Astrology

Astrologer Marguerite Manning sees Neptune as the soul's reminder of yesterday, including past lives, and what we chose to overcome in this life.

In a recent conversation, she said of the meaning of life, "I think it's about living an honorable human life, and that's one that the body has worked for, but the soul can be proud of...And I think down here on planet earth that's a little difficult because we're spiritual beings having a mental experience in a physical world. And that's why we need Mars to push that Sun to stardom and Neptune out there reminding us of the initial game plan."

With Neptune, Marguerite points out the infinite ways your karma can come back to you. In the first article from our talk, here are her insights on Neptune Pisces Transiting the Houses.

Marguerite Manning is the author of the popular book, Cosmic Karma, Understanding Your Contract With The Universe. Her forthcoming book, Sign Language, Decoding Your Contract with the Universe, will be available on Kindle in mid-March, 2012. Marguerite also offers Karmic Counseling Sessions, through her website.

I remember Whitney Houston from before she was famous. I was a tween and she was just a few years older, and the first model of color in Seventeen magazine. Radiant, pure joy, bright eyed, stunningly beautiful -- these naturally go with the fiery combo of Sun Leo and Moon Aries, with planets Venus and Jupiter in aspects that further magnetize her special something and artistic gifts.

And yet, her seeming spiral down, the loss of the spark in her eyes, and early death speak of soul-level undercurrents that took hold at some point. What stands out in her birth chart, is a gripping Scorpio Neptune in (Scorpio's) 8th House. This is the house of meeting the soul through merged relationships, trauma, life and death situations. And there are significant Neptune squares in Whitney's natal chart, making it a defining force for growth and soul-challenges. I've spent time talking about Neptune's pull and karmic demands with Marguerite Manning, author of Cosmic Karma and yesterday, for her take on Whitney's Neptune.

"...perhaps it's my habit of always looking backwards in the chart but what stands out to me about her 8th house Neptune in Scorpio (ruler of her Asc) is that it's Squaring Saturn IN the 12th. That tells me that the emotionally unavailable or lost father of her past IS that 8th house issue she failed to deal with again in this life......yesterday's father hunger manifesting in an "all or nothing" approach to deep sharing, intimacy and control. (It was always her and Bobby against the world, with HER defending him to the nth degree....)

It just shows you, no matter how brilliant or talented we women are, the relationship that shapes us the most will always be the one we had (or didn't have) with the first man in our lives. Dad. I don't know what her history was with her father in this life, or if she even had one, but she came back this time around to forgive him...and prove she didn't need that to feel emotionally whole. Guess it was too difficult a mission this time around."

Her very human struggles make the achievements of this brilliant talent and soul, as Marguerite calls her, all the more poignant. Some of her songs reached me in my dark teen years, when nothing else could, and that's a gift I'll always be grateful for.

After seeing the Downton Abbey Valetine's Day Cards by artist Chad Thomas, I've got an idea. It's a heartsick Lady Mary waiting at the train station for Cousin Matthew, holding this vintage card, with the inscription, "I Accept You."

I've just started watching Season Two by way of Netflix, so I'm a few plot turns behind some of you. But thought I'd look at the actor Sun signs of major pairings. It makes me curious if there was some astro-casting for chemistry, when the ensemble was created. I'm on a Downton bender at the moment, and love everything about the show, but especially the courtship rituals of another time.

• Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and her Ladyship (Elizabeth McGovern): Scorpio and Cancer No wonder he can't stay in his own room, and their four-poster bed is a pile of cozy....;
• Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Cousin Matthew (Dan Stevens): Sagittarius and Scorpio Once shunned, however subtly, the Scorpio finds it hard to trust again.
• Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle) and Anna (Joanne Froggatt): Sagittarius-Leo
• Mrs. O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran) and Thomas (scheming duo): Capricorn and Libra
• Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay) and Tom Branson (Allen Leech): Virgo and Taurus

I love holidays and for me, Valentine's Day is a purely fun celebration of love. It's a day to remember that spark and love for life that we share with friends, family, and our beloved.

Renown author Suzanne White has ideas, for showing love and appreciation to each Zodiac sign (Western and Chinese). Her humor is at times droll with the hint of the edgy bite of a Scorpio, and belies her international lifestyle.

I say that because instead of a leisurely lunch at a Michelin four star restaurant in France, I often get hand-picked wildflowers from my Hungarian (Virgo Monkey) honey on V-Day. I'm torn between wanting him to go all out, and not wanting him to spend money on something super cheap. Suzanne is right on that my Monkey man is a lover of oddball gadgetry, especially if it makes daily life flow better (the Virgo in him). But we usually come up with something together, to make it a stand-out day. We love to eat, so it's usually some kind of food alchemy beyond our usual menu.

Many of Suzanne's tips are not things to buy, but actions and attitudes, to make the day special. She writes, "It's about thanking each other for the sheer pleasure of the many moments of true intimacy (sexual or on a holiday or at the movies) that we have had the luxury of sharing."

• Valentine's Day - Thanksgiving Day for Lovers with Gratitude gift ideas for Every Zodiac sign.
• Valentine's Day Gratitude Gift Ideas for every Chinese Zodiac Sign!

See also Gift ideas by Venus Sign

It's a rocketing lead-in to Valentine's day, for love bursts and surprises! Venus is now in Aries, for surges of affection, and on edge spontaneity. And lover Venus is hit by triggering Uranus at one degree Aries -- the igniting moment is exact Thursday, February 9th at 9:29 pm est. This is a big energy day to act on what you love, especially what has the momentum of a fresh start.

Aries is the first sign of discovering the self, and trusting instincts that are self-sourced. Venus Aries is a call to love yourself fiercely! The presence of liberating Uranus could lead to unexpected events or realizations, about the brand new that's emerging. It's a fine moment to strike out on your own, or initiate creative risk. (Note: Saturn and Mars are retrograde, so make sure you are precise with your approach).

It's also about loving your own way, or pursuing your path of meaning -- even if it's shocking to others. Where is 1 degree Aries in your own birth chart? Expect and invite something wild to happen, some Springlike boost to get things moving! I love this image of taboo love, for the Photo of the Week. See more images from Around About.

"As the world appears to be spiralling into increasing chaos, it's important to remember the place of stillness in the heart. This is what will get us through." From The Emergence Project

Let's linger and bask in what makes life worth living, and who and what we love, at this Leo Full Moon (Tuesday, February 7th). Leo is the fire sign of big heart and big love. If you need cheering up, get out of your usual groove. The solar presence has an exclamation point at the Full Moon, with its conjunction to Mercury in the future-tripping sign of Aquarius.

With the Messenger (Mercury) so brightly lit, keep a watch out for synchro-mystic signs that keep you on the sunniest path. This is synchronicity that jars your inner knowing, and gets your attention. These are luminaria lighting up as the path unfolds, designed especially for you. At this Full Moon, be alert to these tailor-made messages, perhaps notes of encouragement from your future self!

• Related: You Were Made for This Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Keira Knightley's TV-less lifestyle made headlines in the Telegraph UK. It's a radical move in some circles and one she made five years ago, after, she told the major paper, "she became tired of the constant diet of 'mindless' programmes and reality television shows."

Keira Knightley is an early Aries (March 26), with Venus and Mercury nearly conjunct in Aries as well. Her vital 5 degree Aries Sun has a date with the planet of the big universal mind, Uranus, in mid-April. As a very lit up rebel Aries, her example can inspire others to find the juice in real life, as an actor not a spectator.

The trance of television is not easy to break, with its illusion of a shared world. I know from doing this myself at about the same age as Keira, that it takes enormous will power and trust that there's another way to live. But the rewards for this breakthrough are priceless. Says Keira, "So I realized that hours of my life were going by watching mindless stuff when I wondered what I could do with my life if I didn't watch TV for four hours a night."

A trend with Uranus in Aries, is having breakthroughs that shake you free from social conditioning. It's daring to make yourself the star of the show. And honoring yourself as an originator of ideas and impressions, instead of passively receiving. Keira Knightley is blazing a trail here, as a true Aries pioneer. What's your take on this? Do you have an experience of breaking free of TV?

The planet of mysticism, unseen realms, the dreamlife and art - Neptune - makes its ingress into Pisces today (to 2025). In her compelling little book Cosmic Karma, astrologer Marguerite Manning calls Neptune the mirror of our soul, and that "it's nothing more than a celestial shadow of our unconscious past, our creative imagination and our unconditional faith -- guilt and addiction included."

Pisces is the sign that's the return journey, and ways we seek experiences that lift us out of ordinary reality. Neptune inspires ecstatic heights and magical creations of the imagination. But its seductive glam can, at times, lead us into mirages that are just reflections of what's in our own psyche. In a time when there are extremes of fear and denial (living in la la land), we want to avoid getting lost in the fun house of delusional thinking. Manning writes, "Evidently, the very essence of this dark and inhabitable planet personifies the most basic of human conditions: when faced with intolerable circumstances, people tend to see what they want to see."

With Neptune in Pisces, the boundaries blur, and we are at times swimming together in a great sea of impressions and feeling waves. The gift of intuition is your tool for discerning what's yours to integrate, and what's just drifting by. I've lately felt submerged by moods and even physical churnings that have no easily identifiable root. With Pisces, it's about the soul and its many lives, both early experiences, but in lives that are just sensed or played out in dreams. I'm used to these times of feeling lost, when I know it's best to keep things simple, and look to movies, friends and books that remind me that life is good. Being in nature and asking for clear signs and for guidance helps, too.

I'll be talking with Marguerite next week about Neptune in Pisces, and focusing on this enigmatic planet all month. Which house is Neptune transiting for you? This is where you're most likely to catch sight of the soul, and the greater mysteries of life.

It's Imbolc, a festival with Celtic roots, to lift spirits and celebrate the increasing daylight. Why not muse on what's growing within you, or what you'd like to beam your attention on? Light a candle, write poetry, invite healing energies, or divinate with the Tarot cards or runes. Today I'd like to breathe in healing light, to dispel fear and trust in what's unfolding.

• Artist and researcher Max Dashu of Suppressed Histories writes, Imbolc / Oímelc, otherwise called the Day of Brigid (Lá Fhéile Bríde), the day of Ewe's Milk (meaning of Oimelc) after the female sheep heavy with their young (i mbolg, in the belly). It is the Feast of Light, thus the catholicization of Candlemas. Irish carolers go from house to house and are received with hospitable food and drink."
• It's also the Feast of Bride, or Brigid's Day, a Celtic ancestral Goddess who later became St. Brigid. She's the bringer of the light, and Goddess of smithcraft and healing. And, from the Chalice Centre, "Since the discipline of poetry, filidhect, was interwoven with seership, Brigid was seen as the great inspiration behind divination and prophecy, the source of oracles."
• All About Imbolc from About Guide to Pagan/Wicca

Something wild happened yesterday, as I was writing about the Mars-Venus opposition (exact February 1st at 6:41 pm est). A fast-moving forest fire started very close to where we live, and there was a firetruck on the property, and a small lookout plane flying overhead. The firemen told us to be on alert, in case we had to evacuate. Chaos ensued! But my Virgo man insisted it be organized chaos, and I did my best (Pisces rising), not to space out from overwhelm!

With just a little hindsight, I can see how we embodied Virgo-Pisces traits. He with practical intelligence, and me tuning in to the trees, the wildlife and smokey wind, and intuition about whether we were in immediate danger or not. Virgo-Pisces are both signs sensitive to the environment, and while seemingly so different, these intelligences can complement each other. We clashed though, because my main focus was saving the animals and what's of sentimental value. I even saved a couple of framed family pictures for our neighbor who wasn't home. But if I'm lost in a mood, I know he's checking on specifics -- that the vehicle is hooked properly to the horse trailer and so forth.

With its special focus on the Mars-Venus opposition, It's a gift to read Mark Borax' Cosmic Weather report for February, called, Holding On or Letting Go. He writes, "With Venus in Pisces, the mixed emotions of the feminine can dominate with psychic cross-currents that neither men nor women can deal with until they emerge out of the shadows into plain sight. And Mars in Virgo's need to claim ground, hammer on the specifics rather than go with the flow, can feel relentless and invasive to the Piscean need to surrender."

Virgo and Pisces are mutable signs, and their energies expressed through Mars-Venus calls for patience with others and ourselves when we're in the mixer of change. Instead of harsh self-critique or judgment of others, we can strive for empathy, forgiveness, compassion. Writes Mark, "The common ground beyond opposition is that we've all been thrown together as souls incarnating into one of the most troublesome and questionable periods of human life on Earth, when there are infinitely more questions than answers."

This morning, we walked down to see the fire breaks, these great swaths of destruction in the forest. The winds were with us last night, and today I feel grateful. And I'm more aware of my own nature in crisis, and my husband's. The Mars-Venus opposition really came home yesterday, and a lot of Mars' raw emotion and force was expressed. Mars Virgo in an urgent twist seems to say, "you're not being who I need you to be!" And yet, with Venus Pisces, there's a chance for spiritual understanding, especially in times when so much is out of our control. These two signs show us how to trust and go on faith, but also be alert to the shifting environment. There's been loss, and later, I'll go as witness and see if there are uprooted trees to save. Looking at the scorched landscape makes me sad, but also in awe of the elements. It's a reminder that life can change in an instant. And the dire mood of such a moment sharpens the focus, to know what to hold on to and what to let go.