February begins with Neptune completing movement into its home sign of Pisces; transpersonal planets changing zodiac signs reflect big changes in mass attitudes and attunements on earth. Neptune rules inner spiritual exploration, the psychic and intuitive, all forms of artistry, music and rhythm in general; it can work behind the scenes undermining and dissolving social structures and accustomed states of being. Along with the sublime it also carries octaves of illusion and disillusion, not to mention fraud, deception, pollution and escapism; it rules the affairs of large institutions and is emblematic of Big Oil and Big Pharma; Neptune can sound the siren call that carries us back into the universal sea of potential, but its gentle song also sows the seeds for release into new life. Neptune and Pisces rule water of any kind and anywhere, therefore affairs linked to oceans, rivers, water tables and rain or lack thereof will be a major focus of attention for the next fourteen or so years.
Meanwhile, Mars in tropical Virgo is in retrograde motion until April 14th, dredging up deep denials, judgements and emotional pain from the past. As seen in the heavens, Mars is moving backwards beneath the hind quarters of the constellation Leo; crawling deep into the belly of human ego, purging and re-organizing the very foundations of vitality and purpose in life. For those preferring not to excavate, the influence will tend to play out as health problems, cycles of consuming anger and/or fear, perhaps a dash of glacial withdrawal. Whatever one's preferred status, consider surrendering into the work of healing and integration that Mars demands now, otherwise the extremes of experience that will start to build by June may become too much to manage in the usual style.
The northern latitudes slumber deep in the cradle of winter, yet early February marks an important threshold of celebration in preparation for the greening of Earth.
This year February 4th will mark the ancient cross-quarter day of Imbolc, midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox.
This was the time of the Roman feast of Lupercalia (Wolves' Feast), the Greek Bassarides (Foxes Feast) and the pagan Feast of Pan, Lord of the Wild Things. The
American Indian version honors the trickster gods, such as Coyote, Rabbit and Big Owl; telling humorous tales of wisdom that can
puncture the ego and help reduce tensions where people are cooped up in close quarters. In Scotland 'tis time for the Cailleach, old woman of winter
to be reborn as the Bride, beautiful young goddess of Spring. She will take her white wand and breathe new life into the world, awakening it to the verdant
richness of another summer season.
In the European pagan tradition Imbolc is the time to re-light the sacred flame of eternal life, to feast together in preparation for spring cleaning: think refreshment, purification, cleaning out the old and preparing for the new, making space for new hope, new growth, new beginnings. Thus it is also time to go deep within, reconnecting spirit to will; doing the slow, gestational work of re-melding body, mind and soul. As a midpoint, the cross-quarter day is a liminal zone, an in-between state when the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest and magic ripples through the air; so summon what you will.
This day is a powerful time to gather round with those you love and re-enact the ancient magical journey of emergence from the Underworld. The purpose is bring the soul up from the hinterlands of the subconscious; to re-affirm a conscious connection with stewardship of the earth, still the usual muddled roar of materialistic preoccupation in the mind. Consider planting some flower bulbs for forcing; or sow some cress, clover, mustard or lettuce seed-wishes for sprouting. 'Tis also a fine day to honor pigs in general, for their intelligence and as an emblem of fertility, abundance and composting ability.
At Imbolc a waxing Moon in early Cancer will be in square to revolutionary Uranus, sparking primeval lightening out of deep emotional tides rooted in the past. Moon as an indicator for feelings, intuition and security needs will then translate to an opposition with Pluto, Lord of transformation later in the day, surfacing power struggles and compulsive efforts towards control, while customary foundations of stability are crumbling away anyhow. Jupiter in Taurus, symbolic of conservative good fortune will supply some energy of easement to the moving T-square of Moon, Uranus and Pluto through sextile and trine. In fact, supplying mood-music, tasty snacks, a warm bath or a comfortable chair can do much to harmonize otherwise tense situations.
During early February Mercury the communicator is moving in conjunction with Sun in Aquarius; take care, as a desire to detach and retreat or make sense of reality through intellect alone will not mix easily with the deep and turgid currents of electrified emotion and reactive behavior otherwise in force during this time. Early in the day the Moon moves in the Mansion Alnaza ruled by archangel Amnediel, stimulating intuition, psychic awareness, introspection and nurturing. Love and friendship, companions, safe travel and victory in battle are favored. Later the Moon moves to Arcaph, ruled by archangel Raubiel; consider self-defense, helping others, empathy and capability through practical skills.
A full moon of climaxes will shine at 18 °Leo 31' on February 7 on
the same day that Saturn, master of karma, limitations and
responsibilities turns retrograde at 29 °30' Libra. Heads up, Saturn will return to direct motion on June 24th at 22 ° Libra;
one of a string of cosmic events that signals major, world-changing activity afoot in June and on into autumn. For now, the spotlight
is on self-centered interest versus the potency of relationship; there may be a tendency to slow down, draw back and delay in order
to reconsider, process and synthesize; the motives of other people may be hard to read now, and for good reason; Mercury translating
between the Aquarian Sun and Neptune in early Pisces makes it easy to court delusion, also easier for speculators,
con artists and high-sounding idealists to promote their agendas. It may also be easy to fall in love, but the vision courted could easily be an illusion.
Saturn retro in Libra will go back over old ground in relationship and social status; it does not guarantee a particularly ethical
or compassionate expression of justice, however.
Establishment powers will be supplying bread for the circuses and touting creative fixes for what ails world debt and currency values, for example, while wild cards behind the scenes maneuver for an open door, refusing to settle for placation. The Saturn retrograde occurs in quincunx to a Venus-Uranus conjunction; social and romantic inhibition will struggle with an urge to break out and surf the surreal. Togetherness will not happen easily; boundaries are lacking or someone's picket fence doesn't flow well with another's moat. Some will be cold and calculating, looking harder than ever for financial security and to uphold community status, while others are making plans to slip away from dead American Dreams. The overall karmic pressure is to bring head and heart together, synthesize dreams into practical reality with others of like mind, but some major gappage between inner personal alchemy and the customary but gimpy machinery of society will need to be navigated in the months ahead.
A new moon of beginnings shines at 2°Pisces 42' on February 21.
Some of us may slide even deeper into shifting shades of escape, still brooding inwardly over the slights
and slings of days gone by. The assemblage point of conscious awareness may rest at a strange cross-roads as February winds to an end; we can be caught
between various old paradigms of self-interest and sharp shafts of sudden, penetrating insight that carry a deep emotional charge. As Mars
retrogrades in Virgo, the sign opposite Pisces, sending spears of self-judgement to lance the longings that ache within
will not suffice, as higher emotional centers within are fighting for activation now. Better to swim out into the fertile chaos that flows between
Pisces and Aries, between the melting solvents of sad collective myths and the breaking dawn of raw new life. Better to bear the potential
embarrassment of awkward participation over the safety of isolation.
Timeless wisdom and practical guidelines for living in interesting times, day-to-day can be gleaned from certain philosophies of the past, but those in authority today cannot always be trusted. Worse still, the cosmic tides are pressing for personal redemption in physical, real-time ways; the great temptations include falling back into stubborn resistance, ruthless maneuvering to win, or reaction into rebellion. Likewise, the urge to project the demons onto others will be extremely strong. Consider how the heart has taken a beating down through the ancestors, in honor of maintaining an "advantage" of one sort or another; how love in action can be withheld as a miser hoards his coins, even while we talk on about how much has been given. Consider the subtleties too, in degrees of selling the soul, ganging up for superior strength or retreating into nirvanas of graceful selfishness. Can we align with loving responsibility for self and other beings on terms that do not include ravagement of some kind?
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© 2012 by C.M. Hafeman
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