Play ‘Misty’ for me: Mercury ingresses Pisces

Before I get into today’s astrology, I wanted to say a little something about what else goes on at Planet Waves besides the Daily Astrology feature and all the rest of the amazing content on this blog. The thing that first made me a reader and then a subscriber of Planet Waves was Eric’s horoscopes. They started out as a lifeline of sorts during a time of painful transition in my life, and became a trusted source of questions I never would have thought to ask myself and alternative perspectives through which I could find new answers.

Eric’s horoscopes still provide that for me, but now I’m actually part of the team that creates the Tuesday and Friday member (subscriber) mailings that feature Eric’s best and most thorough writing. Even before I ever set my sights on writing here on the blog (ok, I was terrified of doing so and had to be persuaded) I knew I wanted to contribute my time, effort and talents into making the Planet Waves for-pay services as visually and grammatically elegant as possible (Mercury in Taurus, and an English literature background).

At this point, in addition to writing for the blog two to three times a week, I am responsible for editing and posting most of what else appears on the blog — but the focal point of every week is the work I put into the Tuesday and Friday issues. This has morphed from simple proofreading the morning of publication to researching, co-writing and co-editing several astrology/news brief articles for each issue, proofreading and copyediting the day before publication, and then doing a final proofread of Eric’s edits to his lead astrology article and the horoscopes the morning of publication.

It’s really quite a production, involving at least seven people including Eric each week. And as much as it’s a labor of love, I’m also aware that the Planet Waves weekly subscriber issues are some of the more professionally-produced astrology ‘newsletters’ on the Internet at this point. And Eric’s horoscopes are still that good.

As for the current astrology:

Mercury entering Pisces on Tuesday (at 9:55 am EST) and conjoining Neptune (exact Wednesday at 6:00 pm EST) is like revving up the engines of the boat of creativity, and then as soon as you get to open water, being engulfed in a fog. We are in a potentially fertile time, but it requires special handling and heightened self-awareness.

It’s possible to navigate in a fog (and not everyone will experience it that way) though it takes special skill. Pay extra attention to your inner creative world without trying too hard to impose what you see on others. Creative navigation is to move through your inner world in a conscious and alive way.

In general, move slowly when Mercury conjoins Neptune. That’s challenging, as Mars is still in the picture, so you may need a balance between contemplation and taking action. Mercury to Neptune is a dreamy, impressionable aspect that can leave one open to obsession and make it difficult to discern logic from illusion. Mars wants declarative, decisive action.

You pick up the notebook or the paintbrush; you get out the camera; you turn on your keyboard. This setup can also facilitate music-making and dramatic pursuits (that is, acting on stage or screen — as well as ‘personal drama’, though the former is more productive). Drama and music are two areas where blurring the lines between reality and illusion can actually enhance the creative process, as long as one has ways to stay grounded or has a practice of re-centering and releasing after a session of composing, rehearsing or performing.

If you’re feeling emotional, you might want to avoid being dramatic, in place of being clear. That is to say, keep your fog lights and foghorns on, make sure you stay in your lane, and stay alert for those passing ships. In other words, enhance your communication and listening skills. Read over emails twice before replying to be sure you’re actually reading what someone’s saying, for instance. If you think you’ve been misunderstood, set aside the annoyance that the other person is not as psychic or sensitive as you are, and restate your desires.

If you encounter problems, look for creative — visionary, even — solutions to those challenges. Those solutions might best be found within, since you can’t see far enough beyond your ship clearly enough to be sure that what you sense ‘psychically’, intuitively or instinctually is accurate.

Note that all of this is happening with Chiron just a few degrees away, more or less square Jupiter in Gemini. This suggests two things: the healing aspect of all these foggy, intuitive, passionate, creative, visionary impulses is not too far away. But the healing part involves awareness and a choice.

The second thing about Jupiter-Chiron is to notice when you’re going on any kind of crusade. Take care of yourself and be attentive to the people you love.

Ship’s captains used to navigate by the stars. We do so in a slightly different way, but can still follow some of their guidelines (metaphorically speaking) when sailing the seas of Pisces. Focus on what is most important. Keep watch in a fog, and use what you know.