Hi Everyone

Hope you had a good January. This February has two planetary direction changes and a lot of Pisces energy.  Pisces is a water sign — the last of the twelve — and is one that seeks to merge with all that it.  Pisces people generally have a hard time dealing with what they view to be the “harsh” realities of living on the earth plane.

In February Mercury, Mars and Neptune will be in this sign all month.  Venus moves into Pisces at the end.  Venus is said to be in her “exaltation” in Pisces. Venus is how we express and receive love and tends to be more individually focused: “I love you because you love me.”  Pisces (ruled by Neptune, planet of compassion, redemption, illusion and glamor) takes Venus to “I love you because it is in the nature of love to love.”  Neptune is the “higher octave” of Venus — meaning that it invites us to a more universal definition of love as opposed to individual relationships.  And Neptune is expressing herself very freely as she moves through her own sign.

Direction Changes

Mercury:  Yep, everybody’s favorite retrograde — OK, not so much.  Mercury goes retrograde (backwards) on February 23rd at 4:41 a.m.  He’ll be at 19 degrees Pisces and will work his way backwards through the sign until March 17th when he’ll be at 5 degrees Pisces as he turns back around.  A Mercury retrograde is a time to re-group, re-pair, re-flect, re-think and re-do.  As Mercury moves backwards, he will get closer and closer to Neptune (dreams) and Mars (action, impulse).  Mercury in a water sign tends to be more intuitive and less concrete.  Plans may feel a little nebulous (Neptune) and unstructured.  This will be a good time to daydream — OK, not on the job!

Saturn:  The celestial task master goes retrograde at 11 degrees Scorpio on February 18th at 12:30 p.m.  As Saturn moves “backwards” through Scorpio and Pluto moves “forward” in Capricorn, the relationship between them will become stronger.  It’s called a sextile and represents opportunity.  I wrote in January about the fact that these planets are also in mutual reception.  This is a very intense opportunity — two outer planets, one (Saturn) in the sign of deep introspection, healing, power struggles and abuse of power (Scorpio) and one (Pluto) in the sign plans, status quo, systems — governmental, financial, healthcare, etc. — (Capricorn).  Remember that Saturn represents tasks, fear, and limitation; Pluto represents underground, power (struggles), shining the light in dark places, and transformation.  On an individual level, depending on what you have in your chart in either Scorpio, Aquarius, Leo, Taurus, Pisces or Cancer and/or Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, Libra, Taurus or Virgo) — good luck not having something in one of these signs — the celestial energy for deep-seated change is certainly here, coupled with Mercury’s time of reflection.        Remember, always, that the stars impel — they do not compel.

Luminaries

The Sun enters Pisces on February 18th at 7:02 a.m. — just before Saturn stations retrograde.  The new Moon occurs on February 10th at 2:20 a.m. at 21 degrees Aquarius.  (This is also the Chinese New Year; Year of the Snake.)  The full Moon occurs on February 25th at 3:26 p.m. at 7 degrees Virgo.

Have a wonderful February!  Spring is on it’s way!

Peace and blessings,

Margaret