Tag Archives: Neptune in Pisces

Weekly Forecast February 6: Saturn Retrograde, Full Moon in Leo

Studying with Mercury in Aquarius. © Pat Paquette, 2012.

There was a lot of weirdness going on last week, and then the energy suddenly shifted on Friday. Did you notice? I attribute the shift to Neptune’s entry into Pisces and hope that life will return to some semblance of sanity, despite the craziness of Mars retrograde.

Neptune’s shift occurred at 2:03 p.m. EST on Friday. The final two days of Neptune in Aquarius were totally out of control – at least for me. My computer crashed again, and then my backup machine failed. I was without a computer for two critical days in my class work and am now nearly three weeks behind in my assignments. I had to post a notice on my order page that I’m not accepting new report orders or consultations until I’m caught up at school. From an astrologer’s point of view, all of these events are a perfect manifestation of Mars retrograde in Virgo in the tenth house: computer failure, work overload, behind in deadlines, etc.

It also seemed that people were bumping into each other more than usual, and there certainly was a spike on the anger/frustration scale. That said, I got a good reminder on Friday about the beneficial side of Mars anger. When you vent your anger properly, it’s like having a good cry. The explosion clears a lot of blockages and gets your energy flowing again – yet another great manifestation of Mars retrograde in Virgo.

By Saturday, the energy had totally changed. My take on this is that outer planets in the last degree of a sign, poised to enter a new one, send out an intense vibe that contains all the lessons of that planet/sign pair. And since Neptune was in Aquarius, which is ruled by Uranus, and Uranus is in Aries, which is ruled by Mars, the intensity of Neptune in the last degree of Aquarius was channeled through Mars, the planet of anger, action, and conflict.

What was even more interesting, though, is that once Neptune moved into Pisces, the release of anger and frustration cleared the way for a tremendous creative flow. Real magic can happen in rare moments like these. On Saturday, I had an 18-hour film shoot. First of all, I was surprised that I was able to work from 6 a.m. to midnight with few breaks. Secondly, I was amazed by how smoothly the project went. Disagreements were easily managed, and the discussions that arose over artistic differences improved the project. That is Mars energy at its best! Of course, Neptune rules film, so we might also have gotten the first sip of “pure” Neptune in Pisces.

So now let’s turn to this week, which has the potential to be quite dramatic. Tuesday is weighty, with the Full Moon in Leo just as Saturn turns retrograde in the last degree of Libra and Venus moves through the final degree of Pisces. Relationships definitely are a key theme this week, and what transpires may shock and surprise.

Saturn has been in the final degree of Libra since the middle of January, and he’ll remain there until the first week of March. With Saturn in Libra, we’ve been learning lessons about love and commitment, about how to relate to each other fairly and to make compromises that everyone can live with. As Saturn approached the end of Libra, we began closing the books and preparing for finals. What more do we have to learn?

Apparently, a lot …

It’s one thing to learn lessons, but quite another to apply them. And you may find that you end up testing out what you’ve learned with someone other than who you’ve been with up to this point. That’s especially true if you learned your lessons the hard way, through a relationship that was painful but that helped you grow and evolve. Still, I don’t discount the possibility that you will go back for another lesson with the same person.

I can’t help but wonder if one of the big lessons will have to do with anger. I say this, because Venus is about to enter Aries, with Mars retrograde. It is not uncommon for couples to grow apart due to unresolved conflict. There are lots of reasons people prefer to “go along to get along” instead of hashing out the real issues. This strategy may work in a professional environment, but in an intimate relationship, stifled anger not only can destroy the relationship, but it can make the partners physically sick.

On Thursday, Venus conjoins Uranus in Aries, a pair favoring surprises in love and finances. I expect there will be a lot of impulsiveness, which could backfire – either that, or you may have to wait several weeks to see the results of an “instant” attraction. One thing is for sure, though: whatever occurs will be unusual and possibly groundbreaking.

I have more I’d like to write, but I’m depleted from too much work and not enough sleep, and I’m coming down with a cold, so I’ll stop here and hope it’s enough food for thought for you until next week.

Until then, wishing you much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast January 30: Neptune Enters Pisces

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekly Forecast January 2: Mercury Enters Capricorn

Astrologically speaking, this is a quiet week – perfect for easing back into your daily routine, be it work, school, or life in general. Still, something seems to have changed, perhaps due to a collective expectation that, somehow, 2012 is different.

It’s true that the past two years have been exceptional, and the astrological configuration that corresponded to dramatic events in 2010 and 2011 has dissolved. I’m talking about the cardinal T-square, of course, which reached its peak in July and August of 2010 and then repeated on and off through last spring. Many of us completely changed direction in our lives, and we’re still rocking in the wake of these events passing through.

Top news stories of 2011 ranged from toppled governments in the Middle East and a record earthquake that caused a nuclear meltdown, to courtroom drama, a gala royal wedding, and death of an entrepreneurial icon – all while unemployment scaled new heights and a popular protest movement was born. The unifying factor in all of these events was that everything that happened, happened big. It was not a year of incremental steps toward change, but wholesale revolution.

In looking forward to 2012, it’s helpful to examine two time periods in recent history with similar planetary alignments. First, there was a cardinal build-up in the early 1930s, the beginning of the Great Depression. The configuration began dissipating in 1932, but just like our current planetary alignment, one aspect of the T-square remained: the square between Uranus and Pluto.

The second period is the turbulent mid-60s, when Uranus and Pluto and were conjunct in Virgo. Although the conjunction was exact in 1965 and 1966, it wasn’t until 1968 that the revolution changed civilization as we know it. No aspect of society was untouched. The square that that occurs from 2012-2015 is the first major milestone and test of that conjunction.

Uranus is the planet of rebellion and sudden change, and in the impulsive sign of Aries, you can expect a lot of fire bombs being thrown by individuals fighting for freedom. Conversely, Pluto is the planet of ultimate power and control. In Capricorn, he represents the ruthless power of the empire – the Darth Vader of the zodiac. You don’t need to be an astrologer to do the math. The harder the protesters fight, the greater the backlash will be. And we haven’t even experienced the peak of the Uranus-Pluto square yet. That will start this year, on June 24, and continue through 2015.

Two other major astrological events occur in 2012, both of which we’ve already had a taste. First, Neptune re-enters Pisces after briefly dipping his foot in his own sign for a few months in 2011. Then he turned retrograde and went back into Aquarius. Once Neptune enters Pisces on February 3, he’ll remain there through 2026. If you’d like to know, I highly recommend an article in the current issue of The Mountain Astrologer. You can order a single copy for $7.

The second defining astrological event of 2012 is the Venus transit on June 5, the day after a lunar eclipse. I’ll write a lot more on this subject as the date approaches. Both Neptune in Pisces and the Venus transit hold the promise of a vibrational shift in human consciousness.

Not coincidentally, the biggest story for astrology in 2011 was the “revelation” of a 13th sign. I wrote a long piece about it for TMA, which is in the same edition with the article on Neptune in Pisces (so it’s a great buy). Although the story that flew around the world via social networks turned out to be flat-out wrong, there is strong symbolism in the collective desire to change the cosmic order. Our ancient ancestors saw sea changes in civilization as a clash between the gods themselves. Just as the old gods overthrew cosmic forces – bringing order out of chaos – their children challenged them. Now they, too, have become corrupt and rotten, and the next generation has sounded the cry for revolution.

As for this week, there are no major planetary aspects until Saturday, when Mercury in the final degrees of Sagittarius sextiles Saturn and Neptune. Now, this could end up producing a revolution of sorts, in that Mercury will be just past conjunction with the Galactic Center. We know little about this mysterious point in space, except that there appears to be a black hole there, and it emits powerful radio waves. Pay attention to unusual thoughts on Friday and Saturday. They may contain flashes of genius. Changing your thoughts can change your whole life.

On Sunday (late Saturday on the West Coast of the United States), Mercury enters studious Capricorn and makes contacts with Jupiter and Uranus, briefly reminding us of the changes we have been making and the work we have yet to do. The following day, January 9, is the Full Moon in Cancer. So for the rest of this week, we’re still processing the energy of the New Moon on Christmas Eve as we approach culmination and resolution. Good things are coming in, but you may have to change your perspective to see them as blessings.

Wishing you all much love, joy, and prosperity in 2012,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

P.S. I return to classes this week, so please keep in mind when you order reports and forecasts that it may take me 4-7 days to complete your order. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast June 6: Venus Enters Gemini, Saturn Direct

© Pat Paquette, 2011.

We’re in that twilight zone between eclipses, where we don’t feel like we’re all here, but we don’t know where we are when we’re not.

Normally, the inter-eclipse period lasts a couple of weeks, but because this is a rare six-eclipse year, it’s going to be with us for another month. We had a similar extended inter-eclipse period from July 7 to August 6, 2009, which also was a six-eclipse year. Maybe you remember it. Events happen very fast during this time, and you can be taken completely by surprise. If you know where these eclipses fall in your chart, you at least have an idea of what area of your life will be affected. (See link below for an article on this topic.)

I certainly remember that month. Unexpected events during that period determined the direction of my life for the following two years. That series, like the current pattern, consisted of two eclipses in a new sign pair, followed by one last eclipse in the outgoing sign pair. This tells me that one chapter of our lives is coming to an end as a new one begins, with a small overlap. One set of circumstances, while ending, leads into something new.

The profound sense of uneasiness we feel is compounded by shifting planetary energies. Jupiter just entered Taurus, while Venus, ruler of Taurus, enters Gemini on Thursday. Chiron turns retrograde on Wednesday, and Saturn turns direct on Sunday. It’s little wonder that we don’t know whether we’re coming or going.

Overall, life has been moving along briskly since the June 1 eclipse, but the pace will pick up still more once Venus enters Gemini and Mercury takes over as the dominant planetary energy. Communications come fast and furious, and if you blink, you’ll miss something. We may be coming and going so fast that our sense of time is blurred even more.

Neptune is officially retrograde but remains at 0 degrees Pisces for another two months. Combined with the eclipse cycle, Neptune’s station in the sign without boundaries has manifested for me as unusually vivid dreams and a skewed perception of time. I’ve experienced several instances in the past ten days in which my thoughts were a minute or so ahead of “reality.” I’ve heard reports of people having a hard time staying in the present, along with headaches that last for several days.

Physical circumstances begin to shift after Saturn turns direct on Sunday, although you may get news as early as Tuesday, when Mercury makes an easy flowing trine to the planet of time and structure. Saturn represents manifestation on the physical plane, which is very much related to his role as Lord of Time.

Venus squares Neptune on Friday. If you’re in the United States, there’s a good chance you’ll be sleeping during this contact, so be sure to keep your dream journal by the bed. Among the messages we receive may be communications from someone from past or future lifetimes. This portal into other dimensions remains open through the weekend. In just over four hours on Sunday, the Sun conjoins Mercury in Gemini, Venus sextiles Uranus, and Saturn returns direct.

If you’re sensitive to these energies, you no doubt have started experiencing some time-space disorientation. It may get stronger in the next few weeks. If you feel like you’re coming unglued, do whatever you normally do to stay grounded. For me, it’s sticking close to home and eating something substantial, like meat. Chocolate, unfortunately, just makes it worse. Life is so unfair.

Next week we enter the second phase of the eclipses, with a total lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on June 15. I’m working on a new service list, which I’ll announce within the next couple of weeks (if you’re on my wait list, you’ll receive a personal note), but will try to take some time out to write separate posts on the next two eclipses.

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

Related Posts:
What Determines How an Eclipse Affects Us?
(Please note that I’ve temporarily discontinued the weekly Q&A column.)
More About Eclipses

Weekly Forecast May 30: New Moon Eclipse in Gemini, Jupiter Enters Taurus

Bend in the road, Colorado National Monument. © Jim Parkin for Dreamstime.com.

This is a pivotal week, with a solar eclipse at the New Moon, Mercury and Jupiter changing signs, and Neptune turning retrograde in otherworldly Pisces.

In my New Moon post, I wrote about the fixed star Porrima and its symbolism of turning a corner. Many of us have spent months preparing to leave something or someone behind, without knowing why or where it would lead. Once we go around the bend, the past will fade into the distance in our rearview mirror, and the road ahead will be clearly visible.

Monday and Tuesday are heavy like the air before a thunderstorm. The conjunction of the Moon with Mars and Venus accentuates physical relationships, not just with romantic partners but also with money and possessions. When we know we need to let something go but keep putting off the inevitable, it weighs us down. And even when we do let go, for a while we feel the loss as a heaviness in our hearts.

The Sun and Moon in Gemini both trine Saturn on Wednesday before the eclipse, when the Moon will pass between the Sun and Earth. Since I’ve already written a long post on this event, I won’t elaborate here but simply will repeat my view that this eclipse signals an acceleration of new patterns manifesting in our lives. You’ve laid the groundwork already, so all you need to do now is pay attention, keep your hands on the wheel, and steer a little to the left or right to stay on the road.

The day after the eclipse, Mercury enters his own sign of Gemini, and suddenly the sky no longer belongs to Venus. The Sun and Moon now deposit to Mercury, except for the two days this week when the Moon is in her own sign of Cancer. There will be a noticeable pickup in communications and life in general. Those of you who can type 80 words a minute (not me) will fare very well. It’s also a good time for negotiating business deals.

Mercury squares Neptune on Friday, just minutes before Neptune turns retrograde. I don’t need to tell you to keep your antennae up, because they will be virtually buzzing with information. The problem with this configuration is that some of the messages you receive will be confusing and perhaps not even true. Be sure to keep your dream journal by the bed; dreams are a major source of inspiration and enlightenment. On Saturday, Mercury aspects electric Uranus, sparking still more ideas that seem to come “out of nowhere.”

The biggest news this week is Jupiter’s entry into Taurus on Saturday. The last time Jupiter was in Taurus was in 2000, when there was a dramatic build-up of planetary energies in the sign of the Bull. For a few hours on May 3 of that year, seven of ten planets were in Taurus. Astrologers at the time were predicting all sorts of dire earth events that never came to pass, although it was noted that ripples might be felt for 20 years.

The first thing that comes to mind with Jupiter in Taurus is banking and finance. Ray Merriman, my go-to guy for financial forecasting, sees a multi-year bear market on the way. One would think that the planet of expansion in the sign of the Bull would be a sign of growth in global financial markets, but Ray has crunched the numbers and points to historical data that show otherwise.

Next week, Saturn turns direct, and many of us will see still more progress. Finally, we seem to be getting somewhere.

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

Weekly Forecast April 4: Neptune Enters Pisces, Pluto Retrograde

Spring explodes into bloom. © Osk Ingad Alden, 2011.

The Mars effect gets ratcheted down a notch this week when Neptune enters Pisces.

For the past few days, since Mars entered his own sign of Aries, he has dominated the sky. Right on cue, conflicts around the world intensified. Even Neptune deposited to Mars, which I have to admit I found hard to wrap my head around.

Hopefully, Neptune’s move into Pisces on Monday will be the chill pill we need to return from the brink of insanity. I can’t think of a better antidote to the overdose of aggressive Mars energy we received at the New Moon on April 3.

With his ego-denying qualities, Neptune could be considered the “anti-Mars.” Whereas Mars stands for war and lust, Neptune is about peace and love . . . well, maybe. It’s hard to know much of the time exactly what Neptune is about, but peace and love are in there somewhere.

Neptune is said to be a higher vibration of Venus, the planet of love, beauty, and harmony, so it’s better still that Venus in Pisces will feed into Neptune for the next three weeks.

The last time Neptune was in Pisces, from 1847 to 1862, the Transcendental Movement flourished in the United States, led by Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and others. Spiritualism became a trend, with séances to contact spirits of the dead. Edgar Allen Poe wrote his most famous poem, “The Raven.” The first oil well was drilled. The first surgical operation using general anesthesia was performed. The Opium Wars occurred during this time, and while the conflict wasn’t entirely over the drug, it’s still interesting to note that there was a major war named for a narcotic while Neptune was in Pisces.

This time around, I expect there will be a widespread spiritual awakening. I know I sound like a broken record – I’ve been writing this for more than five years – but I do believe we’re getting closer and closer to understanding what “spirit” is. There likely will be major developments in the oil industry, too. Given current trends, it’s likely that we’ll have to find alternatives due to a declining supply. Maybe the new Opium Wars will be the Oil Wars.

Back to the here and now, we not only have been under the red sky of Mars, but the warrior planet is now moving through the early degrees of Aries, activating the cardinal T-square of last summer. The alignment isn’t as close as it was back then, but it’s still intense, with the Sun and Jupiter conjunct at 16 degrees Aries on Wednesday, in wide opposition to Saturn. We’re being pushed relentlessly forward, no breaks allowed.

On Saturday, Pluto begins his annual retrograde, which lasts close to six months. I haven’t observed any particular trends in events during Pluto retrograde. However, if Pluto is transiting a personal planet in your chart – especially the Sun or Moon – you’re about to get the second pass, during which a situation could reach a crisis stage. The third pass, which will happen later this year or early next year, will mark resolution. The pattern is similar if Pluto is transiting a chart angle (cusp of the first, fourth, seventh or tenth houses).

Lastly, Mercury is in his second week of retrograde and conjoins the Sun on Saturday. This aspect favors revising plans for the future, revisiting an unresolved issue to exchange facts (remember to listen) and to try to clarify statements that may have been misinterpreted. If you have an opportunity to clear up a misunderstanding, do it early this week. Waiting until the weekend will put you in a no-win situation as a contentious square builds between Mars and Pluto.

We’re going to need a lot of love and courage to get through the next couple of weeks. Wishing you all a bottomless well of both,

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

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

Puget Sound in late January. © Pat Paquette, 2011.

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,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

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.