Welcome to Llewellyn's Astro e-newsletter. Cosmically speaking, there's been a lot going on in the past few weeks. We've had two eclipses, Mercury retrograde, the Sun entered Aries, and now Pluto is retrograde. Moving forward and looking back seems to be a recurrent theme. It's a useful way to consider many things that come our way.

Looking back: In September 2001, when missile-like planes (Sagittarius) transformed (Pluto) the Twin Towers (symbols of international community and capitalism) into fireballs of destruction (Pluto in Sagittarius), our world community was drastically and forever altered. The shock caused many of us to become galvanized around our fears. The U.S. unleashed a firestorm of "shock and awe" on the enemy in a foreign country (Sagittarius). The reaction has been an escalation in terrorism (Pluto) and movement away from the center toward the extreme by people on all sides of these events.

Moving forward: The Sun entered Aries on March 20, beginning a new solar year and reminding us that after a season of dark (yin), the yin and yang of life are once again balanced, if only for a brief time. Then, on March 29, we experienced a solar eclipse in Aries (the Sun-Moon conjunction). On the same day, Pluto turned retrograde in Sagittarius, another fire sign. So, what will all this fire-sign activity mean on a personal level and, by extension, on the mundane level?

Fire energy pulses, licking the air gently, leaping with great gusto, and shooting sparks with abandon. It also spreads warmth and enthusiasm indiscriminately. The New Moon solar eclipse in cardinal Aries symbolizes a new beginning and the potential for joy as we create anew and move out into the world. The Pluto shift in Sagittarius will remind us to seek the center--the center of our own beliefs and values, and the core beliefs we hold as citizens of this nation or other nations in this brave new world we have ahead of us.

Are you feeling joy? What's your vision for the future? The pulsing fire, with its warmth, energy, enthusiasm, spark, and gusto, is there for each of us to use in positive, life-affirming ways. Recently, on a particularly difficult day, I told someone I felt like a rubber band that was ready to snap. My friend said, "What happens if you let go of one end of a rubber band?" That simple question helped me remember that there are a lot of options and not just one way of being.