The Daily Astro for March 18, 2013

by Valerie Sylvester

“Her survival kit contains
Lots of things to keep her brain
The proper distance from her heart
’cause that’s where all the trouble starts”

—From “Warming Up to the Ice Age” by John Hiatt

TODAY’S ASTRO:

The Moon’s in an Air sign today, cool, cerebral Gemini, which sets us up for some cognitive dissonance as the disconnect button gets pushed. It all started early, as the Moon made adjustment aspects to Saturn (at 12:09 AM EDT, ushering in the new day) and to Pluto at 1:12 AM EDT. It’ll be one of those days where we’ll want to connect but others will push us away, or others will want to go deep and we’ll prefer to stay on the surface. We’re not in sync in the emotional realm today, which is only reinforced by Venus’ aspect to Saturn at 3:33 PM EDT. We may feel or pay the “price of love”. We’re really going to have to work it today, as it will be hard to stay in bright and breezy mode. Don’t be surprised if the Big Chill sets in or you feel the need to distance yourself from situations you just don’t feel up to handling right now. Everyone’s wondering whether it’s all worth the effort or “is that all there is?” Short-term rewards are enticing, but put in the extra effort for the long-term bonanza.

The Sun’s at 29 degrees Pisces today, which is like we’re at the end of the end of time!  We’re at the last degree of the last sign of the zodiac. This is that moment where we’re moving from the absolute end to the absolute beginning, and we feel like we’re swinging in the breeze. This degree tends toward instability, as it’s poised on the edge of change, so it’ll feel uber-Pisces at the same time there’s a huge restlessness to “get on with it” (the Aries imperative).  This reinforces the push-pull aura created by today’s aspects. We’re floating beyond time and space like the dude in “Space Oddity” by David Bowie, yet we’re also on the way to being flung into the fray head-first. And of course we are also smack in the middle of a very intense period involving a Uranus/Pluto mashup, plus the two Big Boss planets, Jupiter and Saturn, are working things out in the skies. We’re dealing with outer planets here, “big” energies that reflect changes/clashes not only within the individual but involving the masses, too. We’re feeling pressure to decide what to release, what to keep and how to find the direction that is most uniquely ours.  Finances and daily patterns can be interrupted as we try to adjust, as it seems as though everything’s hitting us at once. Today we may feel the reverberations in the relationship arena, another day it will relate to work and livelihood, and it seems that no area of life will emerge unscathed after the planetary Big Dogs have had their day. Don’t give up yet; it’s going to get even more interesting as we go forward!

 

THE SYMBOLS:

Sabian Symbol for today’s Sun: “A prism.”
Kozminsky Symbol for today’s Sun: “A bat flying at night in an old graveyard.”
The Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: “VALIDATION”.
The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is: “SADNESS”.

Today’s Symbols zero in on different facets of today’s aspects. The Kozminsky Symbol captures the essence of the Sun at 29 degrees Pisces. This degree intensifies, and we  feel everything–our own emotions, other people’s  emotions, and the ineffable sadness that is part of living in this world. It’s like there’s no filter, we’re totally permeable.

Like the bat, we can fly through the darkness but are guided on our journey because we are constantly receiving feedback and learning how to navigate through all kinds of muck and mire. The image of a graveyard calls up the idea of karma, finality, and influences from our ancestors who have now passed into a different realm. Pisces energy encompasses all, the living and the dead, past lives and buried emotions–it all goes into the mix. Feelings of sadness or nostalgia may intrude, as we realize we’re coming to the end of a particular situation, and during the Mercury Retrograde in Pisces, we may have been reliving or reanimating the past. (We’re not quite out of the woods with the retrograde, yet, either, until after March 26th.)  But don’t use the retrograde as an excuse to  linger in this state. Remember that all your experiences help shape your character and personality, so resolve to use whatever has happened to develop compassion for others. You know how it hurts.  Key phrase for Pisces: Transcend suffering through compassion.

The Sabian Symbol  image, a prism, plugs into the Moon in Gemini vibe. A prism, like Gemini energy, is multi-faceted, and it looks different from different angles. This Symbol is related to intellect, being objective, analyzing, and seeing the whole spectrum of possibilities. The idea of the whole being understood through its parts is prominent here. This symbol seems very Mercurial (Gemini’s ruler is Mercury) and related to study, intellect, rational thought, and breaking things into pieces or parts in order to understand.

The down side to this Symbol relates to being a know-it-all or using your knowledge in an inappropriate way in order to one-up or take advantage of others. There’s an element here of trying to control things too tightly or thinking that everything can be explained by one theory. If you look at this Symbol from a different vantage point (the whole theme of this Symbol!) you can appreciate the beauty of the variegated patterns that are formed as the prism is moved or the light source is changed.

Most of us remember looking through a kaleidoscope when we were children, and being fascinated by the unique beauty of the patterns formed as different combinations were made. This Symbol reminds us it’s time to experiment and discover the different layers within ourselves–give them their “time in the sun”. And give yourself the freedom to mix and match, change and grow. Try something different, look at things from an altered perspective; engage your curiosity.

THE DAILY DRAW:

2 of Swords / Ace of Swords

Make a choice, take a chance. We’re on the horns of a dilemma as the Sun moves from the last degree of Pisces into the first degree of Aries. We don’t want to hear it, but it’s coming at us head-on, so there’s really no choice. This combination can indicate that we feel caught in the middle of other people’s slugfests and we don’t want to be there.  Passive/aggressive isn’t going to work, as the time calls for direct and forceful action. This is going to hurt, no doubt about that, but you won’t make any progress if you don’t face things. Paralysis is not an option anymore. Look at things from a different angle (today’s Sabian Symbol) and change the scenario if it isn’t working.

Sudden changes may knock you off your feet, but sometimes that’s the only way to reach people–with a big ol’ cosmic whomp! The Moon in Gemini shows our divided mind as illustrated in the 2 of Swords, but the positive side of this is that with these two Air cards we can finally distance ourselves emotionally and see the truth in the situation.  The veneer comes off!

We’ll be anxious and may wind up tangling with someone (but with the Sun soon to enter Aries and Mars already there, the Force is with us) and  the argument may clear the air for a new start. We’ll finally cut through the veil of illusion and see things as they really are. It’s time for real relationships with less game-playing and folderol.  I get an image of Athena and her owl here. She’s wise AND fierce. And the owl and the bat both know how to navigate at night–they’ve sussed out the secrets of the dark.

–March 15, 2013