It’s Pisces Season! We’ve reached the heavenly gates of the gauzy, dreamy, sparkly sea-scape in mind-expanding Mutable Water - and not a moment too soon.
Pisces’ symbol, two fish swimming in the opposite direction, forms a yin-yang shape, said to represent the Sign’s divisive attention between fantasy and reality… But Pisces is honestly so much more than the pop archetype gives it credit for. The infinite conscious and subconscious working in continuous flow, dancing in alignment and carried away into currents once again, speaks to Pisces as a Portal. The deep waters of feeling / thinking that affect our major and minor mannerisms when we communicate and collaborate has no certain end, only adaptability between tides. Pisces is an Oracle, its swim an activation of evolution, utilizing empathy above all else as the wise elder of the Zodiac.
As the 12th and Final Sign, Pisces invites us to imagine the Future in its most idealistic and kind incarnation.
While the “work” of Pisces Season may not be labor-intensively, fury-hurried obvious, the act of processing is always brewing within the Pisces’ psyche. Pisces cares little for fitting into boxes and prefers to find a flow in “just being”. The misconception that Pisces is lazy and delulu is honestly downright insulting and annoying - but above all missing the point - as expressed in a Diana Rose tweet that we shared on Instagram:
“What if you stopped pigeonholing Pisces as sleepy crybabies detached from reality and started seeing them as wisdom carriers whose ways of knowing aren’t conducive to capitalism?”
Pisces’ proclivities towards empathy and compassion are OF COURSE useful for individual and collective healing, moving us away from strict standards that cause shame and isolation, but in order to evolve we also have to transform from base hard-wired psychological functions that keep us scared and non-expressive. Luckily, February’s Pisces Season continues to root for authenticity, a previous theme from the Full Moon in Leo and the New Moon in Aquarius. We have the option to use the info from the last 2 lunations and apply them practically around this week’s Virgo Full Moon. External links are provided for more in-depth explorations of relevant aspects.
Remainder February Pisces Transits:
2/18 Pisces Season began (near 11ish PM EST)
2/24 Full Moon in Virgo (info ahead)
2/27 Mars in Aquarius squares Jupiter in Taurus
2/28 Triple Conjunction Sun, Mercury and Saturn ALL IN PISCES
2024’s leap-year February wraps up with considered clarity, especially for communication in our relationships, thanks to Mercury in Pisces. Meanwhile, Saturn in Pisces proposes long-term responsibilities not as a burden, but an opportunity of expansion to be taken under the wing with more heart and soul than we may have been able to muster before. The only Venus-Mars Conjunction this year in Aquarius grants creative courage while the inner planet Pisces placements surrounding the Full Moon grants grace + purpose moving into March.
The Virgo-Pisces Axis blends the mundane and magickal and holds a strong Mind/Body connection, more than any other Astro Duality.
It is an err to think that one Side/Sign represents one or the other as both Virgo and Pisces are incredibly capable of integrating physical routines and spiritual practices with ease. Breaking free of assumptions re: these archetypes presents value in how we can honor the day-to-day, the little moments, or the big ideas, the larger projects. A studious Virgo does tend to take dreamer Pisces’ Pursuit of Truth into an elevation of actualization and, vice versa, a Pisces softens the critique of Virgo, but I’ve never known a Pisces who didn’t hope for change or a Virgo who wasn’t a visionary.
We’ve noted the negative side of this Axis during the Rx-chaos of last year’s Pisces Full Moon. Additionally, "Manifesto of the Maiden" spoke of the Virgin’s curiosity for growth and goodness. We soon savors a different flavor of this “polarity”, full of acceptance and awareness all within our grasp. What extreme gratitude to greet a lunation bolstering Pisces’ pondering with the Virgin’s studious scholarship in fine-tuning for a fertile Future!
WHAT: Full Moon in Virgo
WHEN: Saturday February 24, 2024 7:31 AM EST
THEME: Less Perfection, More Compassion
Visions of the Virgo Full Moon:
Knowledge as nurture, not for validation. As an Earth Sign that rules Health, Virgo is rooted in tools and techniques with measured results, often looking to the Earth as medicine, requiring great responsibility and observation. Virgos love to put in the work, delighted by details, a sponge for study (a great fictional example is Hermoine Granger). Instead of gate-keeping info that benefits others, Virgo spreads their wealth of knowledge, sometimes to the point of needing praise or hoping to receive respect. Re-centering our quest for knowing by re-examining our “why”s and getting back to the thrill of learning feeds our souls once again.
Wellness is also about “we”. Sharing is caring BUT it’s also not an exact science. Our bodies and minds differ, thus healing modalities differ, too. There is no “one size fits all” approach to wellness, especially in community care. Our singular experience is not the authority on other people’s needs for ease. Sometimes when wanting to give advice, we miss an opportunity to listen and learn about the varied experiences that exist within our social circles and friend groups. Allow space for many ideas and approaches to exist at once.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Motivation can be a major pain when faced with frustration, fear of failure or other unfavorables. When we are wildly methodical, sticking steadfast to a formula that worked for us long long ago, it’s uncomfortable to break free from what we see as a reliable routine. We make ourselves crazy doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Risk-averse Virgo in detriment has such extreme attachment to their way of “doing things”; they forget the joy of experiment, the only way to open up once again.
The mind/body connection also shows us when to honor anger. Discernment is key to not falling into self-betrayal, ex. a quote from Madison Abdallah, SEP: “A wild animal doesn't just sit still calmly. They hunt, defend, and fight. Somatics is not just calming down. Strategizing your life & changing your reality is also somatic. ‘Regulate your nervous system’ doesn't mean just ‘release’ and ‘relax’. Activating your power will heal anxiety and make you feel alive more than trying to be calm in circumstances that don't suit you.”
Be the change you want to see in the world. It’s not enough to just think it, you have to also do it, live it, be it. The Virgo-Pisces Axis is interested in transformation, but unlike Pisces’ enigmatic exploration, Virgo wants to see results in the physical realm. This Virgo Full Moon asks you to get your hands in the proverbial dirt and plant the seeds. Gardens do not simply grow through wishes, but through diligent tending to with love and attention. As said by Jane Goodall, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Letting go of yesterday, because yesterday has already let go of you. The simplest sayings in life advice can be the hardest to actually practice, with the Past the most mammoth challenge around “letting go”, BUT it goes without saying… In order to be Present in who we are today, we have to stop hanging onto versions of ourselves that are no longer. As a recovering alcoholic, the topic of past selves has been HUGE; self-betrayal and guilt laden the pathways behind so many of us. Regardless, no one can experience now while living in the cobwebs of the Past.
Foraging forward with forgiveness. Furthermore, reaching a more fulfilling life of connections requires a difficult “owning up” to the wounds we are harboring OR have contributed to in others. February’s remaining cosmos can aid in a kindness that can soften the scaries and help get through to our truest selves. When we take stock of expired identities or experiences buried in our self-storage lock-box, we have to ask if we want to take pills of resentment and let it sit like a poison in our body while our spirit slowly dies. Or do we want to free ourselves of the toxicity and stop holding onto what no longer serves us?
Emotional maintenance is spiritual salvation. Learning to lovingly let go in order to move forward is not a one and done situation. We will be tasked to recognize and be responsible for our thoughts. This includes checking the defense mechanisms or negative self-talk that may come up as familiar reactions. We truly free ourselves when we pivot from negative loopholes and move into possibility. That’s growth, baby! Happiness and well-being derive not from perfection but lovingly reshaping our views and having gratitude for opportunities that allow us to learn more about ourselves and others.