Pisces Full Moon, Conjunct Nessus

Dear Friend and Reader:

Overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, the Moon reaches full phase in Pisces. The aspect peaks on Sept. 2, at 1:22 am EDT, which will make for an interesting night of dreaming if anyone can get to sleep.

We finally have an aspect that harmonizes with the rest of the sky rather than bangs into it: the earthy Sun and watery Moon go well with all the activity in the Earth and Fire signs, and sidestep Mars and Eris — though we will be hearing from them again soon enough.

In the background of everything is Mars getting ready to station retrograde on Sept. 9. That is going to stir the pot because the retrograde involves a long conjunction to chaos goddess Eris, as well as squares to everyone in the smoke-filled room of Pallas, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. That discussion I will save for the monthly edition, which comes out in a day or two.

Pisces Moon Conjunct Nessus

The Full Moon is distinctive for being conjunct Nessus, the third centaur (discovered 1993). All the centaurs address matters of healing and wholeness. Each does so in a different style. Chiron (discovered 1977) is the crystal with many facets.

Nessus pertains to some of the darker elements of human nature, and their tendency to abuse trust, and for the injuries inflicted by this abuse to repeat themselves as we go through life. The focal point of Nessus was described most astutely by Melanie Reinhart, who said its core concept is "the buck stops here."

That phrase pertains to the buckhorn used in poker. When the buck arrives with you, it's your turn to deal. You can also "pass the buck" and let someone else deal. The visual of passing an object around and around the table illustrates the cycles of karma that Nessus represents, including the cycles of abuse.

In Western society, particularly American, we do a lot of passing the buck: that is, a lot of not dealing. Whether in civic life or personal, the tendency in our culture is to kick the can down the road, rather than address our problems.

As one of my clients put it recently, American society never really wants to solve a problem; rather, they want to perpetually manage it, and then turn it into an industry. In personal life, the industry would be the state of perpetual distraction that unresolved problems cause. This, in turn, has a way of preventing people from being where they say they want to be, and doing what they say they want to do.

In Gestalt therapy, the use of problems is considered carefully: often they are kept around as devices to ensure limitations. This includes abusive situations.

The Role of Guilt and Shame

The spectrum of emotions in the guilt/shame genre is a Nessus related topic. This is more about the intentional use of these emotions to gain control over people, and also includes the residue that this kind of treatment leaves in us. That residue is called guilt, which right below the surface is a form of angry resentment.

Nearly all the time, guilt and shame are social control devices. They are used first by the family of origin to get control over seemingly unruly children. This is mostly a matter of convenience. This technique then expands into commonplace and often unacknowledged use in civil society, where people try to get control over one another by shaming them.

The interesting thing is that it always seems at the time as if the person or group getting shamed deserves some ruthless treatment. Then later on, it usually works out that they didn't really deserve it, though this hardly matters the next time there is someone who seems to deserve being tarred and feathered.

Nessus represents a call-out to see this pattern for what it is, and to stop the cycle of abuse. As with all things Nessus, that can only begin with you, right now. It's not something to put off for the future, or to delegate to someone else.

Industrial Scale Victimization

Guilt and shame hold together the world as we know it. These emotions bind people to their pain, and have a way of making courage seem like a stupid idea, so why bother trying. Any honest path to healing will address guilt and shame as primary problems that obstruct the awareness of love, and prevent people from living happily. We don't need a workshop to learn this; we merely need to see what life is like without shaming ourselves or one another.

One of the most predominant themes of both private and public life is victimization, and claiming one's right to be a victim. Our society makes a lot of victims, and is showing no sign of stopping. Yet it does little to actually help the people who are damaged by its policies and ways of life.

And in this context, one can usually get a lot of mileage out of claiming to be a victim. We see this all the time, though it's not permissible to say something even when you know someone is faking it.

Then you can be accused of victim shaming, and subjected to shame yourself. Being a victim is actually a safe place from the standpoint of status in society, though spiritually and emotionally it's a dangerous place because it's not possible to be loving, creative or happy when one is in victim mode.

Moon Sextile to Uranus and Albion

There is a better way. If we look to the chart as an illustration, the Moon makes a glorious aspect to Uranus in Taurus. Uranus is the one who breaks consensus, who speaks up, who stirs the pot. This is less in the orderly fashion of Chiron, and more in the rebellious style of Prometheus.

Uranus in Taurus is saying feel the beauty and sensitivity of your body (sensations for which guilt and shame are armor). I think of Uranus in Taurus as the body electric. Allow that energy to flow freely through your biopsychic system; through you. Allow yourself to be curious about nature and biology. Give yourself a break from your viewpoint.

Uranus is conjunct Albion, the new name for 1992 QB1, the first planet ever discovered beyond Pluto. Before there was Eris, and back when the Kuiper Belt was just a theory, there was 1992 QB1. It was discovered in the first degree of Aries — the Aries Point, the intersection of the individual and the collective.

This conjunction is calling for a revolution: of the right to feel, to heal, to be, and to express one's pleasure in any way that is harmonious with one's intimate partners. To heal guilt, shame and embarrassment, and to find the incredible well of energy behind it, it's necessary to go right to the edge — and often, to enter the emotions rather than avoiding them.

This is truly an act of defiance, in more ways than are obvious. The Moon is burning bright the next few days, illuminating your intuition, your innervision, and your courage.

With love,

Video Preview: Introduction to Mars Retrograde


Dear Friend and Reader:

Recording and production on The Story of I AM — the 2020 autumn reading — are just about complete. These are a set of 12 astrology readings for each of the Sun and rising signs, each lasting 40 minutes.

The preview is available — a 30-minute discussion of what Mars retrograde is about, how it relates to the Capricorn alignment, and what its message is likely to be. We will learn more as we go through the experience (which lasts from Sept. 9 through Nov. 13).

	Still from the Capricorn edition of The Story of I AM. You may watch the free video preview to the whole series at this link. There are also samples for all 12 signs linked after each horoscope sign below.

I have now finished recording this series, so it will be available well in time to consider the implications of this unusual transit. Mars has not been retrograde in Aries since 1988; Mars favors retrogrades over on the Leo-Virgo-Libra side of the zodiac, so like many things happening in 2020, this is a generational event.

Though we are in challenging times, I take a positive approach. I'm reading astrology, through the philosophical lens of self-actualization and human potential: ideas we have not heard discussed in a very long time. And they are ideas we can benefit from now, and which a few of us remember.

To this work, I bring all of my experience supporting countless individuals through many sensitive transitions in their lives. My training in Gestalt Therapy (in the tradition of Fritz Perls), Hakomi Therapy (personally with Ron Kurtz) and Holistic Therapy (with Joseph Trusso) contribute greatly to my knowledge base, all of which take a client-centered approach rather than a theoretical or analytical one.

I take a positive and practical perspective, and a deep one. Astrology grants the ability to see behind the scenes, and to spot issues that might otherwise get missed. When done, astrology can save years of work. In our time, anyway, we don't have years, and cost is a factor. With an astrology reading, even one gem of an idea can focus your intentions and your progress.

These days a video chat with a therapist costs about $100. For just $99, you will get a series of 12 videos, all of which you will gain something helpful from. Your Sun and rising signs will be the ones to go to first, though Aries and Aquarius are the reference readings for this series. [The price for all 12 will go up to $111 very soon.]

These are readings that call for multiple viewings, and which will be worth watching again in six months.

The Story of I AM is one purchase per household — you may share with loved ones and intimate partners if you think the work will benefit them.

Thank you for your business, and for trusting me as your astrologer.

With love,

PS — This reading is included with the Backstage Pass.

Here are free five-minute reading samples for each sign:

Aries		Taurus		Gemini	Cancer		Leo		Virgo
Libra		Scorpio		Sagittarius	Capricorn		Aquarius		Pisces

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Aries (March 20-April 19) — The way is opening for you. You will only know, however, if you dare to take the first few steps to your chosen destination. You don't need to plan the whole trip, nor must you worry about whether you have enough resources to get there. When you move with your heart and soul, providence will move to you, and shorten the way. Be aware, though, that you are tapping into a power you consider greater than yourself, and yet it is you. You are reaching well beyond what you think of yourself, and yet, it is you. Make friends with how much you are, how much stronger, how much more intelligent, and how boundless, and live in that reality. Confidence is not a psychological state. Rather, it is the condition of moving with your whole being. Right now the direction of movement is into yourself. That is the symbolism of Mars retrograde, which begins in just over a week. For you, that is the true path, as it will lead you anywhere you need to go.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Aries preview video

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Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may feel like you're coming up against a limit or experiencing a loss. If so, I suggest you pause any process where you're making decisions that do not work well for you, and reevaluate your options. Get a grip on your spending, and tap into other reserves if you need them, for example, using what you have on hand. Yet there is another possibility here, which is that things may not be all that bad; it is your interpretation that needs to be reassessed. Does your thinking remind you of anyone? If you're feeling like you lack potential, resiliency or freedom, does that have anyone's name or fingerprints on it? This would be someone historically close to you and very influential in your past, though potentially not directly present now. Shift your point of view and rethink matters. Keep current with yourself, and respond to life in the moment you're actually existing, without all your usual reference points to history. That was then; this is now.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Taurus preview video

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Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Keep an eye on your money this week, and delay any investment decisions till you are working with more information. There are likely to be factors you're not aware of, though it might seem like everything is solid and copacetic. Other people know things you need to know, and they are not necessarily the types of people, or topics, that lend themselves to casual conversation. So you will need to pry a little bit and get a sense of what is in people's files. In personal, intimate situations, you will see that you cannot always base your sense of personal value on how you believe others feel about you. Ultimately that must come from you, which is not always easy, though it is necessary. Self-worth is not your emotional market value as you perceive it. Rather, it is born of your intimacy with yourself, and your quest for understanding your true nature.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Gemini preview video

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Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Do not be deterred by any tension between you and others related to the work you're now doing. You know you're invested for the long haul, not for immediate gains. Anyone who might judge you or get in the way is being short-sighted, and responding out of fear. Those are false luxuries in which you have no interest. You are up to the challenges you have accepted. You have the determination and the energy, and you have the ability to develop a flexible strategy that you keep to. Most significantly, true to your Cancerian nature, you are able to keep your own counsel and do not need much in the way of approval to feel like you're doing the right thing. That's good, because you have a diversity of perspectives that others lack, which is why your contribution is necessary. That said, you have powerful allies who will do what they can to help you. Make sure you know who they are, show your gratitude and treat them well.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Cancer preview video

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Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You will have a breakthrough at work this week, though don't let your own stress break you first. Allow your mind to do the work. The more space there is between your thoughts, the better. You are just as likely to figure something out at lunch or while taking a bath as you are at your desk. If you are clear on the idea level, you will then see the easiest way to get the job done. Consider that step an essential part of the original idea: your action scheme is part of your design scheme. One tool to work with is the time constraint. Add to action and design a point in time when you want to get the work done -- and then do it. You may not think you can be ingenious in a relaxed kind of way simultaneously with a schedule you intend to keep, though I would propose that is exactly the order of the week. You know you have all kinds of talents and resources you barely dial in.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Leo preview video

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Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Mercury in your birth sign is still in a close opposition to Neptune in Pisces. This may have arrived with a diversity of blurry situations or difficulty figuring out where people are coming from, and also with technical issues that seem to have been running around recently. As of Sunday, the aspect is separating, though the Neptune fog may take a few more days to clear (as Mercury engages other aspects, such as to Pluto and Saturn). You may have some catching up to do, though you do have help. Make sure that you cultivate relationships with your friends and allies. You're in the process of learning how to assert your true being without making people into enemies, or engaging them in needless conflict. You don't have to fight to be who you are; you simply need to be that person. If there is some seeming controversy or matter of dispute, you will gain more by being respectful about it.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Virgo preview video

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Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Please don't let personal drama distract you from the important tasks that you've taken on, and which you are doing so well. This is not a time for push coming to shove. You are good at sidestepping conflict, until you slip up and get caught in it. So stay conscious as the Pisces Full Moon passes through town. This may feel like a wave, and you may not be able to get out of the way. All kids who grow up near the ocean learn that if you see a wave coming, dive right into it, and you will emerge on the other side. If someone has a complaint, calmly ask them to state it, and let them state their position. If you have an issue with someone, you will do better by gently probing them for their viewpoint prior to asserting yourself. The more information you have, the better this will work out. Be aware that people may be feeling all kinds of triggers with this Full Moon, from past events that have nothing at all to do with you.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Libra preview video

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Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Hold steady and hang loose. You don't have to make any major moves. Rather, size up your environment, map out where you are within it, and notice who is in your life and what purpose they are serving. Run your engines cool, and take a circumspect view, checking out the scene from various directions and angles. This will keep you from getting stuck in a fixed point of view. The Pisces Full Moon washes through the most dynamic, creative and passionate angle in your chart. True creative awareness will make use of anything that comes along, including anything that might trigger you, or even dissuade you from expressing yourself. Yet it will not help to retreat in any way. Just gently move toward what it is you might want to avoid. You don't need to charge; remember, steady and loose. Approach any challenges with a self-reflective quality, and see the beauty in whatever you observe. Ultimately, you are responsible for your state of mind. That is your privilege and your pleasure.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Scorpio preview video

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Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — This week's Full Moon in Pisces may stir up your deepest insecurities about whether the universe is really here to support you. You might draw your boundary in a little closer to your personal space, and start with the building you live in, and the room that you occupy, and design them in such a way that what you need is in reach. Call on yourself to take sincere and meaningful responsibility for how you feel. Notice if there are any irritants in your environment, which could be anything from people to toxic substances you might not have considered a problem in the past. You want as much fresh air and sunshine as you can get, and as much fresh night air and moonshine as you can arrange. Remember that what seems like your intuition is not necessarily the truth. This is especially true if subtle fears are arising, or if you feel unloved. Your actual intuition will be telling you that you're in pretty good shape and you are most surely loved.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Sagittarius preview video

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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Pay attention to any self-critical thoughts you may experience as the Full Moon builds to a peak Monday and Tuesday, including any ripples later in the week. These thoughts may come in the form of subtle emotions, judgments projected at others, anger, or anxiety. Anything that disturbs your peace of mind would count, though the common thread would come back to some sense of personal inadequacy. You can expect more of this to come up over the next 12 weeks or so as the Mars retrograde experience reaches a peak, making many aspects to planets in your sign. It is essential that you focus on resolution and completion. This includes personal healing projects you've been working on for the past three years of Saturn in your sign, and some issues that have been hanging around since 2008, when Pluto entered your sign. You are too accustomed to these matters lingering in the air, making it difficult to breathe. A new life will soon be upon you. You don't want the problems from the old one trailing along. But only you can do something about this.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Capricorn preview video

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Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — If the Full Moon has you worried about your finances, I can assure you that's not the real issue. There is something else, something deeper, something that could rightly be called a spiritual matter. Finances are about 'worth' and what your chart is about is self-worth. This has been a persistent issue for you, and you deserve to have some resolution. However, that's going to come from you. You will need the strength and clarity to rise above any sense of lack you may feel. It will help if you figure out that any deficiency you may feel is not necessarily true, and may have a source outside of yourself. From the look of your chart, this is likely to be an ancestral source: one or both of your parents, or beyond. While many strive to accept their parents as they are, it will help if you are honest, and thorough, about actually understanding who they are. It relates directly to your situation: how you experience yourself and how you feel about yourself.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Aquarius preview video

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Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — One thing in the nature of Pisces is to have a guilty conscience. When someone somewhere is responsible, it must be you. In a similar way, Pisces tend to take on the burdens of others. It is time to give back to people what is not yours. Yet these tendencies describe factors that are much deeper than you may imagine, relating to how you were raised, and potentially going back generations. It is also likely that someone laid their burden on you when you were younger, and said, "This is the way you are, therefore, I'm putting this on you." It's time to question this whole way of being, including testing the logic of anyone who did this to you. Here's how you can identify it; it goes like this: "I'm right even when I'm wrong," which in turn served to make you wrong as a foregone conclusion. Yet you are not wrong. Your existence is not wrong. You belong here, and you deserve to live with a clear conscience. Yet this calls for doing the one thing that most people finally encounter as the most difficult challenge in life, which is taking full responsibility for your existence. The buck stops with you.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Pisces preview video

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