Author Archives: Amanda Painter

feb24-2-2019

One More Week Till Uranus Enters Taurus

On its face, this week’s astrology looks relatively quiet. And yet, personally, I can’t seem to shake this feeling of being rather overwhelmed, or on edge; maybe it’s just because I have not been sleeping enough and am juggling a couple projects, but I suspect some of the background energy I’m running is related to Uranus hanging out in that last degree of Aries for what seems like an eternity. Hopefully you’re having an easier time of it.

feb24-2019

Photo by Amanda Painter.

We have just over another week before Uranus finally enters Taurus on March 6. Later that same day is the Pisces New Moon. And the day before that, on March 5, Mercury will station retrograde in Pisces.

In other words, we’re winding down a lunar cycle; a major planet is gearing up to leave a high-energy sign; and the planet of the mind is starting to apply the brakes in a sign known for being highly sensitive to psychic and emotional energy.

If you think about it, that perfectly describes a potentially challenging mix of urgency and waning (or compromised) energy.

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Echoes of Uranus: Venus Meets Pluto and Eris

By Amanda Painter

Now that Chiron is in Aries, we have one more era-defining planetary sign change left this year: Uranus entering Taurus on March 6, just under two weeks from today. There seems to be a general sense of vacillating or vibrating pressure in the air. Maybe it’s just me, but I get the feeling a lot of the social and political surprises that make the nightly news — the way so many things seem to be teetering on an edge or hanging by a thread — have small-scale, personal-level echoes or complementary events.

Rosemary in winter; photo by Amanda Painter.

Rosemary in winter; photo by Amanda Painter.

Obviously that’s for you to decide for yourself. Yet this week, we do have a ‘personal planet’ — Venus — moving into an outer-planet aspect pattern.

It’s those outer-planet configurations that tend to reflect the larger social currents and upheavals we’ve been experiencing. Then planets like Venus, Mars and the Sun sweep through to involve us more directly or internally. Venus will not be coming into contact with Uranus, but it is entering the square between Pluto in Capricorn and Eris in Aries.

Pluto, Eris and Uranus are the three planets that perhaps most signify the last ten years: first through the Uranus-Pluto square, then through the Uranus-Eris conjunction. So those bells of upheaval, revolution, the need to change and media-induced identity chaos are all getting rung by Venus — by the planet that represents the feminine, our relationships, and the ability to receive others’ gifts (whether those be love, empathy, compassion or something more material).

Although Venus conjoins Pluto tomorrow in Capricorn and then squares Eris in Aries on Saturday, it’s really all one event. And it seems to be asking some rather interesting questions.

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feb17-2019

Each Individually, All Together

We get a lot of energy building and changing tone in a short amount of time to begin this week. Kicking it all off is one of the most significant astrological events of the year: as of 4:08 am EST (9:07:11 UTC) Monday morning, Chiron will be in Aries.

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Pyramid of rams by by Taiwanese artist Hung Yin in Manhattan. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Later on Monday, the Sun enters Pisces (6:04 pm EST / 23:03:49 UTC). And then on Tuesday we get the Virgo Full Moon, in the first degree of that sign (opposite the Sun in the first degree of Pisces).

Although Chiron and the Sun may feel like a release or settling of energy (after some rather edgy or pressurized aspects lately), Full Moons tend to increase the sense of pressure, or a sense of some situation coming to a head or not budging.

Generally speaking, when there’s a mix of dynamics like that, the best idea is to hang loose — or as loose as you can — and roll with what emerges.

Notice what you notice; that is, if something comes to your attention, register it as fully as you can. Consider its context: what happened just before and just after? What were you thinking in that moment? Why does it seem important to you? Try to document whatever is striking about anything that comes into your awareness in a meaningful way.

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Chiron in Aries: Where to Start?

Editor’s note: this is the full PW members’ edition, featuring Create and an archive Planet Waves FM selection. We’ll have fresh weekly horoscopes Sunday night.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Now that the Mars-Uranus conjunction is beginning to separate, it may feel easier to look ahead to the next major astrological event: Chiron entering Aries on Monday, where it will stay for the next seven years or so. Also on Monday, the Sun will enter Pisces, the last sign in the cycle. So Chiron begins its new zodiacal ‘year’ (metaphorically speaking) just as the Sun begins to wrap up its own.

Self, shadow and unexplored territory: a July 26, 2004, photo by the Mars Opportunity rover — “one of the most successful and enduring feats of interplanetary exploration” — as it moved further into Endurance Crater in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Between the significant themes that Chiron in Aries will be highlighting, the Sun entering Pisces, and some of the interesting specifics of Monday’s chart, I’m having a little trouble deciding where to start as I write this.

So I think I’ll start with this: Chiron last visited Aries for a brief five-month stay on April 17, 2018; it retrograded back into Pisces on Sept. 25, 2018. Those five months were not that long ago, even if they feel a world away to you now, thanks to a long series of overlapping inner-planet retrogrades (starring Mars) and a couple of eclipses in the mix last summer.

You might find it worthwhile to check your journal or calendar (or similar) to see what exactly was happening for you in mid-April. (This April 15, 2018, Planet Waves essay is worth re-reading, too.)

What you discover could offer some clues to what Chiron will nudge you to begin paying attention to in earnest. While many planets have moved quite a distance from where they were in April, some of the slower ones have not moved far at all. So we’re not going to get a do-over a la Groundhog Day, but there may be some useful echoes.

Chiron entering Aries also means Chiron landing on the Aries Point — that super-charged first degree of Aries where personal and collective matters intersect, often in dramatic ways. As has been described elsewhere on Planet Waves, we have some particularly interesting slow-moving objects either in early Aries or making contact from early Capricorn. These are sharpening or coloring the personal/political nexus.

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On Dec. 19 and 20, 2004, the Mars Curiosity rover used its panoramic camera to take the images combined into this mosaic view of itself. During Chiron in Aries, curiosity about, and willingness to explore, who you are may be a good starting place. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell

Chiron in Aries: Where to Start?

By Amanda Painter

Now that the Mars-Uranus conjunction is beginning to separate, it may feel easier to look ahead to the next major astrological event: Chiron entering Aries on Monday, where it will stay for the next seven years or so. Also on Monday, the Sun will enter Pisces, the last sign in the cycle. So Chiron begins its new zodiacal ‘year’ (metaphorically speaking) just as the Sun begins to wrap up its own.

On Dec. 19 and 20, 2004, the Mars Opportunity rover used its panoramic camera to take the images combined into this mosaic view of itself. During Chiron in Aries, curiosity about, and willingness to explore, who you are may be a good starting place. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell

Dec. 19-20, 2004, the Mars Opportunity rover used its panoramic camera to take the images combined into this mosaic of itself. Chiron in Aries should provide ample opportunities to explore who you are. On Wednesday NASA announced the rover had stopped operating after nearly 15 years. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell

Between the significant themes that Chiron in Aries will be highlighting, the Sun entering Pisces, and some of the interesting specifics of Monday’s chart, I’m having a little trouble deciding where to start as I write this.

So I think I’ll start with this: Chiron last visited Aries for a brief five-month stay on April 17, 2018; it retrograded back into Pisces on Sept. 25, 2018. Those five months were not that long ago, even if they feel a world away to you now, thanks to a long series of overlapping inner-planet retrogrades (starring Mars) and a couple of eclipses in the mix last summer.

You might find it worthwhile to check your journal or calendar (or similar) to see what exactly was happening for you in mid-April. (This April 15, 2018, Planet Waves essay is worth re-reading, too.)

What you discover could offer some clues to what Chiron will nudge you to begin paying attention to in earnest. While many planets have moved quite a distance from where they were in April, some of the slower ones have not moved far at all. So we’re not going to get a do-over a la Groundhog Day, but there may be some useful echoes.

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feb11-40-2019

Mars, Meet Uranus; Chiron, Prepare to Move

There’s a lot of pent-up energy looking for a way out currently. Can you feel it? Two main astrological factors are at work: one is a handful of planets in the final degrees of their signs; the other is a Mars-Uranus conjunction in Aries that’s exact on Wednesday at 1:21 am EST (6:20:31 UTC).

feb11-40-2019

Throwing sparks; photo by Tom Bullock under CC 2.0

I’m going to describe Mars-Uranus first, because that’s likely to be the influence you’ll feel more personally, immediately and possibly dramatically. First and foremost: Mars-Uranus is classic “fall, crash, shock” accident astrology.

It’s crucial this week to be careful with sharp, hot or electrical tools. Have someone spot you if you need to climb on a high object, even a chair, to get something. Uranus puts particular emphasis on the electrical and electronic theme, and on any kind of technology. This means drive with full focus when you drive — no calling, texting, etc. Pull over if you need to re-program your GPS. If you’re already prone to moments of road rage, please be extra mindful about taking some deep breaths and counting to 20 before reacting to anything annoying while on the road.

As luck would have it, this conjunction also takes place in the last degree of a sign — a position often described as having a sense of urgency. Any sign’s last degree (which will have a ’29’ next to it, but which is really the 30th degree) is known as ‘anaretic’. Planets in an anaretic degree can often manifest as a sense of being at a crisis point in a certain area of life, or may come through as erratic tendencies, such as in decision-making processes.

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Working Your Edge: Mars and Uranus

Editor’s note: this is the full PW members’ edition, featuring your extended February monthly horoscope by Eric, Create; and Eric’s Planet Waves FM program.

Dear Friend and Reader:

As has been mentioned elsewhere — and as you’ve probably been feeling — we’re in a rather ‘edgy’ phase of astrology. This could be coming through several ways — such as needing to express something but never getting the right opportunity; or waiting for key information that feels like it will never arrive; or wanting to get moving with a plan or project but seeing no clear path forward. You can probably describe your own version of it — then again, perhaps struggling to identify and articulate what’s going on for you is a primary factor in the sensation (or maybe it’s just not that strong for you).

Photo by Amanda Painter.

We can look to Chiron in the last degree of Pisces and Uranus in the last degree of Aries as the prime suspects for the edginess. To a lesser extent, the asteroid Pallas, in the last degree of Libra, is surely contributing to this overall atmosphere.

Really, though, slow-moving Chiron and Uranus are calling the tune. Chiron will be the first to make its move, entering Aries in just a week and a half, on Feb. 18. Uranus will enter Taurus on March 6. Yet I suspect it may be Uranus that’s generating the stronger buzz right now.

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Photo by Amanda Painter.

Working Your Edge: Mars and Uranus

By Amanda Painter

As has been mentioned elsewhere — and as you’ve probably been feeling — we’re in a rather ‘edgy’ phase of astrology. This could be coming through several ways — such as needing to express something but never getting the right opportunity; or waiting for key information that feels like it will never arrive; or wanting to get moving with a plan or project but seeing no clear path forward. You can probably describe your own version of it — then again, perhaps struggling to identify and articulate what’s going on for you is a primary factor in the sensation (or maybe it’s just not that strong for you).

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

We can look to Chiron in the last degree of Pisces and Uranus in the last degree of Aries as the prime suspects for the edginess. To a lesser extent, the asteroid Pallas, in the last degree of Libra, is surely contributing to this overall atmosphere.

Really, though, slow-moving Chiron and Uranus are calling the tune. Chiron will be the first to make its move, entering Aries in just a week and a half, on Feb. 18. Uranus will enter Taurus on March 6. Yet I suspect it may be Uranus that’s generating the stronger buzz right now.

Mainly that’s because Mars is sidling up to it. The Mars-Uranus conjunction won’t be exact until Feb. 13 — almost a week from now. But these are two high-voltage planets in a fiery sign where Mars is strong — and Mars aspects often have a way of making themselves known well in advance of when they’re exact.

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