We’ve entered the waning half of the Moon’s cycle since it reached Full phase last Friday night. There’s a sense of de-escalation surrounding the waning phase, similar to a long exhale after taking a deep breath. The potency of the Full Moon (and the emotional and psychological drama it can encourage) slowly begins to recede back with the shrinking lunar light, allowing us to take a step back from the intensity.
The waning cycle lasts 2 weeks, from Full to New Moon. During this time, the Sun will pass through the last degrees of Aquarius and eventually shift into Pisces on Feb. 18. Pisces energy tends to release the severity of our convictions– the strong-minded Aquarian ideals melt a little in Pisces, allowing for more acceptance, passivity, and forgiveness. It’s easier to live and let live because Pisces likes to dissolve boundaries, looking at the world from a more inclusive point of view. The danger can be avoidance and escapism, where sweeping details under the rug simply feels easier than dealing with things honestly and directly. Strong backbone can be lacking because the sensitivity factor is so high, which makes it difficult to engage in confrontation. The positive potential here is to recuperate, taking some time to alleviate stress and indulge in peace and quiet.
Mercury is getting all sorts of planetary excitement during this lunar waning phase, indicating that things won’t be completely mellow. The planet of communication is still transiting Aquarius, following behind the Sun by several degrees. It will make contact with Mars, Uranus, Jupiter, and Saturn over the course of the 2 weeks, all of which serve to stimulate our mental faculties. Information is flowing: what seemed solid is going to start to shift and mobilize. These astrological aspects can be energizing, destabilizing, and liberating– Mercury is being activated to think in bold and new ways, which can help us get out of familiar ruts. It’s a good time to be thinking outside the box and trying different approaches to old problems.
The purpose of this blog is not moral grandstanding, but to offer advice from the planets. There is something to be said, however, about the moral condition of the world right now. Bertolt Brecht, the German playwright and poet, wrote, “These people, I saw, lived by the harm which they did, not by the good.” As we head into the last weeks of the winter season, maybe we can find some hope in living by the good we do. Pisces is innately inclined to let go of stress and to heal through unconditional love, understanding that any small way we can contribute helps the whole.
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