Thoughts & Explanations on The Astrology of February

Greetings beloveds,

There’s lots happening this month so let’s jump right in and discuss it all piece by piece.

After weeks of being in Pisces, helping us to find compassion and sensitivity in the face of injustice, discrimination, and egotism; Venus, the planet of love, pleasure and wealth moves into Aries (Feb 3) to help us find our fight for the things and people we hold dear. Since Venus is not typically at home in Aries (she prefers Libra, Taurus, and Pisces), there may be a few false starts and misfires when it comes to getting what we want, especially as Venus will be joining aggressive Mars in Aries for the majority of her stay. While Aries energy can help us with finding the courage to stand up for ourselves in the face of bullying and oppression, we have to be mindful of choosing our battles carefully as Aries can be the fire that quickly rages out of control, burning us all in the process with its “me first” way of operating. Though, if there was ever a sign you can call on to topple over an oppressive regime and the systems that created it, Aries is it. Think of Venus and Mars in Aries as the volcanic lava that produces the fertile and mineral rich soil in which new and nourishing things can be planted and grown. (When Mars squares off with power-hungry Pluto in Capricorn on Feb 21 and joins up with explosive Uranus in Aries on Feb 25, expect major clashes and shakeups)

By Feb 6 (Feb 5 if you’re on pacific time), Jupiter – the planet of abundance, travel, religion and law – begins its retrograde in diplomatic and marriage-minded Libra. While some astrologers, myself included, heralded lucky Jupiter’s arrival in Libra as a chance to spread the love, Saturn in Sagittarius (Sag is ruled by Jupiter) has ensured (as well as free will) that Jupiter in Libra has become more about being fair and impartial to the most xenophobic and bigoted among us (i.e. the argument on whether it’s okay to punch a Nazi, give Trump a chance, etc). However, with Jupiter retrograde in Libra, collectively we are going to be asked to rethink (and in some cases repeal) our ethics and laws, namely in context to fairness, justice, and respect to others. Personally speaking, I don’t believe that bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia fall under the umbrella of equality and respect. The Libra penchant for peace at any cost will have to be reexamined as we need to continue to have these uncomfortable conversations and encounters to spark true change. As Aquarius season continues, we’ll see that change, unrest and protest, community building and humanitarian efforts will remain the focus, especially when Mercury (communication) enters Aquarius on Feb 7.

Speaking of true change, Feb 10 marks the first of the eclipses on the Leo-Aquarius axis with a Lunar Eclipse in Leo. Similar to Aries and Libra, Leo and Aquarius handle themes of me versus we, whereas Leo’s fire is concerned with unabashed self-expression, creativity, and living from the heart while Aquarius’ air is concerned with helping others, innovation, and living from a place of logic. Though the power of Leo resides in its healthy dose of self-confidence, Leo must beware of egoism, vanity, and ruling its kingdom (and relationships) with a totalitarian, my way or the highway approach. At its best Leo can stoke a fire that inspires, warms, cheers, and entertains – which why some of our best leaders and entertainers are Leo Suns, Moons, and Risings. Under this Leo eclipse, these themes will be prevalent not only in our own lives but across the globe highlighting the best and worst of human nature. However, as this eclipse is a Lunar Eclipse, a powerful Full Moon for release, endings, and culminations this eclipse will be about releasing the Leo shadow of self-centeredness in exchange for that Leo sunshine that lights up the world.

Incidentally, back when the Leo-Aquarius eclipses swept through between 1998-2000 we saw: the European Court of Human Rights established; Leo Sun and then US president Bill Clinton impeached for gross misconduct and perjury; the famine in Sudan become a worldwide tragedy, exposing human rights abuses and "the failure of the international community to the famine risk with adequate speed"; South Africa release its final report from the Truth and Reconcilliation Comission which aimed to heal the country post-apartheid; Vladimir Putin take power in Russia; NATO intervening in the Kosovo War which was fueled by ethnic cleansing; the Columbine High School shootings which sparked gun control debates; and the 2000 US presidential election. Eclipses on the Leo-Aquarius axis tend to highlight people in power, how they manage that power, and the communal response to that power – especially if it’s been abused or unevenly distributed. I should note that while researching these eclipses, I noticed that there was a high occurrence of natural disasters like earthquakes, that seemed to represent the volatile and unstable energy of tearing down and rebuilding. P.s. Trump is a Leo Rising.

Lastly, when Pisces season kicks off on Feb 18, we are going to be pushed back into emotional territory as we center again on the importance of empathy and compassion for the marginalized and underrepresented, as well as the power of divine feminine energy and its capacity to heal. When Mercury arrives in Pisces on the 25th, followed by a Solar Eclipse in Pisces, the last of the eclipses on the Virgo-Pisces until 2024, the focus will be on using our hearts and intuition lead us. Since eclipses tend to create an emotional crisis of sorts because the Moon (feelings) is involved, some of us may experience a crisis in faith or a crisis in reality, especially as Pisces can be overly idealistic or flat-out manipulative in its expression. Around this time we may have to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing, being held back by relationships that drain us, or over-indulging in drugs, alcohol, and escapism when life gets too hard. However, as Solar Eclipses are powerful New Moons, a Solar Eclipse in Pisces can help us to flush emotional wounds that need to be healed, improve our connection to Spirit as well as each other, discover the power of our own magic. Another gift that Pisces will bring is recognizing when it’s time to rest and retreat.

Between Aquarius season, Venus and Mars in Aries, and the eclipses our adrenals are going to be worked into overtime with the rapid changes and volatile energy that will be swept in. This means that fatigue, anxiety, depression, malnourishment, and dehydration may be an issue. To combat this, we’ll need to create ample space for sleep, meditation, prayer, hydration and nourishment, time spent with loved ones, art and creative pursuits, as well as regular fasts from social media and the news. Since Pisces is known for its psychic energy, we’ll also need to be careful with energetic boundaries, especially as Mercury travels through Pisces. Through Pisces, thoughts and feelings become real which means we’ll have to be careful about what we speak into existence and the thoughts we choose to focus on. This is not to say that we shouldn’t acknowledge the darkness, it just means to not only acknowledge it but to also fill it with light. Watch closely for what happens around these eclipses, as they tend to be game changers.

To find out how you can change the game this month (and I’m not talking about the Superbowl), read my February monthly horoscopes.

Full Moon In Capricorn: Finding A New Method To The Madness

Artwork: Esao Andrews, House of Mystery Vol 8.

When I was in my teens, my mother had this affirmation taped to the wall in our bathroom. It read: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” I’m not sure who it was that first coined this phrase, but it was a quote that had been popular among those in the Narcotics Anonymous fellowship, to which my mother belonged. I used to read these words to myself day after day, wondering if insanity was indeed like the hamster wheel this statement, up on our wall, had made it out to be. Having watched my mom hit the tortuous loop between addiction and wanting freedom from that addiction, I figured that in many ways this was true. While I’ve since grown up to understand addiction as extending beyond the narrow and ableist connotations of the term insanity, I do think there is something to be said about wanting change yet engaging compulsive or habitual behavior that changes…nothing.

Enter the Full Moon in Capricorn (July 19).

By nature, Capricorn loves habit. In habit, there is logic and there is order, there is security and the familiar, there is a sense of practice that makes perfect, there is structure and there is method. Through Capricorn, we learn how persistence, planning, and application creates the kind of foundation that empires and legacies are built on. Wherever Capricorn shows up in our lives, we are called to follow the due process that brings achievement and success. But what happens when we’ve outgrown the process? What happens when we’ve hit the point of no one size fits all portion of the program and we realize that we can’t get to where we want by following in the footsteps of someone else? Or better still, what happens when we have the kind of goals and ambitions to change our lives as we know them but continue on with the beliefs and habits that keep things the same? We have to be willing to try something new.

This Moon in Capricorn is being opposed by the Sun in Cancer (which makes it a Full Moon) and both will sit in a harsh angle to Uranus in Aries. Uranus, being the planet of breakthrough, instability, and radical change (transiting a headstrong and impulsive sign like Aries), means that there’s going to be an unsettling kind of energy that’s coming in with this moon. While Cancer is Capricorn’s astrological opposite, the two of these signs still share a need for security and stability. For Capricorn it’s material stability, for Cancer it’s emotional security. Though, like Capricorn, Cancer can instinctively fall back on habit and comfort when its security is threatened as a means to keep things as they are—stable. And this is where the real work comes in, kiddos. How are we supposed to remain stable when the world around us is crumbling to bits? The answer is that in some ways we must crumble along with it. We must be willing to release the dead, decayed, and outworn structures in our lives so that we can build new ones that can better support the “I” and the “We” that we are becoming. As astrologer Howard Sasportas writes in his book The Twelve Houses:

“The desire to become something greater than we are must be accompanied by the capacity to envision new and different possibilities. More than any other species, the large human brain and evolved cerebral cortex endows human beings to imagine a wide range of alternatives, choices, and outcomes…In this context, it is helpful to remember that the more clearly we can imagine a possibility, the closer we bring it to actualization. Encouraging positive visions of the future aids the process of moving in a more positive direction.”

In other words, we can’t continue to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

Luckily, that’s where Mars in Scorpio comes in, offering a bit of a release valve or a way out of the madness we may find ourselves in. Through the fearlessness, dedication, and laser focus of Mars in Scorpio, we are encouraged to strike out on a new path towards what we want. Are you ready? Life is changing as we know it. We must be able to change with it.

Full Moon in Sagittarius: Freedom First

Artwork: Kenal Louis, kenalsworld,com

What fires you up? What makes you passionate? What are you willing to fight for?

Under today's Full Moon in Sagittarius, we're called to answer these questions as the Full Moon comes in conjoined to fiery Mars in Sagittarius, and opposite to the Sun in Gemini. We're supposed to get passionate about something, but what?

The Gemini-Sagittarius axis (polarity), is largely about honoring what we know or what we believe to be true. Through Gemini and Sagittarius, we move beyond our immediate four walls to access and learn information, then share what we've learned with others, crafting and re-crafting our personal belief system along our journey. However, as Full Moons are about releasing the things we no longer need; and Mars being retrograde now is about bringing that hot, Martian energy to the interior, we are called under this Moon to reevaluate our belief system, to reevaluate what we know in order to cast any self-limiting beliefs into the fire and watch them burn away.

Of course because Full Moons are emotional and the Sun in Gemini is more about words, and rational thought (and how we identify with those thoughts) we are reminded that head and heart must align for us to truly make progress forward. For example, how can we fully let go of something if not at the emotional level first? Or, how can we be in alignment with our convictions, our personal truths, our visions if how we feel doesn't align with what we speak? This Full Moon gives us the power to expand our awareness, to move beyond our personal borders (whether real or imagined) to become truer versions of ourselves. Mars gives us the courage to hold ourselves accountable. How will you define your freedom?

The March 2016 Eclipses: Whatever You Do, Keep Moving

Ok, so the big news for this month are the eclipses. For those of you who may be unsure of what eclipses mean, think of them as really, really, really important (super, even) New and Full Moons. Except, the difference between an eclipse and a regular New or Full Moon is that eclipses tend to bring sharp and fast changes that can often feel like a crisis or emotional upheaval of sorts, and unlike a regular New or Full Moon, eclipse energy lasts for a full six months.

The eclipses of this month: one on March 8th in Pisces (Solar) and the other on March 23rd in Libra (Lunar) pick up where the Virgo and Aries eclipses of September 2015 left off. Eclipses come in pairs and wil set off a chain of events (or at the very least heighten our attention) in two very connected areas of our lives; for example: career and family. The purpose of eclipses is to keep us moving, keep us growing, and to help us with a shot of tough love to let go of anything holding us back.  People often report feeling the effects of an eclipse (myself included) up to a week or so before it actually happens. Since eclipses have to do with the very emotional energy of the Moon, I usually advise people to get all the rest, nourishment, and comfort they can get around this time. Eclipses can be tough on the body and spirit. But when that medicine they deliver kicks in, we become all the more better for it.

Eclipses in Pisces tend to highlight what we need to release and heal, when we need to listen to intuition, engage compassion, and dream big. Solar Eclipses spark beginnings and fresh starts. Those of us with planets or angles (look to your birth chart) near 18-22 degrees of Virgo, Sagittarius, Gemini, or Pisces will be most strongly affected.

Eclipses in Libra tend to highlight where we need to be more diplomatic, gracious, and balanced in our relationships. Lunar Eclipses signal endings and culminations. Those of us with planets or angles near 2-6 degrees of Aries, Libra, Cancer, or Capricorn will be most affected. Incidentally, this eclipse will be the final eclipse of the Aries-Libra pairing which began back in October 2013, and took place again in April 2014, October 2014, March 2015 and September 2015. Think back to see what epiphanies or actions may have been triggered at that time. This is eclipse will be the final chapter of the story.

Still, the eclipses won't be the only things happening this month. Read my March horoscopes (coming soon!) to find out what else to expect.

Full Moon in Pisces: Dream A Little Dream

"Emerald" by Pamelinas Studio

Happy Full Moon-- excuse me, SUPERMOON in Pisces!  Under this super dreamy, watery moon we're called to sit still and FEEL into our needs and desires. Our hearts have been speaking to us for a while, but the mental/outside chatter may have been too loud. This is the time to listen, so the heart may be heard. Pay attention to your dreams.

On a slightly different note, there is a lot of Neptune haze in the atmosphere today and the next few days. While it will be important for us to feel our feelings to tap into the magic that surrounds us, we must be careful not to avoid the truth or waste time with what can never be. In other words, this moon can help us to cut through and release the bullshit if we want it to.

Full Moon in Aquarius: Keeping Your Head Above Water

"Keeping Your Head Above Water" by John Dinser

July 31st brings a full moon in Aquarius, the second full moon of this month; otherwise known as a Blue Moon. Symbolically, blue moons are considered to be auspicious since they rarely occur and therefore signify occasions that have a once in a lifetime kind of vibe. Truth be told, I've been aware for weeks that this full moon was coming but I didn't really get the chance to think about what this moon would mean until after a rather impromptu text exchange with a dear friend of mine. She wrote: "I feel challenged to think outside the box." And that's an Aquarian theme, right? Aquarius pushes us to think outside of the box. Aquarius pushes us to do things differently than we have ever done before. Through Aquarius we experience breakthrough, freedom. So why has breaking through been so hard?

To say that this last month has been emotional is an understatement. With 50-11 planets in Water signs, the past 30 days (and if you want to get technical: the last two years) have been downright distressing. From Saturn in Scorpio churning up our fears to Neptune in Pisces wearing down our walls to transit planets in Cancer poking hard at our soft spots, we have been living in a world under water. Having been given the cosmic push to plunge deep into this space, to experience the full spectrum of our emotions, for some of us this period has been cathartic--cleansing. For the rest of us, this period has been full of painful reminders; water does after all hold our memories, as does the moon. In too much water, we can feel stuck, drowned, and well in over our heads. Though this full moon in Aquarius provides a buoy. This moon in Aquarius offers up fresh air; a shot at freedom from the stagnant and murky entanglements that hold us back.

In astrology, Water signs usually get the credit for being the most intuitive, though Aquarius, an Air sign, is intuitive too. Co-ruled by the planets Saturn and Uranus (the mythological keepers of time), and represented by the symbols of electricity and water--Aquarius is a conduit. Picking up on trends and currents, Aquarius experiences this intuition by way of aha-moments, rationale, and flashes of insight. As full moons represent culminations and endings of a cycle, this moon represents a much needed goodbye. This is a moon of the future.

Looking back again at what my friend wrote to me, I am reminded that this moon is co-ruled by Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Scorpio. Whatever flashes of insight we receive, whatever decisions we make at this time has less to do with thinking outside of the box and more to do with finding the courage (Aries/Scorpio) to actually move beyond it. We already know what needs to be done, what changes need to be made for true progress. We just need to do it. This is our chance.

Full Moon in Sagittarius: Give Us Free

Photo courtesy of: http://sequine.forumotion.com/

On June 2nd the Universe blesses us with a Full Moon in Sagittarius. Coming into close quarters to Jupiter in Leo and Mars and Mercury (retrograde) in Gemini, this is a Moon that undoubtedly pushes us to break free. Under this Full Moon in Sagittarius we are encouraged to rid ourselves of emotional entanglements (it's also squaring off with Neptune in Pisces), unnecessary distractions, and anything that does not speak to our true purpose.

With the help of Mercury Retrograde, this is our opportunity to rethink anything (or anyone) that holds us back from our vision. Here is where we can redirect our energy (Mars) to more emotionally fulfilling endeavors that speak to the heart of who we are (Jupiter in Leo, Moon in Sagittarius). For some of us, this may be getting a second chance at a missed opportunity while for others, it may mean taking a gamble on an opportunity you may have been trying to talk yourself out of, but you're getting every reason under the Sun to just go and do it.

As the Full Moon in Sagittarius approaches, think about where the theme of freedom resonates the most with you right now. Then, once you’ve sat with this vision, send it out into the world.