© Laura James 2015, Self Portrait as
Frida Kahlo, Used with Permission, http://laurajamesart.com/
New Moon | March 17, 2018 | 26Pisces 53'
“Everybody has a story,” sings Aretha. You meet and interact with a person, if only briefly, and you have no idea of the story behind them. You may have no idea of how your story plays here either. In literature, this is called a backstory and may be told as a flashback, or simply held by the writer, knowing the complexity and motivation of the character that is not seen in the current scene.
Pisces is the end of winter and the backstory of spring. Take a moment to think about how you usually anticipate the spring. You might start with the obvious. I love daylight savings time because more light means more life. When home from work with daylight left, I might be more inclined to do something and not just blob out.
But is there another story on repeat that plays out this time of year? An astrologer friend saw a pattern in my chart that I had not observed. I am a Pisces with Saturn in Virgo (the sign of work, health and well-being). Every October, when the sun in Libra would be in my sixth house of work, would quit my temporary, but long-term job. I scoured my journals to see if I could uncover what made me do the same thing over and over.
I discovered that every August, when the Sun went over my Saturn, something would happen that would make me feel restricted. I began to call it my “season of discontent.” One such season, perceiving that I had nothing to do at work, I indulged my dictionary habit. This habit entails following a thought to a more precise understanding by looking up the words that constructed the thought. The boss told me that if I had nothing to do, I could certainly file. He wasn’t out of order, but I intensely disliked the fat heavy files and the tight drawers that I had to put them in. By October, I would quit—by then, already unaware of the triggering incident. This was followed by a period of flux, working shorter assignments, not getting assignments when I needed them, and days of lethargy where I was unable to remember what I thought I was going to do if only my time were free.
Come April and spring, I’d be starting a new long-term assignment, relieved to be working again so that I could restore balance in my relationships and my obligations.
When I lived in New York, the Sun in Pisces would find me weary of the cold, and wet of rain or snow, but hanging in, certain that Spring would come.
Is the Sun in Pisces a languishing time for you? Are you be in a fog or funk? Are you feeling disillusioned? Are you wondering if you should fight or take flight? Or are you getting inspired by the rhythm of change within your own being? Are your thoughts turning to love or play?
The fight or flight question comes up because in astrology, Pisces is the feet and feet are the first mode of getting you quickly out of danger and because the fight or flight mechanism in the brain is toward the back of the head. Tarot Key 18 is assigned to Pisces and to the Hebrew letter Qoph, meaning the back of the head. Pisces' keywords are, “I believe.” Your beliefs are behind your blossoming. Your beliefs are behind your rationalization or reasoning. Your beliefs are behind your automatic reactions and impulses. Pisces beliefs are backed up by the “knowing” of Aquarius. You believe you can fly, or swim, or succeed, or you don’t.
With the aid of astrology, the unconscious can become more conscious by observing your behavior correlating with the planets and signs and times. Make a connection between your beliefs (Pisces) and your direction (Aries). If you think you don’t know what’s going on, observe how you feel. How you feel is a way to know what's going on. Happy or sad, good or bad? This is not hard to know.
You might want to record your observations. Often the act of writing stimulates a stream of consciousness that elucidates and informs.
When I discovered that I had a “season of discontent,” I learned to watch for my reactions when Sun went over Saturn and renamed this period my “season of rich content.” That seasonal pattern no longer tempts.
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