February can be a welcome relief from the first month of this second decade of the twenty-first century. January was a pip with earth-shaking events that rattled nerves and changed the game.
January had a prime example of Mercury retrograde miscommunication with the US Homeland Security Secretary saying that the security system worked well during the Christmas flight event of an attempted bombing of a US airliner coming in from Amsterdam for a landing in Detroit. Even the vacationing US President was incredulous at the statement and emphasized that in fact the system did not work but failed by not pinpointing the alleged terrorist before boarding the flight.
January experienced one of the characteristics of the Saturn Pluto square that we are laboring under for the next two years — the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Although we have lived during a quiescent period of geophysical activity, the Saturn Pluto square could see an increase in frequency and in magnitude of earthquakes and volcanic activity over the next two years.
And a game changer seemed to occur in the US with the special election for US Senate in Massachusetts won by a little-known State Senator and a Republican who just weeks before the election was considered nothing more than an also-ran to the Democratic State Attorney-General. With Scott Brown’s election, the Democrats lost their Supermajority in the US Senate, seemed to knock the inevitable health care legislation back for a long yardage setback, and called into question whether the Congress and the President were listening to, much less feeling, people’s pain.
Anxiety may have ratcheted up during January for some people and even those people whose nerves had either not been rattled before or who had found ways to cope with the last eighteen months of constant trauma and survival concern.
But that was then and this is now, as we come off January 31st with its Saturn square Pluto exact aspect and enter a new month, hoping for a new age, as we begin the month of February.
February seems a far kinder and gentler month than the one that preceded it. Either the hellions are disguised or we may be looking more towards the possibilities, prospects and potentialities and less at hard, cold reality. No matter what our perspective might be, let’s keep in the forefront of our mind that we are in the midst of a major personal and societal transformation — at times feeling like the camel trying to squeeze through the eye of the needle, other times marveling at the wonders and mini-miracles of the ever-changing kaleidoscope of today’s living.
February has a strong emphasis upon universality, upon our seeing ourselves as part of a cosmic connection — like a snowflake in a blizzard, distinct, unique, individual and as a person with creative talents and self-expressive abilities hitting the note of our being amidst a symphony of hundreds of thousands of other expressing beings.
Yes, we may have our head in the clouds, rising into the infinite heavens during this month of February. For this month accentuates the two universal Signs of the Zodiac — Aquarius and Pisces, all the while that we are contending with the Saturn Pluto square which asks us, demands of us, the question as to whether we have built upon rock or whether we have built upon sand.
The rock solid situations, activities and identity of ourselves may be shaken but they cannot be torn down if we are in our essence, coming from our soul and expressing our spirit. The sand situations, activities and identity of our lives drawn solely upon our ego premises may be threatened, even washed away. And during the processing of these times we always have choice — the choice of our attitude and dispositions, the choice of our reactions to the shifting tides with their occasional rogue waves, the choice of our actions and what we choose to do and how we choose to do it. Within our choice, it is also important to keep in mind that these times are a paradigm shift, a time of letting go of old outmoded beliefs and the willingness to be open to the understanding of the new paradigm. We are moving away from the security, stability and solidity of the past, which created rigidity and fixity and contributed to a wrong-headed belief and totally egocentric belief that we could master the world. We are moving towards the ever-present need of flexibility and adaptability, accepting our creative role yet realizing that we are co-creators with the natural unfolding and that our intentions need to be honest and from integrity and our letting go of a sense of total control over our lives’ situations.
We are entering the magical, mystery world of synchronicity, a paradigm where we cross from the fourth dimension of the three coordinates of space and the coordinate of time into a fifth dimension where space-time collapse into the NOW, no beginning, no middle, no end, NOW, a dimension where past, present, future are all NOW.
February allows our minds to wander, to roam, to explore, to investigate and to discover. We are unshackled by the limitations of security that has proven insecure, of stability that has been destabilized, and of solidity that can breakdown, liquefy and shapeshift without a moment’s notice. How liberating, how freeing, we have the opportunity to be.
Coming off the Saturn square Pluto on the 31st of January, we enter February with one planet in a Fire Sign, three planets in Earth Signs, four planets in Air Signs and two planets in Water Signs. Three planets are in Cardinal Signs, four planets are in Fixed Signs and three planets are in Mutable Signs. Five planets are in Positive Signs and five planets are in Receptive Signs.
We start the month with a Stellium of three of more planets in Aquarius with the Sun, Venus and Neptune in the Fixed Air Sign and five planets in the two Universal Signs of Aquarius and Pisces. Mid-month there are seven planets in the two Universal Signs and a Stellium in both Aquarius and in Pisces. While the Aquarius energy is emphasized at the beginning of the month, the Pisces energy is highlighted from the mid-month through the end of the month.
February is a month when we are likely to be far more interested in the ‘what could be’ rather than the ‘what is’.
While we might experience further releases, eliminations, letting-gos and other circumstances that force us to acknowledge both a dynamic but ever shifting phase of time, we can also give thought to the reality of the concept that when one door closes, a window or another door opens. This month is a time to look towards the far horizons and beyond. Now is a time for us to consider possibilities and even the possibilities of the impossible, for in the breakdowns and strippings away there are incredible opportunities of co-creating new structures, new formats, new intentions and new directions. Even the impossible could prove possible.
February has both Saturn retrograde and Mars retrograde. Although we may be champing at the bit, wanting to get on with it and to emphasize our individual ambitions, things may take longer than we might like. We can conceive of things easily in our minds with the abstract moving quickly into manifestation. While our thoughts and ideas can occur with lightning speed, things on the earth plane always take longer. And during February we shall have to be wary not to get frustrated or depressed that things are taking their time rather than in our time. Any delays could be seen as a tempering process, the opportunity to hone and refine both our methodologies and our plans. For it is wise that we keep in mind that we are but co-creators of our destiny and that often the natural unfolding has far better plans for us than we could ever imagine for ourselves.
February asks us to draw upon our faith, even if that faith be a blind faith. If we question the conditions and circumstances occurring to us or around us, we could easily turn to seeing ourselves as witless victims to life’s vagaries. Why go there?
The early part of February continues with the ever-present influence of the Saturn Pluto square. Cleaning out, clearing away are actions we can take in order to provide room and space for new developments and new activities.
On the weekend of the 6th and 7th, when Mercury sextiles Uranus and Jupiter sextiles Pluto, we might experience remarkable insights, those ah-has regarding a best practices approach and answers to perplexing problems coming out of the blue. Serendipity can be at play and it would be wise for us not only to marvel at the insights and revelations but then to take plan in hand and strategize and develop a blueprint for both releasing ourselves from old patterns and incorporating some of the new ingredients we choose for our future.
Our relationships can be especially appealing during much of this month. We are far less likely to demand friends and acquaintances conform to a certain definition or mock-up of the way they should be. We may know people by experience but we are no longer limiting them to our familiarity of how we see them. On the contrary, we are far more interested in the individual characteristics of other people, those traits that make them unique and those qualities that endear them to us. On the 8th, Venus conjuncts Neptune before Venus moves into Pisces on the 11th and then sextiles Pluto on the 15th and conjuncts Jupiter on the 16th. Relationships can come close to the idyllic. No matter what is occurring in the world around us, we may find our sanctuary, our nurture and sustenance, in our interactions with other people. We do not have to give in to a ‘misery loves company’ melodrama but rather embrace the expression of spirit and soul that we may well witness in other people.
One area of potential conflict this month can be any dichotomy between our personal interests, goals and needs and the larger picture of the collective and our interaction with the world at large. With Mars retrograding through Leo and Mars opposing the planets transiting Aquarius, there can be times when we are asked to find the perfect balance between our desires and those of other people. We may want to express ourselves but we shall also be asked whether our self-expressions are in harmony with other people or if our self-expressions are merely the primal screams of self-assertion with the liability of stepping, even tromping, on other people’s toes. The blend of Leo and Aquarius does allow us to consider what would be the best outlets for our creativity. And these times provide the tools and the opportunities to herald individual creative self-expressions. We can do so through the technological advances of computers, digital cameras, cell phones, and various creative and self-expressive software. And February can see further announcements of technological advances that provide ever increasingly the tools by which an individual can easily express their creativity.
The New Moon on the 13th accentuates the realm of possibilities but with the Sun Moon conjunction also conjunct Neptune we have to be wary of putting back on the rose-colored glasses whereby we see only what could be, what we want to see or what is being portrayed to us, all the while that we neglect what truly is. We may have our heads in the clouds but it would be wise to keep our feet on the ground. Although there might be the tendency to escape reality into a world of possibilities, it would be wise to keep in mind here and there with the recognition that certain things may have to be removed before we can embrace the new and make the possibilities a reality.
The New Moon also begins the Chinese New Year of the Metal Tiger and ushers in a dynamic and aggressive year. Things can accelerate and similar to the tiger on its prowl, it would be wise for us to maintain due diligence, consider the possible implications of any changes or new beginnings, before we pounce on situations and initiate actions. If this past year felt like an excruciating push-pull, this year speeds things up. We have the power and determination to move our interests ahead but with the likely consequence either being the attainment of our objects or the crash and burn whereby our plans do not come to fruition. The keys to which outcome is likely are maintaining our flexibility, our adaptability and our willingness to shift and change according to the shifting tides as things unfold.
Let’s acknowledge that recent times, no matter how fretful they may have seemed, have also helped us exercise our muscles — our physical abilities, our soul determination and our spirit expression. All of us have been impacted by the dramatic circumstances and changes over the past eighteen months. While we might have preferred a far smoother and easier time frame with just sitting back and watching the river of life flow, we might have been forced back on our own resources, determining the best ways to deal with the ever-changing landscape and focusing on survival techniques. Now is a time for us to move from a focus on survival to an intention of thriving no matter what the world conditions and the circumstances around us might be.
I reiterate, as I have written before, the wise and true saying that we never get more than we can handle. The question remains whether we choose to handle situations or if we fall into a victim mode and give up.
As February goes on, the energy shifts from an emphasis upon Aquarius to a highlighting of the Pisces energy. Venus moves into Pisces on the 11th, creating a Stellium of three or more planets in Pisces as Venus joins both Jupiter and Uranus in the Mutable Water Sign. On the 18th, the Sun exits Aquarius ending the Stellium in Aquarius and enters Pisces reinforcing the Stellium in Pisces. Our compassion, our sensitivity, our emotional state are all ratcheted up.
With the two universal Signs — Aquarius and Pisces — so highlighted this month, we may find ourselves seeking to put spirit into action. We might go out of our way to provide service to other people. We could get involved with groups to address natural catastrophes and man-made calamities. We can experience deep reflection on the purpose of our lives and how we are doing with our living. We may seek to be the fix-it to other people’s issues and problems. While such service is certainly a hallmark of true humanity, the challenge may be the fine line between service and self-sacrifice. As the adage attributed to Lao Tzu states: ‘Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime’.
The balance this month certainly speaks to the idea of looking at the possibilities for our future and finding outlets for our spirit yet at the same time maintaining a sense of groundedness and a clear recognition of the conditions presently around us. This is a month when we may have our head in the clouds but need to keep our feet firmly planted on the ground.
Although this month begins the Chinese New Year of the Metal Tiger on the 13th-14th, the increasing influence of Pisces during the latter part of the month also speaks to the end of the astrological year with the new beginning of the astrological new year at the Vernal Equinox next month when the Sun ends its annual transit of the Zodiac wheel by exiting Pisces and enters Aries. Our tendency towards a great deal of sighing, a sense of wrap-ups even as we give thought to new beginnings, strong emotional feelings can all be part of the latter part of February.
We may be doing a great deal of reflection and contemplation this month, and it would be wise for us to give serious thought and consideration before launching forward, but we might also want to keep in mind the somewhat irreverent and flippant yet quite observant statement that ‘Life’s too mysterious. Don’t take it serious.’
February… Wouldn’t it be loverly…
