We’re only a few days into February and what a month already! On 1 February, Mercury shifted forward again after three weeks of retrograde movement. It always takes Mercury a few days to pick up a comfortable pace after a retro stint. Expect communications, computers, public transport etc to be more in the flow after the 7th. Yet having said that, it’s important to note that on 10 February, the Full Moon is also a Lunar Eclipse, and eclipses are known to bring the kinds of deviations from life’s usual rhythms that a Mercury Retro can. In fact, an Eclipse can be like the whole three weeks of Mercury Retro condensed into a few days (the days before, during and after the eclipse).
This upcoming Lunar Eclipse in Leo on the 10th, completes the Eclipse Season that began late January with the Solar Eclipse in Aquarius on 26 Jan. We won’t experience more eclipses until July, which any of you Aquarians, Leos, Taureans and Scorpios are probably pleased to hear as those are the four zodiac signs most affected by the current Eclipse Season. Of course, if your Moon or Rising Sign (or Mercury, Venus or Mars signs) happen to be Aquarius, Leo, Taurus or Scorpio you might’ve strongly felt the effects of this Ecliipse Season too. Yet eclipses affect us all one way or another, either directly in our own lives, or indirectly through our relationships with others and what they’re going through.
Eclipses bring breakthroughs and insights yet often these come after the possible initial ‘breakdown’ effect of an eclipse. It’s as if the lights go out, confusion reigns for a bit, and then the lights go back on and we can work out what’s happened. That’s just one way that eclipses can play out. Sometimes (and you’ve got to love these eclipses) they bring sudden moves forward in unexpected ways. At eclipse times we usually find out what our soul-selves have been concocting behind the scenes for our soul growth. With this month’s eclipse in Leo, the main soul growth theme relates to how we as individuals express our essential creative core. To express our passionate life core, we need to be in touch with who we truly are and what we wish to contribute in our sphere of influence in our lifetime. This eclipse is likely to bring greater awareness of what makes our hearts sing and how we can tend to our essential talents. If we feel overlooked, not acknowledged or unsuccessful at this time, rather than deciding we’re duds or falling into patterns of approval-seeking behaviour, we are called on to believe in ourselves, know that we are worth what we want to achieve and to persist in our pursuit of it.
On 4 February, right in the middle of the Eclipse Season, we had what’s known as a ‘Cross Quarter’ day. Each year the Solstices and Equinoxes mark the Quarter Days, but in between each of those Quarter Days are Cross Quarter Days. These mark the midpoints of the turn of the seasons. The ancients used to celebrate all eight turning points in the Seasons (the two solstices, the two equinoxes and the four cross quarter days). On a Cross Quarter Day, the boundaries between the rational and the irrational aspects of the self are said to be very thin, in the same way that they are thin at Full Moons, but to a much greater degree. So if you’ve been feeling on an emotional rollercoaster, it’s not only been the Eclipse Season but also the Cross Quarter Day. Much rises to the surface from our intuitive selves at these times.
Essentially, the first couple of weeks of February are a bit like being on a see-saw. This is amplified by the second exact alignment of Saturn and Uranus. The first alignment was in November last year, and the second is this month. The Saturn-Uranus tug-of-war is mainly emphasised from 1 to 14 February. Here we see the struggle between the old and the new. Many of us will feel the desire to break free and rebel against the status quo, but if we become too extreme we might find that the status quo digs its heels in. This cosmic conflict is a little like the ‘war’ between the dark and the light. Neither Saturn nor Uranus is quintessentially dark or light (both have their dark & light sides) but when two major planets face off like this, often we find ourselves battling the extremes of dark and light either within ourselves or out in the world through relationships, work, home, neighbourhood etc.
Really, February is a month of bells and whistles. If all the above isn’t enough, you might’ve seen an email going around about 14 February 2009 being the day when:
“The Moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars” (from the musical ‘Hair’ – ‘The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius’)
I’ve checked out the alignments on that day, and it’s true. For Australians (AEDT) this alignment happens in the morning from, say, 8.30 to 11.30 (I’m giving a big window of time because I can’t be definite due to different ways to calculate the chart). The next words in the song are:
“Then love will rule the planets and peace will steer the stars”
Very nice then that this alignment happens on Valentines Day (which, as noted above, I see as day to celebrate Love in all its forms, not just in the form of romantic love, which can often create stress through the pressure of expectation on relationships). The other planets lined up with ‘the Moon in the Seventh House, Jupiter and Mars’ show us that the way for ‘peace to steer the stars’ is through applied effort toward understanding differences and healing past rifts. The rifts might be from feelings of being overlooked, rejected, dismissed or not fairly acknowledged. Yet, the planetary imagery also suggests that the rifts might be from feeling misunderstood in the essence of our being. It might be time to try again with old friends or distant family members. The planetary symbolism suggests avoiding topics that might leave people feeling like their innermost vulnerable selves have been misunderstood or rejected and to instead relate through common topics and experiences. Once we’ve built bridges through similarities we are able to embrace into our circles of friends or communities those whom we don’t deep down resonate with. We can save our innermost core selves for those who do truly nourish and ‘vibe’ with us.
February’s New Moon is in Pisces on 25 February. The Piscean New Moon amplifies the theme of finding a place in our hearts and communities for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. It’s also the time to focus our intentions toward what we want to create regarding spiritual, artistic, musical, poetic, mystical, magical endeavours. It’s a time to celebrate the intuitive side to life in all its forms – to honour our energy systems (aura, chakras), our deceased loved ones, our night-time dreams and our daydreams, our spirit guides and the everflowing river of support from whoever/whatever we experience as ‘god’ or ‘divine intelligence/inspiration’. If you’re an artist, it’s a great time to contact your muse.
To complete this month’s action-filled cosmic unfolding, we might be treated to the sight of a glowing green Comet on 24 February. Known as Comet Lulin, this comet is most probably a newcomer to our inner solar system. It was discovered in a collaboration between Taiwanese and Chinese astronomers. It’s main discoverer, Quanzhi Ye, says:
“The discovery could not have been made without a contribution from both sides of the Strait that separates our countries. Chi Sheng Lin and other members of the Lulin Observatory staff enabled me to get the images I wanted, while I analyzed the data and found the comet.” (for the full story, check out this link.)
This story of discovery brings to mind the Saturn-Uranus alignment that wishes us to collaborate across the chasms that might ordinarily separate us. It also brings to mind the planetary alignment in the Valentine’s Day chart that urges us to find new ways to creatively bridge and heal old differences. Comet Lulin has an atmosphere the size of Jupiter – let’s hope it brings some of the luck, good fortune and abundance associated with Jupiter too!
Wishing you a Happy “Moon in the 7th House, Jupiter aligns with Mars” day, plus some wonderful breakthroughs at the Eclipse.