Tag Archives: Chiron in Pisces

Weekly Forecast June 22: Mercury Square Neptune, Mars Enters Cancer

Secret Garden. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

When tragedies like last week’s shooting take place, the first instinct of an astrologer is to cast a chart and try to identify the correlating aspects.

I did, but not immediately. My first reaction was to get depressed, or maybe it was a sad sense of resignation. We’ve known all along that it wasn’t a question of whether another shooting spree would take place, but when. That this one took place in a church added to the shock and disbelief. We think of churches as a sanctuary. Then, I don’t suppose it’s any more “sacred” than a school, a sorority house, or a movie theater, and certainly not more than one’s home. We tend not to include the latter in our definition of mass shooting, so they don’t make sensational headlines, even though Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast January 26: Venus Enters Pisces, Mars Sextile Pluto

Dancer Anabel Veloso in photo shoot for her 2009 Deje Flamenco production Nacidos del Mar.

Venus in Pisces: Dancer Anabel Veloso in a photo shoot for her 2009 flamenco show Nacidos del Mar.

This week’s astrological aspects are mostly favorable, but I don’t need to tell you that world events are getting serious and seriouser.

That trend is going to continue – and with increasing intensity – the closer we get to the seventh and final pass of the Uranus-Pluto square in mid-March. This astrological phenomenon is so strong that it overshadows just about every other aspect for the next four months. The one exception is the Saturn-Neptune square, which is working synergistically with Uranus and Pluto.

As I’ve written before, the final Uranus-Pluto square is different from the first six in that the others took place with Saturn in Scorpio, which reinforced Pluto in Capricorn so that we saw militarized police forces brutally suppressing movements for greater freedom and civil rights. There have been other Uranus-Pluto themes, but Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast November 17: Sun Conjunct Saturn, New Moon in Sagittarius

Cotter Bridge. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2014.

This week, the Sun leaves the murky territory of Scorpio and enters jovial Sagittarius. But I’m not breaking out the champagne.

Sagittarius is known as the sign of the truth-seeker, which sounds noble enough. The problem, as I see it, is that when we look for truth – often with a capital “T” – what we really want is validation for our beliefs. It’s amazing how the mind can bend and twist with the deftness of a circus contortionist to fit reality to its preconceived notions. I’ve often found that there’s more truth hiding in the shadowy depths. Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast June 9: Neptune Retrograde, Full Moon in Sagittarius

Crossing. © Pat Paquette, 2014.

I’m B-A-A-A-A-a-a-a-ck.

Actually, I’m not entirely back. Even though I moved only a few miles from my former home, it feels as though I’ve been sent through the teleporter, and all the pieces haven’t reassembled yet on the other side. And with Mercury retrograde, there’s a transporter accident waiting to happen.

Moving with Mercury retrograde has been quite educational. Or maybe I should say, “reaffirming.” I’ve experienced most of the classic manifestations, including mix-ups and delays. I’d planned to be done by June 2, but it took until yesterday Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast December 9: Mercury Trine Uranus, Jupiter Trine Saturn

December sunset over Vashon. © Pat Paquette, 2013.

This week’s aspects are largely positive – emphasis on large, seeing as how Jupiter is involved.

The main event is Thursday’s favorable trine between Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter is about growth, expansion, and exuberance, while Saturn is about limitation and structure. Usually, we think of “limitation” as a bad thing, but without limits, we’d have chaos. Structure itself is a limit. Think of the foundation and frame of a new home. It says, “This home is this size, in this place, built to withstand the worst weather in this region.” There may be some room for interpretation in the blueprint, but you’ve got a set plan. Once you decide on this design, all others are ruled out.

The characteristics of Jupiter and Saturn obviously are at odds, and with difficult aspects between these two heavyweights, conflicts can erupt between forces for broader inclusion and systems designed to maintain the established order. However, when they are working in harmony, great things are possible. Left to his own devices, Jupiter can go way overboard and attempt to do too much, too fast, ending in a crash-and-burn. With the discipline and patience of Saturn, ambitious goals are more likely to end in success.

If you’ll recall, Jupiter and Saturn were in a rare and powerful grand water trine in July. Back then, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune were all in the early degrees of the three waters signs. Neptune remains in early Pisces, but Jupiter and Saturn have advanced to the mid-degrees of Cancer and Scorpio, and will form two more trines, one this week and another toward the end of May 2014. This positive connection is something we can hang onto against the backdrop of the ongoing Uranus-Pluto square – and it is still very much active, as we can see in the uprising in Kiev.

Even though Neptune is no longer part of the grand trine, the Moon in Pisces fills in for Neptune in a grand water trine on Monday. The Moon moves through signs quickly, so this “lucky” configuration won’t last long. Still, there’s something nicely symbolic about the Moon in the sign ruled by Neptune (according to modern Western astrology). It’s as though Neptune will be there in spirit. Look for developments related to events in July, both collectively and in your personal lives. If you began a project or relationship back then and have experienced setbacks, just a little effort this week can move you forward – and you do have to make at least some effort.

I posted a note on Facebook yesterday saying I’d be late with this week’s forecast (I was struggling with the onset of a migraine) but that the week would be another positive one in general. Three readers left comments saying their weeks hadn’t been positive. I have to tell you that the previous week for me was not kind, either. So this is a good time to remind everyone that positive aspects such as the Jupiter-Saturn trine are no guarantee that you’ll have a great week, especially if you’re experiencing a challenging transit to your natal chart. My forecasts are in broad, general terms, and a quick look at the headlines confirms that the past few weeks have been relatively calm. The biggest news was the loss of a giant among men who passed peacefully at age 95, with tributes to remind us of what it means to sacrifice for truth and justice. The second biggest story, at least in the United States, was a gigantic snowstorm at a time of year when it does tend to snow. Of course, the folks who skidded off the road or froze to death likely didn’t have a “relatively calm” week.

Speaking of accidents (and I’ve written this before), it’s hard to predict accidents with astrology. We can see the tendency or indications of an accident-prone period, but that doesn’t guarantee an unfortunate outcome. Further, admonishing someone to “watch out for accidents” isn’t necessarily helpful. A few years back, I had a client who fell on a loose stair step and shattered her hip. There was no way she could have seen that coming, even with a word of caution to “be careful.” At times like this, being an astrologer can be very frustrating.

Back to this week, Mercury trines Uranus and squares Chiron on Tuesday. The trine with Uranus is signature for fast thinking and impulsive ideas. This is the light bulb flashing over your head, the eureka effect (just don’t slip getting out of the bathtub). Thoughts are so fleeting that you may forget them, so keep a notebook handy and write them down. Don’t assume you’ll remember them later.

The Mercury-Chiron square also has a positive side, in that human suffering comes into greater focus. With Chiron in Pisces, we can have compassion for those less fortunate, but we won’t necessarily do anything about it. Sometimes we just don’t know what to do. I genuinely hope that we’ll see at least one headline this week concerning solutions to poverty, unemployment, and help for victims of wars and natural disasters.

I usually don’t write about quincunxes, but I do want to mention the Mars-Neptune quincunx on Friday. Mars is in Libra, the sign of his detriment. Mars operates best when he can be direct and get straight to the point, and Libra is too considerate of others to do so. Not that Libras don’t get what they want by other means, and that’s the risk here. Neptune can be fuzzy and confused, if not downright deceptive. The question is often asked in relationship counseling whether it’s OK to lie to a partner and under what circumstances. My general take is that if you’re lying to spare your partner’s feelings – and you need to be ruthlessly honest with yourself about your motivation – then it’s appropriate. If you’re lying to spare your own feelings or because you don’t want to get caught doing something you shouldn’t have been doing – especially if you agreed not to do so – then it’s time to put on your big-boy/big-girl pants and ‘fess up.

I’ve written that I’d have something to say about comet ISON, but I’m continuing to hold off, because observers still aren’t sure what happened to it. They’re waiting until what’s left of it gets farther away from the sun to determine whether it’s dead or mostly dead. After an initial announcement that it was dead, they said they’d called it too soon and that it appeared that something survived and was growing. That would have been symbolic indeed. Sadly, it now appears that there’s nothing left but a cloud of dust.

ISON watchers have compared the comet to the mythological Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and then fell into the sea and drowned. It’s a tempting comparison, but in the myth, Icarus was foolish and disregarded warnings. If you believe that comets are messengers from the far reaches of our solar system, then you have to believe that they are somehow conscious (or “whoever” sent them is conscious) of the danger awaiting them at perihelion. If ISON truly is dead-dead, then this had to be something of a suicide mission, important enough to sacrifice itself for. More as the story develops…

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast December 22: New Moon in Capricorn, Jupiter Direct

Whew! That was one bad-ass Mercury retrograde. I’m sure you will join me in gratitude that it’s over.

Unfortunately, life didn’t turn around immediately, as I expected it would. It was almost as if people had a Mercury retrograde hangover. It took me a couple of days to clean up the mess, and then I had to sleep off a grueling academic quarter. I just now am starting to feel like I’m re-entering the real world – although, after two eclipses, it’s not the same world I left.

Reflecting on the past three months and on what comes next, I was able to connect the dots of events over the past two years. Although it’s true in general that we wouldn’t be where we are now if events in our lives hadn’t happened in the specific order that they did, there seems to have been something unique about the period since the cardinal T-square began ramping up in the spring of 2010. The tests and trials we encountered appear to have been precise in their design. For example, one of my classmates was about to get accepted into a prestigious art school in the summer of 2010, and the door suddenly closed, only for another to open in the spring of 2011, when she switched to film school. Incidentally, this young woman has strong early cardinal energy in her chart. Those of you with Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in the early degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn likely have similar stories.

In any case, we crossed a threshold during the eclipses, and now that Mercury is direct, we’re seeing a new reality. Or, perhaps it’s the same reality from a broader perspective. That’s definitely within the scope of Sagittarius, seeker of the Truth. Be prepared to see an even larger piece of the picture when the Sun crosses over the degree of the Galactic Center early Monday morning (2:27 a.m. EST). The portal is open for a giant leap in consciousness. The rest of the week is equally momentous, culminating with a groundbreaking New Moon in Capricorn on Christmas Eve and Jupiter’s return direct on Christmas Day.

While conjunct the GC, the Sun sextiles Saturn in Libra on Monday and Neptune in Aquarius on Tuesday. The key to successfully visualizing what you want and manifesting it into reality is knowing your purpose and following your path. I can’t help but think of the words in the Lord’s Prayer, “thy will be done.” Change the concept of the Christian God to a neutral universe in which we collectively upload and download, and then think about where your individual Will comes from. Incidentally, this is the same Will that Crowley was talking about when he said, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” (I’m not a Crowley fan, but I appreciate the concept.)

Venus enters Aquarius on Tuesday and immediately squares Jupiter and sextiles Uranus. This is great energy for holiday parties at the office and among friends, and while some overindulgence is a given, take care not to go too far overboard. That goes for last-minute shopping, too. I’m a big believer in “less is more” when it comes to holiday gift-giving. Give gifts that are simple and meaningful and that create a heart connection between you and the recipient of your generosity.

Thursday is Solstice, with the Sun’s entrance into Capricorn (late Wednesday on the West Coast of the United States). In itself, it represents a shift, from dark to light. Given the recent eclipses and events leading up to them – including an eclipse last year just hours before Solstice – there’s no doubt that we’re in a magical time of awakening, when the light is “reborn” – light being a symbol of consciousness.

Speaking of which, this seems as good a time as any to mention the so-called 2012 alignment – you know, the one that’s supposed to happen on Dec. 21, 2012. In fact, that alignment happened already. Because the galactic equator isn’t an exact spot in space, the alignment occurs over several years. We’re in it now and will still be in it next year. However, most astronomers agree that it was closest to exact in 1998. For many of us who have been observing the evolution of human consciousness, 1998 was a pivotal year. What we’re experiencing now is clearly an outgrowth of that cosmic shift, and this week’s solstice is another important milestone.

Shortly after entering Capricorn, the Sun trines Jupiter and squares Uranus, both on Thursday. Both aspects are activated by the New Moon, so I’ll turn my attention toward this significant event.

Click on image to enlarge

The New Moon, at 1:06 p.m. EST on Saturday, falls at 2°34′ Capricorn – right about the degree that Pluto occupied during the summer of 2010, when the cardinal T-square was in full force. Meanwhile, Saturn was in early Libra, and Jupiter and Uranus were conjunct in early Aries. In other words, this New Moon is significantly linked to the T-square. The big difference is that Saturn has moved on, and so we don’t have the obstacles and constraints we experienced back then.

Better still, Jupiter is now in early Taurus, in a harmonious earth trine with Pluto. What’s more, he’s coming out of his annual four-month retrograde. Planetary energies are most powerful when planets are stationed to shift direction, and earth signs are about manifestation on the material plane. I interpret this configuration as a free flow of the rewards we felt so close to attaining in the second half of 2010 but that continued to elude us, no matter how hard we tried or how much we suffered and sacrificed.

That’s not to say there won’t be disruption. As you can see in the chart, the New Moon is at a jarring square to Uranus, in the same degrees of early Aries he occupied in the summer of 2010. As I’m so fond of saying, change by definition is disorienting, even when it’s overwhelmingly positive. The more sweeping it is, the more disrupted your life will be.

The New Moon also makes a favorable sextile to Chiron, conjunct Vesta in early Pisces. In Pisces, Chiron reflects wounds from our individual and collective past. It’s no accident that so many people are beginning to have an awareness of other lifetimes (often called “past lives”). Manilius, an astrologer writing in the 1st century CE, considered Vesta as the patron deity of Capricorn. Virgin goddess of the home and hearth, Vesta occupied a special place in Roman society and was called upon whenever new communities formed. What is happening if not the formation of a new global collective without geopolitical, racial, ethnic, or religious boundaries? Vesta conjunct Chiron in Pisces also reminds us of our “spiritual home.” We are active on the material plane, but there is a deeper, unseen reality – that bigger picture that more and more of us are beginning to see and feel.

Not to neglect Mars, the warrior currently is moving on his own, with no major aspects at this New Moon. However, he is in his pre-retrograde shadow, making rumbling noises through Mercury, planet of communications. If you find yourself overly critical, perhaps even starting an argument when you believe someone to be lacking in some way, stop and think about whether you could get your message across without being so blunt. Directness does have its place, and it can save a lot of time and wasted energy. However, sometimes a little sugar can get you what you want faster. It’s your call.

Wishing you all abundance, joy, and hearts full of love during this magical season,
Pat

P.S. StarGuide Winter 2012 forecasts are now available. If you want to reserve a place on the list, don’t wait to order! I’ve got an increasing backlog of reports, and right now there’s an estimated wait time of 5-7 days. To those of you waiting for reports and consultation follow-up notes, I am grateful for your patience and understanding. I’m slowly making my way through the backlog while nursing a persistent cold and catching up on much-needed sleep.

Weekly Forecast November 7: Full Moon in Taurus, Mars Enters Virgo

Cloud Shadows on Water. © Pat Paquette, 2011.

This week we may feel like Dorothy in the poppy field scene from The Wizard of Oz. We’ve been running, running, running, and now something forces us to slow down. Yawn … I’m falling asleep just thinking about it and struggling to write a coherent sentence.

Monday wakeup is going to be a challenge – especially if, like me, your alarms goes off while it’s still dark. Have you ever slept through a blaring alarm, so soundly out of it that a nuclear blast wouldn’t rouse you? Literally or figuratively, watch for events that fit that pattern on Monday, when Mars in late Leo opposes Neptune in Aquarius. Being off daylight saving time will help, but the bigger problem is giant Neptune, ruler of sleep, at a dead stop. Of course, planets don’t stop or move in reverse; that’s just what it looks like from our perspective here on Earth. You’ll feel this more if you have Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in Pisces or if Neptune currently is moving through your twelfth house.

Neptune has been retrograde since early June and returns direct on Wednesday, the day before Chiron returns direct in Pisces. These two have been tracking fairly closely for the past few years and are associated with awakening consciousness on a planetary scale. While they’ve been retrograde, we’ve had a chance to assimilate information we received while they were moving forward from early November 2010. Now it’s time to wake up and start putting that new information into practice. You may or may not be totally aware of how this is happening or that it’s happening at all. However, I think many of you will notice, because this shift in planetary motion is happening during a broader, macrocosmic shift in consciousness. I’ve been receiving detailed reports from clients about sweeping changes that have taken place in their lives and how they suddenly see themselves and the events in their lives with more clarity.

Once Neptune returns direct, we begin the countdown toward his re-entry into Pisces in February. He spent a little over three months in his own sign earlier this year before turning retrograde and returning to Aquarius. This is just what happened in 1848, two years after Neptune was discovered. In the years that followed, the Transcendental Movement was born in the United States, led by Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and others. Spiritualism became a trend, with séances to contact spirits of the dead. You can find more information about Neptune in Pisces in my April 4 weekly forecast.

Thursday is the most happening day this week, with the Full Moon at 18°04′ Taurus, Chiron’s return direct in Pisces, and the entry of Mars in Virgo. That sounds like a big shift, doesn’t it? You’d think our heads would be spinning with all that activity. Fortunately, Taurus is a laid-back, slow-moving sign, and Chiron in Pisces isn’t exactly a speed demon. Moreover, Mars in Virgo, while given toward nervous energy, is more methodical and measured than Mars in fiery Leo. When you add Neptune’s sleepy station into the mix, I think we’re going to feel more slow and sleepy that fast and furious. Mars opposes Chiron on Saturday, which could fuel insensitive remarks and hurt feelings. Please try to keep your criticism constructive and helpful. Likewise, if someone hurts your feelings, give them the benefit of the doubt just this once. They probably didn’t mean it. Even if they did, this isn’t the best time to address the issue.

Also keep in mind that we’re officially in Mercury’s pre-retrograde shadow period. I’m already seeing the effects, none of which have been comforting. The consolation is that I was reminded of my own admonition to back up computer files early and often. Doing so saved me from a near disaster over the weekend. Otherwise, I’m hearing reports of alarms going off and springs popping. Stay alert out there this week, folks! And if you start seeing blatant early retrograde effects, take that as your cue to wrap up current business without delay. That includes major purchases, especially electronics.

Despite the rumblings of Mercury retrograde, this week’s Full Moon should be quite lovely. The Full Moon typically brings endings, culmination, or resolution to circumstances that began at the previous New Moon. The previous New Moon, on October 26, also was nicely aspected, so I think that most of us will feel this Full Moon as an event literally coming into its fullness or reaching a logical conclusion. Taurus is an earth sign and is associated with finances, and there are no challenging aspects to this Full Moon to indicate complications. You might have them in your personal chart, of course, but overall, this is a “friendly” Full Moon, so whatever transpires should be to your benefit.

This week also brings us to the numerologically significant date of 11/11/11. I’m not the best person to discuss the meaning in this extremely rare event, so I’ll leave that to others. It does seem to me to be a remarkable occurrence in a period of remarkable events, yet another sign that we’re experiencing a major shift in consciousness that will have implications far into the future.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast February 7: Chiron Enters Pisces, Venus Conjunct Pluto

Chiron moves into Pisces this week, launching us into a decade of deep healing on a soul level.

Chiron is peculiar celestial body, a planetoid in a class of objects discovered in the 1970s that eventually were called “centaurs.” In the beginning, no one knew what they were. Sometimes they behaved like comets, other times they were more like asteroids. Thus the name of the mythological half-man, half-horse.

In Greek mythology, Chiron became a powerful healer as a result of his tortured past. Astrologers often refer to him as the Wounded Healer and, as far as we’re concerned, it’s no coincidence that alternative medicine began to blossom in the West right around the time of his discovery.

Chiron also is special in that he has an erratic orbit. At his closest to the Sun, he is just inside the orbit of Saturn. At his farthest, he orbits just beyond Uranus. His path is highly symbolic, as he travels between the last of the planets visible on earth and the first of the outer planets that can’t be seen without a telescope. He is therefore seen as a sort of “bridge” between the known and the unknown, what can be seen and what is hidden. Astronomers believe he may have originated in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune.

Chiron ventured into Pisces last spring, then went retrograde and returned to Aquarius in July. When he returns to Pisces this Tuesday, he’ll remain there until February 2019.

In many ways, Chiron in Pisces won’t be new. I say that because he has been tracking for the past several years with Neptune, the planetary ruler of Pisces. I see Chiron’s movement into Pisces territory as the next step in the collective healing begun under the Neptune-Chiron conjunction, about which I have written quite a bit.

Neptune and Pisces are associated with the deep psyche, the collective unconscious, and the mind of God. Like Cancer and Scorpio, Pisces is a water sign, but it has no “container.” There are no boundaries. It is where illusions of separateness disappear and we become one with the All, manifest and unmanifest. As a result, we’re in vague and constantly shifting territory – if you can even call it that. It defies description and can only be sensed through feelings and images. Of course, that’s what makes it such a dangerous place, and it’s why many people lose their sanity if they hang out there too long.

The last time Chiron was in Pisces, from 1960 to 1969, a whole generation turned on, tuned in, and dropped out. For many, using psychedelic drugs brought about a level of awareness they might never have achieved without the pharmacological aid. Of course, they many had bad trips, too.

This time around, we’ll be able to reach those levels of awareness without the use of drugs. It’s likely we’ll see the rise of new forms of psychic and spiritual healing that bring about deep shifts in awareness, allowing us to integrate the parts of ourselves that we’ve closed off. These processes can be painful. Like Pluto, Chiron represents releasing and healing, but first you have to dig into the old wounds and dredge up a lot of messy feelings.

Then, perhaps new techniques in the next ten years will find a way to circumvent these difficult processes and heal instantly. Sounds kind of far-fetched, but why not? In the beginning, few believed alternative medicine would work, either. Perhaps these new spiritual healing techniques even will replace psychiatry and an over-reliance on psychoactive drugs.

Maybe we’ll also see new generations of drugs that are gentler and don’t have so many unwanted side effects. That could end up being a double-edged sword, however. Once Neptune enters Pisces next year, we will be in murky psycho-spiritual territory where it’s difficult to tell the difference between reality and illusion. Mass escapism through drugs and other addictions may become too tempting to resist. Rather than waking up, many people may tune out completely.

Whatever comes to pass, we are on a crash course in healing, and Chiron in Pisces is a major indicator that human consciousness is about to play a part once again in socio-political movements.

Back to this week, there are only two other days I want to alert you to. First, the Moon on Monday zips through the early degrees of Aries, possibly triggering events related to the 2010 cardinal T-square and its 2011 sequel, which hasn’t happened yet. Be on the lookout for clues and perhaps even concrete developments related to those larger trends. You should know by now where it’s hitting your chart.

Also, Venus conjoins Pluto on Wednesday. This is supposed to be one of the passionate, sexy aspects, but I don’t see it in this pairing, unless you’re into bondage. It may relate to the other kind of bonds, though. Pluto is about money and power, and Venus is associated with finances, especially in Capricorn.

Still another possibility is that many of you will become more aware of the karmic bonds between you and another person. These ties sometimes feel more like handcuffs or chains. This is one area I didn’t mention above in my interpretation of Chiron in Pisces, but it’s something I’ll explore more in future posts. As more people open up to higher dimensions of reality, we’ll be more aware of “other-life” connections. Severing those ties may be necessary to heal age-old wounds, and there’s no doubt it will be a painful process.

Moon in Taurus from Wednesday through Friday brings us a brief respite, topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry. The weekend’s Gemini Moon is sociable and light-hearted, especially on Sunday. Make a date for brunch with friends or siblings.

Wishing you all love, courage, and deep healing,
Pat

P.S. This is just a reminder that I’m on hiatus for a while so that I can catch up with my backlog of client work. I’ll continue to write the weekly forecast and will publish guest posts periodically. If you want to get posts as they’re published, I suggest subscribing to my feed.

RealAstrologers

The astrology of world affairs, human evolution, the future, and the state of the universe.