02/17 - 02/23
This Week’s Astro:
Feb 16: Mars enters Capricorn + Mercury Retrograde begins at 12° of Pisces (will move to 28° of Aquarius and go direct on March 9th/10th)
Feb 18: Sun enters Pisces
Feb 20: Jupiter in Capricorn Sextiles Neptune in Pisces at 17°
Feb 21: Mars in Capricorn Trines Uranus in Taurus at 3°
Feb 22: Sun in Pisces Sextiles Uranus in Taurus at 3°
Feb 23: Venus in Aries Squares Jupiter in Capricorn at 18° + New Moon in Pisces at 4°
I’d like to start this off with a visual that I started to get as soon as I got into this reading and began to look over this week’s astrology. I was seeing a pair of hands pressed together like in a pose of prayer sitting very low inside of my stomach. Slowly, they started to move up through my chest, then my throat, and eventually they started to open up as they got into my head. There they cradled my brain and proceeded to push it up and outside of my skull, ripping the skin and breaking the skull in the process. As the hands continued to ascend, maybe elbow-length outside of my head, the skin, and bone that had split apart started to change and shift between colors like blue, pink, and purple, making it look more like a very morbid and surreal flower.
At first, I thought this image was just for me since I was seeing it happen within my own body, but later on, when I got into the collective reading, I realized this is for everyone. There is a strong theme of “liberation” this week, this feeling of breaking out of some kind of oppressive restraint that has been limiting your progress or potential in one or more areas of your life, or even just within yourself. This shows up in the Astrology as well with so much influence coming up with Pisces creating this “out of body” experience, this liberation from restrictive thinking or emotional processing, as well as the Mercury retrograde itself bringing a more internalized perspective to the surface.
The Astrology this week is pretty interesting and, of course, it played out like a story in my head. I was seeing this week play out like a family dinner where you have an interesting selection of people sitting at the table essentially divided up by Pisces and Capricorn where there is a relatively positive conversation happening. However, on the other end, you have Mars and the North Node in an argument, yelling at each other across the table through a loose opposition that is consistent all week.
The argument is over how to proceed, how to drive the ship forward. Young and vivacious Mars, who only just made it into Capricorn, wants to take all of his conscious will power, all of his unbridled passion, and just step on the gas and make things happen — don’t think, just do. Then the old yet progressive North Node is over there, coming off a bit pretentious, reminding Mars of the higher path, the more intuitively guided path, one of strong foundations that require time and patience. They both have the same goal, but they have completely different ideas of how to get there and how to time the process itself.
Then Cousin Chiron chimes in through a double square between Mars and the North Node, applying tension and pressure to both of them that only causes more disinterest in what the other has to say. For some reason, I was seeing it as Chiron literally butting into the conversation saying, “If you guys would just go Vegan, you wouldn’t have these problems.” It’s almost condescending and seemingly completely unrelated, and that’s exactly how that energy plays in. Both Mars and the North Node are forgetting the importance of Cousin Chiron on both of their paths as Chiron represents the process of actually removing blockages and learning to utilize detriments, and the fact that Chiron is positioned between the two of them but off to the side provides this symbolism of how with all of this Pisces energy, along with the retrograde and the New Moon, we can lose sight of our foundations and fall out of our processes.
The fact that Chiron is throwing something out there that doesn’t seem related to the conversation made me feel as if there was something I was missing, or something that Mars and the North Node were missing while having their argument. Chiron has been sitting there passively observing this conversation, so surely there is some kind of meaning or purpose to it. I came to the conclusion that the statement itself didn’t really mean anything, but it was the fact that this would stop the argument and cause Mars and the North Node to turn their heads and look at Chiron like, “what the hell are you talking about?” It’s like a call to remind them that Chiron is in fact still there and still very much part of the equation for both of them. Chiron is a key player in the movement forward, something that they are both trying to do, so rather than perpetuating the argument it’s more like Chiron is trying to get their attention to remind them that THEY should be working together.
Oppositions are always opportunities to consciously balance the energies and influences of two points. Here with Chiron and the North Node, there is a need to balance the very conscious and superficial will to act and build, and the more intuitive, deeper-dwelling soul aspect of the North Node. Throughout Mercury Retrograde, and maybe Pisces Season all together, I feel like this will be a matter that repeats itself in one way or another as we get closer to Aries season.
Now, what’s going on with the other family members? Uncle Neptune and Uncle Jupiter are talking back and forth between Capricorn and Pisces. I was seeing Neptune, who is very at home in Pisces, of course, talking about how well nephew Mercury is doing in Pisces, especially now that he’s doing his retrograde shenanigans. It was almost like I was seeing two uncles get all excited about their nephew starting to get good at baseball even though his dad, for whatever reason, didn’t want him to play baseball. It’s like this isn’t supposed to work, but it’s starting to work. Mercury is starting to work in Pisces, and this is where you get that brain being pushed outside of the body. The retrograde took Mercury outside of the superficial focus by forcing its perspective to become internal, more on par with the Pisces energy. Neptune and Jupiter are super proud.
However, Uranus… Daddy Uranus… I don’t know what his deal is, but he’s being weird on his end in Taurus, a very conscious and superficial space where his intellectual standing is just so NOT okay with what is going on with baby Mercury in Pisces. He’s not jumping in and causing a scene or anything, but something in him is wanting the process to move faster, to get out of that space where the conscious mind, Mercury, is being turned inside out and really taken on a trip. This, from my perspective, comes to a peak when Mars Trines Uranus between Taurus and Capricorn where the higher intellect and this very primal sense of will power come together and try to literally spin the zodiac, try to spin the wheel to make it go faster in order to speed up the process. Uranus wants Mercury over by him and Mars just wants to get over to Aries, that’s his main goal.
Obviously, with a Mercury retrograde, this really wouldn’t be a good idea to literally just start running at things because Mars is running on impulse and Uranus just seems to be weirdly frustrated with Mercury’s opportunity for a new perspective. The action of Uranus and Mars can come off as the point of liberation, but really, the liberation is in the allowance of Mercury, of the conscious mind, to experience some kind of transcendence or have an out of body experience while retrograding through Pisces and into Aquarius — and something tells me that when Retro-Mercury gets into Aquarius, Daddy Uranus will start to understand the benefits of such an event and his brothers, Jupiter and Neptune, will be over there rolling their eyes like, yeah, no shit.
I was also seeing the sextile between the Sun (Father Sun) and Uranus, as well as the New Moon (Mother Moon) in Pisces as being these objective points in the matters for Uranus. Like Father Sun chimes in first, understanding what it’s like to watch your son ascend through a certain process that will allow him to see beyond what he himself was able to teach him — I don’t know, let’s say Uranus was a little Mercury at one point too before he became a portal of the higher mind of Aquarius. Uranus understands where his Father is coming from, but he doesn’t get the youth of today and their obsession with Pisces. Back in his day, Aquarius was all the rage. Mother Moon is the one to step in and explain and clear the air as she is the one who actually has the experience with Water energies. She, through her New Moon, opens up a looking glass and allows for Uranus to get a glimpse of what it is like in there.
So, depending on where you’re at in these conversations, things will play out differently and you’ll have a unique experience, but in all of these scenarios, all of these conversations, there is a point of liberation, a point of clarity being reached by observing something from another perspective, by allowing the brain to break out of the confines of the body in order to see beyond the limitations that it provides.
Collective Message:
Now, for the cards. This is what made me realize that the image of the hands pushing the brain outside of the body was meant for everyone. This set of cards shows a transitionary process between By The Book and Flexible through Regeneration.
Regeneration in the center is a mirror to the image that I was seeing as we can see a small tree just starting to emerge from the burning soil, an image that pays homage to a Pheonix rising from the ashes. I think the image itself is supposed to be showing life finding its way back into a space that had been affected by a forest fire as the ground is shown to still be burning away. Within that, there is this oppressive feeling, that heat and pressure which is also present in By The Book.
By The Book shows a small heard of elephants walking in a line through the desert. It feels obligatory, slow, and uncomfortable. I was seeing this as related to the “moment of pause” that I’ve spoken about in a lot of personal readings over the past month or two, which pertains to a feeling of being stuck due to higher aspects of yourself literally putting you on pause or slowing you down for the sake of allowing you to get your shit together. Something in this card feels very Saturnian as well as if the obligation and the aspect of doing something “by the book” goes into the work-reward exchange of Karmic Saturn.
This trudge through the desert is being made in order to get to the world of Flexible, which is shown as the dreamy, elevated, seemingly floating space of greenery and comfort. The physical transition from one space to another is enough to get the point across, but the actual energy of the cards completely oppose each other. By The Book is rather restrictive and binding, whereas Flexible is that extra room to breathe and move around, not forcing you in one direction or another.
These two states are directly displayed within the image of Regeneration itself. The restrictive desert with only one path that can be taken is the same as the burning soil in the image, and the one path there is the trunk of the tree forcing this uphill journey towards the cooler and more stable branches. The branches are, obviously, flexible, bending and twisting, splitting off in multiple directions, giving you choices on where you want to go. The best part is, every branch has a little leaf budding on the end, showing that every pathway available once you get into the world of Flexible holds potential for you.
This is liberation. The process, containment, and self-restraint that occurs through the desert, which may relate back to having to listen to Chiron, having to listen to Father Sun, having to look at Mother Moon, having to vibe with Retro-Mercury, is what will allow you to break out of the body, or out of the more superficial perspectives within yourself, give your room to expand your way of thinking. This can also relate to more external issues between yourself and other people or situations that keep you in the desert, in that restrictive space, and having to work past them or liberate yourself from those ties, but within a calm, cool, collected state.
It seems like such a sensitive process because there’s a lot of internal movement happening in terms of perspective and mindset, but there is this call to keep it there. Keep the movement within yourself, within a personal bubble, don’t run off and initiate entire new systems while in Mercury Retrograde, save it for Aries season.
Water Signs
Cancer: Organization — Mercury in Capricorn
Scorpio: Revenge — Mars in Scorpio + Extremism — Mercury in Scorpio
Pisces: Resistance — Mercury in Taurus
For Cancers and Pisces, with so much of this Water energy being stirred up this week along with the Mercury in retrograde, you are both being reminded to ground and straighten out as both of your cards put Mercury back into an Earth Sign. It can be very easy for both of you to get swept away and run wild with emotions and escapist mentalities once there is a dominant water-flow, and with Mercury in Retrograde it’s even more possible to dive off the deep end and wind up in an awkward space.
For Cancers specifically, to help keep yourself focused and to not stress yourself out, doing some literal organization or cleaning at home or work, creating a schedule to keep things in line, or being more proactive time management throughout the day may really help lessen the stress levels this week as well as give you something to focus on.
For Pisces, this felt more like a resistance to somehow accidentally launching your brain into outer space rather than just gently lifting it outside of the body. This is your season, your retrograde, and your New Moon… it’s like a cosmic acid trip in your honor and you are more than susceptible to getting a little too into it. Now, Resistance doesn’t mean you need to shut things down and just play dead on the ground until its done, it’s more like just keeping yourself in check. Allow yourself to move and be open, enjoy Pisces season and the retrograde, but when you start feeling yourself getting away from clarity, ground yourself and pull your brain back in for a bit.
Scorpio… I don’t know what the hell is going on there with that Revenge and Extremism, but just based on the images, which on one shows a man and a woman fighting over a love letter, implying the woman was cheating on the man, while the other shows a man holding the head of a slain enemy while a man and a woman have sex underground off to the side… Just putting that together I’d say there is room for liberation from certain relationships, perhaps some revelations with the New Moon and the Square between Venus and Jupiter and such. I don’t think this is for everyone, obviously, since it is so targeted towards one specific thing, however, if through this week certain things do come to light within relationships, romantic or platonic, and you feel it is necessary to separate from them I would say as long as you’ve cleared the air within yourself on the matter, you should put an end to that cycle. (Disclaimer: I do not condone the literal removal of heads.)
So, yeah, Water Signs, in general, need to be mindful and maybe take a few breaths before every single word that you say this week just to be sure you don’t end up doing or saying something that could cause some issues down the line.
Earth Signs
Taurus: Practicality — Moon in Capricorn
Virgo: Fulfillment — Saturn in Sagittarius + Appreciation — Moon in Leo
Capricorn: Impulsiveness — Mars in Aries
WIth Impulsiveness or Mars in Aries, for Capricorn, there’s this responsibility there to kind of spearhead certain systems related to the Capricorn influences over the week. Mars has just entered your sign and you already have Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter hanging out and all of this together is really starting to rev the engines up, and for some, I feel like this is a show of very solid progression happening. Again, I still think it’s necessary to be mindful of the conversation between Mars, the North Node, and Chiron just to make sure you are heading in the direction that best suits you and that you have everything in order, but other than that you may have a lot of room to make some big strides this week.
For Taurus, I couldn’t help but think that Practicality was going in towards the aspect of Uranus Trining Mars where that conversation or action towards spinning the zodiac or rushing through things comes up. Quite literally, this is just a message to be practical. Don’t get ahead of yourself. I was getting a visual for you guys of a person walking on a tightrope about a foot off the ground over a vat of mud. If you fall, you’re not going to be injured, certainly not going to die, but you will be quite messy. Have fun and explore things, but do your best to keep your balance.
Virgo, you guys have such a lovely set there with Fulfillment and Appreciation coming out. In my mind, I always think of Virgos as kind of having this eternal frustration, no matter how small, just sitting in their chest stemming from dissatisfaction with their own work or a sense of not being appreciated by the people around them. This set here for you guys just feels like, with the whole brain being lifted out of the body, your heart is being lifted out. It’s being lifted beyond certain expectations of yourself and other people, while also being lifted to a higher standard. This higher standard, perspective, as well as position overall, seems to just open a floodgate for a very positive influence towards fulfillment within yourself and a sense of appreciation from other people.
Air Signs
Gemini: Originality — Mercury in Aquarius + Vision — Sun in Pisces
Libra: Escape — Mar in Pisces
Aquarius: Fulfillment — Saturn in Sagittarius + Ostentation — Saturn in Taurus
A lot of things are happening here in the mind, and I suppose that is to be expected. Libra, you guys have interesting energy there with Escape, represented by Mars in Pisces, which took me back to the idea of transcendence. In my mind, the transcendence of Libra, or of the 7th House occurs through a process where the bubble of perceived reality, a false reality, a carefully constructed reality that is aligned with through social conformity is popped. This is what this feels like except rather than that bubble popping and falling into Scorpio or the 8th House, it’s shooting straight over into Pisces. I was seeing the liberation happening here between the individual and society, groups of people, friends, or family. Honestly, it doesn’t really feel like the bubble is popping, it’s more like the bubble is moving and then Libra is just stepping outside of it, again going back to that image of the brain being lifted out of the body.
Gemini has some fun stuff going on there and it really feels focused around creativity, a strong feeling of being released from art block or writer’s block as the Vision of the Sun in Pisces is merged with the Originality of Mercury in Aquarius. A lot of innovative ideas could come along for you guys as you, in relation to Mercury, experience your retrograde and have that brain-lifting situation come through. I’d say making time for brainstorming, writing down ideas, and just allowing yourself time for creative exploration, in general, would be really, really great this week.
Aquarius, you guys have this interesting shift presented here that does occur through a shift in perception and perspective with the retrograde and such, but with the influence from Saturn on both cards I was really seeing this as a voluntary shift, as in you may have to consciously initiate this shift to really get the benefits of it. Specifically, this shift is focused on liberating yourself from “lack mentality” and more negative self-perceptions that are actually keeping you in the desert or in the burning soil. With Ostentation, it feels like a forced display of what you HAVE and what you ARE in the most positive sense which then feeds into that sense of fulfillment. Again, because this is your mindset and because you are the one affected by it, YOU have to be the one to change it, and with the energies of this week, you have a lot of support to do so.
Fire Signs
Aries: Domination — Mars in Sagittarius
Leo: Practicality — Moon in Capricorn
Sagittarius: Devotion — Saturn in Libra
Aries, going back to the argument of Mars and the North Node, it feels like you are on the side of Mars this week, and maybe Uranus as well, and you may have to really pull yourself into slowing down a bit in order to not accidentally start fighting with yourself between the conscious mind of Mars and the unconscious mind of the North Node. With the aspect of Mars in Sagittarius for Domination, it’s very pinpointed towards forcing an expansion, forcing the movement forward, which is what Mars is arguing at the dinner table, but it is good to keep in mind from Chiron’s perspective, that this is a matter of co-creation. If you feel stuck still in spite of this incredible urge to move forward, keep in mind that the desert, the restrictive path, is one taken on the way to the world of Flexible. It’s just a matter of time and trying to kind of level things out between different layers of influence.
Leo, you got Practicality, the same as Taurus, and it definitely carries a similar message in terms of this idea of walking on a tightrope about a foot off the ground over a vat of mud. There is no real danger in falling off, but there is a lot of room for a big mess to be made. Emotions can run high this week, there can be a lot of stimulation which can add some tension here and there, so it may be beneficial to be very mindful of what you do and say this week. I was getting another visual for you guys that looked like this kind of “regulated projection.” I was first seeing it like a choreographed dance and then I was seeing it like someone writing music, putting all of the pieces together. This could be in line with creative expression helping you to vent, or this could be in the realm of literally choreographing or composing conversations or arguments in order to kind of contain yourself and to not let things get out of hand.
Sagittarius, I was getting some interesting feelings around this, it’s really hard to explain it. Devotion was quite clear in it, but the aspect of devotion was being spread around between different layers of awareness to the point that it felt very etheric. I made a note that simply says, “devoted path,” which I suppose could be this allowance within yourself to commit to one goal, one higher purpose that you may become aware of this week or within the time frame of the Mercury retrograde. I then had another note that said, “connection to creation,” which felt very spiritual, maybe even religious in some ways, so it could be that for some of you you may be brought to explore different spiritualities or religions that call to you or that you’ve always had an interest in, and then maybe it would lead into something bigger on a soul level that I can’t really see here in this reading specifically. Either way, this definitely feels like something that would lend to an open mind and expansion of perspective.