Midlife Transits

July has something for everyone. We’ve got a bunch of fixed sign energy; we’ve got a bunch of mutable sign energy; we’ve got eclipses in the cardinal signs of Cancer and Capricorn. No one goes lacking. So…what’s it all mean?

Well, first off, you’re likely to start the month off quite busy. The busy nature of your daily schedule may even interfere with your need for rest and recuperation, leaving you a bit foggy during the first few days of the month. As July progresses, activity in the sector that represents your job heats up, meaning that you’ll probably need to keep your mind on your work from mid-month on.

Meanwhile, things on the home front seem to be begging for your attention almost all month long. Get help if you need it. Siblings or neighbors may provide the most assistance (or the most headaches!). If you need to talk through things on the domestic front with your partner, you may get a chance to do so toward the end of the month.The first week of  the month is not the time to bring things up, as things might get a little crazy around then.

On a personal level, those born during the last week of the sign may find themselves bouncing off the walls with energy. Meanwhile, eclipses affect your solar 11th and 5th houses on July 7 and 22nd respectively. This is the lose a friend, gain a lover configuration. Single Pisces folks may find themselves unexpectedly involved in a new romance. It’s quite a month!

I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, Pisces, but your chart has been busy spending 2009 pondering your self-imposed limitations via a trio of placements in Aquarius and your solar 12th house of stuff a person accidentally does to screw her or himself up. In June, the Aquarius placements are pondering this subject so deeply that they’re practically comatose. You, however, can’t afford to be so sluggish, thanks to Mars in Taurus in your solar 3rd house of moving about attending to all the daily errands and chores that pile up in life. The Aquarius placements don’t really like all the Taurus energy of June that is interfering with their summer nap, and the Taurus placements of the month return the favor by considering the Aquarius ponderings to be incomprehensible, impractical, and a bit irritating. So you may feel yourself caught between fatigue or spaciness and the necessity of getting stuff done.

My suggestion is to play hooky and call in sick for a few days,  so you can catch a bit of rest and get some of those chores done. If you were born in the middle of the sign, especially, you probably really do need the break, as Saturn is opposing your sun these days. If you were born near the end of the sign, the opposite may be the case, for Uranus is energizing your sun throughout June and he won’t let go. You may be having spiritual insights, switching religions, or semi-seriously contemplating a plan to move to Tahiti. Hard to say what will be going through your mind when Uranus gets ahold of it. My only caution is to try not to let all these mixed planetary influences leave you so spacy that you leave your handbag somewhere while you’re running all those errands that Taurus insists you take care of.

Saturn goes direct in Virgo on May 16. Take a look at this post if you want to see what that means in general. Below is information for your particular sun sign.

Here’s an example of how to do a short little horoscope for yourself using keywords. (I have a list of keywords on the Practical Astrology home page. Scroll down to see them.) Also, if this mini horoscope seems off, you can look at the one for your rising sign if you know it.

Okay, so our keyword for Saturn in Virgo is going to be gloomy or gloominess, since that’s what Saturn in Virgo has seemed to bring. If there are people out there not having a gloomy time with the Saturn in Virgo portion of their lives, they’re not telling me about it.

Virgo represents your solar 7th house.  A keyword for the 7th house is partners.

So Saturn going direct in the solar 7th house could mean: a break in the case regarding tensions with a partner. A partner who has previously been hesitant may be more willing to move forward. Commitments may finally be able to be made.

Things like that can happen. Not necessarily that exact thing, but things like that. Again, take a look at Practical Astrology if these keywords don’t suit.

There’s just too much activity in your solar sector of the subconscious in May, Pisces, just way too much. I’m talking Jupiter conjunct Neptune conjunct Chiron all at once, especially toward the end of the month. This kind of overload with your ruling planet involved can make it very hard to figure out what you want, what you really want. I’m going to suggest you ground yourself with Saturn in Virgo in your 7th house.

That way, you can orient yourself around what other people want and let your ruler take its time sorting through the big subconscious energy. Naturally, with Uranus in your sign, you’ll continue to be active anway. If you were born around the middle of March, you may even be more than usually active. But rest assured that your ruler is busy exhausting itself this month and you may feel the fatigue too.

Fortunately, the sun is in Taurus until the 20th, where he’ll help you operate with your customary skill in spite of brain overload. And you’ve got the power of your friends on your side, so that helps too.

So to me, it seems like a take it easy kind of a month, one in which you let other people do the talking and even the driving, just in case you feel a bit spacey from time to time.

There’s still energy at your disposal this month, Pisces, as Mars doesn’t finish his bi-annual visit to your sign until April 22nd. Venus will also briefly retrograde into the very last degree of Pisces, and, of course Uranus is still in your sign as he has been since 2004. Just the same,  your mind and conversations are more likely to be centered on money or your possessions than how much energy Mars is giving you. The focus on moola would be thanks to all the Aries energy this month in your financial solar 2nd house, plus some energy in the money-loving sign of Taurus. After the 22nd, when Mars joins the Aries party, it’s time to pour some aggressive attention toward this topic. Astrologically speaking, this would be your best time all year to make rapid financial progress.

Lots of Pisces will be interested in money because they want to make more of it, but other Pisces folks will be more concerned with spending money than with bringing it in. For you spenders trying to boost the economy, the position of Venus in Aries and in your sign this month indicates that now could be a good time to invest in some decorative objects or pretty things for the home, especially after the 18th. The end of the month is also a good time to buy some nice new clothes. If neither of those appeal, you could drop a little dough on stuff that is simultaneously self-improving and fun–ballroom dancing lessons, an appealing exercise class, or other activities that get your body moving again now that spring is here.

Given that Aries energy is compatible with the economically beneficial Jupiter energy in your solar 12th house, you may even decide it would be worthwhile to embark upon self-education in the area of money. Not that you should limit your studies this year to financial matters. In fact, Jupiter in the solar house associated with your sign indicates that you could benefit from self-education in a broad diversity of areas. Pisces who need additional education to compete in today’s job market are also likely to benefit from applying to a suitable college program.

Another way to use the beneficial Jupiter energy is to expand your attendance at church to re-connect with your spirituality. If you don’t much care for attending the services of an organized religion then once again self-education or self-study on spiritual topics is a potentially beneficial way to go.

It’s your month, Pisces, from February 18 to March 20. Your birthday wish new moon occurs on February 24. The full moon on March 10 may bring up issues with lovers, as it occurs around the same time as the opposition between the sun in your sign and Saturn in Virgo. The tension between Saturn and your sign should not diminish the love in a relationship that’s strong. However, relationships that have serious issues will continue to be tested, as they have been, off and on, for over a year.

The good news in March is that your solar chart has decided that it has such a strong liking for money that it’s going to host Venus in your solar 2nd house for four months–way more than the the usual amount of time. If you need financial assistance, you have the opportunity to go after it in March, especially during the last week of the month. If you need funds for a civic or humanitarian project or for an activity that brings many people together for a common purpose, even better. If you’re a business owner, participation in civic events could also pay off for you financially. On the other hand, the presence of three planets in your solar money house could also prompt you to consume or spend more than usual during the second half of March.

Mercury and Mars, meanwhile, start March believing that they love all humankind as they transit Aquarius, but then switch over to deciding they love you better as they enter your sign. Mercury’s in Aquarius from February 14 to March 8 and then in your sign until March 25.

Mars enters your sign on March 15. This makes the second half of March a good time to be all creative and indulge in things your sun sign is said to love: music, reading (or writing) novels, paintings, and just generally being all creative and nice.

As for the Pisces year ahead, your solar chart has pretty much dropped any long-term emphasis on work and co-workers (an emphasis that was still in play in 2008). Personal development and relationships continue to be the main theme, with behind-the-scenes reflective personal development dominating. The concept of cooperation also dominates, for 2009 is a very Aquarian year and Aquarius is the sign of cooperation.

The sign of Aquarius also refers to a person’s general relationship with society. With happy Jupiter in Aquarius, your relationship with society at large should be quite beneficial, provided that you take care to keep a low profile for the moment. Next year, when Jupiter enters your sign, you can take center stage. This year is your chance to lay low while planning how to capitalize on the goodwill you are intended to build up this year.