Tag Archives: Relationships

The Day of Beguiling Simplicity: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is March 24
The Day of Beguiling Simplicity | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Aries Reading | All Other Signs

Recognize that in living through many of your past experiences, especially the most seminal, you’ve come away with a gift: be that additional strength, wisdom, friendship or something else. These moments have helped shape the person you are today, and as you continue along your path, you can use them as beacons to light the way and help you acclimatize to the new territory. You have more of a grasp in this area than you know.
— By Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

Can you spend today daydreaming, playing with art supplies (creative writing or anything visual/performance-based/musical/poetic also counts), or immersing yourself in your spiritual side? Any of those activities, practiced within clear boundaries, could be a fun and safe way to express the combined energies of Mercury and Neptune today. With Mercury retrograde, you might add to the list of ideal activities a review of creative or spiritual lessons that could apply to your current situation.

That said, Mercury-Neptune in Pisces, combined with some Aries-Cap square energy, describes the need to use discernment and a light touch today in all actions and communications. Check back with yesterday’s Written in the Planets for more detail on that score. There’s pent-up energy looking for a way out, mixed with a generally soft grip on things like mental focus; and the only person you can truly direct through this is yourself. A sextile between Venus in Aquarius and the Galactic Center and Ixion in Sagittarius may offer a second chance to serve the highest good through an act of friendship. To do so, however, you’ll need to stick closely to your ethics. That could be tricky right now; regular reality checks will be crucial.
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of Curiosity: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is March 23
The Day of Curiosity | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Aries Reading | All Other Signs

Get ready to dive deep into the mystery of you, to find information that will point you toward your next phase of personal growth and possibly thorough healing. Note that you will make all the more progress if you can meet any fear or self-judgment with some detachment, which will help keep them from interfering with your ideas and understanding. Approach every new fact with an open mind, and a willingness to learn more, and you’ll probably free up a lot of power within you.
— By Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

As we head into the final week of Mercury’s current retrograde in Pisces, a couple of aspect patterns are calling for your awareness. The more pressurized one is a square between the Sun, Chiron and Salacia in Aries on one side, and Pholus and Quaoar in Capricorn on the other (exact today and Sunday). There’s a lot of energy here looking for a way out into the world, and that happens through action. Some of it may have been tapped and released by Wednesday’s Full Moon, but it appears there’s still more to go. It’s asking a question: who are you (including sexually) in relation to your family’s behavioral patterns?

Consider for a moment that the identity you came into the world with has been molded and re-directed by your family as you grew up. What might happen if you took steps to reassert who you feel yourself to be at your core? It’s easy to assume that we’ll encounter strict limits to our self-expression if we do. Yet, has it occurred to you that the expectations and seemingly set reactions of family might not be so iron-clad as you thought? Or, at least, that you’re capable of standing in your center regardless? Pholus here is both a reminder of how little it can take to ‘keep us in our place’ and an indication of how little we may need to do to shift family dynamics toward a place where we can stand out for who we are in a more integrated way.

Meanwhile, retrograde Mercury’s two-week conjunction to Neptune is exact tomorrow. Keep tracking your intuition and other subtle senses, but also be sure to check facts. Notice carefully all facets of your environment — the external surroundings, the moods of others (both expressed and unexpressed), and your inner emotional/mental landscape. A disturbance or distraction in one is likely to affect the others. Even though Mercury retrograde in Pisces might not feel as scattered or harsh as some others, the presence of Neptune is a red flag to keep your mind as clear as possible this weekend (and for the next week-plus), and to be extra-careful with things like purchases, commitments and what you may be projecting onto others.
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of Clarity: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is March 21
The Day of Clarity | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Aries Reading | All Other Signs

Remember that integrity is your best friend. You seem to have a good deal of energy focused on you, and may draw various people toward you in the near future. Make sure the relationships you form, of any sort, are healthy and constructive for you and for everyone else involved. That starts with surrounding yourself with honest, compassionate people, who are likely to bring forward your best and brightest qualities.
— By Amy Elliott

Written for the Planets

We’re officially in a new season, and last night’s Libra Full Moon is starting to dissipate. Yet with such a potent setup to start the Sun’s time in Aries, chances are you’re still feeling the reverberations. Continue to give yourself a little delay before replying to any recent communications that might have raised your dander and defenses the last couple days. We’re in “small cause, big effect” territory through the weekend, thanks to the fiery Aries Sun’s impending square to the centaur Pholus in Capricorn. On top of that, Mercury is still very much retrograde in Pisces, and very much conjunct Neptune — indicating potentially imprecise thinking, possible emotional reactivity in communication, and an inability to see clearly the truth of a situation (including the emotional truth).

On top of that, today’s square between Venus in Aquarius and Mars in Taurus could be kicking up some inner tension. That might simply play out as a spike in arousal, including toward someone new. But it could also indicate discord in relationships where there’s hidden or frustrated sexual energy. Venus in Aquarius describes the potential for this to rear up in a friendship where there’s unspoken attraction, rather than with an established lover or someone you’re actively pursuing. Does that Aquarian influence help to cool things off and make it more of an intellectual exercise, or does it just make it weirder? How does that align with what your body’s telling you? If you have the opportunity to express this energy sexually (whether solo or with a partner), it’s possible that taking your time with the sensuality of it while experimenting a little might yield the most satisfying results.
— By Amanda Painter

When Standing Out May Be the Only Real Option

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By Amanda Painter

When everyone around you is wounded and hurting, if you initiate and pursue your own healing it will probably make you stand out. I suspect countless people have had this thought before, but it came to mind as I was thinking about tomorrow’s conjunction of the Sun and Chiron in Aries. I don’t know how many people think of that possibility consciously before starting (for example) a therapy process; even if present unconsciously, however, I imagine it holds some people back.

Nothing Safer; photo by Amanda Painter.

Sun conjunct Chiron occurs at 2:38 pm EDT Friday (18:37:51 UTC).

And although it’s not in the very first degree of Aries, it is in the second degree, which is still Aries Point territory (the nexus of personal and political).

Whatever tomorrow’s astrology describes for you personally, it will likely resonate with issues that are prominent in our collective social environment right now.

This is the first conjunction of the Sun and Chiron in Aries since Chiron left Pisces for good on Feb. 18. As far as I can tell, it is the only conjunction these two bodies will have in the first five degrees of Aries for this particular journey of Chiron in Aries (though next year will come close; that one happens in the sixth degree of Aries).

My guess is that this means this year’s Sun-Chiron conjunction may ring the personal/collective Aries Point bell the loudest — though I don’t know for certain if it works that way. And who knows: maybe we will be able to hear the signal better once we’ve all gotten more used to this energy next year? After all, we’re also adjusting to Uranus in Taurus and wading through Mercury’s retrograde in Pisces, both of which seem to be having a slightly destabilizing effect on many people. Then again, when is there not something in the astrology describing things being off-kilter, or provocative, or confrontational, or energizing in some way?

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The Day of Dogged Persistence: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is March 19
The Day of Dogged Persistence | Order Your 2019-20 Pisces Reading | All Other Signs

Keep your focus. You may feel at times as if anything can happen; yet you have the ability to rise above the chaos and apply your strong sense of resolve. Others are likely to look to you for structure and calm; you can set an example just through being yourself, which is enough for you to stand out. Approaching unfamiliar situations with discernment and a little caution should help you remain on the path.
— By Amy Elliott

Written for the Planets

We’re one day away from the Sun’s entrance into Aries — also known as the equinox. This marks the end of the current astrological year and the beginning of a new one. And shortly after the Sun makes its move tomorrow, the Moon will oppose it for a Full Moon in Libra. So you may be noticing some energy build, or feel an urge to move on to the next stage of something, especially in one or more of your relationships. There’s no need to rush that; in fact, the ongoing Mercury retrograde is a strong reminder to go easy in all things. Due to other factors, relational tension could also come through either as arousal or frustration related to an ingrained habit. How flexible can you be with a partner this week in terms of meeting each other’s needs — sexually, sensually, intellectually and socially?

Note also that today the Pisces Sun makes a square to Ixion in Sagittarius. Can you pursue your current spiritual quest or creative self-expression without repeating ethically questionable choices? If you’re not sure what that might mean, consider things like emotional, energetic and sexual boundaries. You have the potential to make a choice that works for all parties concerned, or that at least works for you in a way that does minimal harm to others. If you have a second chance at something, how do you plan to use it?
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of Return: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is March 18
The Day of Return | Order Your 2019-20 Pisces Reading | All Other Signs

Dream big, and let the tide of fervor and inspiration carry you along for a while. Once you have the broad concept in place, you can begin to fill in the details. At first, though, it can be immensely useful to spend time with your big vision and experience enthusiasm filling you up like fuel. This doesn’t replace hard work, but it does give life and interest to your efforts, and the gift of perseverance when it’s needed.
— By Amy Elliott

Written for the Planets

The Moon moving through the last third of Leo today suggests a more social Monday than usual. Whether you’re looking for emotional contact from others (which might come via a friend or acquaintance rather than something more intimate), feeling inclined to offer support and generosity to others, or getting chatty in the digital realms, keep the energy moving but remember that it’s not all about you. Juno in Gemini opposite the Great Attractor in Sagittarius could describe a sense that relationship needs are either polarizing, pulling you along, or just out of reach. Is it something you can talk about with a friend or two, so you don’t feel like things are at quite such a stalemate? (Note also that we’re building to a Full Moon in Libra with the Aries equinox on Wednesday.) With almost two weeks left of Mercury retrograde in Pisces, keep reminding yourself to double-check the details and take things slowly. When and if something does go wrong, where’s the deeper lesson in it?
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of the Heights: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is March 15
The Day of the Heights | Order Your 2019-20 Pisces Reading | All Other Signs

Be sure to keep in mind all that you have achieved so far, especially in recent years, and you will be able to fend off any moments of self-doubt. You need to retain a clear head and focus on what is true, what you know in your bones. Doing this will empower you to move forward with the next item on your to-do list, and effectively silence any critics either within or without.
— By Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

Feeling optimistic about some long-range planning you’re doing? Excellent! Just be sure you slow down enough to account for any details that could trip you up. With retrograde Mercury in Pisces making a square to Jupiter in Sagittarius, creative inspiration and spiritual reflection abound. So why not act on it? Keep your point of view flexible, though; and don’t assume you have all the answers or information you need. You almost certainly don’t at this time, but you likely have the motivation and tools to find most of them. Key insights might not emerge until Mercury stations direct on March 28, but you can still move toward where you want to be — even if the path bends like a river rather than flying straight like an arrow. Keep an eye out for beliefs about yourself that are ripe for review (and possibly for transformation or outright dismissal) along the way; same with self-righteousness. A little humility could go a long way currently.
— By Amanda Painter

Reflections from the Perfectly Imperfect

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By Amanda Painter

Have you ever looked at your reflection in the water with the Sun directly behind you? Your reflection ends up being mostly a silhouette that’s gently distorted by the movement of the water; and though you can’t see your own features very well, you can see all the color and detail of what’s behind you — it’s just softer than if you turned and looked directly at where you are.

Photo by Amanda Painter

It occurred to me this might be one way to think of tonight’s conjunction of the Sun with retrograde Mercury in Pisces.

Due to the compression of your perspective with the source of illumination, you may not be able to see yourself as others see you right now. Yet you might find a new, gentler appreciation for where you’ve been — a view with softer edges but no less imagination-sparking (or growth-sparking) insight.

After all, Mercury retrogrades really are about slowing down and reassessing more than they’re about everything getting glitchy and going to hell in a handbasket. As I saw suggested elsewhere, those hiccups are generally the result of us fallible humans refusing to slow down, pay closer attention, and retrace the steps that got us where we are now (or where we have been many times). It’s trendy these days, even for people who scoff at astrology, to blame everything that goes wrong on Mercury being retrograde — even when it isn’t.

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