STAR GUIDANCE

February, the month of love, starts with Venus finally going direct. It’s still in a close dance with Pluto, God of the underworld, and opposing Jupiter. Pluto and Venus together create passion, sometimes possessiveness, and certainly lots of love intensity which will be happening at the beginning of the month. Pluto, conjunct Venus and opposite Jupiter, is a bit Katy Perry and Juicy J’s ‘Dark Horse’. She says her love is like “a perfect storm,” he calls her “Karma” and she warns against “play[ing] with magic.” He also says “she’ll eat your heart out like Jeffrey Dahmer.”

Yup, that’s about it!  Pluto and Venus alone represent that kind of intensity, but add in an opposition to Jupiter… I’d say that’s the part of Perry’s song where they say “her love is on steroids.” Jupiter expands! Isn`t it interesting that that song is number two on the billboard charts for the week of February 1^st? I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes to number one by next week!

I should mention that this relationship drama may be personal but Venus is also money, so the intensity may play out in other Capricorn domains. Capricorn is the sign in which Venus and Pluto are meeting up. It rules such realms such as corporations (think crazy-ass bosses) and politics (think crazy-ass leaders) as well as governments/other old and traditional institutions.

Something I really loved about the end of January was the mystic rectangle forming, presenting us with opportunities for optimism, faith, healing, and understanding in the face of this power and possessiveness.  If we have been using this energy creatively and interacting with others rather than going it alone, then we will be in the midst of great benefits. It’s still in action; we could let this energy slip away, but I suggest taking advantage of it.

Here are the gifts still in effect or on their way:

• Keep smelling the flowers carried over from Jan 30^th. Venus is sextile Juno. With this energy, we are able to infuse the creative and the feminine into our relationships.
• We get Pearls of chocolate spiritual wisdom on Feb 5^th. Jupiter trines Chiron which helps us to increase our belief, faith, and hope while mixed with healing.
• We can clear our mental baggage on the 13^th. Mercury is trine to Vesta which will help us to focus our ideas and communicate them.  This may be an inward process though, as Mercury is retrograde. More on the retrograde later.

 

And if we mess it up?

 

• We have second chances. Sun is trine Vesta  on the 17^th, helping us to be a little more individual and a little less possessive. Ceres is conjunct the north node on the 19^th. It will point us toward letting go of old and outworn attachments.  Ceres is a bit like Pluto. In fact, it was the God of the underworld who stole Ceres’ daughter from her, causing her to face her own relationship with separation and the cycles of relationships. The Sun is trine north node on the 20^th , and will help to point us in the right direction.

What comes after all of this? Commitment! Both the planet of love and the Goddess Asteroid of marriage/commitment are linking arms with Saturn. Venus is Sextile Saturn on Feb 24^th and trine Juno  on the 18^th, By this time, we will start to feel comfortable enough to commit to a path… right or wrong! We will start to feel comfortable with making commitments in our relationships (both personal and professional) but don’t sign the marriage license or business partnership papers just yet  –  Mercury will be retrograde.

Because it is a short month, Mercury will be retrograde for most of February. Mercury goes retrograde in Aquarius on February 6^th.  Mercury in Aquarius is about new and innovative thinking. However, while mercury is retrograde it will conjunct with the sun and square Saturn. When Mercury retrograde touches the sun, we become a little frazzled and very subjective, especially if we are trying to force something new into being. Later in the month, before Mercury goes direct again, it will square Saturn on the 19^th. We can become very pessimistic; rather than taking that route, it can be a great time to work behind the scenes on things that you feel will make a big impact. By directing your energy in that way, you will get so much done. On the other hand, it can make us hold on to old ways of thinking.  Even though Aquarius is associated with new invention and innovation, it’s also a fixed sign: it can be very inflexible in terms of how to get things done. Mercury in Aquarius and Saturn in Scorpio really do want change and transformation, but, as my father always told me, “crazy is doing the same thing and expecting different results.”  A great way to deal with this energy maybe to role-play. Since we may become stuck in our ways, changing our roles can help us fix our methods by experimenting with a new role. Sneaky, isn’t it!

The full moon on February 14^th is on, you guessed it – Valentine ’s Day. It’s a Leo Full moon, so it will make us want to have some fun. However, it’s also opposing Mercury which will make us very subjective in our thinking. The moon will also be squaring Saturn which can make us feel a little lonely or depressed. On a positive note, the moon is sextile to Mars, so it can help you to be direct yet diplomatic  especially if you need to communicate your feelings. January was greedy, having two new moons, so there won’t be another new moon until March 1.  The new moon in March will be conjunct Chiron, the wounded healer, sextile Pluto and trine to Jupiter.  I think this new moon will help us to heal and bring positive changes into the world (which we’ll discuss in further detail in March). Consider this a heads-up; for “intention planning” purposes, the new moon is one in which we can direct our intentions toward healing our emotions on a collective level while healing unhealthy systems that aren’t working any longer.

Things get a little intense again at the end of the month, but in a different way. Neptune in Pisces is opposite Pallas in Virgo on the 18^th and we can feel confused about our perceptions. Watch out for attempts to persuade us of something untrue or even brainwashing. Sun is opposite Pallas on 22^nd, creating a fear of our own authority. Also perceptions of authority can be skewed. Neptune is conjunct the sun on 23^rd. Neptune is really a two sided coin. We can feel like our sense of self is derived from being of service to others on one hand while deception may abound on the other hand.  These feelings all combine at the end of the month – Jupiter square Uranus on the 25/26^th adding an impatience for change to the mix. Jupiter is in Cancer and Uranus is in Aries, so these changes may relate to the safety of our sanctuary: the sanctuary of our home, our homeland, our hearts, or our nourishment (food). Combine any threats to these with the element of surprise inherent in Uranus plus the fiery and self-protective Aries and you may witness a revolt!

 What’s going on for each sign:

 

 

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”
― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

I think it’s a bold statement to start the New Year with not just one, but two new moons. The first one on January 1 is conjunct Pluto! It just says bold, authoritative and fresh. Following on the heels of a very messy end of year, all I can say is Open Government! I know it’s much more interesting to read a horoscope about love, relationships or what luck Jupiter is going to bring you in 2014, but government is what is in the stars; at least at the beginning of the month! Pluto the planet of power, transformation, death and renewal is in Capricorn calling for change not just in government, but also business and financial structures.  Any misuse of power is now being called into question and the result… social change! Which come on… can be interesting, right?

Here is my conspiracy theory on the whole thing.  I worked for government for years, at all levels and in various positions, from Meter Maid to Consultant. In my role as Consultant, I noticed that it wasn’t me, but KPMG, Deloitte and other consulting agencies that were hired to study everything from employee engagement to customer service, while I was numbed in the job of shuffling paper. They got all of the interesting stuff that I had all kinds of great ideas on, but they figured someone outside of themselves had a better answer to. This was so much the case that I finally left and became a consultant myself! These consulting firms figured out the problem, they outlined their recommendations and then the powers that be in government did… dun dun dun… nothing! Instead they treated the report like it WAS the solution. Governments are notorious for doing white papers, studying the problems and then doing nothing. I don’t think consultant firms have any problem taking the money, doing the studies and giving themselves some work, but after a while you start to scratch your head and then you realize that, as my father used to say “crazy is doing things the same old way and expecting different results.” So they offered up a solution in a book called The Solution Revolution, which among others things, calls the government on their BS. Not only that, it challenges us to look beyond traditional financial bottom line to something they call impact currency. Now you might reading this and say “Pie in the sky!” Nothing will change.  That would be true if it were some unknown, like the guy who wrote about Sacred Ecomonics (which is absolutely brilliant), but it wasn’t! It was a top consulting firm and Harvard! All I can say is…. All you social entrepreneurs out there, this new moon is for you. Time for real solutions! Time for change! The new moon, Mercury and Pluto will form a trine to Pallas in Virgo, helping you to see the big transformational picture in all the fine minute detail. Set an intention, being as detailed as you can as this is the year for following through with actual solutions! This is the case not just for government solutions, but also business and financial solutions!

Mercury and the Sun will oppose Jupiter in the first couple of days of the year making us confident, optimistic and apt to push limits. The Sun is also squaring Mars, so we can have that extra push needed towards our goals. All of this can also make us overly optimistic and conflict oriented, so we’ll need to manage our new enthusiasm and projects so that they don’t nosedive or alternatively, piss people off.

And now on to relationships! What would life be without relationships?

Neptune, the spiritual planet, and Juno, the marriage/relationship asteroid will conjunct on the 8th and both will be trine the North Node, helping us to connect with our soul mate or soul group. The energy will be in play all the way up to the 13th. Mars is also square Jupiter on the 8th, so you may be connecting with those who share a passionate cause. Venus and Sun are conjunct on the 11th, supporting the meet-up of a love connection, but Venus is retrograde (it went retrograde on December 21), so this person may be a past love. The Sun and Venus are also sextile to Saturn, so it could also be a business relationship that shows up. Don’t make any firm commitments while Venus is retrograde. Even though I think this has the potential to be long lasting, there is some stuff to work out, which you will see later in the month. At the moment, the difficulty will be in integrating materialist goals with spiritual goals as the Sun will square Vesta, having an either/or feeling to it.  Also, the full moon on the 15th is square to Ceres, bringing up some intensity around either separation or feelings of being smothered. This relationship could be a good thing, but as they say, good things take time.

The chance to work it out will come at the second new moon on January 30, which will be highly focused on relationships. The relationships I am talking about here could be personal, work, business or they can be to the collective. Pallas and Jupiter moving into a configuration called a Yod with the new moon. Another Yod will involve Uranus, the new moon and Pallas. Also, Jupiter will be opposing Pluto exactly! In addition, there is also a mystic rectangle with Jupiter, Chiron, Pallas and Pluto. Finally, the ongoing T-square with Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter will be present. Oh, one last thing… Venus will be right beside Pluto on the last day of its retrograde. What does this all mean? Well, sometimes the universe just throws all of the blocks out there and like a two-year old, we have to take those blocks and figure out how they fit.

The energy of the two Yods are like trying to push that rectangle into a square. To make it work we first we need to make some adjustments.  Jupiter and Pallas are working together to come up with big ideas and grandiose schemes. They are thinking outside of the box. Actually, they may think there is no box… But these ideas are out of step with the airy, somewhat detached, and surprisingly inflexible revolutionary new moon. The new moon in the air is being fueling by the fire of Uranus in Aries, both of which are out of step with the big picture that Pallas is presenting. We have all the blocks; we just don’t know how to make them fit. Everything seems possible and impossible at the same time! There is however, a solution or better said, an opportunity! It’s found in Chiron and Juno, which are conjunct and whom together speak about a healing in our deepest relationships! And since they are both in Pisces, this could also be healing of the collective, the world and mankind. To describe this kind of collective relationship, Jesus called the church his “bride”. But here is the problem with the relationship; Jupiter in home loving and nurturing Cancer is opposite Pluto who is hanging out with Venus in Capricorn. This is a bit of a Mommy Porn combination. If you’re feeling super uncomfortable that I have just used Jesus and mommy porn in the same paragraph, you are likely connecting with the energy of this combination. Its Christian Grey’s controlled, severe, power and corporate success filled sexuality versus the tortured-by-her-subconscious-mind Anastasia and her desire for love nurturance and something quite normal and homey. Forget that 50 shades of Grey is a poorly written book, we all have a secret fantasy that we can change another to suit our needs. With Jupiter opposite Pluto/Venus we may have an overwhelming desire to make this happen and will attempt to do it. However, how we go about it will be all that matters. We can use and abuse the power of Pluto and Venus which tends towards jealousy, and control. We can go over the top with expansive Jupiter in the mix. Juno and Chiron are also opposed by Pallas, so it might be easy to nitpick, focus on the hurt or all those ways it won’t work. There are a whole host of ways this can go wrong.

But… there is a way through this!

The mystic rectangle presents us with the opportunities for optimism, faith, healing understanding, by taking the opportunities presented to us and diving into it together and in creative ways. Big fat hint… Trying to figure it out on your own won’t work. Going deep and into the scary or taboo subjects through shared experiences will.  Here is something else that may help. Start every conversation with “yes, and…” rather than “yes, but…” and you’ll be on the right track.

The month will end on January 31 with Venus going direct. With all of the relationship work you’ve done you should now be clear – or at least well on your way to being clear – on where you want them to go and with Venus direct, you have the green light to move forward.

READ WHAT’S GOING ON FOR EACH SIGN…..

ARIES	You can rise to power or have a very public fall at the beginning of the month. Set intentions for using your power wisely. Later in the month, the focus shifts to humanitarian causes. You just need to figure out how to merge your desire for status with a need to selflessly serve. There might be some karma to work out here.
TAURUS	Pope Francis was named man of the year by People magazine. The reason? He has mastered being conventional and unorthodox at the same time and this is your challenge this month. You can have the institutional structure and have true spirit within.  Transforming your belief system or awakening your Kundalini can throw some of your relationships off later in the month. Your ability to hold the complexity of yours and others’ perspectives will help.
GEMINI	It may seem like your insides are turning out. This month you are phoenix rising.  A healing is also happening in your career. Towards the end of the month you start to redefine your relationship to your career and ways of making money. What are those people who make millions, loose it all, and then make it all back again made of? Have the rules of the game changed? These are the questions you will answer as you clarify this relationship.
CANCER	How’s your love life? You can make a new beginning this month. Communication is key, but loosen your need to feel superior and be strict. Using optimism, deep faith and your uncanny ability to be perceptive, this month will help find and communicate common ground. Relationships formed with others from diverse backgrounds can help to expand yourself and broaden your perspectives in positive ways.
LEO	Games, power trips and subversive tactics used to work in the workplace, but you will be finding out this month that this is no longer the case. Which end of this dynamic are you on? If you’re the instigator, these moves will backfire. If you are the victim, how can you have the courage to speak up? Everyone knows what really happens to a whistleblower, right? But maybe the rules are changing. Issues of trust power and the real meaning of the agile leader comes up for you this month.
VIRGO	This month you’re like the suffering and tortured artist, the strict and patriarchal father, the love-sick and tormented lover. You may be shadow-boxing as you spar with what you think you own and what is not in your control. You want to be still-life, but life is calling for abstract expressionist.  What shows up on the outside is often just an expression of the inside. Examining the patterns that lie within will help.
LIBRA	Your relationship with your parents (even if they are no longer around) is going through a renovation.  You are challenged this month to allow rather than force. Not only will pushing have you looking like a spoiled brat, the finished product might look god-awful. Later in the month, let your creativity guide you as you tap into the collective unconscious. Doing so will help you heal the relationship you have with the way you serve others. Maybe you know that you’re supposed to be charitable, but deep down you know you’re really not. Examine where that comes from, without judgement.
SCORPIO	You’re known for your scorpion sting and this month you can be extremely powerful with your words. Conflict with your thoughts and words can manifest as a sore stomach or jangly-accident-prone energy. Keep calm and carry on.  You might want to try something like a Vipassana retreat, where you can collectively gather with others who are collectively silent and collectively meditate together. You’ll be surprised at how much it heals your mojo.
SAGITTARIUS	Use the energy this month wisely and you could be very lucky. Let’s say you launch a crowd-sourcing campaign, what gets people on board is what you’re currently valuing and how you intend to use the power of money. You may even have a situation where people are surprisingly overly confident in you and your cause and now you’ve got to step up your game to measure up. Ever notice how important the First Lady is to the President’s success? Healing and valuing your family relationships later in the month will help in how you are being perceived.
CAPRICORN	Everything is right in the world. You’re asserting yourself, being recognized, reaching a place of status. This is exactly as it should be in the Capricorn life.  You will come across with public approval if you project yourself respectfully, but there is a tendency to ego trip now, which will engender backlash. If your ego is in the way, expect situations to arise which will send you into self-examination. Also the jig is up with the old style of political posturing or networking. At the end of the month you can really come to understand the new rules if you approach your relationships with mutuality and authenticity.
AQUARIUS	It’s like you are all snuggled in a cocoon and things are happening, but you’re not sure what is happening. You’re all cramped up inside there, not even realizing that you are growing wings. You are still unaware of just how beautiful and free you will feel once this process is over.  This month, you will be challenged to do the work and not push your growing thoughts and ideas on others just yet. You’re at the conscious. competent stage of learning and may feel the need to “teach what you need to learn to others.” Learn it first!  Self-esteem rises when you heal your sense of worth through play. Even though you’re in that cocoon you’ll need to find a way to play with others, not by yourself. There are ways. Think of a baby in a womb, who plays by kicking.
PISCES	There might be a bit of a blow-up in your financial situation. Both your personal cash flow and your shared resources might be seriously comprised or conversely, has increased in a way that has left you very uncomfortable. This situation is helping you to discover who your real friends are?  Also, you’re making adjustments to your hopes and dreams. Does what you think matters, really matter, anymore?  At the end of the month, there is an opportunity to see relationship patterns clearly and to heal your relationship with yourself, which invariably changes, your relationship to others.