AMONG THE REASONS this is an edgy, adventurous or potentially brilliant time for Pisces is that you are under the influence of many outer planets, those faraway worlds that change everything in their path. While they're busy doing that, they can turn the people affected by them into agents of change, and often, the first ones to reach the frontiers of consciousness. So, under the influences of the outer planets, life is a journey on the edge regions.

This has its benefits; it can also be quite uncomfortable at times. But if you can effectively address both, this will prove to be a momentous time in your life, a time of change, creation and opportunity made real. And this is no fly-by-night operation. The buildup is most of the year and the peak extends well into 2007.

Most obvious among these planetary processes is that Uranus has been transiting your birth sign for about three years. The planet of revolution, invention, discovery and at times stunning changes takes 84 years to orbit the Sun (spending about seven years in a sign), and its visit to the last sign of the zodiac, your own sign and the end of the astrological cycle, is significant by itself. There is the sense that something is wrapping up; that a great phase in the history of civilization is drawing to a conclusion. With it come some of the crosscurrents, chaos and confusion that are so typical of transitions.

The Future, and Getting There

Uranus is the planet of foresight. There's a reason that it's prominent in the charts of great inventions (the airplane, for example), the meetings of people who will, together, make an impact and those who help engineer the world (Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung): and that reason is that Uranus is oriented on the future and is our guide to getting there.

This began in March of 2003 and stretches through late 2011. The peak of the cycle, with Uranus working the midpoint of Pisces and making a series of squares to something called the Great Attractor in Sagittarius, occurs through 2006 and 2007, so -- for this and other reasons -- there is likely to be a peak of intensity at this time, with turning points and substantial developments suddenly arriving that have been years in the making.

Sagittarius (as the sign in your solar 10th house) is the angle of your chart where you aspire to your highest priorities, and strive to make your mark on the world. It's not always so easy for a sensitive, absorbent and often defensive Pisces to act like and feel like a fiery, assertive and confident Sagittarius, but that is one of your life goals and, right now, the order of the day.

With Pluto about to reach the Galactic Core in this house, it's time to summon the forces of love, illumination and aspiration that will lead you to accomplish rare and truly meaningful things, and for you, such is no idle wish at this time. As part of the journey, it's time to care a lot less about what other people think, and to recognize how little power they really hold over you once you make the choice to be clear and strong.

The presence of Uranus and the involvement of the Great Attractor say you are under the continuing influence of relentless, restless energy prompting you to transform and reinvent yourself, to let go of the past and its outdated influences, and to push forward into a truly new space. All of this runs quite contrary to the typically stubborn and backward-thinking ways of the world, and perhaps to certain individuals in your immediate environment. But by now, people are figuring out that you're not going to be gathering moss or spend your time fermenting down in the basement. And, after a while, the people who would rather have you that way will mosey along.

And the ones who really get who you are will show up. I would propose that there need not be a lot of negotiation. You will be able to tell quickly whether someone is going to be supportive and have fun with you, or not. In any event, I don't suggest you negotiate.

>From time to time, the occasional cohabitant of the Earth or your household may act up, actively resist or grumble, and you will have to do something that is not so Pisces: tell them to deal with it, or leave you alone. I am not suggesting you be a callous or aggressive person, but rather proposing that you get serious about making sure that people know they need to get out of your way and give you space to live. Remember this if you start to get caught in anyone's not-so-creative games.

Generally, you are the one who does very nearly all the adapting in life, and this is one of the most important factors that is changing for you now. The real talent you develop and can take with you for the rest of your life will be that highly enviable Sagittarian trait of recognizing that everyone is entitled to their opinion, end of story. As an agent of progress, everybody's ideas may count, you cannot take too seriously the efforts of the rear guard; the best you can do is work around them, keep your distance when possible, and do what you have to do.

They're Playing Your Planet

A second long-term, key planetary factor that reaches a moment of true prominence is that Neptune (one of the Pisces ruling planets) is in your 12th solar house. For anyone, even a Fish, the 12th is a mystery zone. It's as if you're living simultaneously in the physical world and, far more than usual, in the mystical one. You may live with the constant feeling that you can't quite put your hands on certain information, or certain feelings, or that there is part of yourself that is continuously inaccessible through any normal means -- but is, nonetheless, compelling and necessary. You may have a sense of existing in two dimensions at once.

I don't blame you for feeling uneasy at times, or like you're living on some kind of brink. In actual fact, you are; it is not merely in your imagination (though your imagination does play a role).

You may at times have a strong, difficult-to-express feeling of isolation, as the 12th is often the house of confinement. It is possible that your insecurity, which has a way of being a bit pervasive in the life of a Fish, may be more present than you can explain. But the message is to work within your limits, then work to gradually expand them. Adjust boundaries gradually, not all at once.

Then, continue to dedicate yourself to service -- however you define that in the way that is most ethical for you. Indeed, serving humanity, the community, or an idea in a tangible way is one of the few things that will grant you dependable relief from the subtle psychological stress of Neptune in Aquarius.

And while there are some Pisces who don't need to be reminded to seek physical pleasure in as many ways as possible, this will help you physically ground your existence and remind you that you're on Earth. You need to get away, you need to have moments of no responsibility at all, and most of all, you need company.

Saturn, now getting ready to oppose Neptune, brings the Neptune transit to its peak, and presents you with a series of choices. Other factors say they will be very big ones. Certain factors involving the Centaur planets suggest strongly that seemingly small decisions will have unusually large effects, so you need to choose well, seeking all the facts and depending on your intuition as well. There are influences pushing you to go fast; this one is saying take a step at a time.

Yet you need to be prepared for fast action once any process of change has begun. If you don't like the way something is going, you have an interval wherein you may make adjustments, mainly by raising your awareness and asking yourself firmly what you want -- then firmly choosing it.

While traditional readings of Saturn opposite Neptune suggest the dualism of this aspect is about resolving materialism vs. spirituality, responsibility vs. escapism, or the ego vs. the higher self, I want to offer a different idea where you are concerned. I would propose that where Saturn and Neptune come into play, an opposition is less about polarity and more about integrating the different aspects of reality.

The choice is how you can bring things that seem to be antithetical together. For example, how you make your ideals into something that actually has substance and a role in the world. Or, how you can harmonize your professional goals with your creative ones while sacrificing neither; how you may take more satisfaction in the act of serving in the ways you know are necessary; and most of all, how you can bring your most idealistic ideas into concrete, tangible and useful form. This takes work, it takes energy, but you have stamina and motivation.

Part of why it takes work is because not everyone shares these visions, but you need to carefully choose people to be around who respond to you in a positive way.

It is, through this time, vitally necessary that you take care of your mental health. Granted, this is not a high priority in the current state of planetary madness, and few people have any idea what the statement means. Thing #1 on the mental health list is learning how to monitor your state of being. Nobody is particularly objective about themselves, so you'll need objective reference points. Patterns involving sleep, food, drink, drugs, smoking, work and recreational habits are things to watch carefully. Pay attention to which way things are heading; know when something becomes a habit or when it's just a phase. Track your moods. Know which way you're tending, toward feeling better within a span of days, or worse; and if you need to, gradually make corrections.

Pay attention to your fear level and notice the tides in your patterns of giving and receiving love.

And you need to watch your environment, and manage it carefully -- particularly where you work. A clear, organized and supportive workspace, designed specifically for the tasks at hand, will be unusually helpful in keeping your efficiency high and your focus clear.

Watch Your Environment

I've spent a lot of time taking care of fish, and there are two sides to their nature that must be honored -- and yours as well. One is that within definite limits, the environment must be stable. The water temperature and acidity, for example, cannot go too far in either direction and must stay within an ideal range. The bacteria that keep the water clean take a long time to build up; it's best to disturb the gravel or rocks at the bottom only minimally (for example vacuum it only lightly and never flush it out). The same is true of certain processes of your life.

But the water must flow. About half to a third must be changed on a regular basis, or the toxins (principally ammonia and nitrogen compounds) build up quickly. And as much as fish like familiarity, they need a change of scenery. New critters added to the tank on a gradual basis, moving around the coral and decorations, and making sure the lights are turned off at night are essential to happy fish.

Because what develops this year may seem so much larger than you, and bestow you with responsibilities and a sense of achievement you never would have imagined possible, you need to be the one who takes care of your most basic needs.

A great deal may change in your life and people may look at you as an entirely different person. But you know that when a person is sincere, great accomplishments don't really change them. Only you will really know that you're expressing your basic potential and in truth growing into the person you always were.

Which is to say, at your core essence you're not really changing, just growing -- so you need to keep in touch with the soul within who has been traveling with you for so long, and always will. And this is the real innovation you are birthing into the world.