Tashi delek! Bal Gyal Lo! Gung Hay Fat Choy! No, I’m not typing in tongues – that’s auspicious wishes, happy Losar (Tibetan New Year) and Chinese New Year of the Water Snake… round two of beginnings of the new year, or three, if you count winter solstice… Happy February. The year has been a wild ride down the rabbit hole so far, and that only seems to be intensifying.
I don’t recall where I heard this term, but we seem to have accelerated to the point of hitting ‘vertical time.’ It’s illogical and bemusing, but somehow feels right intuitively – at least to some of us. January screamed past, and we are well into February by the time I sit to write this forecast. (whoops!) Many were sick in January, and many are still sick, or are sick again, and a concerning number of people are finding out they are considerably sicker than they knew. We need to get grounded and present in our bodies, and take good care of our ‘human suits’ as they too strain to adjust to the changes… Many are needing more sleep, more water. This is a time for rest and integration to allow the new changes to start to quicken and germinate within us. We will find new possibilities, and if you can take a little time out, your new direction will start to clarify and you will be very busy soon enough.
While some are cruising with great joy, fluidity and ease at times, there is also much anxiety, and greater tendency to hair-trigger overreactions to situations, as so many are in a state of the equivalent of psychic ‘metal fatigue.’ We don’t have a lot of room for more stress. In the world, there is great turmoil and violence, volatility and tension. The shifts and changes don’t come easily, and the old ways die hard. Those insisting on resisting letting go and evolving are shattering. As the veils continue to thin, we are feeling the
collective (un)consciousness of the global insanity and world pain much more acutely. But much of the turmoil is serving to bring old corruption to light for transformation. When we feel overwhelmed, remember mindful awareness and loving detachment and neutrality. When intense thoughts and feelings overtake you, remember you are not your thoughts or feelings, and come back to your heart center. That works really well…
Still, the good news abounds! We’ve made it across a significant threshold, and are co-creating a new world of unity consciousness and higher awareness – which is why we are more attuned to the collective energies around us. It’s important, if not so easy, to continue to keep your consciousness at a higher vibrational frequency and resonance, and your experience will be more gratifying and useful in a productive, creative way, as well as serving to lift the energies for those around you as well.
February is a busy month astrologically… while the slow moving planets continue to move quite slowly, five planets change signs, or rather, four – Venus changes signs twice. Also, two planets turn retrograde later in the month – Saturn and Mercury – after a rare three
week phase of no planets being retrograde from January 30th, when Jupiter turned direct and continues to dig in at 6° Gemini, the degree of the November 30th eclipse, holding an ongoing drone of activation of that eclipse. If that eclipse hit something in your chart, you are probably noticing… ahem!
The month starts with Mars slipping out of visionary Aquarius (where I did not notice last month had it in mutual reception with both Pluto and Saturn!) into watery Pisces, and Venus driving out of practical Capricorn into Aquarius less than an hour later on the 1st. Venus is pretty happy and friendly in Aquarius; aggressive Mars is a little more challenged in sensitive and amorphous Pisces, though the placement is good for spiritual pursuits, music, dance, creativity, and water activities. On the 4th, Mars then flows into conjunction with idealistic, illusory Neptune at home in the giant planet’s own sign of
Pisces, causing either possible confusion or fatigue, or igniting the will to pursue your ideals and dreams. The next day, February 5th, Mercury follows Mars to also enter Pisces, shifting thought patterns to being more intuitive, more feeling than thinking your thoughts.
The 6th is a sparky, expansive day, as magnetic Venus forms a creative sextile with innovative Uranus, great for creative ideas and romantic sparks and flirting, and active social media contacts. Then Mercury conjuncts Neptune, which is ideal for creative expression, writing music or poetry – practical, logical thinking, not so much. There can be miscommunication or confusion, or possibly deception. This is a time to remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it might be, so heed your instincts to check it out. Then, still on the 6th, indulgent Venus makes a flowing trine to expansive Jupiter,
which can be extremely fortuitous, but also prone to great excess. Not a good transit to stay on a budget or diet, and with the Mercury-Neptune, your thinking is not very discerning beyond what feels good.
Mercury catches up to Mars on the 8th for some quick action, but also potential agitation and arguments. The next day speedy Mercury squares Jupiter for potential overload, with too many things going on at once. It could be fun…
February 10th is the new Moon in Aquarius, a very action-packed day. This is Tibetan and Chinese New Year of the Water Snake mentioned at the beginning of this forecast. The new Moon at 22° Aquarius has the Sun and Moon making a tight square to the lunar nodes, which can indicate social conflicts and upheaval. This is further amplified and exacerbated by Mars in Pisces squaring Jupiter in Gemini, which can be egocentric and bellicose, and Venus in Aquarius squaring Saturn in Scorpio. Ouch. Here are issues of women’s rights and the limitations imposed on them – and the resistance to those limitations! – as well as economic issues, especially with Saturn making a tight sextile to Pluto in Capricorn all month. They continue in mutual reception, being in each other’s sign, for a tighter interconnectedness. This aspect reflects the power structures which are called to evolve, especially with the lord of power Pluto also continuing its ongoing square to rebellious Uranus, calling for revolution.
This new Moon reveals itself to be even more potent when we also consider the activations on the 90° dial, where the Sun and Moon activate Uranus, sudden changes and disruptions, uranian transneptunians (TNPs) Kronos, authority and leadership, and Apollon, commerce, multiples, and asteroids Astraea (vision, witnessing, incomplete
resolution), Hera (partnerships, and issues of equity exchange in them, financial agreements), Nostalgia (the past, memory), Pandora (sudden surprises, chaos), Toro (strength, bullying), Atlantis (crisis, especially water crisis, issues of confidentiality and ethics), Black Moon Lilith (hidden, dark feminine, the shadow) and midpoints
Saturn/Neptune (limitations, illusion, weakness), Neptune/Poseidon (spiritual, idealism), Kronos/Astraea (something unresolved or lingering about power and those in authority, witnessing). It’s quite a Moon, and promises quite a year.
This focus on women’s rights is interesting, and we can get some insight from the Water Snake, which is very feminine, yin energy. Snake energy is magnetic and wise, knowing how to both utilize and conserve energy, including being highly intuitive in the ways of timing – knowing when to wait until the opportune moment to strike. This is an auspicious time to come into attunement with your highest self, and from that alignment, set an intention and goals and go for it, especially in this three week time of all planets in direct motion. This is also in perfect attunement with the rising of the feminine energy into right balance with the masculine (it takes both) and unity consciousness, which has the feminine quality of relatedness.
Astonishing! Because I’m so late in finishing this forecast (the last week flew by in a day) I can add that on the 11th, the day after this powerful and transformative new Moon further activating the empowering of the feminine, the Pope gave notice of his resignation – and then that night, lightning struck St. Peter’s Basilica! (my first thought was God saying, ‘Out! Damned spot!) This Pope has been at the center of the coverup of the massive pedophilia by priests, which is abuse of power and life-force energy at its worst. More abusive power structures coming down… but, we’ll see what the Catholic Church does
from here.
Mercury sextiles Pluto on the 11th, bringing communications about power, possible secretiveness, strong intuition. The following day, on the 12th Mars conjuncts the ‘wounded healer’ centaur Chiron, who bridges from the ordinary to the non-ordinary, from the personal to the transcendent and spiritual. Often Chiron ‘breaks our heart,’ but it’s
small egoic heart breaking open to greater compassionate heart. Here is the potential for sexual healing, or some high ego trips of wounded self-entitlement or sense of victimhood. Don’t go there, please… Mercury also trines pragmatic Saturn this day, so that will help keep things real, especially with the Mars-Chiron in a grand water trine with patriarchal Saturn in Scorpio conjunct spiritual uranian transneptunian (TNP) Posideon trine TNP Kronos, power and leadership. There will be changes in power and those in power, with potentially harsh judgment for those out of integrity.
The only aspect happening on the 14th is a pleasant sextile from the Moon to the Sun, so with no added stress, go with the cosmic flow and have a happy Valentine’s day!
Mars sextiles Pluto on the 15th, then trines Saturn on the 16th. Hard work and diligence pay off. This is not a time for self-indulgence and procrastination.
On the 18th, there is a significant shift in energy as the Sun joins Neptune, Chiron, Mars and Mercury in Pisces (there will be even more soon enough!) as Saturn, who has been slowing down all month, stations to turn retrograde at 11° Scorpio. The Sun and Neptune are conjunct the asteroid Eros, for a potentially erotic idealism and illusion, and a bit of escapism? But Saturn putting on the brakes in that tight cooperative sextile to Pluto, both in a ‘finger of God’ yod hard 150° inconjunct aspect to workaholic asteroid Vesta demands due diligence and that responsibilities not be neglected. There is a call for adjustment here, fine-tuning or course correction and clarifying intent and focus. Fly, but stay grounded and real! The Sun tightens into that conjunction with Neptune on the 20th.
Mercury stations to make its first three week retrograde phase for the year on February 23rd at 20° Pisces, conjunct Mars and the asteroid Nostalgia, closely trine the north node at 20° Scorpio. What have you forgotten? Or rather, what are you remembering that you need to revisit, complete, reconsider? This is a time for reflection and tying up loose ends. It’s a challenging time for communications and technology, and a poor time to have surgery while Mercury is Rx (it goes direct on March 17th – best to avoid surgery the several days before and after the Rx phase as well). Are you becoming more intuitive, and
more telepathic? You might be, and starting to notice it more… you might also have some sense of Essence recall, of who you are, and who you may have been in previous lifetimes. Maybe.
The full Moon is at 7° Virgo on February 25th, opposing the Pisces Sun, Neptune and Chiron (Mars and Mercury are out of orb, but also still in Pisces) and a couple hours later, Venus says me too! And joins the planetary stellium in Pisces by entering that sign, which is a very good fit for Venus for her inherent creativity and magnetism. That’s a lot of planets that the Moon holds in opposition, and in Virgo, the Moon asks that we attend to the details with due diligence and care and not just dissolve into the universal collective Piscean waters. Jupiter in Gemini closely squares the full Moon opposition, so there are a lot of details and factors to address, and with any luck at all, some fun and laughs along the way, not fragmentation and confusion. Mercury backs over Mars on the 26th – is there something you need to get back to, something to be said about a past situation? There is again the possibility to be irritable, argumentative or accident prone, especially
if you fall into the potential Piscean spaciness, so take extra care to be mindful while driving or working with tools.
The month ends with Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces, for a long cosmic Ahhhhhhh….. create, dream, expand in compassion and creative joy. Stay in heart, with compassion, gratitude, awareness. Remember courage and humility, grace and fearlessness. Sniff out this new world, see how things are now, and how to best dance with the evolving unfolding of it all. Be kind, be patient – remember many are ungrounded and confused, but doing the best they can. Stay attuned and connected to Source, and remember to take time to play, too. Be wise, meditate, rest, and nurture your body thru these changes. Do your best to bridge between your highest aspirations and longing, while also taking care of what needs to be taken care of in your daily life. The light is increasing, in the sense that we are more than halfway from the winter solstice to the spring equinox, but also the Light within and around us. Pay attention! Wake up! But also dream, and fly in your dreams… there are new realms and possibilities to explore.
Again – Listen, Listen… deeply, breathe, and Be… As always, heartful, radiant warrior blessings to all.
www.rubymala.com Previous monthly forecasts on my blog at http://blog.rubymala.com/
Lovingly dedicated to my mother, Ruth Page (July 8, 1923-November 27, 2012),
radiant soul, breathing freely, as you shine and smile, and dance among
the stars…