Spring is here and with it, also, the energy of Jupiter moving into Pisces. Astrologers have likened this experience to rain after a long drought. Jupiter brings expansion, and for a few months this Summer, he will be in the sign of Pisces, place of intuition, mysteries, deep feeling, sweetness, and water.

The myth behind the constellation of Pisces has to do with a rescue. Aphrodite (Venus) and her son Eros (Cupid) were trying to escape from the monster Typhon, who had taken over Mt. Olympus. To do this, they changed into fish.

Truly, we have been and are going through a collective experience akin to an attack. So much has been disrupted, lost, and changed. The past year, and the years before it, have been a time of trial and truth; confrontation and condemnation; a time when we are all having to decide what to do, and how to rescue and take care of ourselves.

I love the image of Aphrodite and her son escaping Typhon, one of the deadliest of Greek monsters, by diving into the sea. We have Love and Desire, tethered to one another, submerging themselves in the water to find a way to survive. As Jupiter enters Pisces, I hope we will find strength in that experience, an opportunity to see what we can see when we open our eyes and have hope, even if we are seeing underwater.

Neptune is down there too, challenging us to learn to see clearly even when it is difficult or uncertain, even when rain is washing down the sides of the window. Neptune invites us to rely on our inner compass as we navigate murky truths or experiences. I think we’ve all had to dig deep to find the ground we stand on, especially when we are on the bottom of the sea…

Maybe this Summer is a time for reaching for what we want in the future that will, indeed, come. Maybe Jupiter will bring us some help in the taking care of the human spirit in this time of trial and difficulty, bringing his power to expand the experiences of Joy, Beauty, and Connection that Aphrodite and Eros represent, experiences that can seem frivolous, but are essential to human life. Our bodies can survive, at least for a time, without them; but our Hearts and Souls need them like Water.