Water and Fire: Trines and Conjunctions

If nothing else, the past week has taught me that the astrological elements of fire and water can coexist.  This is almost an epiphany for me as we head into the new moon in Aries on Sunday, March 30^th. It’s definitely a hard won lesson for me, because as I have previously mentioned, I have very little fire in my chart and it is not an element that I am inherently comfortable with.  I have a lot of Scorpio and Cancer in my chart, so that is definitely more in my comfort zone, in addition to my grand air trine.  Earth and fire, not so much.  This past week began with a preponderance of planets in water signs: Mercury in Pisces, Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn in Scorpio—the grand trifecta of water signs, to be sure.  On Wednesday, March 26^th, Mercury in Pisces trined Jupiter in Cancer.  That was also the day that I started my new part-time job giving Reiki treatments two mornings a week at my favorite acupuncture clinic, Acupuncture for Everyone in Boston.  I benefited enormously from acupuncture myself and I highly recommend them for acupuncture and herbal medicine.

I definitely felt happy and compassionate being able to publicly do healing work.   I may be an astrologer and psychic, but I actually began my spiritual journey by studying healing in the late 1970’s.  My work has its roots in healing, so this feels natural and right. 

That Mercury Jupiter water trine also aspected my south node in Cancer.  The last time that Jupiter conjuncted my 9^th house south node in Cancer was back in August 2013, when I left a position in a university that I had held for over 17 years.  I had been employed at that institution for 22 years and it was a difficult, painful decision to leave that security and stretch out of my comfort zone in a literal leap of faith.  The Black Moon was also in Cancer at the time conjuncting my south node, which only reinforced the theme of taking a leap of faith. I made that move when the sun was in the fire sign of Leo and the irony that I am starting a new position when the sun is in yet another fire sign-Aries, is not lost on me.  The first hit of that transit to my south node was scary, but ultimately necessary.   I was in a job that no longer served my highest good and I needed to take action to move forward so that my life would be more aligned with my soul’s purpose.  Jupiter is sometimes known as the Great Benefic and is exalted in the sign of Cancer.  My natal Jupiter is in Cancer, so on some level, I felt protected.  My natal Jupiter is at 29 degrees of Cancer, so I won’t reap the full benefit of my Jupiter return until July but in the meantime I am trying to have faith and the patience that Saturn requires while I do my work.

The moon entered the sign of Pisces at 8:10 p.m. on March 27, 2014 and it conjuncted Neptune in Pisces at 6:27 a.m. and will trine Jupiter in Cancer at 2:42 p.m. on March 28, 2014.  And the moon in Pisces will conjunct Chiron at 8:48 p.m. on March 28^th as well.  Is it any wonder that there is such an emphasis on healing this week ?  The Pisces moon will also trine Saturn in Scorpio at 9:44 a.m. on March 29^th before it enters the sign of Aries at 9:54 p. m.

But the fire activity actually began a little earlier this week with Juno, also known as the marriage asteroid conjuncting Uranus in Aries on March 25, 2014.  Ironically, this was also the day that Gwyneth Paltrow announced that she and Chris Martin were separating by describing it as “conscious uncoupling.”  I guess this is an indicator of how Juno and Uranus in Aries play out the theme of partnerships these days.  It certainly was an innovative way of announcing the end of a marriage.  On March 26^th, Juno in Aries squared Jupiter in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn, forming a T-square.  Juno aspecting Pluto is indeed about transforming relationships. The asteroid Pallas Athena, who defends wisdom and truth, was in the fire sign of Leo and opposed Venus in Aquarius and squared Saturn in Scorpio.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we heard about more high profile divorces in the coming days.

This Juno Uranus conjunction squaring Pluto occurred in my 6^th house, so I tend to regard it as a good omen for transformation of my daily routine and healing by partnering with an organization that resonates with my beliefs and values regarding holistic health. Check out this page to see a snapshot of the announcement that was sent to their mailing list about my joining them at:

http://phoenixscorpio.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_19.html

The real fireworks get launched on Sunday, March 30^th when we have a new moon in 9 degrees of Aries that conjuncts Uranus, inflaming that infamous Uranus Pluto square.  Jupiter in watery Cancer gets in the act to perpetuate that T-square with the moon, Uranus and Pluto.  While an Aries new moon may want new beginnings, Jupiter in Cancer mandates that we find a way to preserve the good in the past before transitioning into the future.

Goodbye Pisces Sun, Hello Aries and Happy Astrological New Year

The Sun entered the sign of Aries at 12:57 p.m. on March 20, 2014, officially kicking off the Spring Equinox and the astrological New Year.  After all, Aries is the first sign of the zodiac.  Although a month ago I was extolling the virtues of the sun in Pisces, I am more than ready for the action period that Aries represents.  I can’t deny that the sun in Pisces was a boon for my creativity but it was also a time when I had to dive deeper into that emotional ocean it represents than was in my comfort zone.  And the moon was in deep watery Scorpio until 8:39 a.m. today, so it was pretty intense, especially so with its last aspect being a conjunction to Saturn.  I have a moon Saturn aspect in my chart, so I always feel that particular contact pretty strongly.  I am trying to regard that conjunction as an opportunity to clean up old emotional patterns that no longer work and move forward.  Aries is a cardinal sign that supports moving forward in a big way.  I don’t have much fire in my chart, being mostly water and air, but I am learning to embrace the enthusiasm of fire signs as I get older.  Aries represents leadership, initiative, courage, determination and action. It is a time to try something new and be more spontaneous.  And today’s Sun in Aries trines the Sagittarius moon, so adventure may be on the horizon for the weekend.

While the Sun may have left Pisces, we now have Mercury in Pisces again.  Mercury entered the sign of Pisces on March 17^th and today it will finally be out of the retrograde shadow.  Have we forgotten that recent Mercury retrograde period from February 6^th through February 28^th?  I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling that “shadow” for the past couple of weeks and am quite ecstatic that Mercury is finally out of that shadow so we can really move forward.   Talk about TGIF!  Mercury in Pisces will be conjuncting Neptune in Pisces on March 22^nd, so sensitivity will be ramped up to a whole new level and the tendency to see things through rose-colored glasses is prevalent.  Neptune will be in its home sign of Pisces until 2025, so we have quite a few more years of the annual Mercury Neptune conjunction to experience.   Molly Hall wrote a beautiful piece called Neptune Goggles On: Sensitized Sight. Check it out at:

http://astrology.about.com/b/2014/03/17/neptune-goggles-on-sensitized-sight.htm?nl=1

I loved what she said about Mercury crossing 3 degrees of Pisces being a release phase of the retrograde—an atmosphere to see into subtle and soulful realities.  Epiphanies may very well manifest in the coming days.

And then there is Chiron in Pisces.  Chiron will remain in the sign of Pisces until 2019.  Michael Lutin’s Next Week in Review had the following to say about Chiron in Pisces on his site:

The last two weeks
have seen a major Chiron incident
in everybody's life---
one that produced
a highly emotional
response.
Love
Pain
Dedication
Regret
Guilt
Creativity
Some saw God
Others lost faith

This week is a week of recovery.
Step back if you will
and look back
could you really have done something different
to change where it all stands today
or did it happen
Exactly the way it had to?

Action is one thing
destiny quite another.

Even though in private your mind keeps going over
and over and over
the incidents of the past month,
you must attempt
to move forward
because life demands it.

I think that really nails the Chiron in Pisces experience, especially its reference to when Chiron conjuncted the Sun in Pisces on March 3, 2014.

Chiron is known as the Wounded Healer and has a fifty year cycle.  I started wondering what was going on the last time Chiron was in Pisces, from 1962-1968. Chiron in Pisces represents the last stage of healing at the soul level.  I also realized that the current transit of Chiron in Pisces has been squaring my natal moon in Gemini since late January 2014 and will continue to do so throughout 2014.  I checked the ephemeris and realized that the last time I had this transit was back in February 1964.  My father nearly died of a bleeding ulcer back then.  Trips to the hospital were part of my life then, as they are now.  My father’s hospitalization occurred on February 9, 1964.  How did I remember the date?  I confess it was because I remember watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show that night.  If you were alive back in 1964, who could forget the first time you saw the Beatles? 

What is the theme of Chiron transits to the natal moon?  Well, they force you to look at emotional  hang-ups caused by psychological scars of the past which can be related to the mother.  That resonated for me because my maternal grandparents died in November and December 1962 when Chiron was also in Pisces.  My mother was devastated by their deaths which occurred within less than six weeks of each other and in many ways I felt emotionally abandoned and a sense of responsibility for her emotional well-being.  So when my father got sick my mother must have been terrified, especially when my brothers and I started expressing our fears that our father would die.  So Chiron is once again opening up old emotional wounds regarding my fears of emotional abandonment and loss of a loved one through death.  My loved one is still in the hospital awaiting the green light for surgery that will improve the function of his enlarged heart.

But the Sun is in Aries and it is time to move forward and heal.  I will actually be starting to offer Reiki treatments on March 26^th at my favorite acupuncture clinic, so I am getting in the spirit of that Aries energy by trying something new.

Mercury Square Saturn and Health

Mercury in Aquarius is still in the retrograde shadow period until March 21^st, and I felt it in a big way this week.  I would attribute the majority of its impact to the square between Mercury and retrograde Saturn in Scorpio on March 10^th and 11^th.  Mercury in 22 degrees of Aquarius squared Saturn in 23 degrees of Scorpio, and it was intense.  I know that a common description of this aspect can be problems on the home front, and this played out big time for me this week.  Saturn in Scorpio conjuncted my natal Venus, which is never a fun transit.  It also conjuncted my progressed Black Moon, which triggered all of my worst fears about losing someone to death when a loved one spent 5 ½ hours in the ER after experiencing shortness of breath.  I was with him for 4 ½ excruciating hours until we knew that he would be admitted to the hospital.  All they could tell us was that he had fluid in his lung and an enlarged heart that was only working at 15% capacity.  He would need further tests which would need to be performed at another hospital and medication, dietary changes and an outpatient rehabilitation program in the future.

What was happening with his chart that day?  I generally like the moon in Cancer, but not so much that day.  For starters, it squared his north node in Libra in his 6^th house of health  and the moon squaring Uranus aspect that day was right on his ascendant.  Transiting Mars in Libra was conjunct his moon in the 7^th house and lest we not forget Saturn, it was conjunct his Ceres in Scorpio in the 8^th house.  He really needed to be taken care of that day or he could have died.

I’m not through dissecting that moon in Cancer squaring Uranus in Aries quite yet. The moon in Cancer, which was also conjunct Jupiter that day, happened to be conjunct my south node in the 9^th house.  Was there ever a day that faith was required! 

Mercury and Saturn did not play well together this week.  On Tuesday I received an email from a friend who had sprained her ankle while running for a bus.  Her exact words to me were: “What’s up with the stars????”

While Mercury was still squaring Saturn on March 11^th at 2:14 a.m., the sun in Pisces trined the moon in Cancer, which also trined Saturn in Scorpio. That water trine brought some much needed emotional stability before the moon moved into the sign of Leo at 10:09 p.m.  I felt much calmer and more centered in spite of the emotional chaos in my life.  I actually managed to do a tarot reading for someone that proved to be a source of comfort and support.

On Wednesday, March 12^th the moon in Leo trined Uranus in Aries, which was a big improvement over the moon squaring Uranus on Monday.  I wound up running into an old friend by accident, which was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.  So there is some proof that unexpected things can be beneficial and pleasant.  On March 13th, the moon in Leo inconjunced Pluto, Chiron and the sun, not so good while squaring Saturn and opposing Mercury.  How did this play out?  Well, my loved one got the news that he has severe blockage in two arteries and may need bypass surgery.  So Saturn was in play once again, indicating that restructuring of his health habits and routines was in order.  Saturn loves to deliver wakeup calls which can appear harsh, to say the least, but sometimes it is necessary.  In the long run, this may turn out to the best thing that ever happened for him in terms of extending the quality and length of his life.

And this weekend we have the full moon in Virgo, the sign of health.  On Sunday, March 16^th, we have a full moon in 26 degrees of Virgo.  I love what the great astrologer Isabel Hickey said about the Pisces/Virgo polarity: “Serve or suffer.”   I don’t know about you, but I prefer serving to suffering any day of the week!

Venus and Jupiter on the Move

Venus moved into the sign of Aquarius on March 5, 2014 after an extended stay in Capricorn courtesy of Venus retrograde from December 21, 2013 through January 31, 2014.  I think that many shared my feeling that there can be a new perspective on relationships and that we can literally breathe easier and experience a new sense of freedom when Venus changed signs.  Venus in Aquarius is much lighter and unconventional than Venus in Capricorn. Venus has been in my 4^th house since Thanksgiving and I am really looking forward to March 31^st when Venus enters my 5th house.

Jupiter retrograde may have been a great time to review issues around values, expansion and abundance, although it had to slow things down to give us perspective.  But enough already—I think that we are all more than ready for some progress to be made.  So there really was a collective sigh of relief on March 6^th when Jupiter stationed direct at 10 degrees of Cancer.  When it stationed retrograde on November 7, 2013 at 20 degrees of Cancer it was only one degree into my 10th house.  By December 3, 2013 it had crept back into my 9^th house and by early February 2014 it was conjunct my south node in Cancer in the 9^th house.  The last time I experienced this transit was in August 2013 when I resigned from my job of 17 years.  While Jupiter transits can be beneficial for the most part, having Jupiter conjunct the south node tends to be stressful because it requires that one reassess their connections with individuals and groups with a view to moving on with one’s life purpose.  Letting go is a major theme.  It isn’t exactly the most lightweight type of Jupiter transit.  Back in August 2013, I was also experiencing the transiting Black Moon conjuncting my south node, so in addition to the theme of letting go, a leap of faith was also required.  The key to handling this transit is to focus on the future rather than the past.  That is no mean feat for a south node in Cancer, let me tell you.  Emotional attachments to the past have staked their claim on me for years and I am just now beginning to trust that as one door closes another opens.

I also confess that I am eagerly anticipating Jupiter’s return transit to my 10^th house which starts in late May.  And before Jupiter leaves the sign of Cancer on July 16, 2014 it will conjunct my natal Uranus and my Jupiter.  So I get a Jupiter return in July.  YEAH!

Jupiter is all about faith, as I was reminded yet again in my weekly meditation group on March 5^th.  There was a reading about Lent prior to the guided meditation and I must confess that I had completely forgotten it was the first day of Lent.  I have always described myself as a lapsed Catholic, so that is no big surprise.  I think that today people use the term “recovering Catholics.”  As a child, I remember giving up gum and candy for Lent, secure in the knowledge that I could gorge myself on chocolate from my Easter basket on Easter morning. How simple it was to have faith back then!

But this week I saw Lent in a whole new light as the minister who led the meditation spoke about Lent as a time for inner reflection and renewal.  During my childhood,  I remember being told to give things up that I liked for Lent, but now I was finally beginning to realize that perhaps Lent had a much deeper meaning—letting go of old patterns, habits and thoughts that no longer serve you so that you can rise up to a higher level of being.  Obviously I have never regarded myself as a religious person, but I do consider myself to be a spiritual person who can now interpret Lent as a time of spiritual resurrection and transformation.  I am, after all, a Phoenix who is on her own path to transformation and rebirth.

What was happening astrologically on March 5, 2014?  Well, the moon in Taurus sextiled Jupiter in Cancer and I think that opened me up emotionally to this new perspective.  And Venus had just entered the sign of Aquarius, which loves groups, so it made perfect sense that I literally “saw the light” in a group meditation meeting.

As I write this post, the moon is in my natal moon sign of Gemini, which I always find comforting.  But it’s not the easiest moon sign to have.  It’s full of nervous energy, but it does help me to relate to a wide variety of people and keeps the child in me alive, which helps me to feel youthful.  Today the moon is sextiling Uranus, so hopefully there will be some pleasant surprises in store for the weekend.  But the moon also inconjuncts Pluto in Capricorn, so be prepared for some adjustments on Friday night.  The moon in Gemini also squares Chiron and Neptune in Pisces, so old emotional wounds could resurface, but a frank discussion might be the best way to heal them and release that victim mentality.