We Failed Amber Heard: An Astrological Portrait of Mass Deception and the Failure to Believe Women

With the ash having settled from the Depp v. Heard trial, I want to explore a loaded question: why don’t we believe women? The natal chart of this trial paints an evocative portrait of the grotesque intersection between public opinion, misogyny, and deception.

 Before diving in, here is a brief retelling of the circumstances: Johnny Depp (Depp) sued Amber Heard (Heard) for defamation arising from a 2018 article in the Washington Post titled I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change. While Heard’s name is listed as author, it would later come out that the ACLU penned the piece (to which they later testified). Depp is not mentioned by name in the article. Previously, Depp lost a libel lawsuit against British tabloid The Sun, who printed in 2018 that he was a “wife beater”. Note that in the U.K., it is notoriously hard to win libel suits if you are a publication. As part of the trial, evidence of Depp’s abuse (as provided by Heard’s team) was found to be “substantially true.”  The Sun continues to label Depp a “wife beater” in all articles run about him.

 So, Depp sued Heard for defamation because of an article in which is he not named and sued Heard (not the ACLU or The Washington Post) to the tune of $50 million dollars, money he knew she didn’t have. Depp asserted that Heard partook in a years-long, elaborate hoax against him, and that she had violently abused him.

 The trial began on April 11, 2022, in Fairfax, VA. Based on the Fairfax County Circuit Court’s scheduled start times for civil cases that commence on a Monday, we can reasonably assume a 10:00am event time.

 Here are the most notable observations of the chart, paired with a recounting of the climate and media blitz surrounding the case:

 Gemini ASC. The amount of documentation, recordings, soundbites, testimony, etc. speaks to the energy of Gemini. Like most cases, this was information heavy. It also represents how, months later, views on the trial are shifting. Views on the case shifted in real time as well. An absolute flurry of opinion, which I must note substantially differs from fact. Gossip is also firmly in the Gemini ballpark.

Sagittarius is the 7th house, in part representing how the case was viewed from the perspective of the other. While the public forum lives in the 11th house, the collection of personal perspective in the 7th galvanized how the trial came to be viewed by the masses (trine). Sagittarius operates on belief, specifically societal/overarching belief, which also substantially differs from fact. The reactions to Heard were mostly formed from gut. And the collective gut reaction to a woman alleging abuse against a publicly admired man is to not believe her. And to place upon her the burden of having to be the “perfect” victim in order to be taken seriously. (Recordings of Heard criticizing and belittling Depp were justifiably awful to hear. Descriptions of her own erratic and violent behavior were also justifiably appalling. But policing a woman’s response to abuse, limiting her to a narrow set of expectations, represents a metastasized societal tendency to silence women who speak up.)

Mercury in Taurus in the 12th house. Ruler of the ASC in the 12th house exacerbates difficulties around understanding. In Taurus, Mercury has a slow and thorough approach to information, antithetical to the Gemini rush. Mercury is the only personal planet in Earth here, and hanging in the 12th, indicates that information spread born out of practical application of the facts was hard to come by. Mercury in the 12th can also indicate a degree of hidden information, lies, mistellings, and misgivings. The public couldn’t know all there was to know but postured as if it did anyway. Declarative statements of Heard’s guilt, her sociopathic tendencies, her body (Taurus) language (Mercury)—all contributed to Heard’s now damaged reputation.

Many times, Heard was called a liar, her words picked over with a finely judgmental comb. For instance, the kerfuffle around whether Heard “donated” or “pledged” money to the ACLU. She used these words synonymously. Yet in cross examination, she was unfairly grilled about if she actually gave all of what she intended to give to the ACLU. She pledged several million to the ACLU, to be donated over the course of many years. ACLU would later confirm this agreement and confirm that they had already received one million from Heard. This was not a gotcha moment. But the public ran with it as if it was.

So, see, in the 12th house, Mercury is subject to subterfuge and vagaries. A simple semantic error, despite evidence to the contrary, was held against Heard. (Note how Depp’s sarcastic remarks and smirks were publicly lauded, while Heard’s testimony and delivery was routinely mocked).

Mercury forms an out of sign square to Pluto, which deepens cruelty of speech and spiteful bandwagoning. Men’s rights groups and sympathizers, formed in the fallout of the Me Too movement, used this trial and the public humiliation of Heard to strengthen a fundamental tenet of their cause: women lie, and men are the real victims. The corrosive nature of Pluto undermined a Venus narrative. (Men can be victims of domestic abuse. But anti-Heard groups campaigned less on that legitimacy, and more on vitriol for women and reclamation of power over them.)

Jupiter and Neptune conjunct in the 10th house. This is perhaps the most telling area of the chart. On this day, Jupiter and Neptune were in an exact conjunction at 23 degrees of Pisces. They were also forming an exact square to the Gemini ASC at 23 degrees. In my view, this set up ensured there was no way Heard would have a fair trial. The Jupiter-Neptune conjunction is one of hype, mass confusion and ubiquity. The way this trial played out on social media was the most evocative manifestation of this planetary mirage. No matter where you went on the Internet, you were bombarded with footage of this trial. On social media particularly, campaigns against and jokes at the expense of Heard went viral. Jupiter is an expansive energy, made even more powerful by its dignified placement in Pisces. Jupiter is the bully pulpit.  And Neptune infused that platform lies and falsehoods that spread quickly. There was no seeing anything clearly or objectively. Jupiter with Neptune created both the negative hype around Heard, and the positive, almost hero-worship, hype around Depp. In the 10th house, this conjunction forms the legacy of this case.

The square to the ASC from both planets worsened misunderstanding and fueled the media circus. With Jupiter square a Gemini angle we see both information overload and aggrandizement. With Neptune square a Gemini angle we see glamorization and deception. The collection of small lies and misconceptions (Gemini) over time can be regarded as the truth (Jupiter).

As a personal aside, I, and maybe you, fell victim to the narrative spins of this trial. Tweets and Tik-Toks inundated me with a one-sided take: Heard was the villain. Regretfully, I ran with that. Under a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, it is easier to drink the Kool-Aid. While I never steeped so low as to publicly mock her, sign petitions against her, or engage passionately in her humiliation (that I know of…we all absent-mindedly ‘like’ questionable takes on Twitter)—I still regret second guessing her. I was an unwitting accomplice in a culture that bashes women. Even pretty, white, and wealthy women. That’s just the programing we absorb. I am happy I exposed myself to information that in turn exposed my blind spots and inspired this piece.  

Sun in Aries in the 11th house, with Chiron. The life of this case was firmly steeped in public opinion and spectacle. The razzle dazzle of a celebrity trial. But the presence of Chiron amplified a public pain. In one interpretation, this can represent Heard having to re-live difficult events for the entire world to see. Heard’s own natal Mercury in Aries formed a conjunction to Chiron, representing speaking about and reflecting upon one’s own pain. Heard’s natal Chiron in Gemini is another astrological avenue through which we see salting of her wounds—on display in the 1st house of the trial chart. In another more symbolic interpretation, Chiron here can represent a societal wounding—what humanity still must heal. And that is the way that we treat women.

Moon in Leo in the 3rd house. This Moon placement underscores the entertainment element of this case. The soulful purpose of this case having been to bring things into visibility, to give them attention (Leo). The Moon can also, at least here, point towards the embodiment of the feminine. So, the Moon’s opposition to a dignified Saturn in Aquarius, representing the patriarchy at large, insists upon a contentious relationship between these polarities—what is traditional in a man’s world, and what is suffered as a woman in a man’s world. The Moon’s need for care is neglected when facing off with Saturn like this. Law, order, and courtrooms are a 9th house topic. Strengthen by a rigid Saturn, Heard ultimately fell victim to the larger patriarchal industrial complex (remember those rigid and narrow expectations mentioned above?) . The soul of this case was fundamentally weakened by long-standing system that reinforces the subjugation of women. Note also that the 9th house can be where we find firmly entrenched belief (especially with Saturn-rulership and presence), and the 3rd house is where we find individual perception that can run counter to these beliefs. In the end, Heard’s testimony wasn’t sufficient enough to crack a centuries-old, cemented view on women and the legitimacy of their stories.

Mars and Venus conjunct the MC. The midheaven of this chart sits between Venus and Mars. Instantly I thought of the classic he-said, she-said dynamic, with both Venus and Mars elevated and insistent on telling their sides of things. Also, this case hinged upon domestic abuse. Mars is violence and Venus is relationship. Venus is exalted in the sign of Pisces, which you may think is good here. But remember that close-by, Jupiter and Neptune sat in their intoxicating conjunction, sending tumultuous waves through the waters Venus found itself in. Mars on the other hand was conjunct Saturn in Aquarius. Venus’s placement in Pisces may have been more influenced by Jupiter-Neptune falsehoods, subjecting Heard (the woman) to widespread disbelief. Pisces is also far more impressionable than Aquarius, becoming whatever you view it as, or at the very least inspiring confusion. So, Venus was also subject to misconception and projection. We saw Heard how we wanted to see Heard. Venus was also unaspected by any other major planet, creating a quality of elusiveness that could be read as deceit. Mars on the other hand is in a fixed sign and supported by conjunction to Saturn. Mars also sees and influences the ASC via trine. The Saturn-tinged Mars outlook flowed more smoothly. Mars also formed a sextile to the Sun in Aries and ruled the 11th house. In the most basic terms, the man’s perspective won here through simple dominance of energy. And it didn’t matter if that perspective was founded upon misogyny and malice. We are more keen to believe that Heard was the evil mastermind behind a complex and years-long scheme to bring down Depp than we are to believe that Depp abused Heard point blank.

To add, asteroid Juno, which symbolizes marriage and partnership, was between Mars and Saturn at the time, giving a leg up to Depp’s experience of the marriage over Heard’s experience.

Saturn square the North Node (NN) in Taurus. Saturn sat at 22 degrees of Aquarius and formed an exact square to the NN in Taurus, also at 22 degrees. In short, Saturn could be seen here as obstructing the free flow of collective growth towards Taurean ideals. Amplification of the divine feminine is one of those. And that can include respecting women, security for women. With the NN in the 12th house, no doubt this case had and will have a continuing impact on the collective, even if imperceptible for now…with the Saturn square representing a kind of harsh redirect of fate. When Depp won, many feminist activists warned that his victory could start a slow regression of woman’s rights, that it could mark the end of what has been achieved under the Me Too movement. It was not only a loss for Heard, but a loss for women everywhere.

The 12th house highlights marginalized communities, segments of society that are thrown over to the margins. There is no light in the 12th. And if this sounds dramatic, think about all that has been stripped away from women this year alone, from the Roe v. Wade reversal to the stripping of rights from women in Afghanistan to the gender-based violence resulting from the war in Ukraine. When the nodes are in play, these individual events add up in remarkably important ways.

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Reader, I hope this has been a valuable intellectual and spiritual exercise for you. I hope that you were able to learn more about how Astrology works in real life, through humans and events, and ground some of what can feel abstract at times. Moreover, I hope this has poked a restless nerve in you, that it can help you rewrite or at least think more critically about the narratives we hold about and against women. May this trial be a critical learning moment that helps embolden, not erode, women’s rights, women’s value, and women’s stories.

Rihanna as Modern-Day Elizabeth Taylor

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIH!

The Barbados Music Industry page on Facebook (I know, not that salient of a source and clearly biased lmfao) made a post yesterday claiming Rihanna as modern day Elizabeth Taylor, citing her obvious beauty, her inspirational appeal, her talent and business endeavors. By the end of the article, it was clear that Rihanna's empire had surpassed that of the late Elizabeth Taylor, but I wanted to explore their connection as provocateurs of sexuality, charm, and class.

I knew Neptune had to be highly involved, and I noticed that they both have Neptune as an elevated planet, the planet closest to their Midheaven (MC). Astrologer Ray Grass describes the most elevated planet as such:

Because of its exalted position, any planetary body located here “lords over” all the other planets in the chart and can exert a powerful influence over someone’s entire life. And while that’s true, to some extent, of any planet occupying the highest point above the horizon, it becomes even more important if that body is near or conjunct the Midheaven, or MC (Medium Coeli) — the zenith point of the horoscope. Any planet aligned with this angle, some have claimed, is “accidentally dignified” in that its innate qualities are amplified in potentially constructive ways.

Neptune as the archetype of glamour, fame, and elusive je ne sais quoi certainly describes both Taylor and Rihanna, who both have Neptune as their most elevated planet, with Taylor's Scorpio Moon also in contention there (more on the Moon connection later below). Taylor's Neptune in Virgo qualifies her appeal as more service oriented, and she was involved in and awarded for her many philanthropic endeavors. She stated:

I decided that with my name, I could open certain doors, that I was a commodity in myself – and I'm not talking as an actress. I could take the fame I'd resented and tried to get away from for so many years – but you can never get away from it – and use it to do some good. I wanted to retire, but the tabloids wouldn't let me. So, I thought: If you're going to screw me over, I'll use you.

This is a lovely Virgo sentiment. Cashing in on that fact that fame has made her commodity and paying that forward to help others. Mutable Earth. Taylor also had a very involved hand in the production of her fragrances, which later became her biggest profit driver, worth over one billion dollars. Perfumery and production are both highly skilled Virgo tasks.

Rihanna's Neptune in Capricorn qualifies her appeal as more entrepreneurial in nature, breaking new ground. Her Fenty make-up (and now skin) line smashed preconceived notions about what it means to have complete skin color inclusivity. Her lingerie line was similarly inclusive, featuring bodies of all sizes, shapes and abilities. She is also the first black woman to ink a deal with the prestigious LVMH fashion group. Capricorn as cardinal Earth can both destroy and create new paradigms for society to adhere to. Rihanna has clearly done so, and continues.

Both women have their Neptune in Earth signs, making it apparent that they have/had similar approaches to their fame and status, using it to make things make sense in a world that adores them, and setting the stage for their legacies to speak for them long after they are done here. Taylor has.

(I also feel like Neptune describes both of these women's hella dreamy eyes).

Rihanna and Taylor both have Venus in Aries, conjunct. It is perhaps most apparent in Rihanna, who took the word "savage" (Fenty x Savage) and turned it into an emblem of female empowerment. Taking the raw, straight-forward, unapologetic and independent nature of Aries and making it sexy. But Taylor also used this fierce nature, not only to advocate for others (as quoted above), but in the roles she portrayed on and off-screen. She was a vixen, a siren, but also a complex and outspoken protagonist. She ran through marriages like an Olympian. And didn't care. Both women are fighters, the star of their own lives, and simply do not and did not give a fuck. Venus in Aries in an asset for any woman trying to get ahead in the male-driven world of entertainment and business.

They also both have Venus on the angles, with Rihanna's conjunct her ASC and Taylor's conjunct her IC. Any planet that is on an angle plays and important role in the life of the native. Taylor's is exactly conjunct her Uranus, explaining her multiple marriages--the need for relationship and then the need to be set free.

The Pisces connection. Both women have Sun in Pisces, conjunct. Modern rulerships aside, Pisces can rule over all that is romantic, dreamy, and beautiful. As the exaltation of Venus, Pisces can represent not only artistic endeavors made transcendent, but also a larger than life beauty, and as much as I loathe this word, and for lack of a better one: exotica. Both women appear(ed) to exist on the world and yet clearly embody something otherworldly. And it is now that I will point out that both women have become identified for their connection to diamonds, a jewel that exists in physical form but has also come to signify something ethereal beyond value : Rihanna's hit song Diamonds and Taylor's fragrance, White Diamonds.

Rihanna's DC angle is Taylor's MC angle, both Libra. Of course planets draw the strongest connections. But I couldn't overlook the symmetry in their angles. In synastry, conjunction between the angles can create a binding effect. Taylor's Libra MC was a conscious activation of justice, fairness, and balance--also, her clear beauty. Rihanna's Libra DC is more an unconscious desire to embody the same.

The “Diamonds” singer is following in the footsteps of one of her role models*, late actress and advocate Elizabeth Taylor, who co-founded amfAR, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and other HIV organizations. In fact, at the 2014 amfAR LA Inspiration Gala,* Rihanna bid $100,000 on a photograph of Taylor, which was signed by artist Willy Rizzo.

“Everybody loves Elizabeth Taylor!” Rihanna said. “She’s very glamorous. She’s the best that’s ever done it. But it was for a good cause. I didn’t mind spending every penny on it, because it all went to charity.”

I wanted to emphasize role model, a person who embodies all the traits you admire, someone you emulate. That is the DC/MC connection made manifest. What Rihanna saw in Taylor (MC), is what she too hopes to be (DC). To note, but not really as important as the conjunction, they both have fire ASC trine the other's fire ASC. Both women had/have extroverted/assertive/yang ways of interfacing with a world.

Luminaries in the 12th. Rihanna has her Pisces Sun in the 12th, and Taylor her Scorpio Moon in the 12th. Water signs. Both of these positions are ripe for tapping into the collective unconscious, an ability to be aware of, exploit, and deeply touch the consciousness of humanity, the world. As creative people, Rihanna and Taylor have an influence that will ripple through time, that will be embedded in the zeitgeist. And even while living, both women are/were phenomena--something extraordinary that you just can't put your finger on, a 12th house vagueness and elusiveness. I'm also inspired by the 12th house as the limbo between wakefulness and dream, the merger of fantasy and reality. As described above, both women invoke(ed) this otherworldly beauty, charm, and isness that leaves others in awe. And in water signs, it provokes an emotional reaction from the world. Taylor perhaps more embroiled in controversy (Scorpio), and Rihanna less embroiled in anything, the vastness and possibility of Pisces.

Luminaries in the 12th isn't a smooth ride. Both women have suffered greatly, and in the public eye. It is perhaps this turmoil that fuels their endless rebounds and success.

Moon as master projector. Rihanna has her Moon right on the ASC, and as alluded to before, Taylor's moon was very close to her MC, making both women ripe for the absorption of others' fantasy. Rihanna and Taylor are both women that other women aspire to be, and that men aspire to be with. Outside of heteronormativity and gender norms, both women still encourage a human authenticity. Both are north stars, pointing the way of what it means to fully cultivate a life richly lived, and never regretted.

To end, both women (omg how many times is she gonna say BOTH WOMEN in this post), have strong Mars energy in their charts, owing to the Aries, the Scorpio, and its contact with both of their Suns. Mars in the chart of a woman shows a directness, and forcefulness, a willingness to rise to the occasion, and the cultivation of courage. Rihanna's Good Girl, Gone Bad era (which let's face it, is less of an era and more of a lifelong personality) embodies this martial archetype to fight for an identity of ones own, to challenge what is expected. During this time, Rihanna cut her hair and changed her style much to the chagrin of her management team. This would be what ended up making the Rihanna of then become the Rihanna we love so much now. Playing with edges. Avoiding ego crushing deference to others.

Though perhaps unaware at the time, Taylor's film career has come to light as being "pre-feminist", with her roles introducing to a broad audience, for the first time, many feminist ideals. Some of her roles also subverted stereotypes about women and minorities. But it was mainly her celebrity and self-hood that elevated her as larger than life, a force to be reckoned with. She had a disorienting amount of moxy, sexy, and nerve that invited revolt (unfairly), yet, paved the way for the Rihanna's of today.

I believe in life and I’ll fight for it. I believe you have to put up your dukes and fight, even if you don’t know what you’re fighting against.

-Elizabeth Taylor, Sun conj. Mars

Thanks for reading!

Princess Diana of Wales and the Posthumous Saturn Return

Princess Diana is such a behemoth public figure and will probably live on for centuries in the zeitgeist and culture. Very rarely does a human being seem to have a legacy that continues on for hundreds of years. Its a specific condition of some celebrities. I believe Princess Diana will be one of those few. So does examining current planetary transits against her chart make sense or seem weird? Her natal energy seems to continue on. This is the Saturn Return of a legacy.

Specifically, Princess Diana would have been in her second Saturn Return right now, having been born with the planet at 27 degrees of Capricorn. The Saturn Return is a time of taking stock, making hard but necessary adjustments, and acknowledging the passing of time. Looking back on how you spent the last 27-31 years, and how you intend to move forward. Both Saturn Returns, and the rare 3rd one, are maturing factors.

Astrologer Chris Brennan pointed out that Michael J. Fox and Barack Obama, both Saturn in Capricorn, have recently released memoirs. This is one function of a Saturn Return--the act of constructive retrospection. It got me thinking of how Princess Diana has been all over the news recently because of the newest season of The Crown. Don't get me wrong, I know Princess Diana is a permanent fixture in tabloids and other media outlets. But there is a clear uptick in articles re-examining her relationships, her fashion, her motherhood, her demise, etc., now that The Crown's 4th season is available. Princess Diana's natal Saturn was at 27 degrees of Capricorn. This is where Saturn is now, and where Saturn was when The Crown premiered its 4th season two days ago.

Is Princess Diana getting a posthumous Saturn Return? The media is doing the retrospection for her, clearly, but it is very symbolic nonetheless. Saturn also rules her Aquarius 3rd house, bringing in the theme of written communication.

In looking at her chart to support this narrative, I saw Saturn sitting in her 2nd house making a trine to Venus in Taurus in her 6th house. Venus also rules her Libra mid-heaven in the 11th house. The sign of Capricorn is all about legacy, hierarchy, how we establish in ways that stand the test of time. The trine to her Venus in Taurus is emblematic of things that just stick. Could this trine echo how Princess Diana is forever loved and remembered for her style, her beauty, her duty to causes, her work in the world, her daily life--what she did in it, what she wore during it?? How she is stuck in time, young forever? By itself, can Venus in Taurus come to represent her fixed, solid, and reliable nature in the eye of the public as it relates to her love affairs, her beauty and her fashion? This Venus rules her Libra MC in the 11th house of humanity. The only other aspect Saturn makes in her chart is a square to this MC, mitigated in part because Saturn exalts in Libra.

Season 4 of The Crown has just premiered with Mercury at 8 degrees of Scorpio. Princess Diana's natal Neptune was at 8 degrees of Scorpio as well. In thinking about romanticization of a person, other- worldliness, fame, scandal, television shows, binge watching, living on in the zeitgeist, and having a saintly kind of legacy--one must look at Neptune. For Diana, it was in her 12th house. Nothing interesting is happening to Neptune in her chart regarding this theory, but the current transits of the time seem to support my narrative. Transit Mercury in her 12th house conjunct her Neptune at the exact time a television series (a very popular one) seems to dredge up and examine (Mercury in 12th) her life again is compelling. The 12th house is one of loss, death, tragedy--and her Neptune there can cement that her particular loss of life in mortal form seems to takes on a spiritual quality, a porous and imaginative quality, and most importantly, one that embeds into the culture for eons to come. Neptune does things on that scale, it can transmute physical life forms into immaterial and immortal ones. Scorpio as her 12th house cusp also explains, sadly, our morbid pre-occupation with her tragic life, why films and documentaries and, now, television shows continue to be made about her. Mercury blew all of this into an observable and rather tidy form (a series), and also manifests as the increased media coverage of her life.

Notes on the New Moon in Pisces: March 6, 2019

This New Moon in Pisces is the marriage of practicality and magic, of form and the formless. There is no use for having your head in the clouds if that high-mindedness isn’t informing the more mundane aspects of your everyday life. That is always the caution with Pisces—daydreaming in a way that makes the mind fertile for imagination, yet does nothing to fertilize the actual ground, the one we must stand on, the one from which the structure of our lives is erected.  Done right, this New Moon can set the trajectory for a lived experience that is imbued with spirituality and creativity. In proper doses, Pisces acts as the lubricant for our drier, uninspired places. The agility and mutability to move through the walls and blockages in our lives by finding the nooks and cracks that will allow for progress. This lunation will ask what edifices in your life could use the steady erosion of Piscean water, carving out curves and softness where rigidity and rough edges impeded your movement. Equally so, this lunation may ask you to build a more practical spiritual life with the softness and structure of a sandcastle, with the insight to continue to sculpt and re-mold, to let what washes away wash away. Not too close to the ocean, where all form is destroyed, yet not rooted too firmly inland, where we deprive ourselves of hopeful hydration.

If floating in or even being around all this water intimidates you, as Pisces season naturally seems to correlate with heightened sensitivity, then buoy up buttercups. Jupiter rules and squares this lunation from Sagittarius, meaning there will be no lack of hope and optimism, should you activate it. The natural osmosis of Pisces also absorbs positive feelings, so do not resign yourself to sadness and tears, confirming pop Astrology’s bias. As uncomfortable as vulnerability can be, it is the gatekeeper to experiencing true happiness, even bliss. So let the floodgates open and you may find that tears create space for joy, the small erosions of your emotional life carving out exquisite form, whether you see it now or not. Jupiter also loves a teaching moment, an intermission wherein hardship is replaced by wisdom and guides your story towards a happier ending.  Look upon your experiences, good or bad, with compassion, building firmer understanding of yourself. Overtime, this mindfulness can become spiritual practice, a piece of Pisces always present as your life unfolds, watering the rough patches in anticipation of the bloom.

And what of all this scaffolding? A sextile from Mars in Taurus ensures none of this is wishful thinking, bringing in the element of doing. And not doing for the sake of doing, for Mars in Taurus is slow and deliberate, its war path paved with stability and security. This sextile gives the lofty Pisces ideals a soft landing place, ensuring that intentions made here aren’t superfluous and can actually take form. And unlike Saturn, forming the other end of a supportive sextile from Capricorn, asking us to make our goals regimented and sturdy with a dispassionate glare from across the solar system, Mars here is more concerned with making sure we feel good. That is the Taurus way, indulging the senses, not in ways that impede our growth, but in ways that can beautify our experiences. Candles, walks in nature, cozy blankets, massages, nutritious food, holding hands with a loved one—and all the myriad of ways that Taurus takes the spiritual initiatives of Pisces makes them physical, fusing magic into matter. You could also say that Taurus makes sense of the nebulous nature of Pisces, where ideas can fail to be downloaded into actual action plans. Mars in Taurus makes these dreams tangible, slowing down where slowing down is needed, and charging forth with tenacity where Pisces can become passive. Though sitting unbothered in Aquarius for this lunation with a fading square to Uranus, Venus and Venusian qualities still provide a backbone to this lunation. Venus exalts in Pisces and domiciles in Taurus, a correspondence worth noting, especially as Venus’ higher octave sibling, Neptune, sits right next to this New Moon and since she presides over Mars here. More so than ever, this can be a day where the sky dazzles with grace and beauty, fairness and love, compassion and diplomacy, coloring the intentions made here with rose gold. And with Jupiter already in the picture, I firmly believe this Pisces New Moon can be a cosmic influx goodies. Oh, goodness!

Of course there is no getting around a newly retrograde Mercury. More likely than not, you are already familiar with all the supposed negatives of this movement, and are probably scattering to finalize big plans or purchases. You probably also already know that Mercury is in fall in Pisces and are hunkering down, doubly so. All these tantalizing headlines will command your attention, so I will instead point you towards my byline, and note the positive potentials of Mercury RX in Pisces. Retrogrades can correspond with times where the energy of the planet is focused inward, and with Mercury it can be a magnifying glass on your cognitions. In Pisces, Mercury is intuitive, prone to truth-seeking with emotion. Since all emotion starts first with a thought, this is a prime time to uproot or otherwise review those beliefs, perseverations, and old stories that have bounced around between your ears and become aware of where they are not serving you, how they inform your moods either correctly or incorrectly. Mercury in Pisces is also a keen observer of body language, or otherwise the ways in which we can communicate without words. This is a highly specialized skill, and turned inward, can make this a heightened time of intimacy with yourself and others. You may come to find out things that have eluded articulation, or tap into wellsprings of tantric communication. Where garden-variety Astrology outlets warn of confusion and missteps, which are possible, I invite you to also lean into the possibility that Mercury RX in Pisces can also provide clarity, as you dive deep into information that is normally obfuscated. With a heavy Earth signature, and the natural spirituality of Pisces, this lunation paired with this retrograde can be alchemical, transforming density into something magical. And simply, this can also correspond with a time of profound creativity—poetry, painting, singing—all the ways Mercury in Pisces turns art into conversation. When Mercury last transited Pisces, though not retrograde, I found a meditation practice that continues to provide dividends. Take advantage of Mercury’s languorous walk through Pisces. May what you intuit here bolster you into fresh and new expressions in time for Aries season, where what Pisces waters eventually becomes blossom.

Lastly, and as if this point hasn’t already been hammered in enough, Neptune’s conjunction with this lunation makes it ripe, again, for spiritual growth and all things psychic and holy. This is also a signature of prolific creativity, with the potential to be deeply touched by art, or to create the art that deeply touches. Neptune is where we idealize, which is where the planet gets its dubious associations from. But like with Mercury’s retrograde, it is more productive to me to point out the positives here rather than lumping on to what we already fear about Neptune. This lunation may put you in contact with people, beliefs, ideas, communities, publications or creations that serve the awakening of your spirit. If Jupiter teaches your mind, then Neptune teaches your soul. This New Moon, more than any one in 2019, lifts up a veil between the immaterial and your physical incarnation, providing intentions set here with a hefty dose of divinity, held in trust by mighty cosmic companions. Neptune, like the archetype of Pisces, can be a great healer, surpassing three-dimensional understanding with broader, more transcendent truths. Adjust the scope of your life, where tunnel-vision and ruts keep you small, let Pisces help you expand and stay flexible. There is medicine in the sky here, and an inherent sensitivity that wants to help you soak it all in. Do not fear these feeling times, or cast doubt upon your emotions—instead, let them lead you. Only then can you learn to stop swimming against the tides of your life.

“Sometimes we are lucky enough to know that our lives have been changed, to discard the old, embrace the new, and run headlong down an immutable course. It happened to me...that day, when my eyes were opened to the sea.” –Jacques-Yves Cousteau