Shifting Gears and Rounding Corners

[This is part 1 of 3 – so far…]

Are there any car buffs out there? Do you know how a gearbox works? Can you drive a car with manual transmission?

Even if you’ve answered no to all of the above, have you ever seen a movie or commercial where they show the workings of a transmission right as we’re shifting from one gear to the next?

The phrase shifting gears is commonplace. Everyone uses it at one time or another. But what does it actually take to shift gears? Is it really that simple?

Modern technology hides complexity all around us. So does nature. We don’t know the half of what it takes to make this physical universe run like clockwork. However, if you really tune in, you might just be able to feel it. Just like when you’re the passenger and the driver shifts from 2nd to 3rd, you can feel it if you pay attention.

March is typically a transition month. Here in Austin, it could be said that March is all the spring we get. Late February can feel like winter, and early April like summer. And with the new daylight saving rules, it really does feel like summer already.

But Astrologically speaking, April is going to be a bigger shift than March was. In March, we were dominated by a beautiful conjunction and grand trine. Venus transited one of her homes and things glided. But the tension has been building. Just like when the engine starts revving, it is time to change gears, and it is going to be a one-two-three-four kind of thing. All of this is going to take place between now (April 1st) and tax day (April 16th this year).

One) Venus: She’s going to move into Gemini, and then get into one argument after the next. She’s not happy about leaving her home of Taurus, and first she’ll pick a fight with your dreams, then with your passion. Last, she’ll push a finger into that sore spot in your heart to see if it still gets to you.

Two) Mars-Neptune: And speaking of your dreams… Last month, did you feel optimistic, like there really is a chance one of your big dreams might come true? Has that optimism slowly faded into doubt and tension? Do you feel like you’re on the verge of giving up again? Well, blame Mars and Neptune. Mars has less then 2 weeks to go backward before he stops. The only thing Mars likes less than going backward is not going at all. And just as he stops, he’ll be within minutes of directly opposing Neptune. This means that our dreams and our actions are at a standstill. Actually, the dreams are there and as strong as ever, but our ability to even imagine that there’s a chance they’ll come true will be low.

But again, think of this as the darkest before the dawn. Venus, squaring both Mars and Neptune, is testing us. Her prodding is to see if we’re really up to the task. What is your balance of love to fear? So you have a dream, but are you willing to walk the journey? Or are you simply going to buy that lottery ticket and go back home? She doesn’t think that’s a very well thought out plan and she’ll let you know it.

Three) Pluto: Just when you thought it couldn’t get more backward, Pluto is going to stop and turn retrograde. But Pluto likes retrograde. He’s a digger. He is happiest when he touches the innermost crevices of your heart and soul. The path down the cavern is steep, so it is traveled in switchbacks.

Four) Mercury-Mars: And fear not. Mercury will go direct before Pluto reverses, and Mars will soon follow. This means that our thoughts will first turn around, and then our actions will. We’ll actually be able to begin thinking about the future again. We’ll get inspired. We’ll start writing our to-do lists and then actually do them.

Do you see a pattern here? Venus is the one that will meet us at each corner. She’s the pause between gears. You’ve felt it. Just as the clutch is pressed, the car slows for just a moment before the next gear is engaged.

Venus has her thinking cap on in Gemini, so though she be heart centered, she’s going to be thinking about your expressions of love. When you round the corner, she’ll whisper just the right words to test your sincerity. Who knows if they’ll be sweet or sour? She’s in Gemini, so it’s up to you which twin you attract. Be it angel or devil’s advocate, she’s shooting for a reaction.

Five) Saturn-Sun: And there is a five! To cap off the next two weeks, the sun will oppose Saturn on April 15th. This opposition is the classic me versus you, what I want versus what you want from me. Sun in Aries wants simply and passionately to be and do whatever he pleases. Its like that six-year-old that says, “But Dad, I WANT it!” Saturn is Dad saying, “No son (sun), not until you apologize to your sister first. Only then can you have what you want.”

Shifting gears is precision work. It’s a multi-step process entailing disengaging, shifting, and reengaging.

Rounding a corner is also a multi-step process. We travel in one direction unable to see anything but straight ahead. Only in reaching the corner can we peer around it and then choose which way to turn. And to turn safely, we have to slow down.

Either way you look at it, the next two weeks will be one or the other for you, if you choose to take advantage of the weather. It’s all a conspiracy – to get you in the right place at the right time, in the right mood, and with hands free of trash.

Vroom, vroom!