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.
‘Eclipse zones’ tend to be phases of time when you can get a leg-up on shifting some facet of your life. This might involve beginning something new or refocusing on moving toward something; you also might feel compelled to release or move away from something. Chances are those two ‘opposite’ urges will work in tandem in some way.
Overall, it’s an excellent time to put energy into establishing new patterns in your life. If you’re not entirely sure how to go about that, try focusing on things you truly love to do or have a strong desire to experience more of in the coming months. In this instance, ‘focusing’ ideally means taking some kind of tangible action.
As you do that, you may find that what needs to be released falls by the wayside a little easier; sometimes getting too focused on what we think we need to leave behind has a way of kicking up extra resistance and fear. So try beginning with what brings you joy or piques your curiosity and sense of adventure.
If you need a little inspiration, remember that the Sun in Aquarius makes a sextile to Pholus tomorrow. It could be that a small step is all you need to make, but you do indeed need to make it to activate the energy.
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that ‘transformation’ has to mean big, dramatic, sudden change. It can seem that way from the outside when you witness someone acting on desires you never knew they had. But chances are they’d been cultivating and incubating their new direction for quite a while.
After all, to us it seems dramatic to see a butterfly emerge from what had appeared to be an inanimate object. To the butterfly, however, its entire life of being a leaf-munching caterpillar — and its shape-shifting, molecule-rearranging ‘dormancy’ as a chrysalis — were all leading up to this moment. Sometimes you make noticeable changes on the outside; sometimes the biggest shifts occur on the inside — to your perspective, self-understanding and self-esteem. All of it leads further along a path only you can travel in your unique way.
Thank you for this lovely piece, and wonderful advice, dear Amanda. I love your leaf- munching caterpillar.
Happy to hear the caterpillar resonates, Lizzy. 🙂
I add my voice to Lizzy’s on your excellence Amanda!
In keeping with your story of the caterpillar, could that possibly be what we’ve all been experiencing Worldwide? (Within that cocoon every single structure or pattern is dissolved, then formed into a different pattern with new structures.)
Ohhh, Sue Edwards, I think you might be onto something! 😉 Yes, it would make a lot of sense if the personal and the global have similar processes in the works. I think it can be even scarier to see it happening around us, because we have even less individual control over the pace, direction and outcome. But that doesn’t mean we can’t influence it in some small way just by doing our best with our personal transitions to listen inwardly and act outwardly.
Thanks for this advice Amanda. I’m feeling the beginnings of a new direction taking shape. Wiggling free from a tight enclosure and entering a new realm of experience.
Fun (and maybe you are aware?) that the Sabian symbol for today (Aquarius 29) is: “a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.”
Yes, Ramona, I was aware! And the Sabian symbol was actually the inspiration for that imagery. Except that when I started writing, I was thinking that 29 Aquarius is the degree when the Sun sextiles Pholus. It is not: “29 Aquarius” on the astrological chart is really the last degree of Aquarius, which really means 30. (Kind of like how when you turn 29, you’ve actually entered your 30th year of life.)
So I removed direct mention of the Sabian symbol, but decided the imagery still worked in the piece. I’m so glad you picked up on it!
Nice, Uplifting article, thank you!
Grateful to know you appreciated it, Rudolf — thanks for stopping by!
You seem to be a trigger for me Amanda and I sincerely Thank You.
Maybe it’s the higher octave of Venus symbolized in the top fish of Pisces that we’re integrating, so that when finally enter Aries, we have a whole new pattern of thought? Since one of the expressions of Aries is mental: pioneering, adventuring, etc., a new outlook would eventually lead to outer activity. Calling in the energy of Neptune, I have the higher octave of Venus ( spiritual Love) as well as, all our illusions and glamours – the muck Eric has mentioned many times.
Eric’s intuition is really sensitive, meaning aware. He keeps mentioning activating points and influences bringing in the vibrations of our Core. Like passing over the descendant on the way around our charts. Light increasing, above the horizon. It brings to question “What are the vibrations of our Core?”
I add to that structures, as symbolized by Capricorn are undergoing transformation. Governments, institutions, corporations, thought patterns and anything else that has become crystallized, are being changed.
Maybe when we say “God” or “Spirit” or “Core” or “Source” or “Unified Quantum Field”, we’re all describing the same perspective no matter what terms we use? That of the Whole. All that Is. And wouldn’t that necessarily require resonances and vibrations that were all inclusive?
With beliefs founded upon the concepts of equality and equanimity, on the rise? Maybe since the Whole cannot be benefited by the negation of any part, beliefs systems dependent upon exclusion, rejection and ideas of supremacy are not in alignment with that Core vibration? And are being rattled the most by it, resounding in a lot of sour notes?
When it comes to Love, empty vessels always make the most noise. Which wakes a lot of people up. The personification of world glamour awakens a universal cause into action. Inner resistance in some is calling into action outer resistance in others.
There is power in numbers. We’ve already proved that, through our corporations and militaries. But they’ve all been impersonal. Maybe now there is the power and energy of the universe behind standing together? In Love and Respect for person to person, part to part in recognition of the Whole.
Glad to know this piece was able to catalyze your thought process and its expression here, Sue!
And the Sabian Symbol for Aquarius 30 also supports all that is written here too: metamorphosis, unanimous unconsciousness, individual inner beings uniting…
I have been spinning yet more purposeful and sound at this moment in my life. Our souls are awakened by the Great Teacher who unwittingly assumes this role “bigly…big league…” But his DNA is with ours as ours is with him. If anyone has read Neale Donald Walsh I am reminded of is children’s book, “The Little Soul & the Sun.” Being a Piscean, perhaps its my delusional acceptance of Mr. Trump’s role right now. This doesn’t mean that I am not out there doing my part to oppose the implementation of his policies/actions, for I am. But I am also mindful that he is part of us, we are all in the cocoon together and learning moments abound.
Butterflies are beautiful, aren’t they?
lol unanimous unconsciousness was written as unified unconsciousness in my word document that auto-corrected but maybe the computer had something there?!