After the stop-start energy of the last few months, the rising tide of incoming energetic frequencies is now more fluid. The fixed energies of Taurus and Aquarius, although still strong for us all, are now combined with a once-in-one hundred-&-sixty-six-year exact alignment of Blessing-giver Jupiter and Mystic Neptune in the watery sign of Pisces. The last meeting of these two giant gas planets in 1856 heralded great social reform, namely the ending of slavery and rise of the women’s movement, along with a great interest in spiritualism and the gifts of the soul. As we navigate huge evolutionary change now, what might this rare alignment herald in our world and our personal lives?
Although Jupiter and Neptune don’t meet exactly at 23 Pisces until 12 April, their energies are merging and strengthening now. Collective pointers to this include huge rises in inflation and fuel prices (Jupiter and Neptune are both giant gas planets), along with the flood of refugees crossing borders from Ukraine, meeting an enormous compassionate response from much of humanity. The uprising of practical assistance, the ground-swelling of aide in every way from ordinary folk, prayer and meditative support, is met with affirmations of its value from Ukrainians. ‘Your prayers and meditations are working’ says one woman ‘Miracles are happening, keep them coming.’ Perhaps humanity is beginning to realise the creative potency of energy as well as action? And also seeing perhaps that energy truly precedes form, that what seem to be ‘miracles’ are actually a sign of the power of consciousness as ultimately stronger than egoic force?
The sign of Pisces is the final sign of the zodiac wheel. As such, it is where everything that has been manifested dissolves and returns to the ocean of consciousness from which it arose. Like waves on the ocean, all forms eventually disappear, even great stars like our Sun. New physics demonstrates that forms are destroyed, yet energy is not. In astrology Pisces represents this great ocean of energy or consciousness, constantly shifting and dissolving, then forming as new, yet ultimately impermanent, forms. It is the Omega point of the zodiac, a place of endings that moves into the Alpha point at 0 Aries.
The sign of Pisces when related to our individuality and humanness is a state of non-identity. It’s where our individuality dissolves into the great ocean of consciousness, where we experience ourselves to be beyond-body-and-mind. This occurs through spiritual experience such as meditation, yet also in ‘the zone’ of immersing oneself in activity, such as running, music or art; through connection with nature; or in intimacy. It’s where we dissolve beyond all the structures of mind-body identity and free-flow in Being. Pisces is the sign of beauty and bliss. Just like the waves of the ocean, it is the source of endless possibilities rising and falling away: imagination and inspiration naturally emerging because we have gone beyond life’s ‘norms’; a state of unifying, where we are one with whatever our focus is. In Pisces we lose our edges, our self, and flow with numinous connections, intuition, what’s appearing as if by magic. We become soulfully connected to the source of life itself – always there, always available, and our true deep state of being – yet it takes the losing of our structured sense of self to receive it.
Pisces is the state of self-transcendence that opens the space of being more than this limited human being. Self-transcendence can happen through Grace, or via our readiness to open beyond our current state of being. It is an open receptive state where Life can reach us with its new possibilities, or feelings of bliss, beauty, or love. Openness and receptivity happen through surrender – not as an egoic ‘giving in’ because we are forced to, but as an active recognition that our human perspective is naturally limited. Or simply because we love to free flow with life. It’s a giving up to the wisdom of knowing there’s always a bigger picture. Or trusting the unknown and the unknowable, where higher frequency consciousness becomes available to us, when we let go of whatever we’re attached to as real. It’s where we make ourselves available to the next frequency of consciousness ready and waiting for us. But to do so, requires we let go of whatever we’re holding on to.
Surrender is a quality that comes with maturity, whereas the egoic view of surrender distorts what is a wise and willing letting go into the idea of ‘sacrifice,’ or ‘loss’. Undeniably Pisces is where we sacrifice our self, or our existing life, for something more. We place it on the altar of dissolution. At times this happens through choice; at other times, life simply removes what is done, whether we want it to or not. This is where the sign of Pisces signifies the inevitable loss that comes to us in a life well-lived and the grief that walks with us. The shadow of Pisces carries the inexorable passing away of all life forms and how we respond to it. Do we accept this fact of life, grieve, and move on as best we can? Or do we become a victim of life circumstances, caught up in powerlessness? Do we recognise and accept our vulnerability and ask for support? Or do we stay stuck in ‘poor me’, repeating our sad stories to whoever will listen but failing to take any steps on our own behalf? Pisces shadow is where we can become swamped or overwhelmed by feelings, or it’s where we can try to escape them through addictions. It’s the state of confusion, delusion, and fantasy. This is the shadow aspect of dissolution, where the structures of identity and response-ability for self are nowhere to be seen, undeveloped, or given over to the allure of playing the victim, or to the temporary relief of dependency.
Recognising these shadow states is not about judging for Pisces shadow qualities potentially give rise to the sweetest of Pisces gifts: compassion. The rising tide of this rare alignment now opens a door into higher frequency consciousness. It’s a new beginning and expansion of Pisces qualities: unconditional love, soulfulness, inspiration, compassion, and unified consciousness. Or its shadows. Pisces represents both the empath and the victim, the power of love and a sense of futility. It’s easy to see how both are triggered in our current world circumstances. The planets Jupiter and Neptune magnify and exaggerate as well as bless us. Their potential is a harvest, and that harvest depends on the seeds sown. Yet inevitably the nature of these two benefic planets opens a door of release and potential for growth. For ultimately, they are blessing planets, expanding our consciousness for evolution.
As the nature of these planetary energies – blessing – suggests, one way to prepare for this opening is through the practice of gratitude. Because life inevitably leads to loss, it is crucial to constantly realise and acknowledge our blessings, especially in these times. We are moving towards the opportunity of a lifetime, to rapidly raise our consciousness. The potential of this Jupiter-Neptune alignment is to wash away the darkness and any old unhealthy ways of being. The more we focus on the blessings of life, gratitude for what we have and are, sending prayers and blessings to the more challenging situations of the world, the more we feed the real source of change – that is consciousness, not our trying and struggling to fix the challenges. How we use energy, attention and focus now is what matters.
As if this rare alignment is not enough for us to engage consciously right now, both Jupiter & Neptune are activating the Moon’s Nodes of karma and destiny in Taurus and Scorpio. Key dates for this are 28 March and 8 April, ongoing through to June. This focus on Taurus and Scorpio grounds this rare potential. It draws our attention to appreciating what we have and the fear of loss that inevitably accompanies having anything. Taurus North Node is encouraging us to feel worthy and appreciate ourselves, enjoy and receive the simple gifts of life, including the wonder of our human body and the natural world. Whilst the South Node in Scorpio is supporting the transformation of personal and ancestral karma, the shadows of love and loss. This alignment with the blessings of Jupiter-Neptune’s alignment signifies a potential uplift of karmic patterning, simply because it’s the right time, through Grace. Look at where Pisces, Taurus & Scorpio are in your individual birth chart or read my blog ‘Hidden Treasure’ for more in-depth insight into the passage of the Nodes through these fixed signs until July 2023.
Following the exact conjunction of Jupiter-Neptune on 12 April, personal planets continue to activate this alignment through to mid-May. This includes, on 27 April the Moon & Goddess of Love Venus, and on 16 May, Warrior Mars. The passage of these personal planets over what is ultimately an expansive social/transpersonal meeting (unless it activates natal planets in your birth chart) brings a more direct experience of the openings in you and your life. As Neptune is so slow-moving this process will continue through to February 2023, as the Mystic planet passes retrograde over 23 Pisces on 18 September, then direct on 13 February 2023. This represents the ongoing social and collective evolutionary movement into Pisces qualities.
The energy of Pisces delivers us the intimate knowing that we are always blessed with moments of grace, profound beauty and spiritual clarity, yet that loss, disappointment and grey days are also part of the tapestry of a rich life. To recognise this, to appreciate it and give thanks for the gift of Life is to be fully human. This once-in-one hundred-&-sixty-six-year exact alignment in this soulful sign creates a vast expansion into the numinous frequencies of the higher Heart. Truly anything is possible there. As Sufi poet Rumi says, “Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”
