By Amanda Painter

Tuesday night was the Pisces New Moon with a total solar eclipse. This puts us in ‘the eclipse zone’: the two weeks between a matched set of eclipses, one solar and one lunar.

Photo by Amanda Painter

The corresponding lunar eclipse will not take place in Pisces. Rather, it will span the Aries-Libra axis — a Full Moon with the Sun in very early Aries and the Moon in very early Libra.

In fact, the Sun and Moon will be early enough in their signs for this to count as an Aries Point event — the Aries Point being that first degree of the zodiac in the sign Aries where personal and political events seem to intersect and magnify to impressive effect.

I’ll cover that Full Moon and lunar eclipse in greater depth next week. For now, it’s enough to take a look around you (literally and figuratively) and within you in the wake of Tuesday’s Pisces eclipse as we head into the weekend.

Did you notice any unexpected synchronicities, particularly vivid dreams, or compelling fantasies that seemed to hold a clear message? Did you notice any insights about your past, especially something that seemed to release its hold on you?

You might want to explore anything that got your attention. Notice these next couple weeks if anything else rings the same bell that got rung for you Tuesday or Wednesday.

The two weeks between eclipses can sometimes feel rather like another dimension, one where life can shift markedly. It could be easy to read a statement like that and begin to worry that you’re not ‘doing enough’ to launch your life into a new phase, or that you missed some magical opportunity if you slept through the eclipse or did not even know it was happening.

Relax.

For one thing, not every eclipse is going to unfold dramatically for everyone. You might just be keepin’ on keepin’ on, doing your thing. After all, Pisces is all about flow. If you’re already flowing, there’s probably little need to question it aggressively.

Also, the universe always offers another opportunity down the road to learn important lessons. That is not to say you shouldn’t bother trying; more like, don’t freak if you notice a spiral-type shape to your path. Each time you meet a situation with a familiar theme, chances are you’re encountering it in a slightly different way and can apply more of your acquired understanding to dealing with it better.

This weekend’s astrological highlights include more Pisces events, as if to underscore the eclipse and the overall vibe for the month. That said, the Moon has already left Pisces for Aries; Friday it moves into Taurus to offer some grounding and earthy tangibility that might help balance you if the seas you’re sailing have felt rough or unnervingly bottomless. There’s a lot to love about Pisces (creativity, passion, empathy), but when things get too boundary-less, it can feel a little overwhelming if you’re already a very sensitive type. Take care of yourself.

On Thursday, the Sun conjoins centaur planet Chiron in Pisces at 11:27 pm EST (4:27 UTC Friday). An hour and a half later, at 1:01 am EST (6:01 UTC) Friday, Mercury conjoins Neptune (modern ruler of Pisces).

This presents a curious combination of a diffusion effect on mental processes (Mercury-Neptune), with a focusing effect on ego consciousness (Sun-Chiron).

In addition, Venus ingresses Pisces at 5:24 am EST on Saturday (10:24 UTC). So that extra-romantic, sensitive and poetic influence gets layered into everything else.

First thing I’m seeing is that you might get a wake-up call regarding giving yourself permission to heal, to stand out and, indeed, to exist at all as your whole self (Sun-Chiron). For men, this could relate to feelings about your masculinity, your sensitivity, and any past injuries to your integrated embodiment of those two facets of self. For women, questions about how you relate to your father and subsequently other men in your life, and where you place your identity in relation to them, might arise.

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The tricky part, thanks to Mercury-Neptune, could be separating logic from illusion (or recognizing denial) as you encounter these themes. In other words, how can you know when you’re being honest with yourself, versus when you’re trying to escape the questions facing you?

With so many planets and points in Pisces (including Nessus, Neptune, Mercury, Ceres, Chiron, the lunar South Node, the Sun and, after Saturday, Venus — plus others), the sky is practically begging you to indulge your creativity — paint, sculpt, play music (or listen to it deeply), make movies (or watch them), get on stage, dance, write, collage; perhaps have sex.

Whatever your chosen medium, and whether you participate actively or observe others doing so, ask yourself: Is what you are encountering taking you deeper into yourself and closer to your questions and their answers? Or are you indulging in escapism to distract yourself from certain truths that keep dipping a toe into the ocean of your consciousness? It might be hard to tell this weekend. But come March 23, that Aries Point Full Moon and eclipse could very well ask for some clear action using what you’ve learned.

By Amanda Painter

The big astrological event on the near horizon is a total solar eclipse (visible mainly over the Pacific Ocean and parts of Asia) in Pisces on March 8, which is also the Pisces New Moon. Eric commented to me that as we near that event this weekend, the idea is to “point the canoe straight down the river, and avoid the rocks.”

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Which is a great guiding image. But what if you’re not sure you can see the river clearly? And what if you do encounter some seemingly unavoidable rocks? I think there’s a relatively simple way to navigate those circumstances, too.

First, a little about the eclipse. Eric has covered it in great detail in this week’s broadcast of Planet Waves FM, but the basics are that the New Moon is exact at 8:54 pm EST on Tuesday (1:54 UTC Wednesday). At that time, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun at 19 Pisces (near the middle of the sign), blocking it out. Joining the Sun and Moon in Pisces are a slew of major and minor planets, points and other objects (including Mercury, Nessus, Neptune, Ceres, Borasisi, Chiron and the lunar South Node, among others).

Together, those objects put a huge emphasis on all things Piscean: emotions, creativity, erotic energy, passion, vision, dreams, psychic sensitivity, beliefs, escapism, humanitarianism and so on. Add the eclipse, and there’s a sense of releasing something to make room for something fresh; that also might mean remembering something you once understood long ago, and which suddenly feels new.

Some of the basic advice for eclipses in modern Western astrology involves staying open to unexpected opportunities and shifts, which might appear like a doorway opening where you’d previously seen a wall. It can be helpful in identifying opportunities if you have a clear vision of some goal, dream or desire that you’re working toward.

But what if you don’t? In fact, what if you feel conflicted between what you want and what you think you should want? What if you’ve been carrying beliefs about what is or is not okay to dream for yourself, or you’ve gotten so stuck in the material reality of ‘what is’ that you’re having trouble imagining anything beyond that sense of fixity?

My sense of the current astrology is that, with so much emphasis on Pisces, one solution is to focus on the feeling-tone you’d like to enjoy, if envisioning a specific reality is too overwhelming or vague. For example, you may want to feel more heart-centered and loving, or more at home in your skin and immediate environment; maybe you’d like to feel more creative and passionate (including erotic). Perhaps you’d like to aim your canoe toward feeling generous, or having better boundaries; or feeling more balanced, or more intuitive.

Setting one of those intentions (or similar) will not be like waving a magic wand. Rather, I’m suggesting that instead of getting caught up in second-guessing yourself, or hung up on the details of how to get from point A to point B, you might be able to take a more Piscean approach that opens your intention-setting out of the mental plane and into a more fluid realm.

This could be especially helpful given what might be cropping up as some astrological ‘rocks’ as we head into the weekend stream: Mercury square Mars, exact Saturday at 12:43 am EST (5:43 UTC); and the Sun square Saturn, exact Sunday at 1:03 am EST (6:03 UTC).

The Pisces Sun square Saturn in Sagittarius speaks of issues around authority, specifically your authority over your own life and your beliefs about it. If you feel some tension there, see if it points you toward the ways you can participate more actively in decisions about your responsibilities, or toward constructive ways of making your dreams real. That these planets are in mutable signs ruled by Jupiter suggests you can find some flexibility here if you broaden your perspective.

Mercury in Aquarius square Mars in Scorpio might ask for even more of your awareness. Partly because these planets will be in the last degree of their respective signs (a potentially edgy place to be), and those signs are both ‘fixed’ in quality.

If you’ve noticed in yourself (or possibly in someone close to you) an inclination to dig into some position, belief or desire — especially if fear is involved, or if you feel like you need to defend something about yourself at all costs — that would be one of those metaphorical rocks in the stream. Given that we’re in the midst of presidential primary season and it seems to be the most chaotic one in recent memory, the urge to defend your beliefs or your candidate with all your might could be strong.

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But is it life or death? Is your existence truly being threatened, or just your ego?

Collectively I would say that a lot is indeed at stake with these presidential candidates, in terms of the future of the US. Yet, superimposing those stakes on each individual conversation you have with your friends, family and work colleagues looks less than helpful. Defending your position as though you’re both gladiators in the Coliseum does not put people into a receptive mood.

If you don’t feel the pull of politics, this dynamic can still occur in other personal situations where you might feel yourself taking a defensive position. What is that fear, really?

Again, I’m going to point to the idea of envisioning the feeling-tone you’d like to enjoy. Would ‘winning’ an argument really put your heart at ease? Or can you set your sights on something gentler, something that feels joyful, loving and grounded — and that opens the way for all the dreaming, co-creating and passion you’d like to experience in your life?

The brilliance of this approach is that it shifts your focus away from what you might have to ‘give up’ to make space for the new thing you’d like to invite into your life (i.e., ‘change’). Instead, it puts the emphasis on receiving — if, of course, you’re willing to allow it.

By Amanda Painter

On Saturday, Feb. 27, Eric will be giving a talk on Tarot, Divination and Chaos Theory in Saugerties, New York; the talk will be followed by members of the Psychic Saturday Meetup Group offering readings. (If you want the details, comment below.) Coincidentally, this event actually dovetails quite well with the weekend’s major astrological event, one that can indicate deepened interest in the occult, in spiritual pursuits, and in the ‘deeper truths’ hidden behind everyday life: the Sun conjunct Neptune in Pisces.

Photo by Amanda Painter

Sun conjunct Neptune is exact at 10:47 am EST on Sunday (15:47 UTC).

Of all the planets, Neptune is known to have the widest ‘orb of influence’ — that is, as other planets come into aspect with Neptune, the effects of that contact have influence well before and long after it’s exact. In other words, the Sun’s conjunction to Neptune has been coloring the overall background of your consciousness for at least a good week or so (maybe more), gradually increasing in strength.

Yet, Neptune being what it is and acting as it does, chances are the shift has been subtle. You likely have not noticed it at all; if you have, it’s possible those moments slipped away before you could pin down what felt different. Maybe you’ve denied that anything’s tugging at your intuition at all.

It’s easy to chalk up anything unusual, erratic or overwhelming to the Full Moon, and we just experienced one along the Virgo-Pisces axis on Monday, within splashing distance of Neptune. Hopefully if any situations came to a head with that event, you’ve been able to move with the waves to calmer waters. But are you fully aware of what’s going on beneath the surface?

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By Amanda Painter

Generally speaking, our culture has difficulty recognizing what truly feeds and nourishes it. From reality TV shows to fast food, from misogynistic song lyrics to obsessions with brand-name fashions and technology, it can be hard to discern ‘nourishment’ from ‘filler, or ‘enrichment’ from ‘distraction’.

Winter ripples on the Mill Pond. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Underlying all of it is a world of hurt that many people would just as soon escape rather than address.

Look deeper still, and you might find the kernel of fantastic creativity and loving connection we are all born with, but which all too often we’ve pushed away or numbed. That numbing can come in the form of drugs and alcohol, or over-working and over-scheduling, or some vague denial of purpose and desire to be ‘entertained’, and so on.

Yet, there are ways to recognize what’s going on and begin to shift direction. The process might seem intimidating at first; all change, even positive and desired change, can feel daunting. But if the desire is to feel better — more whole, more creative, healthier — and to know that you’re contributing to the common good by doing so, what’s a little discomfort at first?

Think of it as some sore muscles when you first start running. Or, more apropos of the Sun’s ingress to Pisces Friday at 12:34 am EST (5:34 UTC), the kind of paintings or songs that serve as ‘creative growing pains’ when you first begin painting or writing music.

In the context of the Pisces theme of ‘beliefs’, think of these growing pains as the cognitive dissonance people often encounter when their negative, limiting feelings about themselves get challenged by the mirroring of a therapist. Those early sessions can be rough when someone calls you out on beliefs about yourself that contribute to low self-worth. But as you stick with the self-inquiry and healing, the fear and discomfort around challenging your inner reality loses its power, and the liberation of feeling better gains strength.

The first exact aspect the Pisces Sun makes to a relatively major solar system object is its conjunction to the centaur Nessus very early in the sign. Sun-Nessus is exact Sunday at 6:06 pm EST (23:06 UTC), but is in effect already.

Centaur objects tend to deal with patterns in our lives that have roots in the past (especially familial or ancestral past). When they feature prominently in transits or in natal charts, they often signify an opportunity to engage in healing of some sort through increased awareness of what needs to be healed.

Nessus, in particular, carries the key phrase, “the buck stops here” — meaning that you, in your emerging awareness of what Nessus represents in a situation, have the power to stop a particular pattern. You get to be the one to decide that, “enough is enough,” and not perpetuate something unhealthy you’ve inherited.

Anytime the Sun is conjunct a planet or other object, it’s a signal that your awareness of that planet’s themes in your life may peak. Yet, you have to be willing to hear the message. Especially in the sign Pisces, co-ruled by Neptune as it is (Jupiter is the traditional ruler), the urge to escape, rather than to engage, can be strong. Try asking yourself whether anything regarding your creativity, emotions, passion, sexuality or spirituality seems to be asking for your attention.

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If you’re not sure, a second conjunction in Pisces happening simultaneously with Sun-Nessus might offer a point of orientation. At 4:30 am EST (9:30 UTC), the asteroid Ceres conjoins Neptune.

Planets tend to come under Neptune’s influence long before an exact contact with it, so Ceres-Neptune has probably been giving you hints for a while (though activity elsewhere — both in your life and in the sky — might have commanded more attention).

Ceres in mythology and in ancient life was a complex goddess, and I hate to render her one-dimensional. But looking at the chart, this asteroid’s association with figurative forms of nourishment (i.e., not literal food) comes through strongly. As does Neptune’s potential either to lend great creative vision, or to cloud things behind denial, delusion and various forms of escape.

So, ask yourself what visions truly nourish you. Is it really whatever the latest blockbuster action movie or women’s magazine is serving up; or is it when you imagine yourself feeling emotionally, physically and spiritually healthy (and that includes sexually)? Are you metaphorically swimming in a sea of distractions, or can you clearly discern what has nutritional (creative) value much of the time?

Does a vision of yourself serving the highest good in your community and the wider world feed your heart and soul? If so, the Sun’s coming month in Pisces will likely offer variations on that theme. Keep swimming, and keep your eyes open.

By Amanda Painter

This weekend brings the moment you’ve (possibly) been waiting for. No, I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day (though you might be excited about that, too — or not). Rather, this weekend Mercury finally breaks free, and maybe in some metaphorical way you can, too.

Lobster buoys painted with the flags of the homelands of Maine’s immigrant population decorate the fence in front of the former home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the historical society in Portland, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

On Saturday, Mercury leaves Capricorn and enters Aquarius (at 5:43 pm EST / 22:43 UTC). Then on Sunday (Feb. 14), Mercury leaves the degrees of the zodiac where it was recently retrograde, entering fresh territory for the first time since Dec. 19.

I know; sometimes it feels like the only thing that happens in astrology is Mercury retrograde. Technically its last retrograde ended Jan. 25. But I’ve heard from a number of people for whom this post-retrograde ‘shadow’ or ‘echo’ phase has been tougher than the main event. If that sounds like you, take heart.

I suspect there’s something about Capricorn’s orientation to the past (thanks to Saturn) that made it easier to review insights from you personal history as you perceived them within the container (Saturn again) of the official retrograde weeks. Now that you’re trying to implement those insights and initiate something new, your ideas about ‘where you could go’ might still be bumping up against the old walls of ‘how things used to be’.

At least, that’s one possibility. Or maybe teasing out the solutions to problems you encountered is taking more ingenuity than you feel like you have at your fingertips. That could change soon.

The charts for Mercury’s ingress of Aquarius and the end of the shadow/echo phase both suggest to me a little extra freedom — or, at least, an unusual absence of intensely direct mental influences. A brief breather, perhaps, since Mercury does not make any major aspects to major planets immediately upon entering Aquarius.

That’s not to say that nothing else is happening in the sky; the Moon will be traveling through impulsive, go-getter Aries from Thursday morning through Saturday morning, and then it will be in persistent-yet-leisurely Taurus until Monday morning. In each of those signs, the Moon will make a variety of aspects to many planets — so you can expect a constantly shifting inner landscape, rather than camping out in any particular emotion.

But that’s true for the Moon most days, since it moves so quickly from sign to sign. Mercury, on the other hand, has been involved in some particularly attention-grabbing situations lately.

Additionally, the one co-existing aspect that jumped out at me in the chart for Mercury entering Aquarius is rather a pleasant one. Mars in Scorpio and retrograde Jupiter in Virgo will be exactly sextile each other Saturday.

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This is one of those aspects that generally speaks of positive opportunities, good physical energy levels, sincerity, and a constructive approach to authority. That Jupiter is retrograde suggests you might take a more inward tack with the good mojo.

What does that mean, exactly? Well, in Mercury-ruled Virgo, I could see it taking shape as a much-needed pep-talk with yourself, if you’ve been struggling — the kind of pep-talk that is oriented on a tangible plan of action. With Mars in watery Scorpio, we get the potential to open the flow into some generosity, devotion and empathy toward yourself (‘evolved’ Scorpio traits), and to go deep with it.

I like to think that an un-aspected Mercury in Aquarius is open-minded enough to ‘get it’ intellectually, in a way that sticks on some level. Aquarius allows Mercury (and therefore your mind, which it represents) to be steady, yet resourceful and intuitive. Like when you take a brisk walk on a crisp winter afternoon, and suddenly the angle of some tree branches in the sunlight, glimpsed through your frosty breath, suggest a workable solution to a problem you’ve been mulling over.

If you’ve been struggling, and especially if you’ve been down on yourself about it (or if you’re getting angsty about Valentine’s Day, or beginning to pile it with expectations), what might a fresh, crisp Aquarian mind show you this weekend? Most problems have creative, productive solutions to them; sometimes it just takes some fresh air to notice them.

How often do you feel like you have to keep a lid on things — your emotions, your sexual urges, your ambitions, your full power? Probably a lot of the time, right? After all, most social and professional situations call on us to temper our more primal sides in favor of being polite, proper, cool and in control.

Paroxysmal eruption of Mt. Etna in Sicily, on Jan. 12, 2011. I don’t know about you, but I see a reclining form whose hand is reaching down to… Photo by gnuckx/Creative Commons/Wikimedia

But what if I told you the current astrology is ripe for some of that subterranean stuff you usually hold back to come bursting forth? Would it scare you, excite you, or simply feel like a relief?

What if you were to look at such an emergence simply as yet another step in your personal evolution; just one more facet of yourself to embrace and integrate on your way to wholeness? After all, humanity has a long history of sexual desire (as well as emotions, power and evolving). None of this is new material, though it might feel new (and therefore unusual) to express it in the way the astrology is indicating — and still have it be productive, rather than destructive.

Of course, one key to working with it productively is to own it. That deep, seemingly mysterious place under the surface where your sexuality, emotions and body intersect is all yours. Trying to project it onto others won’t work; yes, they have their own lusty nexus. And you have yours.

So what’s the astrology at work here? The core aspect is a conjunction between Venus and Pluto in mid-Capricorn, exact at 8:15 pm EST Friday (1:15 UTC Saturday). (Ideal timing for most weekday nine-to-fivers, whether you’re in a relationship or solo, to devote some attention to sexual expression and exploration; try it during the day if you work at night.)

Eric Francis reminded me today of the late, great astrologer Al Morrison, saying, “One day astrologer Debbi Kempton Smith (Morrison’s student) asked him about the Venus-Pluto conjunction in his natal chart and he looked at her and said in his slow Arkansas drawl: Luuuuusst.”

Lust, huh? You might be thinking, “Isn’t that one of the Seven Deadly Sins?” It is; but remember who decided that it’s a “sin” — and why, and what certain institutions have done to millions of people in the name of “saving” them from this “sin.” True, it is not always appropriate or beneficial to act on one’s lust. But neither is it healthy to weigh it down under a mountain of guilt, shame and fear.

Our lustier urges, whether you take them literally or as metaphor, have evolutionary purposes. As Eric added in his email, “[Venus-Pluto] is about letting it out — burning through the prim propriety of Capricorn and getting to the molten goat interior of Capricorn.”

Molten goat? If that image does not work for you, try imagining a volcanic mountain range. It’s solid and strong and seemingly impermeable; but deep within is the magma that actually made the mountain. That magma is hot and looking for a way out. Will it ooze gently and carry you along as it reshapes the landscape? Or will it erupt suddenly, taking the top of the mountain with it and laying bare the power within?

Both scenarios are possible, in terms of how your emotions, your body, and your sexuality may find expression. Current astrology provides an invitation to get in touch with this layer of yourself and your feelings about it.

To the one side of Venus-Pluto is Mars (and Black Moon Lilith, a hypothetical lunar point) in Scorpio. From Scorpio to Capricorn is a sextile — a harmonious, flowing aspect that only asks for some active cooperation from you to help things along. This looks like the image of someone who’s willing to take the energy on, who perhaps is already doing their inner work with deep emotions, the shadow feminine, and their desires, and is open to doing more.

The written readings for all 12 signs of Vision Quest are available for instant access, and so are the audio astrology and rune readings! Order all 12 signs here, or select individual signs here.

Which is not to say that you’ll avoid any “eruptions” if that description fits you. Venus-Pluto in Capricorn has a potentially eruptive quality all on its own (and could signal an eruption of jealousy), even without any help. Yet it does have help.

Vesta (an asteroid) and Uranus are conjunct in Aries, making a square to Venus-Pluto. Squares are the aspect of dynamic internal tension in astrology; the sense of feeling like you must do something to relieve it. In taking action, you also integrate whatever factors seemed to have been pushing on you to choose and move.

Although the era-defining Uranus-Pluto square is no longer exact, it is still close and quite functional. The sexual and emotional energy of Venus and Pluto, which is looking for an outlet, have an evolutionary function — and embracing it could feel quite revolutionary. Especially if Uranus (in a Mars-ruled sign) pushes out of you something that you’ve been trying very hard to suppress.

Vesta adds a touch of the devotional; as in, devoting yourself to this process of self-discovery is integral to feeding your inner spark. The more self-directed you can be with it (as opposed to reactive), the better.

Finally, note that the Moon will be in mid-Capricorn as Venus-Pluto is exact, sweeping through the aspect just afterwards. As mentioned, your emotions are deeply tied to this process, and efforts to mask them behind a poker face do not look tenable in this scenario. The urge to do so is likely related to very old past conditioning from childhood. Feel free to question it; it could be fun.