When planets change signs there is a profound shift in expression of the principles and values they symbolize. Saturn and Neptune have both been in Pisces—Neptune since 2012 and Saturn since 2023. We are now on the cusp of both entering Aries—Neptune on January 26 and Saturn on February 14. Both these celestial movements point to the beginning of a new era colored by the fiery consciousness of Aries. In order to explore the openings and challenges of these signatures I want to look at the Greco-Roman goddess Athena. Personifying aspects of the archetypal pattern of consciousness symbolized by Aries and its polarity partner Libra, a greater awareness of Athena, and the style of consciousness she personifies, can aid us in consciously navigating some of the opportunities and challenges of this fiery celestial chapter.
Passage through troubled waters requires we have a strong boat, a psychic vessel that can ride the surges and withstand the worst of the storms. As it happens, Saturn’s passage into Pisces offers us insight into the kind of craft that might endure the turbulent spirit of the times.
This Venus retrograde in Capricorn invites turning our attention to the inner hearth, to assess how well our value-fires are burning and what fuel they need to be kindled anew. It suggests being at the altar of the goddess Hestia, whom the Greeks and Romans worshipped as the living flame upon the hearth that burned day and night.
When Penelope tells her story to the stranger, who is Odysseus in disguise, she reveals how the loom strategy she used to keep the suitors at bay came from a divine source: “A god from the blue it was inspired me….” So Penelope set up a great loom and for four years wove daily a shroud for Laertes, and each night unraveled what she had woven.
