Although this Moon picks at around 21 ° PISCES 24′, is located between Venus and Mars, both in PISCES, but also with a “stellium” of planets in this sign including Mercury (still retrograde), Chiron and Neptune-of course. As we continue with Mercury in retrograde motion until the 18th, the message of this Lunation seems to invite us to an inner journey, in search of a way of deciphering our internal language. To take a look at this “soul” or “Observer” which exists within us, which inhabits our body, and demands expression and rectification.
Recognizing, Respecting and Accepting, automatically Corrects, not only our personal past, but also, our family and ancestral legacy. Awareness is our only salvation. The Piscean lesson, is that which helps us recognize the unity with All and Everyone, the divinity within us. If the tree suffers, I suffer, if my kids suffer, I suffer, if the rivers run dry, I suffer, if a woman gets raped on the other side of the world or stubbed, like yesterday in London (in a bus! like the girls in India), I suffer. But equally, if you succeed, I am happy, if a child is saved from hunger, I am happy, if our oceans are clean, I am happy, if the war ends, I’m happy, if you learn, I learn.
Neptune entered PISCES last year, for the first time in the life of all who are alive today, for the first time in what we consider to be its own sign, by the similarity of experience and lessons to be learn. This is a Lunation with 7 planets in this territory, where we learn about unconditional love, on other dimensions of human experience, which scientists are still far from explaining. We all know we connect with other dimensions, but we do not know how. We often know who’s calling when the phone rings, before answering, we recognize another soul, without even talking to them, or enter any space and we tremble without knowing why. We chose a therapist or an astrologer with whom we have incredible cosmic connections, without knowing how, but we all know that these things happen all the time. We hear music, or we can hum melodies that, in theory, we have not heard before and don’t understand the process.
Astrologers, smiled quietly, when we see the chart of our clients, and their connections to ours, by progression or transits. They arrive at the “right time” or “Kairos” (an undetermined period of time in which something important happens) and the experience is pure mutual learning process. Seen in this way, nothing in life seems a coincidence. If we don’t even dare to ask ourselves, if there’s a possibility of an hidden order in these apparent “constant” coincidences, we could be somewhat superficial or negligent or simply humanly ignorant. But many Piscean experiences are inexplicable in human terms, although, they are perfectly human experiences. We don’t have the elements yet, because of our obsession with separation and individuation to understand ‘how’s that we are all absolutely linked. Internet today provides a media by which we can begin to understand this concept.
It’s not easy being a Piscean, it takes almost an entire life, to understand that immeasurable wealth of knowledge and wisdom they have since they are born. That connection to the ineffable that gives them access to a knowledge indescribable and inexplicable. They are victims of their own wisdom, it is difficult to share or to integrate into everyday life.
Have you ever seen a pond full of fish?, they swim unceasingly from one side to another, in a constant and extraordinary choreography of crossings exchanges, forming the most magnificent designs, with an innate elegance, but never in a straight line. I could not imagine a better image of PISCES than that. Try asking a Pisces a question for which you need a concrete response and you will see. You will never get it. Directness or concreteness, does not seem to exist in the life of Pisces. Only in the arts they are able to express their eternal wandering through the emotional waters and creative madness. The concept of the drop in the ocean, constantly mixing and reforming the mass of water that exists because of it, and even then is not even appreciated for it. The drop could never explain the ocean, and the ocean without it would not exist. The drop is part of the storms, tsunamis, calm, waves and that constant motion,that’s where PISCES resides, trying to live a mortal life, so no wonder that their body or feet, hurt all the time. Ah! If PISCES could catch that moment, that belief, that creative impulse, every time, and express it and create, we would have found the door between the real and the ineffable. Then, how can we connect to that Ethereal, wise, divine world of Neptune and Pisces without dying in the attempt?How many Piscians have dwelled in alcoholism, drugs, barbiturics, madness?
Meditation, music, art, dance, tai-chi, painting, writing, prayer, they are some of the roads that can be traveled to express the world of Neptune, even for a moment, but with the conviction that they must always come back to what we call real, since while we are alive, we have other things to do.
Saturn in Scorpio, forms a trine to Chiron and Mercury, use the power of this lunation to meditate on these issues, to find yourself in your own Ocean and allow yourself to visit the ineffable trusting that Saturn, will help you return safe and sound and keep in touch with what is real. Jupiter is in square to Mercury retrograde, so make sure that your optimism has real bases and if you decide to take any major risks, you have a cushion where to fall back on.
The Sun and the Moon are in square to Ceres, reminding us that we must feed our soul, as well as our body, and that we must respect those who know more than us and listen.
Mars enters Aries a few hours after the Moon picks, and Venus will enter the first fire sign on the 22nd, a few days before the Full Moon in Libra on the 27th.
With Venus and Mars in Aries, our intention is strengthened and suddenly we understand that we can launch ourselves in search of what we love, another person or a new project. Time to begin again, the impulse of spring is very strongly felt with these personal planets in Aries,this is the true beginning of the astrological year. An inexplicable force invades us and reminds us that every day we can start again. Every day an adventure begins and anything can us to it.
Once again we recognize that we have more of one chance and maybe we have been blind to many of them, by victimizing ourselves, by insisting in doing things the same way, even if everything reminds us that we must change. Between the 23rd and 27th, just in time for the next full moon, Mars will align with Uranus in Aries, activating the famous current Urano-Pluto square. Cardinal signs here have another opportunity to rethink the issues that occupies them at present in the past months or even years, another opportunity to seek a suitable possible solution. Venus will also pass through this point, from the 28th, and we will have the opportunity to experience the difference of these two planetary energies and their unique message. Pay attention to what occurs these days from 26 to 31 and comments in this space, your experiences, if you feel like it.
If you ever had a Piscean experience, your life has changed, by this I mean what commonly call, a peak experiences, i.e. those moments when you can really live and experience the unity with everything. Whether watching a sunset, a Sunrise, during a walk in the mountains or perhaps sitting comfortably on the sofa in your living room, meditating, singing, dancing. Normally this experiences are stimulated by the contact with Nature and then suddenly we understand everything.
We are living very Piscean times and have the opportunity to connect with this concept that we are all ONE and we can see how we are all affected in our unique and special ways, by the same stimulus, and similar situations.
On the 18th, Mercury will station direct to resume its forward motion, to leave PISCES finally on April 13th. This is a brilliant opportunity to defy the gloom of the ‘crisis’ and encourage us to risk and to initiate new projects. Open doors and let the sunlight of spring or autumn enter your soul.

Here we are again with the passage of Venus, capricious Goddess of Love and Beauty in the sign of Apollo or the Sun, Leo, the second fire sign. The word that comes to mind when I think of people with Venus in Leo is: “fabulous” in all its meaning! Of Fable!

This is a position of the goddess full of glamour, incredibly extravagant and generous – and if any of these qualities are not evident then we should worry. Leo needs to be admired and the Venus in this sign, more than anyone else. These are the children who spend the day saying:-”look Mommy, Mommy look!””….” and how unfortunate if you don’t have time or energy to look at them, each time, since they really need it . They build their self-esteem, on the basis of the expression on the face of their parents, especially the father, when they make their little tricks.

Venus in Leo, is interested in expressing her own creativity in a unique way, not like everyone else and it is vital for them, to find the way to do it. Encouragement by her parents in that thing that they “feel” they should do is pivotal. I have seen people with Venus in Leo, forced to do something that wasn’t what their heart dictated, with terrible consequences.

Venus in its passage through Cancer, it has helped us enjoy being at home, or in that place, where we feel comfortable and relaxed, with family, with friends, with those that we consider family; Venus in Leo will drive us to find a way, a system, a job, that will help us enhance our creativity. What can we do, add, remove, invent, incorporate into our daily lives, in order to obtain better ways to express our creativity. That which will enhance our immense possibilities, and potentials, in order to live better and feel that an unknown part of our soul now has an opportunity to express itself as never before.

Venus will trine Uranus on the 12th and 13th of September, a few days before the new moon in Virgo, and this may help us find that new element we need to strengthen and rediscover our possibilities. In many cases, it will mean meeting new people, new contacts who seem to open doors that we thought closed to us.

On the 20th and 21st, the contact will be between Venus and Saturn in sextile, a good opportunity to reconsider our close relationships and look for ways to consolidate them. It could help us feel that perhaps this relationship we are having, is more serious than we thought. On the 26-27, Venus in Leo will form a square with Mars in Scorpio, these are days to mark in red in the calender of all those Taurus and Aquarius, also for the Leos and Scorpios. Red is not necessarily a bad thing, but intense and even agitated. Clashes which must be handled with more patience than usual. Mars and Venus are eternal lovers in Greek mythology, two archetypes that need each other and meet over and over again. Mars in Scorpio temp us toward secret loves and nights of passion.

Aries and Sagittarius will look more beautiful than ever, and of course Leo will look in the mirror and feel more powerful than ever. Good time to take care of our appearance, spend more time and money than usual to beautify ourselves. Beware of credit cards, because Venus in Leo does not like cheap or second hand things. Madonna, Coco Chanel are two women with Venus in Leo.

This transit of Venus in Leo that does not occur since August 2011, nor will it happen again until July 2013, can inspire us to reunite ourselves with that part of our soul that need our care. Search inside yourself and meditate on what needs expression inside of you. What has been dormant for too long and is now begging to come out or be re-invented.

Venus the great Olympic goddess of love, beauty, creativity and good living, which includes money (or the expending of it), entered Gemini on the 3rd of this month which ends today, but it is on May 16th, that will begin its retrograde motion, something that occurs every 18 months.

We describe a planet in retrograde motion when we see it station to then begin to move backward, on their journey around the Sun. Except the Sun and the Moon, all planets have their retrograde period. As I have already explained in the past, this apparent motion in reverse, is not more than an optical illusion, which is created by the rotation of the Earth in relation to the movement of the planet.

If you want to see an of example of such an event, go to http://www.astrologycom.com/retroframe.html

These cosmic events seem to coincide with situations in our lives, when we are called to RE-vise, RE-study, RE-think, RE-structure something in our lives. These are the moments when we need to take a step back, in order to move forward again.

When we talk about Venus, we obviously have to look at our personal relationships, work out exactly what we are trying to solve in our relations, or in any situation which involves exchange of money, in a creative project, in the way in which we live our own beauty.

This is not a time for aesthetic surgery, but rather, a time to RE-think if we really want to do it. It is not a good time to break a relationship, but to RE-consider how we feel about our partner. If we are not in a relationship, then it is a good opportunity to think, why not, if we really want one or not, and if we want it and do not have it, meditating on the reasons of why not.

Our attitude to personal relationships, is greatly coloured by our transgenerational history, and according to the aspects that the Moon and Venus make to the collective planets (Urano-Neptuno and Pluto) in our birthchart, we can understand what emotional situations we come from. What is that which seems to “manage us” from within, that we cannot control or fully understand and that never mind how hard we try we don’t seem to be able to “transcend”.

Venus starts stations retrograde on May 16th at 24º Gemini forming a semisextil to Jupiter at 24º Taurus and an exact trine with Saturn in Libra.

These aspects of the Venus evoke situations of the past that need to solve, especially those which began 7, 14, 21 or 28 years earlier. A cycle begs for completion and it needs a thorough review to finally put an end to it and move forward, physically and emotionally. Lovers, husbands, wives, relations of the past may turn up in our lives again, so that we can “close this chapter of our lives”. All those separations that have not really concluded, now have an opportunity to do so.

The semisextil of Jupiter will help us feel better about the outcome, whichever it is.

Mars makes the last exact trine to Pluto, auguring a positive debate, with good intentions on both sides, with real possibilities for resolution, but certain willingness is required by both parties to reflect on the matter and let go of vengeful feelings that will only make the conflict survive.

Patience and forgiveness are two of the feelings and attitudes learned in these moments.A deep insight is necessary to really understand what is that we should really let go of, in order to live happier lives.

This Venus retrograde motion coincides with the solar annular eclipse of May 20th, or New Moon in Gemini(I will write about it in the next article), and the partial lunar eclipse or Full Moon of June 4th, which also coincides with Venus forming a square to Mars in Virgo, which suggests that we should really look deep in our hearts so that we can act in the manner most beneficial for ourselves and those we love. This is an excellent opportunity to discover our inner ambiguity and our most diverse feelings, those we normally project onto others or on “the other”. This is the pivotal point of this cosmic event.

As Michael Jackson sang: “Begin with the man in the mirror……”

A reunion with old friends is possible and/or the restoration of old relations that marked a very vital social moment in our lives. The need to find a new way to relate to each other, less intense and demanding and yet equally satisfactory is one of the benefits of Venus in Gemini. Venus will station direct on 28th of June to 7º Gemini, when it makes a quincunx to Pluto and a sextile to Uranus. It enters Cancer on August 8th, ending its transit through the sign of the twins.

Today at 3:44 pm, GMT, Venus has moved from Libra into Scorpio. Mars will follow making its entrance into the 8th sign of the Zodiac on the 14th at 10:38 pm, GMT. Venus moves in after 10 months of absence and Mars after 2 years, 23 months to be exact.

Venus will have its retrograde motion in this sign, so on October 8th, will station retrograde and begin its apparent motion backwards at 13º of Scorpio. On November 8th, will dip back into Libra until the end of the month, yet, by November 19th will station direct and go back to its forward motion, entering Scorpio once more on the 29th.

By October 4th, Venus and Mars will meet at 13º of Scorpio.

It was with the passage of these two planets through Libra and with the help of Saturn also in this sign, that Israel and Palestine have once more sat down to have some peace talks. Many of us have enjoyed very pleasant social times and the opportunity to mend some relationships, or at least to have some peaceful discussions.

But the passage through Scorpio will not be such a mellow ride. This is a water sign, ruled by Pluto, Lord of the Great Below and the Underworld. This sign operates from the emotions and not from the brain like Libra.

Scorpio brings us the opportunity to journey through the shadow side of our psyche, in order to have a complete picture of our motivations and intentions. Time to take our projections back and stop blaming others for what’s wrong with us.

In Libra, we had the opportunity to talk things over, now, having hopefully listened to what the other had to say, or even better, having seen the situation through the “other’s”  eyes, we can now concentrate in how we feel, and why we feel this way.

Secret love affairs are the most affected by this Scorpian period. Old flames might reappear. Unfinished stories will re-emerge.

Afrodite (Venus) the Goddess herself, knows about secret affairs. Although married to Hephaistus, the ugly but  very creative goldsmith of the Olympus, she always secretly kept her affair with Ares (Mars).

Having been warned by a friend, Hephaistus pretended to go away for a long week end once, knowing that his wife will be unfaithful. He carefully made an almost invisible but very strong net made of gold threads and hid in his own bedroom, waiting for the lovers to lay.

When they did, he came out of his hiding corner and dropped the net over the lovers and tied it in such a way that they could not move. He then called all the Gods to show them the real face of Afrodite. They were both punished.

Since once again Afrodite (Venus) and Ares (Mars) are together in the Heavens, we may have a good look at the face of our inner lover. Our longings and desires will be available for us, from the hidden parts of our psyche.

The lessons of Scorpio and especially of Mars and Venus in Scorpio, are about letting go. Learning to understand that the “other” is someone to share the journey with, but not to possess. Ending relationships is a dramatic experience for Scorpio, the idea of separation resembles death too much for Scorpio.

But the truth is, nobody dies. Learning to deal with transformation instead of death is the challenge for Scorpio. Nothing or nobody really dies, it transforms. Like the real meaning of the work, trans-forms, it changes, it transcends, form.

Our approach to sexuality is also the theme, while these two Gods travel through this sign. What do we want from the other?

In Spanish there is “te quiero” (I want you)  and “te amo”, (I love you). Accordingly most people say “te quiero” to the loved one, that’s the Scorpio way. To say I love you is a much more compromising position, precisely because it involves compromise. We must work at a relationship, whereas we don’t have to work at being in love or in lust. It just happens.

Mars in Scorpio is a more intense transit and it might ruin the good intentions of Israel and Palestine. Power struggles are in order, so for all those of you, Leos, Aquarius, Taurus and Scorpio, remember to use these energies to delve into yourselves and discover your true desires.

Mars will remain in Scorpio, sign that rules, by the way, until October 27th, when it will move into Sagittarius.

Let’s TRANS-FORM our lives, our relationships, remaining true to ourselves. Time to let go of situations, people, that do not allow us to grow anymore. Let’s be passionate and loyal, two wonderful qualities of Scorpio!