19 Feb Eyes of Love ~ February 20th-26th, 2017

Sonnet 148 by William Shakspeare

O me! what eyes hath Love put in my head,

Which have no correspondence with true sight;

Or, if they have, where is my judgment fled,

That censures falsely what they see aright?

If that be fair whereon my false eyes dote,

What means the world to say it is not so?

If it be not, then love doth well denote

Love’s eye is not so true as all men’s: no,

How can it? O! how can Love’s eye be true,

That is so vexed with watching and with tears?

No marvel then, though I mistake my view;

The sun itself sees not, till heaven clears.

  O cunning Love! with tears thou keep’st me blind,

  Lest eyes well-seeing thy foul faults should find

This is the week of the Solar Eclipse in Pisces, summoning a wider repertoire of emotions and a heightened sensitivity to all energetic conditions. With Mercury also moving into Pisces over the weekend, you will experience many rivers of thought leading back to the vast ocean where everything is adrift and dissolving. In this ebb and flow, your memories will be purified, sanctified, or sunk into the darkness of oblivion.

The symbol of Pisces, the fish, is a primal image of the collective unconscious, the prima materia of the dreamworld. Merging into the realm of Pisces inspires emotional expansion and mystical revelations, calling you to feel universal compassion flowing within. The soul of Pisces whispers,“Your soul is like this vast ocean and this vast ocean is like your soul.

But this week will not be one elongated sigh of bliss. There will be a very tense aspect between Mars and Pluto leading up to the Solar Eclipse and thus, the dark side of Pisces will be certainly dragged up from the deep. When submerged in the shadows of Pisces, one might be tempted to begin a romance with delusion. The resulting behavior will mirror anything you know already about your most escapist tendencies.

Remember, under the influence of Pisces, your senses can absolutely deceive you by usurping the immense powers of your imagination. So this week, be very cautious about where you invest your energies. Count to ten before seizing upon anything and wait until next week before you make any big promises or declarations.

O me! what eyes hath Love put in my head,

Which have no correspondence with true sight;

Or, if they have, where is my judgment fled,

That censures falsely what they see aright?

For those of you not familiar, Shakespeare’s collection of 154 sonnets are addressed to three different recipients: the Fair Youth, the Rival Poet and the mysterious Dark Lady. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 148 is one of the Dark Lady passages, and thus it is a poem that debauches ideal courtly love and all notions of spiritual transcendence.

The Dark Lady sequence of sonnets distinguish themselves by being overtly sexual and tortured by a mixture of love and hate which is poisonous to the poet. Despite the cruel tone, there is always dark humor and wisdom in the Dark Lady poems, for they warn the reader about the delusions that inflamed passions create. True love does not lie on a fine line with hatred. After all, “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds . . .”

Yet, how many human passions do alter at the slightest alteration?

Whether it is romance, narcotics or some other compulsion, everyone has “false eyes” and the predilection to misuse them. Everyone is victimized by their own emotions, surrendering reason to the forces of desire. But Shakespeare must have composed these Dark Lady sonnets for some artistic and instructive purpose. Somewhere within his bewitching tapestry of Elizabethan puns lies a guiding light to help you gracefully withstand the turbulence of passion and desire with good humor.

Thus, even if you are blinded by lust, rage or unrest this week, remember to laugh. Your better senses will soon return.

Monday/Tuesday: What Eyes Hath Love Put in My Head

The week begins with heightened senses, stimulated by Mercury in Aquarius sextile to Uranus in Aries. This aspect is excellent for sharpening an intellectual point or revising a current schedule. Be on the lookout for some unexpected insights or discoveries. Expect to be exceptionally inspired by signs and symbols of human genius. Read Shakespeare…listen to Beethoven…whatever you do, find a pulse of genius from somewhere and use it to propel your own work!

On Tuesday, as Mercury makes an exact trine to Jupiter retrograde in Libra, whatever wave of inspiration you have begun to ride will be blessed with visionary power and optimism. Where do you want to expand your sphere of influence? Where do you need your words to have the most impact? This is the area of your life to point all of this fortunate energy towards.

Wednesday/Thursday: How Can Love’s Eye Be True

On Wednesday, an intense square between Mars in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn will occur. The square between Mars and Pluto represents a lust for victory and thus it will likely summon conflict and a struggle for power.  Whenever Pluto touches a personal planet, the hidden motives and repressed desires rise to the surface.

Thus, even if you feel like you have tempered these hungers, you may very likely witness someone else giving in to unusual aggressions. And there will be no end of opportunities to see it played out in politics.

Under Mars/Pluto transits, it is easier to lose yourself in tempers and rages. Romances can take a dark turn towards sadism. And the glint of jealousy that hides behind people’s eyes is much more comfortable unveiling itself.

Pluto is a transpersonal force that paves roads of truth through your internal wilderness of lies. Thus, whatever experiences you encounter during this time, in the end you will be blessed with a rejuvenation of clarity and purpose.

On Thursday, with Mercury in Aquarius sextile Saturn in Sagittarius, you will be afforded the right conditions to do some very serious thinking. Deep contemplation requires the heaviness and slowness that Saturn brings so do take time to read thoughtfully, write carefully, or meditate for a long time in peace and quiet.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: The Sun Itself Sees Not, Till Heaven Clears

The weekend brings a conjunction between Mars and Uranus in Aries, adding a surge of electric energy to all activities. You will likely feel inspired to push boundaries, relishing the power enjoyed from the sensation of rebellion.

On Saturday, Mercury ingresses into Pisces conjunct the Dark Moon. Though you may feel called to action by Mars/Uranus, this day should remain deeply introspective. Let your inner world become illuminated by mythic intelligence.

Mercury in Pisces may become symbolized by a songwriter or a poet that captures your heart over the next few weeks. Let this tide smooth your thoughts, allowing your mind to become more lyrical.

Whenever Mercury traverses a water sign, you will tend to find that your feelings become hopelessly entwined with your thinking. This influence from Mercury in Pisces is highly favorable for writing poetry and music, but is not the best for keeping tight to any linear plan. Try to relax your expectations about timelines for awhile.

In the oceans of Pisces, Mercury has no fixed point of perspective from which to begin navigating. Thus, you may find that you miss more details but your perceptions of dreams will become more vast.

On Sunday, the Solar Eclipse occurs with the Sun, Moon and Neptune all conjunct in Pisces. Whatever house this eclipse falls in will be catalyzed by a potent transformative power. In general, you can expect to feel strangely lost in a haze, dissolved into visions and voices that may not be your own. This will summon many emotions, crowned by a large sense of compassion for others. When you experience your soul as a ripple in a vast ocean, then your personal story tends to pale in favor of a unified vision of consciousness.

This eclipse in Pisces represents a reminder that is your soul and spirit which animate every other aspect of your life. Thus, the nourishment of your soul and the development of your spirit must come before everything else. In order to really shift your priorities, you may be forced to confront whatever is hollow and dead about your current spiritual practices. 

In terms of spiritual development, there are no short-cuts and there is no way to earn credit for doing half-hearted work. Though there will be many distractions and delusions along the way, at this Solar Eclipse in Pisces, you will feel a renewed urge to follow the winding path all the way back to your center.