#mutable squares

Mutable Squares & Oppositions

These are some general themes of mutable squares and oppositions. These energies can vary greatly depending on which planets are involved, as well as whether they are transiting or natal aspects.

I have written before about the signs that square each other in astrology and their conflicting energies. In this post I’m honing in on the Gemini-Pisces square. This conflict can play itself out within your own natal chart if you have planets in both Gemini and Pisces or between you and someone else. For example, if you have a Gemini Sun and a Pisces Moon you’ll experience this archetypal friction within yourself. Or, say that you are a Gemini Sun in a relationship with a Pisces Sun - then you’ll experience friction between yourself and the other person. I’m going go over hypothetical scenarios inspired by everyday life and my own personal experiences with this square. Needless to say, no one is only Gemini and only Pisces and people are more complex than these scenarios reflect. But it’s sometimes useful to simplify and generalize.

Scenario 1 (Gemini Sun – Pisces Sun)

Gemini: What have you been up to lately? Gosh, I went skiing last night the moon was absolutely stunning. You should’ve seen it. I tried to take a photo of it but I actually dropped my camera and couldn’t find it. It’s a bummer, really. Oh well. I thought we could go out together some time.

Pisces: That sounds beautiful, I would love to go with you some day. I’m sorry you lost your camera - at least you got a memorable moment.

Gemini: How about next week? Actually the camera was expensive and I didn’t even get to use it that much. I lost a lot of good pictures. You know, I would really like to have a picture of us two; do you have a camera we could use?

Pisces: I do, I use it everyday, it’s like an escape for me to go out and take photos of nature. Early morning is the best; it’s such a perfect time of the day to be awake. There’s something transcendent about it.

Gemini: Great! Ideally we should go around the next full moon because it won’t be the same otherwise. It would be in a month or so. Make sure to schedule this in - we can’t skip another month.

Pisces: I will, for sure! I just don’t want to lose my camera, it means a lot to me. I’m not saying that you will because you lost yours, but I don’t have the money to buy a new one at the moment and I’m not sure I want to risk it, I care too much. I’m sorry – I’m sure we can have a great time anyway.

Gemini: I don’t know. I don’t think so. I mean - the whole point of going back was to get some pictures taken. Obviously, I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy your company; I just think you could take a risk. What are the chances that the same thing will happen this time? I promise, I’ll buy you a new one if I can afford it.

Pisces: That’s so nice of you. Wouldn’t you want to buy yourself a new camera first? I guess I could take a chance.... I want us to have a good time and take pictures. You know what, I’ll do it. I’ll bring it. It’s something that I could sacrifice for the sake of creating some magic with you.

This scenario highlights a few interesting differences between these signs. Gemini is an air sign – it is communicative and eager to engage with people mentally. Pisces is a water sign – it’s emotional, but it doesn’t draw lines between personal feeling and universal feeling. It’s very sentimental and reflective. Gemini is quite careless because it’s all about the movement and mental stimulation that it can experience. It’s not a big deal if everything that is said isn’t completely honest and reliable. Gemini just wants to have a fun time, which usually means some kind of exciting and unexpected twist. It’s difficult to trust a Gemini – they can play all kinds of characters and roles, while it certainly makes them exciting and fascinating, it also makes them deceptive and unpredictable. Pisces on the other hand, places great weight on not losing precious time and precious moments with people. They care so much that they feel the” loss of self” closing in on them… and then they either snap one way or the other; either they decide to agree to everything another person wants and needs – or they stop caring all together because they can’t handle the loss. In this scenario Pisces agreed to Gemini’s request – knowing that a sacrifice would be necessary either way. Pisces is a sign of profound feeling. It’s translucent. Gemini is a sign of profound creative exchange. It is dualistic.

Scenario 2 (Gemini Sun – Pisces Moon)

Gemini-Pisces: Could you run down to the store and get some milk? Every time I go I’m tempted to buy something more even though I don’t need it.

Friend: Sure. I don’t want to go alone though; if you come with me I can help control your urge to buy more.

Gemini-Pisces: I really want to come with you but I don’t think it’s a good idea. I know you don’t like going alone, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I really need your help. It’s not just that I’ll buy more, I get terrible anxiety – do you know what that feels like? It’s horrible. Anyway, I don’t want to force you into anything. Just this time - for me? I’ll make it up to you.

Friend: All right then.

Gemini-Pisces: You’re the best. You’re my best friend, really. I’m so lucky to have you.

Friend: Relax; it’s just a small favor.

Gemini-Pisces: No, it means a lot to me. Here, I’ll give you some money - buy yourself something.

Friend: This is way too much. I’ll take it, but are you sure?

Gemini-Pisces: Take it before I change my mind, then. (mischievous smile)

In this scenario the Gemini Sun is quick to ask for a favor in a light and quick way but the Pisces Moon is sabotaging the light-heartedness since it experiences everything on a universal backdrop. The Gemini Sun can ask for something without a problem, but the Pisces Moon can’t because it’s so much implied in asking someone for help and it’s such a profound thing. The person ends up overcompensating through giving the friend money (Pisces must go over the top and blow the situation out of proportion). Still, it’s done with the Gemini Sun’s trickster expression.

Scenario 3 (Gemini Mars – Pisces Mars interaction)

Pisces: Where have you been? I was so worried!

Gemini: I had a little chat with our neighbors. They’re really nice; I think we got along well. They even gave us some cookies they had made. Well, I asked if we could have some, they looked so good. It’s what neighbors are for, right?

Pisces: I don’t think it’s appropriate to ask them for it, if they offer – sure, if they don’t you shouldn’t ask for it. I’m sure you didn’t mean any harm; it’s just a little bit too forthright and demanding. They wouldn’t say no, of course, because they wouldn’t want you to feel bad for asking.

Gemini: Why? Come on, I’m not one to tip toe around people, it’s not like they can’t ask us for things. It’s an exchange; it’s a way to establish a connection. I said that they should come over any time.

Pisces: Perhaps they don’t want to and now you’re making them. It’s better to be more suggestive and unobtrusive. You wouldn’t want to force them into anything.

Gemini: I wasn’t forcing them, I just told them what I was thinking. There’s no crime in that.

Pisces: No, I don’t mean it like that. Sometimes things unfold naturally and it’s better to roll with it.

Gemini: That’s exactly what I did. Look, you wouldn’t even have gone over in the first place.

Gemini Mars typically asserts its will through making conversation and making deals/exchanges. It’s through establishing a line of communication that the person gets what he/she wants out of life. This placement is indicative of great persuaders. Pisces Mars typically asserts through picking up on nuances and blending with the environment enough to make people comfortable. A Pisces Mars might not come off as particularly aggressive but it has a way of swaying people and carefully “lulling” them into things that they wouldn’t agree to any other way.

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Posts about the conflicts between the signs:

Libra-Cancer

Libra-Capricorn

Aquarius-Scorpio

Aquarius-Taurus

Aries-Capricorn

Aries-Cancer

Leo-Scorpio

Virgo-Sagittarius

Sagittarius-Pisces (available on Patreon) Leo-Taurus (available on Patreon)

Hey folks - I wanted to write a quick energy update because we are entering a loooooooong Sun square Mars phase that is going to last from now through the first half of June.

Let’s first talk about Sun square Mars - this is a very restless transit.  How everything “is” (the general energy of our planet) is at odds with the energy off “getting things done” (signified by Mars).   When this aspect is present, you can expect to see a lot of conflicts over action - particularly what is “right” action. You’re also likely to see a higher incidence of crime and violence anytime that Mars is “poorly” aspected in the skies.

Now let’s talk about Gemini and Pisces.  They are two of the four mutable signs - Gemini is mutable air (thoughts all over the place) and Pisces is mutable water (emotions all over the place).   It is notable that these are the two dual signs in the horoscope - they are also (or because because of the duality?  a question for another day...) the two signs most prone to...let’s just say “misinformation”.

Let’s examine this for a second.  We’ll start with Gemini - the energy of Gemini is inquisitive and constantly curious - it is always seeking out new and interesting ways to look at things.  But because of its mutable nature (and its duality), it is often of “two minds” about something - ie, unable to make a decision to stick to an idea to follow through to fruition.   Gemini can be so intent of seeing all sides of a situation that it can forget that sometimes there is an actual definable “truth”.   Some lower Geminis do this intentionally and become grifters and professional liars - others are just so obsessed with the idea that they forget the concrete.

Pisces is a different type of misinformation.  Pisceans, being ruled by the planet of Neptune, has a strong inclination towards fantasy - daydreaming, playing, and other forms of make believe.  This is all well and good, but without grounding, the Pisces energy can get so lost in this fantasy-land that they forget that there is a concrete reality.

Here is how I see this mutable square play out:  

Pisces sidles up to Gemini.  They’ve already imagined that Gemini is their Perfect Whatever.  Pisces does not want this fantasy to end. 

Pisces:  Come on baby, Lie to me...

Gemini: (never more excited by a single prospect in their entire lives) OKAY!!!

It...doesn’t end well.  Gemini can’t stick to a script.  I said that some Gemini lean towards grifting but I didn’t say that Gemini were good liars...they are too inconsistent for that.  Sooner or later they’re on to another way of looking at things and they’ve forgotten already what they said before.  

Pisces doesn’t want the script to change.

You might see now where I’m going with this...

This is a disaster on an interpersonal level, now replace people with the Sun and Mars.  Mars wants to DO SOMETHING - its all yang energy - and its not well placed in the sign of Pisces to start with.  Mars in Pisces whines at the Sun: lie to me...

The Sun says okay.  The Sun lies.  And then, being in Gemini, completely forgets the lie and moves on to a brand new “lie” (remember, they might call it truth) two days later.

Mars becomes unhappy - violence ensues.

Like all aspects, Squares start to form and build to a completion (when the two planets are “exact” of each other) and then it slowly wanes away.  We are in the waxing phase of this Sun-Mars square (the Sun Mars square is exact on June 6) and yet one does not have to look closely at the news this week to see that it is already starting to play out in the United States.  COVID-19 was the powder keg and institutional racism was the spark...

So what does that mean for our personal lives?  Over the next couple of weeks, you might want to keep an eye out for misinformation - both the lies we tell ourselves (Pisces) and the ways in which we’ve perhaps gotten so mired in our thoughts that we haven’t seen clearly (Gemini).   This is against a backdrop of Venus retrograded in Gemini so we might get very emotional about our thoughts...

Lies may come to light.  But lies are just as likely to wrap us up in knots if we are not consciously seeing them clearly and rationally.   Beware of violent impulse or need to act from a place of emotion.   Watch out for being so “in your emotions” that it obscures your view - is it the forest that you are seeing or is it a tree?    Give yourself extra time to decompress from situations which light a fire under you - look for the right action rather than the quick action. And mostly importantly, be aware of the information you are consuming.  Check your sources.  Don’t believe everything that you read.  There are always a lot of Grifters out there (have I mentioned that the giant Orangutan in Chief is a Gemini Sun?) - make sure you know who and what you are sharing/supporting.

Sidenote: There’s a lot of “right action” going on right now - I don’t mean to imply by any means that isn’t happening.  But a good application of this if you are going to involve yourself in the protests is to make sure that the protest that you are going to intend is actually being supported by the right organizations and is not a catch-net for police or others Right-Wing entities out there to try and arrest people.

Be safe out there, folks.  The astro weather is getting rough.  

I have written before about the signs that square each other in astrology and their conflicting energies. In this post I’m honing in on the Sagittarius-Virgo square. This conflict can play itself out within your own natal chart if you have planets in both Sagittarius and Virgo or between you and someone else. For example, if you have a Sagittarius Sun and a Virgo Moon you’ll experience this archetypal friction within yourself. Or, say that you are a Sagittarius Sun in a relationship with a Virgo Sun - then you’ll experience friction between yourself and the other person. I’m going go over hypothetical scenarios inspired by everyday life and my own personal experiences with this square. Needless to say, no one is only Sagittarius and only Virgo and people are more complex than these scenarios reflect. But it’s sometimes useful to simplify and generalize.

Scenario 1 (Sagittarius Sun – Virgo Sun)

Virgo: You should really think of improving your resume. I don’t think anyone is going to hire you with that photo; you need to look more put together. It’s only reasonable that you should take my advice on this.

Sagittarius: That’s just rude. Who are you to say?

Virgo: I actually know a great deal about how to properly construct a resume. You have to structure it a specific way or it won’t work out for you.

Sagittarius: Geez, professor nit-pick, I’ve not signed up for one of your classes.

Virgo: Do you want to have a chance of getting that job or not?

Sagittarius: You’re so stuck up - relax for once. It’s not as if the world is going to stop turning if I don’t. There are an abundance of opportunities out there, perhaps some that you can’t even conceptualize of yet. Lighten up; you don’t have to worry so much. It’s going to work out, and if it doesn’t, what the hell! It wasn’t supposed to.

Virgo: Would you at least listen to my points? You might learn something.

Sagittarius: If you could be more inspiring and less condescending I would. Honestly, your way of living seems so boring; I wouldn’t take advice from you because I think my life would suck if I did.

This is the conflict between the visionary optimist and the practical perfectionist. Sagittarius comes from a broad and philosophical outlook, which enables this sign to see the big picture. Sagittarius operates from a place of seeing life as a whole, of intuitive wisdom. Virgo comes from a more narrow and realistic point of view, which enables it to structure things efficiently and precisely. Virgo is usually a nit-pick that hones in on the specific approach to take and method of going about things. It can be very critical and obsessive over small things. Sagittarius is usually a blunt and honest to a fault. It’s known for being a truth teller and can be very passionate and bold in its statements. Virgo comes from a place of analytical dissection – Sagittarius comes from a place of intuitive knowing.

Scenario 2 (Sagittarius Sun – Virgo Moon)

Friend: I’ve been feeling so depressed lately. Everything feels heavy.

Sagittarius-Virgo: Yes, it seems to be a seasonal thing for some. Depression is so complex, but I think everyone has experienced it at some point in life. It’s inevitable. It will pass. How’s it affecting you? Are you sleeping well? Is your job too stressful?

Friend: I don’t know. I haven’t made any changes to my daily routine and I sleep ok. It’s just a feeling of meaninglessness and complete lack of excitement and hope. I’m just going through the motions of life. I hope it will pass, like you say.

Sagittarius-Virgo: That sounds horrible! We have to do something about it! We have to go out and have a good time and forget about ourselves for a while. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. I just have to check my calendar and get back to you. I actually have trouble sleeping and made a doctor’s appointment to get a prescription for some sleeping pills.

Friend: Oh, I’m so sorry. I hope they’ll help. Perhaps it’s not good if we stay out late if you have trouble sleeping.

Sagittarius-Virgo: No, don’t be silly, of course we should! I can’t let this hold me back. Although perhaps I shouldn’t stay out past 11. That messes with my sleep cycle.

Friend: Ok…

As with every square relationship, this is a difficult one. The Sagittarius Sun wants to feed the spirit and lift the mood through expressing from a place of higher truth. Life is short and it’s meant to be lived. Humility is not a strong trait of this sign - life is an adventure that has purpose and meaning if one could only manage to catch some wind and fly. The Virgo Moon is analytical in temperament and needs to understand and control all of the practical components that go into making things work in life. The Sagittarius Sun is spontaneous and a bit careless in its self-expression. The Virgo Moon needs to plan and fuss over the details because if the physical processes that are essential to live a functional life aren’t working properly, it will suffer immensely.

Scenario 3 (Sagittarius Mars – Virgo Mars interaction)

Sagittarius: I booked a trip for us next month. I took advantage of the sale.

Virgo: You should’ve consulted me first. We have to plan out how everything is going to work out… I haven’t had the time to sit down and make a plan.

Sagittarius: What do you mean? You’re free the days I booked the trip and we talked about how nice it would be last night.

Virgo: You talked about it, I didn’t object to it but I have so much to do and I can’t take my mind off some things that I have going on right now.

Sagittarius: All the more reason to go, I’d say. Come on, it’ll be fun!

Virgo: I don’t know. I would spend so much time thinking about all of the things that I haven’t sorted out yet… all the loose ends… and I haven’t been to the gym this week, I need to sort out my life properly. I can’t just leave and live in fantasyland.

Sagittarius: You’re never going to have everything sorted out! You just have to accept it!

Virgo: I would like to “accept it” but I don’t want to mess up everything and face terrible decline in my overall health and well-being. I do what I can to maintain stability.

Sagittarius: Well, stressing is not going to improve your health.

Virgo: Don’t you get that adding one more thing – a trip – to my plate will stress me out more than if I could just be left alone and focus on making my day run smoothly?

Sagittarius: You’re such a bore, no wonder that you’re tired of yourself. Well, if you’re not going – I will.

Sagittarius Mars is driven by faith in luck and likes to jump on all the chances that it gets. Virgo Mars is much more “responsible” and has an acute awareness of cause and effect. Perfecting the method of living, which is a daunting task, motivates a Virgo Mars. Sagittarius Mars sees that this is impossible and likes to use momentum to get by. “Booking a trip” because it was something that was briefly mentioned in passing is not unreasonable to this sign. Virgo Mars can’t deal with the spontaneity of Sagittarius and must think things through in order to fit another “component” into daily life.

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Posts about the conflicts between the signs:

Libra-Cancer Libra-Capricorn Aquarius-Scorpio Aquarius-Taurus Aries-Capricorn Aries-Cancer Leo-Scorpio Gemini - Pisces Sagittarius-Pisces (available on Patreon)

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Posts about the conflicts between the signs:

Libra-Cancer

Libra-Capricorn

Aquarius-Scorpio

Aquarius-Taurus

Aries-Capricorn

Aries-Cancer

Leo-Scorpio

Virgo-Sagittarius

Leo-Taurus (available on Patreon)