Monday, February 18, 2013

Riding the Wave of Pisces Themes in the News

Today the Sun went into the sign of Pisces. As you can see from my column below, February has been awash with Pisces energy and symbolism due to the many planets now in that sign. These include Mercury, Mars, Neptune and Chiron. The world events happening this month range from tragic to humorous.  They remind us that Pisces energies can range from the highly spiritual to the destabilizing and toxic.

The shadow side of Pisces is especially evident in the Carnival cruise incident that began with a fire on February 10.  Pisces rules oceans and most things having to do with water, including cruise ships.  The Mars/Mercury/Neptune alignment occurring in the first week of February set the stage. It stands for toxic situations, like the broken toilets that led to an overflow of sewage after the ship broke down. This incident broke out in the news on February 10, the same day that Mercury aligned with Chiron, which represents communication about a wounded vessel and its inhabitants.  The fire signs Mars and Jupiter were in a challenging square aspect that day.  As of today, the first lawsuits are being filed.

 Other events include: the Marco Rubio speech after Obama's state of the union address.  It seems that it is being remembered more for his water bottle (ruled by Pisces) incident than what he actually said. The Pope resigned recently (Pisces rules religion) due to his frail (Pisces) condition. Horse meat was found in ground beef in England (Pisces rules subterfuge).  Perhaps more to come.....

As if to counteract all this watery energy, the earth planet Saturn turned direct today.  Saturn rules structure, groundedness and matter, such as rocks. When planets station, their energies become stronger. This Saturn energy has been symbolized by the recent meteorite explosion in Russia and the near-earth asteroid.  Meteorites were also seen in California and other parts of the world.  The meteorite in Russia led to more wounding (Pisces) mainly from shattered glass.  And the month is not over yet.....

Readers, do you know of other Pisces symbolism in the news this month? 





 

Astrology Report for February

Astrology Report for February
By Dorene Carrel

Astrology Report By Dorene is part of the monthly Planet Alert mailings.


            February brings the potential for a gentler heart-centered month, which is due to a prevailing watery Pisces theme throughout this period.   Mars and Mercury both enter Pisces during the first week, followed by the Sun and Venus later in the month.  Neptune, which rules Pisces, will make alignments with all of these planets. There will also be three planetary stations that include Ceres and Saturn, with Mercury turning retrograde in the last week.
          We begin the month still under the January Capricorn lunation period, which brought a mental focus of structure, organization and analysis. In this last week, we are in a finishing up and evaluating phase. With all the water energy, we are also taking stock of our feelings and how best to work with them.    
          On February 4, Ceres in Gemini turns direct.  The urge to take care of oneself or a loved one is strong at this time.  Mars also aligns with Neptune today, which suggests playing a savior or victim type of role.  This combination can also result in deceptive actions or a passive-aggressive type of behavior.  On a higher level, this energy can also be used to do healing work or in selfless service.
          On February 5-6, Mercury enters Pisces and aligns with Neptune, which increases one’s sensitivity, empathy and compassion.  This is an excellent time to connect with a higher source to receive spiritual guidance, or to make connection with other realms and dimensions.  It may be best to avoid detailed mental work and focus more on right-brain type of activities, such as working with guided imagery, poetry, artwork, etc.  On February 8, Mercury makes the first of two alignments with Mars for energized thinking and communicating. The second alignment is on February 26.
          The New Moon occurs on February 9 at 22 Aquarius. With Aquarius, the focus turns to objectivity, independence, uniqueness and working together for common goals.  The shadow side includes being rebellious, aloof and eccentric. It makes challenging aspects with Uranus and the lunar nodes.  We are separating from the past to redefine our true values and spiritual expression. Mercury in aspect to Jupiter today assists communication and broadens our perspective.
          The Sabian symbol for this degree, “A rug is placed on the floor of a nursery to allow children to play in comfort and warmth,” suggests that spiritual assistance and protection will be given while one is growing towards a higher awareness.    
          Stephanie Austin in The Mountain Astrologer writes that people with Aquarius, Uranus and/or the 11th house strongly emphasized in their birth charts “are system busters, way-showers, and light workers on assignment to assist humanity’s evolution….The sooner we embody who we really are, the easier it is to find our spiritual cohorts and fulfill our mission.”         
          On February 10, Venus in Aquarius forms a challenging square to Saturn in Scorpio. Due to both being fixed signs, this period can bring stalemate situations and lack of cooperation in relationships, while Mars in Pisces in a square with Jupiter in Gemini can result in disputes over long-range plans.  However, the Mercury/Chiron conjunction in Pisces today brings more sensitive awareness and empathy that can enable us to see another point of view. On February 11-12, favorable Mercury aspects to Pluto and Saturn allow for a deeper awareness and more stable, serious communications.   
          On February 18, the Sun enters Pisces, bringing focus to our visions and higher ideals. Saturn turns stationary retrograde at 11 Scorpio 31, moving backwards until July 7. We can take this time to examine and transform our approach to relationships and shared resources.  There will also be more awareness and motivation to deal with power and control issues, along with emotional wounds from the past.  The Sun aligns with Neptune on February 20, bringing valuable guidance through meditation, dreams and creative visualization.
          Mercury turns retrograde on February 23, at 20 Pisces, traveling backwards until March 17.  Be prepared for more confusion, delays and breakdowns during this period, especially with communications, computers and travel. Although this is not a good time to move forward with new plans, we can work on unfinished projects, along with doing repairs, reviews, revisions and retreats.  In Pisces, we develop more compassion, but may have a need to strengthen our boundaries in relationships.
          On February 25, the Full Moon occurs at 7 Virgo 24.  At this time we can draw on the Virgo qualities of being efficient, pragmatic, thorough and discerning.  This is a favorable time to focus on diet, health, work and service.  This lunation aligns with Neptune and Chiron, and is squared by Jupiter.  We are now challenged to apply the learning from our own spiritual growth to our various life situations.
The Sabian symbols for this degree, “a five-year-old child takes a first dancing lesson,” and “a girl blowing a bugle,” suggest that although we may feel bound by our conditioning, new perspectives are now opening to us for greater self-expression.
          On this same day, Venus enters Pisces and then aligns with Neptune on February 28.  This romantic combination can bring a spiritual soul mate connection if the timing is right.  However, it can also lead to over idealization or deception in relationships. This is a favorable time for enhanced creativity and enjoyment of music, art, and nature.   
          March brings the Spring Equinox!  Stay tuned and blessings to all.
 

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          Dorene Carrel is a professional astrologer with over thirty years of experience, offering birth chart, transits/progressions and relocation astrology readings.  She is certified in Astrocartography.  For more information, contact Dorene at dorenea5@yahoo.com.  Paypal accepted.  Donations also appreciated.

          All references to Sabian symbols are from An Astrological Mandala: The Cycle of Transformation and Its 360 Symbolic Phases, by Dane Rudhyar.

          Check out my astrology blog at www.astroconnections.blogspot.com for ongoing astrological observations on current events, people, trends, etc.  I also post astrology highlights on Twitter @Starflower55.  


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