New Moon Eclipse in Pisces

This is on the 26th February at 3 pm.

It's an annular (“ring of fire”) solar eclipse - the second and final eclipse of this eclipse season. The next round of eclipses won't be till August. Eclipse season represents a time of supercharged change.

Pisces, as the last sign of the zodiac, has to do with endings – and we have a big stellium in Pisces right now. But new moons are symbolic of new beginnings, and we also have a very charged-up stellium in Aries, which is about birth.

So the symbolism here is very much about death and rebirth – endings and beginnings. We are looking at permanent endings here, but we are also looking at fiery, supercharged new beginnings. One door shuts for good, another door opens.

OK, that's all very well, but the death-and-rebirth process this new moon ushers in is unlikely to feel clear-cut. There may be intense delusion / nostalgia / confusion / deception going on, making it hard to know what the hell is happening.

Or else the true import of what's happening may be clouded or hidden – we'll look back and say “this marked the turning point!”, but it'll be impossible to understand it in the moment. The meaning will only come clear in hindsight.

That's because the eclipse is happening close to the south node. And the south node in Pisces is very swamplike – we are vulnerable to all kinds of self-deception, delusion and addiction here. Also illness: Pisces dissolves boundaries, allowing energy to leak out and contagion to leak in.

Having the sun and moon near the south node in Pisces indicates delusive egotism (sun) joined up to emotional hypersensitivity (moon). Plus the sun and moon are conjunct Pisces' ruler Neptune, which further confuses matters. And Mercury, which has to do with our minds and communication, is newly in Pisces too, and tied up with the eclipse. Meaning our brains are going to be underwater, and not too helpful in reasoning us through this or parsing truth from falsity.

Put it all together and it's a recipe for mind-fuckery, victim shit, deceit, muddled thought, addiction, self-delusion, stagnation, depleted reserves and generally feeling like crap. I could try to put a better spin on this – Pisces can be beautiful, dreamy, magical, spiritual energy. But in the context of this new moon, it doesn't look so pleasant. It looks like a big leaky mess.

Don't believe everything you hear. We are sure to be lied to and emotionally manipulated on a grand scale this month, and it's going to be hard to know whose version of reality to trust. Focus as much as you can on what you know to be factually true – and steer clear of reasoning that is informed by wounded emotion, unverifiable beliefs or sentimental nonsense. I expect it'll be easier said than done.

Don't believe everything you think or feel either. Try to fact-check yourself and to take a broader view than the personal. The risk of self-delusion here is high. (One particular danger is of using victim shit as a smokescreen: people will be taking on the mantle of outraged victimhood in order to minimise or excuse their own bad behaviour.)

Also, please be very careful with boundary-dissolving substances (alcohol, drugs) and addictions – you can fuck yourself up much more severely than usual at this time – and maybe irreparably.

That's because in addition to the Pisces south node stuff, we have some ultra-violence going on in the sky: a cardinal t-square between Pluto in Capricorn, Jupiter in Libra and Mars and Uranus in Aries. Sudden shocking accidents are likely. Things can turn in a second and there'll be no going back – remember we are dealing with permanent endings here. So unless you want to blow-torch your life, extreme caution is advised.

This cardinal t-square is tough. Mars conjuncts Uranus the day after the new moon, and both exactly oppose Jupiter in Libra. It looks like an abrupt breaking point – for relationships especially.

I could view this more positively, as a psychological breaking point for relationship hangups and dysfunctional patterns. I do want to look at it positively! Maybe you'll get free of something that's been weighing you down forever.

Positive or negative though, it looks uncomfortable. It involves Mars, who is impetuous and violent, and Uranus, who is abrupt and shocking. Jupiter in Libra may moderate these two or inflame them, we'll see. But the scenario reminds me of the story about the straw that broke the camel's back.

“Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge...”

Not pushing people when they're close to the edge is a good idea here!

Anyway, please be careful this month. Be careful driving. Be careful drinking. Be careful drinking and driving. Be careful with machinery and electricity. Don't plug anything in while you're sitting in the bath. Keep your wits about you and try to avoid stupid drama. That won't be so easy, with Mercury zoning out in Pisces – but please try. These are dangerous days. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, etc.

This emphasis on caution is reiterated by our Venus retrograde, which starts on the 4th March. She'll move backward from 13 degrees Aries toward 26 degrees Pisces, resuming direct motion on the 15th April.

This is a rare enough event – it happens about every other year. It's a time for evaluating our relationships and thinking about what we really value. Powering full steam ahead in love or money matters is not advised until the retrograde ends.

Because this retrograde takes Venus back into square aspect with Saturn in Sagittarius, it will probably involve a depressing sense of blockage, delay and deprivation – especially around mid-April. Don't try to push your way though. Blockage, delay and deprivation are absolutely real here, but also unavoidable. Also relatively temporary, so there's no point freaking out! You can work with the reality instead of getting depressed about it.

OK, and while we're talking about working with reality - I know I've been harping on about the north node in Virgo for ages, but it's very important - especially at this confusing mess of a new moon. This is no time to slack off on the Virgo stuff.

Virgo stuff is about taking care of everyday tasks, sticking to routines and health regimens, attending to details, doing the mundane stuff that needs doing daily. Also helping others as much as possible, and keeping our minds on what's practical. Right now, that's our path through the fog.

Service, discrimination, humility, pragmatism, attention to reality! Virgo stuff can actually be lifesaving as we head into the atmosphere of swirling deception and rage that characterises the month ahead – so please keep doing your Virgo, as much as you can. Even if the most you can do is wash a few dishes. It's not nothing. It's grounding and it helps.