Greetings!
Today we have the full moon, with the sun in the mutable water sign Pisces, and the moon in the mutable earth sign Virgo. Today also happens to be a lunar eclipse, and a blood moon, at that! Wow! Oh, and Mercury is retrograde right now…

So, what does all of this mean? The first thing to know is that most of the planetary activity is in water signs right now, specifically with five chart points in Pisces, and Jupiter in the cardinal sign Cancer, giving us a total of six water placements. Mercury, which is retrograde as mentioned above, is in Pisces, too, focusing on emotions, creative cycles, spiritual cycles, and strong energy, no matter how you look at it. Just this point alone is enough to make one cautious when dealing with others, and when engaging in the finer arts. So, to clarify, Mercury retrograde, the sun, Venus, Mars, and the North Node of the Moon are all in Pisces.

Additionally, there are three planets in the cardinal fire sign Aries right now, with Saturn, Neptune, and Chiron occupying the first sign in the zodiac. Every year, we get that crossroads vibe around this time, as the planetary positions shift from Pisces to Aries, from the past to the future. But what sets this year apart isMercury retrograde and Venus and Mars all moving through Pisces. Venus and Mars moving through the sign only happens about once every two years, so you can look back to what was going on two years ago regarding the watery traits of life, to get an idea as to how things will play out now. But two years ago, Saturn and Neptune were in Pisces too, making that a heavier time, whereas this period may feel lighter in some ways.

Now, with Saturn and Neptune in Aries, we find that this year carries with it more of an emphasis on newness, whether this means new cycles or new directions, or something else unique to you. An interesting direction is presented to us, too, as we currently have a nice interaction between Jupiter, the moon, and the sun. Yes, I know that the moon is in a tense opposition to the sun right now, but the sun is trining Jupiter, and Jupiter is sextiling the moon in Virgo. To clarify the astrological tekkie talk: Things might be rolling along nicely and smoothly regarding the family and home life right now, and this may be true in your daily workplace as well, but you may feel internally torn about some things present in your life at the moment.

A good way to work with this energy is to go through your own kind of cleansing, whether it is emotional, spiritual, creative, or something else related to Pisces energy. Pisces is a sign associated with spirituality, creativity, sensitivity to energy, psychic ability, love, innovation, and being a visionary. With the current Mercury retrograde, you may find that now is a good time to end cycles having to do with any or all of these traits. Even though I say ending cycles, you may find that the best way to end cycles is to have new ones in place, so starting new cycles is just as powerful to cultivate. Bluntly, starting new cycles can mean focusing on the new rather than what is being left behind.

A problem currently exists: with all this activity in water signs, you may feel overwhelmed, as it may be too much of a good thing. For some, this may be a time of feeling powerless, or inundated with too many emotions to handle. One of the ways to work with this is to take time for yourself, if this is the case. Not everything brought to your door needs or deserves a response. After all, as has been said many times, “it takes two to tango.”

When you connect the dots, you can see that this is a time of transition, just like every year, but this year’s emphasis is on purging before beginning anew. Like clockwork, Mercury directs at the equinox, meaning that the next few weeks set the stage to enter into the upcoming year with a clean slate, and theoretically, this means internally as much as externally. Issues that may be highlighted now have to do with your inner dialogue and how you address things that are happening outside of your control, yet that are still impacting your life.

Cleanse. Refresh. Renew. Rejuvenate. Breathe. The year is about to begin!

Namaste,