Monthly Astro Forecast: Solar Eclipse in Pisces
Here we are in the middle of springtime eclipse season, with a Solar Eclipse in Pisces on February 26th following the Lunar Eclipse on the 11th. This next New Moon / Solar Eclipse is set to be intense, coming as it does less than twelve hours before a volatile Mars Uranus conjunction in Aries. Fiesty Aries and gentle Pisces are at opposite ends of the zodiac, the beginning and the end of the cycle, the individual self and oneness with the universe. Not easy energies to balance - for those with lots of planets in the cardinal signs, or in Pisces, it could be an intense few days. A solar eclipse is a seed point, when inner and outer selves come together, when our emotional and our active selves are in alignment. This solar eclipse is in the seventh house, suggesting a time when we can bring a new level of compassion and a deeper connection to our relationships.
But this solar eclipse is also an ending, the last in the cycle of Pisces / Virgo eclipses which have been happening for the last two years. So this is also a time for looking back, for considering where we were two years ago and what we have learnt from this cycle. Are we kinder, more compassionate (Pisces), are we applying our knowledge and manifesting real change (Virgo)? I think we can all agree that real change is manifesting, but kindness and compassion, and indeed a Virgoan concern for the environment, are not something we are seeing from those in power. Here in the UK, and in the US, that Pisces awareness that we are all one has been sadly lacking in politics of late. Kindness and compassion have become the stuff of grassroots activism. The last two years have been a time of awakening for many, a time when illusions (Pisces) have been stripped away and more and more people are looking for practical action they can take to help those in need (Virgo). At this solar eclipse, we consolidate this new understanding, and carry it forward into a new eclipse cycle, in which the revolutionary collective impulse of Aquarius seeks balance with Leo's passionate individualism. The chart for this eclipse has Leo rising, moving into the light at the exact moment of the eclipse, drawing our attention once again to those in power as well as to our own inner power. North node in Virgo in the first house of the eclipse chart reminds us of the need to give service, to look beyond our own individual needs if we are to avoid Piscean overwhelm.
That's exact on Sunday afternoon (although of course all these configurations are influential for several months around their exact point) - now take a breath...Overnight the energies shift abruptly as Mars forms a conjunction with Uranus, in the former's home sign of Aries. Suddenly, we are moved to take action, to be blunt and direct, to start a revolution. As I said above, this can be a volatile placement, even violent or shocking. The following afternoon (Monday 27th February) Mars opposes Jupiter in Libra, bringing us into conflict with the "other". It's them and us - what we want, our urge to assert ourselves, vs. fairness, peace, justice. There's an awful lot of them and us thinking going around right now, and it's likely to remain prominent until Jupiter opposes Uranus on March 3rd, highlighting revolutionary ideals and the search for truth. Perhaps yet more proof about just how out of fashion the truth currently is, amongst the powers that (claim to) be.
After that intense beginning, what does the rest of this lunation hold? The Sun continues to move through Pisces, passing Neptune on March 2nd and Chiron on March 15th, highlighting once again our illusions and the need for healing. On March 20th the Sun moves into Aries, the Spring Equinox, the light and dark are equal. I always find this to be a "busy" time energetically, with lots of energy moving about. Balance is a constantly active process, not a still point as it would superficially seem.
On March 4th, the planet Venus goes retrograde, seeming to move backwards in the sky until the middle of April. A retrograde phase always takes a planet's energy inwards, for contemplation and renewal. We look to our relationships, but also our creativity, our values, our response to beauty. Venus in Aries values individual self-expression and independence, and we might find ourselves asking what *we* as individuals want from our relationships, reviewing how we can meet our own need for love, desire and harmony. Collectively, Venus stationing retrograde (seeming to slow right down before the apparent backwards movement) highlights diplomacy, relationships between countries and international organisations. Individually, Venus retrograde often exposes parts of our selves that we have hidden or ignored, asking us to consider their value. As ever, look to your natal chart to see where the transit falls and where Venus is asking you to look deeper. It's likely to be somewhere that you feel vulnerable, perhaps something you are reluctant to face, But the work is always worth it, in this case for a renewed awareness of our deepest creative needs and values, and our ability to give and receive love.
But this solar eclipse is also an ending, the last in the cycle of Pisces / Virgo eclipses which have been happening for the last two years. So this is also a time for looking back, for considering where we were two years ago and what we have learnt from this cycle. Are we kinder, more compassionate (Pisces), are we applying our knowledge and manifesting real change (Virgo)? I think we can all agree that real change is manifesting, but kindness and compassion, and indeed a Virgoan concern for the environment, are not something we are seeing from those in power. Here in the UK, and in the US, that Pisces awareness that we are all one has been sadly lacking in politics of late. Kindness and compassion have become the stuff of grassroots activism. The last two years have been a time of awakening for many, a time when illusions (Pisces) have been stripped away and more and more people are looking for practical action they can take to help those in need (Virgo). At this solar eclipse, we consolidate this new understanding, and carry it forward into a new eclipse cycle, in which the revolutionary collective impulse of Aquarius seeks balance with Leo's passionate individualism. The chart for this eclipse has Leo rising, moving into the light at the exact moment of the eclipse, drawing our attention once again to those in power as well as to our own inner power. North node in Virgo in the first house of the eclipse chart reminds us of the need to give service, to look beyond our own individual needs if we are to avoid Piscean overwhelm.
That's exact on Sunday afternoon (although of course all these configurations are influential for several months around their exact point) - now take a breath...Overnight the energies shift abruptly as Mars forms a conjunction with Uranus, in the former's home sign of Aries. Suddenly, we are moved to take action, to be blunt and direct, to start a revolution. As I said above, this can be a volatile placement, even violent or shocking. The following afternoon (Monday 27th February) Mars opposes Jupiter in Libra, bringing us into conflict with the "other". It's them and us - what we want, our urge to assert ourselves, vs. fairness, peace, justice. There's an awful lot of them and us thinking going around right now, and it's likely to remain prominent until Jupiter opposes Uranus on March 3rd, highlighting revolutionary ideals and the search for truth. Perhaps yet more proof about just how out of fashion the truth currently is, amongst the powers that (claim to) be.
After that intense beginning, what does the rest of this lunation hold? The Sun continues to move through Pisces, passing Neptune on March 2nd and Chiron on March 15th, highlighting once again our illusions and the need for healing. On March 20th the Sun moves into Aries, the Spring Equinox, the light and dark are equal. I always find this to be a "busy" time energetically, with lots of energy moving about. Balance is a constantly active process, not a still point as it would superficially seem.
On March 4th, the planet Venus goes retrograde, seeming to move backwards in the sky until the middle of April. A retrograde phase always takes a planet's energy inwards, for contemplation and renewal. We look to our relationships, but also our creativity, our values, our response to beauty. Venus in Aries values individual self-expression and independence, and we might find ourselves asking what *we* as individuals want from our relationships, reviewing how we can meet our own need for love, desire and harmony. Collectively, Venus stationing retrograde (seeming to slow right down before the apparent backwards movement) highlights diplomacy, relationships between countries and international organisations. Individually, Venus retrograde often exposes parts of our selves that we have hidden or ignored, asking us to consider their value. As ever, look to your natal chart to see where the transit falls and where Venus is asking you to look deeper. It's likely to be somewhere that you feel vulnerable, perhaps something you are reluctant to face, But the work is always worth it, in this case for a renewed awareness of our deepest creative needs and values, and our ability to give and receive love.