The Water Types

The element of water is associated with the signs of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Water signs are emotional, sensitive and compassionate. Rivers run deep in this element and nothing is shallow. After a long hard day at work, we long to sink into a nice warm bath, and this is a similar feeling to the protective embrace of a water sign woman, she is the only one who understands, sympathises and knows just what you need.

Neptune was named after the Roman sea god, and given rulership of Pisces, and so her emotions are changeable, choppy, and fluid, just like the sea. Looking out at the ocean it’s difficult to know where it begins or ends, it’s so huge, vast and endless. The Sun and Moon both reflect on her cool water, and in the daytime she mirrors back the warm, golden colours of the Sun, but in the night time she dresses in shimmering sliver and reflects the Moon's light across the shoreline.

The sea is both beautiful and dangerous, and when she is raging a storm, nobody is safe. Neptunian forces operate in ways that are completely beyond our control and she rules over the unconscious. A rich dream life, imagination, and feelings are all part of her realm, but in her darkest hours she can drown in alcohol, fall into temporary madness, confusion and despair. Pisces is full of mystery and secrets, but there is great sadness under those blue waves. Her sympathy is boundless and limitless, and her water distorts and blurs everything. Pisceans are pretty much unfathomable, but that is part of the attraction, you just can’t figure her out.

Water people can brood, particularly Cancer and Scorpio. As ruler of the tides, it is fitting that the Moon should rule our emotions, and finds it home in Cancer. In Cancer, feelings are always active (cardinal) internally and she trusts her feelings, memories and gut instincts. The Moon’s fortunes start off full and bright and then her light begins to diminish, so she understands the ebb and flow of life. The Moon changes signs every two days, and she is compared to the swiftly flowing river. There is great gentleness, vulnerability and softness here, and she needs to be needed. Cancer protects, nurtures and supports, and she expresses a great depth of love for people. The self-sacrificing nature of Cancer is more often of an active kind, rather than passive, like Pisces. The crab has a hard outer shell, but is a softie inside, and she can be hurt very easily.

Poor Scorpio has been accused of not wanting to date, but to take hostages rather than lovers. The jokes can be cruel. Scorpio’s are dammed sexy and some of us might go willingly into their lair, even if it means we can never see our family and friends again! Scorpio is like the frozen lake, and it’s difficult to see beneath her surface, unless you have an ice pick. The physicality of death reveals some of Scorpio's stillness and coldness. However, as a water sign, she is full of intense feeling underneath, and extremely loyal to love ones. The Scorpio woman is full of dark mystery, and there is much more beneath the surface than meets the eye. Ice is the least fluid and she doesn’t let go easily, she takes a long time to thaw out. One word of advice about Scorpio is that she does go to extremes of passionate heat to frozen withdrawal. Nobody else will love and hate with the same intensity. You can have a life-long companionship with Scorpio or a lifelong enemy, and I know which one I would prefer. There is a wonderful poem about Scorpio’s Love, by Ron S king:

When Scorpio loves, it’s to full effect
No deeper and passionate can love feel
So hot and cold are emotions to select
This fire and ice, love of all time’s steal
There is a strong need to partner care
A joint demand for loyalty and committing
A new beginning with just love to share
A new-life time for love that’s fitting
A Scorpio’s love is powerfully intense
Sensual and sexy with strong desires
One has to burst through the wall’s defence
To discover the burning passion-fires
Awareness has to made of base emotions
The tides of jealousy and nature’s case
Any dominating force with fixed intention
That cuts the nose to spite the poor face
But powerful love is Scorpio’s trait
To love strong and deep, to last so well
To share all the glory with a chosen mate
Scorpio love is between heaven and hell

Mercury in Cancer

A person with Mercury in Cancer understands and receives information subtly and instinctively. The memory is often highly retentive; it is also likely that they absorb information from the environment. There is often a strong artist’s sense for visual imagery, poetry and music. Mercury here is an attentive and sensitive communicator, but the conveying of facts is often coloured with emotion and it may be difficult to articulate ideas and perceptions objectively. The individual may have an interest in history, antiques and the continuity of the past. Mercury in Cancer learns best when the focus is on human needs and feelings, many are natural psychologists and it often does not require a professional degree. A sympathetic view is usually given freely; they listen and respond well to the feelings of others.

The mind is focused on home, family and personal issues, and they focus a great deal on safety and security. Sometimes the views are quite traditional and conversations always reflect back to the past, so forward thinking cause’s apprehension and worry. Mercury in Cancer also has a tendency to take differing opinions as a personal attack or criticism. The imagination can work overtime, all too often negatively. Views are also expressed cautiously and new perspectives appear threatening until the individual has had time to become more familiar and comfortable with an idea. Verbal expression tends to be defensive, protective and highly reactive; sometimes they appear withdrawn and hardly talk at all.

The individual is a sensitive and gentle speaker and may talk about family, security, care and emotional states frequently. Usually they remember what people say and often bring up information from the past with ease. Those with Mercury here write imaginatively, drawing the reader into his or her private world. Words can be comforting, assuring and familiar. Mercury in Cancer has a way of transporting us back to childhood. Thought patterns are often influenced by the past and impressions received from the environment.

Irish Play writer George Bernard Shaw, was born a Gemini rising (writing and communication) with Sun and Venus in Leo in the 3rd house (writing and communication) and had Mercury in Cancer in his 2nd house (chart ruler). George co-founded the school for social economics, which conducts research in accounting and finance (2nd) anthropology, history, psychology and sociology. Shaw examined marriage, government, health care and class privilege.

Cheryl Cole: The Flood

I watched Cheryl Cole’s video for The Flood  yesterday, from her second album, Messy Little Raindrops. I thought it was beautiful and visually stunning. The video contains scenes of the sea and underwater-like imagery. It obviously appeals to my natal  Moon in Pisces square Neptune. Neptune was officially discovered in 1846. Mythological Neptune is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea and brother Zeus (Roman: Jupiter). In modern astrology the planet Neptune rules Pisces, the traditional domain of Jupiter. Wherever Neptune is on the chart, there is often idealism about an area not found anywhere else. Neptune’s main characteristics are the disillusion of boundaries and it can indicate great compassion, sensitivity and empathy. Artistic inspiration, musical talent and a rich dream life may be indicated by Neptune. Its Negative manifestations include over-idealization or worship, delusion, deception, neediness, martyrdom and identifying with the role of the victim. Neptune rules anything to do with sea, floods, actors, movie, fashion, chaos and secretly undermining activities or influences. The magic of art, cinema and music provide a refuge from life’s coarseness, taking us into the imaginable realm.

The mythology of Neptune begins with the mythology of water. In astrological symbolism, Neptune is the ruler of Pisces, the third sign of the watery trigon; and the god after whom the planet is named is the lord of the ocean depths. But even if this planet had been called by another name, the language of water arises spontaneously on the lips of those experiencing important transits and progressions involving Neptune. Over and over again I have heard people completely unfamiliar with astrology describe their feelings and perceptions at such critical times with images such as drowning, flooding, drifting, dissolving, swamped, inundated, and flowing with the current. Their dreams at these junctures also reflect the domain of water: tidal waves, sinking ships, leaking pipes and overflowing toilets, flooded houses, torrential rain. By Liz Greene, The Astrological Neptune, and the Quest for Redemption

Venus in Scorpio

Any person born with Venus in Scorpio seeks relationships that provide emotional depth, intensity and the potential for transformation. Venus here cannot stand relating to others in a superficial and shallow fashion. This person thrives on passion and emotional honesty, and may be possessive and jealous, or attract partners who are. The partner’s commitment and loyalty must be unflinching. Scorpio is a fixed water sign and possesses a capacity for enduring love, betrayal and humiliation are rarely forgotten or forgiven, and early painful experiences are concealed, protecting great sensitivity and vulnerability. Sometimes there are darker undercurrents to love - cruelty, abuse, crisis, disturbance and drama.

Venus in Scorpio seeks nothing less than complete merging with a partner. Much of the love nature is tangled up in power-struggles, extreme feelings, and need to maintain control. Sometimes there is far too much pride to offer an apology after an argument, and fights are fairly common, unless the love nature is completely repressed and everything simmers and seethes underneath like a volcano threatening to erupt. Sexuality for Venus in Scorpio is more a matter of emotion and the sign longs to taste the depths of sweet surrender, it has little connection with the physical body (Taurus) and more to do with the soul. Superficial displays of love have little appeal, and there isn’t anything lukewarm about our Scorpio lover. This sign knows how to read lovers on a soul level, and understands about honest relating. It can be deeply flattering to a partner to have such unflinching devotion, even if they are possessive, but no one likes to lose what they have become attached to. No one is left unaffected by relationships without changing.

Mother-Moon-Astrology: Scorpio Themes

Those with Moon-Pluto in the chart, Moon in Scorpio or Moon in the 8th house, have great intensity of feeling, survival instincts and need to merge emotionally with others. The relationship with mother may be one of considerable emotional depth and there are powerful feelings surrounding a care-taker. A Scorpionic mother may have been emotionally demanding, over possessive, obsessive and power-hungry. Through nurturing, bonding, comfort and protection, the feeling life (Moon) is coloured by intrusive, dark and threatening forces. The parent may love to stir up trouble in the family and the home life may have been difficult and fraught with intense emotional outbursts, moreover, she may have felt that she had to control everyone. In addition, she may have a tendency towards depression and brooding over past hurts.

“ The overly “pre-occupied mother-the type who cannot relinquish her own fusion with the child - may be portrayed in the child’s birth chart by difficult configurations of the Moon with Neptune or Pluto, or with the Moon, Neptune, or Pluto located at the Midheaven and/or in the 10th house. This may sometimes reflect a mother whose own personality is unformed, and who finds meaning through merging with, and living through, her offspring.” By Liz Greene, The Astrological Neptune

A Plutonian child may have faced the premature realities of death, abuse, jealousy, violence and destructiveness in early childhood. In turn, these early feelings have a profound impact on feelings about intimacy and family. Sometimes sexuality and money are linked and the child often learns what lies beneath the surface of life. Sometimes Moon-Pluto aspects signify the death of mother or loss of someone in the environment, and the parent fell into deep mourning. The Moon relates to the body and perhaps she had feminine problems to do with the organs, womb, breasts, menstruation, pregnancy, hysterectomy, etc. Hidden problems in the body may have been diagnosed.

The Moon in Scorpio, Moon in 8th house and Moon-Pluto aspects are watery combinations and so the issues of boundaries are very important. Sometimes the mother can be found invading the child’s space, and constantly analyzing his or her motives and emotions, so privacy issues may arise. The individual may have been subjected and exposed to emotional-blackmail, intimidation, smothering, manipulation and threatening behaviour. With a powerful Scorpionic Moon she may have even been prone to threats of suicide or other self-destructive and underhanded strategies.

Consequently the child was never allowed to feel-safe and so they learned how to guard their feelings. Furthermore, this person is careful not to show any emotional weakness. Sometimes there are skeletons in the family closet and a deep dark secret - alcoholism, violence, sexual abuse, disablement, criminal activity, or something less dramatic - that was kept hidden. Sometimes the mother was going through some sort of crisis when the child was born.

“Moon-Pluto mother-love may be devouring and manipulative although often it is subtle and covert. However, in extreme cases if the combination is strong, the devouring quality of the mother can indeed make her something of a wicked witch or vampire, a mother that sucks the life out of the child and thus is obsessively protective. Sometimes the parental figure is the grandparent, usually a grandmother and where it isn’t, this suffocating history still often has its roots in the patriarchal line.” By Sue Tompkins, Aspects in Astrology

More positively, there may be an extremely close emotional bond built on loyalty and commitment. The mother may be good with resources, and other people’s finances. Furthermore she is deeply passionate about loved ones and about living a full-life of intense feeling. Perhaps she was attracted to the hidden or the occult, psychology, healing, and anything to do with discovering and enhancing inner-strength through growth-promoting areas. The mother may have possessed tremendous stamina and strength in the face of crisis. When forced to rely on her survival instincts and powerful insights throughout life, she may have faced dark, difficult and traumatic challenges. Usually there are powerful emotional convictions and perceptiveness present. The native has learned from mother how to use power and control wisely, in order to gain self-mastery. Scorpio placements develop focus, determination and psychological self-awareness. Much of the emotional energy may also be used to protect the child and this type of plutonian mother shows a love that is deep, strong, committed and unwavering.

Venus in Cancer

Any person with Venus in Cancer seeks relationships which provide a sense of emotional belonging. Kindness, sympathy and the expression of love are all responsive to feeling. With a powerful protective instinct they sometimes cling fearfully to loved ones and have a tendency to nostalgically look back at the past. Cancers have strong emotional attachments and are gentle, romantic, affectionate and devoted. However, they can also be possessive and clingy which can result in a reluctance to allow others emotional freedom. Venus here may seem touchy and sensitive in matters of the heart, so extreme sensitivity to rejection, and a long memory for personal slights create a defensive shell in romantic pursuits. Often the individual needs to feels intensely and place deep importance on close and lasting bonds.

Those with Venus in Cancer attract with a tenderness and familiarity which makes others feel comfortable. Often this combination has an extremely caring and compassionate nature that protects nurtures and knows how to sympathetically respond to partners. In love, Venus in Cancer is full of longings, romantic imagination, impressions and loving devotion. Sometimes the love nature is prone to unhealthy dependency and neediness, but underneath it all they are vulnerable and need to be close to people. If they feel unloved and insecure these types are prone to sulking and moodiness to attract emotional nurturance and reassurance from a relationship.

Classically, if they are attracted to someone, they always take the sideways approach and need to feel secure that feelings will be reciprocated. Some of these people have childhood sweethearts and tend to reflect on past relationships. The nature may be quite shy, timid and passive, and they are forever looking for emotional security and have a desire to be taken care of, to be nurtured. Sometimes they have the emotional expectation that lovers should instinctively know what they need without having to verbalize it.

There is something traditional about the love nature with Venus in Cancer, and they enjoy cosy, private and intimate dates. Similarly, they may be a bit-old-fashioned romantically and prefer to play the traditional roles in relationships. Deeply sensitive to the needs and hurts of loved ones they create a protective love nest and seek stable domestic situations filled with comfort and beauty.

Cancer Rising

A person with Cancer rising approaches life with sensitivity and wears its feelings on its sleeves and is not adverse to the odd sentimental moment. One of the main features of Cancer is its changeable moods and protection of feelings under a layer of defensiveness.  This person will not venture forth until the environment is perceived to be safe, and being so highly emotional and responsive to the atmosphere, self-preservation is a big thing. The impact of the environment always affects them personally, beneath the emotionalism the unconscious side of them longs to be self-sufficient. Cancer tends to act indirectly and in a sideways fashion when confronted with new situations, and needing to feel safe and secure, it is likely that movement is subtle and action is not taken until there is an assurance of security. The individual approaches others in a sympathetic way and tends to ‘feel’ their way around life. The Moon’s moods are variable and so their reactions to the environment changes depending on the level of vulnerability and protection that is sensed.

Those with important points in Cancer retain experiences and naturally hold on to loved ones and familiar objects for a sense of belonging. The individual doesn’t ’rush into’ unfamiliar territory that may make them feel uncomfortable and upset. The rising sign symbolises what is projected from the personality, and  insecurity, moodiness and defensiveness are Cancerian traits that may be expressed immediately. Often this changeful, complex nature is misunderstood and eludes simple definition. It is also likely that this person will initiate feelings first and is protective of others, responding to their needs first. The Moon rules over the mother in the natal chart and so a caring and motherly type persona, and emotional available aura is another expression of Cancer's feeling response towards the environment. There is often a very personal outlook and the type may exude softness and a have a dreamy sentimental appearance and approach to life that can make them react negatively to cold environments. The crab usually hides and so this individual may appear to be hard and impenetrable on the outside, but vulnerable and soft on the inside. Similarly, they are mistrustful of new contacts and experiences and may posses a fearful outlook, where everything is viewed as potentially threatening.

Water Signs

The signs expressing the element of water are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Cancer, the cardinal water sign, ruled by the Moon, reflect its early environment and memories of childhood and the home. This person relies on their ‘gut instincts’ and they usually receive impressions and an overall feeling about a person. The type is usually very much in tune with its emotional needs, and form a powerful attachment to their early ’roots’. Cancerians often delve into their family tree and study subjects like history. This person needs emotional contact through the family and home. Scorpio is a fixed water sign ruler by Mars and Pluto and probes into the environment, it signifies deep water where transformation takes place below the surface of life. Scorpio presents the tougher side of water and is extremely self-protective, secretive and tends to distance himself from social situations.

Scorpio is based on the flow of feeling of mutual entanglements and merges with others in a profound way, the sign penetrates emotionally in order to strike at the very heart and soul of emotional experiences. Plutonian feelings are hot, fiery emotional and prone to violent eruptions. Scorpio responds to the darkest depths of human emotion, and we often form our most profound bonds in life through life and death situations, but also through emotional confrontations. Although, it must be said, that the Scorpion does tend to 'provoke' what lies beneath the surface of life, even if it dredges up ugly emotions. Above all, the sign values emotional honesty, and needs to know how others really feel, and are not fooled by social niceties, pretence or keeping up appearances.

Pisces, the mutable water sign ruled by Jupiter and Neptune dissolves and crosses boundaries, signifying the widest of emotional experiences. This person can be extremely submissive and the most changeable of the water signs and their emotions are constantly shifting, moving and changing. In essence, the water triplicity responds beautifully to anything coloured with human emotion and are sensitive to the needs of others, reacting appropriately to the mood of the moment. Classically, water loves emotional drama and sink easily into feelings of melancholy. Usually there is a deep psychic sensitivity to life and need for secrecy and privacy.

“Of all the elements, the Sage should take water as his preceptor. Water is yielding but all conquering. Water extinguishes Fire, finding itself likely to be defeated, escapes as steam and reforms. Water washes away soft Earth or, when confronted by rocks, seeks a way around… It saturates the atmosphere so that Wind dies. Water gives way to obstacles with deceptive humility, for no power can prevent it following its destined course to the sea. Water conquers by yielding; it never attacks but always wins the last battle.” John Blofeld’s, The Wheel of Life

The water elements take all shapes and forms: the pond, to the calm, tranquil and sometimes violent sea, or the hard frozen lake. Water signs tend to be ‘deep’ and introverted, they value relationships and need emotional bonds and closeness with others. At worst, they can get waterlogged and bogged down by too much negativity in their environment, and there is often a vulnerability in all water signs. Sometimes prone to suffering from extreme ‘mood swings’ the water types are often ‘inarticulate’ souls. However, these emotional types have the capacity to feel and react to others in a caring and sensitive way.

“The watery type is usually well-acquainted with the darker side of human nature, which earns these signs their reputation for compassion and empathy. There is the inherent capacity to feel what another feels, and to assess things in what appears to be a totally irrational way which can be infuriating to the airy type, who must reason everything out, “Why don’t you like him?” says air, and water replies, “I don’t know, I just don’t feel good about him.” But you must have a reason.” I don’t need a reason, I just know.” “But surely you don’t expect me to accept your judgement without a reason!” By Liz Greene, Relating

Songs of the Zodiac: Scorpio

Scorpio directs it energies attempting to penetrate into the heart of the situation. The Scorpion desires to know what goes on beneath the surface of life so that it can perceive its inner meaning. Like all water signs, Scorpio is sensitive and enjoys all the emotional drama that was lacking in Libra. Scorpio experiences the depths of emotions and it tends to go to extremes, and has a reputation for being the dark, broody and manipulative sign of the zodiac. Halloween is celebrated during the month of Scorpio, the “doors between worlds” open and the connection between humans and the spirits of the dead is said to be intensely heightened. Scorpio is associated with the descent into the underworld. For the most part, this signifies the journey to the very depths of our psychological selves and forces us to confront our inner demons. Pluto’s sign is conscious of the darker side of human nature and it is regarded as the sign of transformation. The Scorpion is often concerned with matters of life, death, and re-birth. However, the process is not always taken willingly, the sign is often locked into fixed and toxic states of feeling, which do not usually welcome change. Scorpio also suffers from jealousy, extreme possessiveness, obsessions, rage, and hatred. The sign is coloured by passion and intensity, after all. Comparatively, it also means that they are also capable of other extreme emotions, including, deep love and commitment. Scorpio is one of the least forgiving, uncompromising and vengeful of the signs. Nevertheless, the Scorpion has great determination, tenacity and self control, and can survive even the greatest of hardship. And like the crab, they also possess a hard outer shell, but are soft and vulnerable on the inside. Scorpio is a rich, complex, dangerous, insightful and profound sign.

Live to Tell (Madonna) 

R.I.P (September)

Bleeding Love (Leono Lewis)

Toxic (Britney Spears)

Trouble (Coldplay)

Sexy Back (Justin Timberlake)

You Do Something to Me (Paul Weller)

Human Nature (Madonna)

Pirate Bones (Natasha Bedingfiled)

Sex on Fire (Kings of Leon)

Thriller (Michael Jackson)

Disturbia (Rihanna)

Jealous Guy (John Lennon)

Songs of the Zodiac: Pisces

The glyph for Pisces represents two fish swimming in opposite directions. The notion of savour, martyr and redeemer all belong to the motif of Pisces. There are no boundaries and no superiority amongst people. Pisces is concerned with universal truth, wholeness and unity. Famous for their escapist tendencies, they tend to slip away from the harsher realities of life. As a rule, they tend to drift through life and can be vague and dreamy. Pisceans are known their instincts and flood of emotional and imaginative in-pouring and out-pouring. The twelfth sign is attuned to the deep undercurrents of the collective psyche. Bound up in chaos and blurred reality, the fishes need to protect themselves from exploitation. Alcoholism and drug addiction express their powerful longing to go back home. In true chameleon fashion, Pisces is as changeable as the sea and often flow with the current. The individual born under Pisces is often ultra sensitive, compassionate and kind. On the surface they represent a delicate vulnerability and fragility. Often they have an otherworldly quality and truly empathetic nature. Pisces completes the phase of the four social signs, and dissolves all boundaries that existed. Piscean sensitivity can descend into self-pity and they turn to drink, day-dreaming and fantasy. The body is often experienced as a prison, and they regularly fall into illness and depression, instability and delusions. Art, music, poetry and the imagination express the ‘hidden’ watery depths and the treasure lost and buried at the bottom of the sea. It helps to heal some of that ‘homesick’ feeling that they are often afflicted with.

Saltwater (By Julian Lennon)

Driftwood (Travis)

Alcoholic (Starsailor)

Silent Movie (Natasha Bedingfield)

Vanishing (Mariah Carey)

Blur (Britney Spears)

Fragile (Delta Goodrem)

Silence (Aly and AJ)

In the Arms of an Angel (Sarah Mclachlan)

Like the Sea (Alicia Keys)

Diving in the Deep End (Natalie Imbruglia)

My Immortal (Evanescence)

Swallowed in the Sea (Coldplay)

Cancer

Cancer just like the symbol the crab, has a tough exterior that protects a soft underbelly, and they are extremely vulnerable to life. Cancer is the most defensive and protective sign of the zodiac, they live in a watery world of emotions, instinct, gut feelings, and intuition. This level of relating to the environment makes them extremely sensitive to the moods and emotional undercurrents of the world around. Cancer is learning to open the flow of feelings to others, so that they can nurture loved one’s. The Moon describes our roots, origins and early childhood and the function of Cancer in the natal chart is to give us a sense of belonging. Cancer represents our inherited tribal instincts, our race memories and heritage, this is a maternal sign which needs to take care of others. Often the individual has a pronounced tenderness which makes them a very good carer or parent.

Having someone or something to selflessly care for is the key to feeling secure. Cancer is the first sign to first put us in touch with our soul, and there is something inside of them needing to protect all that is vulnerable and in need of shelter. This is the first sign to  feel both love and sadness, and their deep sensitivity absorbs what is going on inside others. Cancer needs security of the emotional kind, through close nurturing bonds, and they can feel emotionally adrift if security is threatened, and can become intensely self protective and withdraw completely. Home is Cancer’s refuge, and the sign is driven by emotional motives. The life quest for Cancerian’s could be in finding a home or a place to belong. Cancer is the first water sign on the zodiac wheel, and possibly the most dependent in emotional relationships, they hold on tight to loved ones and can be considered possessive and clingy.

Cancer needs a home base, security and familiar surroundings to help them feel emotionally secure. Possessing a very protective shell, they rarely leave themselves exposed. Cancer will do anything to avoid being hurt, and this can lead to manipulative behavior, and grasping hold of people in fear of losing them. Loneliness is one of their worst nightmares. The home environment allows Cancer to retreat happily into a private world and they choose to dwell on memories of the past. However they can suffer from a brooding and negative kind of imagination that allows fears to loom large.

The sign of Cancer in our chart symbolizes a place and need for security, and somewhere to withdraw which enables us to feel in touch with our emotions, and to receive emotional support. Cancer needs time to nurture dreams, and to reflect on their deeper nature and they need a certain amount of self protection from the world. The home is often like a shell where both emotional and familiar bonds are formed

Scorpio

Scorpio is perhaps the most complex and misunderstood zodiac sign. Single minded, and driven by intensity of purpose. Scorpios approach life with total commitment, or none at all. This deep, secretive, and impenetrable sign has a strong impulse to immerse itself in life and this is no more evident than in close relationships.

Often intensely lonely and with a voracious need to connect deeply with others, Scorpios have an overwhelming desire to feel a strong emotional bond with anything, or anyone, in which they are invested. The Scorpio individual is on the path towards learning how to integrate their own darkness. No matter how controlled Scorpio appears on the surface, they are characterized by passionate emotional convictions. The underlying principle of Scorpio is transformation, and this doesn’t come easy. It involves the release of the ego and this usually triggers pain and traumatic emotions. Being the second water sign on the zodiac wheel, Scorpio reaches a point of emotional crisis. Profound emotions usually hide their vulnerability, they sting and wound anyone who seems to threaten them. Scorpio operates between passionate engagement with the object of their desire to frozen withdrawal it all depends on how vulnerable Scorpio is feeling at the time. The Scorpion realizes that while intimacy can heal it can hurt as well.

Exposing our psychological selves to others involves trust, and when we don’t use good judgment regarding the partners we choose, such exposure of our private selves can result in criticism, ridicule, abandonment. Scorpio, hates its own emotional vulnerability, and will do what ever it takes to hide its vulnerable self.. Scorpio’s are hard to get to know and they need to look deep within to come to terms with their own mysterious nature. Scorpio is the sign most susceptible to the forces of dark and light, and they dread the thought of losing control, and this drives them to dominate everything around them. Scorpio can become obsessed with both power and sex. When sufficiently provoked Scorpio’s can be possessive and suspicious, it can take them a long time to trust and open up and they can feel intensely lonely and are driven by an almost insatiable need for relationship.

Scorpio knows human beings all carry within them a dark side, and Scorpio is riddled with deep insecurity, the kind that makes the world appear untrustworthy. If you humiliate Scorpio, you better watch out for this sign is an emotionally volatile sign and they will not allow themselves to be teased, scolded or even threatened in demeaning ways. When Scorpio reacts they aim for the jugular, and on the psychological level where they know they can do more damage. Scorpio's passion is even more intensified, because it is often restrained or suppressed. Deliberately holding something back only makes it more powerful, and the Scorpions passion can become a strong and uncontrollable force. Scorpio types need to learn to release their heated emotions more often before they get out-of-control. Scorpio is capable of putting up many psychological barriers, designed to forbid access to their underground world. No secrets are to be kept from Scorpio, and if needed Scorpio will enter into another’s territory to get any secret information they need to stay in control.

Self aware Scorpio types are dedicated to the exploration of the mysteries of the human complexity and they seek out knowledge, regarding the nature and power of their inner depths. The realm of Scorpio is where we undergo the beginnings of metamorphic change which later erupt to alter the landscape of our outer world. The interior parts of Scorpio, is where the subconscious well of secret fears, hatreds, lusts, compulsions and other discomforting feelings live. When we exist in these states of emotion they continue to consume our energy and leave us in toxic states. Ultimately Scorpio’s must understand themselves, and find some peace within nature. Scorpio has extraordinary stamina in the face of pain and traumatic experiences and the sign possesses incredible will power. Scorpio is the catalyst for growth, change and transformation, and no matter how painful the journey, they are willing to travel to the depths of their own being and confront those inner demons and psychological complexes. Scorpio is life and death and before the phoenix rises from the ashes, they often live in a locked state of darkness, until that time they take flight and show us the true power that nature possesses.

Pisces

Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and embodies a little bit of all the other signs. Perhaps that is why Pisces can so readily identify with others. One of their greatest gifts is the ability to see the unity of all things. This is not a mind orientated sign, but one of feeling and instinct. Pisceans have an innate understanding of mysticism and they are often drawn to living a deeply spiritual life. Piscean’s know that life is ever changing and that, by letting go and surrendering to the flow, they will find a way to the spiritual source of their being. Pisces is learning how to offer themselves as a gift to the larger life, so that they can perform the work of salvaging what has been lost. Pisces symbolizes the spirit of the collective unconscious, wisdom and universal love. Which transcends the personal needs of the ego. Pisces has the ability to feel genuine empathy and pity for human suffering, and the disadvantaged, this can be one of the most sensitive and mystically inspired sign. Pisces has no boundaries and absorbs both the positive and the negative vibrations like a sponge.

Due to their overpowering emotional responses to both internal and external stimuli, Pisces often has trouble coping with reality. As a mutable water sign Pisces is less able to establish fixed rigid ways of viewing the world. It doesn’t easily define reality in concrete terms. Mutable water is very open and responsive to the hidden emotions of others, especially their unspoken sorrows. Pisces feels weighed down and deeply saddened by the inhumanity that occurs throughout the world. A soul weary depression can result, as Pisces naturally empathizes with victims everywhere. The individual often has a vivid imagination, and they live in the world of dreams. Naturally, their chameleon like nature enables them to blend to a variety of different situations with ease. Piscean’s are not afraid of plunging into the world of feelings, they have a strong urge to explore the emotional realms in full. Pisces being the last sign has the most unguarded ego of all, and they are highly vulnerable to the outer world.

One fish swims upwards ready to heal and unify all beings wounded by life’s harsher, unjust realities. Pisces often works for the underprivileged, the sick and those unable to function in society. The other fish swims into the darker depths, and are in danger of being dragged down in spirit into a fragmented, confused world of chaos. The greatest lesson that Pisces needs to learn is that, in order to live in the material world, they to balance their spiritual aspirations with more worldly responsibilities. Discrimination is not their strongest attribute, and those born under this sign need to learn to be discerning when choosing friends and lovers. Often their compassionate nature is taken advantage of, and Pisces can easily be manipulated by a sob story. The Piscean can easily lose a sense of identity, because they are like a psychic sponge and they absorb everything, obscuring a sense of self. Whilst this is the sign with the least self preoccupation,  they are fascinated by their, dreams, imaginations and unconscious..

Thus Pisces has difficulty escaping from their own inner world. Pisces needs to be careful of slipping away into nothingness, and becoming invisible. When the Piscean is disconnected from the true source of it’s nature, they can become aimless, depressed, and addictive, and they may seek transcendence through drugs, alcohol, or other addictive behavior that takes them away from the harsh realities of life. Sometimes they tend to do things in excess and need to learn how to discriminate and set boundaries. Pisces aspires towards self sacrifice, it can often be found searching around desperately for a cause, to which they can feel devote to. Pisces is the final sign on the zodiac wheel and represents the completion of a cycle.

Moon in Pisces

A person with the Moon in Pisces will express their feelings fluidly, sensitively and soak up the emotional atmosphere like a sponge. Empathy is boundless in Pisces, and these types are easily moved to great happiness and sadness, and often feels lost at sea at times. Classically, the Moon in this position has a longing to escape the realities of life and is often evasive, elusive and unworldly. Pisceans indulge in fantasizing, dreaming and creativity, and are accustomed to living in a timeless reality. It has been said that Pisces is born to serve or suffer, this may be true, but they are a universally misunderstood sign and have an unusual openness to the collective storehouse of dreams and inspiration.

Possessing psychic intuition and a capacity to reflect and mirror the dreams of others, Piscean energy can express itself in the most haunting of literature and artwork. It is also likely that some of them will seek solace through drugs and alcohol. This person may indulge in bouts of crying, self-pity, and lose touch with mundane reality. Many Piscean Moons vicariously experience their feelings through devoting themselves to helping others. In addition, they can often play the victim or savior in close relationships, invoking guilt, persecution, sympathy and helplessness. Those with Moon in Pisces carry the emotional burdens of many, and this can weigh them down. Ordinarily, the individual nurtures others through sympathy and intuitive understanding and cannot bear to see anyone hurt. The main problem with being so overly compassionate is finding it in their heart to say no, and so these people are easily taken advantage of by others. Inevitably, disintegration occurs when boundaries are crossed, illusion is shattered and discrimination isn't applied, and losing themselves in the process. Often this combination can be rather too content in their secretive, imaginative and private world, and go for years without letting close ones enter the Pisceans inner-reality.

You are a very sensitive person with strong feelings. If someone makes a harsh remark, you take it very hard. In fact, one of your tasks in life will be to to develop a thicker skin. Not everyone is as sensitive as you or so considerate of people's feelings. But your sensitivity is good in some ways because it makes you kinder and more considerate of others, and less likely to hurt anyone. You like to take care of people and animals especially if they are sick or hurt, But you should stay away from people who are always negative, because you pick up and react to their feelings very quickly." By Rob Hand

Pisces appreciate life’s deeper mysteries and seeks meaning in the simplest of events. Above all, Pisces needs to offer their gifts of compassion, acceptance and understanding by serving something greater. Sometimes there is an interest in the occult and supernatural, in other words, there is attraction to the other-world. Pisces can spend most of their lives searching for the answers to those deep and indefinable questions. Pisces, Neptune and the 12th house refer to the world beyond this one, in particular, the after-life, ghosts and dreams. Home is a refuge for such a sensitive spirit and by providing a refuge for others, nurturing and protecting stray animals, homeless people and those with emotional problems it helps to heal such a cruel and harsh reality.

Moon in Cancer

The Moon is particularly strong in Cancer and symbolises our mother, memories and feelings.  In particular, this placement of the Moon can exaggerate all things lunar for better or worse. This person tends to put importance on family ties and is sympathetic, loyal, compassionate and holds a full container of memories and emotional experiences. Furthermore, they long to be nurtured and protected, and there is a danger of becoming overly dependent on others for emotional support and nourishment. A person with the Moon in Cancer fears loneliness and isolation and needs support, and there is often a powerful need to bind people close, which may sometimes lead to subtle manipulation that elicits sympathy and protection. The Moon in all the water signs needs to receive emotional responses from others even if they provoke it through anger and hate. Water people need some feeling response, rather than none at all.

This combination usually has pronounced intuitive feelings and psychic abilities, in particular, a powerful gut instinct. The individual also has heightened sensitivity and defensiveness, for example, the symbol of the crab is associated with Cancer and represents its hard outer shell and soft interior. Naturally, they seek protection from a harsh environment and find comfort in others, but they also instinctively know how to reassure those in discomfort. When feeling down in the dumps, they tend towards moodiness, crabbiness and snap at others. And these ’moods’ which change with the tide are often linked to old emotional wounds from the past. Those with Moon in Cancer cling to home, family, and loved ones. Similarly, there is an attachment to memorabilia from the past, so photo‘s, diaries, and old objects hold sentimental memories. Comparatively, psychics use a particular technique called psychometry and tune into the energy and patterns of a physical object that has meaning to the owner, similar to Cancer's emotional feelings around past objects. Cancer finds it difficult to throw things away and they need to feel familiar with their surroundings, especially when feeling insecure, and some like to study history and collect antiques.

A person with the Moon in Cancer has a powerful imagination and intuition, and they withdraw into their private world. Typically the type likes to stay at home, which may be used as a place of retreat and they have a caring attitude that wants to take care of others. On the other hand, they can be jealous and possessive when their security is threatened and have difficulty letting go of past relationships. Early childhood often provides the emotional background for all future relationships and if their past was traumatic, it can take a long time to heal from such early wounds. Coupled with this, their deep insecurity often leads to oversensitivity and defensiveness over imagined slights, and Cancer can hold grudges for a long time, often expressing it through criticism and gossiping. Through their ability to easily absorb others' moods they can be prone to worrying too much. The individual is also prone to a sensitive stomach with adverse reactions to certain types of food. Women usually feature strong in lunar types, especially the bond with mother. Moreover, there is an instinctive flair for business, along with the initiative, tenacity and good timing to succeed.

Songs of the Zodiac: Cancer

These songs are based on the sign of Cancer and so the mood of this album is introspective, emotional, sensitive and reflective. Cancer is ruled by the Moon and the planet is symbolic of their cyclical and fluctuating moods. They are vulnerable to life, fear loneliness and most of all need to be needed. Cancer is a defensive and self-protective sign. The world of emotions, family and place of birth, help them to keep continuity with the past. Instinctively they take care of others and need emotional bonds to feel safe. Preserving memories and objects from the past is extremely comforting. Remembering allows them to hold on to the people and places that they love and they are never forgotten. When we lose someone dear to us, all we have left are the memories we have stored. If we feel insecure, needy and lonely we reflect back to our past and childhood and remember the hugs, and the person who wiped away our tears or patched up our knees when we fell over. The caretakers that looked after us in our time of need, nourished and protected us. We can find strength in our memories and find that emotional connection again. However, Cancer must have time alone in privacy to withdraw from life. The crab has great tenacity, strength and respect for the past and they never forget those that have touched them emotionally and always remember their roots. The Moon rules the mother, childhood and close ties. When we are feeling afraid or insecure and need support and reassurance, we look to others to care and protect us. In turn, we do the same for them when they need our help in return. Look to Cancer the Moon and the 4th house to understand your past, emotional ties and relationship with family.

1. I Bruise Easily (Natasha Bedingfield)

2. This Used to be My Playground (Madonna)

3. Make Me Cry (Cheryl Cole)

4. Reflections (Care Enough) Mariah Carey

5. Yesterday (Leona Lewis)

6. Looking In (Mariah Carey

7. Defender (Gabriella Cilmi)

8. Oh Mother (christina Aguilera)

9. Scared of Lonely (Beyonce)
10. Forget Me Not (Lucie Silvas)
11. Moodswings (Charlotte Church)
12. Crybaby (Mariah Carey)
13. I Need You Now (Agnes)
14. Reflections Are Protection  (La Roux)

Moon in Scorpio

A person with the Moon in Scorpio has a deep and instinctive understanding of others. All of their emotional experiences strike at the heart and soul with great intensity, moreover, they have a probing nature that plumbs the depths of any situation. The type is inclined to express feelings in indirect ways which conceal a powerful and passionate nature. Scorpio has a strong need for intimate relationships and sexual contact and there is often a conflict between the longing for closeness and the fear of being powerless to their own emotions which creates dependency and need.

Subjects of interest may be of an esoteric nature and they enjoy pursuing the secrets of the universe and investigating unsolved mysteries. The forbidden, taboo and subconscious are other pursuits that appeal to their dark nature. The sign never takes a situation at face value and understands that there is always more below the surface that others don’t see. The individual possesses a deeper sensitivity to the emotional undercurrents of life, such as abuse, abandonment, hatred, betrayal, and death. Only a few select people are let into the true depths of Scorpio's secretive and personal world.

As with all placements in Scorpio if the sign is betrayed, humiliated and crossed, they don't easily forgive and will probably take revenge. The individual is proud, unforgiving and won't be made a fool of by anyone. Often this person withholds and takes their time to get to know people before full trust is given. It is also likely that emotional drama’s and crisis find there way into the lives of Scorpio, and the turbulence of these emotions swing in extremity. In relationships passion and intensity of feelings are sought with total involvement with a lover. Furthermore, if security is threatened they are prone to jealousy, possessiveness, manipulativeness and paranoia. Power struggles and issues of control often arise in relationships. Subsequently their emotions violently rush to the surface, and maintaining emotional control is often essential to these people. The type is deeply vulnerable and introverted underneath.

The individual has the uncanny ability to understand the hidden workings of the environment that helps to discern their inner psychological dynamics. Maintaining emotional control is essential to feel safe. Often descents into the underworld only strengthens resolve and they find their way back to the surface with renewed strength, wisdom and power. Scorpio's are extremists in all they do, and never pursue anything half-heartidly. Once a  relationship has begun, hobby or even creative activity, Scorpio's are often obsessive about it. Ordinarily, the sign has the ability to bring out the best and the worst in people. Love is often touched with pain, and they find it difficult to let go of partners, but they are extremely loyal and expect the same commitment in return.

Cancer Quotes

"Tenacity is another keyword and reminiscent of the claws of the crab this is indeed the most tenacious and clingy of the signs. It's not easy for Cancer to let go of family members, or indeed anything that provides any kind of support system. Cancer can cling to people and to things, no matter how old. In some with the sign emphasised, their tendency to cling to people can result in possessiveness a smothering propensity and needlessly fussing over them". (Sue Tompkins, Contemporary Astrologer's Handbook)

"Profound respect for the past may be expressed through a fascination for history, for Cancer's sense of imaginative empathy with what has gone before makes history a living reality. Often shy and reluctant to reveal thoughts and emotions which could incure criticism or rejection, Cancer may display a polished and sophisticated face to the world". (Liz Greene, Mythic Astrology)

"Stomach ailments, calcium assimilation problems and milk allergies often develop in Cancers who, at midlife, are learning to rechannel the nurturing energy from the outer world toward the self, the inner source of creativity, in Cancers who may be feeling emotionally starved, neglected, or abandoned. Another symptom is eating vast amounts of ice cream, creamy pastries, rich desserts. Cancer tends to eat when the Inner Child is feeling deprived, and especially crave milk products". (Kathleen Burt, Archetypes of the Zodiac)

"Cancer's basis for understanding his world is emotional. Unless Gemini or Aquarius are very strongly placed in the chart, what seems like intuition or logic will actually be a highly developed emotional perception. When spiritually evolved, Cancer makes an excellent psychic worker, but if this is not the case, he can often become hysterical with fears, worries, and anxieties. Cancer feels, he does not think. He can become tremendously overwrought if there is no logical dam to stop and redirect his emotional waters". (Alan Oken, Complete Astrology)

"I once had a pair of hermit crabs as pets. These creatures are particularly fascinating because, rather than having hard shells of their own, they wear the dead molluscs, and camouflage them. There is a kind of Cancer whose shell is culled from others, as well as a kind who grows his own. Now when a hermit crab outgrows his shell - which he inevitably does - he must find a bigger one, and make the move in total safety. Underneath the crab is defenseless, completely vulnerable creature. There is a period of time when crabs must hide under the sand while the new shell grows hard. They have to remain hidden, or they will be instant dinner for the nearest seagull without so much as a by-your-leave. Cancer people too have these cycles, where they must withdraw after a change and a period of new growth, Surprise them or intrude upon them when they are going through their quiet private time, and you can damage them irrevocably. Damage them in childhood, and they will retreat into a small shell, sometimes never to emerge. It takes a long time for the crab to forget, once he has been wounded". (Liz Greene, Astrology for Lovers)

"Because you see everything in cycles, you know that every ending, carries the seeds of a fresh start. Just when you finish one activity you're on to something else. For you, life is constantly being renewed. The future flows into the past in one continuous stream, as F. Scott Fitzgerald writes at the end of The Great Gatsby: "so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." As a child of the Moon, you believe that the only thing that gives you a true sense of yourself is everything that has come before. Your past. Your history. These are the cornerstones you will build your life's foundation on. But this doesn't make you wistful or nostalgic - although you can get that way on occasion. What it does make you is consistent". (Christopher Renstorm, Ruling Planets)

"Many of the less appealing Cancerian behavior patterns which sometimes cause difficulties with other people - in particular the manipulative tactics, evasiveness, and tendency to use emotional blackmail - become comprehensible if we remember that, for Cancer, loneliness is not merely an unpleasant experience one has to put up with for a while. It is extinction. Isolation may frighten a Cancer more than anything else, and companionship may be symbolised by food because two are the same at the beginning of life". (Liz Greene, Barriers and Boundaries)

More Quotes:  Scorpio Quotes

Scorpio Quotes

"You don't do "lite." It's not in your Birthday Planet's vocabulary. You're too intense. You may have gone through periods (especially when you were younger) when you felt ashamed for reacting the way you do. Perhaps you even tried to cover it up. In time you've come to accept yours not everyone's cup of tea. You know a lot of people, but you have few friends. And you like it that way. You rely on your inner circle. It's the only place (other than when you're by yourself) where you open up. In those moments of soul searching - when you descend into the very depths of your being - you want to know you can do that without having to worry about being too intense for the people around you. You don't have much patience for people who live "surface" lives, but you may also come to realize that not everyone has to reach your depth of feeling to be a friend. Someone can react to a situation coolly or pragmatically, but it doesn't mean that person doesn't care." Ruling Planets, Christopher Renstorm.

"There is an intense emotional nature. No sign has more profound and enduring feelings, for owing to the fixity of Scorpio these become set, with the result that in high types there is unwavering devotion to principles, deep sympathy, and true understanding, while in primitives, in whom the moral standard is low or uncertain, a host of dangerous feelings may appear, bitter dislikes or hatreds, often cherished for a lifetime, extreme sensitiveness to imagined slights or injustice, resentment, suspicion, and furious anger. Scorpio's of this kind are very prone to think themselves undervalued, and to relieve their feelings on this score in the shape of constant boasting." The Principles of Astrology, Charles E.O.Carter

"All the water signs share the fear of isolation, but they utilise different defence. The defences can be enormously creative. Cancer's need to belong is a fundamental part of the sign;s gift of empathy and nurturing. Pisces' retreat in the imaginable world can produce works of art. Scorpio's need to fix bonds in an unchanging state can produce extraordinary loyalty, commitment and courage. But in some cases defences are so extreme that the person is taken over by them. Then the Cancer produces hysterical symptoms that look like a beach ball, the Piscean overdoses on the bedroom floor, and the Scorpio goes on a rampage and murders his wife as well as her lover." Barriers and Boundaries, Liz Greene

"The spider s also ruled by Scorpio. It weaves its shining web and waits at its center while the gleaming structure of death attracts its dinners. The web is perfect, a time tested pattern which rarely changes except to improve. The unconscious fly gets caught int he spiders hardened secretions and becomes entangled and exhausted as it tries to escape. At just the right moment the spider approaches, sticks its hollow tooth into the insect's body and removes all the vital fluids, leaving just the shell. But we must not blame the spider, for it is just as instinctually unconscious of its actions as the fly. The true demon is one who is aware of its actions and joyfully practices it. Scorpio can thus be the tempter of souls, for he offers promises of power and of lust fulfilled. Scorpio can also be the catalytic agent who gives the searching a soul a way toward growth." Complete Astrology, Alan Oken.

"Let's abandon preconceptions and start from the beginning. What is it about the eighth sign that seems to provoke much confusion, fascination and dread? Open a medieval astrological text and, if you're strongly Scorpio - sun, moon or ascendant - you may as well take a flying leap of the Golden Gate Bridge, or turn yourself into the police right away before you perpetrate violence or sexual assault on someone. The descriptions are that bad. Power driven, sex-crazed, violent, warlike, vindictive, cunning: the image is a pretty horrific one. The modern equivalent isn't much better. It's a real nuisance having to live up to Mata Hari (who was a Scorpio) or Don Juan. Tiring, you might say. What is Scorpio really like?" Astrology for Lovers, Liz Greene

"The lofty aspirations of Scorpio , which as Jung pointed out can lead to a loathing for life, and its powerful sensuality, which wishes to drown in the world, are extremely uncomfortable bedfellows. Yet they spring from the same mysterious core, half sexuality and half spirituality, which leads Faust on his long journey. The difficult combination of spiritualized eroticism and eroticised spirituality is a handful for Scorpio. It is not surprising that so many Scorpios repress or sublimate one or the other in despair that no reconciliation is possible. Faust thoroughly embraces both, although he 'made the worst of both worlds', and remains a figure of potential dignity and redemption." The Astrology of Fate, Liz Greene

Pisces Quotes

In Roman times, Pliny is the story of the boy and the dolphin, which connected the sea creature to death and the afterlife. This story evokes such a powerful image in the unconscious that even today we see fountains featuring the boy and the dolphin. In Pliny's story, a small boy, very likely an orphan, went each day to feed a dolphin and enjoyed a ride on its back. One day when its human friend failed to appear, the dolphin went in search for him. It finally found the child, drowned. The dolphin brought the boy to the shore and remained with him to die itself. On Greek funerary vases, Hermes, Guide to the Souls and the dolphin appeared together, the two friends to mankind who aided departed souls to find their way into the afterlife. The dolphin is a peculiarly Piscean type of kindness, for it laid down next to the boy and died. It did not distinguish between its own life, its own interests, and the boy's. In the cosmic ocean of feeling, there are no boundaries, no limits between one creature and another. A Pisces hearing a friend tell of his pain will soon be in tears along with the friend out of sympathy and empathy. If Pisces lies down and dies with the person rather than distancing himself mentally (establishing boundaries) it becomes difficult to help the friend find a solution or a way to cope with the problem. By Kathleen Burt, Archetypes of the Zodiac

No matter what the individual behavioral pattern, all Pisceans must occasionally retreat from people and be totally alone. Pisceans are so prone to assuming the feelings of others and thinking of these absorbed vibrations as their own that they need regular periods of solitude in order to get back to themselves. They must retreat to build up their strength so that they may again face the onslaught of the outer world. This cycle is essential with periodic cleansings, his waters would soon become polluted by his and other people's negativity. Pisces is a psychic sponge; for this reason, he should use great discrimination when choosing his friends and environment. By Alan Oken, Complete Astrology

Extreme Piscean defences might look like they are anti-relationship mechanisms. There is nothing particularly relationship-facilitating about locking oneself in one's room and shooting up, or falling down in an alcoholic stupor. But these may be attempts to preserve a state of ecstasy, which is really a relationship with a primal source. This state of fusion is the very first state we experience, first in the womb and then at the breast. In this blissful place there is no pain, loneliness, suffering, conflict, or mortality. It is the Paradise Garden before the Fall, and at all costs one must defend that place against the intrusion of the outside world and the suffering that actual relationships might bring. Liz Greene, Barriers and Boundaries

To you everyone deserves a second chance. Water has always been associated with a fresh start. Out of the flood that carried Noah's ark a new world rises. Baptism-a sacrament integrally connected to water-signifies spiritual birth. Forgiveness is your way of wiping the slate clean. Under the healing waters of Neptune, grudges lose their shape and grievances their force so that all emotional energy is recycled-like water evaporating into air. Forgiveness is a strength not a weakness. And it's your particular challenge, as a child of Neptune, to practice something that others will often deride. Forgiveness has its roots in our imperfections, not our perfections. Your sympathies lie with the underdogs and the outcasts. There-and with the grace of God-go you. By Christopher Renstorm, Ruling Planets

Like a multi-faceted crystal, the Piscean lives inside a twelve-sided geometric figure which encircles him or her. Thus, each time an attempt to take action is made, all twelve windows must be considered. If Libra is lost in a two sided process of indecision, pity the poor Pisces, lost in twelve! However, the gift of Pisces is not the ability to see clearly from a rational point of view, but rather to look within and answer from the heart, a gift founded upon the belief in a higher power which makes things right. And no matter how out of control humanity seems to get, this underlying theme of the inner saviour's reappearance has kept things going for the last 2,000 years-the Piscean era. By Ariel Guttman and Kenneth Johnson, Mythic Astrology

In many fairy tales there is a peculiar and enchanting figure, sometimes called an ondine or melusine, sometimes called a mermaid, who lives in the depths of the sea or a vast lake, and falls in love with a mortal man. This legend may also be seen in the legend of the Swan Prince-although here the creature from the 'other realm' bears feathers rather than scales. And these ancient stories, in all their various forms, have the same basic theme: the union of a mortal, an ordinary flesh-and-blood human, with something from another level of reality. This meeting is fraught with difficulties. There are always conditions attached. And it usually ends in disaster or difficulty, not because it is doomed from the start, but because of the ineptitude of the mortal who attempts to impose his laws and values on his mysterious, other-wordily partner. Usually the melusine agrees to live on dry land, and inhabit a mortal body, so long as her mate observes one special condition. He must not ask her a particular question, or look in a particular box, or enter a particular room at a particular time. In other words, there must be respect for the mysteries of this other realm. And the mortal, driven by ordinary human curiosity and lack of respect for this dimension, inevitably asks the question or opens the box. So the bond is broken, the melusine disappears into the depths again, and he is left to sorrow. Or, sometimes, she drags him down with her, drowning him in her embrace. By Liz Greene, Astrology For Lovers