The Sun enters Aries at 11:34 am EDT on March 20, 2022 this year, beginning a new astrological year. Austin Coppock, in his long-overdue-for-a-second-edition book called 36 Faces, called this decan “The Double Bladed Axe” or labrys, one of the symbols of royal authority on the island of Crete during the Minoan era, about 1600 BCE or so.
Minos, for whom the Minoan era is named, was a king of Crete who ruled from the palace of Knossos, which was built atop a giant labyrinth of confusing passages and tunnels where the bellowing and angry monster the Minotaur lived. Minos’s wife, Pashiphae, had been cursed by the gods to fall in love with a bull, and had become pregnant with its child. Half-man, half-bull, and ravenous for human flesh, the Minotaur was hidden in the labyrinth and kept away from King Minos’s subjects. Instead, he exacted tribute of seven young men and seven young women every year, from city-states in Greece and Asia Minor, to feed the Minotaur’s insatiable appetites.
The Labyrinth is a name that Austin Coppock gave to another decan, Pisces I, where the Minotaur might also appear. Yet in Aries I, its presence is suspect. Why reference King Minos here, and the double-bladed axe? It might be because King Minos was one of the mortals selected to be a judge of the dead in the underworld after his death. Since he had been fair and just even to the Minotaur because it was a creature sent by the gods, and it was not his destiny to kill it, the council of deities reasoned that Minos would be equally fair to his fellow humans, and judge them honestly for their crimes and villainies: sending some to the Elysian Fields for heroism, others to the pits of Tartarus for eternal torment, and others to the ordinary underworld — the dark and shadowy caves filled with ghosts.
And Aidoneus (which means “the ruler of many,” as I wrote about last year) is also Hades — The Hidden One, but also “the rich one” as implied by the title Plouton…. We don’t actually know the name of the underworld deity that rules the land of the dead in Greek mythology. It’s a secret that did not survive the collapse of classical Greek religion by the third century AD.
Spring is a good time for dividing the world twice — into the four kinds of knowledge, the known knowns, the unknown knowns, the known unknowns, and the unknown unknowns. The known knowns are probably pretty clear to you, generally: you know the city you live in, the work you do, the person or institution that pays you, the people in your friends group. The known unknowns may also be relatively clear to you, too: you may know that your friend Bob had a first wife, but not know her name; you may know that Elaine used to work somewhere else before she became your co-worker, but not where or what she did there — you may not even know why she was selected out of hundreds of applicants to work at the desk next to yours. You might even be one of those people who thinks endlessly about what happened to Uncle Frank’s soul now that he’s dead, or why Aunt Mildred fears the idea of hell even though she’s the saintliest person you know. You might have less clarity about the unknown knowns, like why you became interested in sourdough baking in the late summer and fall of 2020, or why you have 75 pounds of rice in storage in your basement, or why your cousin bought a chest freezer last Christmas, or why you have a particular fascination with trains. Where things get dicey is with the unknown unknowns: the troubles and turmoils in the world that can disrupt your life, confuse your plans, and make mincemeat of your hopes and dreams. What you don’t know you don’t know, is far scarier and strange than we like to admit. And yet there are friends in these places. Where are the gaps in your information? Where do the many paths carry you toward your eventual appointment with the Ruler of Many? What paths are clear, and which ones are shadowed? Why do you constantly turn away from that one particularly dark place, where even your monsters and bogeymen fear to tread?
Planetary Placements
The Sun is above the horizon and approaching the Midheaven, making this a day chart with a strong emphasis on public rather than private affairs. Most planets are on one side of the North-South Node Axis, but the Moon’s presence in Libra prevents this from being a full “belly of the beast” configuration. All the same, most of the planets are above the horizon, meaning that private or personal economic issues are taking a back seat to the political issues on the front burners. The Ascendant is in the first decan of Cancer The Mother and Child, raising questions of whether the mother or the child is most in need of protecting right now.
The Moon in Libra’s last degree and in the fourth house opposite the Sun, puts it in the Seventeenth Mansion of the Moon, The Crown, a place reminding us to protect resources, guard our households, and secure what is ours against predatory persons and practices. Venus is the ruler and her trine from Aquarius in company with Saturn suggests that it’s time for tighter boundaries than usual, while Mars offers a fair bit of aggressive counsel.
Pluto in Capricorn’s last decan, The Throne gives both our partners — and our open foes— considerably more autonomy and freedom of action than we have ourselves. Vast wealth and potential access to resources are currently in the balance, but most of all power — and power must be not merely implied but demonstrated at times. Supporting a partner in the exercise of power is important, but be alert for the ways that rivals and foes may square up on your practices.
Mars, Venus, Saturn, and the Lot of Fortune occupy Aquarius and the eighth house. The eighth house indicates the place of duty and responsibility. Venus and Mars in Aquarius II Heaven and Earth, point to us having responsibility to negotiate in good faith, and to fight for what we think is important; there is a sense of war in the skies and in the mud here, but simultaneous negotiation. Saturn in Aquarius III The Knot reminds us that there are uncrossable boundaries — or perhaps it’s fairer to say that there are frontiers that, once crossed, cannot be undone. The Lot of Fortune sits in Aquarius I The Mark of Exile, promising that wealth and reward come by taking the long way around, and seeing opportunities that others cannot.
The Midheaven in Pisces I The Labyrinth, Mercury, Jupiter in Pisces II The Net, and Neptune in Pisces III The Cup of Blood, serve as stark warnings that it is time to learn from mistakes and missteps, and be prepared to back off of weak bridges, not to make journeys that go too far, and to be cautious about too much zealotry. Don’t expect cooler heads to prevail — and at the same, keep reminding yourself that a hothead or two on your side is not necessarily a disadvantage.
The Sun in Aries I The Double Bladed Axe represents an emergent leader prepared to act and do their thing in a crisis. Very much in the public eye, their goal or aim is to bring down the chopper and demonstrate that they mean business. When powers on opposing sides hold fission bombs close to the chest, the flaming, blazing sun in the realm of the first decan of Aries, “the Splitter”, is a discomforting thought. Chiron, the wounded healer, stands in Aries II The Crown — reminding us that sometimes harm is necessary before healing can truly take hold. Public actions weigh heavily on leaders right now.
Uranus is in the eleventh house, indicating upheaval and difficulty among friends and allies. AT issue is the question of Taurus III The Lingam Yoni — who has power and autonomy, who has freedom of action, who is able to act and who is not? Expect these decisions to be disrupted for your allies, friends and acquaintances in the next ten days.
Horoscopes by Rising Sign
Cancer: Moon Angular and in 17th mansion, but peregrine and square. Focus your attention of making a nurturing home environment and protecting what you have. Be aware that friendship networks may be disrupted, but responsibilities are unlikely to ease. Waning moon invites you to work on completing important preparations, but be aware the first 3 days are not going to be great for parties or pleasures. Expect a certain amount of confrontation and conciliation over financial limits.
Leo: Sun exalted and angular and trine. Financial matters brought to the fore; some significant opposition from a partner about travel or entertaining expenses “on our limited budget” — but god fortune come from knowing how to have a good time on “not a lotta lira”, as my dad used to say. Help family members make responsible decisions about stocking up — not prepping but being able to ride out a few shocks. Define a few key goals for learning that will improve your career prospects, and make a friend with someone who knows those subjects. Don’t reveal your interest with an invitation to coffee, though. Make up a learning project and ask their help with it; invite them in to help you, don’t pick their brain.
Virgo: Mercury in its own term, but in opposition, detriment, fall, and cadent. Certain topics arise naturally in discussions with siblings and extended family — your long range responsibilities are likely going to be among them this week. Take a public stance on willingness to travel, but don’t commit to the plane tickets yet — the longer the trip, the more likely a disruption. Additionally, exp ect workplace concerns to pull a fast one on projects with suddenly-advanced deadlines that ned your expertise in fields like “integration” and “network unification,” and “satellite uplink for ground operations.” Yeah, make them pay for disrupting your vacation, if that’s what they did… or take it anyway.
Libra: Venus trine and succedent, but peregrine and besieged. Household management takes the driver’s seat, but you’ll have to do most of the management for yourself. There’s less money available for fun than you’d like, so be prepared to invite yourself along on an errand or two with a friend: errand-companion, like visiting a friend’s church, is a cheap date: nobody expects you to buy anything for yourself, and it would be rude to ask you to pay for their groceries. Watch out for plumbing troubles at home, expect to play negotiator in the workplace, and be considerate if your partner’s big event may push you out of the spot line for a while.
Scorpio: Mars succedent, but peregrine and square. Fun is a thing you want, but it’s elusive as household responsibilities ramp up: trying to find the right mix between ideal home life and the nitty-gritty of daily life in that household, can be challenging. A sibling or relative creates a tense situation over who’s in charge of a family matter. If you want to get some personal time, consider taking a trip somewhere, or finding an online class in something you want to do. Your skills in a topic at work could use some brushing-up, too.
Sagittarius: Jupiter domiciled in Pisces, but square, besieged and cadent. Work occupies a great deal of attention, but it’s not fun when it feels like you’re racking up points without having your own life to lead. Re-think your schedule for personal autonomy. A financial matter is being ruled by outside forces that you dislike but feel difficult to break away from. Familial responsibility requires you to make nice with conflicting goals and priorities. Household situation is fluid, but you really have to do something about the driveway. Are you doing enough to guide your friends through current turmoils?
Capricorn: Saturn domiciled and succedent, but inconjunct. What do others need is often first on your mind every day, but chances are that you’re leading in ways that prioritize people rather than mission. If people are the mission, great… if not, do you need to reassess? A budget is always guided by a mix of unavoidable limits and desired aspirations — but the natural boundaries of the current situation are probably putting more pressure on you than you thought they would. Consider reaching out to some close friends for some heart-to-heart advice, and some hard-headed truth-talking.
Aquarius: Saturn present and domiciled and succedent. You’re either feeling some heavy responsibilities or you’re aware that you’re dependent on a partner’s resources in ways that make you uncomfortable. My advice is, one way or another, to learn to live with that discomfort. You may not want to be dependent on others the way you are now, but you also don’t have a plan — yet — to not be in that situation, or subject to your present set of rules. But lasting out against these circumstances will do no good, and possibly much harm. Instead, focus your learning on the framework of your financial situation rather than getting upset at those who seem to be supporting you — where does the money come from, where does it go, and how have you not kept good track of it til now? Additionally, make yourself a chart of your family tree, or your place in the corporate org structure: now that you see the big picture, can you find a way from discontent with the current plan, to contentment at the new plan?
Pisces: Jupiter domiciled and present but besieged and cadent. There’s some important communication that has to be done, about the Plan, the Program, the Project. Right now, you’re enjoying being inside of it, and chances are that you’re not entirely comfortable with closing it up, marking it as finished, and moving on to the signed-sealed-delivered part. What you have is not as good as you want it to be, that’s true. But sooner or later, instead of avoiding that reality, you’re going to have to put the work on the table and see who chooses read it and act on it. No one can do that — no one will want to do it — while you treat it as your personal baby that can’t be exposed to criticism or failure. It can’t influence anyone, if no one can see it.
Aries: Mars sextile and succedent, but peregrine. There’s a difference between knowing it’s time to do the thing, and actually doing it. The time has come to actually do — and it’s going to require more charm, more planning, and more coordination of a team than you’ve had to do in a while. there are friends whose help you will need, but who will also find it difficult to work together; you will have to be the conciliator and manager. Your financial picture may also hit one small snag before this is all over. A partner is trying to protect resources from this last bit of upheaval — you should think clearly about what you genuinely need to have to keep the game going. Understand that this isn’t an operation you can just direct from the captain’s chair: plan on getting your hands dirty in the last stages.
Taurus: Venus succedent, but peregrine, square, and besieged. Certain parts of your autonomy are likely to be disrupted in the next few days: you want more time with friends, but you also want to spend more energy on spiritual pursuits. How will you learn to flow into new professional relationships? What work responsibilities are you prepared to take on? What new skill do you have to sit your butt down to learn and excel at? Where can you ask for help? whose household business are you currently assisting? These questions hold links to your future planning, but it’s ok not to engage the questions right away. Even so, recognize that the “take it easy” impulse is going to war with the “kick my own *ss” mindset — you can’t pat yourself on the back for stuff you never did.
Gemini: Mercury in its own term, but square, detriment, fall, and cadent. Professional journeys require you to consider carefully what you want out of the next twelve months… and the next twelve years. Things are going to be rough in the workplace this week, and you may find that it’s hard to get the honor or attention you deserve. It could get pretty bad — but it’s important to understand that this is a relatively temporary situation, not a permanent black flag. Act with quiet grace, not flamboyant tyranny (if you’re the boss) or outrageous insubordination. DOn’t get mad, or get even… get to work on getting what you want. At the same time, know there’s no free lunches here: you’re going to have to take up some duty or responsibility in the world. Could you live with the ones you have for a little while? Or, is it time for a more satisfactory change?
Colophon
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I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts, appearing here for the first time! I use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.
I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces as the basis of much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me. My own book, A Full Volume of Splendour and Starlight, is now available as PDF download from my Etsy website, as is my Almanac for 2021. Any errors in these columns are my own.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation with me, you can find additional information on the Services and Classes page.
If you want to read some of my other astrologically-oriented poetry, To the Mansions of the Moon is a collection of hymns to the angels of the Mansions mentioned in these columns. For the Behenian Stars is a collection of hymns to the first/brightest sixteen stars. The Sun’s Paces are hymns to the thirty-six Hellenistic-era deities and ascended souls of the Greco-Egyptian Decans-calendar. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.
