AstroForecast February 2001

by Lance Rodriguez

Aquarius is the sign the Sun is transiting as we begin the month of February. The angel for the month of February is Varchiel. The angel associated with Aquarius is Gambiel. The sign of the Water Bearer is associated with community, humanitarianism, socialization, egalitarianism, innovation, experimentation, teamwork, uniqueness, technology, engineering, emotional detachment and friendship to name a few. Negative expressions of Aquarius include rebelliousness, anarchy, cruelty, perversion, change for change sake, shocking and destabilizing behaviors, lack of emotional commitment, and extreme detached aloofness.

Thursday the 1st at 1:13am is the brief entrance of Mercury in the sign of Pisces. Pisces searches for the unity, ideal, or vision of the sublime quintessence of life. The sign of the Fish also gets involved with confusion, vagaries, enmeshment, victimization and martyrdom. Mercury is the planet of communications, teaching, learning and adaptability. The reason for this brief entrance is due to the retrogradation of this planet that begins on Saturday the 3rd at 7:55pm with Mercury in a holding pattern at the zero degree point of Pisces. Mercury will remain retrograde until the 25th of February.

Retrograde Mercury increases the potential of Murphy's Law occurring with miscommunications, misunderstandings and misperceptions. Problems with electronics, delivery systems and transportation also tend to increase. That zero degree Pisces point of Mercury will be revisited in March on St. Patrick's Day. Astrological tradition maintains that purchases made during this 3-week period of Mercury retrograde can witness problems with workmanship, defective operations or warranties. Contracts may have to be re-written. Negotiations have to be re-done. The best application for this retrograde period is to do thorough re-evaluations, reassessments and reviews.

Venus enters swashbuckling Aries on Friday the 2nd at 1:14pm for a much longer stay than her usual 28-days in this sign due to retrogradation in March. Venus is the planet symbolic of relationships, finances and values. This prolonged journey of Venus in Aries represents strong desires to bring freshness and newness to the abovementioned areas of life. Old hat will no longer suffice. Aries symbolizes assertive force and aggressive action to clear out the old so the new can burst forth. Aries is also representative of pent up frustrations, annoyances and aggravations that require a healthy outlet. Aries can also stir conflicts and at its extreme can tend towards violence or violations. Competitive individuals or situations can arise whether positive or negative. Ego issues can also be problematic.

February 2nd is Imbolc, a pagan holiday that is also associated astrologically with what is termed a cross-quarter day. This date is halfway between the beginning of Winter and the beginning of Spring. This Venus ingress Aries on this date can have powerful implications in regards to all relationships, financial affairs and personal values. A film may emerge that captures the imagination of the public especially involving a hero/heroine figure that has a chivalrous, gallant tone.

Two celestial alignments occur as well on the 3rd besides the Mercury retrograde. Mars opposes Saturn at 3:33pm that can lead to confrontations with older authority figures that have become limiting, restricting and rigid in outlook. At the same token impetuous youths are required to learn discipline and patience. Business markets need to take action with slow moving inventories and trim the fat with labor pools. Pink slips can abound or outright resignations can be tendered. Stick to necessities and remain prudent.

This same day Neptune reaches its Post-Shadow Point, a degree position it held last May 8, 2000. That was the date Neptune went retrograde. This February date now means Neptune will be covering new degrees that have not been seen by this planet since over 160 years ago! The following quote is from the May 2000 AstroForecast: "Those individuals born during the first week of the fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and of course Aquarius will be strongly affected by this station. Neptune is a planet that symbolizes Divine Vision and how individuals integrate it, personalize it and eventually collectivize it for the betterment of humanity. If Uranus represents the Cosmic Mind and Pluto represents the Collective Soul, Neptune represents the Sacred Heart of the Cosmos. The Divine Vision emerges from the Divine Love radiating from the Sacred Heart of the Cosmos. This divinity resides within all of our human hearts on a spiritual level. Keywords associated with this Neptune station are the substantiation of our illimitable resourcefulness within our human/divine matrix; strip away disguises that instigate false partisanship that prevent people from connecting to the good of one another".

February is really starting out with a rumble for 2001. Sunday the 4th is the Pre-Shadow Point of Venus, indicating the degree this planet will hold when it finally goes direct on April 19, 2001 after a retrograde period that begins in March. All the individuals that are born the first week of Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn in that order are strongly attuned to this planetary vibration. Asteroid Ceres enters Capricorn on this day at 9:31am and will remain in this sign until early December 2001. These two celestial bodies are engaged in an inharmonious aspect with one another that may bring up issues of loss, separation, grief and behavioral patterns of withholding and withdrawal. Keywords associated with this Venus Pre-Shadow Point are relationships will mirror one another's shadow issues. The adolescent/outlaw psychological projection stirs the ego to defend its position that being against anyone/anything is tantamount to character strength. The ego can run wild and amok with its separatist activities. Ultimately the pendulum will swing in the opposite direction to achieve balance and equilibrium after much trial and tribulation.

Tuesday the 6th at 1:57pm Mercury re-enters the sign of Aquarius and will retrace its journey back to the degree point it held on January 19, 2001. All individuals born the last two weeks of Aquarius, Leo, Taurus and Scorpio, in that order, will be particularly sensitized to this retrogradation of Mercury through the water-bearer sign. Aquarians will review how to better and improve clearer communications with others. Leos will learn how to listen to others. Taureans will acquire how to be an effective communicator on the career level. Scorpios will master how to be flexible and innovative with family matters and members.

A Perigee Moon (closest approach of the Moon to Earth) occurs on the 7th at 4:30pm that precedes the annual Full Moon in Leo on the 8th at 1:12am. Perigee Moons tend to increase emotional sensitivities and have gravitational pulls on the planet's surface. Full Moons symbolize the release phase of our satellite; so the opportunities to release haughtiness, vanity, false pride, temperamental behaviors, stubbornness, power struggles and power games, authoritarian and dictatorial actions, and overly dramatic tendencies will be issues to focus. Angel Neciel is associated with this lunation so if you require angelic help call on this one! Keywords for this Leo Full Moon are fidelity to the group is important as long as the individual is allowed personal freedom. Conquer false pride and recognize that earthly existence without a deep soul connection is a hell indeed. Galvanize your inner creativity to dare to bring a little bit of Heaven on Earth!

Friday the 9th can be an electrifying, startling or unusual day. The Sun aligns with Uranus at 6:19am that symbolizes a strong identification with the shattering of old routines due to rapidly accelerating changes. Radical new directions can be emboldened now. Power surges and outages can be unpredictable this weekend.

This same day is the Post-Shadow Point of Uranus referring to the retrograde degree point this planet held last May 25, 2000. The following quote is from the May 2000 AstroForecast: "Keywords associated with this Uranus station are clearance of attachments to the material world that disrupt one's inner creative potentials. The Divine Feminine symbolized by the Queen of the Heavens, earnestly seeks to return to the Earth. What is the stumbling block is the exclusivity that some earthly systems insist on maintaining at a high monetary price. The Queen of the Heavens desires inclusivity for members of the entire human race, no matter what the cost".

Mercury and Mars tangle with one another in an inharmonious aspect that occurs this same evening at 8:58pm that can erupt with angry exchanges, volatile tempers that lead to communications breakdowns and accusatory behaviors. Rationality suffers from impetuous, impatient and/or impulsive behaviors. One-upmanship can also be a problem.

Saturday the 10th witnesses are you ready, the Pre-Shadow Point of Uranus that refers to the stationary direct degree point Uranus holds next October 30, 2001! Now what is unusual (this is the planet of the unusual) is that the previous day's shadow point degree and this day's degree point are only separated by 6 minutes of celestial arc. So the keywords written above apply to all three dates mentioned. The Queen of the Heavens wants to make a point to humanity that no one needs to be left behind.

Sunday the 11th at 1:54pm is the ecliptic shift of the Moon that symbolizes emotional shifts especially involving relationships and noticeable shifts occurring with weather, earthquakes and volcanoes. Relationships will require shifts in how to support common strategies for future growth and expansion. This is a creative day to allow inspiration, intuition and sudden insights to make progress with novel approaches.

Distressing news involving the economy, financial woes or losses is strong for Monday the 12th as several inharmonious aspects occur with the planet Saturn. Authoritarian individuals in positions of power can abuse civil rights. Flawed logic can wreak havoc. The executive branches of government can experience stonewalling procedures.

Wednesday the 14th at 2:06pm is the entrance of fiery Mars into adventurous Sagittarius for a lengthier stay than its usual 45-day visit due to retrogradation this planet will conduct in May 2001. Mars' Sagittarius transit highlights activating the expansion of discovery, exploration, philosophies, progress, truth, higher law and justice, zealous proselytizing, and long-distance journeys. There will be new frontiers to conquer and Mars is the planet ready and geared for this. All this fiery energy can lead to super-ego issues and the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-act syndrome can be a particular problem of this transit. Mobilize the heart center to honorably eschew truth, honesty and integrity.

Valentine's Day has the combination of the Moon in intimate, mysterious Scorpio and the Mars' ingress Sagittarius. Restaurant rendezvous will be appropriate with an emphasis on the exotic and foreign. Topaz and turquoise are the gemstones for this evening. Those individuals who are more adventurous can partake of wild game.

Announcements of engineering, technological and biomedical marvels are potential on the 15th as Mercury and Uranus engage in an alignment. Excitability is in the air and desires to make mental connections are strong. The computer industry is in a major review of future direction.

Sunday the 18th at 8:27am is the entrance of the majestic Sun into the sign of Pisces. Pisces seeks to surrender negative worldly attachments so that it may embrace sublime unity, integration and oneness with the supreme godhead. Compassion, understanding, sensitivity, artistic inclinations, spirituality, and empathy are some of the harmonious attributes of this sign. Disillusionment, discouragement, martyrdom, addictions, over-idealization, confusion and hysteria are some of the inharmonious behaviors of Pisces. The Sun can symbolize our identification with any of the above listed descriptions of Piscean energies.

Mars opposes Jupiter on the 18th at 7:57pm that can ignite excesses, exaggerations and over-generalizations. Foreign aggressions can be volatile with the likelihood of intolerance, bigotry and bias being the tinder for future conflagrations. Overly compensatory behaviors can also develop. Mars and Jupiter are involved in inharmonious aspects with other planets until the 22nd of February. An Apogee Moon (farthest approach to the Earth) occurs on the 20th indicating the need to embrace impartiality and objectivity to correct the imbalances these two planets can create.

The annual New Moon in Pisces happens Friday the 23rd at 2:21am launching the new beginnings phase of the Moon. Themes of integration, unity, spiritual retreat, philanthropy, inspiration, compassion and selflessness are tied to this New Moon. The angel associated with this lunation is Atheniel. The Pisces New Moon keywords are embrace communion so that all may share in the well being of togetherness. Open up to an inner spiritual sight that sees life in its myriad forms and vast richness. Surrender a weary, worldly blindness that prevents contact with the spiritual vision.

The last Sunday of February has two important celestial occurrences. A harmonious interaction of Venus to Pluto occurs in the early morning hour that can symbolize depth of sharing, merging and intimacy in all relationships. Future financial investments will be important to focus. Estate planning, insurance holdings and bankruptcy proceedings tend to accelerate.

Mercury on the 25th is stationary direct at 9:42am ending its 3-week retrogradation that brought Murphy's Law into existence with communications, transportation and delivery systems. Keywords associated with this degree point of Mercury are this is a symbol of personal stability through organizational powers and how to be genuinely successful by remaining undisturbed by any wild vicissitudes. There is also the potential to discern clearly and brilliantly the difference between truth and falsehood. This degree point of Mercury refers to January 19, 2001 as that was the last time Mercury held that same degree.

Monday the 26th the Moon has an ecliptic change symbolizing shifting emotions as well as noticeable shifts with meteorological, seismological and volcanic activities. Also pay attention to shifts in communications as this ecliptic change of the Moon follows the Mercury station from the day before.