Photo by Lanvi Nguyen.

This is one of those weeks when everything seems to happen at once. On Tuesday, Mercury stations retrograde in the last degree of Pisces. Then on Wednesday, Uranus enters Taurus, within hours of the Pisces New Moon.

The New Moon is conjunct Neptune, and conjunct Vesta.

In the spirit of Pisces, we are now experiencing a sea-change. Chiron recently changed signs, entering Aries for the next eight years. Uranus is about to enter Taurus, in a matter of days. When outer planets make moves like this, there are subtle and overt shifts to both inner and outer environments. It’s as if many points of orientation rearrange themselves, and a phase of conscious adaptation is necessary.

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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.

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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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.

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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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).

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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Tomorrow’s New Moon — a conjunction of the Sun and Moon — takes place right at the midpoint of Aquarius. This marks the middle of the current season; a time the ancient Pagans celebrated as Imbolc.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Although the origin of the word Imbolc is not entirely clear, one common explanation is that it comes from the Old Irish word meaning “in the belly,” referring to the pregnancy of ewes.

In other words, the seeds — literal and metaphorical — that have long lain dormant and are still in darkness, are gestating and beginning to stir. (You can read past Planet Waves writing on Imbolc here and here.) To have a New Moon today underscores these themes of what is inside and is developing, a new cycle about to begin from the darkness. Yet it comes in the midst of some astrological activity that has likely been quite activating.

I’m going to cover some of that before looking at the New Moon itself, and you can review recent aspects here. Most of them are beginning to separate; the one that may still be intensifying (if you’re reading this Sunday evening) is the conjunction between Mars and Eris in Aries, exact overnight into tomorrow morning.

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Near the Ashokan Reservoir on Jan. 26, 2019. Photo by Lanvi Nguyen.

This week, both Venus and Mars begin to pass through outer-planet squares. Venus is currently in late Sagittarius, and Mars is in late Aries. While the aspects come into full focus early next week, around the time of the Feb. 4 Aquarius New Moon, we can use the look-ahead ability of astrology.

When inner planets pass through aspects involving outer planets, there can be deep and interesting effects. Outer planets, in this case ones such as Chiron, Pluto and Eris, tend to describe the longer processes of growth and individuation. Inner planets describe emotional states, feelings, desires and immediate motives.

Photo by Lanvi Nguyen.

Both aspect patterns involve squares, which indicate that something wants to be expressed. Remember that. Pay attention to what you feel and what you want to say about it. We live in a moment when it only seems appropriate to address anger and pain, and then to use them as a means of seemingly gaining power.

Many other options are possible. This is the kind of thing you learn about in therapy: the many ways you have available to respond to the same situation, and the fact that you have the power to choose.

To me, the involvement of Venus and Mars looks like more discussion of gender, a topic over which our society is obsessed. However, gender (largely a construction) is a derivative of sex, which is biological. Gender might seem like the meaning we give to sex, though we might consider what would happen if we proceeded from the other direction.

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The current eclipse of the Moon in Leo is another reminder that we need some grounding and stability in our lives. Yet it seems like every new development in society, whether social or political or technological, threatens to up-end everything.

Total lunar eclipse in July 2018 over Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Photo by Eddie Yip/Flickr.

I would note, again, that we are having to go through this without the usual social resources that make being human bearable. The majority of our social contact (all of it, for some people) is through the robot. No dog could tolerate this; humans are not made to. It would be nice to say that at this rate, we will go insane; however, it’s already happening.

Look at the world. Consider what people are going through. Glance at a news website and imagine that every one of those “news stories” affects many, many people; and events are spiraling out of control.

In the 1960s, Marshall McLuhan said we were living in a maelstrom of information. Today, one week’s news would have kept a newspaper busy for a year. Everything blurs by and we are left dizzy and disoriented and in disbelief. The lies, the developments, the sense of the bottom falling out, seem to increase exponentially.

And there is that constant, lingering feeling of some missing nutrient: like you’re eating all the right foods, but still hungry, as if there’s one trace mineral that you’re not getting, one vitamin that you’re overlooking. A craving but you’re not sure what it’s for.

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The prevailing aspect of our moment is the square. Long misunderstood, this is an aspect of high integrity, of durable structure, and of action — though admittedly, it can be a little stressful. Like, especially if you’re a federal employee who didn’t get paid on Friday.

I was doing some research in the vast Planet Waves library this morning (I am well into the writing of a book, and I’ll have news about that soon), and pulled A Handbook for the Humanistic Astrologer off of my shelf. This is a classic work by Michael Meyer, which has all kinds of bits that will take you out of astrology’s dark ages. Many astrologers are trained to treat squares like a case of the measles.

Of the square, he says that it’s about “the exteriorization and actualization of relationship. The giving of concrete form. Crisis and the need to take clear-cut action. Confrontations and their results. Creative tension. Solid power.”

Wow, I bet you’ve never read anything like that before. OK, maybe you have. Some astrologers are onto the advantages of squares (Robert Hand and Barbara Hand Clow, to mention two hands clapping).

Presently, the main superstructure that surrounds the Earth is a compound square from Aries to Capricorn. Take a look at it — anyone can see it. All those red lines are individual square contacts between planets. In Aries, we currently have, in order, Mars, the Moon, Eris and Uranus. Lurking right around the Aries Point is the Kuiper object Salacia.

In Capricorn we presently have Saturn, Mercury, Pluto, the Sun and the South Node. Lurking right around the Aries Point (its Capricorn leg) is the centaur Pholus.

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