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Special Horoscope for Aries - the transiting sun & the birthday blues
Use your rising sign for better forecasts
Bonus! Articles on:
the opportunity presented by the new moon each month
the effect of solar eclipses
PLUS - instead of viewing planetary influences as outside events over which you have no control PRACTICAL ASTROLOGY will teach you to view planetary configurations as OPPORTUNITIES that will allow you to work with the timing of the universe to make choices, exert control, observe results and track your success over time.
Each month, shortly before the sun moves into a new sign (which usually happens around the 20th or 21st of the month), I'll suggest a way for your sign to take advantage of the opportunities provided by one of the solar month's major astrological features. In addition, you can read a short article on one aspect of putting together a horoscope forecast that will give you more insight into how to interpret your own chart.
Finally, I'll provide a list of keywords for some of the planets, signs, and houses that make up a horoscope so that you can further customize your horoscope.
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ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES
Special Horoscope for Aries: The sun's journey and the birthday blues....
Astrologically speaking, each person's birthday, known as the Solar Return, is supposed to be a happy time of renewed energy and joyous celebration. And for lots of people it is. Yet, a great many of us, particularly as we get older, experience at least a little bit of the 'birthday blues'. We subconsciously dread the day, feel a little down, and don't want to think or talk about it all that much. This could be easily explained by the fact that a birthday necessarily reminds us that we are getting older!
But the astrological reasons behind this phenomenon give us some clues as to the role of the Sun in our lives, and perhaps how to use its cycles to our advantage.
Just before a person's birthday, the sun is transiting the solar 12th house. The 12th house represents the end of the yearly solar cycle, and while the Sun transits through it in the month before our birthday, it's busy whispering to our subconscious - what about all the hopes and wishes we had for the year? What happened to them?
You see, the Sun, as a symbol of life itself, transits the entire zodiac each year. What this means in real-world terms is that we start out each year in one direction, full of plans, and by the time the year has ended, our life has gone off in twelve different directions. It's a very rare person who has such iron control over their life that it doesn't end up going off in some unplanned tangents over the course of a year. We start out hell-bent on losing weight, and then a friend unexpectedly dies and suddenly it seems much more important to reflect on the meaning of life and how God could do such a thing. Astrologically speaking, we're not supposed to live our lives with an iron control that excludes those 12 different directions.... Our lives instead are not intended to be just about ourselves and our plans, but about the entire zodiac and everything in it. John Lennon's observation that 'Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans' represents a profound astrological truth.
Each year, the sun will theoretically give you a dose of power in 12 different areas, an opportunity to start something, build something, or react to something in each of the many sectors of living. Knowing where the sun is each month gives you a chance to capitalize on those opportunities, and maybe even understand them a bit. For example, each year when the Sun transits my solar 6th house of work (in my case, from around June 20 to July 20), I've learned that my life will revolve around work, whether I want it to or not. I know this, because that's typically a time for family vacations, and almost every year work makes it practically impossible to indulge in one at that time! Knowing this has greatly eased my stress as I learn that I will almost always have better success scheduling my vacation for July 21st or later. Learning the rhythm of your solar cycles gives you greater control and allows you to understand those inevitable unplanned tangents that life takes off on.
Aries - your magic opportunity this month lies within those solar cycles. For just as the Sun transits the entire wheel of life, pulling us in many different directions, so do we also need an anchor. That anchor can be thought of as our natal sun, the place where it was when we were born. To simplify things a bit, the position of the natal sun can be thought of as our idea or plan of what we thought our life was supposed to be like. Most of us have some internal idea, however vague, of how we thought our life was going to turn out. Sometimes it seems we are right on track, sometimes we seem a long way from the mental home of our original plans. Each year in the couple days surrounding our birthday, the transiting sun (our life of today), returns to meet our natal sun (the life we always planned to have). Our life of today checks in, so to speak, with our idea of who we thought we were going to be, has a conversation, recalibrates our direction. Preparing for that conversation is the essence of the birthday blues.
Your opportunity this month lies in that conversation. Rather than dreading it, celebrate it! You have a chance to get back on track, re-align, remind your life of today of the things you always wanted from it. Your challenge this month is to introduce yourself to just one person, thing, idea, tool, or resource that can help guide your life in the direction you always intended for it to go. Career, home, family, spirit, you name it, it's your life, you get to re-direct it or fine-tune. Allow yourself to have that conversation for even five minutes, take just one action, and you've planted the seed at the astrologically propitious time. Give yourself the birthday gift of taking that action.
Good luck and happy birthday!
(P.S. The Sun is in your solar 1st house. If the above suggestion doesn't appeal, use the keywords for the Sun, Aries, and the 1st house to craft your own monthly plan. For instructions on how to use keywords see below.)
What's most important in your life? The Sun in your solar 12th house is theoretically urging you to do something, and giving you the ability do it as well, in whatever area is of prime importance in your life right now. Hopefully, you know what all your hopes and wishes really are. Pick one, do something about it, and see what happens. Give yourself a report card on your birthday during the next solar month - chances are you'll feel better for having done at least one thing in an area you know makes a difference.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
The sun in your solar 11th house is theoretically giving you the firepower to stabilize your position in the world. Make sure to do one thing to progress a secret hope or wish. The Sun is on your side!
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
The Sun in your solar 10th house of results is doing its best to give you the vitality and the will power to act swiftly in matters regarding your career and your standing in your community. Since both Cancer and Aries are organizing signs, try writing down exactly what results you want to achieve in these areas this month. Then perform the actions to achieve them as rapidly as you can. A strong solar 10th house can work miracles, so don't delay.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
The Sun is your traditional ruler and therefore usually considered to be your special life-giving force. It's in your solar 9th house in a happy trine to your natal sun, which theoretically means you can take the initial steps in a process of deploying resources you have acquired through others (acquiring resources through others is often considered a Leo strong suit). What the resources are and what you want to deploy them for is up to you. You're creative. I'm sure you'll figure something out.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
VIRGO: AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22
The sun is in your solar 8th house, in a quincunx to your natal sun. Your will power and your vitality can be your natural weapons in your relationships this month, should you choose to use them that way. The question is - do you need to? Maybe it's time to send forth some energy in this area, exert a little creative leadership. Look to the future - where do you want your relationships to go? Or are there some you'd like to go away altogether? Theoretically, you've got solar power on your side this month - whichever way you decide to go.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
LIBRA: SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22
The Sun says you've you got the power this month to take initiatory steps in your relationships. Oh no, wait a minute, you're a Libra. You do that all the time anyway, even if you don't always admit how cleverly you play the role of tactful leader in this area. So why not use this month to do something else Libras secretly love - indulge their senses. Treat yourself to some superlative music all month long - or anything else that tickles your Libran sensibilities. Take a vacation from managing your relationships; with the Sun in your opposite house, it's probably not worth the trouble anyway. Plug in the iPod and tune the rest of the world out for a change.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
SCORPIO: OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 21
Aries energy and Scorpio energy can be a fairly combustible mix. Some people find themselves irritated when the transiting Sun is in quincunx to their natal Sun, so if you find yourself irritated you have something to blame it on. You probably won't though, because you're a Scorpio and many Scorpios figure out early that the name of the game is to carefully compartmentalize their aggressions & emotions and direct them into definite mastery of whatever technique will get them where they need to go. They refine their transitory urges into laser-like focus on their objective and adapt to whatever life throws at them. Sounds like a good plan for this month to me. If you're not this kind of Scorpio, pretend you are for a month and see what happens. Might work.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
SAGITTARIUS: NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 21
One of the underlying dilemmas of being a Sagittarian is whether to think about things carefully before doing them (since Sagittarians are often good at thinking) or whether to do them with neither hesitation nor forethought (since Sagittarians are often good at being impulsive). Many Sagittarians solve this dilemma by doing things first and thinking about them later. This handy expedient allows Sagittarians to be both complicated and somehow pure in intention, free-spirited yet often entangled in impressive messes, wildly entertaining and frequently completely inappropriate. With the transiting Sun in a fiery trine to your sign, this is as good a month to be a Sagittarian as any. Speak your mind and ponder the consequences later. Since many Sagittarians have other rising signs that are more than a little alarmed by even Sagittarius' most desirable qualities, this is a good month for all you closet Sagittarians out there to speak up and let your rising sign worry about it later. What's the worst that could happen?
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
CAPRICORN: DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 19
The Sun is in a square to your sign, transiting your solar 4th house, a house associated with the parents. Parents often play an active and sometimes intimidating role in the Capricorn consciousness. Since Capricorns are ruled by the planet that also rules fear (Saturn) and the Sun in a square aspect brings things to a conscious level where they can be dealt with, this month's aspects can provide an excellent opportunity for becoming aware of your fears. Whether your Capricornian fears have anything to do with your parents I don't know, but since the universe is handing you an opportunity to distinguish between your own legitimate anxieties and the ones you accidentally inherited, you might as well take advantage of it.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
AQUARIUS: JANUARY 20 - FEBRUARY 18
The Sun and the sign Aquarius actually don't get along all that well for a variety of reasons. One of them being that in astrology the Sun is a sign of authority, whereas the sign of Aquarius doesn't really perceive much of a need for any authority other than, perhaps, itself. The sign of Aquarius has been known to engage in some rather vigorous debate with the Sun on this point, and many actual Aquarians are willing to join the fray themselves, if they can find someone to debate with. This is a good thing because exposure to the Sun toughens up an Aquarius. Aquarians can't really grow into their full adult strength until they debate out the important points; the private vehement arguments with the world that Aquarians store in their heads become weaknesses and blind spots eventually. The good news is you almost can't get a better debating placement than Sun in Aries, your solar 3rd house. Pick someone in your immediate environment to wrangle things out with - and watch yourself grow.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
PISCES: FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20
The Sun allows us to set our conscious aims, and this month it's in your solar second house of resources. Since Aries favors rapid action, this month is theoretically a good month to rapidly stabilize your position in the world, utilizing your resources. Once you get going in this direction, as a watery Pisces you have the ability to really get going. The first Piscean step in this direction is probably gratitude. Resources, both human and otherwise, have a tendency to respond well to appreciation. Take a moment each day for the next month to be conscious of and write down all the resources in your life that you're grateful for. Recent studies seem to indicate that just taking this action for 30 days can significantly increase your well-being. Sometimes cooperating with the universe is more effective than complaining about it. Go figure!
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here
This month's topic is the symbolism of the Sun in Aries in the monthly horoscope
In astrology, the Sun can be considered to symbolize life itself. During the period from approximately March 21st through April 19th, it will be in the sign of Aries. Aries is the sign of the Ram and it is a cardinal sign associated with the principle of initiation, or starting things. All four cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) are considered to be initiating signs, but Aries perhaps the most as it is indeed the first sign of the astrological zodiac.
Since the Sun is in Aries for all of us, if we were to take the implications of the Sun being in this sign as far as we could, we'd conclude that during this period every single one of us will be busy in our lives initiating something. Now this may or may not be true, but there's an underlying logic to this.
In western astrology, the system we're using, Aries coincides with the start of spring. In its earliest beginnings, astrology was based on observation, and the ancients observed that lo and behold, with the advent of spring after the darkness of winter, almost everyone did feel like initiating something. That impulse just went with the weather, the feeling of renewal and rejuvenated energy. Spring can literally be a time of planting, sowing seeds, getting things going again, bouncing around with new plans and thoughts and hopes and impulses.
The way spring makes people feel became some of the qualities attributed to the sign the Sun inhabits during that time. It all made pretty good sense back then, and in many ways it still does.
As the sun travels around the zodiac each year, the seasons change. And with the seasonal changes, the focus of people's lives changes too. Spring cleaning, winter holidays, summer vacations, and so on, are part of the seasonal rhythm of life. The qualities of the sun signs are ways of describing these seasonal shifts in focus. For example, the majority of the Christmas season takes during Sagittarius, a sign associated with reflection on universal values. Christmas, and indeed the winter holidays of most religions, are supposed to make us reflect on universal values, and hopefully we do just that.
So what does the Sun in Aries mean to us? Well, in its very basics it means that each of us has an opportunity to take advantage of seasonal rhythms and grow this solar month by initiating something. Even if we ignore it, almost all of us have a primal impulse to grow a bit during spring, to reach out, send our tender shoots into the air after the cocoon of winter, send some tendrils of hope into the newly welcoming world.
Read the horoscopes above for your sun sign and rising sign for some suggested ways to take advantage of the Sun opportunity for your particular sign. (Click here or scroll down to find out how you can determine your rising sign and why you'd want to.) If my suggestions don't appeal, use the keywords to design your own fabulous month. (Click here or scroll down to learn how to use the keywords to design your own horoscope.)
Whatever you do, I hope you have a glorious start of spring and may the opportunity to start something new and hopeful and wonderful this solar month pay off abundantly for you.
NOTE: FOR SOME ADDITIONAL ASTROLOGICAL INSIGHT ON USING THE SUN'S POWER ALL YEAR ROUND, READ THE SPECIAL HOROSCOPES FOR ARIES ABOVE.
Some keywords for Sun energy: Power, vitality, life-giving, masculine, creative, pride, invigorating, the will, leadership, authority, physicality, success
Some keywords for Aries energy: Initiatory, fiery, active, animating, lively, rapid, violent, forceful, strong, energetic, effective, courageous.
Some Keywords for the 1st house: Self-expression, physical appearance, our social persona, how we interact with the outside world, our instinctive patterns and attitudes, how we present ourselves, our natural enthusiasms, what excites us, what we do that makes us proud, the characteristics that are easy for us to display, our impulses, the will.
Some 2nd house keywords: Personal values, emotional reserves, the body, earning power, possessions, gains and losses, money, financial dealings with the father or other males, investing, taxes, real estate, influential people who can help you.
Some 3rd house keywords. Neighbors, relatives, attitude toward one's circumstances, superficial relationships, acquaintances, short-term travel, education, communication, development of the mental powers, facts, clarity
The solar 4th house is sometimes associated with keywords such as: Feelings, what you identify with, your home, heredity, the past, what you need for security, childhood, old age, instinctive tendencies, endings, domesticity, land, what you need for stability
The solar 5th house governs keywords like these: Creative self-expression, your children, hobbies, pleasure-seeking activities, entertainment, love affairs, gambling, show business, performing arts, showing off, frivolous enjoyment.
The solar 6th house governs keywords like: Job, service, craftmanship, daily routines, health, pets, employees, subordinates, abilities, effort, volunteer activities, hired helpers, fact-gathering
Keywords for the the 7th house: Self-perfection, public talents, co-operation, self-projection, working in harmony with others, partnerships, marriage, open enemies, relationships, clashes with others, office politics.
Some 8th house keywords: Power, other people's money, death, divorce, regeneration, joint finances, financial loss, awareness of higher forces, self-improvement, support from others, moral principles, your past, the spouse's financial condition
Some solar 9th house keywords: Wider relationships, increased perceptions, moral reform, revelation, vision, inspiration, religion, philosophy, science, higher education, prolonged travels, broadening the mind.
The solar 10th house deals with keywords like these: Parents, the father, self-consciousness, achievement, ambitions, worldly power, success, high position, bosses, prominence, reputation, public recognition
Some 11th house keywords: Friends, social ambition, co-operation, honors, popularity, fidelity, influential people, social reform, social contacts, the public, acquaintances, scandal
Some 12th house keywords: faith, weaknesses, loss, integration, fulfillment, dreams, completion, failure, the oneness of all things, subjection, subconscious wishes, longings.
HOW TO USE KEYWORDS: The essence of learning astrology is understanding how to mix, match, and blend the concepts associated with signs, planets, and houses to figure out what is or will be affecting you at a given point in time. This takes practice and practice is exactly what you're going to have a chance to get if you use the keywords each month.
Keywords can be used to plan and take action using the month's energies, to explain events or to make predictions. Look towards the top of the page before the horoscopes to find the keywords for the planet and sign highlighted this month (or click here). Combine them with the keywords listed at the end of your sign's monthly horoscope. Scan for keywords that seem relevant to situations in your own life. You'll have 3 sets of keywords you can blend. Pick the keywords that interest you most and create your customized horoscope!
For example, if you want to plan or take action you might pick the Sun keyword 'power', the Aries keyword 'initiating', and the 1st house keyword 'self-expression' to create an intention for yourself that you have the power to initiate actions to express yourself more fully in ways that you desire. You'll know what 'self-expression' means to you. It works best if you pick keywords that 'speak' to you or that coincide with elements of your life that already concern you. To receive astrological benefits, it's not necessary that you obligate yourself to do something huge - it's only necessary that you take one step in the right direction at the right time. Astrology concerns itself with when things are born, and if you start something at the right time, you're riding on the energy that's already available to you in the universe.
You can also use the keywords to try to figure out if something that is affecting you is 'in the stars'. For example, let's say you find yourself wondering why you're getting drawn into conflicts with people at your church. You scan the keywords and realize 'Aha! The fiery energy of Aries is currently being activated in my 12th house of faith-related matters!' If the energy is uncomfortable, you'll have a gauge as to how long it will be prominent (oh good, it should ease up next month!) or if it's a good energy you'll know which planet to thank!
You can also try your hand at predicting. If you check in at the beginning of the month and notice that your house of friendships is highlighted along with some active planetary or sign energies, you might predict for yourself that you will be engaging in a lot more fun and restorative activities with your friends in the coming month. This is basically what professional astrologers do and now you have a chance to try your own hand at it and compare your results with the pros. Have fun!
NOTE: There are a wide variety of potential keywords associated with each sign, planet, and house. I pick different ones each month to give you an idea of the range from the most common concepts to much more subtle ones. Over time, you'll gain an intuitive sense of what kinds of concepts are associated with each element and you'll even be able to generate your own keywords as you get a feel for each of the signs, planets, and houses. Each keyword also inherently contains its opposite as well. For example, if the keyword 'divorce' is displayed, it doesn't mean you'll get a divorce. But it does mean that if that is a concern for you and something you want to avoid you have an opportunity, while that energy is activated, to take proactive steps to deal with potential problems or head off an undesirable outcome. So you can turn 'divorce' into 'keeping a marriage together' or 'illness' into 'taking steps to get and stay healthy'.