Spring Equinox 2006

Celestial headlines in the last week or so have riveted practical scientists and stargazers alike. On March 9th astronomers announced the possible

of life-sustaining water on Saturn’s cold Enceladus moon. With

, the timing and ensuing fanfare of this incredible find make perfect astrological sense. Leo loves—no, Leo

—attention; I wonder if usually conservative Saturn hired a publicist to ensure proper recognition of this development. Second, and even more exciting, is the discovery of a

of the Milky Way shaped like our

. The symbolism is significant, especially for astrologers whose "as above so below" premise is now validated by thrilling photographs of our distant star relatives.

As winter ends with these auspicious revelations (even Big Bang theory received additional scientific validation recently), let’s see what spring will bring.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the season officially begins on March 20, 2006 at 1:26 PM EST. At that moment in Washington D.C. there’s an exuberant, fiery 'grand trine,' a configuration known for its positive, inspiring and exhilarating flow of creative energy. And while it’s tempting to sugar-coat my read on next few months, with somber Saturn rising smack on the ascendant (insisting on seriousness, hard work and some Pilates of the soul), Mercury retrograde and an approaching clash between planetary hot-heads Mars and Pluto, I must interpret what’s ahead with a bit of cautious 'spin.'

But first, some good news: The above-mentioned grand trine (a literal divine triangle in the sky) brings an effervescent romantic buzz. In addition, there’s an approaching trine between love planets Venus and Mars, which "perfects" (momentarily clicks into place) on March 26th and 27th, just as Mercury moves out of retrograde and turns direct. How I wish Valentine’s Day could have been celebrated that weekend! It’s a delightful time for relating, dating and all kinds of social events.  However, the conjunction of Moon/Venus/Neptune in airy Aquarius trine Mars in airy Gemini could make it easy for airborne germs to travel and spread, so boosting immunity this week would be a good idea for all of us.

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