“Strange days have found us.”
— Jim Morrison

If you do not yet feel emerged from the period between eclipses that concluded on Sunday, the Moon’s move into Aries last night should help. This does not mean a sense of total normalcy is in the cards. If you simply contemplate the tableau of President Trump making his first address to the U.S. Congress tonight (Fat Tuesday!), it’s unavoidably strange.

Of course, we have all seen strange days before. We have heard of them too. The Doors recorded a song about the experience in 1967, just as Uranus was separating from three Virgo conjunctions with Pluto over the previous two years. Indeed, ever since then, it’s been legitimate to ask whether “normal” was an obsolete term.

Our current astrology could also be interpreted to account for how events in Washington D.C. tonight might seem even weirder than anything you could see during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. As Eric pointed out in his column on Sunday, the eclipses concluding were paradoxically just the beginning. Just hours before the closure of a solar eclipse, exacting Mercury slipped into sensitive Pisces. Hours after, energetic Mars (uncharacteristically moving faster than Venus) came together with revolutionary Uranus in fiery Aries.

As if all that were not enough, the Pisces Sun is even now closing in on its more-or-less annual merger with foggy Neptune.

Yet, there might well be one planet to tie all the strangeness together: Jupiter, currently retrograde in Libra. Consider that Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces and Sagittarius. Implicitly, then, any activity in Pisces (where the Sun, Mercury, Neptune and Chiron are currently gathered) or Sagittarius (where Saturn now is) must inherently be resonating with Jupiter at this time.

In addition, Libra (where Jupiter currently is) opposes all the activity taking place on the other side of the zodiac with Venus, Mars, Uranus and Eris in Aries. Throw in the cardinal-sign relationship between Libra and Capricorn (where Pluto is currently trucking), and every sign-ruling planet is somehow being significantly influenced by Jupiter right now.

Being easily seen by the unaided eye, Jupiter is one of the “classical” planets human beings have always been aware of. For that reason, its being named after the top dog in an influential ancient hierarchy of deities must be taken into account as well.

Among other things, Jupiter (as ruler of the Olympian pantheon) was known for spreading his genes around. According to Hesiod’s Theogony and other sources, at least some of the reputed progeny of Jupiter were rather strange themselves. Eris, to cite just one example, was not exactly a popular choice on guest lists for social occasions.

One astrological corollary for the personified Jupiter’s promiscuity is Robert Hand’s description of it as “a planet of growth and enlargement.” It is therefore significant that Jupiter’s current retrograde is in the process of repeating many of the aspects it has made made since entering Libra on Sept. 9. Perhaps foremost among those iterations is Jupiter’s second opposition to Uranus (in Aries) coming up on Thursday (or Friday, depending on your time zone).

If there were one time prior to 1967 when normalcy might be said to have left the building, 1781 would be a good candidate. The American Revolution had just concluded, the French Revolution was on its way and Uranus was discovered in 1781. Just imagine the old political order and our understanding of the universe all going off the map together in just a few years’ time, and you can readily grasp that our times are not without precedent (or is that “president”?) no matter how strange things may seem.

If anything, Jupiter is now simply enlarging on strange times seen at least a few times before. In order to better comprehend the situation, you might want to look back at what was going on for you the last time Jupiter opposed Uranus — during late August and early September of 2003. It could be that you can gather a clue or two from that time to surmise that is also a period when Jupiter is implicitly supporting your personal growth.

As with some of mythical Jupiter’s children, you may currently be feeling a bit strange (or estranged) yourself. Don’t worry; by all indications you are in very good company. Besides, as we have seen since Jupiter entered Libra in September, what’s strange now can become both mainstream and influential in a very short period of time.

So, when in doubt, make like the revelers in New Orleans. Be a bit strange, and enjoy it while you can before boring Lenten normality sets in. Sure beats being like some members of Congress who must surely wish they could be wearing a Mardi Gras mask tonight.

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Depending on who you are, Feb. 10 probably seems like an impossibly long time ago, or only yesterday. Either way, there is no reason to worry. The Full Moon in Leo which took place on Feb. 10 was not just any opposition from what was then an Aquarius Sun. It was a lunar eclipse.

More specifically, it was the first of two eclipses. The next one (a solar eclipse with both the Sun and Moon merging in Pisces) will take place Sunday.

Eclipses happen when the Sun is near one of the calculated points in the sky (and on the zodiac) called lunar nodes. Eclipses also tend to take place in pairs. That’s because the Sun nearly always remains in the requisite proximity range of a lunar node to precipitate a solar eclipse at the New Moon, two weeks after a lunar eclipse at the Full Moon (or vice-versa).

The two weeks between a typical pair of eclipses do not often feel so typical, however. For many of us, the period from one eclipse to the next is marked by either a flurry of events in your outer life, or a lot of change within you — possibly both. After the second, and concluding, eclipse it is therefore not unusual to to look around and find yourself in some way far from where you were only a fortnight before.

If you put your mind to it, you can look ahead to eclipses, and plan for them. You can put the usual perception of time distortion to use. Even if you have not prepared in advance for the pair of eclipses now drawing to a close, you can still do more than simply let things happen to you.

You can start by planning ahead. The upcoming solar eclipse will not be visible to most Planet Waves readers, but you can time it. Basically, by 10 am EST (15:00 UTC) on Sunday, you will have initiated emergence from the eclipse zone. Upon doing so, act as if you have just arrived at the end of a long journey. Look around. Reorient yourself. If the nature of your new environment is not already apparent to you, proceed to gather and collate information.

A large part of physical travel to a different climate from the one you are accustomed has to do with clothing and shelter. For example, if you live in a northern temperate zone at this time, an overcoat or warm hat might still come in handy. If you flew to Tahiti, however, you would probably want to leave those formerly essential items behind. The same practice (but often more metaphorical than literal) applies to when you arrive on the far side of a pair of eclipses.

Therefore, before Sunday is too far gone, begin looking around — both inside and outside yourself. Observe with a purpose: that of evaluating what you are exposed to, and how that’s changed since before Feb. 10. Take note of what challenges no longer exist, and vest yourself from any practice or devices you previously employed which are no longer needed to protect yourself. Then, take stock of any new sources of exposure (physical or otherwise) and initiate actions to enhance your sense of comfort and safety.

Most of all, assume nothing. Behave as if you are a stranger in a strange land. Listen, learn and adjust to everybody you encounter, no matter how familiar. Everybody on Earth is going through this together, after all. Then, as you become consciously aware of it, give some thought to appropriately expressing what has changed for you.

It’s a fair bet that a significant portion of your world is no longer the same as it was before Feb. 10. The same is almost certainly true inside of a significant number of people. In addition, many of those who do not employ astrology as a tool are less likely than you to be fully aware of what has happened (and may still happen), because they do not have the same frame of reference. All of which leads to you.

As somebody who does use astrology, you have a role to play after Sunday. It may seem like a passive role, but only if you think of patience and alertness as forms of inaction. The period immediately after a pair of eclipses is, first of all, a time to take in what you can, then to inquire as necessary, and finally to act.

One way or another, we will all get our bearings eventually. If you do manage to get yourself reoriented sooner rather than later, please remember to be kind to the rest of us who may not have traveled so well.

Offered In Service

By Amanda Painter

This week’s big astrological news is that we’re approaching the second in this season’s pair of eclipses. On Sunday, Feb. 26, the Pisces New Moon (exact at 9:58 am EST / 14:58 UTC) will also be a partial solar eclipse.

Heathrow Airport in 2012; photo by Amanda Painter.

Eclipses often bring surprises. They’re also great events to use as leverage if you need to shift patterns of behavior, move into a new phase of growth or reorient your intended trajectory.

Often one eclipse in the pair seems to be more about embarking on or embracing new territory, while the other resonates more with the idea of releasing what is not working or is no longer needed.

Astrologically speaking, Sunday’s eclipse looks more like the second type. Yet depending on what you’ve set in motion or where you are in the process, it could be that you’re more focused on your new intentions — and what needs to fall away will do so of its own accord. Or you might find yourself being more intentional about choosing to leave something behind.

Interestingly, the Sun and Moon will form their New Moon conjunction while still fairly early in Pisces. This puts them exactly between the centaur planet Nessus and the planet Neptune.

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In his column yesterday (The Essential Message of Pisces), Eric reminded us of the abiding association Pisces has with your inner life, where you are empowered to foment change. With the Sun’s emblem of waking consciousness now moving through Pisces until the vernal equinox on March 20, you will have ample time for creative introspection.

This does not mean the next four weeks or so will represent a uniform climate for self-examination, however. When you consider the Pisces Sun in context with the Moon and planets, this week especially will be a good time to take it easy on both yourself and others.

Let’s start with the Moon. In its astrological capacity as complement to the Sun, the Moon implicitly represents another side of consciousness. It goes almost without saying that there is an association between the Moon and the dreams that may come with sleep, but there is more to the lunar role than that. Emotions, intuition, imagination and issues of comfort and safety all correlate with Earth’s natural, original satellite.

As with all objects in the sky, your experience with the Moon will vary. First, there is your own individual astrology. Some people simply have more affinity for the Moon than others. It is neither good nor bad, right or wrong to relate to the Moon in a way that works for you.

Then, there are also the Moon’s phases. You know from your own experience that a Full Moon not only looks different but also feels different from a crescent Moon. Finally, the sign the Moon occupies and Luna’s geometric relationship (or ‘aspects’) to other objects on the zodiac are of significant importance when evaluating the astrological environment for any given event or timeframe.

That’s how you might be mindful that the Moon entered Capricorn this morning, and will continue moving through the sign of cardinal earth until Thursday. Because Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, and is on the opposite side of the zodiac from the cardinal water sign of Cancer (where the Moon is said to rule), having the Moon in Capricorn is a better time for some things than others.

One thing the Moon in Capricorn is not good for is being harshly judgmental, especially of yourself. As eminent astrologer Robert Hand has written: “The strict justice of Saturn does not blend well with the need to be human, as signified by the Moon.”

In addition, the Moon is now waning. Among other things, a waning crescent Moon means time is running out for the current lunar cycle as we head for the New Moon (and solar eclipse) on Sunday. Better to bide your time, then. This does not mean you should practice denial or procrastination. Rather, you should go gently into self-examination, at least until a new lunar cycle brings you out on the other side of the eclipse zone, which we all entered with the Full Moon and lunar eclipse back on Feb. 10.

As is so often the case, a number of other planets are also moving so as to reinforce the message currently being conveyed by the Sun and Moon. This week, versatile Mercury (which corresponds to your mind and its means of expression) and Mars (which so often correlates with your strongest desires) are going to be especially active, often with a parallel imperative to exercise care.

So begin your Pisces introspection slowly and gently, much as you would a relaxed walk. There is no need to hurry. Nor is there necessarily anywhere to go. Allow yourself to observe for now, with both an open heart and open eyes. Explore and note what you discover for a later time. It’s possible to get a lot started (and even a lot done) while still taking it easy on yourself. Remember only that, and this week will be made easier by none other than you.

Offered In Service

If you want a single word to interpret the zodiac as a whole right now, it would plausibly be “restraint.” The Sun has a lot to do with it. Tomorrow, the Sun completes its traversal of Aquarius (which started on Jan. 19) and enters Pisces. In addition, now is a good time to remember the huge role perception plays in determining reality.

Dating back to a least William Lilly (1602-1681), it has been common practice for Western astrologers to counsel restraint in making judgments, drawing conclusions or taking summary action when the Sun is in the latest degrees of one sign or the earliest degrees of the next.

The central role the Sun plays for all astrologers is itself largely a matter of perception. The Sun is a star. It is just one of hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy. Among all those other stars, the Sun is not even close to being the most massive or radiant. Even so, the Sun is undeniably the largest, brightest and most influential object in the sky as your unaided eye perceives it.

In addition, the Sun is currently in the midst of moving between eclipses. One week ago, the Sun, Moon and Earth aligned with the lunar nodes to foment a lunar eclipse at the Full Moon. On Feb. 26, all those same things will align again to drop the proverbial other shoe with a solar eclipse at the New Moon.

The period between any pair of eclipses tends to correlate with certain identifiable topics. Among those themes is loss. The nature of loss, in turn, is also frequently a matter of perception. If you choose to divest yourself of something burdensome, it’s often liberating. Should something be taken from you against your will, it probably doesn’t feel so good. With time, however, it is not unusual to realize that even some involuntary losses are for the best.

Combine the Sun’s current spatial position on the zodiac with your temporal position between eclipses at present, and it’s relatively easy to see how restraint might now be advisable. This does not mean you should be indecisive. Neither is there any indication you should refrain from taking action. Exercising restraint does not entail existential paralysis. If anything, the next few days (and possibly the whole next week) will be an astrologically prime time to choose and do — but not recklessly or erratically.

Instead, it’s implicitly a time to exercise care and diligence. Remember that your point of view is not universal, but that your words and actions nearly always influence those who perceive things differently — basically, anybody else. Make an effort to discern whether you are procrastinating or deliberating. Above all, be patient, both with others and yourself.

If this brief review of the current sky still leaves you feeling at a loss for how to proceed, begin by simply exercising restraint regarding the use of profanity. This does not mean you should censor yourself. Just choose your spots. If used too often, those “four-letter” (and longer) words you know so well lose their power to do any practical good, becoming only senseless triggers that can easily be perceived as an intent to do harm.

Assuming you wish to do no harm, the simple practice of refraining from profanity beginning now will probably constitute a good enough start on next week. By pausing to choose alternative forms of expression, you will do more than make the lives of others more pleasant. You will also open doors of perception for yourself which you had previously, and probably carelessly, missed.

Offered In Service

By Amanda Painter

We’re in an interesting transitional phase, astrologically speaking. You might be feeling it as edginess, or as potential, or as a fear of change, or as an eagerness to move into some new direction in your life. It’s possible you’re witnessing the cultural and political transitions around you and are desperately wondering how your otherwise simple, everyday existence fits into that.

Evidence of the Valentine’s Day Bandit flies atop the Portland Observatory, Portland, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Only you can truly answer that question for yourself, but there are a few interconnected astrological factors right now that could help you get pointed in the right direction. The first is that the Sun is in the final degrees of Aquarius; it will enter Pisces on Saturday at 6:31 am EST (11:31 UTC).

Before that happens, however, the Aquarius Sun makes an interesting, possibly subtle and potentially useful aspect (a sextile) to a rather notorious centaur planet: Pholus in Sagittarius. Pholus is the one associated with runaway chain reactions. Normally that is something to be avoided; however, there are times when it can be very helpful for a seemingly small cause to have a big effect.

Now, for example, might be one of those times.

I say that because we’re right about at the midpoint between eclipses. Saturday afternoon, about six hours after the Sun enters Pisces, the Moon will enter Sagittarius. Roughly 45 minutes later, it will square the Pisces Sun for the lunar last quarter. The last quarter happens halfway between a Full Moon and the next New Moon. In this case, last week’s Full Moon was also a penumbral lunar eclipse; and the Feb. 26 New Moon will be a partial solar eclipse.

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Strictly speaking, the astrological term ‘transits’ has greater dimension than just a current location of celestial objects on the zodiac. More specifically, transits are current locations relative to the distribution of the Sun, Moon and planets at the time of your birth. Today, however, is no day to be strict or coldly technical. It is an occasion to be tender.

Valentine’s Day may not have started out as a crass commercialization of our most sensitive set of emotions. Nonetheless, it sure has turned out that way. For those who lack money to purchase advertised trappings (or who simply lack for love), this is an especially vulnerable time.

Obviously, those who are currently in thrall of affection and in possession of discretionary funds should be respected as well. The practice of compassion has enough dimension itself to include the fortunate.

Hence, today’s astrological offering is offered without rigorous adherence — yet with consideration for your humanity. Hopefully, the words here will be of use for you today (and for the next several days) regardless of your personal astrology, what you are feeling or how much you have.

The astrological deep background of this Valentine’s Day has long been reiterated by the astrologers here at Planet Waves. The Aries conjunction of galvanizing Uranus with the emerging profundity of Eris has been continuously proving its pertinence since last year. Change is in the air.

We are not speaking of just any kind of change, either. Long historical trajectories are involved. To live and love during such a time thus entails both trial and privilege on a relatively grand scale. Then, there is Venus and Mars.

It’s not unusual for the emotional and relationship issues brought to the fore on Valentine’s Day to correlate with Venus and Mars. Because both planets are visible to the unaided eye, they have always been part of human awareness. Hence, the mythology behind the names has reliable meaning in your life.

For the ancient Greeks and Romans (at least), the mythical Venus and Mars were synonymous with the two planets so named. Taken together, they represented the polarization that nearly always goes with the territory of compelling attraction.

To have Venus and Mars both in Aries (along with Uranus and Eris) at this time implies that the qualities that correspond with even the most personal relationship are unavoidably entangled with bigger issues. Keep that in mind even if you are not living through the epic drama depicted in the motion picture Casablanca or the novel A Tale of Two Cities.

It would also be useful to keep one other thing in mind. Even though both Venus and Mars are currently sharing the same sign, they are not going to come together in the same degree of Aries. This year’s conjunction of Venus and Mars will be deferred until Oct. 5, when they finally achieve their roughly biennial merger — this time, in Virgo.

In addition to all the pertinent action in fiery Aries, we are currently in the temporal zone between a Full Moon (and lunar eclipse) late last week and a New Moon (which will also be a solar eclipse) on Feb. 26. Currently, the Moon is in airy Libra. The Sun, for its part, is in the latter degrees of airy Aquarius. If you consider the holistic combination of what the Sun and Moon are doing for Valentine’s Day (and at least the day after as well), several clear implications shine through.

First, it would be useful if you are equally conscious of both detachment and involvement at this time. Simply being aware that those two states of being (and the spectrum in between) are available to you will be empowering.

Next, take a little time to think about patterns and cycles. You have seen enough of your own life to very possibly locate your current position in personal patterns and cycles. If you can’t figure out ‘where’ you are at right now, there is bound to be at least some useful information in that, too.

Evaluating either relationships or the world as a whole in terms of patterns and cycles must necessarily involve some speculation. Nonetheless, so long as you refrain from either drawing final conclusions or judging others, some significant insights could well be more available now than at other times.

Finally, allow yourself simply to have your own Valentine’s Day experiences. There will be time for analyzing the details later. For now, take it all in so as to remember as clearly as possible. Even if what you are going through now is a trial, try to retain as much as you can. If there is anything to astrology, today’s memories will, at the very least, come in handy later.

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