The Nodal Axis in Virgo-Pisces – Exercises and Lessons in Service

After almost 19 months in Libra and Aries, the Moon’s Nodal Axis changes signs. At 5:05p PST today, 11th November, the North Node moves into the sign of Virgo, which means the South Node moves into the sign of Pisces. The Moon’s nodes are currently in retrograde motion, as they are most of the time. That is why they move “in reverse” natural Zodiac order through the signs, and why they are now moving from Aries-Libra into Pisces/Virgo.

The Moon’s Nodal Axis is a collective karmic axis. It reveals the bigger picture lessons we are being asked to learn under its energy in order to evolve as a collective whole (humanity, Oneness). The South Node represents the karmic lessons we’ve already mastered, while the North Node represents the lessons we are now being called to learn and master in order to progress. Yet the work’s not done once we learn and master the North Node – we get to bring our North Node lessons learned back to the South Node and practice that energy with new awareness.

To understand where we’re going, let’s first discuss where we’ve been.

Neptune Direct in Pisces – Sending Visions & Ideals Out Into The World

This latest round of Neptune  Retrograde in Pisces began on 9th June 2014, helping us see how the events and circumstances around us help us shape our dreams and goals and also helping us see where we may have been deluding ourselves with fantasy and/or idealism. It’s been an opportunity for us to give birth to new perspectives and visions of ourselves and our lives – what we want them to be or how we want them to become.

Now, as of 11:05p PST on Saturday 15th November 2014, Neptune in Pisces returns to direct motion.  Now we get to send our new or newly-adjusted visions and ideals out into the world, experiencing the presence of Neptune in our lives for all of its inspirational and idealistic glory.

Neptune in Pisces is the epitome of visionary energy.  It is a beacon of what is possible through Oneness and the collective power of All-That-Is.  The ideal that Neptune in Pisces speaks to is that everyone and everything is connected in some way – nothing and no one ever really stands alone as we are all interconnected in all ways always.  Neptune in Pisces direct is now helping all of us realize that truth, even if it seems overly idealistic in the face of what is happening in the world.

2014 Mercury in Pisces – Everything’s Coming Up “Rose-Colored”?

The planet that represents quick minds and quick actions has entered the sign of dreams and visions and ethereal connection.  This could be a very good thing…or a very bad thing.

It really depends on what you want and/or need to get done in these next few weeks that will determine how this 2014 Mercury in Pisces, which entered the sign at 3:24p PDT on 17 March 2014, affects you.

Mercury in Pisces could result in your having a more open mindset than usual, allowing for amazing visionary ideas to come through to make your ordinary mode of thinking extraordinary.

Yet Pisces is also known for being the daydreamer of the Zodiac, and with Mercury in Pisces, your mind may be inclined to drift off into fantasy land a bit more than usual.  It’s okay – allow your mind to drift to what you really want for yourself and your life.

However, as Mercury enters Pisces in 2014, the Sun, Neptune, and Chiron are all moving through the sign of Pisces as well.  That’s a whole lot of dreamy Pisces energy, and a strong indicator of a rare and intensely idealistic “rose-colored glasses” effect on matters that require your thoughts and communications for a few days.  This could be a highly inspirational time for you.  It could also be highly delusional.

Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces – A Transit of Two Expressions

Venus conjuncts Neptune in the sign of Pisces today at 5:37a PST.  Neptune is in its native sign in Pisces, which makes it especially comfortable in this realm of dreams, fantasies, idealism, and imagination.  Venus, the ruler of Libra, is surprisingly uncomfortable in Pisces as its natural objectivity is challenged or compromised here.  Nevertheless, Venus becomes more emotionally sensitive and intuitive here, and the balance within partnerships and relationships of all kinds are affected.

This transit of Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces is remarkable because it really has a dual purpose.  It brings forth the two main expressions of Pisces’ ethereal energy, and its effects on your life really depend on how you choose use this energy or allow yourself to be affected by it.

For artistic and creative types, this transit is fabulous!  Venus also represents aesthetic beauty, and Neptune is all about imagination and inspired vision.  Together in the sign of Pisces, some very beautiful and inspirational results can be produced…or at least conceptualized during this transit.  If you’ve been struggling with a creative or artistic project, this Venus-Neptune conjunction may give you the inspiration you need to get out of your rut.

But for people in one-on-one relationships – especially those of a romantic nature –this transit can be deception is in full bloom.  This Venus-Neptune conjunction in Pisces is the ultimate “rose-colored glasses” effect, and your desire for your dreams or fantasies to be come true may often gloss over the realities of the union.  If you’re looking to ignore or avoid the challenges of your relationships, this is the transit for you!  And if you’re already inclined to think the best of your partners, then this is going to allow them to really move some things right past you.  (Then again, if you’re the craftier one of the pair of you, you may find you’re able to get a whole lot past your partner during this time.)

Of course, just because you’re able to get things past each other doesn’t mean that you’ll get away with them.  That’s the problem with this Venus-Neptune conjunction in Pisces – once the glasses come off, the harsh and sometimes painful truths eventually become clear.  With Venus in Pisces until March 21^st, it may not reveal itself right away.  But once we get a good deal of earth and/or air energy moving through the cosmos, things will probably start coming to the surface if not suddenly right out in the open. Then you’ll have to deal with your secret(s) coming out.

There’s also a downside for the artistic-creative and spiritual-intuitive types as well.  You may have amazing visionary ideas during this time.  However, once you have the ideas you also need to apply the energy and effort to make those ideas come to life.  This is where things can be challenging for those who don’t give much importance to the physical, financial, or material world outside of their creative mediums.  They can come up with the ideas, but don’t always have the faculty in “real world” terms or systems.

This is where the other component of Venus comes into play – partnership.  And this is where the two sides of this transit of Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces come together.

Partnership is crucial to getting things done.  Nothing gets done completely alone.  That said, those who cannot (or don’t want to) do need to find someone who can and will, and under this influence this can be a problem.  The person who seems like the perfect partner may not actually be…and the person who is the perfect partner may not seem to meet your ideal so you may not consider them.

It is important during this time of Venus-Neptune conjunction in Pisces to not buy into appearances, but rather, to invest in actualities.  Relationships and partners will not be what they seem to be – for better and for worse.  So here’s some tips:

• Be as completely open and honest as you can in your dealings.
• And though it will be tempting, do your best not to hide anything from others or from yourself during this time.
• Be bold in asking any questions that may come up for you – don’t be afraid to ask for what you need to know.
• Gauge your relationship choices carefully and assess your options with as much emotional detachment as you can muster.
• And if you’re really gun-shy right now, you may want to wait until late March to make any final choices.

Thanks for reading and sharing.  Until next post…

~ Light, Love, and Blessings,

Grace

Mars Conjunct Neptune in Pisces – Acting On Vision

“Is this the real life…Is this just fantasy?” – Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”

That first line, and really the entire song, captures the essence of this placement in so many ways.  After all, Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces is the realization that our actions can create the reality of our lives, and therefore, we can create the life of our dreams with our actions…which makes it important for us to be aware of both how we are acting and what we are dreaming.

Neptune is the ruling planet of Pisces, and therefore is very much at home moving through its native sign – the sign of unconditional and Universal Love, compassion and selfless service, and idealism and imagination.  Residing in its own home until 2025, this is the power of the visionary in the truest sense of the word, and creative power in all its forms will prove extraordinary, ruling over any other powers or influences in the whole of the Universe at this time.

The last time we were graced with Neptune in Pisces was approximately 250 years ago – roughly the years 1760 through 1785.  Think about what was happening in history during that frame of time, and you get an idea of how profound the visionary power of this influence can be.

Mars in Pisces – as I discussed in a previous post – is taking actions to put ourselves first, making sure we have what we need to care for ourselves so we can be fully present to the Highest level of service we can provide to others.  Mars in Pisces also enables us to take the initiative more than we usually would in being of selfless service to others.  We may even be inclined to fight for the care and well-being of others.

Mars in Pisces is an annual occurrence, but the conjunction of Mars and Neptune isn’t a frequent transit, and this conjunction within the sign of Pisces is very rare.  The combination of Mars and Neptune in Pisces creates an energy in which we are inspired to take assertive actions to make our most fantastic dreams and visions the manifest reality of our lives.  Contrary to popular beliefs about Pisces energy, this combination is rarely a shrinking violet kind of vibe – this is some pretty powerful and forthright stuff.  Dare I say, this Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces energy can show up as Pisces energy at its forward best.

However, even in its forward best, Pisces can be a bit (or a lot) delusional.  I mention that because if there is any downfall for Pisces, it’s its knack for romantic idealism and fantasy.  The harsh practical realities of life don’t always sit well with Pisces – they are usually trying to hide or escape them rather than face or embrace them.  Neptune and Pisces can take us into the realm of daydreams and fantasies – into the mirage of an ideal reality.  And when Mars tries to act upon those mirages as if they are real, it often finds itself eating sand rather than drinking water.  This is where the dark side of Pisces can show up – the victim or martyr shows up when Neptune in Pisces’ dream doesn’t come true.

The sad thing is that when we experience this kind of disappointment, we often fail to realize that we set ourselves up for it.  And usually, it’s because we simply didn’t take the actions or steps we needed to take to make it or allow it to happen.  Sometimes, we’ve taken actions…but the actions we took weren’t in alignment with our dreams and ended up taking us further away from our dreams and visions instead of closer to them (like the young man in the song who chose to take actions that left him feeling far away from who he knew he could be).

For example:  Unless your dream mate is the mail person or the pizza delivery guy, you’re not going to meet the love of your life if you sit inside your house all day.  Even if you’re online dating, at some point, in order to make it real, you have to take or allow for action to meet the person face-to-face in the flesh.

So it goes with the dynamic of Mars and Neptune conjunct in Pisces.  This is your chance to take actions on your dreams.  Mars gives us the passion and energy to take actions to make those dreams come true…but only if we create the circumstances so that the ideal can be brought into reality.

Consider your biggest dreams and visions for your life through the following questions:

• What do I really want for myself and my life – the big picture summary/outcome?  What do I envision for my life?  What do I envision for my community or for the world?  (A simple answer, probably summed up in one or two sentences.)
• When I ask myself what I really want, if that list is more than 10 items long, which of the qualities or characteristics are truly “must-haves”?
• Are these items on my list things that I really want, or are they things other people in or around my life want for me or for themselves? (It’s important for them to be your own for you to be truly happy with the outcome(s).)
• Am I prepared to take whatever actions are necessary for me to manifest this vision into reality?  Am I willing to do my part to put myself in the path of the manifestation of my dreams?
• Am I willing to step into my vision to have what I dream truly become my reality?  Do I really want this to be real for me?

That last question always makes me chuckle a bit because you’d be amazed at how many of us say that we want our dreams to come true, but then refuse to take the actions because we are afraid of how our lives will change if we actually get what we want.  It leads us to the crucial questions of the whole Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces experience:

• How does what I say I want fit into the lifestyle I envision for myself?
• Does that action help or align with my vision for my life, or does it destroy, hinder, or change that vision?

(Note:  If it doesn’t align with your envisioned course/direction or if it changes your course altogether, you may want to consider that it may not really what you want for yourself OR that you may really be envisioning a major change of direction for your life.)

That is the creative power of Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces.  Through intentional action rooted in your dreams and visions, you really do have the power to change your individual lifestyle.  And through the changes you make for your own life, you also hold the ability to change the world around you and the world as a collective whole.  Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces can bring forth proof of a basic tenant of Universal Truth – your actions really do have an impact on everything and everyone around you, and that everyone and everything around you has an impact on you as well.

You can dictate the terms of those effects.  All you need to do is to choose how you take action in the face of your dreams and visions and the life choices they present to you.  Do you want your dreams to be real, or to remain dreams?

The choice is up to you.  How much do you really want it to be real?

You can work with the energy of this transit for a couple more days.  Its effects will have power February 2nd through February 6th, 2013 (the conjunction was exact at 12:56p PST today).   Do your best to make the most of this amazing energy – take your first (or next) steps toward the life of your dreams today!

Thanks for reading and sharing.  Until next post…

~ Light, Love, and Blessings,

Grace

 

Sun and New Moon in Taurus – Blessings in Disguise

New Moon in Taurus arrived at 12:19a PDT on Saturday, April 21, 2012, officially ushering in support for and acceleration of the Sun in Taurus energy that began on April 19^th.

Taurus is about our “survival needs” – food, shelter, and sex, which translate into our material, physical and financial resources at a fundamental level.  Taurus represents what has us each feel comfortable, safe, and secure in our lives.

However, along with Sun (and for now, the New Moon) in Taurus:

• Mars is direct in Virgo, letting us know our choices and actions of all kinds really do have effects on our day-to-day lives.
• Mercury is direct in Aries, letting us know that what we really think about our lives is going to be reflected in those actions.
• Venus is in Gemini, making sure that we give positive and loving thought and consideration to all of our options and all possible scenarios in front of us.
• Uranus in Aries brings unexpected events that help us see who we are choosing to be for ourselves and others in our lives.
• And Neptune and Chiron are both in Pisces right now, helping us not only be aware of our visionary dreams and ideals, but also where we may be deluding ourselves with fantasies and escapist behaviors.  These influences may also be bringing us into awareness of the wounds or insecurities we are trying to hide or protect with our idealism, romanticism, and escapist behaviors.

It’s a combination of energies that is going to bring about many awakenings, many ending, and many new beginnings.  It’s likely to be a time of many “blessings in disguise”.

I’m choosing to use that term because many of us are going to be experiencing changes on an individual level that may not be easy or pleasant for us in the next few days.  In fact, in some circumstances, they may be downright emotionally or spiritually painful.   There are likely to be situations, circumstances, relationships, resources – things that we have always counted on or grown accustomed to – that may no longer feel like a “good fit” for us, or we may be in a time of serious assessment of them to see if we want to commit to them for the long haul.  We will also have a chance to clearly see what we are stubbornly holding onto in our lives, and to ask ourselves whether or not it is wise and/or genuinely loving for us to continue to hold on so tightly.

Many of us may find that we’ve known the answers all along, but we’ve resisted them.  For example, I’ve known I’ve needed to sever ties with a particular family member for a very long time, but I’ve resisted cutting the cord because “it’s family” and I was trying to give the person the benefit of the doubt.  I’ve allowed them to continue to be a detrimental presence in my life until very recently when I made the choice to start doing whatever it takes to put permanent distance between us.  I’ve begun taking the steps to free myself of the situation with the unexpected understanding of my other family members, and I though I feel sad about the choice, I also feel relieved and free in making it, knowing it’s been a long time coming. In fact, I wonder why I didn’t make the choice sooner now understanding what it could open me up to experience in my life.

That said, questions to ask yourself in the time of this New Moon are:

• What are you holding onto in your life? Is it real? Is it good? Is it really a good thing? Or are you trying to convince yourself that it’s good because you don’t want to let go of your ideal or fantasy about it – because you don’t want to give up on the dream…or maybe it’s not a dream, but the resources it provides for you?
• Is there something in your life that you’ve known in your heart and soul is ‘over’, but you haven’t let it end because you don’t know or you’re afraid of who you may be without it as part of your everyday life (whether it’s a circumstance, a relationship, or a way of behaving in your life)
• What beliefs or behaviors did you take on earlier in your life to help you survive or “survive”?  Are those survival behaviors and beliefs still serving you well now?
  
• What life experience are you hiding from or afraid of? Or are you simply afraid of the unknown of the future? Is that fear keeping you from moving forward in the rest of you life?

You may find that you may take unexpected actions or make unexpected choices in regard to certain areas of your life, especially in the areas that affect your “‘survival” resources.  In some cases, others in your life will make those unexpected choices or take those unexpected actions which may affect your foundational resources and possibly the course of your life.  Understand that the choices and actions occurring right now are allowing for things to come to an end for new things to come and begin in their place – things that are more in alignment with the life you want for yourself, or rather, the life you believe you can have and manifest.

Strangely, in this New Moon cycle, the new beginnings that usually come and/or are best started under  New Moon energy are actually new experiences of life after certain long-standing situations that affect the foundation of your life come to an end.  These endings are happening so you can replace those outdated and outworn elements with new ones which will help solidify and strengthen the foundation of and the resources for your life.

Remember that these unexpected endings and beginnings…they may all be blessings in disguise.

Thanks for reading and sharing. Until next time…
~ Light, Love, and Blessings,

Grace

What Is Love? – Part One

As of 4:25p PST on Friday, February 18^th , we have entered Sun in Pisces. And in doing so, we enter the sign of love…in all its forms.

Yet, what is love?

We hear it exists, and many of us search for it and long for it, yet it seems to elude us.

The best way to begin explaining what love is may be to explain what Pisces is all about.

Pisces is “ruled” by Neptune. Neptune represents imagination, intuition, idealism, inspiration, and romanticism. There is an abundance of creative and visionary energy here as we experience inspired ideas and allow ourselves to imagine or dream, and those ideas and dreams allow us to create and develop ways to have our visions become the reality of our lives. Many artists, performers, or writers have some strong element of Piscean or Neptunian energy present in their astrological charts. Yet, creativity takes many forms. It’s not just arts-oriented. It’s also new ideas, new ways of doing or approaching things, or even new ways of thinking or perceiving things. It’s the process of manifesting something from nothing other than an inspired thought or idea that seems to come from nowhere….and that can be done in anything!

However, Pisces and Neptune also represent illusions and delusions, fantasies, daydreams, impracticality, and naivety. For people who have strong Pisces or Neptune influences in their charts, they may experience a great deal of deception from others or be very deceptive themselves – using their creativity to push the realities of matters aside. Either way, it is usually a by-product of deceiving themselves. The self-deceptions usually come as result of believing so strongly in their own fantastic and romantic ideals that they act as though they are real in an actual and practical sense. They share these ideas with others as if they are tangibly real, only to find out that when they aren’t real or practically tangible, they’ve let a whole lot of people around them down. But most of all, they have let themselves down. It can be a devastating process, but one in which the true meaning of love can be given space to be explored and experienced.

There are some who will face their self-deception and blame themselves to an extreme, taking on a martyrdom complex. There are some who are not willing to own up to their self-deception, and they will likely take on a victim complex declaring that others (if not the whole world) is out to get them, or they shut down, run away, and/or hide to escape the truths and realities they don’t want to face.

Yet in between the two extremes, there is healthy self-responsibility – simply taking responsibility for the deceptions they created, and in that moment, being ready and willing to face the true and practical reality of their lives in a balanced and healthy way. That is when healing can begin and when true romance, true creativity, and true prosperity can abound in our lives. We can share our visions and ideas and creative energies with others for the simple reason that we choose to and we are open to see what can be created not only through giving to others, but allowing ourselves to receive from others as well. In doing so, we create opportunities for all of us to experience the beauty and wonder of life: true love.

A few posts ago, I mentioned that many of us resist the good that comes to us because deep down, we know the rewards don’t belong to us – we didn’t do the work for it. When I say “work”, I mean “sharing”. It’s about actually sharing your creativity with others, making your contribution to the greater whole so that you may feel worthy of receiving and experiencing other’s creative offerings to you. But it requires trust and belief in yourself and in those around you, and it requires a willingness to recognize:

• what you have to offer to others,
• what others have to give to you,
• what you each and all have to give to everyone,
• and what each and all of you can receive from others if you allow yourself to be open to receive it.

Our creative energy and expression is our love. And the experience of loving is sharing – both giving and receiving. Share your creativity, and feel the love in your life.

I have quite a few personal stories on this topic, as I have Moon in Pisces in my own chart. I’ll share one or two of them with you next week. In the meantime, please comment and let me know what opens up for you! Post a comment here on the blog, or open a discussion on the Facebook page. I really enjoy receiving your feedback. Thank you!

Until next week…

~ Light, Love, and Blessings,

Grace