Fool on Fire

Welcome to Ground Zero, may I take your order?

At the Zero Degree

Anyone else feel like their spirit team just pounced on their chest, yelled, “PLOT TWIST!” then threw a grenade and ran off giggling maniacally?

Just me?

Okay, to be fair, this latest upheaval didn’t actually come out of nowhere. In fact, I’d been aware of a dangling second shoe for a very long time, half-willing it to drop and be done with it, half-wishing it would miraculously transform into a bird and fly away, leaving the delicate ecosystem of my marriage intact.

That connection, after all, was the shipwreck mast to which I had clung through a decade of brutal transformation. A solid wooden pillar that kept me anchored as storm after storm stripped away every role I had played, every identity I had inhabited, until only one remained: wife. Partner. Unconditionally loving, loyal, nurturing, gentle, generous, supportive…

As long as I have this pillar, I told myself, I can survive anything. All I need is love.

But there it still was. That damn dangling shoe. Another painful reality waiting to be confronted.

I knew there was something I wasn’t seeing clearly, but what was it? Was my pillar rotting from within? Would I wake up one morning to discover a massive termite infestation?

But in the end, there was no dramatic reveal. Just the dull ache of a slow accumulation of splintery disappointments and repeated near-drownings. The nagging awareness that this pillar, which had kept me afloat through the hurricane of personal transformation, was the very thing keeping me adrift in an ocean of chaos.

It was finally time to let go and swim for my life.

I, along with Saturn (systems and structure) and Neptune (boundless potential), had reached the zero degree of Aries: the point of total annihilation and total possibility.

Fool me Once

Zero degrees in Aries is the “hard reset” button of the Zodiac, where all things end and begin.

In tarot terms, it is The Divine Fool, the first card in the deck, stepping out into nothingness with total trust in the Universe. The point at which nothing is known and a leap of faith is required for the journey to begin.

If in this moment you feel like you’re staring down at a black hole and being asked to dive on in, congratulations. You’re right on time.

Through the Ring of Fire

Whenever Saturn and Neptune, those astrological opposites, meet, structures that appeared inevitable dissolve. Walls fall, but so do peaceful protestors. The guardrails around polite society disappear, and we must rely on our inner compass to navigate.

Saturn and Neptune haven’t met at the zero degree of Aries for thousands of years, so long ago that Astrologers have no record of the last time it occurred. So this moment is—if the pandemic and the Trump regime haven’t ruined this word forever—literally unprecedented.

And what better way to usher in an uncharted era than a ring-of-fire solar eclipse?

Eclipses are portals to the void, opportunities to send to oblivion the energies we are ready to transform. Energy, after all, is neither lost nor created; it is simply transmuted into new forms. So to manifest something new into existence, we must offer up a sacrifice.

Now, I’m fond of saying that sacrifice doesn’t have to mean suffering. You don’t have to give up the thing you value most; you can offer up an addiction, a toxic pattern, or a dysfunctional system in exchange for what you deeply desire. The Universe doesn’t judge energy as “good” or “bad,” only we do that.

But in truth, we become so attached to our patterns and habits, our routines and relationships, no matter how misaligned they may be, that giving them up still fucking hurts. It is the comfort of familiarity that must be sacrificed, and that takes big-ass bravery.

Sacrifice, death/birth, revolution, metamorphosis… these processes are not painless, and for good reason. They are energetically expensive. If transformation were as easy as flipping a switch, turning it off and turning it on again, we’d do it all the time. And then we would miss out on the gifts of patience and perseverance, the beauty of slow, incremental growth and change over time.

These moments are rare for a reason. Embrace them when they arrive.

Enter the Fire Horse

The recent eclipse ushered in a lunar new year, marking the end of the year of the wood snake and the beginning of the year of the fire horse.

Last year’s energy was shedding the systemic skin that no longer fits. This year’s energy is: GO!

Fire energy is transformative. It breaks down what is and sparks new potential. But it is wild and unpredictable, outside of our control. Once it’s off and running, it has to run its course.

In a bone reading, wherever the fire bone lands, that’s the area of your life that must transform. Whatever is on fire there, the more you try to stop it from burning, the more you will damage yourself. Let it burn.

Better yet, pour gasoline on it and toast some marshmallows.

Yes, this is way easier said than done and requires a great deal of faith in the process. Especially when what’s on fire is the one thing you think you need the most. Like a home. Or a career. Or a marriage.

This is the zero degree. The no-place from which all places are accessible.

Welcome to Ground Zero, Fools. We’ve got a beautiful pile of bricks before us and plenty of time on our hands.

The only question is: what will we build together?

Step right up, place your order with the Universe. What kind of world do you want to live in? Post your vision in the comments and drive on through.