An anchor in the wild sea

Pisces 2023

At the beginning of this year, my Capricorn 2023 post covered upcoming changes in planetary signs. One of these was Saturn entering Pisces, and this became a reality on March 7th. Saturn will stay in this sign until 2026, so we have some time to understand what he’s up to. I touched on a few relevant themes in the post mentioned above, one of which was water – the Pisces bit. I talked of a lack of water, but Saturn can also cause any type of problems with water. On a global scale, wide-spread chaos has been caused by too much water.

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all images are my photos from my trip to NZ.

Saturn in Pisces – turbulent waters

Both literally and metaphorically, we are in turbulent waters. And this is with a backdrop of Pluto making the momentous entry into Aquarius later this month. So our answer to us being ‘all at sea’, will probably be more rebellion. My Aquarius 2022 post was dedicated to Pluto’s change of sign.

But back to Saturn.

Water, water everywhere

I was visiting my beautiful homeland for the whole of February, and apart from spending time by the ocean, I was caught up in the devastating cyclone which tragically wiped out the livelihoods of many in the Hawke’s Bay area of New Zealand. My plans were scuppered due to wild seas, strong winds and extremely heavy rain. But the change to my plans was very minor compared to the clean-up operations necessary to get communities up and running again. Even now, a month on, there a still a few people in emergency accommodation.

I also witnessed heavy rainfall in Auckland, a city still trying to recover from horrendous flooding caused by unprecedented rainfall earlier this year. The missing roads, damage to property and houses sliding down cliffs were truly heart-breaking. Saturn in Pisces is exposing the true nature of the damage.

New Zealand – creative rebuilding

New Zealand has a small population and is still recovering from the massive earthquake damage in Christchurch in 2011. So taking on another financial burden, and this with a brand new Prime Minister, is a huge blow. I was again impressed with the resilience and ‘getting on with it’ nature of Kiwis though, not only during the cyclone and flooding, but also with how far Christchurch has recovered in the 11 years since I was there. It was amazing to see what had been achieved since 2011, when virtually nothing was left standing in the centre of the city.

I think the imagination of Pisces will be used well in the next few years in New Zealand. Creative rebuilding of infrastructure is one of the potential benefits of Saturn passing through this sign. I wish the country the best of luck.

Governments in chaos

I have touched on how Saturn could work in a sign, making Pisces themes, such as water, a problem. Now I want to look at how Pisces can represent the issues that ‘Saturn things’ are having to deal with. Governments and ruling bodies are areas represented by Saturn, and it is clear that a lot of them are in trouble. Just as we arrive in this period, there is much unrest in France, caused by a very undemocratic signing of a bill which raises the pension age. There have been garbage strikes too, and Paris is in total chaos.

Protests continue in Israel against Netanyahu’s plans for the judicial system. Scotland has yet to get a new First Minister, and let’s not mention Northern Ireland, which has been in governing chaos for years. The UK Government seems to go from crisis to crisis with their plans for the overwhelming number of refugees. In this they are not alone – the number of displaced people through natural disasters, and those of our own making, is soul-destroying.

And the very Saturnian BBC has had its own scandals again too, with the highest paid freelancer, Gary Lineker, the sports presenter, causing headaches with his tweet over the government’s plans for refugees. There was a lot of confusion and backing down on rules regarding free speech!

The Netherlands’ political earthquake

This week, here in the Netherlands, we went to the polls for the provincial elections, which are indirectly involved in the selection of the 1st Chamber – the Senate – don’t ask! It’s a complicated system! We could also cast our vote for the Water Boards (excellent cosmic timing!). There are twelve provinces and all of them were won by a relative newcomer party – the BBB. Caroline van der Plas won the only seat for her party in the last national elections in 2021. Her BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB – farmer citizen movement) was originally set up to help food producers, but she has become popular with many who value her down to earth approach in all areas.

The fact that the BBB scored the most votes in all the provinces in the provincial elections is a real political earthquake, and a very big wake-up call to the coalition government. They already lacked a majority in the Senate and now will have less than a third of the Senate seats. The BBB will probably have 15 which is 5 more than the VVD, the Prime Minister’s party! Political chaos awaits, methinks.

Hearing the masses

‘Sweet Caroline’ as she is affectionately known, puts her amazing success down to listening to the mood of the people. The votes for her were really a longing for something different from an authoritative government, who are out of touch with reality – a really good description of Saturn in Pisces. I hope the BBB can achieve what they set out to do. They are promising practical negotiations to solve difficult problems. But Pisces can be too idealistic, and the public might be expecting too much, which can lead to disappointment – another Pisces theme.

And so to wild seas

I like the image of an anchor in a wild sea for Saturn in Pisces. Along with problems, the cosmos provides opportunities for positive developments. With all the turbulence of Pisces surrounding us in the form of chaos, climate change, refugees, victims, health problems, drugs and what seem like overwhelming issues, we need a harbour. A place that offers grounding and respite from the storms. And Saturn can represent this too. The solid material anchor. Who or what is your grounding or your rock?  Where is your safe haven? And…

Where is home?

The question of “where is home?” was uppermost in my mind on my trip ‘home’. Did I want to go back to New Zealand? Could I live there again and be happy? Or would I miss Amsterdam and friends too much? Or am I sick of too many tourists and all the shops turning into junk food places for them to frequent? Can Amsterdam really limit the damage being done by the massive number of tourists? In 2018 we had 19 million visitors. In a city of 850,000 inhabitants, that’s a lot. And after Corona it seems to be busier than ever. Perhaps everyone is making up for lost time!  Amsterdam Mayor, Femke Halsema, expects 29 million in 2025. Once again, this is pretty chaotic for city leaders.

The answer?

Where is home for me? I am really torn. When you have lived in different countries as I have, it is difficult to know where you truly belong. I have ties to all of them. Perhaps Saturn in a horoscope can give some hints. Saturn in Libra for me might suggest that relationships are my rock, and that has some truth to it. When Saturn is in Pisces perhaps our anchor must be hope!

The Moon and Ceres play a role

However, I also think the Moon, suggesting how we feel nurtured, and Ceres, showing where we can thrive, are important planets for helping us find where we truly belong and feel safe. And in this chaotic world, discovering what they mean in your chart, can help you find your safe haven.

Faye Blake

Interesting websites

Dall-e – the AI image generator – fun to play with! And it fits the Pisces theme.

On Amsterdam: “How Amsterdam is fighting mass tourism”

Quotes of the month

“Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life.”  Sophocles.

“Hope holds you fast like an anchor so you don’t give way”  Philip Pullman.

“The appreciation of pleasure can be the anchor of humanity.” Elizabeth Gilbert.

And I couldn’t resist this one:

“A good heavy book holds you down. It’s an anchor that keeps you from getting up and having another gin and tonic.” Roy Blount.