It would seem that with so much focus on Aries this week, we should feel an energy shift. However, I’m not banking on it.

Despite appearances, we’re still solidly in the Aquarius-Pisces field, and those of you who have been reporting jitters probably won’t feel a whole lot different this week. Some circumstances may change, and there likely will be some interesting new developments at the New Moon. But overall, I believe we’re heading in the same direction we’ve been going for quite some time, and we’ll continue on this route for the foreseeable future.

Why do I say this, when we’ve got a New Moon, plus Mercury and Venus all in Aries this week? Aries is ruled by Mars, and Mars is still in Pisces, where he’ll remain until April 22. Venus is heading back into Pisces, too, where she’ll spend nearly two weeks at the fateful 29th degree as she ends her retrograde phase and returns direct.

For all of this week, the dominant energy is the mutual reception of Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius. These two normally have very different agendas, but when they’re in each other’s signs, they’re forced to get to know each other and work together. This influence is at work in world affairs all the way down to our private lives. It’s perhaps easiest to detect in the news headlines, but if you look, you’ll find its imprint in your personal affairs as well.

Generally speaking, we’re struggling to maintain our individual presence and need to express what’s in our hearts while merging into a collective that may need something different from us than what we’d like to contribute. Think of it as a giant potluck. If everyone is asked to bring their best dish and they all are terrific bakers, we’d get nothing but dessert. That might sound fun, but a steady diet of sweets would make us all fat and sick. Some among the bakers are going to have to stretch and expand their repertoire.

Typically this is what happens in tough economic times. To stay employed, you may need to get a job doing something you don’t particularly like but that’s in demand. If you have a creative talent that you absolutely have to express, you may have to do it on the side until times are better. Although this might sound depressing, fitting into the collective in a different way could have lots of benefits for us personally that are hard to imagine right now.

Short-term aspects this week include a Sun-Pluto square on Monday. We’ll feel this edgy influence throughout the work week and possibly into the weekend. It’s normal to want to be left alone to do as we please, but this aspect demands that you account for your behavior and maybe your beliefs. Whatever you can’t justify, you will need to change. There won’t be any point in blaming anyone. This is a way to get you to make necessary changes. If you’re on the right track and doing the work, then this aspect shouldn’t register as much more than a blip on your radar screen.

On Wednesday, Mercury enters Aries, which should get us out of the fog zone, thank goddess. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a devil of a time staying focused. Turning thoughts into action should be easier now.

Thursday is the New Moon, in tight conjunction with retrograde Venus and a wide conjunction with Mercury. Neith will have more late tomorrow or early Tuesday, so watch this space for her full report.

The Sun conjoins Venus on Friday, and then Mercury crosses paths with the wayward planet of love on Saturday. President Obama is getting ready for a big diplomatic tour of Europe — hardly surprising, given that Venus was exactly on the Ascendant in Washington at the Aries ingress (Sun’s entrance into Aries). Let’s hope the talks don’t break down … although I can’t say I’m feeling terribly positive about this.

In our personal lives, we’ll have a chance to renew and strengthen old ties, but we’ll have to be ready for heavy doses of understanding and compromise. It won’t do any good to revive neglected relationships if you don’t plan on doing anything differently this time around.

Much love and courage to all …
Pat

Image: Power of association — daffodils, the quintessential sign of spring, in front of Big Ben, the quintessential symbol of London. Photo by Shaun Curry for Agence France-Presse.