Time to sanctify

THE month of March features two important celestial events. The first occurs on March 8, when the planet Venus turns retrograde in Aries. The second occurs on March 20. This is the first day of the Spring Equinox, when the earth's orbit falls under the influence of the constellation of Aries.

Aries is a cardinal fire sign. It is the sign of new beginnings, fresh starts, growth, change, movement, acceleration, initiative, romance, and vision. When the energy of Aries is intensified on the planet, you feel young, energised, rejuvenated, and ready to take risks. You feel as if you've completed the old and you are ready to bring in the new.

The combination of the Spring Equinox with Venus retrograde in Aries will lend an element of soul-searching to the upcoming spring season. Venus rules love, luxury, wealth, art, harmony, and beauty. When Venus moves in direct motion, you are motivated to acquire more of the things that Venus represents. When Venus retrogrades, which it does for 40 days every 1-1/2 years, you feel the opposite. You want to let go of unnecessary attachments. You are ready to forsake harmony for honesty. You don't enjoy putting on a good show or keeping up a good front. You simply want to let your hair down - and be real! Venus retrograde also makes you feel more introverted than usual so you can concentrate your energy on yourself rather than on others.

So, get ready to say what you really think, to give away things you do not need, and to distance yourself from relationships that are not heart-centered or relationships that are not in your highest good. Venus retrograde, although it may sound ominous, is a wonderful opportunity to rectify aspects of your life that may be out of balance. In the case of relationships, you may experience people in your life with whom you cannot be sincere or who are not sincere with you. You may have preserved the contact in the past out of a sense of obligation, habit, or even appearances. Venus retrograde will challenge you to either end these relationships or to become more authentic with yourself and the other person within the relationship. In the case of material desires, Venus retrograde creates circumstances where you have the opportunity to either willingly let go of excessive possessions or money, or situations are created where these accoutrements are taken from you. Venus retrograde is the classic set-up for a stock market correction, a retraction of financial markets, a fall in interest rates, or a drop in real estate prices. These contractions may not be permanent, but they certainly are likely to be in effect during Venus retrograde, which lasts from March 8 to April 20.

Meanwhile, the Spring Equinox occurs this year just after the conjunction of Mars and Pluto. This configuration echoes a prevalent theme for 2001 - bringing repressed issues to the surface. Mars rules aggression and Pluto rules things that are hidden. When the two celestial bodies come together in the sky, hidden motivations may be exposed or may rise to the surface.

If you begin a new relationship under the influence of Venus retrograde, expect the relationship to re-stimulate issues from your personal past. There also is a high probability that you will contact or connect with people whom you have known in past incarnations during the Venus retrograde period. Enjoy the people you meet under the influence of Venus when she is in retrograde motion. However, don't necessarily expect to continue a relationship begun under Venus retrograde after the retrograde is over. Chances are good that you are having a healing experience that may be of short duration. By May 23, Venus will have returned to the position and relationships begun during the retrograde period may begin to fizzle. Yet, relationships that commenced prior to March 8, 2001, will return to regular patterns after May 23. The only exception is if you were born under a Venus retrograde, which occurs for 40 days every 1-1/2 years. If you were born under a Venus retrograde, then you will have a very interesting Spring Equinox and will meet many important people who will be in your life long into the future. Otherwise, if you were not born under a Venus retrograde, expect your encounters to be interesting, different from usual, and of relatively short duration.

Also remember that the meaning of the Spring Equinox is the perfect balance between the light of day and the dark of night. Know that this is a moment in time when new growth begins to spring forth from the earth. Metaphysically, the Spring Equinox is the time when your psyche and soul are ready for new growth, based on the psychological and spiritual work you have done during the darker winter months. The Spring Equinox occurs at 1:32 p.m. (13.32) Greenwich Mean Time on Tuesday, March 20. A traditional pagan ritual holds that you may balance an egg upright on a flat surface for good luck at the moment of the Spring Equinox, the moment when the path of earth crossed the equator, bringing greater sunlight to the Northern Hemisphere. The egg is a physical and symbolic representation of the opportunity for balance and growth that you may experience at this time of year.

LAURIE BAUM

Website: www.lauriebaum.com

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