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Season of Pisces (February 18 – March 19, 2010)
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A Sea of Storm and Deep Tranquility
Poseidon (Roman: Neptune), brother of Hades in the underworld and
Demeter in the fertile soil, commands both water and wind, flood and
storm. His three-pronged trident represents his power over the waters
and the creatures within them – with it he both calmed the stormy seas
and brought forth hurricanes. When wielding his weapon he pierced the
earth and caused springs to come forth, but could also strike the
ground to compel earthquakes. Beneficence and anger, tranquility and
turmoil – the lord of waters shows us the powers and dangers of our
internal sea, the vast ocean of our unconscious impulses.
In the season of Pisces, all past seasons dissolve in the brine of
Poseidon’s kingdom, awaiting the renewal of a new season when our
aspirations and efforts emerge rejuvenated and reanimated with the
powers of the coming Spring. It is a phase of awakening from the
hibernation of Winter, a transition from the incubation of dreams into
the world of new life. In Pisces, we move with the tides of our
internal sea toward the shore of renewal.
• Poseidon at the Copenhagen Port (photo by Hans Anderson)
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The Piscean Journey
Ancient legend tells of the time of the demigods, when Typhon, lord of
chaos, sought to overturn the beneficent rule of Zeus by capturing and
holding hostage the Olympian deities, Aphrodite and her son Eros. To
escape discovery, the two hid in the waters of the Nile and transformed
into fish. Their feat was commemorated in the heavens with the stellar
image of the Ichthyes (twin fish), to keep the influence of Typhon
forever at bay.
The northern fish swims upward, toward the cosmic waters
of forgetfulness; the southern fish swims westward, toward the
constellation Aquarius and the waterbearer’s waves of enlightenment. At
the same time the Ichthyes are tied together, representing the eternal
quest that draws the soul toward these dual destinations and the
dilemmas of spiritual desire.
• The constellation Pisces
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Cosmic Events
The Sun enters Pisces on February 18th at 1:36
pm with a harmonious aspect between the Moon and Neptune, drawing the
water lord’s insightful powers into the environment. This will be a
month of small realizations that will find significant truths when the
Moon is in full light.
The
Full Moon takes place February 28th at 11:38 am (9º Virgo 59’) with the
Sun and Jupiter aligned in an opposition to the Moon. This should be an
interesting day of hits and misses, or maybe a comedy of errors if
serious matters are set aside. Family issues can be resolved amiably
and long journeys may be planned with confidence.
Mars
turns to direct motion (0º Leo 18’) on March 10th, reenergizing the
atmosphere with fiery ambition after months (since December 20) of
inaction and discouragement.
The New Moon takes place on March 15th at 5:01 pm (25 Pisces 10’), a
day that will encourage brilliant ideas as the Moon conjoins Mercury
and Uranus – all three together in visionary Pisces. But dreams need a
foundation of ambition and fortitude to become a reality, and they can
find just such fulfillment if patience and commitment are the powers
exercised through the next month.
Season of Aquarius (January 19 – February 19)
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Aquarian Acts of Service
And godlike Ganymede,
Most beautiful of men;
The gods beheld and caught him up
To heaven, so beautiful was he, to pour
The wine to Jove, and ever dwell with them.
– Homer
Ganymede, a
Trojan prince, was viewed by the Olympian gods as the most
attractive among mortals. But with this admiration came notice from
Zeus himself, who sought the young man to serve as cupbearer to the
celestial powers. Taking the form of an eagle, Zeus swooped down from
the heavens and abducted Ganymede, who became an immortal but also a
servant to the gods. His image is embodied in the constellation
Aquarius, and is accompanied by the eagle constellation Aquila.
This ancient story tells of the obligation human
beings have when they seek to become “godlike.” The individual ego is
subsumed by divine will, and those powers hold greater sway over mortal
destiny than the petty aspirations of the individual. A lesson to be
well understood by those who strive for the ethereal heights!
But the Aquarian motif also alludes to a cosmic secret –
the gods seek our service as much we we seek their counsel. The
exchange of powers – human and divine – becomes possible when each
recognizes the needs of the other. It is the ancient art of theurgia
that uncovers this secret, a sacred tradition that is unlocked with the
words and gestures of magic. In this way, the server is given a true
place in the heavens and is served by the powers s/he has honored.
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Abduction of Ganymede by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)
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Cosmic Events
The Sun enters Aquarius on January 19th at 11:28 pm EST with
intimations of rebellion in the financial world and the unveiling of
revelations held secret for a time in the political sphere. This will
be a season of unrest and distrust as efforts to bridge differences,
moral and social, will take months to resolve. When the Sun enters Leo
the cynical will regain some trust and the wounded will be well on the
mend.
The Full Moon takes place January 30th at 1:18 am (10 Leo
15’). Sword-rattling accompanies this phase as the antagonistic face of
Mars joins with the lunar public, while Venus attempts to sooth the
afflicted. Mars, who has been in retrograde motion since December 20th
of last year, will move forward on March 10th. This will allow
hostilities to become more transparent and amenable to resolution.
Until then, passive-aggressive actions are on the rise.
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Harmony at Last
The New Moon takes place on February 13th at 9:51 pm EST
(25 Aquarius 18’), inaugurating the Oriental Year of the (Metal) Tiger.
The overall tone of such a year conveys austerity and focus, hard work
and determination to go forward. Individual fortitude will bring far
better results than allowing the status quo to dictate the course of
action. This may seem noisy to some, but will be the sound of progress
to others.
February 14th features a grand conjunction of the Sun with
Chiron and Neptune, shining a light on the elusive quest for universal
health and healing. The 17th will bringing a semblance of resolution to
this issue as Chiron and Neptune join at 26 Aquarius 15’ with Venus and
Jupiter simultaneously in a harmonious conjunction in their favored and
exalted places of 7º Pisces. The Sign of the centaur (Sagittarius)
rises at this event, presaging the rule of the wise warrior.
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Season of Capricorn (December 21, 2009 – January 19, 2010)
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A Solstice Star
The gloom of
winter can be illuminated by stellar light for those who see beyond the
darkness of the moment, and such a possibility comes to us at this
year’s Winter Solstice. The new season is accompanied by a
configuration in Aquarius that will usher in a new paradigm for many.
At our nation's capitol, the Moon and asteroid Chiron join Jupiter and
Neptune in an Aquarius conjunction on December 21st,
quietly setting a trajectory for the New Year that seeks to meld
environment, education, and health in a grand plan for change and progress.
The ingress of the Sun into the sphere of Capricorn is
viewed as the pacesetter for the coming year, financially and
politically. Looking at the event from Washington DC, the Solstice Sun
on December 21st is accompanied by Pluto, indicating a transformative
change in the Ninth House of Government. The world will monitor this
change, to judge if the new values it presents will ripple into waves
of empathy and responsibility for others of less fortunate
circumstances around the globe.
The key to this change lies in the symbolism of Chiron –
healer (“chirurgery”), peacemaker, and the legendary teacher of the
physician Asclepius and the hero Achilles. As he now travels in the
celestial sphere with a progressive Aquarian Moon and the lords of sky
(Jupiter) and water (Neptune), he brings us to a place of reckoning for
the state of our environment, within and without. At this
Solstice, Mars opposes this stellium of powers, but Chiron is well versed in the art of war and a veteran of many hazardous
conflicts. He teaches us to resolve our discord through nature, his
exclusive realm, and he promises victory over blind aggression. Change indeed will come to pass under his tutelage.
Cosmic Events
The New Moon takes place on December
16th at 7:02 am EST (24 Sagittarius 40’), with the Moon conjoining
Pluto later in the day. This presages the transformative process that
will take place for the next thirty days, one that will bring as much
bitterness as liberation from outworn conventions.
The Sun enters Capricorn (Winter Solstice) on December
21st at 12:47 pm EST, following the Aquarian conjunction of Moon and
Chiron, Jupiter and Neptune, at 3:53 am EST. The atmosphere throughout
the day will be one of wonder and trepidation, as what was long sought
for becomes unfamiliar and challenging.
The Full Moon takes place on December 31st at 2:13 pm EST,
(10 Cancer 15’), also known as the Yule (Winter) Moon. This year, it
features a partial Lunar eclipse that foreshadows a coming year of
doubts and a desire to retreat to old habits. Resist the gravity –
illusions may obscure our sight for the duration of this eclipse, but
in the following months Chiron will be offering each of us a path to
healing or heroism.
The New Year 2010 is inaugurated between the Lunar eclipse
of December 31st and an Annular Solar Eclipse on January 15th at 2:11
am EST, along with a Mercury in retrograde motion – all in wintry,
stern Capricorn. These cosmic influences will encourage a frustrating
decline in government initiatives due to financial instability and
obstructions from the status quo.
Other delays in moving international agreements forward
can be expected, with more than the usual seasonal transportation
slowdowns. But these disappointments will be short-lived – on February
11th Chiron joins Neptune in a decisive finale that will mend many of
the rifts that separate people from the powers that heal, educate, and
govern with harmony.
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The Education of Achille by Chiron – James Barry (1741–1806)
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(*) U.S. Time Zones
Central Time: – 1 hour
Mountain Time: – 2 hours
Pacific Time: – 3 hours
Hawai’i-Alaska: – 5 hours
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