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 © Annie Musse
Endings and beginnings are on my mind these days with Saturn weighing down my 29° Libra Sun with Neptune at 29° Aquarius trine it. We’re now a couple of weeks away from Neptune’s ingress into its home sign of Pisces and I, for one, see this as far more positive than not.
Shape shifter that he is, Neptune has struggled during his lengthy stay in Aquarius starting on 28 January 1998. Aquarius is fixed air and very big on coming up with “one size fits all” schemes for the collective . . . and then spends a great deal of time and energy insisting on stuffing everyone into their particular box without checking to see whether or not it’s a good fit. We’ve seen the rise of social networking via the internet spread around the globe and people “friending” people they’ve never met face to face. Don’t get me wrong, I love the internet and being able to connect with people around the world suits my North Node in Gemini to a ‘T’. However, in my opinion, the ability to discriminate what’s appropriate to share from what’s best kept private has been lost– very much Neptune in Aquarius. Aquarius is simply too cerebral and detached to understand why sensitive water sign folk are repulsed by the “too much information” crowd.
Another blessing of Neptune in Pisces for the next thirteen years is having the water element represented full time. Ever since Uranus left Pisces for Aries last March there are been long periods when only the swift moving Moon passed through the water signs, making it challenging for people to stay in touch with their feelings. Neptune in Pisces is an excellent representative for watery energy and will provide a subtle background note gently prodding us to take our emotions into account at all times.
I’m sure we will deal with too much sentimentality and maybe more than a few people suffering from savior complexes but overall I’m hoping Neptune in Pisces will open hearts and remind us of those feelings we have in common. Getting Neptune’s influence out of our heads and back into our hearts opens the door to unconditional love and acceptance. We need to renew our appreciation for genuine compassion and let go of the need to convince others our brand of ideology will serve the masses better than yours. Believe me, we’ll need every bit of help we can get to smooth the jagged edges of Uranus in Aries battling it out with Pluto in Capricorn for the next three years!
The movie, Big Fish, is a marvelous example of Neptune’s better nature. Imaginative and loving all at the same time.
 © Susan Seddon Boulet
Ah, beautiful Venus arrives in the sign she is exalted in . . . Pisces, sustaining the loving warmth she found in her conjunction to Neptune, Pisces’s ruler, while still in Aquarius. Venus is somewhat uncomfortable in cerebral, crystalline Aquarius and is very, very happy to dive into watery Pisces where she enriches all our lives with sympathy and sensitivity to the needs of others. One of the gifts Venus in Pisces brings to the collective is renewing the awareness other people of all varieties matter and we need to treat our fellow travelers with understanding and tolerance.
This year Venus conjoined Neptune in Aquarius but for many years to come, when Venus enters Pisces, she will conjoin Neptune in Pisces at some point. Children born with the conjunction will have a marked degree of sensitivity to the plight of others. Whether this is a blessing or a curse will depend on the rest of their charts because being overly sensitive to pain and suffering is very difficult to live with. These little ones will need to be taught how to step back and establish boundaries from a very early age.
Something I’ve noted is how Venus in Pisces in the charts of those with the Sun in Capricorn, Aquarius, Aries and Taurus, markedly softens those signs. It gives business-like Capricorn a heart and helps them remember to give people a second chance to succeed; and for Aquarius, who often loves humanity more than individuals, Venus in Pisces aids them in appreciating their nearest and dearest. Being personally acquainted with several Aries Sun folk with this gentle Venus, I can attest to its ability slow them down, make them aware other people suffer too and to treat those folks with kindness. The rare Taurus Sun with Venus in Pisces is a truly gentle, loving soul who goes out of their way to make others feel good. Of course, Pisces Sun with Venus in Pisces is blessed with artistic talents of some kind, often for music and dance. They can have an exceptional ability to distinguish subtle color differences too. Their downfall may be the desire to escape reality altogether thru drugs, religion or other Neptunian illusions.
Life is short and Venus will only be in Pisces until 7 February, so make the most of this sweet, sweet time to enjoy a romantic moment with your lover, retreat to your bath with candles and scented oils, walk on the beach and listen to the waves or simply put on your favorite music to unwind. Take a moment or two to appreciate the importance of being inclusive rather than exclusive in honor of this wonderful Venus.
 © Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
Last week Mars in Virgo made the first of three passes to the closest aspect in my natal chart, an inconjunct between Uranus in Gemini and Mars/Mercury in Scorpio. Mars in Virgo is sextile to my Mars/Mercury in Scorpio but squares Uranus in Gemini, the other end of this inconjunct. Another factor is Mars/Mercury also conjoins my Ascendant from the twelfth house side.
All of us who have inconjuncts involving the personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) natally are challenged because there is simply no easy way to resolve the issues represented by the signs connected by this aspect. What I finally realized is the best outcome is often non-standard. In other words, we add 2 + 2 and come up with 5 . . . and it works for us.
Natal Yods with two inconjuncts focusing on one planet are the most challenging because they are relentless in forcing the individual to deal with the reality the conventional approach often fails to produce the desired result. The Sun as the apex says be yourself regardless, the Moon says please accept your emotional response is atypical, Mercury means your thinking process is decidedly different, Venus hints your style is out of sync with the current mode and Mars says the way you get things done is effective but unique!
For instance, my inconjunct directly affects my physical well-being and since I enjoyed good health most of my adult life (thanks to Mars conjunct the ASC), it wasn’t until the last few years that I began to realize I needed to be very proactive in assessing and dealing with my health concerns. Treating digestive issues with the standard products to reduce stomach acid no longer worked and I went to a naturopath who recommended adding more HCL, which did help. Because I’m the sort who always wants to know “why”, I asked but didn’t get any helpful answers from the doctors. Eventually my own research led me to believe most of my health issues were related to menopause and the subsequent drop in estrogen. About three months ago, I started taking a low dose, topical estrogen product . . . and it was enough to kick start my stomach into producing HCL once more. None of the doctors I saw told me to expect this. Thinking outside the conventional approach (Uranus inconjunct Mercury) produced the best results but if I didn’t trust my own process the outcome may not have been as good.
For artists, musicians and writers, having a natal inconjunct can be great. It helps them express their creativity in new and interesting ways. They are also good at turning mistakes into opportunities and using flaws constructively.
The inconjunct is less common than the five major aspects (conjunctions, sextiles, trines, squares and oppositions) but it packs a big punch if you have one or two. I feel it is very important for those of us who live with this awkward aspect to cherish our uniqueness and remember to respect what works for us even if it is non-standard.
 © Diane Lang
Even though Mars in Virgo won’t be stationing retrograde at 23° 05′ Virgo until 23 January (the same day as the New Moon in Aquarius), it is starting to noticeably slow down. Usually Mars takes about two days to move a degree and now it’s up to six days and will spend ten days at its station degree. When we need patience the most, it will be hardest to come by.
Mars is currently transiting my tenth and is in the process of making the first of three passes sextile my natal Mars-Mercury conjunction in Scorpio. By the weekend I will be experiencing the first of three passes of Mars squaring my natal Uranus . . . triggering my natal Uranus inconjunct Mars-Mercury. The “twitches” have already commenced and I need to take extra care to move with deliberation thus avoiding accidents. I foresee a few bumps and bruises in the days ahead. **sigh**
The sextile is great! It keeps things moving without going completely overboard and sharpens my mind wonderfully. The catch is Uranus and its need to push the envelope. What can happen is my mind runs way ahead of my tongue and my speech can be a bit garbled. Writing is not so bad because it can be edited though mistakes may slip by unnoticed because I get in too big a hurry.
If you have planets and Angles around 21 to 23 degrees in the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces), this Mars station will get your attention. You could be flooded with urgent communications or need to deal with mountains of nitpicky paperwork, have the urge to fly the country or just want to strangle your overly amped partner. Whatever comes your way, please do your best to be patient and kind in dealing with your own feelings of exasperation or other people’s foibles. Here’s wishing us all luck with that! 
 © Misterbeautiful | Dreamstime.com
The New Year starts out with all planets direct and moving forward for a change. The tone for the upcoming year as indicated by the New Year’s Day chart is a continuation of the Solstice with cardinal earth dominating. We need to stick with practical, balanced and equitable solutions for best results.
Best remember Mars in Virgo is slowing down to station retrograde on 23 January 2012! When Mars is stationing, getting projects up and running may take much longer than planned for, and since we’re dealing with Virgo we need to make darn good and sure all the picky bits are in place. Aries folks in particular often are frustrated during those times when Mars is traveling at a crawl and most Aries loathe dealing with paperwork and details. My Aries insists on doing the books himself to prepare for tax season even though Virgo Midheaven me has offered to help out . . . fun!
I’m going on record supporting those astrologers who say the world won’t end when the Mayan Calendar does. A couple of my favorites, Jeff Jawer and the inimitable Mikey Lutin, have come out with great articles stating their opinion. Jeff writes about 2012: A Beginning, Not the End and Mikey offers this article on Huff Post – 2012: Keep Paying Your Bills, It’s Not the End of the World. One of my readers brought up the planet, Nibiru. Besides, if the world does come to end at least we won’t have to listen/watch all the half-truths and outright lies the politicians will be broadcasting this election year . . . how’s that for a bright spot?
We have the first two exact squares between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn to look forward to – one on 24 June at 8º and the other on 19 September at 6º. Check to your chart to see if you have planets or Angles at either of those degrees. If you do, you may find yourself caught up in a rush of rebellion against the Powers That Be in some way.
Remember the snarly Mercury Retch we just concluded? Both my Gemini step-daughters failed to read the suggestions their dad had sent them for Xmas gifts closely and both gift items are set to be exchanged. It will probably mean a couple of weeks or more added on before delivery. Ah, Mercury, you little devil you!! Speaking of Mercury in Sagittarius, I am MORE than ready for it to leave my first house and move into Capricorn in about a week! My mind keeps jumping around all over the place.
May this year bring prosperity, joy and peace to all around the globe. Listen to other with an open heart and mind. Above all, continue to practice tolerance, patience and kindness.
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I have my natal Sun in Libra, the sign of relationship, conjunct Chiron in Libra and have spent many years analyzing what makes us tick when it comes to relating to others.