Yearly Archives: 2012

Weekly Forecast April 1: Venus Enters Gemini, Mercury Direct

I was going to write this week’s forecast as an April Fool’s spoof, but every joke I could come up with had too much truth in it. Life is stranger than fiction. As I’m so fond of saying, God is a comedian.

In astrology, the trickster is Mercury, who speaks so eloquently that he can fool anyone into doing anything. That’s why he’s so useful in business negotiations, not to mention political speeches – activities that can go very badly when Mercury is retrograde. Just ask Rick Santorum.

I hope you’ll pardon me while I go off on another one my tangents for a moment. I’ve been thinking about the race to find the Higgs boson, the so-called “God particle” – the Holy Grail of physics. Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) say they think that 2012 will be the year they find it. Never mind that physicists have been searching for this puppy for 40 years, and after billions of dollars spent on particle accelerators taking up enormous tracks of underground real estate near Chicago and Geneva, they have only “hints” that the Higgs boson exists – evidence they concede could be flukes in their data.

The punch line of my April Fool’s spoof was going to be that physicists looking for the Higgs boson have discovered that it exists only in their imagination, literally turning the Standard Model of physics on its head. But that may turn out to be no joke. CERN itself explains the stakes with crystal clarity: “If it turns out that we cannot find [the Higgs boson], this will leave the field wide open for physicists to develop a completely new theory to explain the origin of particle mass.”

Well, there you have it. The currently accepted scientific theory of how the material universe exists rests on one subatomic particle that mathematical calculations say should exist, but that no one has ever seen. Ponder that for a minute. Maybe it’s not so much the Holy Grail but the Big Foot of physics. And these people dismiss astrology as a superstitious pseudo-science!

The second beat of my punch line was going to be about how astrologers come to the rescue of the Higgs hunters, but that’s not a joke, either. Imagine how our society would be different today if half of one percent of the money spent on searching for the elusive Higgs boson had been spent on researching the correlation between outer planetary cycles and human civilization. And here’s the kicker, and a question for physicists: Once you establish that such a correlation exists, then you have to search for the mechanics of how it works. And that puts us right back to the question of what bridges energy and matter – the same conundrum confronting physicists in their search for the Higgs boson.

Wouldn’t it be a fine joke, too, if it turned out that the Higgs boson existed but couldn’t be isolated under laboratory conditions? The entire methodology of Western science would be smashed faster than a proton in the Large Hadron Collider. Indeed, this is the main reason why astrology can’t be scientifically “proven.” The problem isn’t with astrology, but with the method of proof.

So, why am I bringing up all of this now? Believe it or not, there is a method to my madness. I’m only half joking about the Higgs boson being in scientists’ imagination. Somewhere along this line of scientific inquiry, we’re going to find out that thoughts are life-forms that may even have mass. And perhaps that will lead to the mystery of what binds not only matter, but the belief matrix, both individual and collective. Why are people’s beliefs so entrenched that they will ignore the truth, despite evidence to the contrary? My guess is that it has to do with brain chemistry – what makes people feel good. And that puts us solidly back in the territory of Mercury, the trickster. I wrote about this connection two years ago, as we approached the cardinal T-square.

Mercury currently is retrograde in Pisces, where he’ll return direct on Wednesday. Pisces is ruled by Neptune, which symbolizes the dissolution of boundaries. This is the realm of the imagination, and that’s why it’s so tricky. We don’t know whether what we see, feel, or believe is real. This is the place where we get creative inspiration, but nothing will come of it until we apply the critical analysis of Virgo. Luckily, we’ve got both right up until Mercury re-enters Aries on April 16. By that time, Mars in Virgo will be direct, too. In the meantime, we’re in primetime for research and revision. That applies not only to work projects, but to your entire belief system.

Two other major astrological events take place this week. First, Venus enters Gemini on Tuesday. This is a very big deal, because we’re in the final countdown toward the 2012 Venus transit, which will occur on June 5, the day after a lunar eclipse. My read on this event is that new information will be downloaded into the collective conscious. As I was researching past Venus transits, I noted that the transit in 1639 coincided with the beginning the so-called Age of Enlightenment. Some astrologers may consider it the Age of Endarkenment, seeing as how discoveries in science, especially astronomy, created a rift that relegated astrology to the scrap heap of superstition. That particular Venus transit was in Sagittarius, sign of organized religion. While the new philosophies that emerged were detrimental to astrology, the big breakthrough was that the stranglehold of the Church on people’s minds was broken, leaving humanity free to explore new ideas and independent paths to spirituality.

I’ll write more about the Venus transit in Gemini as the alignment approaches, but for now, I just want to point out that it could indeed herald a breakthrough in our understanding of how matter is formed out of energy. It just may not be what we think. And, for that matter, we may come to understand how what we think makes all the difference in the world.

Venus also is the star of this week’s Full Moon in Libra. I’ve been incorporating the lunar reports in my weekly forecasts due to time limits, but I’ll make an exception this week and write a separate post. I’ll also have Part II of Ruth’s new series on the planetary rulers in Soul Astrology. I thought I’d scheduled it for this past Wednesday and just realized this morning that I didn’t hit the right command. Happy Mercury retrograde.

Much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast March 26: Sun Square Pluto

A pair of trilliums. © Pat Paquette, 2012.

This week is dominated by jarring squares and inconjuncts, with Mars and Mercury still retrograde – the latter back in Pisces, the keyword of which is “I believe.” What beliefs are being upset and turned on their heads?

We start right out Monday with inconjuncts from the Sun to Mars and Mercury to Saturn. Make sure you’re hearing what the other person really said and vice versa. There’s huge potential here for mixed and messed-up messages. When we get angry and frustrated, chemicals are released in our bodies that unfortunately don’t disappear on the spot when we find out 20 minutes later that what we believed we saw or heard isn’t true.

In my documentary class last quarter, we watched an episode of This American Life in which an Iraqi filmmaker living in the United States tries to understand American beliefs about the war. The piece ends with his observation:

Everybody hears what is easier for them to believe.

Pisces, you’ll recall, isn’t the Fish but the Fishes. There are two of them, and they swim in different directions. “Belief” is a double-edged sword. Used positively, with intent, it can create miracles. Used in ignorance, it produces something like you see in this mini-documentary.

It so happened that I watched another documentary this weekend that featured a lesson about beliefs, also involving war. The lesson was from the unlikeliest of sources, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who was scorned by many for escalating U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The film offers not only a very different perspective, but the reflections of a man at the end of his life looking back on decisions that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of human beings.

“Belief and seeing, they’re both often wrong,” McNamara says. Specifically, he refers to the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which he says the Johnson administration misread. “We were wrong. But we had in our minds a mindset that led to that action. And it carried such heavy costs.”

“We see what we want to believe,” filmmaker Errol Morris interjects.

More than 20 hours of interviews went into the making of The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, which won an Oscar for best documentary in 2003. Part of what makes the film so riveting is the haunting music of Philip Glass. Morris and Glass, both Aquarians, worked in close collaboration.

In an interview with Senses of Cinema, Morris discusses the ambiguity that his film brings to McNamara’s character. The public may not want to see their leaders this way, but they should, he says. “They should see the world in complex terms. I prefer the word ‘complex’ to ‘ambiguous.'”

Therein lies the dichotomy of Pisces thinking. There is faith, and there is blind faith. Many people, when confronted with ambiguities and complexities, rely on faith. But when taken to the extreme, it’s blind faith.

With Mercury retrograde in Pisces, it’s time to examine and question our beliefs. You might even want to question your belief in astrology … starting with the belief that it’s a belief. I would love to do a man-on-the-street interview and ask people whether they believe in astronomy. Or psychology.

Speaking of Pisces and former defense secretaries, Dick Cheney is in the news this morning following a heart transplant. Yeah, I know, I can just hear the jokes: “Cheney finally gets a heart,” etc. This man has been a real puzzle to me and to astrologers in general. Somewhere I read one astrologer’s theory that there are two kinds of Aquarius – those ruled by Saturn, the traditional ruler, and those ruled by Uranus, the modern ruler. According to this astrologer, Cheney falls in the first group. Sorry, but that’s not a satisfactory explanation. And anyway, the bigger puzzle is Cheney’s Pisces Moon. I’m an Aquarius with a Pisces Moon. It’s almost enough to make you stop believing in astrology … except that there really are some good explanations.

Cheney is a Rising Virgo. That gives him a sixth-house Sun, which in some ways functions as a Virgo. Aquarius and Virgo are inconjunct signs – they have nothing in common. So right away you have a conflicted personality. Add to that the Pisces Moon, and you’ve got an individual of exceptional complexity and ambiguity.

My theory about Cheney is that his Pisces Moon is way too sensitive for the time and place in which he was born. Men in our culture have a particularly tough time integrating a Pisces Moon, so they tend to overcompensate to protect their soft underbelly. Apparently he started drinking at an early age; escapism through drugs and alcohol is a weakness associated with Pisces. His heart troubles also began when he was relatively young, which isn’t surprising to an astrologer. Planets in the natal sixth house often indicate inherent physical weaknesses. The Sun rules the heart, and Cheney’s Sun is afflicted by a tight square to Saturn in Taurus.

So here you have hypersensitive Moon in Pisces, forced to live side by side with a Sun-Saturn square that points not only to a weak heart but to unresolved father issues and sweeping material insecurity. It’s interesting that Cheney’s ancestors were French Huguenots – a sect persecuted by the Church in the 16th and 17th centuries. Pisces Moon often indicates past-life connections, and this is the karmic baggage Cheney is carrying. It’s enough to make a Cold Warrior drink and drug himself into oblivion.

Of course, being an astrologer, I immediately ran to look at the chart for his transplant. It’s astounding! For starters, last Thursday’s New Moon conjunct Uranus and Mercury was in his eighth house of death and regeneration. The eighth house also is associated with surgery. On Saturday, when the transplant was performed, the conjunction of Uranus and the Sun (ruler of the heart) was exact. Cheney’s lunar South Node is at 2 degrees Aries, the degree of the New Moon, which also was trine his natal Pluto.

Of course, Mercury and Mars (ruler of surgery) were retrograde – Mars is in his first house, within a few degrees of his Ascendant. Is that going to work to his advantage? According to press reports, he’s been waiting nearly two years for a heart – in other words, since the cardinal T-square in 2010. At the height of that configuration, Cheney was in the hospital being fitted with an artificial blood-pumping device.

Heart transplants must be performed when the organ is available, so the timing wasn’t within his control. Ironically, Dick Cheney is now one of the biggest guinea pigs ever in our cosmic astrology lab! We’re going to learn a lot by the success of this operation, his rate of recovery, and any changes in beliefs that result from his near-death experience. Maybe he’ll even end up believing in astrology.

Back to this week’s aspects, the Sun squares Pluto on Thursday, providing a preview of what we might expect when the Uranus-Pluto square is exact starting this summer. Revolution and crackdown are becoming a way of life. Depending on where this square falls in your chart, you may experience your own version of rebellion and harsh response by an authority figure. Don’t push your luck with your boss or parents.

On Saturday, we have another pair of inconjuncts, this time from Mars to Uranus and Venus to Saturn. There’s an explosion waiting to happen, but for some reason, the fuse won’t light. Stifled arguments may come out in passive-aggressive ways. Venus and Saturn are more about feelings of isolation and loneliness, but this should be fairly easy to handle with a nice hot bath or a walk in the park. If there’s no one to buy you flowers, get your own. And remember, chocolate is the goddess’s gift to mankind.

Much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

P.S. StarGuide Spring forecasts are now ready! I’ve still got a backlog of a few days, but I’ve caught up enough to reactivate the PayPal button on the report order page. Many thanks to everyone who has been waiting so patiently.

Mars, Mercury, and the Inner Journey of Aries

As the new astrological year begins, Ruth starts a new series on the planetary rulers of the signs according to Soul Astrology. Isn’t it ironic that both Mars and Mercury currently are retrograde, and Uranus is in the sign of Mars? The synchronicities just keep on comin.’ ~Pat

My Aries son in flames. © Osk Ingad Alden, 2012.

Aries season is upon us once again, heralding the spring and marking the beginning of another zodiac year. At the Soul level, Aries also marks the beginning of a fantastic journey: the journey of life.

In Esoteric Astrology, the twelve signs of the zodiac tell a story – the magical story of consciousness incarnating into matter, in the form of a human being.1 Irrespective of different faiths and known by many names, all scriptures tell of Holy Beings that are here to help, guiding the human soul on its journey and ensuring we don’t stray too far from the path.

Every blade of grass has an Angel
that bends over it and whispers Grow! Grow!
~ The Talmud

Esoteric Astrology tells us that the twelve signs of the zodiac are Divine Intelligences, or Angelic Beings, who oversee the different stages of our Soul’s development. In this fantastic journey, the Soul begins in Aries as “a point of light in the mind of God.” 2 In Aries we see the initial spark of inspiration: the first impulse to exist, a divine idea that eventually translates into the pulse of life, an original concept.3

The Soul in Aries is carrying the blueprint and the potential, just as the seeds of spring have the potential to become trees, under the right conditions. They are not yet trees, and the seed is very different from the tree. It is similar with our Soul’s journey. We are in the process of growth and, under the right conditions, we will realize our spiritual potential. Just as the seed needs the right mix of sunlight, warmth, water, earth, and nutrients in order to grow, so a human soul is also conditioned by a number of factors, not least of which are the planets.

The planets play a vital role in this conditioning of our Soul, and three planets have an important relationship with Aries: Mars, Mercury, and Uranus. At the personality level, Mars is the primary energy providing the motivating, driving force. Mars is related to the vital body and brings life force energy into physical existence.

As we navigate our inner journey, we become more familiar with our inner world. The dedicated master yogis and saints who have trodden this inner path before us have described their experiences in scriptures, leaving a kind of map, so we can know what to expect on our own journey. Although each journey is unique, there is some common ground that we can all expect to experience.

Patanjali, one of the founders of modern Yoga, described five bodies we can experience on our inner journey.4 He related these to five elements of earth, fire, water, air, and ether. These he called the physical or “earth” body (annamay kosh), the energy “fire” body (pranamay kosh – this is also known as the vital body in other traditions), the mental “water” body (manomay kosh), intuitive “air” body (vigyanamay kosh), and the bliss “ether” body (anandmay kosh). Our journey is one of awareness and movement through each of these inner bodies. Once all five have been transcended, we attain Universal Mind.

Mars brings drive, motive, and motivation.5 It is the driving force that pushes life-force energy into the physical world. It is the energy of creation, conception, and new life (think sperm!). It enlivens and vitalises, brings life and vitality, and is closely related to Patanjali’s energy body. The driving force of Mars motivates us into action. This universal force is present throughout nature.

Animals live and are driven primarily by their vital, or energy, bodies. Only in humans did Mars fall out of favor as its influence historically became associated with war and aggression. This is because of man’s misinterpretation through his lower consciousness. The message of Mars is, “Take action,” or “Move.” When this pure life-giving energy is distorted through the filter of a human mind, it all too often becomes, “Let’s fight,” or “Go to war.”

This is partly due to the consciousness of humanity at this current time and the effect of Mars vitalising our lower nature. In time, as we expand our consciousness, we will experience and respond to Mars differently and perceive its influence as largely beneficial.

The effect of Mars is, therefore, largely mass effect and group results, producing great struggles but eventually leading to great revelation. In Aries, it is the final revelation of the nature of knowledge and the purpose of incarnation.
~ Alice Bailey

Mars moves us into action. Ultimately it is up to us to choose the action we take: conscious action or unconscious reaction. The outcome of our actions depends on our own motivation. It is important for anyone with planets in Aries, especially Mars, to continuously check their motives. Are your actions motivated by the needs of your head (ego) or the call of your heart and Soul?

Mars rules the lower octave of Aries, the personality, and empowers Aries with motive – the need to move the Self forward into life and light.6 For the Soul-centered individual, who has fully integrated personality and Soul, the ruler of Aries is Mercury. The hierarchical ruler of Aries is Uranus.2

As we evolve in consciousness, our spiritual eyes are opened, and we are suddenly able to perceive that which we could not before. More subtle energies and influences become apparent to us. At this point in our evolution, the Hierarchical level is beyond our perception, so we will focus on the personality and Soul rulers: Mars and Mercury.

Next: From Mars to Mercury in the three stages of spiritual development.


Ruth

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Footnotes:

1. Incarnate: From Ecclesiastical Latin incarnates, past participle of incarnari (“be made flesh”), from in- + caro (“flesh”). All definitions from Wiktonary.
2. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.
3. Concept: From Latin conceptus (“a thought, purpose, also a conceiving, etc.”), from concipere, present active infinitive of concipi? (“to take in, conceive”).
4. Mastery Over The Five Elements, by OSHO.
5. Motive: From Medieval Latin motivus, “serving to move, motive.” From Latin motus, past participle of movere, “to move.”
6. For more about the lower and higher octaves of Aries, see my previous article on Aries.

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Weekly Forecast March 19: Spring Equinox, New Moon in Aries

Aries. From the Empowered Feminine Zodiac series by Karen MacKenzie. © 2012.

Strap yourself in and prepare for lift-off! The Sun enters Aries this week, closely followed by the New Moon and a dynamite conjunction with Uranus.

According to astrological convention, we’d predict stunning new beginnings, doors flying open with explosive force, and unexpected new developments of all kinds. That may indeed happen, but we need to keep in mind first and foremost that Mars, planetary ruler of Aries, is retrograde. Moreover, he’s in Virgo, and Mercury, the ruler of Virgo, is in Aries and also retrograde.

We might read that as an indication that any new developments will be delayed until mid-April, when Mercury and Mars both will have returned direct. I have no doubt that many of you will experience the New Moon this way. But I’d like to offer you an additional, alternative interpretation.

I believe it’s possible that the new beginnings and unexpected events will involve starting over with a project, relationship, or situation that began many years ago, but that you weren’t able to complete for one reason or another. Maybe you were missing a key piece of information. Or, you may have lacked the skills to make it work. Perhaps you just weren’t mature enough to deal with the situation.

I don’t mean to suggest that you should drop everything and contact the man or woman who broke your heart five years ago. In fact, I wouldn’t advise it. However, if that person contacts you, take it as a sign that you are being given a chance to do something differently this time in order to succeed. The same advice applies if you’re contacted by a former employer or someone else from your past.

Whatever transpires this week, it’s key to moving forward on your life’s path. Not only is the New Moon near the 0 Aries point, but it’s at a degree that factored heavily in the cardinal T-square in the summer of 2010. Most of us remember that as a turbulent, frustrating period. So much has happened since then that it seems like a different eon. And maybe it was …

The Aries ingress occurs on Tuesday. Since 1993, the vernal equinox has been celebrated as International Astrology Day. In celebration of this special day, I’m publishing the first of a series of images by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie, who is working on an inspired and inspiring series of paintings incorporating astrological symbols with goddesses from different cultures. Please take a moment to check out her website (her prints are very reasonably priced and make great gifts). She’s currently working on Leo, perfectly represented by Egyptian goddess Sekhmet.

On Wednesday, the Sun conjoins retrograde Mercury, with the Moon void-of-course all day. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t felt much of a difference since Mercury changed motion a week ago. Maybe that’s because it has felt like one long Mercury retrograde period ever since Mars went into reverse in Virgo in late January. However, I do think we’ll notice the retrograde effect starting on Tuesday, and we may feel it even more when Mercury goes back into Pisces on Friday.

Chart for New Moon in Aries

Click on image to enlarge

The Moon enters Aries early Thursday in the United States, conjoins Mercury, and then a few hours later conjoins the Sun – otherwise known as the New Moon. The Moon aligns with Uranus a few hours later. Although the Sun-Uranus conjunction won’t be exact until Friday, you might start experiencing corresponding events immediately. How will you know if it’s a “New Moon-Uranus event?” Well, if it’s shocking, out of the blue, explosive, or otherwise totally disrupts your life, then it’s related to Uranus.

Remember, even positive changes can throw you for a loop. And I do believe that many of the changes that occur this week will be wonderfully positive. I say this because the grand trine involving Pluto, Jupiter, and Mars in earth signs is still active, and the Moon in Taurus will amplify the trine over the weekend. This is a great time to visualize what you want … and make sure you act on your intentions. A friend reminded me last week that when you take one step forward on your destined path, the universe will take five steps to meet you.

Wishing you infinite love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

P.S. To everyone who has written and asked about the StarGuide Spring Forecast, I’m working on it now and will post a notice when it’s ready to order, in a day or two.

Weekly Forecast March 12: Mercury Retrograde, Venus Conjunct Jupiter

In the past week, I made a couple of stunning new friends. But first, I had to make friends with retrograde Mars.

I’m fond of saying that Mars doesn’t stir up trouble where it doesn’t already exist, but you can bet that if there’s a bomb that’s been waiting to go off, a Mars transit will light the fuse. That’s especially true for Mars retrograde.

The conflict I’ve been engaged in since Mars shifted motion on January 23 really was an outgrowth of existing situations that I’d set aside with the intention of “moving forward.” This past week, I finally got it. I understood the role of this particular conflict, and that allowed me to detach. I moved forward, all right – but not in the way that was expected or advised. For once, I followed my own advice. I “made peace with conflict.” Like an expertly trained Doberman, Mars not only was my best friend, but a highly efficient bodyguard.

I’m hopeful that Mercury will serve a similar purpose when he turns retrograde tomorrow (March 12). Already, I’ve got an urge to clean up and organize everything, from classroom binders to my bathroom supply closet. I’m also going through old material that has been in my computer for years. For the next three weeks, I’ll be in massive research and planning mode for a new project in the works. The timing couldn’t be better.

Breaking down an untenable situation was necessary in order to build a new, more sustainable structure. Fortunately, I knew that – a perfect example of what we can do when we understand astrological patterns and work with them. It doesn’t make the breakdown any less painful, but knowing that it’s for a purpose does make it easier to accept. Once I did that, doors began flying open with astonishing speed.

Even more astounding have been the synchronicities. They’ve been coming in multiples, some faster than the neurons could fire in my brain. That’s how I met two extraordinary women – on International Women’s Day, no less. One of them is an accomplished artist with an interest in astrology, whose work I’ll start featuring next week.

As the synchronicities piled up one on top of another, somehow I ended up on the website for the 2006 film adaptation of James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy. I read the book when it first came out in the early 90s and wasn’t a huge fan. Still, I got shivers yesterday when I re-read the “insights,” several of which mention the increase in frequency of synchronicities. I’ve observed a growing phenomenon over the past year in my life and the lives of my clients, but incidents have been off the chart this past week.

The really good news this week is the annual conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. It’s a sight to behold, too! They’re so bright you can see them even with city lights – but all the better if you’re in a more rural location. This year, the conjunction occurs in Taurus, the sign Venus rules and the “earthiest” of all the earth signs, and it also is one “leg” of a earth trine with Mars and Pluto. Trines are the luckiest configurations in astrology, and earth trines are the most favorable for manifesting tangible, material results. Now, this isn’t about the “secret” to acquiring every toy your ego lusts for, so forget the diamond choker in the window at Tiffany’s. We’re talking about having everything you need in this particular place in space and time so that you can do what you came here to do. It’s also about making connections with like-minded individuals to collaborate with as a team.

We’ll be feeling this positive vibe for most of the week, despite Mercury’s station. Indeed, some of the connections you make are likely to be re-connections. What’s more, Mercury has been closely conjunct Uranus and will make another exact pass on Saturday, so some of the contacts you make will surprise and perhaps even shock you.

Lastly, remember that we are nearing the end of the astrological year. With Mercury, Mars, and Saturn retrograde, this is a good time to review your progress since the solstice on December 22, especially in terms of relationships, commitment, and why you’re here. Next week’s Equinox and powerful New Moon in Aries mark another milestone as we head in a new direction. We’ve got a short time to sit, breathe, look back at where we’ve been, and set new goals.

Wishing you limitless love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast March 5: Mercury Conjunct Uranus, Full Moon in Virgo

Fish fighting for food. © Renars Jurkovskis for Dreamstime.com

As we head into even more conflict this week, it’s a good time to discuss the general idea of conflict.

Simply put, we need conflict. Rather than trying to make it go away, we might do better to understand its role in our growth and evolution. We need to learn to make peace with conflict, as it were.

How many people think conflict is bad by definition and to be avoided? In fact, there is no avoiding conflict. We don’t all want the same things, and that, in a nutshell, is the source of conflict. There seems to be a movement these days toward trying to get everyone to want and need the same thing. We’re all supposed to hold hands, sing Kumbaya, acknowledge that we’re all part of the human family, etcetera ad nauseam. The first tactic is to try to persuade everyone to agree on what’s desirable. When that doesn’t happen (and it never will), group leaders resort to underhanded, manipulative tactics to try to coerce others to accept their worldview – the whole point being to avoid conflict. It’s comical, when you think about it. The result, however, is no laughing matter.

One of the most insidious manipulation techniques I’ve had to grapple with over the past couple of weeks is the use of pop psychology terms applied backwards. I’m reminded of a situation I encountered as a teenager babysitting two small children for the couple next door. Jody, 5, had discovered an ingenious means of getting what she wanted. She’d walk up to her 3-year-old brother, Danny, and grab his toy, often by force. When he put up the predictable protest (which typically involved hitting and pushing), she’d go to her mother and complain in her best victim voice, “Danny won’t share” or “Danny hit me.” I witnessed poor Danny getting spanked more than once. Finally, I said something to their mother, who immediately called Jody into the room and asked whether it was true that she took Danny’s toys. Of course, Jody lied, and her mother accepted her word over mine. I tried to help Danny by giving him extra special attention and care. But then Jody started making a fuss whenever I babysat. I don’t need to tell you how that turned out.

I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about how this story applies to many relationships today, be they political, social, personal, or romantic. For my part, I’ve had intimate contact with the aggressive side of Mars over the past few weeks, and I’ve finally realized with crystal clarity that it serves a productive purpose – even as it destroys. The old and unworkable needs to be eliminated in order to clear the way for the new and sustainable. The destroyer is serving a high and noble cause, but invariably, he is labeled “bad” and “negative.” It does tend to make him a bit feisty and irritable. Hopefully, under Mercury and Mars retrograde, some light will be shed on how situations and relationships devolved into irreconcilable conflict and how we can move past these obstacles to reach our goals.

Saturn retrograde in Libra with Mars retrograde is helping us to understand the role of conflict in finding balance. Balance doesn’t happen by forcing everyone into agreement – if that were even possible. We need multiple points of view. Without them, what we have is the tyranny of the majority our forefathers warned against. Have you ever noticed that when disagreements arise, people tend to try to convince others of their position and then form a group of people who think the same way? Truth isn’t determined by numbers.

As of last Friday, Mercury is in Aries, so now he and Mars are in mutual reception. As I predicted, the noise level went up immediately, and it will go up another several decibels when Mercury turns retrograde on March 12. In addition, computer problems are escalating from the merely frustrating to the absolutely ridiculous. I’ve been editing a spot for the film and video program that should have taken a week. Due to computer breakdowns, I’m now in my fourth week and counting. If any of you tried to access RealAstrolgers yesterday, you may have noticed a page of error messages. The fix took more than three hours, although I can’t fault my web host, InMotion Hosting. They were extra busy yesterday – big surprise there – and did the job as fast as they could. And they were so darn polite – a real feat, given the astrological climate. On Thursday, I received an e-mail from a client about a computer nightmare at her workplace that could turn into total chaos when her company switches over to a new system on March 12. Monday’s conjunction of Mercury and Uranus is the spark that ignites the electrical fire – literally and figuratively. I can’t say it enough: back up your computer data!

Chart for Full Moon in Virgo

Click on image to enlarge

Thursday’s Full Moon in Virgo likely will bring a lot of conflict to a head, so be prepared. As the volume increases, seek to maintain your integrity and responsibility – two key ideas for Saturn in Libra. Know what you want, why you want it, and what you have to do to get it. Know the difference between selfishness and enlightened self-interest. This distinction will become increasingly important as Uranus approaches an exact square with Pluto. Conflicts that emerge now actually can help you clarify your goals and purpose.

On the positive side – and there is one, thank goddess – Venus enters Taurus on Monday. Jupiter also is in Taurus, and these two are quite a lucky pair. They’ll form an exact conjunction next week, but they’re close enough at the Full Moon to create a positive vibe for manifesting real, concrete results, despite the tension and conflict – or perhaps because of it. Venus and Jupiter will form one leg of an earth trine with Pluto in Capricorn and Mars in Virgo. This creative configuration reinforces the notion that the destructive force of Mars is breaking down structures that are no longer serving us, clearing space for a fresh start. We’ve been traveling that road since summer of 2010 (some of us earlier), and this is a major milestone.

Again, it’s helpful to keep our sights on our long-term goals and our life’s purpose as we navigate through the rough seas of the next few weeks. Look for new developments that will blossom with the spring flowers, after Mercury and Mars return direct in the first half of April. Speaking of spring flowers, Venus sextiles Neptune on Tuesday, giving us an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of nature as an antidote to all the BS.

Wishing you infinite love, courage, and beauty,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Pisces-Virgo: The Healing Heart, Part II

Pisces SoulHaving cultivated spiritual realizations to the point of enlightenment, the Piscean Soul, now fully equipped, awake, and aware, turns back in order to save others.

I leave the Father’s home and turning back, I save. ~ Alice Bailey1

The deeper mysteries of Pisces speak to the spiritual development of humanity and to the fulfilment of spiritual purpose. The Piscean Soul doesn’t turn back to save others from some glamorous idea of being a hero, but rather from a quiet and simple recognition of divine purpose and that the point of existence and incarnation is to be a spiritual “pacemaker,” keeping the beat of spirit in matter, so all sentient beings may do likewise through a process similar to (but subtler than) entrainment.2 To attain this capacity is the whole purpose of incarnation in general and human incarnation in particular.

For as long as space remains/And as long as sentient beings remain
Until then may I too remain/To dispel the suffering of all beings. ~ Shantideva

The Soul’s journey through the Zodiac signs is one of human spiritual development. The completion of the cycle in Pisces brings resolution: the dissolution of illusory boundaries and final fusion of soul and personality. The fully mature human soul in Pisces at last has the power and capacity to be of service. According to Esoteric Astrology,1 the true spiritual purpose of humanity is to be a kind of conduit for spiritual energy; as spirit descends into matter through humanity, our role is to flow and direct divine energy for the benefit of the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms.

Pisces plays a vital role in humanity’s awakening process. As each one of us purifies our thoughts and intentions, we rise up from fear and learn to focus and direct our Sacred Heart energy like a laser-beam. Each human who awakens then becomes like a spiritual pacemaker! Each pacemaker “cell” in the heart of humanity works silently in service, radiating pure divine energy from their Sacred Heart, which invites others to fully mature, awaken, and join them in the fulfillment of divine purpose. In this way, the fully awakened Sacred Heart acts as pacemaker for an awakening humanity. Many individuals are now sensing, responding to, and aligning with this growing pulse of Sacred Heart energy as its rhythm ripples through human consciousness.

In conventional astrology, the sign of Leo rules the heart, for it is in Leo that the individual first awakens to the warmth and love flowing through his own heart. Yet, as we shall see, it is in Pisces that we finally have the power, consciousness, and capacity to emit a continuous pulse of transformation!

Our current state of mind, with our focus on manmade war and suffering, is the result of our spiritual immaturity, which leads us to be blinded by “glamour.”3 We are so easily deceived by the appearance of things, and we do not yet have the spiritual maturity to see things as they really are. Our spiritual eyes are still closed. We believe what we see and hear, which causes fear and negative emotions and results in our continuously living in a fearful, reactive, state. Watch a TV drama, thriller, or horror movie, and notice what happens to your emotions (and especially your heart rate!) when, in truth, nothing is actually happening to you.

This problem of not perceiving reality as it is, is what creates fear and a false idea of ourselves that is rooted in our ego-personality and sustained by the illusory nature of glamour. It will change because it is only a phase we are going through. We will grow up and awaken to our divine nature, because it is part of our natural development. A child cannot remain a child. This is what was meant when Jesus Christ said, “We are as children.” He was referring to our spiritual immaturity and our inability to connect with and be a channel for divine love and purpose.

In the Pisces personality, there is still polarity. The personality and soul are experienced as separate, and, in a sense, the Soul is in bondage to the personality, as the higher vibration Piscean energy is filtered through the lens of a human mind, with all its fear and illusion. The mind creates an idea of separation: an ego-personality, which sustains the veil of illusion through fear. Realizing that we create the very illusions that keep us asleep is an important part of our awakening, and this happens in Pisces.

It is under the influence of Pisces that each cell in the Sacred Heart of humanity, each drop in the ocean of consciousness, ripens, matures, and starts beating in synch with the divine. Such is the magnificence and importance of Pisces. There isn’t much that can be said that offers consolation to the personality. Pisces is associated with death, because there is a symbolic death. Symbolically, the personality dies in this sign; it fuses with the soul as the individual becomes fully soul-centered.

This is not nearly as dramatic as it sounds. The truth is that because our personality is also a glamorous illusion, when we fully awaken it simply dissolves and leaves us standing in the truth of our sacred self. We retain our awareness of being an individual drop and part of the ocean at the same time. That is the point of our soul’s journey: to bring us into contact with important lessons and experiences that catalyze us into becoming fully awakened, conscious individuals in alignment with divine will and purpose and in service to all sentient beings – all hearts beating as one.

So, Pisces, it’s time to put down that cocktail, turn off the TV, and hear the call of your heart. Don’t worry, you won’t have to go anywhere or do anything. You are not here to take center stage. You are simply here to be awake and focus on the power of your own heart, and to do that, you need to access the focus and discernment of your opposite sign, Virgo. Then Mother Nature will do the rest. You will soon realize how suffering really is transformed in your heart through the power of your pure love.

When enough of us mature spiritually and become heart-centered, transformation naturally happens. All you need to do is silently keep focusing on your heart-center while the rest of your human family wakes up and joins you in divine service.


Ruth

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Footnotes:

1. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.
2. “Entrainment in the biomusicological sense refers to the synchronization of organisms to an external rhythm, usually produced by other organisms with whom they interact socially. Examples include firefly flashing, mosquito wing clapping as well as human music and dance such as foot tapping.” (From Wikipedia entry on “entraintment.”)
3. The Piscean Age is called the “Age of Glamour,” in which our suffering is very real indeed, yet the causes are rooted in illusion and delusion. To understand the mechanism of this and how it relates to Pisces, see my earlier article, “Pisces-Virgo: Completing the Age of Spiritual Redemption.”

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Weekly Forecast February 27: Mercury Enters Aries, Sun Opposite Mars

Swimming with sharks. © Pavel Erofeev for Dreamstime.com

I don’t know if I’m going to survive this Mars retrograde. To be more precise, life as I know it may not survive this Mars retrograde.

I’m so far behind on my academic work, I’m not sure if I’ll get it all done before the end of the quarter. (For those of you waiting for reports, I’m trying to program in a few hours a week to catch up, so hopefully I’ll be able to respond to you soon.) Beyond that, I’m not sure whether the program in which I’m enrolled will survive the state’s budget cuts. Infighting among classmates and faculty isn’t helping. Everyone is demoralized and depressed.

The good news is that the energy of retrograde Mars in Virgo destroys what isn’t working, clearing the way for new, healthier and more supportive structures to take root. It may turn out that what you fear losing isn’t worth keeping, and if you let go and allow a breakdown to happen, the outcome will be circumstances more conducive to fulfilling your divine mission in life.

Speaking of which, I posted Ruth’s article on Pisces this morning (late, of course; it was supposed to be up yesterday). All of Ruth’s posts are special, but this one is particularly brilliant and resonated with me. With my Pisces Moon, I consider myself an “honorary Pisces.” Even if you don’t have a lot of Pisces energy in your chart, her article is well worth reading.

So, on that note, let’s talk about the most significant planetary aspects this week. First, Mercury enters Aries on Friday, which means that Mercury and Mars officially will be in mutual reception (when each of two planets are in the sign ruled by the other). Mars retrograde in Virgo has felt an awful lot like Mercury retrograde, so I suspect that when these two are linked in this special relationship, the effect is going to be amplified. That means even more error messages, dead batteries, crashed servers, equipment failures, infections, and other frustrating computer glitches.

Mercury also is approaching his own retrograde, starting March 12. I’m always hesitant to say things are going to get worse, but it’s hard to imagine that Mercury in Aries is going to help any. I won’t be surprised if people go from mere yelling to throwing objects across the room at each other, from nitpicking to outright scorn. Start looking now for ways to duck and cover. If you can’t stay out of the line of fire, think up a good flak jacket. Virgo demands precision and accuracy, so one way you’ll be able to deflect criticism is by having your facts straight, with all i’s dotted and t’s crossed.

On Saturday, the noise level goes up another few decibels with the Sun opposing Mars. If you don’t have to work with others, you can get a lot done under this aspect. However, if your work involves collaboration, or if your main area of contention these days is in a personal relationship, be prepared for a hot-and-heavy argument. This is tough, because the nature of this sign-pair combination suggests that someone is at risk of being dumped on. If you find yourself in such a predicament, you might have to shout out your differences.

In some cases, such a release can lead to a peaceful solution. However, it’s more likely that if you have an argument this weekend, you may have to spend time in that uncomfortable state of feeling that no one is on your side and nothing you do is ever good enough. Venus and Saturn are opposed on Sunday, suggesting feelings of isolation and alienation, at least for a few hours. If you feel down, tell yourself it won’t last – and it won’t. These influences won’t last more than a day, as Venus and the Sun move relatively quickly.

On the positive side this week, we have a harmonious sextile from the Sun to Pluto on Tuesday. Use the first two days of this week to clean up messes, whether literal – like the dishes stacked in the sink or the trash blocking the back door – or emotional. You can do a lot to preempt the Sun-Mars opposition later in the week by addressing “messy” personal situations now.

As I mentioned above, I’m trying to carve out some time to fulfill report orders, giving priority to pre-ordered March StarGuide reports. A few of you also are waiting for consultation follow-ups. I just want you to know that I haven’t forgotten about you.

So, as we head into another tough week, just know that you’re truly not alone, that others are facing similar obstacles. We all just need to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.

Wishing you infinite love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

P.S. If you haven’t done so already, please check out the article in Forbes on financial astrology, quoting Ray Merriman. Good astrologers are priceless in our effort to get more respect for our craft.

Pisces-Virgo: The Healing Heart, Part I

Pisces SoulThe sign of Pisces is associated with illusion, delusion, glamour, suffering, sensitivity, bondage, captivity, prisons, hospitals, religious orders, renunciation, detachment, self-sacrifice, and death.

Sound like fun? If you thought Scorpio was intense, welcome to the oceanic depths of Pisces. Having journeyed through the previous 11 signs of the Zodiac, spending up to eight lifetimes in each, the Soul in Pisces has been around the block. No wonder your Piscean friends sometimes seem to be carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Having learned to flow the energies of love and life consciously, accurately, and consistently in Aquarius to become a World Server, the Pisces Soul becomes a liberated, radiant expression of Christ Consciousness, a World Savior. A developmental cycle is complete, and the Soul is now fully mature and ready to fulfil divine purpose.

In Aquarius, the sign of world service, the lesson is finally learned
that produces the world Saviour in Pisces.  ~ Alice Bailey1

Does every Piscean we meet have the saintly qualities of a World Savior? Not quite. As we shall see, there is a big difference between the personality vibration and the Soul expression of Pisces. The gap between the lower octaves and higher octaves of this mysterious sign is the biggest in the whole Zodiac, and the difference is one of fear and love. Bridging this gap is the longest journey humanity will ever make.

The sign of Pisces embodies oceanic consciousness. Water signs are all about mastery of emotions, and mutable signs are all about change, so that gives us a clue to the higher purpose of this sign. Collectively, under the influence of Pisces, we are here to transform through our emotions. As the sign of oceanic consciousness, Pisces is aware of and experiences the consciousness of humanity. This is why Pisces has the reputation of being the most sensitive sign of all. It means sensitive in the sense of being aware of and able to use all of our senses – not, as some people unfairly presume, in the sense of being a wimp.

Indeed, our Piscean friends can really step up to the plate when the chips are down and stand their ground as good as anybody. You wouldn’t want to cross a Piscean who is standing up for what they believe is right. The real sensitivity of Pisces comes from their ability to sense everything. Now think about that. Would you really want to feel everything that everyone is feeling? All of the time? Pisces does. And with that comes great sadness and great responsibility.

Pisces feels and lives with the truth of suffering every moment of every day. No wonder they drink – and many do! All forms of escapism are a very real risk for our Piscean friends: movies, TV, computer games, drugs, alcohol – anything that numbs the pain is a big temptation for them. For Pisces, the suffering of humanity is a real, lived experience, not a mental concept or idea. Pisces feels the interconnectedness of us all and feels your pain. In a sense, they really are carrying the burden of humanity. If you have Sun, Moon, or Rising Sign in Pisces, you’d be wise to avoid the temptation to numb yourself. Learn about the higher power and purpose of your magnificent sign, and know what you can do to ease the pain for yourself and others, by using the “medicine” of your opposite sign.

The challenge for the Pisces personality is one of identification. Water signs tend to become identified with their feelings, and the Pisces personality all too easily becomes identified with deep feelings of sadness, self-pity, and low self-esteem. (Low self-esteem comes from the illusion that negative and painful feelings are yourself). Blinded by glamour and desperate to escape from their fears, the biggest life lesson for a Pisces personality is to learn that they are not their feelings.2 Your fears will dissolve like morning mist when you to realize your true spiritual nature. But to do this, you first need the laser-like discernment of your opposite sign, Virgo.

The Piscean personality often confuses self-sacrifice with people-pleasing, which leads to the mistaken thinking that you are either a victim or a martyr who has to continually neglect your own needs and defer to the whims of others. This misguided thinking is part of what you are here to transform and transcend. At Soul level, Pisces knows the deeper spiritual significance of self-sacrifice, in the sense that the deeper meaning of the word “sacrifice” means “to make sacred.” The “sacrifice” is of your lower, fear-based self, as you awaken to your sacred heart energy and align with the Self that knows all are one.

What do we mean by a sacred heart? We are not talking about the physical heart, but a very subtle and powerful energy field. The sacred heart is the subtle connection between us and the divine, which, when awakened, allows us to flow divine energy into the physical world. All you need to do to awaken it is to continuously and consistently place your attention upon it. Before this can happen, the pure focus and discernment of Virgo is needed: first, to cultivate somatic (body) awareness and then to discern subtler and subtler energies within our whole being. The word “sacrifice” refers to the practice of bringing loving attention to the subtler aspects of our being, so that we realize our own spiritual nature, our “Sacred Self.” Our sacred heart lies at the center of our Sacred Self and is that which connects us all.

The fluid, sensitive, temperament in Pisces – mediumistic and psychically polarised – must be stabilised in Virgo, in which sign mental introspection and critical analysis become possible and serve to arrest the fluidity of Pisces.  These two signs balance each other. ~ Alice Bailey1

When the oceanic consciousness of Pisces accesses the pristine purity and loving awareness of Virgo, something miraculous happens. Rather than being numb, the focus and precision of Virgo helps you to feel more deeply and precisely, until you identify and access your sacred heart. You experience the transformation of negative emotions as you breathe through your own heart. This felt experience in Virgo brings Pisces to the realization that when you make just one small change within yourself, it changes the whole. This is the true power and mystery of Pisces, and it comes from a real-lived experience, not from a belief or an idea. It is the knowledge of how one transforms the many: that one pure droplet, changes the whole ocean.

It is in the sign of Pisces that humanity’s greatest spiritual achievements are fully realized, and so it makes sense that our greatest challenges also lie in this sign. Before we can realize the spiritual heights, we have to acknowledge the depths. Acknowledging the truth of the ocean of human suffering, rather than trying to escape, avoid, or run from it, is the greatest challenge our Pisces friends will ever face. Yet it is only by fully examining suffering with the critical eye of Virgo that we begin to fully understand the cause.

In Part 2, we explore the whole purpose of human incarnation. We will see the mechanism through which the highest octave of Pisces transforms an “ocean of suffering” and becomes a World Savior.


Ruth

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Footnotes:

1. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.
2. The Piscean Age is called the “Age of Glamour,” in which our suffering is very real indeed, yet the causes are rooted in illusion and delusion. To understand the mechanism of this and how it relates to Pisces, see my earlier article, “Pisces-Virgo: Completing the Age of Spiritual Redemption.”

[hr]

Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website, <a title="Soul Astrology with To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Weekly Forecast February 20: New Moon in Pisces

© Dan Collier for Dreamstime.com

Twice this past week, I worked so late in the editing room that I missed the last bus home. That meant walking a mile up a steep hill at midnight, in the rain, dragging a pack full of books.

As I struggled to put one foot in front of the other and keep going, it occurred to me that this was a good image for the astrological period we’re moving through, which won’t end until Mars returns direct on April 13. Saturn will still be retrograde, which will have its own set of issues, but at least we won’t feel so dragged down, demoralized, and obstructed.

That said, it does appear that some good is coming out of the combined retrogrades of Mars and Saturn, with the latter in the relationship-oriented sign of Libra. Saturn turned retrograde two weeks ago and has been sitting at 29 degrees Libra, where he’ll remain until March 4. By the time an outer planet has reached the last degree of a sign, we’re ready to move on to the next lesson. But there’s still something we have to learn about commitment in relationships and maintaining inner balance while interacting closely with others.

Conflict is a natural part of any relationship, but Libra seeks to avoid it in an attempt to “keep the peace.” Under retrograde Mars, with the help of Venus in Mars-ruled Aries, conflicts are being provoked that ultimately will help restore the balance in circumstances that have been out of equilibrium for too long, often due to those attempts at keeping the peace. If you’ve been embroiled in conflict for the past week or two, take heart. Events are unfolding to help you move past it and find higher ground. But you will have to do a lot of heavy lifting. You can’t expect that the other person will make all the concessions. At the same time, you can’t be the one who caves and gives up everything just to avoid more conflict. In fact, you’ll just be deferring it.

The other conflict-averse sign of the zodiac is Pisces, but for different reasons. Whereas Libra strives for harmony and balance, Pisces seeks oneness through dissolution of boundaries. However, confusion can be the result, as Pisces is a psychic sponge for everyone else’s thoughts and feelings. As a result, she may not have a strong sense of self, and she needs time to figure out what she really thinks and how she feels. That makes it hard to stand up for herself in a conflict, so she tends to avoid it. (Please remember than when I talk about the signs, I’m referring not only to the Sun sign, but anyone with that particular energy dominant in their chart. It may be your Moon or Rising sign, or a stellium of planets in a particular house or sign. The only way to know for sure which energies are dominant in your chart is to consult with a professional astrologer.)

So, that’s the heavy news for this week. The good news is that we have a lovely Pisces Moon on Tuesday conjunct Neptune and Chiron and sextile Jupiter. Neptune is the modern ruler of Pisces, traditionally ruled by Jupiter. So it’s significant that this New Moon aspects both planets. This is the first time in hundreds of years, by the way, that we’ve had a New Moon in Pisces conjunct Neptune. The last time it happened, Neptune hadn’t even been discovered.

Chart for New Moon in Pisces

Click on image to enlarge

Neptune rules sleep, dreams, the deep psyche, the collective unconscious, past-life memories. There is magic here, and yet there are pitfalls. We’re in an area where lines are blurred, and we can be tricked into thinking we see something that’s not there. Dreams become illusions or delusions. This is where Truth is a moving target.

Pisces also is the sign of empathy and compassion. With the New Moon conjunct Chiron, the wounded healer, we can have greater compassion for our own wounds and, thus, for those of others. Only when we accept our own flaws and weaknesses can we accept them in others and make a heart-centered connection.

Before leaving Pisces on Thursday, the Moon conjoins Mercury as the latter is about to oppose Mars. This is likely to be a difficult day, but there may be room for the kind of dialogue I described above. Just be advised that it could be painful. Getting through it may require struggling to put one foot in front of the other, in the dark, until you get to the top of the hill.

Saturday’s Sun-Jupiter sextile is much happier. Blow off steam from a tough week by going out to a special breakfast with friends and family. Or, you may just want to sleep in and have coffee in bed.

Speaking of bed, I’ll repeat last week’s recommendation to keep a dream journal with you. I’m hearing many reports of vivid, weird, and otherwise unusual dreams. Write them down now so that you can decode them later.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat