Astrology and The Hunger Games Part Three: The Age Of Aquarius.

  As I read Mockingjay, my excitement that Katniss had escaped to District 13 diminished rather quickly as the realization dawned that District 13 was actually kind of terrible. Sure, it's a far cry from the hedonistic detachment of the dying Capitol, (Age of Pisces) But it's pretty unpleasant all the same. Their whole regimented all-are-equal-but-none-are free vibe has an unfortunate Orwellian feel to it. To some Astrologers, this dystopian future bears the hallmark of the darker possibilities of the Age of Aquarius. 

  Last week, we talked a little bit about the Astrological Ages. For the past 2,000 years or so, we've been experiencing the Age of Pisces, and now we're transitioning into the Age of Aquarius. Our current reality has elements of both. Reality television, extreme plastic surgery, prescription painkiller abuse and religious fundamentalism are all symptomatic of The Age of Pisces. Smart phones, online dating, The Occupy Movement, the  LGBTQ civil rights advancements, and the evolution of marriage are all indicators that The Age of Aquarius is dawning.

  What is The Age of Aquarius, and what will it bring? Aquarius is the sign of the Individual and also the Rebel. The early years of the Age of Aquarius will see many revolutions and people fighting for collective and individual freedoms. Aquarius also rules computers, so our dependence on them won't be going away anytime soon. Aquarius is opposite Leo, the sign that rules Ego, so as we evolve as a people we always need to make sure we're balancing our collective needs (Aquarius rules Communities, Political Parties and other Large Groups) against the needs of the Self. (Katniss runs afoul of this in District 13 when all she wants is to go hunting by herself to clear her head. She's granted permission, but is only allowed to hunt at scheduled hours, for prescribed lengths of time.)

  We can glean further insights about what The Age of Aquarius holds for our future by meditating on the qualities of the Astrological Sign Aquarius. Aquarius is a communicative Air Sign, so communication and information gathering will continue to be part of our day to day existence. Aquarius is a fixed, idealistic sign, so as a culture we'll hold on tightly to our collective values about equality and personal freedom. I mentioned before that Aquarius rules computers. This explains our culture's ongoing fascination with with speculative fiction about a dark, dangerous future where computers have acquired consciousness and are waging war on humans. (Personally, my spirituality does not allow for this possibility, but I do love Battlestar Galactica!) Aquarius is symbolized by the Water Bearer, and The Age of Aquarius will allow opposing beliefs to flow together like never before. This is evidenced by the Lutheran Church in my neighborhood offering Meditation classes that are welcome to all, not to mention all the Protestant Churches that now offer Yoga classes. It won't happen in our lifetime, but I do believe that eventually Religious Fundamentalism will crumble under the influence of the Age of Aquarius because it's an institution that limits personal freedom and no longer serves us.

  So how does all this relate to The Hunger Games? Well, The Age of Aquarius is Humanity's future, and at the Beginning of Mockingjay, District 13 represents the future of Panem.  I already mentioned some of the Aquarian qualities of District 13,  but there are more. Aquarius' Ruler Uranus, rules Nuclear Power, the industry of District 13. District 13 had an uneasy alliance with the Capitol for decades because of the Nuclear Warheads in their possession. Aquarians are the Revolutionaries of the Zodiac as we've mentioned before, so it's no surprise that they were never fully under the thumb of the Capitol and were the first to rebel. Aquarius is the least emotional sign, and a typical District 13 wedding involves two people signing papers, and then being reassigned to shared living quarters. President Coin of District 13 exhibits many lower vibration Aquarian qualities. She views her people as pawns, a means to a (bloody, violent) end, and their happiness is not her concern. During her time in District 13,Katniss rescues her former stylist from a prison cell. Her crime is taking an extra piece of bread. Katniss is horrified, but none of the District 13 natives think the punishment is too extreme. Which has the reader thinking, "I guess this life is better than a miserable hand-to-mouth existence where children are regularly forced to fight each other to the death, but it's not that much better, right?"

  Fortunately, for the people of Panem and the human race in general, we can all do better than that. The stress and the strife of District 13, represents the very beginning of a a shift into a beautiful New Age. We actually have a lot to look forward to! We've already talked about how Freedom will continue to be an important concept in the Aquarian Age, and while world politics are shifting faster than we can keep up with, I think another form of Freedom that this Age will bring is a liberation of the Highest Self. Self-Esteem is another Aquarian keyword and more people are acknowledging their self-worth and have less need for external validation than ever before, and these numbers will continue to increase. My belief is that the Age of Aquarius will continue to present us with opportunities to develop our collective and individual character. We'll all have opportunities to develop our Light Within, and we can choose to allow that Light to be our guide.

  The epilogue to Mockingjay shows us a much more peaceful, balanced way of life. Katniss and Peeta's relationship is a partnership. (The Age of Aquarius is already redefining/questioning marriage and will continue to do so.The energy of Aquarius demands equality.) Their decision to become parents was mutual. The citizens of Panem have returned to and rebuilt their Districts. Some people like Gale, ended up in a different district than the one of their origin. (Aquarius celebrates freedom of choice!)  Panem has evolved into a Global Village of sorts, with the people of the various Districts trading and sharing goods and services fairly. Small Communities that stay connected through the miracle of technology is a commonly predicted scenario for the Age of Aquarius. Katniss' voice tells us that she knows she will someday have to tell her children about her brutal experiences with The Games. Let that be a message to all of us who have the privilege of being alive for this exciting shift: To not discard the lessons of the past 2,000 years in The Age of Pisces, but instead to remember and honor our collective past as we move into this exciting New Age. 

Astrology and The Hunger Games Part Two: The Age of Pisces.

  In Book One of The Hunger Games Trilogy, Katniss introduces us to her world. In many ways, this world does not resemble our world, it more closely resembles our collective past. (Gathering herbs, hunting for food.) But in other ways, it does resemble our reality. (Bad reality television, extreme and artificial looking beauty procedures, amazing achievements in modern medicine that are only available to a select few...) To me, the world that's presented to us in the beginning of the Hunger Games looks a lot like our Age Of Pisces.

  What Is An Astrological Age? Our Earth has to wobble a little bit on it's axis to maintain it's position in space. So when all of us on Spaceship Earth make our annual trip around the Sun, we're actually returning to a slightly different place every year. This is called "Equinox Procession". This is a backwards moving process and it happens very slowly. It takes around 2,000 years for Earth to travel through each sign. These are what Astrologers call "The World Ages". The whole process takes around 26,000 years and Astrologers call that "The Grand Year".

  What Is The Age Of  Pisces?  The Age of Pisces has been called the Age of Religion, and also the Age of Deception. A few Age of Pisces keywords are: Fantasy, Secret, Mystery, Decadence, Addiction, and Confusion, but also Kindness, and Gentleness. The Age of Pisces is most commonly associated with the birth of Christ and and Monotheistic religions sweeping the world. The chaos of  Rome falling (Age of Aries) and the rise of European Empires is generally attributed to the Age of Pisces. Gifts of the Age of Pisces include: modern medicine, the Renaissance, the Romantic Age, the concept of Universal Love, (and Universal Love's ugly twin, Fear of the other) and the discovery of the Planet Neptune. The Age of Pisces also brought us the separate sciences of Astronomy from Astrology which had previously been the same thing. (Not a good thing IMHO, but that's another post for another day.) When it officially began is as strongly debated as when it will end. Some Astrologers associate The Age of Pisces with the earliest beginnings of Buddhism (300 BC) others say it didn't truly start until 900 AD. Some Astrologers believe we are currently in the Age of Pisces and will be for a couple hundred more years or so. Others argue that the Age of Aquarius is clearly upon us. My opinion is that the New Age (Age of Aquarius) is here, but we're just on the cusp, which is why we are still muddling through a lot of Old Energy/Age of Pisces residue.

  So how does all this relate to The Hunger Games? The Capitol of Panem, seems to me to be really entrenched in that Old Energy, Piscean worldview. The Age of Pisces brought us many cultural and scientific riches, but they were never for everyone, always just a select few. The people of the Capitol having access to Medical Care the rest of Panem has never experienced has a very Age of Pisces feel to me. The Capitol's obsession with outlandish Fashion and facial and body modifications is a symptomatic of the Age of Pisces. Pisces is ruled by Neptune, and Neptune, the Planet of Illusion, rules Fashion. Excessive consumption is an Age of Pisces symptom as well. and Katniss and Peeta are horrified  to learn Capitol Citizens have a special drink that makes them throw up, so they can eat more rich food than their bodies would ordinarily be able to hold. Peeta is almost as disgusted by this practice as he is by the actual Games.

  Pisceans are notoriously loving and giving to a fault. Until they aren't. Lower Vibration Pisceans prefer to not feel anything at all. Which is how during the Age of Pisces, we have collectively learned to become desensitized to worldwide human and animal suffering. In The Hunger Games, this is illustrated by the people of the Capitol have no qualms about watching children fight to the death in the Games, and how they are able to in general not concern themselves with the abject misery of the Outer Districts, despite their total dependence on them. (I find it interesting that despite everything she's been through, Katniss doesn't really resent the people of the Capitol very much, even musing that she herself might be like that  if she'd grown up there.)

  Unfortunately for One Percenters here and in Panem, The Age of Pisces is crumbling all around us. In our world, the push for Universal Healthcare and Civil Rights for all people, (Right now the rights and freedoms of transgender and genderqueer  people are being talked about like it's the final battle of the civil rights movement. This relates to The Age of Aquarius in an beautiful way because Aquarius is ruled by the planet Uranus. In Ancient Greece, trans people were said to be ruled by Uranus, and were sometimes referred to as "Uranian" as a term of respect. Full circle y'all.) and a growing interest worldwide in alternative forms of healing are all hallmarks of the Aquarian Age. This shift is being felt in The Hunger Games as well. In Book One, the team of stylists that prep Katniss gossip among themselves and seem pretty detached from the fact that they're delivering a young woman to her death. In Catching Fire, the same stylists are overcome with emotion, the brutality of the Games now affects them personally. In Mockingjay, we learn of other "friends of the Rebellion" hidden throughout the Capitol. Party's over President Snow!

  Interestingly, District 8 is the first to rebel. I've written before about how District 8 corresponds to Virgo and the Sixth House of Work. Virgo is the polar opposite of Pisces and the challenge of the Age of Pisces is to balance it's watery excesses with the stability and predictability of hardworking Virgo, the sign of the Servant. Clearly, Panem was never able to achieve this balance, and this set the stage for the Rebellion. Back in our world, revolutions great and small are taking place here and abroad. In 2011, Time Magazine named 'The Protester' the person of the year, and now we know that was just the beginning. Panem required a bloody revolution to transition out of the Age of Pisces, and it seems like the same may be asked of us. Will the Age of Aquarius usher in a peaceful New Age, or is our world's paradigm shifting in a darker, more dystopian direction, bringing us ever closer to a world that  resembles....District 13?

   ...To be continued.





 

Astrology and The Hunger Games Part One: 12 Districts, 12 Houses.

   Katniss, the Girl who was on Fire, is your typical Sagittarius in a lot of ways. Free-spirited, adventurous, athletic and high minded, wanting  freedom not just for herself and her loved ones, but for all of the oppressed people of Panem. And like the Centaurs of Mythology, she could point the arrow at anyone except herself. Girl had a real blind spot when it came to relationships! I mean, she could shoot an arrow into a squirrel's eyeball, but she never noticed two dudes she'd known all her life were in love with her? Anyhoo, luckily for us, the powerful Archer archetype is only a  fragment of the Astrological picture The Hunger Games Paints for us. For instance, did you ever notice there are twelve Districts of Panem, and also there are twelve signs of the Zodiac? I sure did! Read on to learn more, but be warned, spoilers abound so if you haven't read The Hunger Games Trilogy, why are you reading this? Go read The Hunger Games!

  FULL DISCLOSURE: I have no idea how Suzanne Collins feels about Astrology. I don't know whether or not she's ever spoken about Astrology publicly and I don't want to know until after I'm done writing about the Astrological symbolism that I've interpreted from her writings, because I don't want her thoughts on the subject to compromise what I perceive. My hope is that all the Astrological symbolism in this trilogy just flowed effortlessly into the riveting story she created because Astrology is all around us, affecting us constantly, whether we believe in it or not.

  DISTRICT ONE, LUXURY corresponds to LIBRA and the SEVENTH HOUSE ruled by VENUS.
  "District 1 makes the luxury goods that decorate the and beautify the great Capitol. It's excellent taste and craftsmanship keep the Capitol residents bejeweled and bedazzled year round." -Description from The Hunger Games: A Tribute's Guide. Sounds like a powerful Venus influence to me! The District One professions of perfumer, jeweler, goldsmith and hair stylist are all jobs commonly associated with Air Sign Libra and the planet Venus. When not under the duress of living in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, Librans tend to be attractive, charming and fun to be around. They love to bring beauty and balance to their surroundings. Their natural appreciation for nice things can bring out a competitive streak in some... The tributes from District One are called "careers", children who train all of their lives to compete in the Hunger Games. These tributes tend to exhibit the unpleasant, lower vibration qualities of Libra; well dressed but cocky, overconfident, sneering, severely lacking empathy. Venus also rules relationships and the District One careers tend to team up at least temporarily with careers from other districts. The books also repeatedly mention the cozy relationship between District One and the Capitol. BUT when the tide began to turn, District One was one of the first to rebel. "Open Enemies" is considered a relationship by Astrological standards, and Venus is in charge of those too!

  DISTRICT TWO, MASONRY corresponds to ARIES and the FIRST HOUSE ruled by MARS.
  The careers from District Two are always front and center whenever the Hunger Games are discussed around Panem. They are the fierce, warlike celebrities of the Hunger Games. District Two is also where weapons are manufactured (Mars rules metal and weapons) and Peacekeepers are trained (Mars/Aries rules soldiers and militias. Fiery Areans aren't always violent but they tend to be competitive, assertive, powerful, prideful, and (can be) quick to anger. (Like when Cato broke that poor boy's neck!) Cato and Clove are textbook lower vibration Areans, bloodthirsty, with ego to spare and totally lacking compassion. Gale, who seems to have the soul of a soldier, later relocates to District Two.

  DISTRICT THREE, TECHNOLOGY corresponds to GEMINI and the THIRD HOUSE ruled by        
  MERCURY.
  District Three Specializes in computers, televisions, and other electronics that people use for communication as well as entertainment. Mercury rules all forms of communication and electronics, and Airy Gemini is the great communicator of the Zodiac. What the tributes of District Three lack in brawn, they make up for in brainpower, as evidenced by the tribute from the first book who booby trapped the cornucopia with landmines. In Catching Fire, Katniss observes that the members of District Three actually seem happy to see her on her victory tour. It's implied that this is because they're ready for a change. Mercury, the trickster of the Zodiac is a restless soul who craves discord, and many citizens of District Three aided in the Rebellion. A Mutable Sign, Gemini tends to embrace change better than most. Gemini and the Third House also rule sibling relationships. While non-biologically related, Wiress and Beetee's bond in Catching Fire had a touching, familial quality and they shared a better than average ability to understand each other's thoughts and feelings. Wiress's later involvement in smart weapon design illustrates that Mercury is by nature amoral and that a strongly placed Mercury can make anyone a little too emotionless.

  DISTRICT FOUR, FISHING corresponds to PISCES and the TWELFTH HOUSE ruled by NEPTUNE
  District 4 supplies seafood to the capital. They are agile swimmers and gifted with the use of nets and tridents. District Four is one of the wealthier districts of Panem which just goes to show money can't buy sanity, AMIRITE? District Four clearly CLEARLY corresponds to the planet Neptune and the Watery sign Pisces. Neptune rules dreams, intuition, madness, and institutions, but also healing and recovery. The Twelfth house rules hidden enemies which is why Finnick O'Dair was able to spend so much time with Capitol folk, despite his secret hatred of them. Pisceans are notoriously attractive as evidenced by super handsome Finnick and his lovely lady soul Annie Cresta with the long flying hair. The duress of the Games and the revolution took their toll on the psyches of these two,  but their love and devotion to the other never wavered. All Pisces are born romantics. One of the Gifts of Neptune is empathy which means 'to suffer with' so it's no surprise that Annie votes against a potential Hunger Games between children of the Capitol, and said that Finnick would agree.

  DISTRICT FIVE, POWER corresponds to AQUARIUS and the ELEVENTH HOUSE ruled by
  URANUS.
  From The Hunger Games: A Tribute's Guide: "Electric, solar and nuclear- District 5 harnesses the energy of the the earth and sky to power our great nation." That sounds like Uranus to me! Less is known about District Five, but what we do know sounds very Aquarian.  District Five is the smallest district and I've written before that Airy Aquarius is the least common sign. (Maybe. I Googled it.) "Foxface" from the first book hailed from District Five and she had that intelligent, lone wolf quality that may Aquarians possess. In Catching Fire, the tributes don't even bother to show up to training. A another approach to the Aquarian "Go your own way" sensibility. But that's the thing about Aquarians, they're full of surprises!

  DISTRICT SIX, TRANSPORTATION corresponds to CAPRICORN and the TENTH HOUSE ruled
  by SATURN,
  Not much is written about District Six, but there seems to be a district wide morphling addiction epidemic. Even by Panem standards, it seems like a really miserable place. That's why I placed them in the Earth Sign Capricorn, making Saturn, the planet of pain, fear and discipline their natural ruler. It's also been said that Capricorns are born with the hardest path ahead of them. It's also said that Capricorns are capable of the highest achievement. Maybe if the regime they suffered under wasn't so oppressive, the people of District Six could have risen up together and been great. Unable to live with the knowledge that their highest potential (Tenth House) could ever be reached, many if not all, of the citizens of District Six chose to numb their pain with opiates. But lets's not forget the female tribute from District Six in the Seventy Fifth Games who sacrificed her own life to spare Peeta, and by extension, the Rebellion.  Capricorn rules sacrifice and hard decisions, and Saturn helps us see the big picture.

  DISTRICT SEVEN, LUMBER corresponds to LEO and the FIFTH HOUSE ruled by THE SUN.
  Little is known about District Seven, but we do know that Johanna Mason, the diva of the Hunger Games hails from there. Feisty, Fiery Johanna has many Leonine qualities. She won her first Games by spending the first half pretending to be weak, afraid and fatigued, when in reality she was incredibly proficient with an ax.(Fifth House rules theater and acting.) When her fellow players least expected it, a deadly lioness emerged, and she went on to win. We first meet Johanna in Catching Fire when she strips down to her green slippers in the elevator with Katniss and Peeta, a bold, sassy move that I'm sure fellow Leo Madonna would approve of. We later learn Johanna is impervious to the Jabberjay torture (birds imitating the sound of tributes' loved ones) because everyone she loves is dead. Fifth house rules love and the Sun controls the Heart, so we know Johanna has suffered indeed. In Mockingjay, we learn that the death of all of Johanna's loved ones was a cruel punishment meted out by President Snow because she wouldn't agree to prostitute herself to the highest bidders of the Capitol. Her refusal to sell her body demonstrates the uncompromising inner nobility known to Leos.(The sign of royalty.) The fact that she voted in favor of a Hunger Games between the children of the Capitol shows that Leos (especially Leo women) sure know how to hold a grudge!

  DISTRICT EIGHT, TEXTILES corresponds to VIRGO and the SIXTH HOUSE ruled by MERCURY.
  District Eight is one the poorest, Districts of Panem. Even Katniss, from District Twelve is taken aback by the squalor of  District Eight on her victory tour. Down to Earth Sixth House emphasizes a simple way of life,and hard work, but jeez. Detail oriented Virgo is said to rule the Fiber Arts, because of it's meticulous, detail oriented nature. Virgo rules obedience, so it's no surprise that Peacekeeper uniforms are also manufactured here. Dutiful as they are, Virgos are also they moral compass of the Zodiac and have a keen sense of fairness, which is probably why they were one of the first districts to rebel. Their life is a pretty stark contrast to the hedonism of the Capitol. Comrade Paylor  is the efficient leader of District Eight, and later a good soldier during the Rebellion. In Mockingjay, she grants Katniss an audience with President Snow because she feels like Katniss earned it. As we know, Comrade Paylor eventually becomes President of all of Panem. The story line about a leader of a very poor district becoming the leader of all the districts as a result of hard work and general decency is a true Virgoan parable.

  DISTRICT NINE, GRAIN corresponds to CANCER and the FOURTH HOUSE ruled by THE MOON.
  District Nine is probably the most mysterious district of the Hunger Games books.Watery Cancer is the sign of the Mother, and District Nine reminds me of  Demeter, the Goddess of Motherhood and the Harvest who went into a mourning that left the Earth barren when her daughter was taken from her. Cancers tend to be non-aggressive, gentle souls which is probably why their tributes fair so poorly in the games. It is also speculated in the books that the tributes of District Nine are out of their element in the Games because they have very little access to nature where they live. The Moon/Fourth House rules home and family of origin, So it is probably particularly poignant and painful  for the parents of District Nine to lose their children to the reapings year after year, knowing there is very  little hope for their return.

  DISTRICT TEN, LIVESTOCK corresponds to TAURUS and the SECOND HOUSE ruled by VENUS.
  "The gentle lowing of cattle is the first thing a visitor to District 10 hears. The region raises strong, healthy livestock, which becomes the meat that helps us raise strong, healthy children of Panem." -Description from The Hunger Games: A Tribute Guide. We don't know much about District Ten either, but we do know that it's considered to be a poorer district. Earthly Taurus rules Agriculture.  Many of the jobs of District Ten, rancher, breeder, and farmer are all professions ruled by Taurus. No mention is made of District Ten celebrities from any of the past Games, which goes to show most sensual Taureans are lovers, not fighters.

  DISTRICT ELEVEN, AGRICULTURE corresponds to SAGITTARIUS and the NINTH HOUSE ruled
  BY JUPITER.
  District Eleven specializes in Agriculture, and their day to day life sounds pretty grueling, up at dawn harvesting food for the people of the Capitol while their own children did without. The workers of District Eleven were able to communicate with each other in the orchards by singing tones that the Jabberjays would imitate. Part of why I assigned  Fiery Sagittarius to the Eleventh house is that spending all day in the forest communicating with birds was a pretty typical activity for the Centaurs of Greek Mythology. Rue's climbing and Thresh's strength illustrate the athleticism that Sagittarians are known for. Rue's knowledge of herbs falls into the Ninth House realm of Healing Wisdom. Rue and Katniss form an alliance that Thresh later honors. Jupiter and the Ninth House Rule Law, so of course noble Sag would take an agreement like that seriously. Sagittarians tend to have a childlike, imaginative sweetness that allows them to easily identify with and interact with children. So it's no surprise that the people of District Eleven were one of the first to rebel when they realized they couldn't live with the pain of losing more children.

  DISTRICT TWELVE, MINING ( LATER) MEDICINE    corresponds to SCORPIO and the EIGHTH
  HOUSE ruled by PLUTO.
  District Twelve the is the most remote district have Panem, and also the poorest. So it makes perfect sense (to me) that Pluto the smallest and most remote Planet in our system would be their Ruling Planet. Scorpio/Eighth House rules transformation and coal falls into that category because it's a rock that can be transformed into heat/energy. Coal mining is actually a very Scorpionic profession because it is inherently dangerous/ deadly and Pluto/ Scorpio also rules death, the biggest transformation of all.
  After the Second Rebellion, the industry of District Twelve becomes medicine. This illustrates the Shamanic path of the Scorpio. Scorpios are born with the ability to transcend the darkest depths of their origin, rising up, healing themselves and then others.
  The Eighth House also rules Secrets and Sexuality. Specifically secrets of a sexual nature and repressed sexuality. Katniss and Gale have a secret attraction to the other that neither acknowledges verbally. By the time they're ready to act on those urges, they can't because of Katniss' "engagement" to Peeta. The two eventually share a kiss because we all know sexual energy can only be repressed for so long. Peeta's slow burning crush on Katniss and his father's secret love of Katniss' mom also fall into this category. Scorpios are the survivors of the Zodiac which explains why Gale tells Peeta that Katniss will eventually choose the one of them that she "can't live without". Scorpios don't hide from the truth!

  Now Katniss is in many ways your typical Sagittarius, but she hails from Plutonian District Twelve. And she is definitely a survivor. It seems worth mentioning that many "young adults" right now (The target audience for the Hunger Games series) were born when Pluto was in Sagittarius. (1995-2008) Pluto in our chart shows where/how we are meant to transform ourselves,  and since Pluto stays in each sign for so long Astrologers like to speculate about the ways the various "Pluto Generations" will transform the world. Pluto in Sagittarius is considered to be "The Visionary Generation" likely to question everything, be risk takers, but also natural humanitarians. Astrologers are also speculating that this generation will challenge or even possibly remove the infrastructures of agencies and industries that no longer serve us. A generation of Katnisses? One can only hope!

Mercury in Retrograde! What Does it Mean?

  When people ask me about Astrology, the first thing they usually want to know about is Sun Sign Romantic compatibility. The second thing they want to know is what the fuck is up with Mercury in Retrograde. And with good reason. In the past ten years or so, the phrase "Mercury is in Retrograde" has entered mainstream vocabulary as a sort of woo-woo shorthand for "shit is bananas". "It can't always be in Retrograde!" shouted a girl I used to wait tables with after she burned her hand on wing sauce for the third time that night. "True," my twenty-four-year-old self answered sagely, "But when it's in Retrograde, it feels like it has been for forever." Interestingly, when a loved one asks me if Mercury is in Retrograde, it usually isn't. They're just having a bad day/week/relationship.Or something. Or the Moon is full. While car accidents and misunderstandings are common during this time, there's more to this influence than unbridled insanity. Hermes/Mercury has always struck me as a witty, charming, elegant sort of fellow, and the chaos of his Retrograde period tends to still bear his idiosyncratic stamp. If a Mercury in Retrograde period doesn't have you laughing at the absurdity of it all at least once, you're doing it wrong! This influence is also capable of bringing bright blessings, though they generally are of the unexpected kind. (More on that later.)

  So who is Mercury anyway? Well, IMHO, he's the hardest working deity in the pantheon.While all the other Gods are lounging around on Mount Olympus feeding each other grapes and playing human chess, Mercury is going, going all the time. First and foremost, he rules communication, in all it's forms. He brings messages from the Gods to humans and vice-versa. He assists in communication between mortals, and will even occasionally  mediate when his family of immortals disagree. That's why sibling relationships fall under his domain. He's always on the go, so he rules travel as well. Not sure when he finds the time, but he's an epic Trickster, so pranks and mischief are also his territory. His most famous prank involved stealing a herd of cattle from his brother Apollo when he was still a baby. Luckily for him, their dad Zeus thought it was a pretty good joke, so he wasn't punished. That's why in addition to ruling communication, travel, sibling relationships, and tricks, Mercury is also the patron deity of thieves. Stealing information is his territory is well. He rules commerce. (Interesting that our ancestors put the same deity in control of selling and stealing, right?)  Mercury also rules electricity which certainly impacts his retrograde periods.

  What does retrograde mean? Well from an astronomer's perspective, it's when the Planet Mercury slows down and seems to stop as part of it's orbit. When it recedes, it appears to go backwards.This happens three times a year for approximately three weeks at a time. Our Ancients interpreted this as Mercury/Hermes going on vacation, taking a break from all of his important duties that tend to make all of our lives run more smoothly. And just like every guy I dated before my husband, we don't fully appreciate all the little things Mercury does for us until he's gone. The general understanding is that when Mercury is in Retrograde, things tend to go haywire. All the things Mercury helps us with; communication, travel, sibling relationships, electronics, shopping, may be more difficult than usual. Mercury rules rational thought so a lot of people like to use this time as a break from acting sane, allowing their egos and lower instincts to take over. (Like the dude from Green Mountain Energy who releases a stream of F-bombs on my front porch earlier this week when I told him I didn't want to switch energy plans.) Misunderstandings take place. People fight. Feelings get hurt. Sometimes couples break up and then get back together when Mercury turns direct. Sometimes couples break up and stay broken up because they realize they were incompatible. It's a time to expect the unexpected. The 2000 US Presidential Election was happening as Mercury turned Retrograde. When Mercury was in Retrograde in 2008, The Giants beat the undefeated Patriots in the Superbowl. My theory is that the main beef that people have with Mercury in Retrograde is that no one likes surprises. It's common for electronics to break down as well. Try not to replace them until Mercury turns direct. Shopping online should be avoided when possible. Mercury rules the signs of Gemini and Virgo, so people with a Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in these signs tend to be hit the hardest and experience the most confusion during this time. So, to recap, Mercury in Retrograde feels like everyone is freaking out at the same time, computers are crashing left and right, your boss is an idiot, your kid just dropped your e-reader in the (overflowing) bathtub. Just try to remember this will all be a funny story someday!

  "Backwards" is a key word for the Mercury in Retrograde experience. It's just easy to slip up during this time, and end up needing a do-over. The only real way to combat this is to go about your daily routines as slowly and carefully as possible, paying extra attention to details. Otherwise, you might find yourself having to do a lot of things twice. It's generally considered to be a terrible idea to sign a contract under this influence. The conventional wisdom is that anything you do under this influence will very likely have to be re-done or undone down the road, so the less permanent decisions you make during this time the better. Business partnerships that begin under this influence don't always end on the best of terms. Houses purchased while Mercury is in Retrograde tend to end up needing more repairs than previously thought. Marriages... well getting married under the influence of Mercury in Retrograde is considered to be one of the biggest Astrological no-nos out there. I mean, that's one contract you definitely don't want to have to renegotiate!

  Is all this starting to sound like the scene at the beginning of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure when his daily fortune reads, "Don't leave the house"? It shouldn't. Mercury in Retrograde can be a confusing stressful time, but it can also be pretty fun and kind of magical. A blessing of this backwards time is that it allows us to view an old conflict with a fresh perspective. This helps us release old hostilities that no longer serve us. (And probably never did)  Just avoid as much responsibility as you can without getting fired. And wear your seat belt. And don't text and drive.

   Mercury in Retrograde can be an auspicious omen for certain kinds of travel. Especially to places you've enjoyed in the past. The energy of this influence will help you experience a familiar place in a whole new way.  It can be very eye opening. It's also very likely you will run into an old friend you haven't seen in forever. Mercury in Retrograde has a fondness for reconnecting us with people from our past.

  Yes, a well documented aspect of a Mercury in Retrograde period is all those metaphorical chickens coming home to roost. If  Mercury is in Retrograde and you feel a powerful urge to reach out in a loving way to someone you maybe aren't on the best terms with anymore, you have my permission to act on that! Conversely, don't be surprised if someone from your past reaches out to you. Accepting an Amends graciously is one of the most beautiful gifts we can give another person, and Mercury in Retrograde allows a space for that. In my personal experience, receiving a loving message during this time isn't limited to messages from the living. I have received a very powerful and specific message from a deceased friend twice in my waking life, and both times were when Mercury was in Retrograde.

  Another thing I love about Mercury in Retrograde is sure it's crazy sometimes, but at least we're all in this together! Commiserating with a stranger about the wonkiness swirling all around us is literally one of my favorite things! Maybe you will make a new friend when you each try to leave the coffee shop with the other's drink! But if this one does hit you particularly hard, just remember, it's only three weeks!

  In conclusion, "irrational" is the word most commonly associated with Mercury in Retrograde related chaos. "Irrational" is a pretty emotionally charged word, but all it means is "outside of one's head." That's not so bad. If you're not in your head, where are you? In your heart? In your spirit? I was reading about Sacred Geometry the other day, and I learned that an irrational number is a real number that cannot be written as a simple fraction. The phrase that stuck with me, was that since Pi cannot be solved by whole number ratios or even the square root of rational numbers  it is BEYOND irrational and termed TRANSCENDENTAL.So under these circumstances, transcendental is what follows irrational. Applying mathematical terminology to human emotions may not resonate with everyone, but for me if feels really comforting to think that Mercury in Retrograde may bring daily frustrations, but also the power to transcend them. And beyond those daily frustrations, is a beautiful message from the cosmos, just waiting to be discovered.

Pluto in Scorpio: Generation Fearless!

          "I want people to remember that I was brave." Lady Gaga, Sun in Aries, Pluto in Scorpio

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph" Thomas Paine, Sun in Aquarius, Pluto in Scorpio

  Pluto is so far away from us that it stays in each sign for over a decade. For that reason, Astrologers tend to classify people by their 'Pluto Generation.' Because Pluto has so much to do with destruction and transformation, each Pluto Generation is called to destroy what is no longer useful to their soul development, and create something beautiful in it's place. Most recently, Pluto was in it's home sign of Scorpio from 1983 to 1995.

  Pluto is the smallest planet in our Solar System. Astronomers now consider it to be a 'dwarf planet' but that doesn't make it any less powerful. In fact, most Astrologers consider Pluto to be the most powerful planet of all! Pluto rules death and destruction and upheaval, but also transformation, creation, renewal and rebirth. Because sex and sexuality have a transformational quality, Pluto plays a role in sexual expression as well. The  Ancient God Pluto (or Hades) is probably best known for capturing Virgin Goddess Persephone and bringing her to his kingdom in the Underworld. Her Mother, Goddess Demeter grieved and the Earth was plunged into a seven year winter until it was agreed that Pluto would allow Persephone to spend six months above ground. (I've always found it strange that that Persephone had so little to do/say about the whole arrangement, but that's another discussion for another day.) So basically what I'm saying is that Pluto has a take what it wants kind of energy that can't be ignored.

  Scorpio is ruled by Pluto. The sign of Scorpio is associated with sex, sexuality, taboo subjects, shared resources, other people's money and secrets. Fun! Some common Scorpio traits are fearlessness, passion, emotional intensity, secretiveness, and when hurt, ruthlessness. People who were born with Pluto in Scorpio tend to have some or most of these qualities, but it might not be the first thing you notice about them. Their charge this llifetime is to live fearlessly and fully, shattering old and outmoded ideas about sexual expression, (blame them for this whole sexting business) distribution of wealth (the Occupy Movement) and ideas about privacy and information sharing. Many of the brave souls who came forward as adults and revealed the abuses of the Catholic Church were Pluto in Scorpio. Most of the adult victims of Jerry Sandusky who testified against him were Pluto in Scorpio as well. Scorpio does not shy away from the ugly truth.

  Pluto last entered Scorpio in 1983. This astrological shift is most commonly associated with the end of Free Love (Pluto in slutty Libra) as widespread confusion and fear about the AIDS epidemic took hold of the world. Never before had sex and death been so closely intertwined. The Savings and Loan crises of the 1980s had qualities of the lowest vibration of Scorpio: greed. It was a chaotic time to grow up in, which is why most Pluto in Scorpio teenagers really took misanthropic to the next level. These are the kids who got us a Hot Topic in every mall in America and made all of the Twilight books bestsellers.Teenagers born with Pluto in balanced Libra established Gay and Straight Student Alliances in high schools all over America. Pluto in Scorpio teenagers thoughtfully expanded these organizations to include transgendered students.  For a very few, an obsession with death became all consuming. And while most Pluto in Scorpios have a very strong sense of empathy, a very small select few have no empathy at all. James Holmes, Adam Lanza, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and Dzhokar Tsarnaev were all born with Pluto in Scorpio.

  The first generation of Indigo Children to gain worldwide attention were born when Pluto was in Scorpio. Indigo Children are characterized as having a strong self-esteem, being mostly non-conformist, having a high spiritual intelligence, having psychic abilities, extreme sensitivity,  and are described as having a "Warrior Spirit". Some challenges they face are feeling like they don't belong, anger,and  resistance to authority. Sounds like Pluto in Scorpio to me!

  Lessons from Pluto never come easy, and this is certainly true for our Pluto in Scorpios today! Life is quite challenging  for a lot of these young adults, now aged 18 to 29. They're graduating with more student loan debt than ever before, and entering (or attempting to enter) a dismal job market. Good thing the hallmark of Scorpio is an ability to survive! Besides, these aren't the type of people to patiently rise through the ranks. Pluto is Scorpio is here to tell us the system is broken, and we need to listen to them.

  Pluto in Scorpios today are still pretty young so it is not yet known what their total impact on the world will be. The last time Pluto was in Scorpio was 1735 to 1747. Let's take a look at what that generation did for us: Oh not much, just the French Revolution, The American Revolution, The Haitian Revolution and a little thing called THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT. NBD. My favorite Pluto in Scorpio of all time has got to me the activist, author and revolutionary, Thomas Paine. What a badass. Born a Quaker, he was also deeply influenced by the Iroquois belief system, and contributed to the Deist movement. He wrote The Age of Reason which argued against institutionalized religion, an exceptionally brave stance to take at that time. Later, he wrote Agrarian Justice which introduced the theory of guaranteed minimum income. Remember, Scorpio seeks to redistribute wealth. His objection to slavery was considered revolutionary at the time, but he was bold in his expression of it. What will this generation's Thomas Paine bring us? I am so excited to find out and I hope you are too!

  

Happy Birthday Aries/ Gloria Steinem, An American Hero.

 "Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before."
  Gloria Steinem

  

  Hello friends! This week we will be celebrating all those wild and wonderful Arieses out there! Happy Birthday Rams, your unique light is a gift to us all! Like every sign of the Zodiac, Aries comes to us when we need it the most. Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac and the first sign of Spring. For most of us on this side of the world, Winter transitioning into Spring is the most dramatic season change of the year. And Aries really knows how to bring the drama! (More on that later.) Aries charges in the last week of March and yells at us to get outside. Aries is the birds waking you up at three a.m.. Aries is the wild exuberance of Spring Break. At it's highest, Aries is that surge of creativity we all feel this time of year. At it's lowest, Aries is that shirtless dude yelling "Woooh!".

  A key word for Aries is 'headstrong'. Also 'headfirst'. Last week, I mentioned Pisces rules the feet,well Aries rules the head. Literally. An insurance company in England did a study on personal injury and found that Arieses are more accident prone than any other sign. Presumably because they're always jumping into things without considering the consequences. I used to wait tables with an adorable little Aries named Amber. Her nickname was Bam and I initially  assumed this was because 'Bam' kind of sounded like Amber. But no. Girl was always falling down or running into things. And then she'd laugh it off. Amber/Bam was the first person to tell me every Aries has at least one cool scar with a good story behind it. 

  Aries is our Fiery Cardinal sign. Fire signs are creative, passionate, hot headed, usually extroverted, and at times, eccentric. (The other fire signs are Leo and Sagittarius.) Cardinal signs come when the Seasons change. (The other Cardinal signs are Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.) Cardinal signs are gifted at new beginnings, which also makes them good leaders. Aries is no exception. Gifted with powerful vision, Aries has no problem taking a quick look around and deciding what needs to be done, and doing it. Aries is not afraid to get it's hands dirty. 

  Aries is ruled by the scarred red planet that we call Mars. Just like the Arieses in your life, Mars has powerful energy that can be hard to contain, or at times, figure out. Mars is our Life Force Energy. Mars is our Will to Survive. Mars has been called the Red Planet, and also The Bright Burning One. Mars was the God of War in Roman Mythology, and it's true this planet rules war, as well as anger, violence and aggression. This might sound scary, but keep in mind, anger is a necessary emotion, and with effort, violence and aggression can be channeled into healthy expressions of boundaries and self-esteem. Other key words for Mars are initiation, motivation, ambition, sexual desire, determination. 

  Where Mars falls in your chart will determine how your passions manifest. Other planets in your chart will will determine how easily this energy is released. For example, my Mars is said to be in it's "fall" (a place Astrologers say planets don't like to be) in moody, watery Cancer. Which I guess is why I suck at team sports. BUT one of my Astrological gifts is that my Mars in Cancer falls in the spooky Eighth house of Secrets, blessing me with a greater than average ability to suss out people's hidden aggressions, motivations, and passions. Astrology giveth, Astrology taketh away. 

  Another thing Mars rules is sexual energy and attraction. Mars wasn't just the God of War, he was also lover to Venus, the Goddess of Beauty and Love. (The planet Venus also has a very important role in our sexuality and relationships, but that's another post for another day.) Just like those birds that chase each other dangerously close to moving vehicles this time of year, Mars wants what it wants, and most Arieses do to. The challenge of an Aries in love is to balance the needs of their ego, against the needs of their partnership. This is possible. It just requires discipline.

  To be born an Aries is to be born with a call to serve a higher cause, often in a leadership position. Arieses are natural leaders. When an Aries is not given a chance to lead, they would rather go their own way. (A textbook example of this is the character Sawyer on the ABC drama Lost.) In the Tarot, the Emperor Card is generally associated with Aries. This card most commonly depicts a king, seated on a throne, wearing armor.  This card definitely feels very Ariean to me. Seated, because he is master of all he surveys, but still in armor, always ready to jump up and fight to defend his kingdom. An Aries always fights their own battles.  It's a powerful card, but for me, the phrase "Lonely at the top" also comes to mind.  

  Aries Gloria Marie Steinem (b. March 25, 1934 at 22:00) has been fighting the good fight for decades Her leadership roles include Founder of the Women's Political Caucus, Co-founder of Ms. Magazine, Founder of the Women's Action Alliance. Her Mars is conjunct her Sun in it's home sign of Aries making her warrior spirit a huge part of her identity, and gifting her with leadership ability.Her public speaking style has been described as high-spirited, humorous, and inexhaustable. So Ariean! She was also born with Uranus the Upsetter, in Aries, assuring the battle she would someday choose would be a game changer. Jupiter, the planet of gifts and luck is in Libra in her Eleventh House, blessing her with beauty, grace, (she studied ballet for years) relateability, and the ability to draw a crowd. This placement also most likely contributed to her eventual attainment of cultural icon status. 

  By all accounts, her early life was hard. Her father abandoned the family, forcing her to be caretaker to her mentally ill mother. This is also evidenced by Saturn, the planet of challenging restrictions, in her Fourth House of Home and Early Life. Her Leo Moon in the Ninth House of Education and Higher Learning suggests that reading and writing have always been an escape for her.

  What really propelled Gloria Steinem into the national spotlight was her writing, what has been called her brilliant way with words.Interestingly, her natal Mercury, the planet that rules communication and the written word (and also organization), is in Pisces, the sign most closely associated with the Collective Unconscious. Astrologically speaking, this Warrior Spirit came to Earth with a powerful intellect, plus an ability to intuit and articulate what so many were feeling, but were unable to express. What a gift! For all of us!

  Gloria Steinem's Rising Sign is Scorpio, which makes her Ruling Planet Pluto. Pluto is the planet of destruction and rebirth. Wherever Pluto lands in our chart is where we seek to transform. Pluto spends years in each sign and that makes it really instrumental in defining a generation. Gloria Steinem's Pluto is in Cancer, the sign that rules Motherhood, the Family Unit, and Women's Traditional Roles.  Pluto was last in Cancer from 1913 to 1939. How interesting that the Nineteenth Amendment, giving women the right to vote, passed during this time! It was time for women's traditional roles to change, whether the world felt ready or not. So along comes Gloria Steinem at the tail end of this potent influence, herself the product of a nontraditional home life. She came to us blessed with a warrior's spirit, a call to speak for those who cannot, and a gift for writing and organizing. Bright burning light indeed! 

  Brightest Birthday wishes, Gloria Marie Steinem. You have positively influenced my life in ways that I am not fully aware of. I hope you did something nice for yourself, you deserve it! Namaste.

  Some gift ideas for the Aries in your life are, an Ashtanga Yoga package, a deep tissue massage, tickets to an outdoor sporting event. Basically, anything that encourages downtime. Beloved Aries works hard. 

Very Belated Birthday Greetings to my Beloved Pisceans/ Abbreviated Life Update.

  Hello friends, as some of you know, I have really been having a time. Some squatters took over the apartment above the one where I lived with my family, and made our lives unbearable. Currently, we are staying with my in-laws on the Eastern Shore. The good news is, we are waiting to close on a house! Unfortunately, in the rush to escape an unsafe and disgusting living situation, I ended up accidentally burying all of my beloved Astrology books somewhere deep in a Baltimore storage unit, and I won't have access to them for a few more weeks. So. Until I am settled in, with a dedicated writing space, these next few posts will be a little more from the heart, less from the head. Probably the perfect way to write about Pisces, now that I think about it...

  A reminder: I still have access to Astrology software and am more than happy to answer any specific questions about your life path to the best of my ability.

  Sorry I missed your Birthday Pisces, I really feel like shit. Hopefully you were too busy "going with the flow" to even notice. Pisces season can be a stressful time. My situation with the squatters had all the hallmarks of the dark side of Pisces: addiction, enemies, confusion, law enforcement. Even if it's not always that dramatic, it can be a troubling time. Pisces season is the last month of winter and the last of the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and that is why Pisces is associated with endings. But to think of this time as something to be endured until spring is upon us would be  a mistake. Pisces season is a time of deep reflection. It's time to look within and congratulate ourselves on how far we've come. It's also time to assess what still needs to be done. It's a fertile, creative time. In Ancient Egypt it was the rainy season, directly opposite Virgo, the time of the harvest. what's more life giving than that?

  Pisceans are notoriously mysterious, but here is what we know about them: Pisces is ruled by the planet Neptune, Ancient ruler, Jupiter. Neptune rules the arts and sciences, (Among other things) and Jupiter is the planet of gifts,so it's no surprise that most Pisces have some sort of artistic ability. Most notably music or dance. Pisces is a Water Sign. Astrologically speaking, Water means emotions, creativity, sensitivity, a desire to heal and be healed. Pisces is a mutable sign which means they have a gift for transformation, and are better at most than letting go. Pisces truly are the mystics of the Zodiac.

  All the water signs are guarded, but none more so than Pisces. The phrase "Still waters run deep." has always felt very Piscean to me. For a lot of Pisces, their default setting seems to be set at private. This feels so normal to them that they may not even think of themselves that way. That doesn't necessarily translate as introversion. Many Pisces love to be out around people and can be the life of the party. (More on that later.) Pisces are also gifted at picking up on the thoughts and feelings of the people around them. Their profound insights into human nature combined with an intense desire to deflect attention from their interior lives can occasionally result in a killer sense of humor. Seriously, my funniest friends are all fishes.

  Pisces is also considered by some to be the most attractive sign in the Zodiac. That is, if heavy lidded, long lashed eyes, full sensual lips, and a dreamy, other worldly quality are your thing. It probably helps that Neptune rules dance, and most Pisces are naturally graceful. I used to be roommates with a ballerina named Beverly who was a Pisces who basically looked like a mermaid with legs. She had long red hair and everyone was in love with her and she knew it. She never had to pay for drinks. I have this one kind of sexist Astrology book from the seventies that says that Pisces women have to be beautiful because otherwise no man would ever put up with their mood swings. FWIW, my friend Eben has a Pisces mom, a Pisces sister, and a Pisces wife and he says it's totally true.

  I mentioned before that Pisces is a mutable sign. Interestingly, the visual depictions of all four mutable signs have a duality to them. Gemini is the Twins, Virgo is the Maiden separating the chaff from the wheat, Sagittarius is the Centaur, and Pisces is the Two Yoked Fish, forever trying to swim in opposite directions. This symbolism makes me think about how some Pisces are so controlled be their unconscious, their earthly bodies can hardly keep up. Or maybe their spiritual leanings are so powerful, they have trouble functioning in the physical world. There are other possibilities as well, but a hard fact remains: Being born with your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in Pisces means you came here this time with a battle to fight.

  Pisces is associated with the Twelfth House of the Zodiac. It rules music, mysticism, Universal Love, hidden enemies, medicine, addiction, insanity, prisons, and other institutions. It's true, there's a lot of darkness in the Midnight Sign. The line between spiritual ecstasy and insanity can be easily blurred, and sadly many Pisces struggle with addiction. Pisces Kurt Cobain ( Feb 20, 1967 -.April 5, 1994) struggled with addiction and depression, even as he tried to transcend that darkness through his Tibetan Buddhism practice.

  In your life, does it seem like a greater than average number of Pisces struggle with their mental health? My theory is to be born a Pisces is to be called to mysticism, but not everyone feels ready for that call this lifetime. To have the soul of a mystic, while feeling trapped in an earthly existence can feel like too much for a gentle Pisces soul to take. Alcohol/drugs can feel like an escape or at least a break from feeling all the feelings all the time. It doesn't have to be that way, of course. A challenge for the Pisces is to integrate the mystic and the mundane. Very few humans this day and age have the opportunity to live a full on mystical existence, but most people could be living with more intention than they currently are, Pisces included. An outlet for creative expression is essential as well.

  Pisceans make great therapists or healers of any kind because of their ability to empathize. No one feels your pain more than a Pisces. (The shadow side of this is the Pisces who cuts his/herself off completely from the source of human empathy as a coping mechanism. Perfect example: Mitt Romney.) Healing doesn't have to be a day job. Many lost at sea Pisces could benefit from Reiki training or some other form of energy work that would then enhance their own life and the lives of their loved ones. Aromatherapy can also be a great fit for a Pisces' sensual nature.

  My Aromatherapy mentor, Cynthia Loving (www.lovingscents.com) started her professional life as a psychotherapist who worked with violent criminals (prisons and institutions). A colleague introduced her to Aromatherapy, and it completely changed her life. A year later, she had moved to Florida to study full time with an Aromatherapy Master. (All or nothing, a Pisces trait.) Today, she has a thriving practice in North Carolina where she teaches, consults, and sells her own line of high quality essential oils. She says Aromatherapy is 30% chemistry and 70% intuition. Spoken like a true Pisces!

  As a final note on Pisces, I would like to share the mythology of the Pisces glyph because I think it is so beautiful. The story is that Aphrodite and her son, Eros were bathing on the banks of the Euphrates when they spotted the giant, Typhoeus. In order to escape unnoticed, Aphrodite transformed them into fishes, but tied them together with a rope so they wouldn't get separated. And I guess that explains why so many Pisces I know have such strong connections to their mothers.