Jonah, from Michelangelo's painting on the Sistine Chapel.

In a recent class, we discussed the symbolism of being in the belly of the whale – one of many metaphors to help us understand this week’s shift of Neptune into Pisces.

The most famous example, of course, is the biblical story of Jonah, who tried to escape his destiny by sailing in the opposite direction. He literally was forced to turn around when a huge storm threatened his boat and he was thrown overboard. He was swallowed by a whale, where he spent three days and three nights in meditation before being vomited out unharmed but wholly transformed. The experience set him straight, and thereafter he followed his destiny as a prophet.

Joseph Campbell lists the belly of the whale as a stage in the hero’s journey in which the hero undergoes a symbolic death in order to be spiritually reborn. This stage typically happens near the beginning of the story, as the hero finally accepts that he must leave his familiar, comfortable world to fulfill his higher calling. In some versions of the ancient myth, the whale is a sea monster, sea serpent, or kraken. However, they all contain the common symbol of an underwater terror the hero must face before he can move forward on his spiritual journey. The deep water represents the unconscious – Neptune’s territory.

Many astrologers (myself included) have spoken of a coming leap in human consciousness. With Neptune in Pisces, there is the possibility of a collective descent into the belly of the whale – a scary place, to be sure. An example Campbell sometimes uses to illustrate his point is the scene in the original Star Wars film in which the heroes are trapped in a giant trash compactor. Lurking under the filthy water is a sea monster with tentacles.

As astrologers like to point out, Neptune has two sides. On one hand, it represents a fertile, unlimited imagination the source of which is divine inspiration. On the other, it is illusion and delusion, and on a grand scale. There can even be an overlap of the two – for example, when your imagination runs away with you to the point that you start worrying about huge, scary situations that don’t exist. It’s not hard to see how Neptune in Pisces might bring both sides of Neptune into physical manifestation.

When you think about it, it’s ironic that nowadays we have an entirely different view of whales, which we see as highly evolved beings who may be trying to communicate a message to us. That in itself represents a leap in consciousness. A few months ago, I was talking to a woman here on Vashon who founded a group called Whale Communicators, which is trying to spread the gospel of Granny, a wise old whale with a message for mankind. (Find out more at whalecommunicators.com).

Neptune enters Pisces on Friday and will remain in the sign of the Fishes for 13 years.

Venus, meanwhile, continues her journey through Pisces and opposes Mars on Wednesday. In Pisces, Venus represents higher love and compassion. There’s not enough of either in the world, and certainly not in our daily lives. Make this week count by taking every opportunity to put yourself in others’ shoes. That won’t be easy, with Mars retrograde in nitpicky Virgo. Before you judge, criticize, or condemn, consider what the other person is going through and give him a break. You might even find that you can turn a previously untenable situation around and get a better outcome.

That said, computers everywhere are continuing to act up. I got mine back from the shop late this week, but I had to spend hours reconfiguring my settings for printer, internet connections, and other functions, when I could least afford the extra time. School has been on fast-forward, the past month one big blur – a Neptunian fog, you might say. (To those who have been patiently waiting for reports, my apologies. I’m starting to work through the backlog and ask for your understanding for a bit longer.)

Wishing you all limitless love and courage,
Pat

© Dan Collier for Dreamstime.com

Pip said it all in her comment on last week’s post. Just about everyone I know started having major computer problems a couple of days ago — myself included.

The Internet connectivity on my computer stopped working at 1 a.m. Saturday. After nearly six hours on the phone with tech support reps in various parts of the world, I took it into a local repair shop, where it remains in a long queue. Why was I not surprised upon hearing that several other people had brought their computers in earlier on the same day? Fortunately, I have a backup, but it’s a poor old lemon that is tortured by the increasing demands for speed and memory of Internet use. I’m trying to be as nice to it as I can so that it will live until I get my regular machine back.

So there you have the essence of Mars stationing to go retrograde in Virgo. Circumstances should improve somewhat once he gets moving again, even in reverse. It beats being stopped entirely.

That said, there are several unknowns in this scenario. Uranus, which also is associated with electronics, Internet, and so forth, is currently in Aries, the sign ruled by Mars. In our lifetime, we haven’t experienced this pairing, and so we don’t know how they behave. Theoretically, they are two bad boys out to see what kind of mischief they can make. They’ll get a third gang member when Mercury enters Aquarius on Friday and contacts Uranus by sextile on Saturday. Uranus is said to be a higher octave of Mercury, so these two have a natural affinity, and together with Mars, they will make up an energy triangle. For those into the mechanics: Mercury in Aquarius deposits to Uranus, ruler of Aquarius; Uranus in Aries deposits to Mars, ruler of Arie; and Mars in Virgo deposits to Mercury, ruler of Virgo.

That’s the bad news. There’s also plenty of good news this week, so let’s turn to that now.

Click on image to enlarge

Monday starts right off with the New Moon in forward-looking Aquarius, in a close sextile with Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius. Of course, he’s in Mars, and we just discussed the possible implications. Still, I’m optimistic. Although unexpected events are likely, I think they will be mostly positive, given that the sextile is a positive angle and quite dynamic.

The New Moon also makes a close contact with Jupiter, and while the angle is a square, normally indicating conflict, the Moon and Jupiter are compatible energies. “Conflict” is relative, and in this case it could simply mean a moral dilemma between your New Year’s resolution to lose weight and the double fudge caramel sundae staring at you from the special dessert menu. Or, you may find yourself feeling overly generous and making a promise you can’t keep. Mercury squares Jupiter on Saturday, which also can be a positive. The downside is that you may overlook important details, especially with Mars retrograde. If you have an important project on Saturday, plan ahead carefully, and have someone you trust go over your work. Also, make a mental note to be open to the ideas of others. Aquarius and Taurus are both fixed signs, given to stubbornness.

Two additional reasons for optimism are that this New Moon chart has a couple of hidden fairies. Ceres may function here as a sort of fairy godmother, in that Ceres and Uranus are in perfect conjunction. At his worst, Uranus stirs the pot and conjures up chaos, but there’s usually a reason for it, and that reason has to with changing what’s broken and not working. At his best, Uranus is the Magician and Awakener. Ceres, meanwhile, is the wise earth mother, dedicated to the health and well-being of life on the planet. It will be interesting to watch the news headlines for environmental developments this week.

Ceres also has a natural association with Virgo, so in a way, she may be a temporary “chaperone” for Uranus and company. That said, they might also do her service by shaking up humanity’s planetary life-support system. You might say that the human race has a dysfunctional relationship with its mother, and something needs to change radically to restore the balance.

The second fairy is Venus, who in Pisces is the Fairy Queen. Although Uranus and Mars are the tough guys in the leading roles, they are inextricably linked to the planet of love and desire, in the sign of compassion and the collective unconscious. Venus is said to be exalted in Pisces, where her love and desire nature are at their highest. It is a state of grace.

The final word is that whatever happens this week, no matter how strange, unexpected, or upsetting, try to understand how it fits into an intricate whole. How do these new and surprising developments carry you forward toward fulfilling your life’s highest purpose?

Much love and courage to all!
Pat

January snow. © Pat Paquette, 2012.

The Sun is the star of this week’s astrology show, entering a new sign and making several significant planetary aspects from Thursday onward.

This also is the last week of the entire year during which all of the planets are direct! As the old saying goes, make hay while the sun shines. Truly, this is a rare window of opportunity.

Personally, I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon over the past few weeks. Thoughts are manifesting very fast. I have an image in my mind, and before I know it, it’s reality. These are not things I’ve intentionally imagined – in other words, I’m not imagining sitting in a bathtub full of hundred-dollar bills, and suddenly there I am. The one consistent factor is that the thoughts that manifested had considerable concentration and emotion behind them. For example …

On Wednesday I was in my morning acting class, when I suddenly noticed that the instructor was wearing a ring that looked like the one I lost four months ago. The ring was one of a kind, handmade with a turquoise stone set in silver. I’d found it in a junk shop and was very attached to it. During my first week of classes, I lost it – likely after taking it off to wash my hands. I checked the lost-and-found departments in every location where I might have left it. Nothing.

The day after Thanksgiving, I was in a friend’s gift shop and found a new ring, silver with an odd-shaped green tourmaline stone. What happened while I was buying it is another whole story of a miraculous manifestation, but I’ll leave that for another time.

I was wearing the tourmaline ring in class on Wednesday when I noticed the turquoise ring on the instructor’s hand. I thought perhaps she’d found it, turned it in, and when no one claimed it, was allowed to keep it. For the rest of the class, I couldn’t concentrate on our exercises, because I was obsessed with trying to get a better look at her ring. She kept putting her hands in her pockets and otherwise covering it up. I never did manage to see it up close and figured I was crazy to think it was the one I’d lost.

We had a lunch break of about an hour, then an afternoon writing class. I made a quick run to the restroom, and when I went to wash my hands, realized my tourmaline ring was gone! Since losing the first ring, I’ve been so mindful. Obviously, I’d had a lapse in that mindfulness. I asked the instructor if I could run over to the other building to check the restroom. The ring wasn’t there. I almost started crying. There was open office upstairs, so I asked the receptionist where I could find the lost-and-found department. She asked if I was looking for a ring. I was elated! But it had been taken to another room. When I got there, it was locked. I knocked loudly. The security guard who answered was crabby but she had my ring and couldn’t help smiling when she saw how sincerely grateful I was.

Some would say that the obvious lesson in this experience is that I should keep my ring on while washing my hands. However, I got quite a different message – especially given other similar events in the past few weeks. During class, I was intently focused on a lost ring. In less than an hour, that’s exactly what I had! Fortunately, it came back to me right away.

The second message I got right away was that if our thoughts are manifesting this quickly and perfectly right now, it might be a good idea during this all-planets-direct period to focus on what we really want and not waste a single second worrying about disasters that may or may not happen. Of course, you could say that this is reasonable statement in general, and you might be right. But that’s missing the point, which is that we have one more week to perform “magic.”

Several years ago, in an article about the Calendar of Coligny, I read a theory that the druids made special notations during periods when all the planets were direct. It’s not hard to imagine why they may have wanted this information.

Back to this week …

The Sun moves through the final degrees of Capricorn and squares Saturn on Thursday. Typically, this is an uncomfortable combination, and some of us are bound to have some run-ins with authority or clashes over who controls what. Nevertheless, with all planets direct, Saturn exalted in Libra, and the Sun in Saturn’s sign of Capricorn, what gets enforced could be fairness and balance. We may not like the rules, but can we honestly say that if there weren’t any, we’d always do right by others? Our own biases often prevent us from seeing that other people have the right to pursue goals that directly conflict with our own.

On Friday, the Sun enters Aquarius, the sign that bucks convention and thumbs its nose at the rules. On Saturday, the Sun forms a dynamic sextile with Uranus, modern ruler of Aquarius. This is an exciting combination, filled with promise of something new and different, out of the blue. If nothing else, be prepared for your Saturday night plans to change on a whim. On Sunday morning (late Saturday on the West Coast of the United States), the Sun squares Jupiter. Squares typically are troublesome, and the problem with this particular combination is that it denotes a certain amount of stubbornness and self-righteousness. However, there are some positives in this square – namely, that you can get a lot accomplished. I happen to like it for manifestation work.

Meanwhile, Venus and Pluto have a hot date on Friday. Your date could be hot, too, so if that’s not what you want, make sure you have an escape route planned. Otherwise, surrender to the moment.

Next week starts right out with the New Moon in Aquarius and Mars turning retrograde. Again, I can’t urge you enough to focus this week on the most difficult tasks on your plate. Taking care of business now will save you a lot of heartache later.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

© Andrzej Mielcarek for Dreamstime.com

Despite the lingering yawns and sleepiness, this is a great week for getting work done. Indeed, you might give yourself a Friday deadline for accomplishing everything on your to-do list in preparation for next week’s unpredictability.

Mars is in diligent Virgo, where he’ll stay until next July. That’s right, we’ll have Mars in Virgo for nearly eight months, due to his retrograde phase starting in January. Normally, Mars remains in a sign for about six weeks. Check your natal chart to see what houses contain Virgo, and that’s where you’ll feel the active, dynamic energy of Mars in practical, helpful Virgo.

This week, Mars trines Jupiter in Taurus, with both at a close angle to Pluto in Capricorn. This lovely earth trine lends itself to manifesting your thoughts into reality. You’ll fare best if you visualize what you want as specifically as possible and place it in a supporting structure. For example, if you want a new job with a great salary, don’t just visualize a paycheck, but imagine yourself in the job environment with your co-workers, customers and clients (if applicable). Also get specific about how you feel doing the work you anticipate. Does it excite you? Stimulate your creativity? Fulfill your desire to help others solve problems?

Lastly, think of what you could do to make this scenario happen. Then do it! At least take a concrete step. Action is a keyword for Mars, and it also sends out a vibration that sets into motion the energy that eventually will coalesce into what you want. This is also just plain Virgo logic. If you want a new relationship, for example, you’re not going to get it by sitting on the couch watching reruns of The Love Boat.

Speaking of re-runs, Mercury turns retrograde next Thursday (November 24), and since Mercury rules Virgo, Mars is likely to behave badly, as though he, too, is retrograde. Be mindful of how you criticize others, as this is a perfect setup for being so insensitive and cutting that you could alienate someone to the point of destroying a relationship. It will be hard to patch up this type of falling out later. Driving also is going to be more of a challenge, with lots of minor fender-benders. This likely won’t be an overwhelming concern this week, but it can’t hurt to start thinking about your survival strategy for the three weeks while Mercury is in reverse.

On the positive side, you could have some wonderful opportunities for repairs and remodels, depending on what house in your chart Mars is transiting. Remember, Virgo is an earth sign, so this will pertain primarily to material projects, including helping others with a physical, material problem.

Back to this week, the Moon enters Virgo on Friday, conjoins Mars, and trines Jupiter and Pluto. Normally, I’d be wary of the Moon-Mars conjunction, as it can be associated with unchecked emotions. However, in this case, I think the Moon’s energy will act as an amplifier, so keep up that visualization work.

The only other major aspect this week is the Sun-Neptune square on Sunday. This energy can be a bit of a downer, and with Neptune still moving slowly, you may want to plan for a lazy Sunday in bed watching your favorite movies. If you tend to be psychic to start with, you may get a flash or two of otherworldly images. Also be forewarned that if you use alcohol or mind-altering substances, go easy. It won’t take much to get into place in your mind that could leave you feeling troubled or disturbed.

If you don’t get your to-do list done by Friday, you’ll still have three days next week to wrap up, but the closer we get to Mercury’s station, the more frustration you’re likely to encounter. Also, here’s another reminder to back up your computer data. Just do it, and save yourself a lot of grief later. (This has been a public service announcement by your friendly Internet astrologer.)

Before I go, I’d like to announce that the December/January issue of The Mountain Astrologer is out, with my article on Ophiuchus. If you don’t already subscribe, you can buy the individual magazine online for $7. Readers of RealAstrologers will recognize some of the material from a post I wrote back in January, but you’ll also find lots of new information, based on extensive research.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat

On the bright side, the site had one of its best days ever with my first Full Moon post on Monday. It was a nice reward for all the late nights rewriting pages and shouldering a double load of posts.

Since RealAstrologers is an Aries, and we just had a Full Moon in Libra, I thought it would be interesting to look at our birth chart and see if there was any correlation. For our “birth,” I used the time of our inaugural post, which was published at 4:01 a.m. on April 6, 2008. That gives us both Sun and Moon in Aries, with 5 degrees Aquarius on the Ascendant. Aquarius, incidentally, is the sign of astrology. Mercury and Venus are also in Aries, with Mars in Cancer and Jupiter in Capricorn.

It is the Sun and Moon, however, that aspect Mars and Jupiter to form a cardinal T-square, which favors action and change. The planet or planets at the apex of the T-square take on special significance in the birth chart. We launched the site few hours after the New Moon in Aries, which is a great time for starting a new venture. That said, three planets are in their detriment fall in this chart, which isn’t so good, and the T-square is potentially challenging, as it isn’t the most stable of chart configurations.

And now here we are, in a build-up toward an intense cardinal T-square (which will become a grand cross at times over the next year), with a pivotal Full Moon in Libra. Remember, the Full Moon often signifies endings. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the original partnership dissolved at this time. Mars, meanwhile, had been retrograde since December in the seventh house, which rules relationships, and he’s been hovering around the Descendant since early February. Mars in the seventh house can wreak havoc with partnerships.

At some point, companies take on a life of their own and starting “living” their charts. I think it’s a good bet that a new partnership may come into existence. If so, it would be a big relief. Keeping the site going is almost a full-time job, with no pay. This never was intended to be a one-woman show, and I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep it running without some kind of divine intervention. That said, I’ve got some ideas to take the site into the future, and I’m hoping that they will make the venture more viable in the long run.

As they say, there’s only one way to find out…

Pat

Image: The RealAstrologers logo was created by StarBlue for Dreamstime.com. We’ve used several of her designs in the past two years. Do check out her inspired and magical astrology portfolio.

I broke up with my friend last autumn. I am trying so hard to be with him again but he is so cold and distant. Please, just tell me, is there a chance for us?

Elena, your words could have been written by any one of millions of women around the world. I have been among you, and my heart breaks for us all.

I have been writing about this topic for years and see this situation as an indication of a fundamental wound on our planet. Many of us are trying to heal now, just when planetary energies are shifting to bring everything and everyone back into alignment. That is the good news. The bad news is that we have to go through this painful situation and suffer as a perquisite to healing. So many people I know are going through exactly what you describe.

To put it another way, our individual suffering is mirrored in the collective and vice versa.

As to your particular situation, you’ve been affected very heavily by Mars in Leo. He has been in your first house for an extended stay, and he has crossed over your natal Sun and Mars twice already — once forward and once retrograde — and now he’s about to cross them for a third and final time. In last week’s column, I addressed some of the effects of Mars retrograde on the Sun. There’s a major difference, however, in that you’ve got Mars going through your first house, and he’s also opposite your seventh-house Moon, which can make you more emotional than usual.

Moreover, both you and your friend have a lot of fixed energy in your chart (the fixed signs are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius). In fact, it’s quite interesting to note that you both were born near a Full Moon — you, with Sun in Leo and Moon in Aquarius, and your friend with Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio.

Although you may have generated a lot of passion and heat in the beginning, you need to know that a long-term relationship with this person would entail ongoing conflict. It’s not impossible to make it work, but you would have to be very committed to each other, to your own personal growth, and to learning how to communicate without hurting each other. That may be the karmic lesson you need to learn, but I believe that you would eventually be happier with a relationship that isn’t so taxing and that allows your Leo personality to shine.

Thank you for writing, Elena. I really do feel your pain and hope that you soon will find peace for your troubled heart and soul.

For anyone who is interested, I do synastry readings, with a special gift for finding your karmic connections. I should warn you, though, that karmic connections aren’t always easy, nor do they necessarily mean that you were made for each other for all time. Many people I know are working through karmic relationships right now and are enduring a lot of pain in the process. What I can do for you is to help you identify the issue you are working on so that you can focus on that and get through your lesson as efficiently as possible.

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. You must use this form to contact me, or I won’t get your question. Be sure to fill out all the fields, and please spell out the month of your birthday. If you don’t know your time of birth, indicate “time unknown.” You can also use the drop-down menu above under “About Us” to get to the question form. THANKS!

Judith and Holofernes, by Franz von Stuck, 1927. This biblical story has been painted by many artists over the centuries. What could more perfectly depict Venus in Aries? Mars is even sleeping, which is how astrologers often describe retrograde planets.

Finally, Mars turns direct this week. It feels like he has been retrograde forever.

Actually, it’s only been since Dec. 20, but when the planet of anger and aggression is out of sorts, time has a way of dragging. I’ve had him in my seventh house all this time, and he returns direct just a degree shy of my Descendant. Needless to say, I’ve had some challenges in the relationship department.

Mars also rules physical energy, so many of you may be feeling tired and beaten down. The effects for you individually depend on where Mars is transiting your natal chart, which house he rules, and whether he’s making aspects to natal planets.

With Venus newly arrived in Mars-ruled Aries, we can expect some fireworks in our close relationships, especially romantic partnerships. Venus is in her detriment in Aries, but fortunately she’s in a lovely trine with Mars, and both make contact with stabilizing Saturn. This gives me hope that any arguments and temper tantrums that may erupt will lead to productive discussions about what we can do to improve relationships with our partners. After all, conflict is often just an indication of an imbalance that needs to be corrected, and Saturn in Libra, even retrograde, is good for this.

If you find yourself in these circumstances, the first half of the week will be the most active. Venus opposes Saturn on Tuesday, with the Moon in Saturn-ruled Capricorn throwing more cold water on feelings of love and affection. You may be able to see through to the source of the problem, but try not to be overwhelmed to the point that you want to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Mars turns direct on Wednesday. For a couple of days on either side, you may get absolutely nowhere. This could apply literally to your travels, or it could manifest as a conversation that keeps going ’round and ’round in a frustrating endless feedback loop. Should that happen to you, drop it and come back to the subject in a few days or, better still, a week. By that time, Mars will be creeping forward, and your discussion will be much more productive.

In the case of romantic partnerships, sexual fireworks will enter the picture, with Venus squaring Pluto on Thursday. This could complicate matters, or it could help resolve them. Many couples find their “solution” in the bedroom, and while Venus-Pluto aspects have a reputation for lust, they also carry the potential for a deep soul connection. Many times when we’re unhappy in a partnership, it’s because we lack the feeling of a strong connection. When it is restored, the relationship can move forward.

On Sunday, the Sun conjoins Mercury in Pisces, with the Moon in Pisces conjunct Jupiter. This is wonderful for sleeping in, resting, and connecting on deeper levels as we head into the New Moon in Pisces on Monday, March 15. For some, it will be a chance to find some much-needed quiet time and solitude. If you live in the United States, don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour!

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Sunset in Pisces. A rare sunny day in February ends on the Washington Coast. Photo by James A. Weythman, all rights reserved.

This week is all about Venus … well, mostly about Venus. And that means love, desire, and what makes us happy will be major themes.

As the week begins, we’re still in the wake of Sunday’s Full Moon at 9 degrees Virgo, and the Moon has advanced into late Virgo, opposite Venus and Uranus in Pisces. Moon transits tend to be fleeting, and many of us may not notice them at all. Monday’s lunar transits may be an exception, however, thanks to the impending Venus-Uranus conjunction on Wednesday. Take note of developments in your love and social life on Monday, as you may get some advance news of what will happen when the love planet pairs up with the planet of surprises and sudden change.

Also on Monday, Mercury enters Pisces — great for creative work and leaps of the imagination, not so good for clear thinking and concise communications. On Monday and Tuesday, Mercury is at the apex of a Yod with Mars and Saturn, a position recently held by Venus, Jupiter, and the Sun. The difference this time is that Mars is stationing to return direct on March 10, and that makes him a more powerful influence. If your thinking is confused, if you don’t know where you’re headed or how to get there, you’re not alone. You may be forced this week to think out of the box in order to resolve a dispute or to find the solution to a problem that seems not to have one. Sometimes, all it takes is asking the right question.

Speaking of Mars, I’d like to point out that he is out of bounds until March 15. Planets are out of bounds when they travel north or south of the celestial latitude of the Sun at the solstices, and they tend to “misbehave,” just as the term suggests. The last time Mars was retrograde and out-of-bounds, a tiger leapt out of her cage at the San Francisco Zoo and mauled a young visitor to death before being shot and killed by zoo officials.

Obviously, conditions are different this time, but an out-of-bounds, stationing Mars should be handled with extreme care, especially in the sign of the Lion! Avoid provoking anyone, and stay out of harm’s way to the extent possible. Err on the side of caution and consideration.

On Wednesday, Venus meets up with Uranus, which for the most part should bring pleasant surprises. Any unpleasant fallout may be from our own failure to stay in touch with reality. Should a bit of luck come your way, jump on the opportunity, but spend the next week or so doing the math. Admittedly, this will be harder with Mercury in Pisces and Mars slowing down to a halt. Fortunately, we’ve got calculators.

On Sunday, Venus enters Aries, and it’s a whole different game. No longer warm, fuzzy, voluptuous, and chocolate-loving, the love goddess is demanding, hard-bodied, and very active. Right away, she forms a trine with Mars, just as he’s waking up out of a sound sleep. It’s kind of a reverse Sleeping Beauty story. Instead of the prince gently kissing the princess awake, the sleepy guy gets a whack on the head and an order to get his sorry ass out of bed.

I’m hoping this energy will propel couples everywhere to wake up and smell the coffee. Love doesn’t just “happen” all by itself. You have to work at it, and it takes two. Apologies and promises go only so far. At some point, words have to lead to action.

Speaking of all words and no action, Mercury conjoins Jupiter later in the day. If ever there was an aspect for solving all the world’s problems over a bottle of wine, this is it! If you do come up with some great ideas, write them down and come back to them later, after the glitter has settled. In the meantime, just enjoy the feeling.

Wishing you all much love,
Pat

I’ve read that this Mars retrograde will station direct at 1 degree Leo, a point opposite my natal Chiron. Any thoughts on that particular aspect?

Diane’s response:

Mary, this transit may prove quite helpful to you, because your natal Chiron lies hidden away in your twelfth house and forms no aspects to your personal planets or chart angles. This means you aren’t often able to access those places within where you feel wounded.

From about March 7 to 10, not only will Mars station opposite your Chiron, your Chiron will be trine Saturn in Libra and sextile Venus in Aries (Saturn will oppose Venus), forming a Mystic Rectangle. This dynamic pattern has the potential for triggering insights in a firm but gentle way, promoting healing of old wounds you may not have been previously aware of.

I’m wondering if the recent Chiron-Neptune conjunction in Aquarius right on your Sun was responsible for prompting you to look at your natal Chiron. By the time Mars stations in March, both Chiron and Neptune will have moved past your Sun, allowing for more clarity in general. In my experience, Neptune transits in particular are best understood in retrospect.

Between now and early March, as Mars slows to a standstill in your sixth house, you have a window of opportunity to review your daily routines, how you interact with your co-workers, your health and exercise program, and the details of your daily life in general. Are any of these areas a source of frustration for you? If so, perhaps you can figure out why now.

Good luck on your road to a better place within and without, Mary.

Pat’s response:

Mary, by the time a transiting planet stations direct in aspect to a natal planet, you already have gone through the transit once and sometimes twice, so you should have an idea already of how this transit is affecting you.

Mars opposed your natal Chiron in mid-October, 2009. As he continues on his retrograde path, he will oppose natal Chiron on February 25. After he returns direct, he will make a third pass on March 24. When a transiting planet moves over a natal planet and then turns retrograde, you have an opportunity for review and possible revision. Since the twelfth house is one of the houses concerning the past, you may have gone through a period of revisiting unresolved wounds from early childhood or some other trauma buried in your deep psyche. Mars might have performed a little “surgery” to help find the source of the wound and perhaps even cut it out — figuratively speaking, of course. Re-opening wounds is painful, so if this process happened for you, it likely wasn’t very pleasant.

When Mars returns direct, it’s like sewing the wound back up, minus the “poison” (whatever that symbolizes to you), and that means the wound can heal cleanly.

Because your natal Chiron is in Aquarius in the twelfth house, your particular wound may be something that is deeply ingrained in the collective. In other words, it’s something bigger than just you. If you are able to heal, you put healing energy into the collective unconscious, and that is very powerful.

Wishing you much courage, and thanks for writing.

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All of the ingredients for a romantic Valentine’s Day. Photo by Pat Paquette.

It’s Valentine’s Day next Sunday, and what a show the cosmos has in store for us. This week could be positively transformational.

However, it’s clear that we’re going to have to work for it, and there will be challenges and tests. Romantic partnerships in particular will be affected, and if you’ve been waiting to move up to the next level or to heal deep-seated issues between you and your partner, this promises to be a memorable week for love.

The week begins with a romantic conjunction of Venus and Neptune. Astrologers usually describe this as the “rose-colored glasses” aspect, and there is some risk of idealizing your partner. Well, why not? We delude ourselves about so many things when it comes to our loved ones, what’s wrong with a brief fantasy of perfection? Still, the point here is to love your partner, human failings and all. I’ll come back to this in a minute.

On Wednesday, Mercury enters Aquarius, the sign of his exaltation. If you’ve felt like life is moving too fast, hang onto your seat, because it’s going to get even faster now. Inspiration and new ideas come streaming in at the speed of light.

Also on Wednesday, Mars forms an inconjunct with Jupiter, activating a Yod with Mars and Saturn at the base and Venus and Jupiter at the apex. This is an extremely rare formation and very interesting, because Mars and Saturn are the malefics — the bad guys in astrology — while Venus and Jupiter are considered the benefics. Moreover, both Mars and Saturn are retrograde, the only two planets currently in reverse.

The conjunction of Venus and Jupiter is said to be the luckiest combination in astrology, and this is even more true in Pisces, as Venus is exalted in the sign of the Fishes, and Jupiter is its co-ruler. This is our call to higher love and opening our hearts to receive wealth and abundance. However, the Yod formation suggests a block of some kind, a “hump” to get over before all those good things flow to us.

Mars sextile Saturn is good for setting immediate ego gratification aside to accomplish difficult tasks. Since both planets are retrograde, we can’t expect to move mountains, but to make steady progress, a little at a time, until the job is done. It’s also likely that projects we undertake at this time have something to do with the past — clearing accumulated clutter, eliminating toxins from our bodies, and confronting tasks we’ve put off for months, if not years.

That sounds all well and good, but when we concentrate too much on work, what needs to be done, and “reality,” we shut the magic out of our lives. This isn’t intentional; indeed, I’d say it’s a negative side effect of modern industrialized societies. In order to go to work day after day and to live in crowded cities, we have to shut our sensitive, intuitive side down. After years of doing so, many people become desensitized, and it’s as though their minds have gone to sleep. Higher love can’t exist in such conditions.

There’s another inconjunct this week, between Mars in Leo and Pluto in Capricorn. This is a heavy handed combination that subjects the ego’s need for creative expression to oppressive authority. This suggests censorship to me and may be at the root of Google’s problem in China. The aspect peaks on Friday, and there will be a third and final round of it on April 10. Also on Friday, Mercury trines Saturn, a great aspect for finding a practical use for all those outlandish Aquarian ideas.

Mercury opposes Mars the following day, fueling arguments and creating breakdowns in communications. This seems like a small thing, but we need to be very careful with this one, given everything else that’s going on. Events this weekend could be overwhelming, and it won’t take much to get irritated with others. If you do get in an argument, hopefully it will be short-lived, as the New Moon is just a few hours later, and it holds much healing power.

At 25 degrees Aquarius, the New Moon will be tightly conjunct Neptune and Chiron. This is our cue to start anew by embracing our wounds. Earlier in the week, with Venus conjunct Neptune, we’re called upon to accept others, as they are. Now, we’re being called to accept and love ourselves. That’s more than just 80s Me-Decade psychobabble. Opening our hearts to love depends on it, and what better time is there to walk through the portal of love and healing than on Valentine’s Day?

Sunday’s aspect list is long, and I’ve covered most of it already. The one wildcard is Pluto. I just wrote of his inconjunct with Mars, but that means he’ll be sextile Venus and Jupiter, and that suggests an “out” of some kind. Maybe it’s about our true power as human beings, not just the illusion of power we get by sitting in the executive’s chair.

Wishing you nothing but true love,
Pat