Living Astrologically: Venus, Neptune, Chiron & Mars in Pisces

With the current Pisces stellium in Venus, Neptune, Chiron and Mars conjunct my natal Sun and Mars (in the 8th!), you would have thought a romantic encounter of the dreamy kind might be on the cards.  However, astrology is a symbolic language of the stars. What really manifested in the end was that I met another fellow astrologer in town and together, we chatted about astrology and I ended up reminiscing on how I first fell in love with this celestial technique......

What's happening in your life under this fishy cluster?

Stirring from Slumber

With 7 planets in Pisces as we speak (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Neptune and Chiron), the stars are definitely reflecting a loud message back to us mortals roaming on earth - to have compassion, to tap into our emotions, to be sensitive to the needs of ourselves and others, to dissolve our boundaries and merge with the Universe......  

Being a Pisces (Sun, Mars, South Node and a host of minor planets), I'm feeling rather at home in this nebulous space - too at home.  I can't wait for these planets, one by one, to move into Aries.  I can't wait for the surge of Arian enthusiasm and energy to wake us all up again (not saying the Pisces stellium is a bad idea, I'm just feeling rather spaced out and am looking forward to a change of scenery). 

Mars (and the Moon) will be the first to enter the dynamic territory of Aries on 12th March, followed by the Sun on 20th March, marking the start of a new astrological year.  The Goddess of Love, Venus, will then dance into Aries on 22nd March.  Leaving Mercury, who will join the crew next month on 14th April.  We will sure to get a shock of some kind as each of these planets pays a transient visit to Uranus in the coming weeks.  

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New Moon in Pisces 2013

I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely 'Piscesed out' with the Pisces stellium playing in the background.  Mercury then decided to retrograde in Pisces and now we are approaching a Pisces New Moon.  How do you all feel?  Spaced out?  Unfocused?  You're not alone.  Let's see how we can make the most of this dreamy and compassionate sign.

On 11th/12th March, we have the Sun and Moon having their monthly rendezvous under the sign of Pisces at 21 degrees 24 minutes.  It conjunct Venus (17 degrees 9 minutes Pisces) and trine the North Node (18 degrees Scorpio) the tightest.  With Venus exalted in Pisces, this aspect is urging us to extend our kindness selflessly and unconditionally and to go beyond the confines of the boundaries we have built around ourselves.  With Mercury retrograding in Pisces (in detriment), I'm not sure if we should trust our judgment in discerning which boundaries to dissolve.  However, this retrograde period, sandwiched between Neptune and Chiron, gives us a fantastic platform to heal past wounds through introspection, i.e. dig into the past and you are likely to find some loose ends and unfinished business hanging within, subconsciously hindering you from going forward.  This 'healing sandwich' (Neptune-Mercury-Chiron) trine Saturn in Scorpio, giving us a tangible way of delving into the depths of our emotions.

It is also worth checking out the rulers of this New Moon too - Jupiter and Neptune.  We have already talked about Neptune.  Let's look at Jupiter.  It is in Gemini squaring the Pisces stellium; the 'healing sandwich' being the tightest.  This to me is like a war between 'water' and 'air', i.e. heart versus head.  Perhaps we are overusing our logic (Jupiter in Gemini) and need to consider tapping into our emotions (Pisces stellium).  Too often, we talk about our woes, but do we allow our bodies to feel the sorrow?  Sometimes, we just need to release that pent-up anger/sadness in our systems through crying or screaming or whatever (safe) means you choose.  This message is repeated by the fact that Jupiter in Gemini is ruled by Mercury in Pisces - which goes back to emotions again.  Communicating your feelings with words isn't always easy and comfortable  (Mercury in detriment in Pisces), so consider exploring other means, e.g. through art (drawing) or music (singing).  And isn't it interesting that both rulers, Neptune and Jupiter, are locked in a square too.  Head or heart?  Logic or emotion?

Here we come to the end of an astrological cycle with Pisces.  It is a great time to evaluate our mortal  progress before we embark on a new cycle when the Sun enters Aries on 20th March.  Use this time for self-healing - deal with yourself first, if you don't look after yourself sufficiently, how can you make your contribution to the Universal collective?

Where this new moon falls in your chart could be the area of your life where a portal can be formed between yourself and the universal consciousness.

Where does this New Moon fall in your natal chart?  Does it make any aspects to any planets/points?

Full Moon in Virgo 2013

Full Moon is a time when the Sun is in opposition to the Moon, thereby fully illuminating the lunar terrain with solar energy.  Previously hidden information is likely to be exposed at this culmination point in the lunar cycle.  Any wishes made or projects began at the time of the New Moon has reached the stage where evaluation is called for before continuing on with the next step of the plan.

On Monday 25th February 2013 at 20:26 GMT, we have a Full Moon in Virgo at 7 degrees 23 minutes.  

There is a Pisces stellium - Neptune, Sun, Chiron, Mars and Mercury, with Venus joining the party six hours after the Full Moon.  The natural ruler of this stellium is also within the cluster (Neptune), giving us a strong message of focusing on the more spiritual side of life and to have trust in the Universe.

The solar rays shine on the Virgo moon, bringing its shadow qualities to the fore, e.g. being a stickler, a perfectionist, a critic.  As an earth sign ruling the 6th house of routines, Virgoans prefer to stick with what they are familiar with, though they can be flexible if necessary (it is a mutable sign afterall).   The dispositor of the moon, Mercury, is retrograding in Pisces, therefore, both dispositors of the Sun and Moon are in Pisces, giving us an added emphasis in utilising the Piscean energy at this time, even if it may seem uncomfortable to the more practically-minded individuals.  

This Full Moon is in a mutable T-Square with Jupiter in Gemini (besides being a traditional ruler of Pisces, it is also disposited by Mercury in Pisces - further reinforcing the Piscean message).  Jupiter is a happy-go-lucky planet, but in a T-square, we tend to get overly-optimistic, overly-arrogant and basically over-doing things.  This is a learning opportunity for us to be spiritual (Pisces) in a practical (Virgo) world.  Moreover, it is a time to see with eyes of compassion and faith (Pisces) rather than through critical eyes and harsh judgments (Virgo).  There are facets of life which simply cannot be explained logically.

Where the Virgo Moon falls in your chart is the area of life where you may need to be less critical, less of a perfectionist - let go and relax!  Where the Pisces Sun /cluster falls is the area of life where you may need to get a grip on yourself and not give in to procrastination and pessimism.

With such a strong Pisces message, perhaps we could think about other people by focusing on service, e.g ask the Universe how you can serve on this mortal realm.  This is a time to learn about living a spiritual life in a practical way.  As Teilhard de Chardin once quoted, 'We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience.'

How Romantic is Valentine's Day 2013?

With a host of planets (Mercury, Mars, Chiron and Neptune) in the romantic sign of Pisces, expect the day to be filled with love and sweetness.  However, with Chiron involved, perhaps there is a need to overcome any past trauma which can hinder you from expressing your love for another.

This Piscean brigade may seem emotionally overwhelming, but luckily, we also have Venus in Aquarius, giving us a touch of detachment and logic.  It's not all about the heart but also the head.  Venus in Aquarius can also indicate an unconventional way of relating to your object of affection.  

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

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New Moon in Aqaurius 2013

The New Moon in Aquarius at 21 degrees 43 minutes on 10th February 2013 (07:20 GMT) marks the first day of the Chinese New Year.  

This Aquarian New Moon tightly square the nodal axis, urging us to move beyond our comfort zone (South Node) and head towards what we are meant to achieve in this life time (North Node).  Let go of old paradigms and rigid concepts (SN in Taurus).  'Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway!' as the late Susan Jeffers had advocated in her book of the same title (NN in Scorpio).  The unknown can be scary, but what is more scary:  to remain in the same old place until the day you leave this planet or to trek on unexplored terrain and give your life some excitement?  I'll let you ponder on that one.

There is also a Pisces stellium (Mercury, Mars, Neptune and Chiron) with Venus in Aquarius, giving us a touch of compassion , to act on our intuition and to have faith in the Universe with our plans, even if our views are not supported by those around us.

The rulers of this New Moon are Uranus (modern) and Saturn (traditional).  The Uranus-Pluto square continues to be in the background.  Jupiter, planet of expansion and luck, sends his support to Uranus, providing an opportunity for more individuation.  However, holding onto the status quo may prevent you from  exploring a new avenue (Jupiter inconjunct Saturn).