The Sun enters Pisces I The Labyrinth in Austin Coppock‘s naming system, on 18 February 2024 at 11:13 pm EST — and exits on 28 February at 9:44 pm EST. During this time, Aquarius and Pisces will be crowded with almost all the major players, while Jupiter and Uranus get more intimate in Taurus — a couple in flagrante delicto in the bedroom while the main party takes place elsewhere.
It’s a complicated ten days. Venus and Mars are separating from conjunction with Pluto even as they set up for a little affair of their own in Venus’s decan and term on 22-24 February — the morning star goddess seeking a little nookie from the soldier at his map table… and both of them but lately leaving the merchant’s counting-house: did they buy luxuries? military gear? ready cash for an escape? It’s hard to say. The Sun also prepares for his annual conjunction with Saturn, this time in Saturn’s own decan Pisces I — does the Sun’s presence here bring light to a twisting and challenging aspect of our lives… or is it the sort of wild flashlight-waving that summons the minotaur from the shadows? The Moon will also reach fullness on February 24th at 6:44 am EST — bringing a bit of Virgo’s analysis to the navigations of the maze…
Pisces I is associated with the eight of cups, with Saturn, and with Okeanos — the shape-changing Titan of deep ocean, married to Tethys of Gemini I. As one of the married pairs of deities in the circuit of the Decans, we’d expect them to be more favorably placed relative to one another, but in truth it’s a square relationship — the eight of cups representing indolence, and the eight of swords representing interference. Okeanos is a trickster in the vein of Bugs Bunny — leave him alone and he’ll likely make room for you to live your life, but mess with him at your peril. Tethys is more of an interventionist, a meddler who seeks to bend both mortal and god to her plans and program. T. Susan Chang, discusses this more in her book on the Tarot relationships to the decans, 36 Secrets, where she calls this decan The Farthest Shore — a reference to the writings of Ursula K. LeGuin and her Earthsea books, where the end of the world and the edge of the land and the end of life are all one place together. Will you give up all for power there? Or will you allow yourself to go into the darkness?
That renunciate behavior is going to be in widespread supply over the next ten days, as employers continue to make (what seem to them) perfectly reasonable demands for employees to come back to the office… and employees begin to wrestle with the way their lives work so much better without three hours of commuting. Personal satisfaction and the reacquisition of time are not common Saturnine themes — but choosing relative poverty in exchange for freedom is absolutely one of the choices indicated by Saturn! In Pisces I, this process is likely to be slow-going and filled with lots of twists and turns… but it’s important to remember that indolence and health go together — as a recent NPR report noted, long COVID may be damaging the cells’ mitochondria. Expect the back-and-forth to continue for some time, both in the realm of personal health, and in the question of where to work and why.
The dodeks of Pisces I are recapitulations of the signs of Pisces, Aries, Taurus, and Gemini. These 2° 30′ segments of the Zodiac represent the nature of each of the signs, reflected gem-like on the interiors of each individual sign. Here, they speak of the emotional conflict within the self, as we rise from indecision and waffling to an actual choice. Once the results of those choices become plain, we are able to engage in a new analysis of possibilities and potentials — emotional conflict represented by Pisces gives way to the fire of a decision in Aries, followed by Taurus’ groundedness in a new reality. We end in Gemini with new intellectual possibilities and practical decisions to be made.
Planetary Positions
At the start of Pisces I we’re looking at a night chart, in which
Over the course of the last three weeks, there’s been a pile-up of planets in Capricorn and Aquarius, the two signs that Saturn rules. Capricorn is the night-sign of Saturn, while Aquarius is the day-sign. As a result, the past few weeks have perhaps felt like the long night of the soul’s anxiety — facing limits on every side, feeling like you are riveted to your chair waiting for the chance to issue the right command at the right time, and eager for the dawn to come. Fans of the Kenneth Branagh film Henry V will know the eagerness of the French forces, who outnumbered the English at least five to one at Agincourt; and the dismay and weariness of the English — hungry, wet, cold, and with insufficient numbers to meet their opponents. So went the last three weeks… a long, weary midnight of bad sleep and rough living for all, whether billionaires in Barbados bungalows or homeless in homasote hovels.
The calculation has already started to change, though. With this new decan, Pluto, Venus, Mars, and Mercury all stand in Aquarius on either side of the Imum Coeli — They may all be astride the midnight line, but there’s a new awareness dawning from them. Additionally, all these planets will act as spearbearers to the rising Sun on the morning of the 19th — the merchants, the ladies of the court, the soldiers, the bureaucrats, of the celestial kingdom… all clearing the path for the Sun rising in Pisces. It’s the announcement of king’s preparations for his annual tour, and a practice run for his triumphal parade. There’s a sense of marshaled experts and thought-leaders and influencers, all on the same page and ready to deliver economic and social benefit to families and households, all under one roof, with the coming dawn — we’re finally going to help people!
… Of course… such things are not without their risks. The Sun and Saturn are both in Pisces, absent from their place at the end of the parade, wandering through the alleys where Saturn can talk the king’s ear off about austerity, limitations, challenges, and risk-management. Whatever generosities the planets in Aquarius have planned, the Sun and Saturn are going to take a long time to implement; and they have their own delays and routine bureaucratic nightmares to account for. Additionally, The Sun, Saturn and Mercury will meet in a three-way council at 9° Pisces on February 28 — the cazimi no one enjoys, where the king’s oldest advisor establishes ground rules for future processions and plans, and sets up long and circuitous precedence rules and guidelines — and the King instructs Mercury — publish it all. Ordinarily a Mercury cazimi (“in the heart of the Sun”) is a thing to enjoy. Maybe not this go-around. Much later in Pisces, the Sun has an upcoming date with Neptune on March 17, 2024; and by that time, most of the planets now in Aquarius will be in Pisces, each desperately making the case for their resource-requests to Saturn the miser… who will likely deny them all.
Jupiter and Uranus are both in the seventh house in Taurus, though — above the horizon, they suggest both difficulties and opportunities in the conditions of your significant other or closest allies. Are you reaching out to your best friend? Your significant other? Your work bestie? How are you helping them out in the current situation? There’s an opportunity for generosity, especially as these two continue to narrow the distance between them from now to late May 2024.
The Moon, at 0° Cancer, is trine to the Sun, supporting him in the decision to be in the labyrinth and maze of Saturn’s confusing, conflicting signals. Yet she’s sovereign in her own house, smoothing travel and raising collegiate expectations; even the quality of your work in the adult-education pottery class may be elevated. She’s entered the Eighth Mansion, a place of considerable forethought and strategic ideation — use the next two days for long-range planning and for setting both year-long goals and week-long objectives.
although not shown on this chart, the Nodes remain in Aries and Libra — promising a strong hunger toward achieving daily activities, but difficulties in solo work or entrepreneurial endeavors. Work with your team, rather than over them; and if you’re working solo this week, then recruit an alliance of cooperating friends as quickly as you can this week. You want to put your best foot forward and keep your head in the game. Just remember Sartre’s warning, that Hell is other people. You need them, but you don’t have to like them… just find common ground where you each get something from the partnership, but don’t expect it to last.
Horoscopes by Rising Sign
Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.
I recommend reading your Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising sign for best results. I write them with rising sign in mind, but several people have told me they find that they do better with all three.
Scorpio: A series of intense issues are likely to cluster around home and family, as roommates, spouse, kids and anyone living under your roof try to bring all issues to the forefront — no matter how unrelated or tangential. Your wisdom and intellect may be capable of unraveling the tangle, but remember that you are not the outsider here — no matter how much you think of yourself as the observant critic, you are as much a part of this system as anyone else; and trying to play the dispassionate, uninvolved arbiter is not going to go well. Instead, think about what is the ideal situation, and what practical steps you can take toward making that a reality. Be conscious that this will not necessarily be fun, but you can increase your pleasures in the next few days by being genuinely attentive to your partner’s (partners’?) deep needs, and attending to them with both speed and depth.
Sagittarius: Financial matters will still be much on your mind, but limitations are likely to ease and release in coming days. Pay attention to the ordering of bill payments, and try a few tricks to win new allies (or clients) in communities where you already belong. Your own household expenditures should be limited, because there are strange creatures washing up on the shores soon that will require reserve resources to deal with. Daily routines are subject to interruption, but your leadership can smooth things over on a moment-to-moment basis. You may have to assume a more parental role even if you’re the child, but treat this as a learning experience — this is a foretaste of things to come, not the main event.
Capricorn: Challenges with scheduling cause you to go back and forth with friends, with family members, and with neighborhood acquaintances over routine matters, local gossip, and pressing community business. There will be many things you want to do — and equally good reasons not to do them. If you have kids, there may be significant issues arising with your childrens’ teachers and school administrators, but your opinions about how to handle the “crisis” may not be entirely welcome — be diplomatic and tactful, but keep a close eye on your wallet, and be cautious about putting your mouth where your money is: you may be asked to back up your words with donations.
Aquarius: Taylor Swift has a song where she sings, “Hey, it’s me, I’m the problem — it’s me,” and my friend J also is fond of quoting what he calls the 10% A-hole rule. If you look around a group of ten or more people and you can’t figure out who the jerk is… it’s you. And I get it: you are often the most competent person in the room, whether at home or at work or when working from home or when handling home matters while at work. But this week, at least, recognize that you’re going to be the loudest, angriest, person in most of the rooms you’re in — but most of your context for contentment will come from listening carefully, rehashing old data, and seeking the new fit. Some financial rollers may come in, but it’s hard to know if they’re riptides dragging you under, or a new wave to surf: keep track of the weather and the tide on your bank accounts.
Pisces: You may have trouble this week making plans with friends or even just to pursue your own hobbies or to hang out with your kids. It’s worth keeping an eye on the way your schedule morphs beyond your usual controls, and understand the way that your life tends to be overrun in waves. If you’re self-employed, particularly if you have an office or co-working space, you might want to shift your operations home for a while; you can expect that the turbulence of your desk in the spare bedroom is going to bring new excitement and energy to your projects, but also be less mothering — and less smothering — than your boss at work.
Aries: A family friend may offer a useful and constructive criticism that bruises your ego or self-presentation, like the cleanliness of your house or your attentiveness to parents or children. It will be difficult NOT to headbutt them, because they will be totes inappropro as one of my students once said — and they will deserve it. But — for the sake of your legal issues and a desire to not spend time behind bars or in the courts, you will refrain from immediate military action. Instead, take the diplomatic route… and then use your knowledge and most kindly, gracious charm to push the point home by framing their much needed apology in terms of a discount or an actual grant of cash money. This is not about pulling a Karen — your goal here is to be much more like Lady Astor: unwilling to be visibly upset, but dangerously calm.
Taurus: It’s probably felt like you’re in planning mode constantly for things that are six months or more down the line. But you’re on the edge of shifting into a new relationship with your peers and business partners, and spouses: everything you do every day is likely to have immediate effects. Use this week to work from home on the creative aspects of your life, figuring out what must be cut and what must be loosed like a bowstring or a flock of homing pigeons all delivering their messages to distant allies. The shift comes at about 21-22 February… finish all the getting-ready bits — and then release your wings.
Gemini: You may feel somewhat burdened by responsibilities this week, but you would do well to think of yourself as an un-weaver. In her new book, Penelope Unweaving, artist Paula Billups writes movingly about her own experiences weaving and unweaving her work, and her sense of the mythic connection with Odysseus’s wife Penelope. She writes of the Princess Nausicca’s mother, recognizing her own handiwork on a stranger’s body: “how did you come to wear my work?” she asks Odysseus. This is where you’ll be in the next ten days — creating labor, and then undoing that work for the sake of deeper understanding. Once the work is unraveled to its yarns, though, you’ll see your way through the labyrinth of challenges, and be able to turn that thread into a net to catch new customers… or to trap unwary rivals.
Cancer: The Moon is home in her own sign for the next two days, bringing up a combination of lunar tethers and secret spaces, as well as enduring the tedium of the same emotional baggage being delivered to your room on a regular basis Some time will need to be spent on the road. On the one hand you’ll feel great tenderness toward the future of your self and your kids (real or imagined), and toward your past self and lineages and places you’ve been — and on the other hand there’s an absolutely delightful festival where you can dance and let your hair down and celebrate privately. In between, or after, there may be the letdown of wondering, is this all there is? as the Moon approaches full on February 24 [after which you’ll be better prepared to reach a better understanding between you and significant other(s) on important work-life balance issues]. Lean into responsibilities where you can, and try to maintain bravery in the face of challenges — but recognize that you’re well within your rights to flatly say “This will not work,” when you’re on your own turf.
Leo: You may have cause to bless and curse out your spouse or significant other over the next ten days. And whether for good or for ill, one way or another they’ll probably deserve it. But it’s worth asking yourself a few questions: Am I being a helpful critic here? is one of those questions. Another might be: Am I grandstanding for the sake of having a scene-chewing performance to give? Let me ask another question, and invite you to use this “director’s note” for your method acting and motivation instead: This person could be my heart’s home: how will I show that to them in an Oscar worthy performance? Now, let me also point out that winter-sundown train-station goodbyes wreathed in steam from the locomotive, while being highly dramatic, are also not a good indicator of how the laundry gets done or the garbage goes to the dump. Expect some wrangling over those issues in days to come, and not a simple straight-line solution.
Virgo: Make a point of connecting with acquaintances over the next ten days, but pay special attention to what might be called your “daily service network.” This might include your morning barista, your lunch waitress, the janitor at work, the cashiers and attendants at shops you visit regularly. Make a point of being visible, in a positive way; if there’s an easy way to leave your business card, do. If anyone tries to make trouble, get out of there — you may want to be a hothead, but diplomatic solutions will yield more effective results. (insults of spouses will have to be addressed with a cold shoulder, loss of business, and sullen grudge, though). Opportunities for new business with immediate expectations are likely to pop up suddenly and disappear as quickly — be ready with a generous pitch so they can feel like they hit it out of the park.
Libra: It may feel lonely as the nature of long-term plans shrink to more immediate questions, and as you find yourself doing the same things over and over. You may consider your parental responsibilities as a place of new learning; remembering that younger friends may look to you as they would an absent or unhelpful parent (those Libras on the younger side… some of your older friends could use a moment when a junior seeks their counsel). Another friend may give you a sense of temporary triumph with a good-natured trophy, of sorts. The thing to be on the watch, for, though, are the ways in which professional issues dominate your day, or the ways in which your social dramas and family matters impact your daily work commitments. It’s not to say that it’s bad one way or the other — Shakespeare reminds us in Henry IV, Pt 1, “To sport would be as tedious as to work.” You want to be able to enjoy that third time which is not work and not home this week, and find your extracurricular family.
Colophon
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If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.
I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.
I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.
