February 8th ~ 15th

The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration - it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.

~ Tim Kreider (The ‘Busy’ Trap - The New York Times 6.30.12)

On Sunday Mercury enters Pisces where it will remain for an unusually long period of time due to its apparent retrograde motion in March. Where normally Mercury only spends a few weeks in a single sign, Mercury will be in Pisces for over 9 weeks, from Sunday, February 10th, thru April 17th. This is significant for so many reasons not the least of which is this lengthy stay in the diluvian depths of Pisces. Whenever a planet is at the end of the zodiac, as Mercury will be, there is this feeling of something fading, and something else impending and about to begin. Even if we don’t know exactly what that will be. But first we are needing to tie up loose ends, get everything prepared, especially ourselves. First we need to let go of the past and the way things were, or used to be, or has been, before we can make that crossing over the divide, and into the next phase of our lives. 

The centaur, Chiron has been going through this same transition since last year, and will be entering Aries on the 18th. Next week Chiron will be embarking on a new journey of the soul, bringing us into realms albeit unknown from this side of the veil. And like a hand maiden, Mercury is participating in this preparatory phase.

And as Mercury appears to move back and forth within the tropical sign of Pisces it will pass by Neptune 3 times (February 19th; March 24th; and April 2nd), rending us virtually intoxicated. We can only imagine what the upcoming retrograde period will be like! 

Neptune speaks in metaphors, in poetry, music, symbols and feelings. It is very subjective. Therefore the feelings that you will entertain, the worries that exasperate you, may or may not be based on reality. Our imagination, our feelings will be coloring our perceptions, so that what we want to believe, or even what we fear, may not necessarily be the way things actually are. The pitfalls of Mercury in Pisces and its conjunction to Neptune will be deception, confusion, escapism and victimization. 

Neptune further confounds us by adding these feelings of dissolution, like you are mismanaging your time and not getting anything done. Ironically, however, by allowing some Neptunian down time into our lives, it could paradoxically allow us to manage our time better. Mercury in Pisces can feel a bit like you are losing your mind along with your memory. But it can also offer opportunities to escape into the imagination or to step off into the void for an interlude of stillness. 

Mercury in Pisces not only explores the art of speaking in tongues, but also the spaces between the words, and silence. Mercury in Pisces understands the subtleties and nuance of language; and the sacredness of words and prayer. It is the skillful wisdom of making your words meaningful by opening your heart, lacing these words with kindness and compassion. Whether chanting prayers, reading poetry, or whispering secrets, Mercury in Pisces is the art of instilling intuition, sensitivity, and meaning into our words. 

What Mercury in Pisces conjunct Neptune will be good for: spiritual journeys, spiritual studies, yoga retreats, trips made with no specific expectations, results or material rewards. The rewards that Neptune brings are internal. And it will be the inner world that needs cultivating over the next several weeks. Especially after Mercury stations retrograde March 5th. Pay attention to your dreams, to your intuition, to your feelings, but don’t necessarily act on them. Dream, invent, imagine, visualize and create. Just don’t commit just yet, if it can at all be helped. Wait for that clarity to resume. This is a time of profound introspection and meditation. A time for retreat, prayer and reflection. Review, remember, reminisce. Let yourself get lost in order to find yourself again. Listen for the whispers in the sound of silence. That is where you will find all the answers that you will need for now. 

For next week’s horoscopes, click below:

HOROSCOPES