Astrology of February 2023. The Wait and The Culmination.
Astrology of February feels like all affairs are speeding up, but in a very anticipatory way. The motion is set to move us closer to both endings and tempered new beginnings. February is not particularly heavy with transits, but the anticipation of the major shifts is palpable, as both Saturn in Aquarius and Pluto in Capricorn are going to reach the critical 29th degree for the first time this month. We are simultaneously closing old cycles and opening new ones, and the most important thing now is to be infinitely mindful of how we navigate these individual and collective transitions. This month is our chance to show respect and gratitude for the lessons of the past, and make real, but small and unassuming thrives towards the future. Assuming anything going into the waters we are heading to would be unwise right now.
Month starts with the Sun in Aquarius and its ruler Saturn traveling through the last degrees of the sign. This is very important because we have had Saturn transiting Saturn ruled signs for the last 5+ years, and this month we are closing major chapters in regards to Capricorn and Aquarius placements in our charts. We bow to the lessons, we honor the wisdom of the limitation and we take the limitation as a gift in our own hands and we handle it with respect it deserves when it comes to free will. Our relationship to time, solitude, fear of the unknown and patience has altered immensely in the last 5 years, it is important to see what has transpired within us under these Saturnian cycles.
All the planets are direct in February, but not at their full speed just yet. Mars is going to travel just about 9º degrees this month, getting its groove back slowly. Sun in Aquarius kicks off the month forming a square to Uranus in Taurus, the creative tension of progress and preservation, the actual creative synthesis to birth new, unapologetic expressions of our authentic and long term values. Uranus in Taurus speaks of rebelling for our pleasure, because how we take care of ourselves is essential to how we are able to show up for a community.
February 5th - Full Moon at 16º of Leo:
The Full Moon in the beginning of the month falls in the Sun ruled Leo, and is nothing less than an electrifying jolt of realizations in regards to our inner spirit and the tension often needed to reignite our hearts to choose real fulfillment, joy and self expression. The degree of this lunation is on the midpoint between Eclipses. The value tests are here. Ruler of the lunation in its fall sign of Aquarius creates a pronounced awareness of the separation between the self and the collective, and how it is never fixed at any point, but moves through the spectrum. The square from Uranus acts as an accelerator of the tension to the point of acceptance of the self that has extremes, but also has the sweet spot of contained fire.
The square between Venus in Pisces and Mars in Gemini as the Moon grows to fullness, highlights any imbalances in how we approach our pleasure and the way we bring our desires into reality. To cultivate the flow of assertion and surrender is an art form. Impulsive behavior as a result of the lack of clarity and patience is how we miss the chance to channel all this energy into breaking through inner creative blocks. If not careful we can waste this tension, and it is such great fuel.
February 10th -11th - Mercury conjunct Pluto. Mercury ingress into Aquarius:
By the mid month we have some prominent Mercury movements. Mercury went through a structure redefining retrograde in Capricorn, which started at the end of December, just a few degrees before reaching conjunction with Pluto. Now Mercury comes all the way to greet the lord of the underworld and exchange messages that aid the deeper understanding of what legacy and transformation means to us. Shortly after the conjunction to Pluto, Mercury enters Aquarius, the sign of its exaltation.
Mercury in Aquarius seeks to grasp what is beyond our immediate perceptions of reality, this is a placement that pushes the boundaries of what we know to be true. This Mercury wants to roam freely in the space of infinite potential, set goals that are far reaching and communicate about ideas that will elevate our collective experience. Future is on our minds. Future that has to be invented, imagined and created. On the individual level we need to connect to our highest goals and aspirations, share those goals with like-minded people, be purposeful, organize and get to the work of building this New Future. Mercury in Aquarius is a sharp, electric wave of thoughts, it travels fast, it doesn’t like to wait or explain itself.
February 16th - Sun conjunct Saturn in Aquarius:
The last Sun/Saturn conjunction in Aquarius arrives this February. This is a time to reflect on how well we managed to weave the need for expression and the responsibility when it comes to our long term goals. This conjunction carries the weight of a new beginning, charged with pressure of possibility and concentrated dedication to the role we are taking on in this reality. With Saturn being in its domicile sign and Sun in detriment, we can see who dictates the rules. We need to weed out the cracks through which our Solar energy escapes. The vital force should be given to projects, ideas and plans that we are planning to stick with. Saturn helps solidify the vision the Sun has, that is if we are willing to suspend the idea of instant gratification. In Aquarius, these two energies are trying to find the community, the idea, the idea of the community that is worth our complete devotion. Nothing wrong with being a bit careful and measured before we make that kind of commitment.
February 18th - Sun enters Pisces:
The beginning of this Pisces season is the last couple of weeks before Saturn enters the mutable water sign for the first time in 30 years. The mysterious and elusive energy of Pisces cannot be defined or contained easily, which will make for a very interesting Saturn transit. I would suggest tending to the lymphatic system from the beginning of the season, Pisces rules waters in our body and Saturn is going to slow down some of the detoxifying processes.
What will it take for us to understand the interconnectedness of All, what will it take to be truly compassionate? Fear of losing oneself becomes very pronounced, but so is the realization that spiritual life is no less important to our safety and well being, than physical experience.
Transcendence and seclusion, infinite love and isolation, avoidance and real courage to make necessary sacrifice are all fused together in Pisces. Truth is not a destination for a Pisces energy, it is ever changing, elusive and endless exploration. The ability to hold many truths without passing a judgment is one of the most beautiful Piscean traits. Love is what Pisces energy recognises as the place where truth resides.
As are opening up to the healing, it is not always linear or logical how we arrive there. The arrival happens through the radical surrender and silence. Being submerged in the waters of the Universal womb is to remember that we came from a place of oneness and separation is just a temporary illusion, it is transient as we always return to the place of oneness with all. To recall the state of deep rest and trust is the only way we can begin again.
February 20th - New Moon at 1º22 of Pisces.
The New Moon in Pisces is giving us an opportunity to initiate a new long term cycle with both our highest ideals and resolute structures in mind, as this lunation is in the out of sign conjunction with Saturn in Aquarius. The ruler of the lunation, Jupiter in Aries, is in applying conjunction to Chiron, offering us new ways to bring healing to our sense of courage, so we can do things differently, to break the cycles of self-limitation and self-undoing.
Venus enters Aries right as the New Moon comes through, adding even more fire and desire to reach out for the values that we are told or convinced ourselves are out of our reach, values that we never dared to pursue. Now as Venus approaches Jupiter and Chiron in Aries, taking action in itself is rediscovery of one’s values, it supports the healing of one’s sense of personal authority. Just be mindful with over indulgence, this energy is meant to release us into the future, not to trap us further into the path of least resistance, known as the past. With love, Mariana.