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February '12
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by Boots Hart

Put simply, February is all about emotions—the experiencing of them, learning about them and going through things which stir them up. Apparently the cosmic aim here is to see how well we know—handle—adapt to and live with/within our own emotional makeup.

Where you aren't so good at being you (or being willing to feel the feelings you'd have if you were honest about who you are) things are likely to get picky, prickly...even provocative or thought-provoking.

And wherever it is you struggle with "wants" against "needs" or those feelings about what you're “supposed to” do, be, have, like, dislike, believe in or otherwise—that's where the real cosmic dust will cloud your vision, stir up mud-slinging and daunt your life plans—particularly in the sense of how happy you are with yourself, or with those plans.

The whole month is a series of step-by-step moments—one leading to the next, and it all starts with Mars ever-so-slowly retrograding back through 22 Virgo. 22 Virgo is a degree known for two very different "variations on a theme" which have in common one thing: "not getting anything useful done."

One version of this involves the tendency to forget what's important because you get so involved in good times, flattery and exaggerated rah-rah enthusiasm. Are you feeling the effects of that?

Or are you getting a heaping helping of what happens when useful potential and humanitarian insights fail to be put to good use? Mars retrograde at 22 Virgo through the first weekend in February brings us face to face with scandals and scandalous behavior (real or moral). It may be in us, it may be in others. Either way, it's probably rather frustrating—at the very least!

Mars retrograde is always frustrating, let's face it. And Mars retrograding in Virgo makes it hard to get things done and hard to feel that what you're doing (or have done) has much value.

But maybe that's the point here. With Saturn sitting at 29 critical-mass degrees of Libra, this is the moment to be asking who we are in this world and who we are busy being. It asks what we're giving in our relationships and what we're getting from them—and what's good, bad, honest or an exercise in kidding ourselves. "Comfortable" may now not be so comforting—and what you think is “approved of” may earn you wholesale derision, should you be somehow out of line.

If this sounds all very contentious, that's because things are likely to be contentious about now! The astrological indicator here is Pluto at 8 Capricorn—very much conjunct M22, a messier (nebula) astrologers call Facies. It's a “fixed star” point known for bizarre mélanges of helplessness and aggressions which have many sources and many outlets. [For more on Pluto and Facies, see "Pluto/Facies: the Condition Our Condition Is In," Daykeeper, January 2012.]

And given Pluto-Facies in combination with the Libra Saturn thing and the retrograding Virgo Mars thing, we should all expect testing…maybe even testy times. Many will feel aggrieved, some will strike out, others will simmer in a volatile, bubbling silence. And—surprise!—it's all very real, and very much merited, though NOT (generally) “about” the other person.

No, in reality, it's all about us. The emotions being raised are ours—why we react is the prime and primal question.   

Back in April of 2011 we got a celestial “double-whammy" of Uranus entering Aries as Neptune entered its "home" sign of Pisces. Remember that? It was just in the wake of Japan's tsunami. We were all feeling very mortal. The Uranian tendency to signify changes, breakthroughs and things which burst out, become evident, come loose or "break the mold" (of some status quo) in Aries, a sign about consciousness of existence, suddenly got us to thinking about how we all live on this one blue, green and dusty tan planet. How we really are in this life together.

Except—of course—for those who want to "be apart." Uranus creates as much separatism as universality, and all that good and bad, equality against elitism, anarchy against functionality, inventiveness against responsibility…that all continued all through 2011.

And maybe you noticed how all the pathos, the willingness to feel compassion sort of went by the wayside oh…sometime early last August? That was when Neptune retrograded back out of über-sensitive "feeling our feelings" Pisces into worldly, social, systemic and economic/income-oriented Aquarius. But then, as Neptune went station/direct in early November 2011, we all began to weeble-wobble on the brink—not of disaster, but of human disapproval of our Selves…and each other.

So why bring that up now? That "why" is answered thusly: as of February 3 (at 6:53pm UT/+0, should you care) Neptune will re-enter and commit to its transit of Pisces, a passage which will last until 2026. And since Pisces is a sign all about our willingness to deal with our mortality and our feelings (and all we do to escape, evade and romanticize same for good bad and ugly), Neptune's presence in Pisces is a strong indicator of many gains and losses to be incurred over these next years to come.

And among those losses, none will be so pronounced as our faith in the very emotional certainties we hold right now as we take the Neptune plunge into Piscean deep-water depths.

During this passage we can expect to learn that love is both a blessing and responsibility—and that using love for self-delusion is a travesty and tragedy. Whether you give or don't give, the real question is why.

Metaphysically, the Piscean experience of emotions is about connecting with who we are—not who we could be or as others may or may not see us. It's about who we really are.

Add Neptune and this all comes down to ego, and the experience of emotions as the vehicle which forces us to recognize that ego is our greatest petty enemy. As Pluto—a dwarf planet whose orbit is controlled by Neptune—represents the Karma we experience through other people, Neptune is that Karma we experience through confrontations with our Self.

Thus while Neptune is in Pisces, we will experience all things emotional more frequently, and at a more meaningful level. Life will move us because we need to experience our Self by being moved, hurt, loved, betrayed, tested, rewarded, exhausted, challenged, inspired and everything else.

And planet Neptune is entering Pisces in conjunction with Hybris. Since Hybris is all about emotional entitlement, this pretty much promises a tug of war between emotional positions. There will be much insisting that what people (read: you) are doing is just fine. And it may truly be fine. Then again, it may be awful, impractical or just loony. Whatever the case, no one will feel very comfortable with emotional realities, be they in your head or between you and someone else.

With fixed star Regulus at 0 Virgo (in opposition to Neptune/Hybris) "confrontations" regarding physical, functional and moral issues are on the table and the tricky part is whether you're really wrong…or whether those you're challenging (or being challenged by) are simply unwilling to hear or see reality (because of ego).

This whole question of "who has the wool over their eyes?" (and why?) gets even more clearly defined as Circe pays a transiting call on Eris (at 22 Aries) on February 2 and 3, too. Since Eris represents "disruption" and Circe is the "casting of a spell" it's likely that EITHER some spell now gets broken…or that someone is (or becomes) willfully or innocently clueless.

Then we arrive at February 5, the beginning of a four-day Saturn station/retrograde period (February 5–9). Saturn's keywords are responsibility, time, dedication, durability, structure(s)-structural-structuring, earning, endings, completion, achievement, social standing (or status), effort and patience. Saturn coming to a station at 29 Libra indicates intensity of focus and very likely some "turning of a tide."

February 6 and 7 will be colored by retrograde Mars opposing asteroid Vesta—with Mars at 21 Virgo, a quality which ties "things monetary" to "insecurities."

The extreme here is about being  so "married" to some idea or money (or having money) as to be living in "virtual human poverty" simply because your value system has become dehumanized or externalized…and with Mars in retrograde, this energy is operating within.

Add to that how 21 Virgo is a degree between 20 and 29 of some sign and we know the "provoking" of your realization, your craving or possibly the calling you out on values (depending on how you come into this zone) comes from outside.

The last quantity in this mix concerns Vesta. And since Vesta always adds a quality of service to the mix (especially when in Pisces!) questions of need-versus-greed do seem to be somewhere in the formulation. Hmmmm….is this the beginning of a trend? Or the culmination of one?

And since the Full Moon at 18 Leo (occurring on February 7 at 9:55pm, UT/+0) featuring the Sun conjunct Mercury at 18 Aquarius restates this question in a whole different way…evidently this is a cosmic soup de jour. Eat it or be up to your proverbial neck in it, I guess!

Eighteen Aquarius being between degree 10 and 19 (2nd decanate) tells us right off that this Full Moon "highlights" Aquarian tendencies to pit ideals against realities.

And yet, because any Sun/Mercury conjunction tends to manifest as a "can't see the forest for the trees" sort of quality, we can expect to hear a lot about the problems…and many a justification, but not many answers. Why not? Because perspective is required at the (Mercury/Sun) moment, we're all does struck dumb in the Full Moon's emotional spotlight.

Just remember: though Aquarius is a gifted sign to be sure, problems arise in "Aquarian arenas" when the big picture is all theory and no functional reality. And let's make that universal functionality, since Aquarius really says "if it doesn't work for everybody, it doesn't really work for anybody." Aquarian plans/actions which are put in motion despite errors in this area inevitably fail. Life is funny like that!

Also—let's remember that Full Moons are emotional times. So given this Full Moon's presence in Aquarius, we're likely to get a lot of hope and glad-handing: rose colored glasses all around! The up side certainly being optimism, the down side is that shallow sort of disingenuous flattery we all know and hate.

With the Moon part of this figure being in Leo, we also get 18 Leo's vast potential for uncommonly influential insights as part of the bargain. So…! Considering how Full Moons often mark the "culmination" of a process (or at least one phase of same), what have you been up to lately? If the answer is "nothing," then don't be surprised if life presents you with some situation which forces you to grapple with whom to be in that moment.

Why would that be? Well, that would be because this Full Moon occurs on the day that Saturn goes on station at 29 Libra. So life's focus really is on what we are trying to accomplish in life—which isn't external. Your greatest accomplishment is always going to be becoming that person you are truly meant to be. So take stock of what happens now—it'll give you some savvy hints!

This past 2-1/2 years of Saturn's exalted (read: potent) passage through Libra has been filled with learning about and being tested through our relationships and our ability to relate in such a manner as to have a "fulfilling" effect.

Now with Neptune sliding into Pisces, everything changes. The why's and preferences and purposes are all a bit fuzzier. We're asking new questions—of ourselves most of all. Many things we brushed right by before now are impossible to ignore. Things happen to show us—despite our efforts to say "they did it"—how it's really those parts of ourselves which we're not comfortable with which end up bursting our bubbles.

Saturn is taking its station in what astrology calls an "out-of-sign opposition" with Jupiter ( 3 Taurus), asking us what long term consequences are—and what it takes to have long-term viability, particularly in any relationship or situation where honesty and integrity are front and center in the equation.

Some would add loyalty to this list. That's an error. The "Saturn Effect" is in each of our lives; the answer thus is if you live to a standard of honesty and integrity, loyalty will be given you. This is Libra—this is the human definition of cause/effect. We live it—others respond to it.

If you are very young or immature, this opposition also asks that you consider before committing yourself to a course. Many relationship or career choices begun based on immature values or ideals will now crack and crumble under the weight of invalidation.

With Chiron at 4 Pisces conjunct fixed royal star Fomalhaut from February 7 through February 21 we'll all be finding ourselves asking how do I get out of this?....Knowing that there really is no way to have a life we can respect ourselves for having without returning to the integrity of who we are, stripped of pretense.

As if to make this all a little more (melo)dramatic (does it need to be?), Venus enters Aries at 6:02am on February 8…meaning Venus was at 29 Pisces (conjunct nobody's favorite fixed star Scheat) on February 7 ( just in case you need a little more convincing on that integrity score). It's so a swelling of the celestial chorus, this Venus-into-Aries touch: as Venus enters Aries some quality of hopefulness and tolerance melts away, leaving us all with the rather chilly realization that we really do have to rely on ourselves for structure and self discipline. And yes, a heartfelt "ugh!" about covers that!

As Venus enters Aries, it also opposes supermassive black hole M87. And that will exacerbate the yearning for the "good life" or at least a life we're comfortable with. So yes, there will be sulking today , but bottom line: you have to make those bon temps roulez all by yourself right now, so sulk if you must…but then get on with it! (Or don't—your choice.)

February 12 through 14 has all things logical and wise (Pallas) conjunct Neptune—this is inspiration or self-delusion, depending on your orientation. And since February 13–14 have Hybris conjuncting Fomalhaut, let's go ahead and ask: how genuine are your feelings?

For some, St. Valentine's Day will melt away the troubles. But if there is anything "false" in the mix, Fomalhaut will sully the moment with feelings of “obligatory romance.” Splurges and expectations (Pallas/Neptune)… relationships where love has been replaced by demands (Hybris/Fomalhaut) will haunt many. Yes, there may be roses, but also weed-choked rose gardens—and can we talk thorns?

After feeling a bit compromised by our feelings, Mercury enters Pisces at 1:39am (UT/+0) on February 14, replete with many a warbling feeling. Imperfections will be gallantly forgiven, but with Saturn at 29 Libra (and now retrograde) many a mind will be reflecting.

From February 15 through 17 Charybdis (the old way) meets disruptions (Eris)…and with Mercury joining in with Chiron-Fomalhaut at 4 Pisces on February 16th there is sorting of, and a solidifying of feelings. Right or wrong, we all make plans—whether this has anything to do with romance or not. Yet most will not act—not yet.

As the Sun enters Pisces at 6:19am (UT/+0) on February 19, feelings soften, allowing negotiations and conciliations to take shape. Feelings are always heightened during the Sun's annual passage through Pisces, and with Neptune now in Pisces it's to keep in mind that things may feel more than somewhat exaggerated. Is it real? Is it today? Or am I projecting something on this situation?

Life fills now with situations which may daunt, not in their moment-to-moment text, but in the interplay of emotional textures. Remember...Pluto is conjuncting Facies: the emotions are ours and they arise from many sources. The temptation is to project or blame others but in the long run, understanding where and how we undermine our better natures and desired ends is our best bet. It's in the being challenged to feel that we find and admit to ourselves that we are more than our daily coping—and that's what it takes to realize our greater potential. Some think all is “Fate” because they don't want to see that giving up is, in itself, is an exercise of choice and Free Will because you're choosing to do nothing.

Annoying? Maybe. But true, nonetheless! And such is human nature. So as Tantalus joins a party of two (Chiron/Fomalhaut) on February 20 (yes, Mercury's moved on) some will "bite the bullet" and do that "hard" (inconvenient, complicated, self-challenging) thing. And in doing so they will take a step towards changing their life for the more honest and true-to-self.

Others—those who don't want to own their lives—will have one of those days when it feels like you're being eaten alive. Again, blaming others will be the natural instinct. And yes, there will be plenty of takers with blood on their fangs. Much angst and bleeding at the gills about "how terrible" things are will abound. But what are YOU doing about it?

With the arrival of the New Moon at 2 Pisces on February 21 (at 10:26pm, UT/+0), some will acknowledge the handwriting on the wall and begin carving a new path. And though 2 Pisces doesn't denote "smooth action" (this is not the Ginger Rodgers/Fred Astaire of zodiacal degrees, and if you're not familiar with Fred and Ginger, a little trip through YouTube is suggested)…but there is real strength here, strength which is often not set off until we hit the challenge—or even crisis point. Could that be why all the fracas came before now? Maybe...

The presence of Industria (industriousness) inscribes "effort" all over this New Moon event—and since New Moons start lunar cycles, the whole of the next lunar month. Yet we know that some of what you'll undertake now has been prompted by things which have already happened, because Orcus (consequences) is sitting at 3 Virgo. Since 3 Virgo is one degree past the opposition point to this New Moon at 2 Pisces, we know something has already happened. We also know that if you apply yourself, you can change today's dynamic as this Moon cycle comes to Full on March 8.

That there is effective strength to be displayed during this next (February/March) lunar month is well described by Juno at 4 Sagittarius—in square to the Pisces lunation. Besides reiterating that something has already happened and that the issue has to do with how you run your own life, this Juno speaks to three useful qualities going forward:  how refining your plan as you go along without compromising standards is essential, how important it will be to keep moving without getting bogged down (or distracted) by details, and how a the willingness to fight fire with fire is the reflection of your own belief in any given cause.

For those who tend to back down in the face of conflict, you can now change all that not by fighting, but by being willing to shock everyone with your assertive unwillingness to tolerate another minute of selfishly petulant hornswaggling. And make no mistake: if you're one of these people, backing down now will consign you to a personal hell of dismal proportions!

In some cases, that's exactly what's needed. Confront the bully and they'll often back down. But as Pluto ends its initial direct conjunction with fixed star Facies on February 23, we also encounter the inkling that sometimes we're the bully—even against ourselves. Whatever happens now, you're feeling more about who you are—and that's the point: you cannot fulfill your true potential without being in touch with it!

All is not settled yet… this we know because Mercury is just entering the shadow of an upcoming retrograde in the company of Photographica—the "image"—with BOTH conjunct Facies. There will be a lot of posturing and "playing of parts" which still has to be endured. But if you try to understand why people act as they do, you'll have a better chance of coming up with solutions.

Just don't count on anything coming to clear fruition until  Mars goes direct in April. And to be honest, there is a Venus retrograde ahead in mid-May. So we do have a ways to go before things will get sorted out. But that's realistic: old structures must get torn down before new ones can come to stand in their place. And that process is always—by definition and necessity—a messy one.

Boots Hart, CAP