A New Chapter

The February 2006 Forecast

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Past forecasts

Venus and Saturn are retrograde. Sun, Mars, and Saturn are in detriment.

Mercury conjoins Neptune	17°07' Aquarius	February 1
Mercury squares Jupiter	17°25' Aquarius/Scorpio	February 1
Venus returns to direct motion (stationary direct)	16°12' Capricorn	February 3
Mercury squares Mars	24°14' Aquarius/Taurus	February 5
Sun conjoins Neptune	17°17' Aquarius	February 6
Sun squares Jupiter	17°48' Aquarius/Scorpio	February 6
Mercury sextiles Pluto	26°04' Aquarius/Sagittarius	February 6
Saturn ℞ trines the Lunar North Node	7°01' Leo/Aries	February 7
Mercury enters Pisces	0°00' Pisces	February 8
Mars quincunxes Pluto	26°09' Taurus/Sagittarius	February 9
Mercury quincunxes Saturn	6°36' Pisces/Leo	February 12
Aquarius Full Moon	24°20' Aquarius/Leo	February 12
Venus sextiles Jupiter (3rd of 3)	18°18' Capricorn/Scorpio	February 13
Mercury conjoins Uranus	9°53' Pisces	February 14
Sun sextiles Pluto	26°16' Aquarius/Sagittarius	February 14
Mars enters Gemini	0°00' Gemini	February 17
Sun enters Pisces	0°00' Pisces	February 18
Sun squares Mars	0°53' Pisces/Gemini	February 19
Saturn opposes Chiron (2nd of 3 in these signs)	6°03' Leo/Aquarius	February 20
Mercury trines Jupiter (1st of 3)	18°37' Pisces/Scorpio	February 20
Chiron sextiles Lunar North Node	6°13' Aquarius/Aries	February 22
Pisces New Moon	9°16' Pisces	February 27
Mars sextiles Saturn	5°30' Gemini/Leo	February 28

All dates are based on Pacific Time.

Blue = harmonious/Red or orange = challenging

Events in bold are more significant.

We are steeped in fixed energy now, and there’s no more just talking about it — we know what it’s about in our lives. In a way, that’s a relief. In other ways, it’s unsettling. Now Iran’s intentions with nuclear fuel have been declared. We wish they wouldn’t do what they’re doing, but would you rather they did it and we didn’t know about it? Yes, it’s better to know. Similarly in our own lives, we are having to deal with new realities, or ones we hadn’t faced in the past. It doesn’t mean that this is unpleasant. I know several people who are using this energy to manifest newly uncovered potentials. They are being tested almost to their limit by the unfamiliarity they are encountering, but they have bravely stepped into the opening they saw. The number of planets in the fixed signs will teach us about how to deal with obstacles, and knowing that, we can think about and observe how we are doing that. Do we see them as signs to give up, or do we look for ways to make them smaller than ourselves? If we do the latter, we are responding correctly to the pattern. Perseverance is surely a required quality during this time. St. Augustine said, “A saint is a sinner who never gave up.”

Mars is near the end of its tenure in Taurus, which started July 27^th last year, an incredibly long stay compared to its usual sojourn of six weeks in a sign. Venus’s energy in our lives will recede somewhat from its current importance once it goes direct on the 3^rd. With its trine to Mars and its three sextiles to Jupiter (one yet to be completed on the 13^th), its 6-week retrograde has been a pleasant, if intense, experience. Part of that intensity was felt in December when Venus sat on Chiron at 1° Aquarius for 3 weeks. In plain terms, this presented a challenge of facing an area where we were wounded, in pain, and uprooting the issue to find a solution. It was a good time to do a physical cleanse, despite the pull during the holidays to do otherwise. A notable flu virus was going around at that time as well, unexpectedly earlier than usual. The flu was characterized by its attack on the nervous system and spinal cord and accompanying “electrical” symptoms, which can be associated with Aquarius. The fact that Samuel Alito was confirmed in the final days of Venus’s retrograde speaks volumes about what’s going to happen to women’s rights under his term on the Supreme Court. However, it’s not the end of the world for abortion rights and women’s equality — it just means that the legislature will have to take back its rightful role in passing laws to support the social aspirations of the culture. The body politick will begin a natural and predictable (albeit slow) movement away from the right.

Chasing Mercury

Right now, the Sun and Venus are chasing Mercury in triggering the slower moving bodies. This will continue through February, meaning that we will get a cosmic “heads up” about what’s coming — until Mercury is conjoined by the Sun on March 11^th during its retrograde. This is significant, because Mercury triggered the fixed planets on the 1^st , when it conjoins Neptune and squares Jupiter. If you saw a tie between events on the 1^st and January 27^th, you’re not alone. Mercury was retriggering the contact that Jupiter and Neptune made on the 27^th. The Sun will do so on the 6^th, so that will be the time of the next step in whatever process you’re experiencing. I’m detailing this, because this is how the energies work. When we add the Moon into the mix, we get triggers every Sunday to these planets.

Remember, Jupiter and Neptune are the “I live in a world of possibility” combination. With the square contact they have now, we are challenged in the possibility beliefs we’ve decided to embrace since their cycle started in January 1997. This is the reward-reaping period of the cycle — the final stage of bringing new manifest rewards and the first stage of finding ways to maintain the rewards we’ve learned to reap.

Mars’s New Game

You’ll certainly find life exciting on the days when the fast-moving planets activate Jupiter and Neptune, and there are plenty to be had. But there is another pattern that is emerging this month, once Mars enters Gemini. There is a pattern lurking in the shadows waiting for fire to bring it to light. Mars provides its fire starting on the 17^th. This will bring explosive Uranus and Pluto into the spotlight, and this can blast open doorways for us. (See Chart 2.) Many people will have difficulty handling it, however, and that could bring out peaks of violence in their behavior.

This gives us a new wave to ride, however. Now Mars is harmoniously contacting the planets in Aquarius (Chiron and Neptune) and Leo (Saturn). Using the Moon’s Nodes and the Moon itself, a grand sextile even forms (See Chart 3.) It will do much to mollify our experiences and bring

positive outcomes to our experiences of January and early February. It’s all a matter of focus. Keeping our eyes on the positive will permit us to face down the obstacles that arise and know that the results will work out well.

We’ll notice a big shift in energy once Mars enters Gemini. There will be more fluidity in the movement of the world around us, from traffic to communications. There will also be the temptation of the quick fix, which should be embraced with caution.

The Love Factor

Valentine’s Day promises to pack a few surprises, but all told they will be pleasant and turn out well. Mars and Venus are heading toward their third of 3 trines, a relatively rare pattern. Then, in October they conjoin in early Scorpio, making this a great year for love.

Neptune’s New Cycle

We start a new Neptune cycle on the 5^th, renewing our spiritualization process. It is an auspicious time to begin activities which enhance our understanding of the inner world. Because of Jupiter’s involvement, we may be especially adventurous this year. This is a good year to prepare for next year’s culmination, when Saturn reaches its opposition to Neptune. This will be the peak of efforts that we began in 1989-90. Yes, make the most of this year, but expect even more out of next year — if you’ve done the work to get there.

Waves to Ride

Unlike January, February lacks the harmonies we look for in most timing of events, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of the times if we know what we’re doing. Once Mercury enters Pisces, on the 8^th, it begins its trine to Jupiter, which occurs on the 20^th. Between those two dates, we have additional opportunities for success in contracts and communications, especially if we pick times of day when they rule the right parts of the chart. Because Mercury changes direction in March and makes two more contacts with Jupiter, things we begin during this time will turn out very well, but we may have to wait until April 4^th for their final resolution. The three passes will intensify the (universally positive) effects of this contact, so it’s a good time to look for opportunities to develop.

So February gives us a chance to settle into the energy pattern of the year. If the first part of the month is a thrill a minute, the second half will allow the dust to settle and give us more breathing room.