March 24, 2020 at 3:29am CST—The 1913 ballet, Rite of Spring, was so chaotic and barbaric, it incited a violent riot at its premiere at a theater in Paris. A brawl broke out between those who embraced traditional values and those who welcomed the avant-garde. The delirious and inharmonious music accompanied by the bizarre, primitive lurches and twitches by the dancers viscerally shocked the audience. Pandemonium broke out as catcalls drowned out the cacophonous orchestra, items were hurled at the stage, and attendees fought with one another. The night went down as one of the most notorious in ballet history. Yet in retrospect, we understand Rite of Spring as a seminal moment that importantly influenced newer art forms: jazz and modern dance.
The discordant skies are orchestrating their own “Rite of Spring” as the New Moon saddles up beside the Sun in Aries. With Saturn’s very recent ingress into Aquarius as Jupiter prepares to join Pluto April 4th for the first of three passes, we’re moving into new utilitarian terrain that’s been conceived from the compost of shedding forms. The South Node in Capricorn along with Pluto, Saturn and the eclipses have been preparing us for the past two and a half years to declutter, minimize, and concentrate on taking care of our loved ones and the vulnerable. One hour before reaching the Sun, the Balsamic Moon squares the lunar nodes, triggering eclipse themes both in our lives and in the collective.
This lunation is ruled by Mars, the God of War whose sister was Eris (Discord) and attendants/sons were Fear and Panic. In Mythic Astrology: Archetypal Powers in the Horoscope, Ariel Guttman and Kenneth Johnson write that the ancients “watched the red planet with trepidation as it portended war, fever, and plague”. The same book includes a Hindu myth where the gods were terrorized by a demon. In order to slay the demon, they coordinated the birth of Mars (long story). Thus Mars came into being out of necessity: to destroy the demon. The authors conclude that Mars is about the power and purpose we need to annihilate our own demons, fears, and darkness.
Chiron is one degree away from this New Moon. Wherever we see Chiron, we see the potential for healing. To do so, we alchemize wounds—often generational—into the medicine we need today. How? Chiron in Aries would say by being yourself. By standing up, being counted, and offering your unique talents and gifts to a world that needs it now. Do your jazz. Show us your modern dance. Spring is coming and the ground beneath is a cacophonous roar of a new world being born while demons hurl tomatoes at strange music they don’t understand.
PHOTO: Joffrey Ballet dancers in Rite of Spring. Photographer Herbert Migdoll