts and logic, you may find yourself rushing off all amped but in a totally wrong direction, or even worse impulsively and impatiently taking foolish risks that could result in dire straits instead of giving credence to your clearwater revival. If you are living under any illusions about yourself or your position in the scheme of things, your foolishness will be obvious when you open your mouth. Possible ego inflation may arise if you forget your true identity, or even worse, start verbalizing your illusions or getting angry with those who do not see you as you see yourself.

The problem is that Sun – for a while – and Mars throughout this fortnight are apt to be highly emotional and driven by irrational impulses and deep subjective feelings as opposed to common sense. At the same time Mercury in Aries creates a thought process that is driven to act first and verify the emotional motivations later. Physical energy may also not be as available as usual, while at the same time mental energy is bursting at the seams or chomping at the bit. The result may be a passive exterior hiding an inner turmoil; or a tired, sluggish energy level or libido unable to respond to a bored or adventurous mind. The ideal synthesis of these current themes may be to work privately on any new and original artistic creations or ideas, something you can call your own and have some ego-identification with which at the same time may be of service to those in need. Whether it’s a children’s educational storybook or creative project, or perhaps a guided meditation manual or song track, or a new yoga dance technique, be content to work behind the scenes on a project that allows you to express your creative or cosmic inspirations, while at the same time avoiding the pitfall of measuring your success by the external results or anything more than your own psychic state of consciousness at the conclusion. Any feeling of solitude can be counteracted by the potential friends Venus in Aquarius can bring you, as long as you avoid being emotionally dependent on them reciprocating any deeply romantic sentiments to feel whole or complete in yourself. If you have a particular mood of, or appreciation for, songs of separation then this is the time to discover the true meaning of the separation of the lover from her beloved.