Happy Vernal Equinox — the first day of spring! At 6:29 AM ET, the Sun enters Aries, marking the beginning of a new astrological year. Courage, self-reliance, inspiration and a pioneering spirit are keywords for the Sun in Aries, sign of the ram — and the lamb.  In the Northern hemisphere (the birthplace of Western astrology), it is a time of renewal and rebirth — a chance to let go of old patterns and make a fresh start.

More on the equinox, but first let’s talk about the rest of this day, which is partly driven by the Moon in Sagittarius. Its need for righteous opinion is squeezed, muzzled and otherwise controlled by a meet-up with Saturn at 6:37 AM ET. And guess what? This is the closest pattern in the chart for the equinox — and thus an important clue to what we are likely to be dealing with for the next 365 days.

Moon goes void immediately after that heavy Saturn meet-up and won’t be fully engaged until 11:31 AM ET, when it enters proactive, status-seeking Capricorn. Half an hour later, the second closest pattern in the equinox chart kicks in — the Third Quarter Moon, a.k.a. tension between the needs of the Capricorn Moon to toe the Establishment line vs. the me-me-me energy of the Aries Sun. With both the Sun and the Moon at zero degrees of their respective signs, this tension will command attention big time. Take care of routine concerns during the morning void. Remember that crises which crop up are often much ado about nothing. Get ready to advance your agenda after 12 PM ET.

OK, the vernal equinox. Here’s what you need to know about the first day of any season from an astrological point of view. The first day of each season (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter) corresponds with the first day (or first DEGREE) of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, respectively. Got that? Good. These four signs are called CARDINAL signs of the zodiac, with “cardinal” here suggesting (from the Latin root of the word), “that on which something turns or depends.”  Cardinal signs take ACTION. They INITIATE. Nothing happens without ACTION. And action leads to  NECESSARY CHANGE. As in a change of seasons — suggested by solstices and equinoxes. Clear?

The first day of a  season is prominent in our culture, right? We make a big deal over it — yes? So can you see that in astrology, we observe that PLANETS that are at the first degree of a cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra & Capricorn), tend to pack a more powerful, prominent punch. They suggest ACTION which leads to CHANGE — prominently! The first degree of the cardinal signs is known as the ARIES POINT. Got that?

If you have a planet or angle at the Aries Point, you can expect that the energy of that planet will demand prominent expression in your life. Your friends and family — and perhaps the entire free world — will notice it. William Shatner was born with the Sun at 0 Aries. “To boldly go where no man has gone before”? I should think so — and the whole world knows him for playing that role.

Other notable patterns this week won’t be exact until late Thursday and through the weekend. First, Mercury — which refers to ideas, thinking, communication, travel and commerce — makes a persuasive, penetrating and corruption-exposing challenge to Pluto at 8:42 PM ET on THURSDAY. Expansive thinking is suggested when Mercury opposes Jupiter on FRIDAY at 8:46 AM ET. On SATURDAY, the Sun and Venus meet up in Aries –showering anyone with a planet around 6 degrees of Aries with a little bit of love. On SUNDAY, upsets and revelations involving aviation, technology and gender equality issues are likely, as Mercury meets up with rebel Uranus at 11:05 AM ET.

What’s significant about the patterns noted in the above paragraph is that they also apply to the chart for the Vernal Equinox. A year of revelation upon revelation upon revelation….?

The only Moon void of note — other than Monday’s — is on WEDNESDAY from 9:20 AM ET until 10:28 PM ET.

And now, the news.

Remember how last week’s  planetary patterns among Saturn, Mercury and the Sun suggested heaviness and despair? I had to laugh when I saw this op-ed in the New York Daily News: “Stop the News, I Want to Get Off: This Week Was One of the Most Depressing in Memory.”  Indeed . I was on the Daily News site because its legendary journalist Jimmy Breslin passed away over the weekend. So did Chuck Berry.

FBI Director James Comey will be testifying before Congress in hearings starting at 10 AM today, during the Moon void. This story is not going away anytime soon.

Confirmation hearings for SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch are also scheduled to begin today. We don’t have a birth time for Mr. Gorsuch (Aug 29 1967 in Denver), but my first thought looking at a chart cast at noon was that his mother must have been a piece of work: intense, erratic, fiercely independent. And guess what? She was.

“A teenage Gorsuch learned from his mother’s stormy tenure at the EPA,” writes the Seattle Times.  Perhaps you are old enough to remember Ronald Reagan appointing Anne Gorsuch to run the EPA:

She cut the EPA budget by 22 percent, slashed EPA enforcement actions against polluters and slowed down payments for Superfund cleanups.

She resigned after less than two years on the job after being cited for contempt of Congress. With four planets in stubborn Taurus in her horoscope, we can appreciate why she refused to turn over certain subpoenaed documents, fueled by the potentially visionary or delusional idealism suggested by two separate patterns (born April 21 1942). Her son Neil has similar patterns, which is typical seen when comparing the horoscopes of parents and their children. Isn’t that interesting? Planetary patterns run in families, just like genetics.

Doesn’t that make you wonder what planetary patterns you share with your children and/or parents? If you want to improve a relationship, get to know the other party’s horoscope. Here’s the 411 on consultations.

In the case of Anne Gorsuch, her horoscope has a Mars-Neptune square; his has a Mars-Neptune conjunction. Hers has a Sun-Mercury conjunction; his has Sun-Mercury and Venus conjunct. His Venus happens to be retrograde in Virgo, suggesting unique challenges in relationship. A need for discernment may have a double agenda. Hmmm.

Mr. Gorsuch is a Virgo, driven by the Moon in Gemini. He needs to be the smartest kid in the room, with the autocratic and controlling flair suggested by an unaspected Saturn in me-me-me Aries. His Saturn/Pluto midpoint is at the Aries Point, suggesting that he is likely to be known for matters involving anguished effort and/or suffering. His mother has the same midpoint picture! His Mars-Neptune meet-up is in Scorpio, and it is in a tense connection with Jupiter (expansion) in regal Leo. This pattern can be quite tenacious in matters of faith (and life and death).

With that in mind, it’s fascinating to note that Mr. Gorsuch wrote a book called The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.  He’s against both, arguing “that states should sometimes place ‘paternalistic constraints on the choices of its citizens.'” (i.e., the citizens’ autonomy). That sounds like an unaspected Saturn in Aries talking. Random thought: has anyone ever written about the need for “maternalistic constraints” on the choices of its citizens? What would that look like? Mandatory hot lunches for schoolchildren?

We do not have a birth time for Mr. Gorsuch and are limited as to what we can project for him in the near future. What can be seen suggests a tough fight over the next 6-8 weeks. It is fascinating to note that in his mother’s horoscope, her Mars-Neptune square is at 27 Gemini-27 Virgo, now exactly hit by transiting Saturn at 27-28 Sagittarius. This definitely suggests potential for a frustrating battle and reality check. As I wrote in a recent article for Mountain Astrologer, “The Horoscope Lives Forever,” doncha’ know…

Meanwhile, the Great Barrier Reef is still dying…a casualty of climate change.

In other news, Saturn (structure) in Sagittarius (big picture beliefs; travel; education) will be pulling focus over the next several weeks, as it is quite close to the end of that sign. Schools in Boston are reflecting this reality check by replacing the “distorted” maps that have been in use for the past 500 years. Here is what the world really looks like:

Surprised?

Thank you for reading this forecast.