The Pisces Journey - Living in the Big Pond

by Guru Rattana, Ph.D - Issue #157, February 18, 2009

Planetary Alignments

• The Sun enters Pisces February 18th at 4:47am PST (12:47pm GMT).
• The Pisces New Moon is February 24th at 5:35pm PST (February 25th at 1:35am GMT).
• The Virgo Full Moon is March 10th at 7:29pm PST (March 11th, 3:39am GMT).
• Venus goes retrograde March 6th at 9:17am PST (5:17pm GMT).
• Venus goes direct April 17th at 12:24pm PDT (7:24pm GMT).
• Saturn is retrograde from December 31st, 2008 until May 16th, 2009.
• Jupiter entered Aquarius January 5th and remains there until January 17th, 2010.

The Big Pond

Pisces swims in the BIG pond - the universal God/Goddess pond of oneness. Pisces' home territory is the Cosmos and the Infinite. Most of us are accustomed to navigating our life in our little pond, as defined by our human identity, our personal circumstances and the physical world. We are unaware of realities that might exist beyond the thoughts of our rational mind, the sensations of our physical bodies and our earthly environment.

We don't stray beyond what we know for various reasons:

1. We are content (or we think or hope we are). We like the security and our sense of mastery in our limited world.
2. We are afraid. We are preoccupied with making our life work and are intimidated by the unknown and what we can't control, or
3. We aren't interested. Anything beyond what we can know with our five senses does not compute as a realistic or useful option to be explored.

However, the Pisces archetype is different. Pisces isn't motivated by the goal of obtaining security in known territory. Pisces feels at home in the nebulous world of non-physical reality and the Divine Ocean.

The problem with our little pond is that, underneath the trappings of false security we live in fear of the unknown. We feel alone and abandoned. We suffer from the indefinable ennui of apparent separation from Source/Spirit, that haunts our psyche. Pisces holds the key to our existential issues of separation, fear, abandonment, insecurity and lack of faith and trust.

Order and Perfection

In our small pond of physical reality, we strive for order and perfection in order to feel secure. Our need to control dominates our psyche, but our obsession with order and control creates more insecurity, anxiety and stress. Perfection eludes us. Order is temporary at best, and trying to control everything is exhausting and doesn't work!

Pisces offers the antidote to our need to control and to be in charge, but it is a slippery path into Pisces' big pond. We have to be willing to give up our limited definition of reality. We have to surrender to that which we can never really know. We have to trust in what we cannot measure, see, taste, touch or smell. We have to accept things the way they are, without our personal evaluation and judgment. It is a quantum leap into the big pond.

Quantum shifts all seem so daunting, unrealistic and unreal to our limited rational mind, which does not have the faculties that allow it to swim in the vast Piscean ocean. We try to take the life preservers of ego, beliefs, concepts and rationalizations with us. However, the only things that compute in the Piscean pond are faith, trust, allowing, letting go and surrender. If we can muster an ounce of any of the above, we have our ticket. We can begin to build our boat to carry us into the sea of Infinite consciousness.

Experience Happens through Resonance

The Pisces archetype basically represents the Divine, God/Goddess, the Infinite, the Universal force, and Oneness. If our mind and emotions are unable to vibrate at this higher frequency, we will be unable to relate to these concepts because they do not compute in our psyche. Our normal reactions will be either to negate or deny ITS existence, or to give lip service to the possibility of ITS existence, but lack an authentic experience.

It is only through our visceral resonance, when the neutral channel of our mind and heart are open, that we get in touch with the beauty, order and perfection of the Infinite force, that holds the Universe together and takes care of us. It is only when we have a relationship with this non-physical presence that we can give up control, let go, surrender and trust the power of Spirit that animates and directs our lives. At lower frequencies we are physiologically unable to let go. Pisces awakens us to a quantum shift in our perception of order and perfection. Divine Will, Divine Timing, Divine Order and Divine Love catapult us out of our ego-driven control trips.

Attuning to the Frequency

There is a stability as well as a flow to the higher order of the Universe. We have to connect with both to enter the vibe of this expanded domain of existence. We can't think our way into the God/Goddess space. We have to let go so we can be absorbed into its embrace. As we synchronize with the frequency, we become conscious of being included in a vast oneness and unity.

Piscean territory is elusive. Dreams, imagination, and fantasies don't deliver us to the castle. They can make us feel good for a while, but mind drugs only anesthetize us temporarily from the pain of separation from the Divine, and random out-of-the-body peak experiences, which require recover upon re-entry, offer only sand castles that are washed away by the tides of change.

To enter the Divine portal, we have to attune to its frequency. All forms of resistance lower our frequency. We not only have to raise our frequency; we have also to understand and be aware of our resistance. At every moment we stand at the portal of discovery, but at most moments we let our reality be confined to the web of daily routines, duties, doubts, pragmatism, and rational mind activities. The above are habits of the mind that in effect resist connection to the all-pervading Spirit, that infuses every aspect of our physical being and life.

Three Modes of Consciousness

Consider the possibility that our mind is in one of three states - (1) thinking, (2) drifting and dreaming, or (3) aware and alert.

1. When we are in thinking mode, we are evaluating, judging, calculating and monitoring our activities and performance.
2. Most of the time we live in the trance of dull routines. Our mind slips into a dreamy, spaced-out state of out-of the body numbness.
3. We have to train ourselves to be in aware, alert mode in our neutral channel.

Awareness is another channel that vibrates with Peace and Love. Our mind is conscious of what is happening without thinking and judging. This is the NOW, neutral channel, where our mind is awake and available to what is happening in, and around us. This channel of our inner world is clear, peaceful and alert. It is not filled with thinking and dreaming. This space exists beyond beliefs and thoughts. Our aware space can become the structure within which we experience what our sensory preceptors perceive.

Two Fish Swimming Together

The Pisces archetype is represented by two fish, loosely tethered together. Although they appear to be swimming in opposite directions, they must swim together or they won't get anywhere. One fish swims with Spirit. The other follows a secular path in the material plane. They are always connected. The Pisces' fish teach us that Spirit and physical reality are inexorably bound to each other.

Living in both dimensions of reality is challenging, because both fish can get lost in the dysfunctions of their respective domains. If our Divine fish in lost is the clouds of fantasies, it is not going to be very supportive in infusing Spirit into our earthly endeavors. Disappearing into fantasy land is the nemesis of our Spirit fish, that doesn't know how to consciously connect with Infinite energies.

As the symbol of the two fish indicates, we need help from the non-physical world - our guides, our soul and the Universe - to navigate our life. We block assistance if we are drugged on mental, emotional and physical addictions. The role of our Spirit fish is to make our personal Divine Connection conscious and real.

If our secular fish can't relax enough to allow itself to flow with the Spirit fish, we feel bogged down by physical reality and stuck in the quagmire of our earthly challenges.

Divine Love

As we learn to flow with our Spirit fish, we realize that the Divine is not just an escape route or a big daddy delivering free lunches. The Divine is Love. When our Spirit and earthly fish swim together, the nature of our physical experience is transformed. As we engage in activities that make the experience of higher love palpable to our earthly vehicle, we experience the Divine presence. Kindness, service and compassion help us cultivate an experience of higher, non-physical love.

Our Pisces journey is about learning how to connect with, and continually strengthen, our capacity to experience Divine Love. This is the only antidote to depression, dissatisfaction, loneliness and deep longing, that can be characteristic of our immature inner Pisces.

Our deepest soul desire is to experience Divine Love in our mind, and in our emotional and physical bodies. Divine Love is not mushy, chemical romantic love. Divine Love is alchemical and happens inside us without an identifiable object. It delivers vitality, power, contentment, nourishment and pure joy.

When we feel the arms of Divine Love embrace our life, we awaken to the reality of unlimited possibilities - to the treasures that are available to us if both our fish are willing, and able, to stay authentically connected to the Infinite realm in physical reality. The catch 22 is that we have to be both willing and able to enter our higher mind and keep our spiritual fish active in our daily lives.

Nothing extraordinary is going to happen in our rational mind. When our consciousness is limited to our thoughts, our spiritual fish is blindly pulled along by our earthly fish. To become aware of Divine Love, our spiritual fish has to wake-up, stay awake and actively participate in our daily lives. It is the juice and love of our spiritual fish that creates quantum shifts in our consciousness and physical existence.

Awakening Our Spiritual Fish

What if to manifest your most cherished dreams, you had to awaken your spiritual fish? Would you be willing to go for it? Most of us would say YES! Accepting this as a good idea is a first step. Then our honest work begins.

We have to identify why our spiritual fish is asleep and drugged. We have to get in touch with how our spiritual fish is aimlessly pulled around by our worldly fish. We need to take a personal inventory of our addictions, habits, beliefs and negating thoughts, that keep us closed down, depressed, repressed and limited to our current reality. All of the above are symptoms of an abused and repressed spiritual fish.

Our spiritual fish makes it possible to swim in the ocean of Divine Love. Divine Love is the power that makes it possible to create, and to allow transformation in our lives. To empower our spiritual fish, our intent and determination must be directed to awakening, and holding, the experience of the presence of Divine Love in our psyche.

Surrendering to the Divine

Our worldly fish sets physical goals and intentions, but what we wish to create must be empowered by Spirit to manifest. Our spiritual fish is our connection with Spirit. If our worldly fish is too overbearing, our energy will be bound up in attachment to our goals. Obsessive attachment distracts us from our connection with Spirit, and weakens our power to be supported by Spirit. Our worldly fish can be a sabotaging trickster. Hidden in the shadows of our subconscious, we hold on to our quest for earthly love, wealth and power.

However, these realizations are all part of our quest to awaken our spiritual fish. As our spiritual fish becomes empowered, our connection with Divine love gets stronger. We are more and more able to let go of our need to try to control all the details of our lives. Gradually we find ourselves releasing our attachment to our ideas, of what we think we want into the cosmic ocean. Letting go, and trusting that our soul and the Universe really do know best, is like dropping a magic pebble into the sea. The ripples of our ability to trust a force greater than our limited ego, give the Universe permission to deliver what is in our greatest good and highest destiny.

Solidifying Our Divine Connection

As we cultivate our Divine Connection, we must grab on to every hint from the Universe that we are being supported. Acknowledgement is how we build trust and faith. Gratitude is how we solidify our connection. Our ability to allow establishes our willingness to receive divine assistance.

The Universe works through us in our acts of service and attitude of kindness. We witness our alignment through synchronicity. Devotion and gratitude evoke the Divine embrace.

Pisces territory is slippery, and must always be balanced with Virgo's grounding. We have to be able to transcend the control trips of our mind and limited ego. But we also have to have a solid sense of personal identity, and groundedness in the physical world, to be able to merge and not get lost in the cosmic soup.

Wake Up and Stay Awake

So what is the magic formula to awaken our spiritual fish? There is no one guaranteed technical formula. Pisces and mechanical formulas don't swim in the same ocean. There are, however, plenty of effective techniques that hone our physical vehicle, so that we are able to become conscious. We each must experiment and experience what wakes us up and keeps us awake. Below are some general guidelines:

• We have to train ourselves to become conscious.
• There are no short cuts, free lunches, or intermediaries.
• Self initiation is required. We can't pay someone to do the work for us.
• There is no faking it. Our experience has to be real for us.
• There are no substitutes for the real thing.
• Illusions, fantasies, wishful thinking and dogma aren't worth much.
• Technical formulas aren't enough. We have to train ourselves to pay attention to subtle energies.
• Pay attention: do your daily training and you will make progress.
• We can't predict, control or explain our experiences of Divine love, or how to get there.
• We make ourselves available through awareness and letting go.
• Acknowledge and be grateful for your progress along the way.
• Enjoy. There is always more.

Pisces New Moon, Virgo Full Moon, Venus Retrograde

While the Sun is in Pisces we are supported in establishing our connection with Divine love. We are invited to focus on establishing our awareness of and relationship with the unknown, and invisible, light and love of Spirit. The dimensions of reality beyond physical reality can only be known through intuitive, sensitive awareness and perception. Logic and reason only get in the way of a sacred experience that is beyond words, beliefs, concepts and dogma.

At the Pisces New Moon February 24th, the Sun, Moon and Uranus are in Pisces. Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, North Node and Chiron are all still in Aquarius. Our grounding and grinding point is Saturn in Virgo. We are forced to deal with our physical circumstances in very practical ways. Our connection with the universal mind - Aquarius - will uncover pathways through our problems.

Our Divine connection is offering us comforting support. If we are receptive and awake, we can feel the hand of the Divine working for and through us. Be available for ITS gifts. Pisces offers us spiritual blessings that strengthen our faith, resolve and ability to live uncompromisingly in our own truth.

At the Virgo Full Moon March 10th, the celestial configuration is much the same, except that the Moon joins Saturn in Virgo. The Moon in Virgo increases the need for realism. If we can witness the order and perfection of the Divine plan in our daily lives, we will be less traumatized by the radical changes that are taking place, at both personal and planetary levels. Releasing resistance to the way things are can deliver us to a state of peace.

Venus goes retrograde March 6th at 15° Aries, and will return direct April 17th at 29° Pisces. For about six weeks the cosmic archetype of beauty, peace and equilibrium invites us to bring our sense of self, relationships, finances and daily activities into balance. During this time we may feel compelled to make adjustments in our priorities and goals, so that they help us achieve the quality of our life that we desire.

Keep asking yourself - How can I embody Love? How can I serve Love? The answers may be simpler than we thought. Try - Relax and feel IT, and be kind to yourself and others.

Become Aware and Conscious

Waking up our spiritual fish is our number one Pisces task. This requires:

1. activating our neutral mind,
2. distinguishing between our neutral and our rational mind channels, and
3. staying awaken and not spacing out.

Our rational mind, spins a web of worries, to do's, evaluations and judgments. It chases from one chore and activity to the next. It doesn't take much awareness to discern that the activities of our rational mind dominate our reality.

In our neutral channel we are simply aware, awake and conscious. It is only in our neutral channel that we can sit in the stillness, enjoy the moment, and be with our breath in our body. Our neutral channel makes it possible to step away from the flurry of activities, and nagging, of the rational mind. In our aware state, we simultaneously transcend time and space, and are present in time and space.

Our Piscean challenge is to stay awake and to not zone out into dreamy illusions. When we are awake and vigilant, we make ourselves available and receptive to higher knowledge, assistance, and the deep emotional comfort of Divine Love.

With practice all the above is possible. You will make quick progress, if you practice the exercise below a few minutes every day.

Kundalini Yoga to Wake Up

Fortunately, every Kundalini Yoga exercise and meditation is an awakener! Everyone creates results. Below are a few that you may wish to practice.

The Pineal Gland Kriya on page 77 of Sexuality and Spirituality, 2nd Edition, is a simple and effective set to practice waking up and staying awake.

All the exercises with the arms out to the sides, up 60° or above the head, awaken the neutral channel of the mind and open the heart.

Do chair pose for 1-5 minutes and then immediately sit in easy pose and pay attention. You go straight into the Divine zone.

The kriya To Remove Negativity on page 145 of Relax and Renew, 2nd Edition is easy and effective to open the neutral space.

The Exercise for Emotional Balance on page 133 of Relax and Renew, 2nd Edition, puts a break on the rational mind and awakens the neutral mind.

Awareness Exercise

Do any Kundalini Yoga exercise or meditation for 1 minute and then sit and be aware. When you drift off or start thinking, do another exercise (or the same one) for another minute. Then again sit and be aware of the space, silence or stillness inside your head.

Simply practice - 1 minute exercise, 1-2 minutes paying attention, 1 minute exercise, 1-2 minutes looking and listening inside your head and heart. Between exercises, you can focus on your peaceful space, your breath, or be with the sensations inside your skin. You will identify what experience pulls you inside, is pleasant to feel, or comforting to be absorbed in.

Do this for 5-30 minutes every day and you will make significant progress. After a few days, you won't believe how easy it is to stay present and aware in your neutral channel.

Once you can identify your neutral channel, and shift into your neutral space, begin to be aware that this experience is your Divine connection, and the peace and pleasure that you experience is Divine Love.

References and Footnotes

"Pisces New Moon and Virgo Full Moon", Austin, Stephanie, The Mountain Astrologer, Feb/Mar 2009, Issue #143, pages 106-7.

"Pisces Labor: Capturing Unlimited Possibilities", Gerhardt, Dana, The Mountain Astrologer, Feb/Mar 2009, Issue #143, pages 11-15.

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