Astrological Forecast for February 2009

February has a kind of uneven energy about it, astrologically. We start the month with a Mercury station on the 1st, when he appears to stop and go direct in the sky. This ends his three week retrograde period, letting communication and commerce flow more smoothly. Still, expect the first few days of the month to have a few Mercurial snafus, and don’t plan on buying electronics or a car for a week or so, if you can avoid it.

On the 2nd and 4th, Venus and Mars, the cosmic representatives of the two sexes, each change signs. Venus moves into Aries, where she’s sexy and outgoing, while Mars (who rules the sex drive) moves into Aquarius, where he’s ready to experiment. Both will remain in these signs throughout the month. Happy Valentine’s Day!

The mood is more serious on the 5th. Most significantly, we have the second installment of the Saturn-Uranus opposition, the first of which occurred on Election Day in November. These two planets represent polar opposites: Saturn is careful and conservative, the builder of structure; Uranus is erratic and revolutionary, the destroyer of that which has become crusted over. It looks fair to say that in the U.S., Uranus won the first round, but we’ll have to see what Part 2 of the confrontation brings. Looking at the world map, this opposition falls on Tehran, so watch the news to see what happens in Iran. Major aspects like this rarely manifest on the day they are exact, but with a Full Moon Eclipse just around the corner, we probably won’t have to wait long.

The 5th also has a series of aspects between the Sun, Venus, and Pluto. This points to the possibility of control issues in relationships of all kinds - we want to know who’s in charge, and perhaps to demonstrate our power. Relationships which have been under a strain may not do well, but those which are strong can find the potential to go deeper.

The Lunar Eclipse on the 9th at 9:38 a.m. Eastern time isn’t visible from anywhere in the Wisdom reading area, unless you take your magazine to Hawaii. This eclipse does have the potential to add a little drama to those of us with significant placements in Leo, especially those born around the middle of August, as well as their cousins in the signs of Scorpio, Aquarius, and Taurus.

For all of us, we need to be mindful that eclipses often bring a sense of foreboding and uneasiness, which is often not directed at anything in particular. Watch and see what you project this energy onto - it says as much about you as about the object of your anxiety. This eclipse ends a cycle which began in mid-January. The energy will fade a bit over the next week or so, as we return to a more "normal" feeling.

The 11th and 12th have Mars brushing into Saturn and Uranus, perhaps setting off the opposition of the two giants. These days also feature the annual meeting of the Sun and Neptune, an energy which is foggy and nebulous, better for contemplating our dreams than making firm decisions. The combination of action-oriented Mars and dreamy Neptune should be interesting, perhaps pressing us to move ahead while our direction is unclear. Since the two aren’t interacting with each other however, we might also see focused action which is in some way misrepresented or mis-understood.

That same nebulous energy is in the air all through Valentine’s Day, when Venus prepares to brush up against Neptune on the 15th. Romantic dreams of partnership and partners can clash with too much focus on ourselves and what we want as individuals. But don’t worry, the mood is softened by a nice series of aspects between Venus, Mars and Jupiter on the 16th through the 18th, reminding us that sometimes the reality of what we have is better than our fantasies and dreams.

Communication isn’t likely to go too smoothly at the beginning of the month, as we leave the shadow of Mercury’s retrograde, but the 18th through the 20th may also be tough times to get a deal closed or a message across, as the Cosmic Messenger crosses it up with both Saturn and Uranus. Computer and communication problems which started in early January might finally be resolved now, however, so the news isn’t all bad. A few days later, on the 24th, Mercury meets up with Jupiter, helping to repair communication rifts and provide technological patches.

The 24th is also the day of the New Moon, in sensitive Pisces. The time around the Full Moon is perfect for meditation and reflection, and setting your intentions for the next month. The next day offers some opportunities to open the lines of comm-unication with partners, as Mercury and Venus get aligned with each other. Not a bad day for an outing with children or a younger person, either.The month ends with a little more tension as Mercury and Mars irritate powerful Pluto. Once again, what we want as individuals and what is going to happen collectively are not moving in the same direction. The friction may or may not be overt, but it will probably be obvious on the level of feelings

February’s mixed bag of aspects is challenging. Minor issues may get resolved, but the overall feeling is that we are in the midst of changes, taking one day (or one aspect) at a time. As always, it is the choices we make on a daily basis that eventually add up to momentous changes. And, also as always, even in the midst of titanic shifts, we generally have our morning cup of coffee.