Insights for Pisces

February 18
Sun enters Pisces: 05:34 PM EST
Those who don’t fit in, who don’t belong: the atypical, the convicts, the homeless, the refugees, the insane, the gender benders, possibly your mother and her mother, even you: Where in the name of Holy Oneness is anyone supposed to belong? Who do they belong to or with and why is it so easy to ‘other’ those who are not like us? This is not a rant or one more way to increase the guilt of being alive and having food, shelter and a place in society (however flimsy that seems at the moment). It’s a real Pisces question. Pisces has been referred to as the ‘dust bin of the zodiac’ where everything that doesn’t have a place or that can’t be worked out, ends up. Wouldn’t you know though, in the way of mystical comprehension, that Pisces isn’t some room for broken bits and unsolved mysteries; it is the place where all things come together as one. If we are awake to this we understand that compassion reigns in this place because we all belong in the heart and soul of the great oceanic consciousness of the Universe. Water (Pisces is a water sign) offers us solution. Water is solution, where we dissolve and connect.
This year as the Sun journeys through Pisces it will amplify the energies of Mars as it makes its last square to Neptune between March 13 – 17th. This is the final hit of the Mars retrograde period that started in early September. The Pisces Sun will also engage with Uranus and Pluto in earth signs. Like bookends they remind us that to live is to be embodied which requires us to be responsible with our resources because we share this planet with all living beings.

February 19
Venus sextile Pluto 
The opposite of gravity is grace. Gravity is Earth’s embrace. She holds us here. She gives us ground. In that ground are untold riches, the most valuable being the things we grow and eat. She sustains us from below: Pluto in Capricorn.
Grace reminds us that we are upright beings. We who have the unique capacity for awe and wonder. Grace is the sky reminding us to look up, to straighten the spine and lift the crown as we do. Grace gifts us with awareness and the untold value of our ability to simply be present and to cherish life for the sake of the living not the getting, even in these times of terrible inequity and great suffering. Venus in Pisces reveals the blessings if we have eyes to see, ears to hear.

February 20
New Moon: 01 degree Pisces: 02:05 AM EST
Venus enters Aries
Mercury sextiles Chiron
Back in the day the Beatles said, “Let it be”. The Rolling Stones said, “Let it bleed”. Reverence and rhythm. It wasn’t one or the other. It was more like a yin yang or a Mobius loop. To hold it all is what is required: To be one with everything but don’t forget to dance, to move, to protest and demand on behalf of those who can’t do it for themselves.

February 22
Mercury trine Mars 
Every good idea deserves consideration before it becomes action. If we focus our attention and apply a bit of discrimination regarding what IS actually worthy of action we will likely hit the mark. Clever is not always smart.

 February 23 – March 2
There are no significant interplanetary aspects at this time. We are guided by the Moon as she moves through signs and phases, waxing toward full on March 7th. Guided by emotion we might pay attention to our preferences and antipathies: not to indulge them, more to take this subtle but rare opportunity to nurture our nature. If you made an intention at the New Moon on February 20th now would be a great time to cultivate and fertilize it. You the gardener, your lived life, the garden.  

March 2
Venus conjunct Jupiter
Mercury conjunct Saturn
Mercury enters Pisces
We are back in the groove of planetary interactions. With all due respect for process and production we see that it’s time to put the finish on some projects and light a sacrificial fire under others. We are hell-bent for a new season as spring approaches. We feel more than ready for a shift toward brighter solutions for the problems plaguing this world of woe. Pisces reminds us that we are not there just yet. Preparation, getting ready to meet the new season is the thing for now.

March 3
Venus conjunct Chiron
Every relationship matters – to people, pets, plants, maybe even our relationship to the sky above our heads and the bedrock beneath our feet.

March 6
Sun sextiles Uranus  
If you’re looking for an alternate route, a way out or a way through, there are many. They are just waiting for you to notice.

March 7
Full Moon: 16 degrees Virgo: 07:40 AM EST
Saturn enters Pisces
We are witness to impermanence, woven into every little thing: an observation as scary as it is liberating. The Full Moon reminds us that this is a world sore in need of help. Sometimes our service is practical and sometimes it’s simply offered as love.
Prognostications abound as Saturn changes signs. A new sign indicates a new agenda and perspective for the next two and a half years. Saturn is the old one whose wisdom comes from experience. They wag their crooked old finger in our direction reminding us to have compassion. The earth is shaking, waters are rising, people are forced to find higher ground. If we live on a hill we will have to make room. The more we accept this, the more wholesome will be the outcomes of such overwhelming displacement. Otherwise it will simply add to the chaos we already experience.
The conjunction of Jupiter and Chiron on the 12th has a part to play as Saturn enters Pisces. This conjunction underscores the need to learn new things, things that might challenge who we think we are and how we defend that perception.

In a very general way: Scorpio and Cancer will take this on with skill and competence. Pisces may feel heavily burdened and should be careful of compassion burnout. Sometimes it’s enough to pray for those in distress. It’s not nothing. Gemini, Sagittarius and Virgo will be challenged to work harder, build strength and do some heavy lifting. Aries, Leo Libra and Aquarius will watch from the sidelines unless they choose to get involved. Taurus and Capricorn will find opportunities in helping alleviate distress. These generalizations are meant to apply to all planetary placements, not just the Sun.

March 11
Venus sextile Mars
Mercury sextile Uranus 
On this day we might wake up, jump out of bed and know exactly what to do with the day. There are perhaps a million things worth doing from sweeping the floor to demanding that our elected officials walk their talk. A day, a time to speak and act from your deeply rooted, undisputable nature as an earthling.

March 12 
Jupiter conjunct Chiron  
Let the passionate, outspoken defenders of Earth raise their fists and demand action. Look around, not just within and join the living burning flame of life. This flame burns as strong for seemingly small and immediate things as well as larger issues that inspire the rest of us to take action. It will be another 12 years + and a different sign altogether before these two meet in conjunction again.

March 14
Mars square Neptune      
We could call this the official end of the shadow of the Mars retrograde period that started in early September. Where have you been? What have you learned? Here is your chance to apply your new found wisdom. At a collective level you might think of all that has happened regarding our local environments, our streets and neighborhoods from potholes (always noticeable as winter winds down) to random acts of violence on public transportation, protests in streets that may not be local to you but they were/are to someone else, not to mention the aftermath of an earthquake and even the resignation of a mayor.
Perhaps this is a culminating moment of awareness for you, regarding a whole lot of confusion. Possibly you have learned something significant in your own life about when to speak and when to listen. Maybe you had a really good idea and you still can’t tell if it was such a good one after all. Whatever your personal story, move slowly enough to avoid blind alleys and con artists. Mars and Neptune together can show us the world which used to seem familiar but now seems wild and unpredictable. If you find a bargain, look it over a few times. Generally speaking: measure twice, cut once is good advice. The rest isn’t up to you.

March 16
Mercury conjunct Neptune
Sun square Mars
Venus square Pluto
Venus enters Taurus
It’s a condition of being human that we have longings .That we want something we don’t have.  The mistake we make of course is believing that longings are meant to be satisfied. In that direction are insatiable hungers which lead to so much destruction.
Longing is a thing in itself. To sit right where we are and feel it fully can turn it into bliss: the bliss of presence. It’s hard work which can create a world of kindness and wholeness. But you would never know this if you didn’t try doing it.

March 17
Mercury square Mars  
Mercury conjunct Sun
Venus sextile Saturn
Voices on the wind can sound like chattering monkeys, speaking a language you don’t understand. Or: You could slow down and listen. Maybe it is a mean old world but it is what it is. Nobody is going to make lemonade out of these lemons just now. To slow down, listen until you hear something and then to give it your best is plenty good enough.

March 18
Mercury sextile Pluto
The deepest wisdom comes from that irrefutable place of knowing, a feeling that we can kiss the ground on which we stand. To combine this wisdom with acceptance absent of the urge to force this wise knowing on others, leads to a kind of luminous intelligence.

March 19
Mercury enters Aries    
Here on the last day of winter, with spring in the wings of tomorrow, the messenger (Mercury) reminds us to open to the hum and thrum beneath the surface. We live on a world that turns through each day and each year; each of our lives unfolding as a microcosm of even greater, vaster turnings, even when it feels like a churning mess. So be it! Step lively. Let your thoughts carry you forward into the fray. Kismet.

Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash