“Dancing with the Stars”
By Janis Page c2011
Happy New Year! Again! After the very frigidly cold transition from January into February, the month starts with a sweet, idealistic trine from Venus to Neptune right before the new Moon in Aquarius, which is also the start of Chinese New Year. Because of time zone differences, the new Moon for us here in Denver is Wednesday, Feb 2 – Happy Ground Hog day, too! (I don’t know if that little critter will see his shadow this year…) In China, the new Moon is Thursday, Feb 3, so that is the beginning of the Year of the “Gold” metal Rabbit. Rabbit years (like rabbit feet?) are considered lucky, generally more peaceful and quiet, when you can catch your breath and finally calm your nerves, giving a bit of a break after the more intense, fast-moving and dramatic Year of the Tiger (2010 intense? Fast-moving? Dramatic? Um, yes.) Will the Year of the Rabbit really be more peaceful and quiet, with more focus on diplomacy (not force), personal development, and family? I’m not going to promise that, but we can hope! Then again, some sources say it may not be quite as lucky, because 2011 will usher in the Wood Rabbit in a Metal Year, and since the metal element tends to work against the wood element, we might expect at least some continued troubles and uncertainties to be carried over from the Tiger Year. But that’s starting to get into territory that’s beyond our scope here. It will be a shorter year for the Chinese zodiac, ending January 22, 2012, with the next new Aquarian Moon. And we’ll get yet another New Year celebration next month on March 5th, which is the Tibetan Buddhist Losar.
So what does the Aquarius new Moon chart look like? The Sun and Moon at just under 14 degrees of Aquarius are less than a half degree from Mars, in our local 6th house of health and service. Focus on efficiency in your work, and please be very mindful of your health. Aquarius is happier floating in the future than being consciously present in their bodies, and while this combination can be very focused and productive, there is also potential for agitation, being accident-prone, and possible inflammation. All this is further amplified by several asteroids within that same tight orb – Zeus (asteroid, not the uranian TNP) – organization, explosive, inflammation; Ophelia – self-defeating emotional overreaction; Poseidon (asteroid) – spiritual, understanding, imagery, light; A-Urania – differences in how people think, and that is the astrology asteroid – it’s a good time to get an astrology reading! These all make a free-flowing trine to Saturn – discipline, limitations, responsibility, conjunct the uranian TNP Zeus – same meaning as the asteroid mentioned. It’s notable that Venus is at 28 degrees of Sagittarius, almost exactly the degree of the Sun at the lunar eclipse on winter solstice in December, so there may be activation off all that eclipse seeded. On the 90 degree dial, this lunation activates Hades – disintegration, purification; Juno – equity of energy exchange in partnerships; Icarus – taking flight; Astraea – sight, witnessing, incomplete resolution; and the Midheaven – public self, reputation. So if this new Moon activates anything in your chart, there is great potential for accomplishment if you don’t lose it, get into long lingering conflicts with others, and get overly emotional. But you wouldn’t, would you?
Over the next three days, Mercury enters visionary Aquarius and Venus enters practical, hard-working Capricorn, then the Sun gets busy and motivated as it conjuncts Mars, Mercury makes an opportunity-making 60-degree sextile to expansive Jupiter, which is nicely balanced by the Sun trining stabilizing Saturn followed by Mars making the same trine to Saturn, and then Venus making a potentially overindulgent square to Jupiter. That’s all in the first week of the month!
Then there is generally smoother sailing until the 9th, when Venus conjuncts Pluto – passion, obsession, possible great success. Valentine’s Day has a sweet, sentimental Cancer Moon, and should be a pleasant enough day. The Sun makes its annual idealistic and potentially confusing conjunction to ethereal and sometimes deceptive Neptune on the 17th just before the full Leo Moon on Friday the 18th. This full Moon is at the last degree of the sign, 29 Leo, just as the December lunar eclipse was at 29 Gemini, hours before winter solstice. These lunations at the last degree urge us to finish up old business to be ready to move on. After a challenging ‘reality-check’ square from Venus to Saturn, the Sun enters Pisces early that evening. For this full Moon, the Sun is conjunct Mars and Neptune in Aquarius, and Chiron at zero Pisces, struggling to assert itself in its idealism, and willing to break a few rules along the way to seeking healing and breakthrough. Choose your ‘civil disobedience’ wisely, with the integrity to have respect for others’ right to be as well as your own. With a bit of redundancy, which astrology often is prone to, on the dial, again Zeus and Ophelia are activated, adding to the possibility that situations may be made more complex because of over-reaction to anger or to the demand to stay focused and accomplish something! So, you are forewarned not to go off the deep end and do something counterproductive and mildly self-destructive, which can happen in situations where someone has had to grit their teeth for too long… some of this activation may carry over to Sunday, when Mercury conjuncts Mars – agitation – then Neptune – confusion, potential deception, then Mars conjuncts Neptune, which can bring in some idealism, but also more possible confusion and exhaustion. Over the next couple days, both Mercury and Mars enter Pisces, which is Neptune’s sign, and tensions may dissipate and chill out a bit.
The last busy day for the month is Friday, Feb 25th, when Mercury conjuncts the Sun, then sextiles Pluto, Jupiter squares Pluto, then the Sun sextiles Pluto. There is a lot of powerful positive potential along with some power plays. (I did not mean that to be so alliterative!) But someone might win the lottery with that lineup.
Generally, February is actually more peaceful than most previous months, with some pretty sparky phases. Stay warm, be peaceful, and Happy Valentine’s Day!