written by Karin Ugander
The sun is now in the sign of Aries, the first of the fire signs. The sun is close to both the asteroid Ceres (goddess of earth, nourishment) and Venus (love relationships, magick). Together they create a wonderful cocktail of passion, sex, drive and enthusiasm. They also make a good aspect to Mars in Gemini adding even more passion. This energy can be used to give sparkles to anything from your intimate relationship to a creative project. Together this combination can help you to target manifest your goals and dreams.
Apart from love and passion being able to fill up the energy reservoir, Venus right next to Ceres can also make gardening and magick extra potent and strong. Ceres is all about feeling nourished and taken care of. Together with Venus all kinds of magick can feel extra fulfilling. We usually say that Fall is the season of the witch. With these aspects we certainly have an astrological transit of the witch going on.
Mars lets go of Ceres on the 7th of April, Venus on the 10th of April. The sextile between Mars and the Sun is until the 22nd of April.
Is the glass half empty or half full?
Ceres is an earth goddess and a great provider of abundance when she is in harmony. When she’s not in balance she can instead point out where we are lacking in resources or energy. There is a saying “is the glass half empty, or is it half full?” How you choose see that glass depends on you. Can you see the good things in your life right now and appreciate them? Or do you only see what is missing?
The lacking feeling is more likely to hit people who are not tapping into the deeper feminine and nourishing energy created by the Venus/Ceres conjunction. To help with that you can create an Altar for Earth or the Goddess Ceres. Some of her more traditional symbols are: plow, seeds, corn, pig, cornucopia. But actually I believe that she is happy with all symbols of earth and growth. I have found that she likes flowers, crystals, seeds, mini animals to put on the altar. Most people find her very warm, loving and easy to make contact with.
This is not only creative and fun to do, it can also bring an anchoring, warm and comforting energy in times of change. If you have room for this Altar in your garden or on your balcony it is perfect! Working with the asteroid goddess Ceres opens up for further work with the other asteroid goddesses as well.
Knowing when to say no
Now when the Sun ( I, me) Ceres and Venus are joined in Aries (desire, will ) there can be an energetic or emotional hunger that is not easily fed. The more you give, the more is wanted and if you are not careful you can end up in bottomless spiral of hunger and expectations from others. Much like the Tarot card 8 of cups.
If you are usually a person more inclined to say Yes than No, be on your guard! And that goes for everything from giving the dog or the children too much treats or candy, to saying yes to your co-workers when you really should not.
This is amplified by us not having any planets going retrograde at the moment. No retrograde planets makes us less inclined to stop and think before we act. This circles around the theme of lust and desire. Stop and think for a while before deciding and ask yourself the question “Is this what I want, or is it what others wants from me?”
Ceres and Venus travels together until the 12th of April. Ceres and the Sun are joined together until the 21st of April when the sun enters into the sign of Taurus.
What kind of action?
Right now we have the wonderful asteroid goddesses Pallas Athena in Pisces (strategy, thinking) and Vesta in Virgo (devotion, home, protection) in opposition to each other. They pull in opposite directions and it can be hard to know what to do. Pallas Athena in Pisces is not so comfortable there. There her action driven energy is more aiming towards spiritual things. It becomes more soft and has a tendency to watch how things turn out, rather than having a practical approach. Vesta on the other hand, she is very practical and hands on in Virgo.
Example: You have a good friend Johanna. She has been in a bad relationship for a long time. Now she calls you up and asks for help. She says that the situation is worse than ever before. Both Vesta and Pallas Athena are ready to step in but they have very different approaches. Pallas Athena in Pisces encourages you to asks Johanna if she wants you to pray and send healing to her to change the energies around her? Vesta has a whole different approach. She asks Johanna “When do you want me to come and help you pack your bags and get out of there!”
Another example is William. He is running out of money and is worried about the family finances. Pallas Athene encourages you to ask him if the wants you to read the cards for him? See how things are most likely to play out? Vesta says: “How about making juice from dandelions and sell to the local stores to increase your cash? I will come and help you”
Either way is better than the other but it can create a lot of frustration when not knowing what to do. My advice is to do both things, approach the problem from both a practical and a more energetic level. It may also be good to ask your friend or your client what kind of support they are looking for.
Highs and lows
This tension between Pallas Athena and Vesta can make us all pendle between a lot of hands on action, doing things, being practical to a more relaxed let’s see how things work out, attitude. Choosing either side over the other can make us end up in a place we don’t want to be this spring and summer. Action (Vesta in Virgo) without wisdom and thought is not good. All thoughts (Pallas Athena in Pisces) without backing it up with action will take you nowhere no matter how clear the analyze is. Balance in the key here and if you find it you will be much more at ease.
Vesta and Pallas Athena lets go of each other on the 18th of May. But they will meet up with each other once again in opposition in the same signs on the 18th of June.
Expand your knowledge
Jupiter (expansion, growth) in Aquarius is in a good aspect (sextile) to the asteroid goddess Juno (relationships, collaborations) in Sagittarius (knowledge, wisdom). This is a good time to learn more and expand your understanding of things. Don’t hesitate to ask questions and do deeper research. Buy books, go on classes and set off time for study. Experts and those more knowledgeable than you are also more inclined to help you right now. This is a good time to work together with others in joint projects and collaborations. This transit is until the 18th of April.
Blessings! / Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red
Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is an ordained high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program. Her work can be found on Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial and she can be reached at [email protected].